Not as it seems...

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

"Appearances can be deceiving."

"Things are not always what they seem."

We have all heard those those common platitudes for a variety of reasons and in a variety of ways. I think I found a new context for them though: Easter.

We are working through Luke's Gospel at our church and the way Luke has been portraying Jesus' final days - and even his death - has reminded me of how with God's plan, things aren't always how they appear to be. 

A couple parts stick out to me as "seeming" to be one thing but a totally different reality is true. 

Jesus' Trials - Who is in control?

This is certainly true of Jesus' arrest and trials (Luke 22:47-23:25). The Sanhedrin lead the way to apprehend Jesus and they do their best to trump up charges against him. Pilate and Herod also get their chances to evaluate him as political authorities. While they find him innocent, it is the crowds (compelled by the religious leaders) who stir things up so much that Pilate finds no other choice than to go against his judgment and send Jesus to the cross. 

In all of this, Jesus remains steadfast. He quickly shuts down Peter's attempt to fight the arresting party in the Garden. He affirms the truth even when it makes things worse for him. And as he hangs on the cross, it is Jesus himself who gives up his own spirit. His life is not taken from him, he relinquishes it on his own accord. 

He wrestled with his destiny in the Garden. Now, when his end draws near, he willingly and willfully completes his agonizing mission.

Appearances can be deceiving. The political powers may seem to be controlling these events but God is the one pulling the strings. As John records Jesus saying, 
"Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above."

Jesus' Death - An Unjust, Tragic Loss of Life?

From just the facts of this case, Jesus' execution by the Romans seems to be an awful travesty of justice. Herod and Pilate all find him innocent. One of the criminals hanging next to him recognizes his righteousness. And the centurion in charge of the crucifixion realizes Jesus was the guiltless Son of God. 

Even in the death scene itself, Luke describes a scene actually filled with grace, hope, and life. Jesus comforts (and warns) the mourners on his way to Golgotha (23:26-31). He forgives those who are killing him and grants salvation to the penitent thief dying next to him (23:32-43). 

Beyond the physical event, we know that spiritually his death purchases our redemption, satisfies God's justice, and provides eternal life through faith (Mark 10:45, Rom. 3:25, John 3:16). 

The cruel injustice that he endured provided our salvation. 

Saturday and Sunday - Dark Times of Sorrow?

Luke ends the Crucifixion account by mentioning the women disciples who were observing his death and his burial. He pivots immediately to the resurrection by describing these same women as they prepare to anoint Jesus' body after the Sabbath has ended.

Their actions/reactions are normal and honorable. And yet their grief is about to be transformed. 

For it was over Saturday and the early morning hours that God was vindicating his Son and redeeming humanity. By the time the women get to the tomb, Jesus was raised - and when he was raised, he once for all conquered sin and death. 

What seemed like a terrible loss was actually an occasion for the greatest victory God could have accomplished. 

The Passion Week and Easter itself offer so many examples of how God's plan included reversals, upended expectations, and reality not being how things appeared to be. 

Paul has this in mind when he says in 1 Corinthians 1:

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."

I am used to the changes of moods that accompany this Holy Week. Christians appropriately transition from somberness, to lament, to celebration as we remember what Christ went through. However this year, these highlights from Luke's Gospel have given me a more consistent joyful perspective. We can be eternally grateful that in the apparent "defeat", God was working out our redemptive victory.

Faith and Doubt

I am 41 almost 42 years old. 

I've read the Bible since I was a kid and have seriously studied it since I was 17. And still there are times where I go, "Hmm, never seen that before."

The latest example came this week as I prepped for my sermon on the aftermath of the resurrection, in Matthew 28 - appropriately one week after Easter.

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Did you catch that? "they worshipped him; but some doubted." 

It is no secret that the disciple Thomas doubted (see John 20) and his story is instructive on its own. But this implies there were more "doubters". And Thomas' account is actually more about disbelief. The term used here is about uncertainty, hesitation, and being unsure. Without splitting too many hairs, these comments are not about unbelief-related doubt but about confusion-related doubt.

And who can blame them? They'd just been through a roller-coaster of a week, filled with hopeful celebrations and the starkest of traumas. The "too-good-to-be-true news" turns out to be real and they worship. Some clearly are still trying to process it all and have genuine doubts - unsure about what it all means, what has happened, and what is to come.

The incredible thing about this part of the story is Jesus' response. We know he graciously warns Thomas about "unbelief" but in this description regarding these doubts, he offers something different. He does not rebuke them for denying him (looking at you Peter) or abandoning him in the Garden (looking at the other 10 of you). He reassures them by focusing them on his supreme authority and empowering them for their mission: 

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

One takeaway from this new observation is that faith and doubt can go together. Some view doubt as an enemy or the opposite of faith. It is as if we must have all the answers to all the questions or we aren't right with God. I don't think so. I think doubt/uncertainty is inherent to faith. Like the father seeking healing for his son in Mark 9:24, we will honestly say sometimes "I believe, but help my unbelief". 

Jesus isn't threatened by our hesitations, confusion, or for that matter our unbelief. He offers us himself -  the supreme King of the Universe - not to give us all the answers, but to encourage us that he's in control. He has a purpose for us and he will be with us. 

There will always be an element of ambiguity to life of faith in Jesus. There will be things we don't know, can't know, and will never know. He will take care of that stuff - and take care of us. And he will welcome our struggle with doubt even if it gets mixed in with our worship. 

Our human nature won't like the tension of faith and doubt. If we turn it over to Jesus, we can learn to live with it.

Home Worship - Easter - 4/12/20

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Here's this week's Worship Supplement to go along with our message in Acts 2:22-36.

Sermon

This week's message can be accessed on our FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/Milford-First-Brethren-Church-106750154192984/
Or through our website here: https://www.milfordfirstbrethren.org/live.html (video will post by Sunday afternoon)

Study Guide Questions

After - or even as - you listen to the sermon, try digging deeper into the text by working through these questions:

1. What "miracles, wonders, and signs" (2:22) come to mind when you think of Jesus' life?
2. What does it mean that "it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him" - 2:24?
3. Why does Peter say David wrote Psalm 16 as a prophesy about Jesus - 2:29-32?
4. What blessings are ours now that Christ has been exalted - 2:33-36?

Worship Songs

Weekly Devotional Guide

• Monday - Luke 24:36-53
• Tuesday - Acts 1:1-11
• Wednesday - Acts 1:12-26
• Thursday - Acts 2:1-13
• Friday - Acts 2:14-36
• Saturday - Acts 2:37-47

Home Worship - 4/5/20

Happy Palm Sunday! I'm not happy we cannot meet together yet, but hopefully our thoughts can begin to focus on the hope of the Holy Week and Easter.

Here's this Sunday's Worship Supplement to go along with our message in Romans 9:30-10:21.

Sermon

This week's message can be accessed on our FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/Milford-First-Brethren-Church-106750154192984/
Or through our website here: https://www.milfordfirstbrethren.org/live.html

Study Guide Questions

After - or even as - you listen to the sermon, try digging deeper into the text by working through these questions:

1. Who was the "stumbling stone" that tripped up Israel? Why did they trip up? What were they focused on instead? (9:30-33)
2. What is the reason Israel lost its way according to 10:3-4?
3. How can people find salvation according to Romans 10:9-10?
4. Who bears responsibility for Israel's rejection? (10:21)
5. What are some ways we as Christians can be obstinate and reject God's clear Word like Israel did (be specific)?

Worship Songs

It is well

Hosanna (Praise is Rising)

Mighty to Save

King of Kings

Daily Devotional Guide

Here are some related passages to our Romans 10 and this Easter Week to study in your daily devotional time.

• Monday - Deuteronomy 30:1-14
• Tuesday - Isaiah 28
• Wednesday - Mark 12
• Thursday- Mark 14
• Friday - Mark 15
• Saturday - Mark 16

Sermon Snippets

I've taken a break from blogging but now I hope to be "back and better than ever" (s/o to Mike & Mike). I'm putting "Music Monday" on hiatus for now and going to bring back "Sermon Snippets" moving forward. 

These posts will feature tidbits and/or last minute cuts from my sermons that I find interesting. One common problem pastors face is deciding what to cut from their messages - or rather, not realizing they need to cut material out to keep their audience focused. I'm writing a commentary on 1-2 Kings currently so there should be plenty of material. But last week was Easter so I will be relaunching this bit with some stuff from my Resurrection Day message. For audio of the full sermon, you can listen here.

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Jesus' first appearances carried personal and theological significance. My sermon (link above) works through the first six times Jesus revealed himself to people. The first one is where I want to focus on today. 

Mary Magdalene is the first person to see Jesus after he rose from the grave (John 20:11-18). Was that fact merely meant to be a footnote in history? What if I argued that there was a purpose and intention behind who Jesus decided to appear to first?

As others have noted, Mary was "last at the cross and first to the tomb". While her male counterparts had almost all fled out of fear, she didn't keep a low profile. She remained faithful even in the face of unspeakable grief as her friend and Rabboni suffered a criminal's death. 

Mary Magdalene's story has gotten confused and misconstrued in a variety of ways. But taking our cues from the Gospels, we know she was delivered from demonic possession early on in Jesus' ministry and she followed Jesus, even financially supporting him and his disciples on their travels (Luke 8:1-4). 

Mary Magdalene is the picture of a disciple devoted to her Savior, even when all hope seemed lost. Her pure heart of worship is revealed by her and the other women's desire to ceremonially embalm Jesus' body to complete the burial (Mark 16:1-2)

So when Jesus honors her by appearing to her first, he's rewarding this dedicated servant. He will soon appear to Peter also, who is very much the opposite of Mary. But her story reminds us that God rewards the faithful. We can cling to our Lord even when no hope seems left - and he will come through!

What an awesome testimony of God's goodness and what an awesome encouragement to be faithful!

Music Mondays

I highly suspect that subconsciously the existence of this running "Music Monday" theme goes back to my childhood when my parents were invested in a traveling music ministry. Both of them were very talented and would travel to various churches and cities to present special concerts and I got to tag along as a pre-school aged kid.

Many memories still rattle around in my brain, like the time our van started rolling away in a church parking lot as dad and some volunteers were unloading equipment. 

Likewise, many of the songs have stuck in my head too. This week's selection was one of those songs. An early eighties single from the group Truth, it is a mini-time capsule taking us back to those early days of contemporary Christian music. 

Why feature it? Well, it popped into my head last week as I was preparing my sermon on Isaiah 36-39. 
Those chapters recount some tension-filled days in the reign of King Hezekiah. For the most part, the King trusted the Lord - relying on him completely despite great odds. But alas, in chapter 39 he makes a foolish blunder. I believe the whole story, taken in the context of Isaiah's book, is meant to leave us wanting more. 

Isaiah had promised a coming King who would set things right and faithfully lead God's people. King Hezekiah (and others) did so to a point - but they were just place holders until God's true Messiah-King would arrive. To a great extent, Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus' life and ministry as a fulfillment of God's promises in Isaiah. The crowds of Matthew 21 were celebrating Jesus' kingly arrival even though they didn't fully understand God's plan or the nature of Jesus' kingship. 

So, in a round-about way, Isaiah 36-39 connects with Palm Sunday - reminding us that there is one faithful king who succeeded where human kings failed.  The beauty of Palm Sunday and Easter can indeed be summed up in the concise phrase - "Jesus Never Fails".

Music Mondays

Sometimes a song will come along that may not be your style, but you recognize how good it is. You can appreciate it's excellence and value. 

I'd put today's Music Monday selection in that category. I came across it when a few Facebook friends shared it. The artist, Andrew Peterson, is someone I'm only vaguely aware of. The song, Is He Worthy?, probably won't end up on any Christian radio charts. But wow is it hauntingly good, taking us to the scene of Revelation 5:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The creative inclusion of question and response along with the unique visuals of the video make this one of my favorite songs to consider as we head into this Easter season. 

UPDATE: It appears as though Peterson's video created a small social media firestorm for featuring no actual diversity for a song that is inspired by the heavenly picture of those "from every tribe and tongue and people and language". 

Peterson published a lengthy apology and explanation of the glaring oversight. Though some may read it differently, I find it very honest, contrite, and sincere.

Music Mondays

My last Music Monday post was a little silly, tying into the NCAA Tourney that was going on. 

With this post, we're getting more serious and spiritual, tying into the Easter weekend we just went through. 

I've featured these songs before, but I can't think of anything better than to feature these three favorites that highlight the glorious truths of the Resurrection story. 

They don't really need extra comment, but they do all deserve extra contemplation as we "move past" Easter. Even if time marches on, hopefully are hearts will remain  fixed on these realities.

 

Music Monday - Easter Edition

Given that yesterday was Easter and the Christian musical canon is filled with great songs celebrating our Risen Savior, I thought I'd create a list of my favorite Easter songs.

1. "Forever" by Kari Jobe. 

Featured previously, it stands above the rest because of the incredible vocals, well-summarized theology, and overall declaration of victory and celebration.

2. "In Christ Alone" by Keith and Kristyn Getty

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth, in glorious day

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as he stands in victory, sins curse has lost it's grip on me

For I am His, and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ.

How great are those lyrics? How great are those truths? 

3. "He's Alive" by Don Francisco

My dad used to sing this song, which always gives me chills as it narrates the story from Peter's point of view. Hollywood spends millions of dollars on movies that try and fail to create the kind of tension and emotional response this songs accomplishes in a manner of minutes.

4. "I've Just Seen Jesus" by Larnelle Harris, Sandi Patty (written by Bill Gaither)

 

This one makes the list primarily because of the powerhouse performances by these two artists in this duet. But I'm also kind of a sucker for a song which narrates a story. And I've always loved the line "All that I've done before, won't matter anymore". But those vocals - just shut it down. It's over. They win.

5. "Easter Song" by Anne Herring

 

For whatever reason, I feel like this is Christmas song. I think it's the 'bells ringing' part that is often part of Christmas carols. Clearly it's a song celebrating Easter though. And kudos to this choir, who give it new life in an excellent performance.

Music Mondays

This week is The Passion Week where Christians all over the world celebrate the final days of Christ's life, especially his death, burial, and resurrection.

There are a lot of wonderful traditions and special celebrations different churches and even families observe. One of my personal favorites is revisiting one particular song that my dad used to sing around Easter when he was in ministry. Don Francisco's "He's Alive" is one of the best Easter songs. It captures the disappointment of Good Friday and glorious hope of Easter by reflecting on the Passion from Peter's perspective.

Interestingly enough (maybe only to me), I just discovered that it won the Dove Award for Song of the Year in 1980, the same year I was born. Below is a brief description of how the song came to be along with a live performance:

He is Risen - He is Risen Indeed!

Music Monday

What am I listening to?
I wrote a short post back around Easter about this song. It speaks of Easter and the power of God and the glory of Jesus. The following video is almost 13 minutes long. But it's a phenomenal song that I always have to listen to when it comes on the radio (a shorter version obviously).

My parents were gifted musicians and when I was younger, we often traveled around to churches and they sang and my dad would preach evangelistic/revival messages.  My favorite song my dad would sing was this Easter song that contains the same message as the above song, though presents it in a much different way. All that to say, subconsciously, I think my heart latches on to Kari Jobe's "Forever" because it both boldly proclaims the Resurrection Truth and also harkens me back to my dad belting out that other old-school tune.

Music Mondays

It's over 8 minutes long, but well worth it. A perfect song for Easter - no real comment needed other than that.