Preparing for the season

Next Sunday we will celebrate "Palm Sunday". For me, it's natural to think about the days leading up to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It's hard to grasp the range of emotions that are packed into those days. The gospel account of Palm Sunday reads like a crescendo of exuberant worship. The passover meal with his disciples has themes of tradition, love, friendship, betrayal and denial. His prayer time in the garden gives us a picture of isolation, agony and disappointment in his friends who were unable to stay awake with Him. A short time later angry shouts of "crucify Him" grow louder and louder. Perhaps the greatest swing in emotions is revealed in the women who watched Him die and then discovered He was no longer in the grave. The portrait of the Savior that emerges from these scenes is indescribable. As I often do, I like to find myself in the story. It is a way for me to examine my own relationship with my Savior.

Following is hard work

There are some common misconceptions about following in our "leadership" obsessed generation. Don't get me wrong, I am not demeaning the importance of leadership. I have devoted a great portion of my life studying leadership. However, we have come to believe that when leaders are great, following becomes easy. Even with great leadership, following is not easy. Just asked the disciples who were tortured and martyred in various ways. Sometimes we view following as a "passive" exercise. Once the vision is cast and a powerful and charismatic leader is in place, the following begins. Following is not passive. It requires focus and passion and commitment each step of the way. Following requires "self-leadership" principles of discipline and self-control.

Which way?

Believe it or not I was a boy scout once. Recently, I had some flashbacks to my scouting days. Later this month Nick is going on a hike with our Identity Ministry (4-6th graders) at Cades Cove. When I was about the same age as Nick I went on a hike at Cades Cove. It didn't really turn out as expected. First of all, "we" took a wrong turn on the trail and a 7 mile hike turned into an 11 mile hike. I would love to tell you that my scout troop was filled with ambitious and positive minded youngsters and leaders that didn't complain...well you get the picture. It was ugly. Instead of shouts of joy and discovery, "I'm tired", "I'm thirsty". "How much farther?" were the rallying cheers of the day. Well, all's well that end's well? Not quite. We arrived back at the bus to head home - only to discover that our battery was dead in the bus. So a long day got a little longer as we waited for help. Ahh, but memories were made. Thirty years later, I still remember the sights, sounds and smells of the day. A reminder as I think about what it means to "follow" this week: Make sure the person you follow knows the way.

Follow

Sunday, I will speak about what it means to follow Jesus. "Follow" is the third of the three words we have considered in the past few weeks. "Follow" is not a word that focuses on the moment. It is an open door to the future. In the context of Mark's purpose of introducing us to the Gospel, it is attached to a person. For Jesus, "follow" belongs with "me". But what does it mean to "follow" today. For the disciples that lived in the first century, it meant leaving their old lives behind. It meant that they were no longer fisherman by trade, they were apprentices to this radical teacher, the Savior. For us, we follow Jesus, yet for the most part we continue our vocations. We teach, we work in banks, in service industries, we do sales, marketing...yet we follow Jesus. What does it mean? That is a question that I intend to explore this week. I begin with the realization that we become like the one we follow. The effects are much more significant that changing vocations. Our transformation surfaces on the outside, but it begins on the inside. Following Jesus should affect the heart, the mind and the will. A sincere reading of the Gospels reveals that it was easier for the disciples to change jobs than it was to be transformed on the inside.

Happy Leap Day

What a great solution to match up our calendar with the solar year! Because it takes the earth 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to travel around the year, we have "provided" another day on the calendar every four years. Wouldn't it be nice to add a day "as needed" to our schedules the same whay we do with our calendar? Behind schedule on a deadline? Just add a "leap day" to catch up. We would probably want more than one day every four years. I have been studying "belief" in preparation for the message on Sunday. Once of the greatest challenges to our faith relates to our view of time. When I was in college I heard a message about time that has stuck with me through the years. One of the most significant points in the sermon was a reminder that every day is a "provided" day. God is the provider. Taking that personally is a challenge. In other words, today is a day that God has provided for me. That means that God had some things in mind for me on the day. It is nearly 5:30 pm. How well have I done so far? Along with the day, God "provides" everything I need to be faithful, obedient and fruitful. Believe.

Believe

In my last blog I shared some thoughts about belief drawn from the story of the woman who was healed in Mark 5:24-34. She had spent all her money going to physicians and grew worse instead of better. Her willingness to reach out to Jesus demonstrates a desperate courage. She was desperate in terms of her repeated frustration and disappointment. She was courageous in her perseverance. She refused to give up. When she heard about Jesus she must have found a way to silence the voices inside her head that told her is was a waste of time and effort. As I have reflected on the story this week, I have thought about how loud and numerous the voices are in our world today that seek to discredit the value of reaching out to Jesus. It's ironic that there are many voices that encourage belief in other "pathways" to peace and purpose. Discussions of spirituality and metaphysical issues are at an all time high. Books, television programs and movies regularly present supernatural "phenoms" of all shapes and sizes. Yet, belief in Jesus in maligned. Sometimes it may seem to you that believing in Jesus with a sincere and trusting heart is like swimming upstream. In those moments I hope you will remember the woman. What would she say to you? Would you listen to her voice? I hear her say to me "It's worth the effort".

Belief and Futility

The story of a woman healed (Mark 5:25-34) presents a great message of belief. Mark describes a woman who has suffered for twelve years and has "spent all she had" and yet she has continued to grow worse. When she hears of Jesus she finds the courage to reach out to Him. She touches His garment and receives a miraculous healing. Not only does she receive physical healing, but Jesus sends the woman on her way with a proclamation of "peace". What is the relationship between belief and our own futile efforts to find peace? I believe the description of the woman's costly and ineffective efforts to find a remedy for her affliction illustrate an important principle of belief in Jesus. At some point, we have to take a significant step of faith. Belief emerges from our recognition that faith in Jesus is bigger than our ability to control. It is necessary because our efforts to be adequate for life are always insufficient. It seems to me that the woman's efforts to find healing through her own means illustrates our desire to believe "on our own terms". In fact her healing seems to occur "anonymously" at first - but Jesus does not permit that to happen. Belief is interpersonal. It connects us with a personal God. Our belief is nevr unnoticed by God. Our belief in God is more than a means to healing, it is an eternal relationship of love.