Neighborly

In Luke 10 a lawyer is asking Jesus some questions and comes to that famous question, “who is my neighbor.” From this question Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan. Briefly: A traveler is robbed and left for dead. One person who is supposed to be “good” passes by and does nothing. A second person who is supposed to be “better” than the first guy passes by and does nothing. And finally, a third person who is supposed to be “bad” (the Samaritan) passes by and does what is right.

Luke 10:33-35, “33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’

We usually look at this story as Jesus showing us that everyone is our neighbor. And that’s true, but I also want you to see that while the Samaritan allowed his day to be interrupted it didn’t throw off his journey. After he got the injured traveler to safety the Samaritan continued his journey. He had places to be.

There will be times in your life that will be interrupted and need to you to make a choice. In those times I pray you make the right decision even if it isn’t necessarily convenient. Sometimes we will take on a huge burden. For example, the Samaritan could have stayed with the traveler until they were fully nursed back to health. Then there will be times that you just need to help someone get one step closer to safety, and let someone else take over.

Who is your neighbor? How can you help them, even if it’s just one step forward?

IKEA

I had the opportunity to assemble a bunch of Ikea furniture shelving recently. While I find this a somewhat enjoyable task, I know other people find the prospect daunting and scary. I knew of one pastor who included assembling a bookshelf as part of the curriculum for his pre-marital counseling. He said it brought a lot of stuff to the surface to know what the couple needed to talk about. I think it was an excuse to get people to build his bookshelves.

In theory, it should be easy. The pieces are all there. The hardware is all there. The instructions are laid out step-by-step. And the whole process is ruled by the national symbol of Sweden: the tiny Allen wrench. Part A goes into part B. Oops grabbed the wrong screw. Which piece is next? Here we go, oh I think it’s upside down. Maybe? WHY AREN’T THESE HOLES LINING UP!?! Followed by a series of long increasingly frustrated sighs and salty language.

Eventually it all works out and your stack of boards becomes a beloved piece of furniture. I think Ikea furniture can be a metaphor for our own sanctification (growing in holiness). We start out easy by dwelling on the words of Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Then our resolve gets tested, and we need to remind ourselves of who we are called to be. Then face a time when you fall flat on your face, and it can feel like you’re starting over from scratch. And we remember the next verse, Galatians 2:21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

We get better by allowing God to work in us and through us. We can’t follow enough rules but we can hand the tools over to God and allow him to build us into what he would have us become.

Back to School

I was talking to a parent recently about the trajectory of summer. Kids get out of school in June, and everyone is happy to be together as the schedule can relax a bit. July comes around and maybe you take a vacation or a trip to the shore. By August though, everyone starts getting a little itchy and by the end of the month school can’t start soon enough. If they announced that summer break was going to extend another month there might be riots in the street.

Whether you are a kid, or an adult, comfort is found as you settle back into a known routine. You know what to expect. You know what you’re supposed to do. The best thing about routines is that you can add them to your daily life whenever you choose. You can choose to work out, but to get stronger you need to do it regularly. You can desire to speak another language, but you need to study it regularly. You can grow in your faith, but you need to work on it regularly.

Spending time in the Word has never been easier. You can read or listen to the Bible from your phone. You can find Johnny Cash reading the entire New Testament on YouTube. You have access to sermons and lessons from the greatest pastors and Bible scholars that have ever lived. You just need to add them as a part of your routine. Spending time growing closer to the God that loves you, could become part of your day.

In Matthew 4, the devil is tempting Jesus to throw away his heavenly calling for the trappings of the world. Jesus had been fasting for a long time, so naturally the devil tells him, ““If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” This is something Jesus could have easily done, and we would justify it as okay because he was hungry.

But Jesus replies in verse 4, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” It’s easy to miss how much better our lives are when we spend time in the word of God or with the community of Christ.

As you head into the fall, what routines do you need to add to your life? What small steps can you take to feed your hunger for something greater than bread?

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to bounce back after something goes wrong. In our modern world, it is celebrated as one of the most important qualities needed to get ahead in life. “That actor/singer/inventor, everyone told them no, but they were too resilient to quit and pushed until they achieved their dream.” It’s a story we hear all the time. It’s an encouragement that we should never let anything hold us back!

Unfortunately, the lesson of resilience has been skewed. Once it taught us that we can still be successful after a setback. But many people have turned it to mean that nothing should ever affect me. Or more colloquially, “never let them see you sweat.” It makes me think of the story of Job. We don’t have room to get into the full story; suffice it to say he lost everything: home, livestock, children, even his health.

As he’s going through it, Job is visited by his three friends. Job 2:11-13, “Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place…They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes…And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.”

If you know the whole story, then you know these three friends eventually ruined this gesture of kindness by giving speeches about why this is all happening and that it might be Job’s fault. But they started off with the right spirit. They saw that their friend was suffering and came to comfort him. They sat with him for seven days listening to Job and weeping with him.

Sometimes that’s exactly what we need. Sometimes you need to let your friends know what you’re going through and allow them to spend time with you. God never called you to be the picture of resilience, you don’t need to immediately bounce up from every set back. The events of your life will affect you.

And if you don’t need to be comforted right now, I bet there’s someone who could use some comforting by you. Find them. Sit with them.

Do They Exist?

In John 15, Jesus is teaching his disciples and letting them know that he would soon be separated from them as he is moving towards the cross. In some of his clearest teaching about who he is, Jesus gives them instructions on what is going to happen and what they should do next. He is preparing them to do the ministry he interrupted their lives to do. Above all, he is reminding them (and us) to remember the call he has put on our lives, to remember the relationship we have with him, and most of all to show the love we have received to the people around us.

Jesus in John 15:12-16 says, 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends…15 No longer do I call you servants,…but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide…”

To love others as Christ has loved us is a monumental task. There is no such thing as a half measure with Christ’s love. Jesus loves people wholly and completely without conditions or qualifications.

Jesus asks one question, “do they exist?” If the answer is yes, then they are loved. While this comes easy for Jesus it takes effort for us to live this way on our part. Drive in New Jersey for 30 minutes and you’re bound to encounter someone that you kinda start hating. However, that is just the person you need to start doing the work of love.

You don’t need to lay down your life for them right away. But maybe you could think of any reason you could tolerate them as they to drive that way. Maybe there’s a medical emergency, maybe there’s a bathroom emergency, whatever can move your lifelong ire into a more equitable disdain, or maybe even into forgiveness. And this is just one small area where else are there people in your life that are hard to love?

We are called to be small versions of Christ for people to experience. How can we do that in small ways to the friends and strangers we encounter?

Grandma

Psalm 112:1-6

    Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the one who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in God’s commandments!
2 Their offspring will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their house,
    and their righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
    they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the one who deals generously and lends;
    who conducts their affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
    they will be remembered forever.

When I read this passage, it makes me think of my Grandmother. Mother of three, grandmother to seven, she raised her family through good times and the hard times to grow in their faith. Sure, Grandpa was the preacher, but if you’ve known anyone in ministry, then you know his ministry wasn’t possible without her ministry.  And though it may have been quieter than someone standing in a pulpit, its reach may have gone even further.

When you have children, you spend your life teaching them what is important. Either by explicitly explaining your values and why you follow certain traditions (“we are learning to speak this language because it connects us to our family heritage”). Or implicitly through your actions (you never watched cricket growing up so it’s not an important sport to you). Good habits, bad habits, the way you talk, the way you treat people: your kids are experts at sussing out what is actually important to you.

From my grandmother, all her children learned about the importance of being active in their faith. Even now, when everyone’s gotten old but me, they still pass on the lessons she taught to them. They’re all involved in passing on the faith to their children, their friends, and their neighbors. They were taught the importance and value of sacrifice.

I pray that we can all have a legacy like my grandma. The people around you can see what you hold to be most important. Let us do our best to keep our focus where it needs to be. Let our legacies be remembered forever.

Or the Highway

Everybody thinks of changing the world and no one thinks of changing themselves. -Tolstoy

I don’t want to change the world I just want to change your mind. – Squad Five-O

Tolstoy, the 19th century Russian author of War and Peace. Squad Five-O the late ‘90s punk band from Georgia. I don’t know if they appeal to the same circles, but they both hit on a topic that is near and dear to most of us. We live with this idea, “I am right, and if everyone would just agree with me then the world would be such a better place.”

One of the hardest things about accepting the call of Christ is embracing the idea that we are not perfect. This flies in the face of how the world tells us to portray ourselves. We applaud and celebrate people who show vulnerability; it is seen as courageous because it is so rare. 

For most of us and the world as a whole, the goal has always been to get our own way. But when we hear the call to be different, we can admit to God, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, your ways are not my ways.”

Paul in Romans 12:2-3 says it this way, “2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of themself more highly than they ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

The world always wants us to take the easy path. And it is always tempting to do that. We need to remember we only get stronger when we get challenged. Take the challenge of changing your own mind. When you find the strength to change your mind you just might find that the world around you has also changed.

Gas Pump

I live in New Jersey. My brother lives in Oregon. At first blush these are two states that you wouldn’t think have much in common. As the stereotypes go, one is full of hippies and the other is filled with [strong-minded people]. They also have some unique commonalities. Both states banned plastic grocery bags in the past few years, and the thing both states are known for most is that it is illegal to pump your own gasoline.

However, Oregon recently passed a bill that would allow eliminate the need to wait for someone else to come and pump their gas. People could do it themselves. The absolute HORROR! Most people are going to be fine, but there is a very vocal minority shouting about how this is definitely going to result in the whole state being burned down because no one knows how to use the pump.

I feel that we would face the same outrage if/when they try and do this in New Jersey. First, they came for the grocery bags, and I did not speak out. Then they came for me. We don’t like change. In Deuteronomy 31, Moses is effectively passing the torch of leadership to Joshua, and the people are afraid.

Deuteronomy 31:1-2,5-6, Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them…I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ … 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Moses helped them escape slavery. Moses led them through the desert. Moses, who spoke with God, was their leader. No one could live up to those leadership credentials, right? But God helped raise up Joshua to lead the people. Moses led the people to the finish line, but they were the ones who had to cross it.

Often, God will lead us close to where we need to be, and then require us to take the step of faith to cross that line. It is in these times that we need to remember that God has been with us. It is in times like these, that we must be strong and courageous.

Outsiders

During the pandemic lockdowns I had a lot of time on my hands. For a portion of it I fell into watching too much TV. One of the many shows I watched was a cooking competition show (I think Masterchef) where everyone was competing to not get yelled at by the celebrity judges. What piqued my interest about this season was that the woman who ended up winning was blind. (Apologies for spoiling an 11-year-old cooking show).

She had an amazing quote during one of her interviews and said, “I don’t want to be anyone’s inspiration. I want to be taken seriously as a competitor.” Too often we can discount the people around us because of how different they are, or how we assume a limitation should affect them. This woman cooked her heart out. She won because she made the best food.

It reminds me of the story of Frankenstein. At first blush, we think the monster is the reanimated corpse(s) with the bolts in his neck. However, if you read the story, the real monsters are the towns people who chase him away for being different.

There are people you have known your whole life. They look like you, talk like you, know all your secret code words, and thus, they are easy to love. And then there are new people who come into your life. They don’t look or talk like you and know how you do things, still we are called to love them just as we love those who are already insiders. We are called to welcome those people as though we are welcoming Jesus.

Matthew 25:35-40

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.’

What can you do for the least of these?

Every Night Fireworks

I used to live at the bottom of a big hill that led into the mountains. My street acted as the border between my town and the next town over. In my town, around this time of year, a bunch of signs went up that read, “If it goes up or blows up it is not allowed within city limits.” However, at the top of that hill in the next town over they had no such restrictions. You could buy almost any kind of fireworks you could imagine. From small little snakes to some of the mortars used by professionals, there were stalls upon stalls ready to take your money.

What this meant for me is that from Memorial Day through the 4th of July I was hearing fireworks all day every day. There were people who would drop a few hundred dollars on product then go across the street to the vacant lot and light off all that they bought. It was noisy and annoying.

If you’ve ever been around that guy at the party who brought his guitar even though no one asked him to, you know the frustration of noise that is out of place. If we all went to this guy’s coffeehouse show, we might enjoy his playing. Sitting under the stars eating a hot dog I might enjoy the fireworks. But we may not enjoy either if it forced upon us.

This is why it’s so important to meet people where they are when we try to show them the love of God. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

You can do all the “right” things, but if you’re doing them with the wrong motivation you’re just adding to the noise. We have been called to add to the love.

Living Dead

In Luke 16 Jesus tells a story about a beggar who lived outside the gates of a rich man’s house. When they both died, the beggar was carried to Abraham’s side, while the rich man was taken to Hades. In the torment of his separation the rich man called out. Luke 16:24-,

“24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. … 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

When we look at this story, we need to ask a personal question. Am I Lazarus or the rich man? Jesus says that Lazarus only desired to be fed by what fell from the rich man’s table. While the rich man enjoyed feeding his every desire. Even in death the rich man reaches out for special treatment.

But Abraham tells him that his family has the same opportunity we all have, to answer the call of God on our lives. Even if someone were to come back to life, not everyone would believe the story they have to tell.

As we look at the world around us let us fix our eyes on the things that point us towards God. Let us be the ones who live like we are convinced by Moses and the Prophets.

Live It Out

In my reading the other day, I came across a concept by a theologian who was trying to reach a minority group in his country. He lamented that the problem wasn’t with the gospel, the people he was trying to reach had heard the gospel over and over. The problem was that they had so rarely seen anyone truly live out the gospel.

The gospel of Jesus is fairly easy to share. God, the creator of the universe and humanity is good, and desires a personal relationship with all people. To achieve this goal, he sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven. This is a gift given out of the love God has for us.

That’s it. No extra hoops to jump through, we just need to accept what is freely available to us. This is where we all start. As we realize all that we have been forgiven, we can start to live out the gospel as a blessing to other people.

Paul says it this way in Philippians 1:27-28, “27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.”

This isn’t a call to legalism; you can’t check things off a list and achieve a perfect life. Living out our call means we live in submission to the greater story. Doing what you’ve been told is the beginning of submission but to truly submit, we sometimes need to have a change of heart.

If we have been changed by the gospel, other people should be able to see that we are different from those around us. They should be able to see us living out the gospel of love and forgiveness.

To the Moon

Everyone knows the names Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. As part of Apollo 11 they were the first two humans to land on the moon. But they didn’t go up there alone. There was a third astronaut with them. He stayed in the command module and his name was named Michael Collins. He kept the module in lunar orbit so that the other two had a way to get home. While his name is largely lost to the public consciousness, some have referred to him as the loneliest human in all of history.

While Neil and Buzz were going on their little hike, Collins took a trip to the dark side of the moon. This means that he was more than 2,000 miles away from the first and second closest humans, and around 240,000 miles away from the third closest human. For some scale, if you were here in New Jersey, then the next closest person would be around Mexico City, and the third is on another planet. Since astronauts back then were mostly made up of crazy test pilots, I’m sure he kept his cool. I would be freaking out a little bit.

The frighteningly normal thing is that we don’t even need to be in a tin can floating in space to understand this feeling of possible dread. In Deuteronomy, Moses is handing over the reins of leading Israel to Joshua. This was a huge responsibility. From the time they left Egypt, there was Moses out in front helping the people find their way.

Joshua, like us, was being called to take up a very heavy mantle. In instructing Joshua about the foes and challenges he would face, Moses said this, Deuteronomy 31:6-8, “6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Even when we feel alone or far away, we can be reminded of God’s call to be strong and courageous in walking the path that we have been given.

Keep Swimming

There is a quote that usually gets attributed to Albert Einstein that says, “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” While there is almost zero evidence that this is something that Einstein ever said, the quote still holds some heavy truths that we have a hard time embracing.

For most people, the judgment they fear coming from other people doesn’t exist nearly as much as they think it does; and absolutely pales in comparison to the judgment they heap upon themselves. We compare our internal monologue to someone else’s highlight reel. Very few people have the guts to be vulnerable, to share the hard times and the good times in equal measure. We are bombarded by people who seem to be completely crushing it at life.

We see them and think, “they are doing something right, and I am doing something wrong.” We forget that we have different skills, abilities, and obligations. Yes, that travel blogger is in an amazing new place every week, but they have no kids and a massive trust fund.

But we were never called to hold ourselves to the standards of other people. Through Christ’s death on the cross we are a part of the new covenant that allows us to live into being the people God created us to be. Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 says it this way,

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Go and be the person God has called you to be. Live boldly not worrying about someone who was given a different purpose. If you’re a fish, learn to swim.

Johnny

I listen to music some people consider weird or unenjoyable. So, it kind of shocks them when I say that I would put someone as mainstream as Johnny Cash among my top ten artists. Johnny Cash was a fascinating guy. From covering songs from wildly different musical categories to recording songs from his mother’s hymn book, to recording an audiobook for the New King James version of the New Testament. He did it all.

An interesting testament to how he perceived himself was that one of his favorite movies was Frankenstein. About the film he was quoted as saying, “because it's about a man made up of all these bad parts and yet he still tries to do something decent and be someone decent.”

This might be one of the best descriptions of the Christian life I’ve ever heard. It is so easy to look at yourself and just see all these messed up parts. You KNOW you are loved and forgiven, but you don’t always FEEL loved and forgiven. We all have parts of ourselves that we don’t like, and we can falsely believe that we need to hide them.

Fortunately, the creator of the world already sees all of you. In Psalm 139:13-14 King David says,

13 For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.

It's easy to not feel wonderfully made. We need to constantly remind ourselves (and our friends), that from the beginning God formed you and loved you. Johnny Cash and King David put themselves and those around them through a lot of turmoil during their lives, but they still created works of timeless beauty.

We have the same opportunity as they did, to live a life trying to do something decent and be someone decent.

Who?

Poet and Civil Rights activist, Maya Angelou, once said, “When someone shows you who they really are, believe them.” In our modern world, where so many people are concerned about crafting the perfectly manicured outer image, this advice feels more and more important. You can know people for years before they allow you to see the real them, or the mask slips and you get a sense of their true motivations.

Usually, seeing who someone is behind the persona leads to disappointment or a loss of respect. “I thought you were kind, but it’s really just manipulation.” “Your motives sounded pure, but it was actually selfishness.” Depending on your relationship before this point, seeing behind the façade can hurt. If you considered yourselves really close it can shatter a piece of your world.

However, every once in a great while, seeing someone for who they really are can lift your spirits and change your life for the better. This is what Peter experienced in Luke 9:18-20.

18 Now it happened that as he [Jesus] was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

When they first started walking with Jesus, the disciples probably thought he was a good Rabbi, a teacher who knew the scriptures really well. Through traveling with him, listening closely, and seeing some of the things he could do, Peter saw Jesus for who he truly was: the Christ!

When people meet you for the first time they don’t need to meet all of you, but I hope they meet the real you. If there are parts you don’t like, take steps to change the ones that are changeable, begin the journey to embrace the ones you can’t, or do the hardest thing of all and ask for help.

People want to know the real you!

Snail Mail

When was the last time you wrote a letter? I’m not talking about signing a card where someone at Hallmark already added a poem. I’m talking about taking your time, and your hand, and your own thoughts and expressing your emotions on a page. I bet it’s been a while. When I worked with youth one of the mainstays of our ministry was writing cards. Most weeks each person on staff wrote to five random kids. It didn’t matter if you had a long-standing relationship with them or if this was the first time communicating with them, each card let them know that they were loved and thought about.

At our most basic level that’s kind of what most of us really want; to know that there is someone else in this world that cares and is impacted by us being around. When loneliness hits, if we’re not careful our minds can immediately go to “nobody really cares.” Knowing that we go through this we should be able to empathize and understand that others go through this and we should seek to be a supportive community everywhere we go.

The writer of Ecclesiastes puts it this way, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up their fellow. But woe to those who are alone when they fall and has not another to lift them up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

When we know how it feels to fall down, we can see the importance of helping other people get up. And no state will stay the same forever. Sometimes you’re the helper and sometimes you’re the helped. The key is to stay connected. Ask for help. Lend a hand if you are able.

Write that letter, let someone know that you are thinking about them.

Fading Flowers

This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day; just a head’s up if it may have slipped your mind. On that day millions of people are going to celebrate their moms and give them flowers. Flowers can be a weird gift. It’s like a joke I heard from a comedian whose name I can’t remember, “I love you, now watch these die.” No one actually thinks this when they give flowers as a gift, but cut flowers are never going to be a gift that lasts a long time. And maybe that is part of the symbolism we don’t even consider; I want to give you something beautiful even though I know the beauty is fleeting.

The time we share with the people we love mirrors this. We’ll balance the hard times and the good, and in the long run the ones that stick around lead to a magnificent experience of love. However as David reminds in Psalm 39:4-5 our time is limited.

4 “O Lord, make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all humanity stands as a mere breath! Selah

The world was around a long time before we came along, and should the Lord tarry, it will be around a long time after we are gone. Initially this could feel like a total bummer. We don’t like to think about a world without us in it. However, the reminder that our days are numbered should inspire us to live life to the full. Show love to the people around you with reckless abandon. Set your priorities in a way that adds more goodness to the lives of people around you.

Go buy those flowers for Mother’s Day or any day; give them with a message that shows how much you appreciate the time you have. Even though our time, like the flowers, will fade we can still go out and share the beauty of life with the world.

Doctor Doctor

Matthew 9:10-13 - 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

In this passage we see Jesus spending time with “those people,” the ones that a proper upstanding citizen would try to avoid. The Pharisees try to call him out on it, but Jesus responds with love. He points out the fact that the people who are healthy don’t need to go to the doctor. Doctors exist to help those who are sick. And then he goes on to quote from the prophet Hosea when he says, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.”

Part of a Pharisee’s goal was to be an expert on the scripture. When Jesus said this, they would have known exactly what he was referring to. The people to whom Hosea was speaking dutifully brought their sacrifices to the temple. They were following the letter of the law, but in doing so they became lazy with fulfilling the spirit of the law.

They were given the law so that the people could learn to fully rely on God. They couldn’t do it all themselves. This reminder would cut deep for people whose whole identity was their own self-righteousness. The Pharisees knew what the scripture said but now they knew exactly what the scripture meant. We can bring our sacrifices, follow the rules of the Bible (and a few we made up along the way) and think that we are being perfect little Christians.

Unfortunately, God never called you to be perfect, because you can’t be. How can you add mercy to your spiritual life? What or who have you neglected in your pursuit of self-righteousness?

We’ve all been sick, and we can all know the great physician.

Hard Right

On Saturday I witnessed a driver who almost caused a major pile up. The highway was splitting; there were two lanes were heading west, two lanes heading north, and an exit lane. Meaning this spot in the road was 5 lanes wide. This person, who I can only assume almost missed their exit, came to a full stop in the second lane from the left, turned their car towards the exit and gunned it towards the exit, driving perpendicular to the oncoming traffic. Other cars were swerving and slamming on their brakes, so many people put in danger because one person made a horrible decision.

Even by driving in New Jersey standards, this was reckless and needlessly aggressive. While I hope you’ve never put the lives of other people in danger, we have all been this person who made a selfish decision in order to get to where we wanted to go. Selfishness is a modern epidemic as so many of us strive to, “Get what’s mine.” However, it’s something that we easily point out in others but have a hard time seeing in ourselves.

For Christians, this means that we must strive every day to live into the call of selflessness. 1 John 3:16-20 tells us,

16 By this we know love, that he [Jesus] laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees their brother or sister in need, yet closes their heart against them, how does God's love abide in them? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 

We hear “lay down our lives” and think it means dying for someone; while it can mean that, it can also mean letting someone else win, putting what you want behind what someone else needs. This takes a lot of practice, and there will be times we fail, but growth only comes from effort and doing something differently.