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Emails to God – There’s a Time and a Place for Breaking the Rules (Matthew 12:1-14)

20 Jan

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

Dear God, I have to admit that I never liked the story of David and his men eating the consecrated bread. I don’t think Saul could have gotten away with that. The only thing I can figure out is that you realize that there is a time and a place for breaking rules. The times are few and the places are few, but apparently there is, indeed, at time and a place.

So what kinds of rules are open to interpretation at these special times and places? Of course, there is no way for me to figure that our here. And I think that I will end up having to make these evaluations as I encounter any given situation. But what I think the ultimate thing comes down to is, where is my heart in the decision to break a rule?

I spoke with a friend recently about her divorce. I have seen the pain of divorce up close and personal through my parents having been separated three times, so I can empathize, at least a little, with her pain. Ironically, that same night I was in a Bible study that discussed marriage. It was a Catholic study so they idea of divorce was nonexistent—you have to go through an annulment. The man who led the discussion, to my surprise, was on his fourth marriage. The first was in a Methodist church when he says he was young and dumb—it was short-lived. The second and third were done by Justices of the Peace—one was short and the other 16 years. Before he could marry the fourth time, however, he had recently become Catholic and they told him that he would have to go through the annulment process for at least the first one since that one was in a church (the other two were able to not count since they were civil ceremonies and not before you). The annulment process is apparently arduous, thorough, and not automatic. The Catholic church sees marriage as something that you joined together and only you can break. BUT, to their credit, I think, they do recognize that there is a time to break.

Father, I know my friend is still hurting. I know she would still love reconciliation. I don’t know that that is possible. That ship has likely sailed. So I ask that you would speak to her through your Word, through the books and devotionals that she reads, and through her friends. Help her to see how you are loving her through this. Help her to feel your hand on her life. Help her to see the ways you are touching her each day, each moment, that she didn’t realize before now. It’s an ugly situation, and while she is probably not totally blameless for all of the problems in the marriage, she is blameless in the area of wanting it to end. So honor her for that, help her to feel your release from it, and help her to live this day for you and not be distracted by what she no longer has.

 
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Posted by on January 20, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – The Weary and the Burdened (Matthew 11:25-30)

19 Jan

25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Dear God, I wonder if verses 27 and 28 are linked together more than I have thought. I almost separated them, but I am starting to think that Jesus reveals you to those who are weary and burdened, looking for rest.

I know that, as my children grow, one of my prayers for them is that they will get to a point of complete submission to you. Frankly, unless we get to the point where we are broken of the idea that we can do it in our own power then there is no way that we will find the peace and joy of surrendering to you. So my prayer for them is that they will completely submit to you, but that their burden will be as light as possible in order to get themselves there. I am their dad and I don’t want to see them suffer under a burden at all. Of course, that is not a realistic goal, so I simply ask that you make their burdens and suffering as light as possible in order to get them where you want them.

Father, I want to be a good father to my children. I also want to be a good son to you. So I turn my life over to you and ask that you do whatever you will to draw me into complete submission to you. I understand it might mean my suffering. I also understand that it might be more than I THINK I can take. But I tell you in this moment that I want you more than I want anything else. Be glorified in me.

 
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Posted by on January 19, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Performing Miracles for Repentance (Matthew 11:20-24)

18 Jan

20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Dear God, it is interesting that the purpose of miracles is repentance. From this passage, it seems that the miracles weren’t for those who were healed, but for those who witnessed the healing. They weren’t as much about mercy as they were about getting people to realize that they were in your presence, recognize their sin, and then turn from it and devote themselves to you.

Getting to a point of repentance can be hard. I think the big thing is that it requires a combination of stirring by the Holy Spirit and the person finally reaching the end of their rope. That is how the person repenting for the first time often comes to repentance (especially when they are adults). What frustrates me are the times when I continue to sin even after I have repented. I have noticed it in a couple of areas including relating to my wife and children. There are things that I do that are part of my personality and bad habits that annoy and sometimes hurt them. When they reveal them to me I am pretty good about repenting and saying I am sorry, but then I end up doing them again. Ugh! It not only frustrates me, but it frustrates them too.

Father, there are things in my heart for which I repent. I am sorry for failing you and for failing others around me. Help me to respond to you in a way that will bring you delight. I am not saying that I can be perfect, but I at least want my repentance to be genuine and to get at least a little better each time.

 
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Posted by on January 18, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating (Matthew 11:16-19)

17 Jan

16 “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

17 “‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

Dear God, I guess that Jesus is saying that they wanted a prophet and a messiah that they could control and that would do what they expected them to. I imagine that “this generation”, to which he referred, included the Pharisees and Sadducees. I like how Jesus points out that he and John couldn’t win with “this generation”. I think he was indicating that it was the messages of both John and Jesus that were making people uncomfortable so they looked for excuses to discredit them.

I went and looked up this passage in The Message translation, and he had an interesting interpretation of the last sentence: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” So the way to judge John and Jesus is to look at their overall body of work and not try to dig into the minutia in an effort to discredit their message.

I wonder what kind of body of work people see in me. Can they see you in me through my deeds? Am I someone who is consistent in all areas of my life? At the same time, is my message bold enough that it makes some uncomfortable, or do I water it down so that people will want to hear it. Regarding consistency, I feel good about that part, but I do worry that I might water down what I am trying to say in order to get people to like me.

Father, I submit all of this to you. I submit my parenting to you. I submit my marriage to you. I submit my employment to you. I submit my church life to you. I submit my friendships to you. I submit my extended family relationships with you too. Be glorified in me, and if that means that you have to cause others to stumble over the words that I say, so be it.

 
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Posted by on January 17, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Refining the Pharisees (Matthew 11:7-15)

15 Jan

7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’

11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Dear God, regarding the historical reference Jesus makes to John in verse 10, here is a chunk of that passage around the one verse Jesus uses in Malachi 3:

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.”

I am surprised that Jesus didn’t add more of the passage than he did. Who know? Maybe he did and Matthew didn’t record it. Or perhaps he left it implied so that it would be something the Pharisees would get but maybe the rest of the crowd wouldn’t. It could have been a backhanded insult to the Pharisees while he was exemplifying John.

When I think about Pharisees who were, indeed, refined and made into pure gold and silver, I think of Nicodemus and Joseph Arimathea. I think what made them different is that they were willing to have their hearts purified. They were open to being challenged and accepting the idea that they were wrong.

That has been one of the more interesting, and difficult, parts of exploring Catholicism for me. When I entered into the RCIA class I really did do it with an open mind—or as open as I am capable of making my mind. I looked to see if there were some changes in my theology that I needed to make. And I have, indeed, made a few. For example. I am willing to accept the idea of Mary, along with the other saints, praying for me. Sure. Why not? But there are still some concepts that have really challenged my own beliefs, and I’m just not quite ready to embrace them yet. Not embracing them will prevent me from “converting”, but is that a problem? No. In the end, I don’t want this to be about “converting” to Catholicism, but about simply refining and purifying my faith into something that will continually draw me deeper into you.

Father, help me to see you clearly. Help me to embrace you as wholly as I can. Love others through me. Love my wife through me. Love my children through me. Use me in the lives of others so that you might be glorified in both my life and their lives. As I am with my extended family this afternoon, love them through me. Give them a sense of you through me.

 
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Posted by on January 15, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – A Coded Message from Jesus to John (Matthew 11:1-6)

14 Jan

Matthew 11:1-6

1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns ofGalilee.

2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

Dear God, there are two interesting things here: 1. John the Baptist doubted. Sure he was in prison, but his faith waned. 2. Jesus said, “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” That implies that there will be those who stumble, but it is their fault that they stumble. But there will also be those who do not stumble over Jesus and his teaching, but embrace it and walk with it. Those people will be celebrated (blessed).

Regarding John’s doubts, this is so encouraging for me because he knew Jesus for most of his life. He somehow knew who Jesus was in terms of being the messiah at Jesus’ baptism. And yet, sitting in prison, facing death for being so outspoken, he doubted. He wondered if he had done it all for nothing. He had been so radical in his life. Should he have been?

So Jesus affirmed him. The affirmation is a little cryptic. I wonder if it was an inside deal with them. I wonder if they talked as children and dreamed of what would happen when Jesus came into his ministry. In essence, this seems cryptic, but it is a code that John would understand?

I wonder if this second part (about the stumbling) was part of the code too. I wonder if, as children, they talked about how they would offend and be rejected by some. John was looking for some peace and restoration of his faith. I never thought of it before, but I wonder if Jesus was doing that by taking advantage of the personal relationship they had had since their childhoods.

Father, there are times when my faith fails. Frankly, my faith was needing some affirmation on Monday. I took a day to fast and pray and then you spent the rest of the week affirming my faith. Thank you. Thank you for how you have answered my prayers. Thank you for how you will continue to answer my prayers. You care about me. You care about those around me whom you want to bless through me. So I submit myself to you and thank you for not rejecting me for my mini crises in faith, but, instead, you affirm me and bless me.

 
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Posted by on January 14, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Accepting and Rejecting Prophets (Matthew 10:40-42)

12 Jan

40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

Dear God, I have both accepted and rejected your “prophets” over the years. The trick is trying to discern whether or not they are from you. For example, there is a popular television preacher out there that I have rejected as your prophet. That’s not to say that I would treat him badly if I saw him, or that I wouldn’t give him a drink of water if he needed it, but I absolutely reject his teaching. If I am wrong on him then I have, indeed, rejected anything you might try to say to me through him.

I am also in a situation where I am in a class right now to possibly join a new denomination, and I am trying to reconcile the things that I agree with and the things I don’t agree with. What is important and what isn’t? Where should I draw the line and say, “That is too far,” where should I say, “I disagree, but it isn’t important,” and where should I say, “Hmm, perhaps I should consider rethinking my position”? It can be hard to parse through the different items that make up our theology and figure out where we can come into the truth you want us to know and also come into community with each other, even though we each might understand truth a little differently.

Father, help me to find truth through this process. Help me to discern what you would have me to believe, what you would have to be just accept in an “agree to disagree” kind of way, and what you would have me to reject. If I reject something, help me to do it in love. Even this one preacher that I reject, help me to love him—especially if you consider him to be your prophet and disciple. Speak truth to him. Speak truth to me. Help me to know you more and more.

 
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Posted by on January 12, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Loving God More than All Others (Matthew 10:37-39)

11 Jan

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Dear God, Jesus is really on a roll here. This whole chapter seems to be a little out of character for him, but I don’t suppose it really is. In this case, he is simply saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” He is saying that your devotion has to be to your God first because if you love your children more than me then you will fail your children. If you love your parents more than me, you will fail your parents as well as me and everything else. Whenever you figure you that you have to lose your life, dreams, goals, ambitions, priorities, etc. in order to live a life that is fulfilled and at peace then you will have to love me more than anything else.

One of the things that is hard for me to do is to remember to call you in when I am in crisis. Sure, I might throw up an occasional prayer, but do I really seek your provision and comfort? Two days ago I was very stressed. A family member was discovered to be sick. I had some overwhelming circumstances come up at work. I was pretty down. So I decided to do something I hadn’t done in a while. I fasted and prayed. I don’t remember the last time I took a day to fast, but it has been a while. Well, it was really good and purifying. Every time I felt hungry I thought of the relative I love and the problem at work and I simply turned it over to you. I didn’t really beseech you for anything as much as I surrendered to you. The hunger pains were a reminder that I needed to let go and rest in you.

Father, help me to carry that lesson into today. Help me to continue to rest in you. Thank you for the people you sent to me yesterday who encouraged and blessed me. Thank you for hearing my prayers. Thank you for caring about my prayers. I am doing my best to love you more than anything else, although I often fail, and I want to be continually be in your peace. So I give myself over to you in this moment and ask that you carry it all through the day.

 
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Posted by on January 11, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Turning fathers against sons (Matthew 10:32-36)

10 Jan

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn

“‘a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,

a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

Dear God, it is interesting that at some point they will be looking for the one who is going to bring a sword, but he will be saying that he is bringing peace. Matthew knows this when he is writing this in retrospect, so why is he focusing on this now? What is Matthew’s message to me?

I think that Matthew realized, looking back, that Jesus’ message and being his disciple would “turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, etc.” While Jesus preached a message of hope and reconciliation, he knew that there would be conflict about this. He knew that his message would offend some. It is pretty amazing how fortunate I am to not have these kinds of conflicts with my family over faith. I wonder, however, what kinds of conflicts I might have with my children over the years with faith. How will what they see in me influence their relationship with you? Will it push them away from you because it appears unappealing to them or will it draw them closer to you because they find it is something that they want? What will happen with my relationship with them over the years? As I said a few days ago, my greatest fear is that I am failing them spiritually.

Father, my heart is heavy today and distracted. You know what is going on in the different areas of my life. I have decided to make this day about sacrifice to you. Some can only come out through prayer and fasting. Well, if that is what it takes then that is what I will do. I will fast and pray about some of the issues I am facing and ask that you hear my prayers. Whether they be for family members or for work issues, I beseech you to hear me. If you are willing, hear my prayers.

 
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Posted by on January 10, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – “So do not be afraid…” (Matthew 10:24-31)

09 Jan

24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Dear God, it is interesting that verse 26 starts out, “So do not be afraid of them…” How are they not supposed to be afraid of them? You just finished telling them that they will be arrested, flogged, put before governors and kings, etc. Now, you say, “…do not be afraid of them…” So what emotion are they supposed to feel when they are in these situations?

Am I ever supposed to feel fear? Is there ever a time when you think it is reasonable for me to be afraid? My first instinct is to say, “Sure. There are lots of times when I should be afraid.” But then I start to think about the various things that would normally bring me fear and I think that, in each of them, right down to losing my own life or the lives of my family members, you are not calling me towards fear, but faith that it will all be okay in the end. Sure, it’s okay to grieve. Sorrow was part of your life. And I think that Jesus battled fear in the garden the night he was betrayed. But in the end he didn’t leave that garden with fear. He slayed it and said, “Not my will, but Your will be done.”

Father, THAT is the prayer you call me to: “Not my will, but Your will be done.” It kind of goes along with the man earlier asking for healing who told Jesus, “If you are willing…” Those are my prayers, in combination: “Father, if you are willing…Not my will, but Your will be done.” Help me to live these prayers and to be at peace in the midst of any storm that brews around me and heads my way.

 
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Posted by on January 9, 2012 in Matthew

 

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