Palm Sunday and the King of Glory

During Sunday service today my mind wandered with thoughts from the scriptures, specifically Psalm 24, “Who is this King of glory” who is riding through the everlasting gates today? I know that symbols and outward signs are intended to help us process the truth, but somehow the slender single palm section clutched limply in my hand and the usual Sunday worship fare did not serve to stimulate my understanding to any great degree. Is this the one whom I have waited for ever since I heard the promise of a deliverer who was to come to me? Is this the very Word of God whom my heart has sought in the dark and troubling times of my life? Why hasn’t His coming changed my life or world more? I know that I am not alone in these internal wrestlings. You’ve asked those same questions, you have endured the world’s taunt in a thousand debates, “Where is your God?” You, like me, have looked on helplessly when confronted with debilitating sickness, brokenness of life, untimely death, shattered relationship, or devastating natural disaster. And your answers, like mine, probably always seem inadequate. The Spirit of God then turned my mind to Psalm 73 as He usually does when I ask these questions that have no good answer. The psalmist laments the fact that there appears to be no benefit in his attempts to live righteously when evil and greed and corruption flourish and grow. And his inner turmoil builds to a verse that goes something like this, “When I thought to understand this, it was too hard and painful for me, until I went to the sanctuary of God and then, I understood….” So here I was, standing in a sanctuary dedicated to my God, the creator of heaven and earth, holding this spindly palm in my hand and I wish I could say that I understood, but I didn’t. But there were two things that I did come away with and they are both from the second passage of scripture quickened in my mind this morning, Hebrews 2:8-9. “You [the Father} have put all things in subjection under His [Jesus} feet. For in that He has put all in subjection under Him, He has left nothing that is not put under Him.” Hence my questions, where is the kingdom and rule of God to be seen? But the passage continues, “But now, we do not yet see all things put under Him.” Bummer! And therein is the first truth of my Palm Sunday journey. Life is not fair, the wrong doers still prosper, the seekers of God are made to look like fools, laws are passed that mock God’s moral code and everywhere I look the curse of sin remains as strong as ever. No wonder the world asks, "Where is your God?" That would have seemed a disappointing take-away from my celebration of Palm Sunday had not the writer of Hebrews continued once again, this time changing his declaration. We may not see all things under the rule and control of God at this present time, he had already reminded me, “but we see Jesus”. And it was then that I recognized this King of Glory one more time. I don’t have all the answers to the challenges of the time and society we live in, but today I saw the promised deliverer, the captain of my salvation, and as I opened up the gates of my understanding He entered like He always has promised to do. Who is this King of Glory? He is Jesus, and today that was enough of an answer for me.

Passiontide, Passion Sunday to Resurrection

Last Sunday was the fifth Sunday of Lent, traditionally referred to as Passion Sunday; and next Sunday is the sixth Sunday of Lent, commonly called Palm Sunday. I understand that many changes have occurred to the liturgical calendar surrounding these last two Sunday’s in Lent, but regardless of what they are called, they have always been the milemarkers in that sub-section of Lent referred to as Passiontide. Denominations mark these two weeks in many ways, some change parts of their liturgy excluding certain prayers, others cover crosses and statues with purple, certainly the content and theme of the daily scripture readings concentrate on the suffering and death of Jesus. These practices are intended to remind us that in the ministry of Jesus there was a turning of a corner and this is similarly reflected in our Lenten observance.

You see that corner within the gospels. It is clearly reflected in Jesus’ change in emphasis in Matthew 16:21, “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things by the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed….” We can see it in His prayer in John 12:27-28, “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Even the gospel reading from this past Sunday alludes to it in Luke 20:19, “And the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him from that very hour…” This portion of Lent reminds me that there remains a big difference between choosing and living. Maybe those are not the best words to describe what I mean, so let me use part of an old worship refrain instead. "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.” Choosing is easy, naming ourselves followers of Christ is not that challenging; but then He turns the corner and all that lays immediately ahead is rejection and the cross and suddenly the reality of our choice become evident. Christ bids us pick up our cross and follow, and once we truly do that, there is no turning back. It’s what Paul meant in the epistle reading in Philippians 3, “Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, so that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded.” I don’t know how your Lent has been thus far, but I know that last Sunday we all turned that corner I have described above and that it is time to forget what lays behind in the last five weeks and press on now towards the goal of God’s high calling of us in Jesus Christ, allowing it to be made real by the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God and sealed by the sending of the Holy Spirit. We’ve all made the choice a long time ago to follow Jesus, it’s just time to start living in the reality of it each day.

Time to Reorient Ourselves

I begin with a side note. The word "orient" is interesting because its primary meaning is to locate a church so that the long axis runs east-west with the altar side pointed to the east. Perhaps this was intended to point us towards Jerusalem or towards the rising sun. I'll let you Goggle out the background of that. But what it reminds me is that the Church is supposed to be literally pointed in a direction, not just architecturally. And while that direction may be related to the mission of the Church (what we do), it is primarily related to the nature of the Church (what we are), the saints of God in Christ. And if we are not oriented towards God as our center then we run the risk of doing many good things that may on the last day just be so much wood, hay and stubble.

And that brings me to our Lenten journey. We are halfway through. If you are like me, you entered this time full of good intentions, armed with spiritual disciplines, and determined to stay the course. If you are like me you are also wondering where the heck you are as you pause at this mid-point. Has there been any benefit in the first part of the journey? Is there a clear direction for the last half? Time to regroup, to remember the direction we began this pilgrimage towards, to reorient and get our bearings. Last Sunday was Occuli Sunday, taking its name from the words of Psalm 25:15, "My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will keep my feet out of the trap." That theme is placed just before the Lenten mid-point, I believe, because it anticipates the difficulties of any spiritual journey intended to work eternal good in our hearts. Determine to be pure and your are immediately surrounded by a dozen opportunities to be anything but. Pray for patience and your circumstances fill you with anxiety and turmoil. Habits are not formed in a day by the declaration of a good intention. True spiritual character takes even long for the Holy Spirit to forge in us. So we set out, searching out our path, so aware of where we are walking that we immediately stumble, we mis-step and lose the way having to backtrack to set it right. The psalmist counsels what seems like foolishness, don't look at your path, turn your eyes instead on the Lord and He will keep your feet out of any trap set. We know this instinctively. No one walks a straight line by looking down at his feet, you have to keep your eyes fixed on the point you are walking towards. But more often than not we remain consumed about the path, not the destination. We keep our tally, this is a good day, this not so good, and forget to look Godward. This is Lesson 1 for the midpoint in Lent.

Today is Laetare Sunday, the name taken from Isaiah 66:10 "Rejoice you with Jeruslem, and be glad for her..." The liturgical color for today is rose which is often associated with joy and celebration. It is set just past the mid-point of Lent to remind us that the spirit of repentance is a good thing in its proper dosage and setting, but that it can lead to so much inward turning that we despair of ever going on. We are so focused on our own unworthiness that we miss the love of the Father. We are like the prodigal son so ready to trot out our "I have sinned against heaven and you" speech that we fail to realize that even as we are trying to get the words out, we are wrapped in the best robe, have shoes on our feet, a ring on our hand, and the Father is rejoicing over us despite the pig-stench and filth we are covered in. This Sunday reminds us that God's grace is not an occasion for sober reflection, let's leave that to the systematic theologians to catalogue; it is rather an occassion to be amazed at the goodness of God who is orchestrating celebration because we have come home. God's word continuously reminds us that we draw water out of the wells of salvation with joy. Even Psalm 51 contains that simple prayer in the middle of all of the other heart-wrenching repentence, "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation...". And that is Lesson 2 for the mid-point of this season.

Today is indeed a day to reorient, to get our gaze off ourselves and our failure to accomplish even the smallest thing faithfully for the kingdom, and to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfector of our faith." He started this work of grace in us "while we were yet sinners:; surely He is able to finish it. In the celebration of communion with Jesus on this Lord's Day may you find strength and reason for continuing your pilgrimage.

The Gospel, Pure and Simple

It often amazes me how hard it is to be a Christian and identify yourselves with any particular denomination, church, or particular flavor (i.e. pentecostal, evangelical, emergent, or home-church, just to name a few). I'm thinking about Pentecost. Peter preaches one short sermon and 3,000 people are added! And these guys and gals were serious. They devoted themselves to the apostle's preaching, they broke bread together, they prayed and praised, and they were filled with awe at what they were experiencing. And all of that without church membership, sunday schools, weekly home fellowships, new believer's classes, or coffee hours. Just repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit, and welcome brother or sister. How unlike what we are used to. I mean, which of our churches would know what to do with 3,000 believers at an altar call? Why for goodness sakes are we praying for revival, we wouldn't know what to do with a large influx of people if they came. Or, we'd do with them what we have always done and little by little they would stop coming. Why do we make Christianity so darn complicated, when pure and simple it is found in these words of Jesus, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and heavily laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me...and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light." Everytime I read those words I have this feeling that this is not a message Jesus is offering to the unrepentant and lost, but to those that already belong to Him. Why is it so difficult to live as a Christian in the church today? It's at that point I hear another gospel warning, "Woe to you...you shut up the kingdom of heaven from those around you; for you will not go in yourselves nor will you allow those who want to enter to go in." It's time to lay aside all of this denominational and congregational nonsense and get back to the gospel, pure and simple.

Reminiscere Sunday, the Second Sunday in Lent

The second Sunday in Lent is called Reminiscere from the first words of Psalm 25:5-6, “Remember, O Lord.” The dictionary definition of the word “remember” is so bland, “to bring to mind.” How boring! It’s sort of like remembering that 2+2 = 4. But close your eyes for a moment, and remember a truly “memorable” occasion, a family gathering or an outing or pivotal decision made. You will not just recollect facts, but will find yourself reproducing emotions, being aware of sounds and smells, noticing expressions and nuances you would never see in a bare factoid. Consider this. When Jesus says “As often as you eat this bread or drink this cup, remember Me”, He is not asking us merely to recite a creed or catechism lesson about the facts of His saving sacrifice. He is asking us to be one with Him; to experience devotion not doctrine, relationship not religion. Remembrance to me carries with it more of the picture of making something present again with all its power to touch and move our entire being, not just our mind.

So on this past Sunday we called out to God and asked Him to remember. Remember what? Well, the psalm gives us three invocations for God to remember in the two verses noted above, two are framed in a positive sense, and one in a negative. “Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.” This second Sunday of Lent finds us asking God to once again make present before His eyes abounding and eternal mercy and love on our behalf, and to let us start to understand how it is that God looks upon us. And knowing that He is looking upon us, we are quick to ask Him not “to forget”, but “to remember not” our sins, to make them as far as the east is from the west from before His presence. This allows us to realize afresh that it was while we were yet sinners, that Christ died for us. And because of that great gift, there is now, therefore, no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus. God's perfect love has cast out our fear before Him. But frail as we are, we are bold to remind Him yet once more to look upon us, with all of our baggage and inadequacies, with the measuring stick of His eternal love. With such assurance we can boldly stand upon the promise of God’s word, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That is a very reassuring thought in our spiritual pilgrimage of Lent.