Friday, February 15, 2013
Brown's Daily Word 2-15-13
Praise the Lord for this Friday. Those of you live in the region join us for our weekly Friday TV outreach on Time Warner Cable Channel 4 at 7 PM. One of our ministry teams will prepare and serve a special at the historic downtown First United Methodist Church at 12 noon. Jesus, who dined with lepers, joined in these gatherings as He share the meal with the least of "His brethren". Once again we will gather at the Union Center United Methodist Church at 5:30 PM to share another special meal. Jesus, who loved eat with sinners and saints, will be there too. We are so excited.
The coming Sunday is the First Sunday in Lent. One of the readings for the first Sunday in Lent centers on the temptation of Jesus our Lord. As it is written in Mark 1, soon after the Baptism of Lord He was driven by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness. Our Lord found himself in a most ugly, spiritually dangerous, place. He found himself in the company of the devil out in the middle of the wilderness, which is the biblical symbol for all that is chaotic about and wrong with this fallen creation.
"He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him." It's no surprise to learn that the wilderness had wild animals in it. In fact, the animals in question were dangerous animals, threats to life and to human flourishing. These were not squirrels and raccoons, but lions, jackals, and other predators. Again, in the Bible wilderness is shorthand for chaos, for the precise opposite of the cosmos God created in the beginning. In God's cosmos, he was careful to carve out a safe haven where life could flourish undisturbed and unthreatened. Jesus was with the wild animals. We read in Isaiah where the prophet predicted that when shalom returned to this world, the wilderness would bloom and become a place of verdant life, not a threatening place of imminent death. What's more, when that happened, the lion would lay down with the lamb and even small toddlers would be perfectly safe making mud pies right next to the hole of the cobra. In shalom, all creatures and all people could be with each other in harmony and goodness and without peril.
Jesus, our Lord, was tempted relentlessly and He won. He overcame the tempter. In the Garden , the first Adam lost to the Tempter. The Second Adam, Jesus, our Lord, overcame the devil not in the garden, but in the wilderness of the desert. We are tempted. We are tossed. We are tested. Praise the Lord that we can overcome because we serve under a captain who has never lost a battle.
One of my favorite preachers is Dr. William Willimon. He taught at Duke University. He is a Bishop in our United Methodist Church in Alabama. Years ago Willimon was the pastor of a medium-sized suburban church. Every week during the Lenten season he led the women's Bible study group and always enjoyed the gathering of those saintly pillars of the congregation, most of whom were well into their retirement years. At one point, Mrs. Donaldson began to bring an African-American woman with her to the group. Shirlene was very much from the other side of the tracks having grown up in the inner-city projects. But she and Mrs. Donaldson had met when Mrs. Donaldson had volunteered in a local clothing ministry and so she gave Shirlene a nice new Bible and began to take her along to Bible study, where she was warmly enfolded into the group.
One week the topic of discussion was temptation. Rev. Willimon led the ladies in a review on the nature of temptation and how to rely on God to resist it. Then he asked that most typical of all Bible study-like questions, "Does anyone want to share a story of a time you felt tempted but were aided by God's strength?" One kindly soul piped up to say, "Yes, Reverend, I have one. Seems last week at the Piggly Wiggly supermarket there was some confusion in the checkout aisle. They were training a new girl and, well, next thing you know there I am in the parking lot with a loaf of bread I hadn't paid for. Now at first I thought, 'Well, it's not my fault and anyway it's only 99 cents.' But then I thought, no, that would be wrong, so I went back in and paid for it." Everyone nodded and smiled. Then Mrs. Jenkins said, "Last week I overheard a couple of folks sharing some gossip about someone. It just so happened that I, too, had recently heard a few juicy tidbits about old so-and-so and this was right on the tip of my tongue to say to these other people when something stopped me and I decided, no, I won't share in this rumor mill." More nods.
It was quiet for a moment before Shirlene cleared her throat and said, "A couple of years ago my boyfriend and me--he's the father of my youngest child but not of the older two--anyway, him and me were big into cocaine. Well, you know how that stuff messes with your head! So one day we're in the pharmacy and my boyfriend all of a sudden decides to tell the cashier to give him all the money in the cash register. And she done it. It was like takin' candy from a baby. So we ran out of there real fast. Then we see this 7-11 down the street a ways and he says to me, 'Let's knock that over, too.' But something in me kinds snapped and I told him no. I robbed that pharmacy with you, but I'm not doing no 7-11. I was glad I resisted. Made me feel like somebody."
No one nodded this time. After fidgeting nervously with the cover of his Bible for a few moments, Rev. Willimon weakly said, "Yes, well, that's rather what we've been talking about today. Shall we close now in prayer!" Willimon later berated himself for not being more compassionate at that time. He, and the other members of the group, were simply not prepared for the Holy Spirit to toss the real, messy, ugly world smack into the middle of their tidy meeting. But that's what the Holy Spirit does.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/JZBPD-T20t0
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Brown's Daily Word 2-14-13
The Lord blessed us with a beautiful
Ash Wednesday gathering last night. There was a great time sharing and
celebration. One of the teens shared that she is going to give up meat for Lent.
One of my daughters called and shared that she is going to live more of a very
contemplative life and simple life this season. I desire to follow Christ and
serve Him with joy and obedience.
Psalm 51 is one of the traditional
readings for Ash Wednesday. This is a Psalm of David, written with a broken
heart. In brokenness David wrote this Psalm of repentance and restoration. David
spoke of his bones being broken in judgment and his heart being broken in
repentance. He understood that God is interested in hearts and, unlike others,
He does not want one that is perfect. He wants the heart that is broken. We see
this theme throughout the Bible of God receiving glory not from things that are
whole but from things that are broken.
Some things can not give God glory
until they are broken. The Glory of a broken leg: We read about Jacob and God
wrestling in Genesis 33. Jacob ended up with a broken leg, but he also ended up
with a blessing. The Glory of Broken Bread: we read in Matthew 14:19 that Jesus
took the loaves, blessed them, and broke them, and gave them to the disciples
for distribution. The Bread was broken for multiplication. Though the bread was
broken and distributed, the supply was not thereby diminished. The Glory of
Broken Box: In Mark 14:3, as Jesus sat in Simon the Leper’s house a woman came
with an alabaster box of spikenard ointment. She broke the box, pouring the
ointment on Jesus’ head, and then she proceeded to wash his feet with her tears
and wipe them with her hair. The Glory of the Broken Body of Christ: In Matthew
26:26, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the
disciples and said, “Take ye and eat, for this is my body which is broken for
you." It represented the broken body of our Lord. John 21:19: “Thus spake he,
signifying by what death he should glorify God.”
Indeed, in brokenness there is greater wholeness
awaiting than we can ask or imagine.
In Christ,
Brown
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Brown's Daily Word 2-13-13
Praise the
Lord for this Holy Season in the Church calendar. We will gather for Bible
study and a communion service that evening at 6 PM. Ash
Wednesday is the first day in the Lenten season, and has traditionally been a
day of repentance, of remorse for sin symbolized by the imposition of ashes, but
in that imposition is the sign of hope, for the ashes are imposed in the sign of
the cross—the means by which our sins were atoned for. Ash Wednesday falls
exactly 46 days before Easter.
The term Lent comes from the English word Lenten, which comes from the English word lengthen, referring to the season of the lengthening of the days. Today, above all days, is the time to think about repentance, which means ever so much more than just saying one is sorry, or even having regrets. The Greek word we translate as repentance, metanoia, refers to a volte face, an about face, a complete change in direction or behavioral pattern. From the very first Jesus associated this concept of repentance with the Good News of the Kingdom—“repent and hear the Good News". It is written in Joel 2, "Return to me with all your heart, rend me your heart." God does not demand that a person never make a mistake again, but that they give him their whole heart.
In reflecting on a culture that has gone astray from Jesus the Lord, C.S. Lewis has described, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” In a time when superficiality, band-aids, and quick fixes are the way to go, God demands that we return to him with “all our heart”.
Let us make time to stop and think about our life…what we need to do better…what we need to stop doing…what you need to be making time for? If we truly and honestly examine ourselves, we will realize we need to make changes, we need to repent. C.S. Lewis, wrote the "Chronicles of Narnia", a great series of fantasy books, full of deep Christian imagery. In the sixth book of the series, “The Silver Chair”, Lewis depicts exactly the struggle we’re talking about. In Narnia, there is the great lion, Aslan, who Lewis portrays in the role of Jesus in Narnia.
In the story a girl named Jill Pole burst into an opening in the forest. Very thirsty, she saw a running stream close by but, even though she felt that she was dying of thirst, she would not rush into the stream and put her face in its refreshing current. Instead, she stood there in fear, because of a large lion sitting on the ground just this side of the stream. It spoke to her:
“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion.
“I’m Dying of thirst” said Jill.
“Then drink” said the lion.
“May I—Could I—would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill.
The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
“Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill.
“I make no promise,” said the Lion.
Jill was so thirsty now, that she had come a step closer without noticing it.
“Do you eat girls?” she said.
“I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, not as if it were sorry, nor as if it were hungry. It just said it.
“I dare not come and drink,” said Jill.
“Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion.
“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”
“There is no other stream.” Said the Lion.
The term Lent comes from the English word Lenten, which comes from the English word lengthen, referring to the season of the lengthening of the days. Today, above all days, is the time to think about repentance, which means ever so much more than just saying one is sorry, or even having regrets. The Greek word we translate as repentance, metanoia, refers to a volte face, an about face, a complete change in direction or behavioral pattern. From the very first Jesus associated this concept of repentance with the Good News of the Kingdom—“repent and hear the Good News". It is written in Joel 2, "Return to me with all your heart, rend me your heart." God does not demand that a person never make a mistake again, but that they give him their whole heart.
In reflecting on a culture that has gone astray from Jesus the Lord, C.S. Lewis has described, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” In a time when superficiality, band-aids, and quick fixes are the way to go, God demands that we return to him with “all our heart”.
Let us make time to stop and think about our life…what we need to do better…what we need to stop doing…what you need to be making time for? If we truly and honestly examine ourselves, we will realize we need to make changes, we need to repent. C.S. Lewis, wrote the "Chronicles of Narnia", a great series of fantasy books, full of deep Christian imagery. In the sixth book of the series, “The Silver Chair”, Lewis depicts exactly the struggle we’re talking about. In Narnia, there is the great lion, Aslan, who Lewis portrays in the role of Jesus in Narnia.
In the story a girl named Jill Pole burst into an opening in the forest. Very thirsty, she saw a running stream close by but, even though she felt that she was dying of thirst, she would not rush into the stream and put her face in its refreshing current. Instead, she stood there in fear, because of a large lion sitting on the ground just this side of the stream. It spoke to her:
“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion.
“I’m Dying of thirst” said Jill.
“Then drink” said the lion.
“May I—Could I—would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill.
The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
“Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill.
“I make no promise,” said the Lion.
Jill was so thirsty now, that she had come a step closer without noticing it.
“Do you eat girls?” she said.
“I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, not as if it were sorry, nor as if it were hungry. It just said it.
“I dare not come and drink,” said Jill.
“Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion.
“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”
“There is no other stream.” Said the Lion.
Indeed there is
no other sream. Jesus is the Fountain of the Living Water. He is the way. He
is the life and He is the Truth. Let us come to Jesus and live.
It is written, “The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness” If we repent, we have hope because forgiveness and mercy are in the very nature of God.
In Christ,
It is written, “The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness” If we repent, we have hope because forgiveness and mercy are in the very nature of God.
In Christ,
Brown
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Brown's Daily Word 2-12-13
Praise the Lord for
this day. Tomorrow is the Ash Wednesday. Last Sunday was Transfiguration
Sunday. The Transfiguration event is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Jesus took Peter, James and John up to very High Mountain. While He prayed
there, suddenly, He was transfigured before Peter, John, and James. The three
disciples had been asleep prior to the amazing spectacle of our Lord's
Transfiguration. As the disciple opened their eyes they saw Jesus conferring
with Moses and Elijah. The disciples were afraid.
One of the interesting things is that at the Transfiguration, although God affirmed Jesus as his Son whom he loves, and with whom he is very pleased, and said that we are to listen to him, he said nothing to or about Moses or Elijah. Peter, James, and John were overcome with fear. They did not know what to do or say, but Peter impulsively blurted out: “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Matthew 17:4 Then he was interrupted by the voice from the cloud of glory saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Matthew 17:5
Peter was impetuous and did not realize what he is saying. Jesus was not among equals (as important as Moses and Elijah are). Three tents would not have been appropriate, because Jesus was not merely on par with Moses as another law-giver, and neither was he one of the prophets like Elijah. He was different — completely different - and far above Moses and Elijah. He is the Son of God. He is without equal.
Interestingly, Matthew recounted that when the disciples looked up after falling to the ground and cowering in fear, “they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.” Moses was gone, and Elijah was gone, and Jesus stood alone. No one is like him. No one can compare with him. He is one of a kind. He alone is the unique and universal Savior of the world. The transfiguration answers the question: “Who is Jesus?”. The law and the prophets had served their purpose, and Jesus came to fulfill all that they had said.
One of the interesting things is that at the Transfiguration, although God affirmed Jesus as his Son whom he loves, and with whom he is very pleased, and said that we are to listen to him, he said nothing to or about Moses or Elijah. Peter, James, and John were overcome with fear. They did not know what to do or say, but Peter impulsively blurted out: “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Matthew 17:4 Then he was interrupted by the voice from the cloud of glory saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Matthew 17:5
Peter was impetuous and did not realize what he is saying. Jesus was not among equals (as important as Moses and Elijah are). Three tents would not have been appropriate, because Jesus was not merely on par with Moses as another law-giver, and neither was he one of the prophets like Elijah. He was different — completely different - and far above Moses and Elijah. He is the Son of God. He is without equal.
Interestingly, Matthew recounted that when the disciples looked up after falling to the ground and cowering in fear, “they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.” Moses was gone, and Elijah was gone, and Jesus stood alone. No one is like him. No one can compare with him. He is one of a kind. He alone is the unique and universal Savior of the world. The transfiguration answers the question: “Who is Jesus?”. The law and the prophets had served their purpose, and Jesus came to fulfill all that they had said.
In the
event of Transfiguration we have the glimpse of Jesus Christ, the Living and the
Holy God. He gave a foretaste of His divine nature and power. We have a
glimpse of the Kingdom of God present in the person and the ministry of Jesus
Christ our Lord. He is in with us now.
Dallas Willard has shared, “The Gospel is not about getting into heaven when we die, it is getting into heaven before we die.” We get to participate in the life of God and take on his image and character before we die.
Peter, James, and John had their eyes opened to see that the Kingdom was not a future event, but a present reality. We are daily surrounded by the Kingdom of God. Whether we see it or feel it is irrelevant – it is there. Our part is to be aware of it, to live in that reality, and to actively participate in the life of God as it surrounds us and is within us.
“The Christian faith is not just about looking forward to an eternity in heaven, it is about living a Jesus-led life that brings a bit of heaven on earth.” -- Jamie Gump
David Yarborough has told the story from one of Max Lucado’s books of a lady who had a small house on the seashore of Ireland at the turn of the century. She was quite wealthy but also quite frugal. The people were surprised, then, when she decided to be among the first to have electricity in her home. Several weeks after the installation, a meter reader appeared at her door. He asked if her electricity was working well, and she assured him it was. “I’m wondering if you can explain something to me,” he said. “Your meter shows scarcely any usage. Are you using your power?” “Certainly,” she answered. “Each evening when the sun sets, I turn on my lights just long enough to light my candles; then I turn them off.”
Dallas Willard has shared, “The Gospel is not about getting into heaven when we die, it is getting into heaven before we die.” We get to participate in the life of God and take on his image and character before we die.
Peter, James, and John had their eyes opened to see that the Kingdom was not a future event, but a present reality. We are daily surrounded by the Kingdom of God. Whether we see it or feel it is irrelevant – it is there. Our part is to be aware of it, to live in that reality, and to actively participate in the life of God as it surrounds us and is within us.
“The Christian faith is not just about looking forward to an eternity in heaven, it is about living a Jesus-led life that brings a bit of heaven on earth.” -- Jamie Gump
David Yarborough has told the story from one of Max Lucado’s books of a lady who had a small house on the seashore of Ireland at the turn of the century. She was quite wealthy but also quite frugal. The people were surprised, then, when she decided to be among the first to have electricity in her home. Several weeks after the installation, a meter reader appeared at her door. He asked if her electricity was working well, and she assured him it was. “I’m wondering if you can explain something to me,” he said. “Your meter shows scarcely any usage. Are you using your power?” “Certainly,” she answered. “Each evening when the sun sets, I turn on my lights just long enough to light my candles; then I turn them off.”
Yarborough
went on to say, “She tapped into the power but did not use it. Her house is
connected, but not altered. Don’t we make the same mistake? We, too — with our
souls saved but our hearts unchanged — are connected but not altered. Trusting
Christ for salvation but resisting transformation. We occasionally flip the
switch, but most of the time we settle for shadows.”
In Christ,
In Christ,
Brown
Monday, February 11, 2013
Brown's Daily Word 2-11-13
Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful
weekend. The storm arrived in our area Friday afternoon. Alice's school, along
with all the area schools, had an early dismissal. We were spared from an
avalanche of snowfall. We received around 6-7 inches of snow. We did not lose
power in our area. Micah, Simeon, Ada and their parents in Boston received over
2 feet of snow. The children spent much time Saturday playing in the snow.
Laureen was in a wedding ceremony and celebration this weekend. Sunita and Andy
spent the weekend in Washington, DC, visiting some of their friends and also
hosting house guests for the weekend. Jessica and Tom are still in Nicaragua,
planning to return to Pennsylvania tomorrow. They missed the storm entirely.
The Lord
blessed us in His House with His presence and grace. Praise the Lord for the
world that we live in. Praise the Lord for all the beautiful and brilliant
seasons. Praise the Lord for His Church, which is under the same management for
over 2000 years,. Praise the Lord for His blessing and grace at all times.
I received an e-mail
this morning, from a woman, a pastor's wife, in Bali, Indonesia, whom I met in
the streets of Bali during my recent visit there. She and her husband and family
serve the Lord in the City of Bali along with many churches praising the Lord
and worshipping Him and proclaiming His as the Lord of Lords and the King kings.
Praise the Lord that He is at a work around the corner and around the globe. We
have this assurance from Him that the gates of hell can not prevail against His
church.
Douglas Copeland wrote a book titled "Girlfriend in a Coma". In the book
a young woman comes out of a coma that she has been in since ‘79. After she has
been out of the coma for quite awhile, someone asks about her impressions of
people who live in the ‘90s. She says, “A lack. A lack of convictions, of
beliefs, of wisdom, or even of good old badness. No sorrow, no nothing. The
people I knew when I came back, they only, well, existed. It was so sad.” But
what would you expect from people who have crammed their lives with everything
but God?
Corrie Ten Boom, a survivor of the Holocaust, talked about the goodness of God even in the terrible circumstances she faced. She wrote in her book: “Often I have heard people say, ‘How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!’ Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp. I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. ‘No, Corrie,’ said Betsie, ‘He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.”’” Corrie concluded, “There is an ocean of God’s love available — there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love — whatever the circumstances.”
The words of the Psalmist tell us: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name” (Psalm 100:4).
At the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C there is a large wooden altar from a Jewish synagogue. The synagogue was vandalized by Nazi soldiers who had come to remove all Jews from that city. The soldiers had tried to destroy the altar. You can still see the hack marks of their axes, but still decipherable across the altar is a single phrase of Hebrew carved deeply into the wood. Though the axes of man attempted to delete the words, the phrase is still reads: “Know before Whom you stand.” The problem with our pagan culture is that we do not know before whom we stand. The Psalmist knew God, and therefore understood the world and what life was to be like in the world. He said, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:1-3).
Corrie Ten Boom, a survivor of the Holocaust, talked about the goodness of God even in the terrible circumstances she faced. She wrote in her book: “Often I have heard people say, ‘How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!’ Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp. I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. ‘No, Corrie,’ said Betsie, ‘He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.”’” Corrie concluded, “There is an ocean of God’s love available — there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love — whatever the circumstances.”
The words of the Psalmist tell us: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name” (Psalm 100:4).
At the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C there is a large wooden altar from a Jewish synagogue. The synagogue was vandalized by Nazi soldiers who had come to remove all Jews from that city. The soldiers had tried to destroy the altar. You can still see the hack marks of their axes, but still decipherable across the altar is a single phrase of Hebrew carved deeply into the wood. Though the axes of man attempted to delete the words, the phrase is still reads: “Know before Whom you stand.” The problem with our pagan culture is that we do not know before whom we stand. The Psalmist knew God, and therefore understood the world and what life was to be like in the world. He said, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:1-3).
In Christ,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
