MOUNTAINS AND MONDAYS

Mountains...and Mondays!

I'm not a mountain climber, but I've seen the videos! Awesome, exhilarating moments when they reach the top.....and for most of us Easter Sunday was the top of the mountain. High praises, heavenly lilies, happy children--beauty and blessing all around--in sermon, in song, in family gatherings, in traditions and sharing of love--and yes, even in the ladies with courage to wear Easter hats! It's a day of celebration. Jesus is alive--He fills our hearts to the tiptop with joy and life; He's our reason for being--our reason for living, and how we love Him!
Uh....that was Sunday......but Monday came and --back to the office and the email; back to the laundry and dishes; back to the time-outs and taxis for kids....back to reality! Will the joy we felt Sunday still be there on Monday? He's just as much risen TODAY as He was last Sunday....and He's here to meet your daily routine needs, to give you a deep joy that doesn't fade...even when the Easter flowers do! He's alive for the highs AND the lows of your life--whatever day it is. Let's celebrate Jesus EVERY day...for whether it's mountains OR Mondays, HE doesn't change! Believe it, take an Easter praise break today--and have a GREAT day!

REFLECTIONS ON LENT

(Dennis Bratcher)

We enjoy celebrating Palm Sunday. We wave the palm branches and celebrate. And we all love Easter Sunday! It is a happy time, with flowers, new clothes, and the expectation of Spring in the air.

But it is too easy and promotes too cheap a grace to focus only on the high points of Palm Sunday and Easter without walking with Jesus through the darkness of Good Friday, a journey that begins on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a way to place ourselves before God humbled, bringing in our hands no price whereby we can ourselves purchase our salvation. It is a way to confess our total inadequacy before God, to strip ourselves bare of all pretenses to righteousness, to come before God in dust and ashes. It is a way to empty ourselves of our false pride, of our rationalizations that prevent us from seeing ourselves as needy creatures, of our "perfectionist" tendencies that blind us to the beam in our own eyes.

Through prayer that gives up self, we seek to open ourselves up before God, and to hear anew the call "Come unto me!" We seek to recognize and respond afresh to God’s presence in our lives and in our world. We seek to place our needs, our fears, our failures, our hopes, our very lives in God’s hands, again. And we seek by abandoning ourselves in Jesus’ death to recognize again who God is, to allow His transforming grace to work in us once more, and to come to worship Him on Easter Sunday with a fresh victory and hope that goes beyond the new clothes, the Spring flowers, the happy music.

But it begins in ashes. And it journeys though darkness. It is a spiritual pilgrimage that I am convinced we must make one way or the other for genuine spiritual renewal to come. I have heard the passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 quoted a lot: ". . .if my people who are called by my name humble them-selves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." This usually is quoted in the context of wanting revival or renewal in the church, and the prayer is interpreted as intercessory prayer for others. But a careful reading of the passage will reveal that the prayer that is called for here is not intercessory prayer for others; it is penitential prayer for the faith community, for us. It is not to call for others to repent; it is a call for us, God’s people, to repent. It is our land that needs to be healed, it is our wicked ways from which we need to turn, we are the ones who need to seek God’s face.

Perhaps during the Lenten season we should stop praying for others as if we were virtuous enough to do so. Perhaps we should take off our righteous robes just long enough during these 40 days to put ashes on our own heads, to come before God with a new humility that is willing to confess, "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." Maybe we should be willing to prostrate ourselves before God and plead, "Lord, in my hand no price I bring; simply to the cross I cling." That might put us in a position to hear God in ways that we have not heard Him in a long time. And it may be the beginning of a healing for which we have so longed.

O LORD, BEGIN WITH ME. HERE. NOW.

THINKING OUT LOUD

Yeah, that was MY president who gave the State of the Union message last week! I didn’t vote for him, don’t believe he’s doing a very good job for the American people, and would like to see him “resign” of his own volition….. BUT, like it or not, he’s my president right now …and I pray for him every day. I shudder to think what condition we would be in if we who call ourselves Christian DIDN”T pray for our national leaders these days!
Some days it seems as though things just couldn’t get any worse, but the next day comes and another friend has lost his job, his home, or his will to live. Never before in the nation’s history has there been a greater need for those of us who claim to be “Christians”..…(followers of Christ)….to get
Off our duffs and get to work! And I don’t mean to “go out and witness for Christ”! This is NOT OUR JOB….this is our CALLING! Our job is to impact and change the world in which we live by “being witnesses as we go about our daily lives”….because as Christ is, so are we (or should be) in this world. Jesus went about “doing good”.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the op-portunity we have as Christians to make a tre-mendous difference in changing our nation’s direction this year. Many U.S. House and Senate seats will be filled again this year! Do you ever ask yourself “What would Jesus do if He were in our shoes in today’s world? I can tell you one thing I’m certain of

JESUS WOULDN’T SUPPORT YOUR POLITICAL PARTY,
MY POLITICAL PARTY OR ANY POLITICAL PARTY AT ALL

I get so incredibly weary of hearing my pro-fessing Christian friends tell me that their political party is the “Christian party” and that whether or not I support their party is a test of my Christianity. Some of them want me to believe that it is Christian to support, among other things:

Aggressive war and the wholesale mass murder of innocents ...Torture... Spying ... Rogue Police...
Guilt without trial... Martial Law ... Prohibition ... Assassinations ... Internment Camps...
Trade sanctions and embargoes

They want me to join a party whose leaders promote these things claiming that this is the truly “Christian” thing to do.

Oppressive Taxation... Redistribution of wealth ... Aggressive environmental legislation ... Abolition of property rights...
Government monopolies in education & health care... Citizen disarmament... Affirmative action and racial quotas in employment and education

Government is force. It forces you to do things, to not do things or to pay for things. Jesus only implemented force one time: when He kicked the money changers out of the Temple. There was no doubt much sin, vice and inequality in His time. But He never once said or implied that the way to address these issues was to elect Christians to office, pass Christian laws and thereby usher in some kind of optimal Christian society. Yet today, we hear no end of it: just elect this slate of Christians to office, support the enactment of this menu of laws and we will arrive at some kind of optimal Christian society. This hope in the kingdoms of man is a false hope.

Jesus had no political agenda. Period. Indeed, in Matthew 4, Satan – i.e. the prince of this world – tempts Jesus twice, and Jesus refuses both offers. Then, Satan makes Jesus an offer He simply cannot refuse: all the kingdoms of the world. While it is noteworthy that Jesus does not question Satan’s authority to make this offer, it is more significant that Jesus flat out rejects this offer too.

Let’s stop trivializing Jesus by trying to fit Him into our partisan political box.. Let us all – myself included – get back into our Bible and see what it says rather than what the world says. And then let us live our lives accordingly and leave the societal results up to God.

WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM

Would you consider yourself wise? Not a question that's usually asked of you, is it? In my seventy-six years, I don't think I've ever been asked this question. Nor, to my recollection, has anyone ever called me wise--a wise guy, perhaps, but not wise.

If I take into account my relationship with Jesus, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the study of God's Word, then I have to say that I am wise beyond my years. In fact, not only am I wise beyond my years, I'm also wise beyond my limited human perspective, wise beyond my experience--just plain wise. The thing is, this truth doesn't make me particularly special. God's transcendent wisdom is available by faith in Christ, to anyone! As James 1:5 tells us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

There is a catch, though, you have to be wise enough to know you're not wise. What? Are you confused? All I'm trying to say is that true wisdom is seeking the wisdom that comes from God, not our own unwise selves! Problem is, we'd much rather learn things our own way then to trust the wisdom of another, even if that other is God! If you don't believe me, you've never been a teenager!

To wrap this truth in Christmas paper, let me ask you a question? Why is it that the shepherds were the only ones on the scene when the babe was born? Where were the wise (in their eyes)? Where were the religious scholars of that day? They were too busy teaching others to learn something from the wisdom of a few rather humble, rather well-informed shepherds.

Why is it that the religious community, after almost two years, still hadn't caught on to the fact that their King, their Messiah, their Lord, was living in Bethlehem? It's plainly embarrassing to think that it takes some wise foreigners following a star to get any interest raised about going to Jerusalem!

The answer to all these questions is the same: those who already considered themselves wise couldn't see. They couldn't even see what was happening next door, some five miles away in Bethlehem. Sad, isn't it! What about you? Can you see the real truth of Christmas?

What was it that made the Magi so wise? First, they didn’t let their culture, or backgrounds, get in the way of seeking the King! The Magi were Gentiles…lived in a distant land…in a culture that had nothing to do with the Jewish faith or the Bible. They were not helped by family or employers on their way to becoming globe-trotting spiritual seekers. They left everything behind to pursue the truth…as a result they found Jesus.

Second, the Magi were wise because they worshiped the newborn King. These great men of learning willingly bowed down before Jesus and gave Him costly gifts. That, in fact, was the reason for their journey.

Finally, the Magi were wise because they listened to God. After they saw Jesus, God told them in a dream not to return to Herod, so they went home a different way. What would have happened if they hadn’t listened?

Let’s be wise this Christmas and listen. Specifically, let’s spend time listening to God by praying and reading His Word, by retreating from the BUSYness of this Season and finding a quiet place to hear.

Let’s spend our time wisely.

HO! HO! HO! - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The turkey is not yet gone (leftovers seem to last FOREVER!), but the merchants have been in “go-gear” for weeks already. And once again we are seeing folks tiptoeing around the season, refusing to recognize the REASON for CHRISTMAS, and fearing to be politically incorrect, substituting the word “holiday” for Christmas! Quite honestly, it makes me “madder than a wet hen” that we have become such a “wimpy” nation that we can’t celebrate the birth of Jesus openly without fear of offending someone!
I thought I’d heard it all until someone at work the other day was talking about how Santas hired for the Season were no longer allowed to say “ho-ho-ho” because it might have an offensive interpretation in "street" language. Now, really! What is going on when we're censoring Santa's vocabulary in such a ridiculous way? "Ho-ho-ho, merry Christmas!" was a cheery greeting from Santa Claus long before it had any other interpretation that I'm aware of. I'm hereby re-claiming it for its originally-intended meaning.
Assuming it actually did happen, this is just the latest in an attempt to tone down the holiday season in a way that makes it almost unrecognizable from what it was when I was a kid. Back then -- w-a-y back then -- we still had Christmas pageants in school. We sang carols. I'm pretty sure we had plenty of kids from other faiths who did not celebrate Christmas, but who enjoyed the traditions as much as the rest of us. Was it insensitive? Perhaps just a bit. Is it right that we've toned it down in our schools? More than likely. But I can't help thinking that we've lost something in our desire not to offend anyone at anytime.
Why can't we celebrate all traditions in our schools and in our communities? Isn't that the perfect way to teach under-standing and tolerance of all religions and beliefs?
No one is a greater defender of the separation of church and state than I am. Nor does anyone believe more strongly that religious freedom is one of the most basic tenets of our society. Doesn't that mean that we should learn about other faiths, respect them and especially teach tolerance of them to our children? My church youth group (MYF), w-a-y back when, studied other religions. We went to services in other churches. We were taught to embrace the similarities and to understand the differences. Isn't that the real lesson our kids should be taught, rather than stripping away all mention of religion and faith in our schools? Children have such open minds and hearts. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we worried less about being politically-correct and more about instilling values and respect for others and their beliefs and traditions? Perhaps, then, there'd be fewer hate crimes based on religious differences.
This seems like the ideal season to dream of such things. And I'll do it with carols playing. I'll wish people happy holidays or merry Christmas, as appropriate. And I'll expect all the Santas whose paths I cross to bellow cheerfully, "Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas!"
In the meantime, I wish all of you joy, the happiest of holiday seasons and, for those of you who share my faith, a very merry Christmas.

The Church Walking with the World

The Church and the World walked far apart
On the changing shores of time,
The World was singing a giddy song,
And the Church a hymn sublime.

“Come, give me your hand,” said the merry World,
“And walk with me this way!”
But the faithful Church hid her gentle hands
And solemnly answered “Nay!

I will not give you my hand at all,
And I will not walk with you;
Your way is the way that leads to death;
Your words are all untrue.”

“Nay, walk with me but a little space,”
Said the World with a kindly air;
“The road I walk is a pleasant road,
And the sun shines always there.

Your path is thorny and rough and rude,
But mine is broad and plain;
My way is paved with flowers and dews,
And yours with tears and pain.

The sky to me is always blue,
No want, no toil I know;
The sky above you is always dark,
Your lot is a lot of woe.
There’s room enough for you and me
To travel side by side.”

Half shyly the Church approached the World
And gave him her hand of snow;
And the old World grasped it and walked along,
Saying, in accents low:

“Your dress is too simple to please my taste;
I will give you pearls to wear,
Rich velvets and silks for your graceful form,
And diamonds to deck your hair.”

The Church looked down at her plain white robes,
And then at the dazzling World,
And blushed as she saw his handsome lip
With a smile contemptuous curled.

“I will change my dress for a costlier one,”
Said the Church, with a smile of grace;
Then her pure white garments drifted away,
And the World gave, in their place,
Beautiful satins and shining silks,
Roses and gems and costly pearls;
While over her forehead her bright hair fell
Crisped in a thousand curls.

“Your house is too plain,” said the proud old World,
“I’ll build you one like mine;
With walls of marble and towers of gold,
And furniture ever so fine.”

So he built her a costly and beautiful house;
Most splendid it was to behold;
Her sons and her beautiful daughters dwelt there
Gleaming in purple and gold.

Rich fairs and shows in the halls were held,
And the World and his children were there.
Laughter and music and feasts were heard
In the place that was meant for prayer.

There-were cushioned seats for the rich and the gay,
To sit in their pomp and pride;
But the poor who were clad in shabby array,
Sat meekly down outside.

“You give too much to the poor,” said the World.
“Far more than you ought to do;
If they are in need of shelter and food,
Why need it trouble you?

Go, take your money and buy rich robes,
Buy horses and carriages fine;
Buy pearls and jewels and dainty food,
Buy the rarest and costliest wine.

My children, they dote on all these things,
And if you their love would win
You must do as they do, and walk in the ways
That they are walking in.”

So the poor were turned from her door in scorn,
And she heard not the orphan’s cry;
But she drew her beautiful robes aside,
As the widows went weeping by.

Then the sons of the World and the Sons of the Church
Walked closely hand and heart,
And only the Master, who knoweth all,
Could tell the two apart.

Then the Church sat down at her ease, and said,
“I am rich and my goods increase;
I have need of nothing, or aught to do,
But to laugh, and dance, and feast.”

The sly World heard, and he laughed in his sleeve,
And mockingly said, aside:
“The Church is fallen, the beautiful Church;
And her shame is her boast and her pride.”

The angel drew near to the mercy seat,
And whispered in sighs her name;
Then the loud anthems of rapture were hushed,
And heads were covered with shame.

And a voice was heard at last by the Church
From Him who sat on the throne:

“I know thy works, and how thou hast said,
‘I am rich, and hast not known
That thou art naked, poor and blind,
And wretched before my face;’
Therefore from my presence cast I thee out,
And blot thy name from its place.”



"...you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine." Leviticus 20:26

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.'

Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

by Matilda C. Edwards

Best Loved Poems (Garden City, NY: Garden City Publishing, 1936), pages 345-347.
This poem was not listed among those that required reprint permission.

A PSALM FOR TODAY

All together now...

Obama is the shepherd I did not want.
He leadeth me beside the still factories.
He restoreth my faith in the Republican party.
He guideth me in the path of unemployment for his party's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the bread line,
I shall fear no hunger, for his bailouts are with me.
He has anointed my income with taxes,
My expenses runneth over.
Surely, poverty and hard living will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will live in a mortgaged home forever.
I am glad I am American,
I am glad that I am free.
But I wish I was a dog ...
And Obama was a tree.