Vol 5 No 19 - More than a Day Off

How interested are you - intentionally, willfully, joyously, and with as much pride and sense of accomplishment you can manufacture - in breaking one of the ten commandments?

How many times do you - intentionally, willfully, joyously, and with as much pride and sense of accomplishment you can manufacture - break one of the ten commandments and brag about it to your friends & neighbors, co-workers & family?

Chances are, you probably do it more than you realize.  Chances are, you probably have done it today.  Trust me.  You have.  I have.  We all have.  And the sooner we admit it, the healthier (and more honest) we all will become.

Now, I know there are some of the ten commandments that we break and don't want anyone to know, and we don't think anyone will ever know.  This one, however, is different.

Which one am I talking about?  Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

Why do I say that we are so boastful about our ignorance of this particular commandment?  What is the second most popular topic of conversation (#1 - The Weather)?  How busy we are.  We can't wait to talk about what we have going on and how much we have to accomplish.  Ask someone how they are, and chances are good the answer will be, "busy".  Even when we are trying to plan leisurely activities, we are busy.

I'm currently doing some study about the sabbath, and it has reminded me once again about the necessity of a 'holy rest', a time that is 'consecrated' by the Lord.  How 'bout we all take some time to be intentional about spending the sabbath as a day of holy rest, consecrated by the Lord for his glory, rather than a day away from our routines wherein we are still filled with 'to-do' lists and mundane busy-ness around our house, our camp, or at some other place?

Or are we content to just blow off one of the Ten Commandments, rationalizing away our willful ignorance of something God cared so much about that he laid it in stone?

See You Soon!

Lamar

Vol 5 No 18 - Unfamiliar Familiarity

Looking ahead to worship this weekend, our service will be centered around probably the most familiar of all scriptures, Psalm 23.  Sitting here this afternoon, however, I must admit that this week's worship does cause some challenges unique to this passage.  The familiarity of this passage makes it, in fact, harder not easier to prepare, for almost everyone has their preconceived notion of this texts meaning.

But then again, isn't that part of our problem with understanding any scripture we encounter, either through worship, prayer, study, or by any other means?  Once we get in our head what a particular passage is all about, it's quite difficult for us to change our minds.

How much does this thinking get in the way of us allowing God to show us more of the divine grace and Mercy?  

We KNOW after all, that this particular passage is what is supposed to be read at funerals, correct?  (Or is it?)

We KNOW that the valley of the shadow of death has to do with when we die and go on to heaven, right?  

We KNOW that God is going to stick it to our enemies when we read that he prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies, right?

This is, after all, what this passage is talking about...us...isn't it...?  (HINT: It very well may, but probably not in the way you may think.)

Tell ya what - take a long, hard look at it again.

And, while we are at it, let's take a good, long, hard look at our relationship with Christ.  Let's see what areas we are taking for granted, what presuppositions we are bringing in that might not necessarily be accurate upon further reflection.

See You Soon!

Lamar

Vol 5 No 17 - Easter People

Every day to us is Easter,
with its resurrection song. 

When in trouble move the faster
to our God who rights the wrong. 

Alleluia! Alleluia!
See the power of heavenly throngs.

Back in the saddle again, after a week away for some time off and a two-day meeting, I am quick to note how easy it is to jump back into the routine, and how comforting routine can be when we are out of it for a while.  Even though Sabbath time is important, and even though as an elder in our conference I have responsibilities to the conference as well as the local church, I must admit that I really missed the daily routines of life and seeing many of you here and there.  What a privilege it is to serve a congregation where I could not wait to get back.

As I write you this morning, I can't seem to get our opening hymn for this upcoming week, Easter People Raise Your Voices, out of my head (and not just because it is good, theologically sound, well-written, and composed in my lifetime).  Verse 3, quoted above, is a great statement of faith about those of us who are living post-resurrection lives of faith in anticipation of Christ's second coming.

Every day to us is Easter, with its resurrection song - The resurrection song is triumph over death.  The resurrection song is transformation - the people of God, if not transformed, have not truly journeyed through the resurrection.

Just because we celebrated Easter Sunday a couple of weeks ago does not mean Easter has come and gone for another year.  On the contrary - for us, every day is Easter.  Every day is a day of transformation.  Every day is a day where we live secure in the reality that death has been defeated, and has no power over us.  Every day is a day where we live not in fear, but in hope.

Go forth, dear friends, and live as Easter People.  Live as ones for whom Easter is not a once-a-year observance, but a way of life!

See You Soon!

Lamar