Not Behind Our Four Walls!
A full day of family time! Thank You, Father, for Your bountiful blessings!
John 2:18-22 (<<click here to read the passage)
A statement I have read and have heard a fair amount over the last year came to mind when I read today’s passage.
The building may be closed but the Church is always open!
The Church, as a whole, has struggled in this last year. Because of COVID-19, many churches have curtailed their “in-person” worship. My two churches went for a time with only virtual worship, but one was able to conduct outside services beginning in June of last year and the other began to meet in person starting in September. With an uptick in virus cases in our county both churches went back to virtual in the middle of November and we have been in that mode since then.
All kinds of things have impacted how the Church has responded. Some have been able to regularly take part in weekly virtual services. Some do not have the means to do so. And honestly, some just decided not to bother with any of it.
I have felt a loss in not meeting together. We are definitely shortchanged when we are unable to interact and socialize face-to-face. That interpersonal communication has stunted our growth and development as individuals but one thing it shouldn’t do is stunt our spiritual growth.
Unfortunately, many are dependent upon gathering for worship and fellowship because it is the only time that we ingest Biblical learning and challenges. So in a way, we hinder our spiritual growth even when we do come together because many rely solely on that short time, one day a week to feed upon the Bread of Life.
Can you imagine if we fed ourselves physical sustenance only once a week and even that for a short time? We would all be emaciated and in need of dire medical attention! We would never think about it, would we?
Don’t you think our spiritual vitality is even more important? After all, our bodies are only able to make it eighty or more years at the most, and then it is ashes to ashes, dust to dust. But our souls? They are eternal…they will exist for eternity in pain…or in sorrow. They need fed…and more than just once a week!
This has taken a bit of a tangent but regardless, it is extremely important that it be addressed!
My original thought regarding this passage is that some struggle with not meeting face-to-face because to them it is not church. For it to be church, many feel it has to be in the building we call church.
When Jesus stated, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” v19 the Jewish leaders assumed He was speaking of the building of worship from which He had just thrown out animals and tradesmen. But that was not the temple of which He spoke. Jesus was speaking of his own body. v21
Verse 22 goes on to say,
After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.
Another quote I have seen online is:
The church is NOT the building, it’s the body of Christ.
The Church should never be limited by the four walls of the buildings in which we meet. In fact, years ago that is exactly what they were called, meeting houses. It was a place where the faithful would regularly meet to encourage one another – a place where the faithful could be challenged and taught – a place where the faithful would hear the testimony of what God was doing out in the world where the Church was at work!
So faithful followers, do not be discouraged for the Church – the body of Christ – is very much alive! Whether our meeting time is virtual or face-to-face, we are stilled called to be the Church…not behind our four walls but up-close and personal in the world! Lord, help us!
Mar 28th, 2021, Sun, 8:19 pm
Justified Anger
Father, time and time again I speak of praises for all that You do. I feel that I am just repeating myself in my very finite mind, but I realize, too, that if with every breath I praised You, my whole life would be inadequate to truly do You justice!
John 2:13-17 (<<click here to read the passage)
Anger. Some of us struggle with it on occasion while the struggle of others is the fact that it is only occasionally that they are not angry!
Admittedly, I battle anger. Knowing my family, I would say, honestly, that we most definitely have a propensity toward anger. For me, at least, it’s just sort of there laying beneath the surface. I can usually keep it pushed down in public, but like a pressure cooker at some point, the steam needs to blow! Unfortunately, it too often happens when I am around people closest to me. It may be directed at them but they can also be caught in the crossfire when my anger is directed at someone else or circumstances outside of my control.
It is an ongoing point of prayer. I realize I am not the only one who goes through this but I’m not responsible for dealing with the anger of others, but I am responsible for dealing with my anger!
An honest question is, “Is it always wrong to be angry?”
The honest answer to that question is, “No.”
Looking at today’s passage, we can best describe the emotion that Jesus is exuding as anger. Verses 15 and 16 paint a pretty vivid picture.
Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” NLT (emphasis mine)
We can all claim that we have reason to be angry, but can we legitimately do so? There may be times when that is the case but usually our anger is set off by some obscure infraction. Often it is simply the proverbial last straw breaking the camel’s back.
But looking at Jesus’ actions, His response to these grievous infractions was totally legitimate! We’re not talking about Him getting His toes stepped on or His ego bruised. The scene described involved the Temple – His Father’s house literally turned into a marketplace!
In comparing this passage with others found in the Gospel, scholars hold that this was taking place not just in the area surrounding the Temple but in the Temple itself – specifically in the Court of the Gentiles. If you weren’t a Jew but had been drawn to a relationship with the One True God, that was the only place you could go to worship. How in the world would you worship in those conditions?
If you’ve ever been around cows and sheep you quickly realize that they can be…let’s say, a bit messy! Not to mention noisy! And they wouldn’t have been the only source of noise. I doubt the merchants were quietly selling their wares. They were probably shouting to get everyone’s attention. More than likely, unless you were deaf, and your nose was plugged, worship wasn’t going to happen!
And you can guarantee that the merchants were price gouging – high prices for merchandise and of course you couldn’t use your money, you had to exchange it for money acceptable to the Temple treasuries!
Now that would be a reason to be legitimately angered…and Jesus was!
I sure don’t have all the answers, but I do know the best place to start in finding those answers…our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Lord Jesus, help us…help me. Help us all to deal with anger. May we address the unjustified anger we fight against, but may we also be forthcoming in exuding justified anger as did You. Amen.
Mar 25th, 2021, Thurs, 7:45 pm
Promises, Promises
A dreary start to the day, Father, but even it had its beauty. Thank You for warm temperatures and sunshine throughout the day! Your blessings never fail!
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This morning, shortly after the beginning of my elementary route, I was preparing to turn onto another roadway when what should I see before my eyes but a beautiful rainbow in all of its splendor! Now mind you, at that point, I only saw one end of it but still! I announced it over the intercom and initially the few kids I had on board didn’t pay much attention to what I said, much less that there was a thing of natural magnificence for them to behold.
I was amazed but thought, “Maybe this generation is less impressed by such things…” But there, I was wrong!
I had no sooner turned the corner when they noticed it! From then on, I had to keep reminding them to stay in their seats. For the next 40 minutes (!) no matter which direction I took, they were craning their necks to “ooo” and “aah” about how pretty it was. Over time we saw both ends of it, too. When we finally pulled in at the school it was still there! In fact, it sat behind the school. Students were asking if we could go behind the school and look for the legendary pot of gold. Another student said, “I saw something green sliding down it! I know leprechauns wear green!”
Karen, who teaches 1st grade, said that as she stood outside her door that it was all the students coming into the building were talking about!
The one thing I did not hear was any reference to the first occurrence of a rainbow and God’s promise that went with it
Then God told Noah and his sons, “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.” Genesis 9:8-17 NLT
Oh, that we would be as excited regarding the beauty of Your creation and what it signifies, Lord Jesus, as my kids were about seeing Your rainbow. Yours is the glory. May we never take what You have given us for granted. And of course, it goes far beyond rainbows for they are just a part of the vast whole! Amen!
Mar 24th, 2021, Wed, 7:45 pm
The Lent Lily
Another beautiful day for the end of March, Father! Glorious sunshine and wonderfully mild temperatures. Thank You for Your bounteous blessings!
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Spring is in full swing here in central Ohio! Our crocuses have come and are pretty much gone. Now our daffodils are coming on strong. They have just started blooming the last couple of days (today’s pic is one cluster of ours!)
I was curious as to how the daffodil got its name and after a little digging found a pretty mundane answer, but I did find something else pretty interesting! I found an article in The Door, (<<click here to read the entire article) a publication from the Oxford Diocese of the Anglican Church in England. It was entitled, The Lenten Lily, because as I discovered, the daffodil is also known as the lent lily.
The Revd. Dr. Teresa Morgan, a member of the team in the Littlemore Benefice, shared a poignant devotional using a poem by A.E. Housman as a springboard. Here is a portion of it, along with the poem in its entirety.
The Lent Lily
’Tis spring; come out to ramble
The hilly brakes around,
For under thorn and bramble
About the hollow ground
The primroses are found.
And there’s the windflower chilly
With all the winds at play,
And there’s the Lenten lily
That has not long to stay
And dies on Easter day.
And since till girls go maying
You find the primrose still,
And find the windflower playing
With every wind at will,
But not the daffodil,
Bring baskets now, and sally
Upon the spring’s array,
And bear from hill and valley
The daffodil away
That dies on Easter day.
Housman’s poem captures the poignancy of flowers that bloom early to tell us that summer is coming, but do not live to see summer in all its glory. They remind me of those characters in the gospels – Simeon and Anna, John the Baptist – who meet and recognize Jesus early in his life, but do not live to see Easter Day. In some ways, these characters feel themselves blessed. They have seen the Messiah, and they are full of joy and gratitude. In some ways, they die with their faith and hope unfulfilled, before they can witness the salvation which they foretold.
At certain times of the year, especially in…Lent, these gospel characters reflect our own complex state of faith. For us, in one sense, Easter Day has already come, and we can rejoice in God’s saving grace. In another sense, we are still waiting for the scriptures to be fulfilled. The world has not been wholly transformed by the Resurrection. Most of us do not feel perfectly at one with God. The Kingdom has not yet come. We are hopeful and doubtful by turns.
These gospel characters, in their time, waited for Easter through the long weeks of Lent. They too prayed for forgiveness and reconciliation; and though they died without seeing the fulfillment of the Kingdom, they left us a powerful legacy of hope. Like Housman’s Lent lilies, their lives were radiant with the promise of glory.
Lord Jesus, we are grateful to be living in a post-Easter world, though there are many of Your promises yet to be fulfilled. We eagerly await Your return and their fulfillment. All praise to You our Lord and Savior!
Mar 23rd, 2021, Mon, 6:47 pm
A Mouthful of Cotton Candy
Things don’t always go the way we think they will but, Father, You are there beside us to give guidance and fortitude all along the way. Thank You for Your watchcare over us through all the ups and downs of life!
John 2:1-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
As a child, I remember saying “re-do” on occasion. I would be playing a game and did something that would lower my chances of winning and I would exclaim, “Re-do! Come on! I need another chance! I didn’t mean to do it that way! Re-do! Re-do!”
Most often it involved trivial things that the adults with whom I was interacting would readily give in and let me re-do.
As adults, we may not yell it, but we feel it, don’t we? In a heated argument, we say something hurtful that we immediately regret but… Even saying, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!” doesn’t get us very far.
Sometimes it’s a succession of errors – misjudgments, mistakes – that just keep on multiplying one on top of another, and before we know it, we are buried, in over our heads.
Sometimes there are things that are simply beyond our control. Maybe we are born blind or have some kind of debilitating disease that leeches away our mobility. Maybe due to no fault of our own, we lose our job which in turn causes us to lose our home and the downward spiral dumps us on the street. These things are not our intent but there we are left huddling all alone in the raging storm that we did not cause and that we cannot stop.
I love a portion of the note on verse 11. First, the verse.
This, the first of His signs (attesting miracles), Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory [displaying His deity and His great power openly], and His disciples believed [confidently] in Him [as the Messiah—they adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him]. AMP
Now the note.
Miracles are not merely superhuman events, but events that demonstrate God’s power. Almost every miracle Jesus did was a renewal of fallen creation–restoring sight, making the lame walk, even restoring life to the dead. Believe in Christ not because he is a superman but because he is the God who continues his creation, even in those of us who are poor, weak, crippled, orphaned, blind, deaf, or with some other desperate need.*
Regardless of what the world totes as truth, we must place our trust in Jesus. The world’s offerings are put before us as sumptuous, sustaining meals when in reality they are as cotton candy in our mouths. They may be sweet for a moment but too much makes us sick and if that is all we ever have, we will die.
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is our Sustainer! He is our Provider! He is all about making all things new. It makes no difference where we find ourselves, each day is a clean page ready for new beginnings! Put your faith in Him and it will not be misplaced!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Mar 22nd, 2021, 6:51 pm