Palm Sunday

Lord , you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things,things planned long ago...On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples,the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever.The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.The Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 25:1, 7, 8 TNIV)

As I prepare my heart for Palm Sunday, I am thinking about the faithfulness of God. The Gospels allow us a glimpse of the fierce determination that drove Jesus to Jerusalem. It was, not only to fulfill the powerful prophetic depiction of his entry into the city on a donkey, but to rescue his people from the shroud of death that sin had brought. When the prophet Isaiah looked forward, he drew from the forever past. The dramatic celebration as Jesus rode into Jerusalem was a signal that the "things planned long ago" had not been forgotten. God was prepared and able to "swallow death forever". It was fitting that the crowds shouted "Hosanna" as the Savior rode into the city.

Legacy

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years…He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Kings 21:1-2

The brief introduction to King Manasseh gets right to the point. He was young when he began. He reigned for a long time and he did evil. His evil deeds followed a familiar pattern. The evil kings did not heed the warnings of Moses. Long before Manasseh took the throne, Moses warned God’s people against worshipping the false gods of the nations when they entered the land. (Deuteronomy 11:16). Tragically, Manasseh’s idolatry cost him his own son (v. 6). It’s a graphic leadership lesson. Reflect on the past and listen to the voices of those who have gone before us. At the same time, we are wise to consider how our current choices affect the next generation. When we honor God, we set the example for those who follow us. We can’t afford to neglect our legacy.

Success

In a world where success is the measure and justification of all things the figure of Him who was sentenced and crucified remains a stranger.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

How do we measure success in life? Our maybe I should ask, “Do we measure life by success? It’s a little different turn of the same question. But, it's an issue that sets our course. Whether you find yourself driven by blind ambition or struggling to survive, these questions enter into the fray. We are approaching the season when we will focus a great deal of attention on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The empty tomb is a symbol of the triumph of Jesus over death. It is appropriate to celebrate His success. After all, His victory is a defining characteristic of the Christian life. Consider the rhetorical questions raised by the Apostle Paul: "Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory?" Yet it was not from the empty tomb that Jesus issued a proclamation. It was from the cross, just before His death, that Jesus uttered a declaration of success. He said, “It is finished". His words and His actions define success in terms of radical obedience. A life marked with obedience is a successful life.

Wholehearted Trust

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Often, I quote the command of Jesus to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). According to Jesus, it is the “first and greatest commandment”. Jesus follows up with a second commandment. He said to “love your neighbor as yourself”. The second commandment connects our devotion to God with our daily relationships. The wholehearted love that Jesus describes is love that is expressed toward God and neighbor. It is a reminder that real love requires practical application. So does trust. What is the evidence of wholehearted “trust”? I believe the “straight path” in Proverbs 3:6 is a recognizable way of life. “Trust in the LORD” is a daily rejection of the simplest form of idolatry possible – “do not be wise in your own eyes” (verse 7). When we lean away from the LORD and begin to elevate our own understanding above the wisdom of God, we begin to journey down a crooked path.

The "time change"

I grew up with it. Joyfully, I escaped it for five years while living in Arizona. But, there's no hiding from it tonight. It's what we call the "time change". Of course, the time doesn't change. The clocks do. We pretend the time changes for a few months and then pretend it does again. Our desire to change time doesn't just occur on these two days. We try to "change" time most of our lives. We try to feed the illusion of control. Even though, each day affords us all the time we need to be good stewards of the life that God has given us, we want to make time obey our desires. It will not. We are wise to maintain our focus on God first and the clock second.  The Psalmist restores our perspective. He reminds us that God is bigger than time. "Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you" (Psalm 139:12). 

Hungry for God's help?

You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. (1 Kings 17:4, 5 TNIV)

The story of Elijah the prophet is one of my favorites. He is described in James 5:17 as a human being just like us who was subject to the same kinds of emotions as we are and yet James lifts him up for his exemplary prayer. Elijah's highs and lows are well documented. His life includes literal mountaintop experiences as well as time in the wilderness where he soaked in self pity. Sure, we can learn from Elijah's prayer life. But, we can also learn some things from the way God provided for him during his colorful life. The introduction to Elijah lays down a memorable fact. God was Elijah's "care director". God took care of Elijah in unexpected and unusual ways. He directed ravens to bring him food. Later, God directed a widow to cook for him. In the wilderness, an angel brought Elijah food. It was in the wilderness that we get a good glimpse of Elijah's humanity and we can take away a valuable lesson. Sometimes our emotions (mixed together with fear, anger, doubt, frustration and impatience) hinder our ability to recognize just how much God loves us and how he provides for us in our times of need. God's provision doesn't always come in the form we would like it. After all, how many of us would like to eat meat from the beak of a raven? But, we lose out when we fail to see the ravens that God sends our way as an extension of His compassionate care.

Prayer on the mountain

“LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” (1 Kings 18:36-37)

It would take a long time for me to describe just how I learned to pray. Beginning with my parents, I have been blessed with many prayer mentors. Along with those who modeled a life of prayer, I have learned from the prayers that are included in the Bible. The book we know as 1 Kings is a tough read. It is filled some disastrous biographies of leadership gone wrong. But in the midst of these troublesome epitaphs is a potent prayer. It is powerful, not just because it resulted in fire from heaven, but because of the rich content. It is a prayer that is rich in testimony. It is a testimony of the true identity of God Almighty and a desire to restore His renown among His people. Elijah begins with a strong reminder of the One he addresses. It is a proclamation of the greatness of God. Not a bad way to begin prayer. You might recall that Jesus started out with a declaration that the Father's name is "hallowed". Though the prayer is brief, Elijah does not end without expressing his desire to see hearts turn in the proper direction. Even a quick read through 1 Kings reveals how the testimony of God's people had become tainted. It is a sober reminder that when our testimony is tainted, we rob those who around us of the message that God has entrusted us to share. And that should drive us to pray.