The Discipline of Remembrance

Remembering is hard work, especially in a world like ours. The information era teaches us to forget yesterday’s news, so that we can cram in today’s…we drown ourselves in mindless media diversions that enthrall us for the moment but are as memorable as potato chips are nutritious. Remembering takes time and space, and remembering takes practice. We have to search hard for those free zones in which we can remember again that we are really children of God. No remembering won’t come easily or automatically. On the contrary, we will fill our days with other thoughts and lose ourselves in other tasks unless remembering becomes a discipline, a way of life, for us.
John Burgess

Sunday, as I was preparing several people to be baptized in water, I charged them with the importance of remembering the day. Water Baptism calls for reflection and remembrance. No doubt, Jesus understood that we have the tendency to crowd out the sacred moments in our memories with the cares of this world. That’s one reason He called us to “remember” Him when we come to the Lord’s table and share communion. Be disciplined today. Every day of our lives should include moments of remembrance. Remember what God has done. Remember we are really His children. Choose a moment today to hit the “pause” button in life and remember.

Missionary Force

Here, then, is the great timeless truth. The best argument for Christianity is a real Christian; and, therefore, whether we like it or not, every Christian is an advertisement for Christianity. By his life he either commends Christianity to others, or he makes others think less of Christianity. The strongest missionary force in the world is a Christian life.
William Barclay

What would happen if I awakened each and every day with the realization that my life is a “missionary force”? Too often our images of mission are restricted to someone else-somewhere else. When we limit our view of mission we may be tempted to relieve ourselves of the daily responsibility to “advertise” Christianity. Commercial advertising is sold based upon exposure. Who will see the ad? In my daily life, that is a difficult question to answer. Today, my life will be viewed by some who know me and some who do not. I will be aware of some who are watching and unaware of others. Furthermore, I will not be aware of the spiritual condition of those who are watching. In the end, it really doesn’t matter. Wherever I go today, my feet will tread on my personal mission field. Barclay’s words still matter. My life will either reflect the true character of Christ or not.

Longsuffering

Wednesday is a great day. Every Wednesday morning is Preschool Chapel time. It's a time for me to have a blast singing and dancing with an energetic bunch of kids. This morning I was continuing to teach them about the "fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22-23). It's a great subject for two, three and four year olds. The last three weeks have gone pretty smoothly. Love, Joy and Peace are fairly easy to explain to them. But, how do explain "longsuffering" to a child? Preschoolers are not always known for their patience. But, so often we underestimate their understanding. After I shared, they began to share examples with me to confirm that they were beginning to grasp the occasional need to wait (and to show love, joy and peace in the meantime). One little child shared that her mommy was going to have a baby - very appropriate in the context. Before long, at least 10 children had raised their hands and shared examples from their daily lives that required patient endurance. I'm finishing the day wondering if it's easier to get preschoolers on board with longsuffering than it is adults? It seems with each passing year we get more demanding and impatient. Does impatience impact love? joy? peace? I suspect the relationship between these virtues is fairly strong in our lives.

Step into the Light

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

One day last week, I stepped out of a dimly lit room into the sunlight. Immediately, I became aware of the need for my eyes to adjust to the light. Our eyes are one of God’s greatest gifts to the human body. When we move from darkness to light (or from light to darkness) our pupils automatically adjust to control the amount of light that passes through the lens to the photoreceptors in the retina. As I know from past experience, we cannot see color or details when light cannot reach the retina. In our spiritual lives, God calls us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Only when we move into the light are we able to see clearly. God’s marvelous light changes everything. Peter gives us a picture of what the light reveals. First, we see ourselves differently. God’s light clarifies our identity. We are “chosen”. We are “royal priests”. We are “holy”. We are cherished by the Creator of the universe. Second, our mission is illuminated. As “royal priests”, we exist to declare His praises and make Him known to the world around us. Thank God for the light. If we try to see ourselves or our world without the light that God provides today, then our vision will be distorted. I don’t want to miss the brilliant color and detail of God’s plan for our lives.

Living Stones

As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:4,5

It seems a subtle detail, but I think it matters a great deal. I’m referring to the fact that Peter reminds us that Jesus is a “living” Stone and we are “living” stones. Although Peter knew Jesus had ascended into heaven and he was present when Jesus disappeared, he knew that the vitality of His relationship with Jesus had not changed. Likewise, Peter knew the teachings of Jesus are not static. They are as dynamic as our relationship with the living Savior. Earlier in this passage Peter taught us that our development as followers of Jesus depends on the nourishment we receive from the Word of God. Like "newborn babies" we are to crave the nourishment that God's Word provides. Studying the Bible is important. But, “how” we read the Bible is very important. God’s word is alive. Eugene Peterson highlights the difference. Peterson writes that we must transition from reading the Word of God as a kind of reading that is “dead” to a way of reading that is “alive”. He compares reading the Bible to being with a “company of friends who are listening to, accompanying and following Jesus alive”. We need to recover the fact that Almighty God is speaking to us. When we do so, God’s master design is evident in our lives. The living Word impacts our lives. We, as living stones are shaped into the likeness of Jesus.

Craving

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

Psalm 42:1-2

Hundreds of years after this Psalm was born, Peter encouraged the early Christians to "crave" spiritual nourishment like a baby craves milk. (1 Peter 2:2). Although it's been a while since Nick was a baby, my memories are still pretty fresh. In fact, for the first 14 years of his life, he has always been very good at letting us know when he is hungry. As a baby, he would cry to let us know he was craving nourishment. The image that Peter provides is a great reminder that each of us has a cry inside of us. Our hearts yearn for nourishment. There is a craving inside of us that demands satisfaction. Often the problem is not the craving, it is the various places we turn to remedy the craving. The Greek text of 1 Peter 2:2 provides a descriptor for our nourishment. It is "pure". The Word of God, the nourishment that God provides for us is "pure". There is nothing like it. We crave peace. We crave acceptance. We crave healing. We crave hope. We crave belonging. Where can we find these things? There is no substitute for the pure nourishment that comes from God. Indeed, our souls pant for God like a deer thirsts for water. But how will we answer the craving today? The question of the Psalmist need not go unanswered. Where can I go to meet with God today? Why not meet with God by turning to His Word. Spend some time with God today drinking in the truth of His Word. Feed your heart with His Word.