Jesus tells the parable of a man who invites many people to come to a banquet. Many who are invited reply with an excuse for why they were unable to come:
"The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ (Verses 18-20)
I don't think it is a stretch to say that the man throwing the banquet is God and we are all invited. This tells us a lot about who God is and the gift of free-will that we have been given.
First of all, banquets are fun, there is good food, music and usually dancing. So God likes to have fun with the people that He loves! All that He asks from us, is to show up, He has the rest covered.
Second, God does not force any one to come to the banquet, but He invites everyone. It's up to you whether or not you are at the banquet. Through Jesus, God has provided the invitation and the directions.
Finally, the gift of free-will means that we have the power to say "no"... We have the freedom to give our best excuse for why we don't want to be there. I love the excuses that these guys in the text had, they were too busy with work and family.
Does that mean that work and family will keep us out of heaven? No, this isn't about heaven. It's about living the good life right now, right here, by being in relationship God. The banquet is here, it's all around us!
Let the good times roll!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Luke 13
Jesus said "unless you repent, you too will all perish." (Verse 3) He went on to say the same thing in verse 5.
I am a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is a mainline denomination. Lutherans follow the liturgical year and seasons; right now we are in Lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues 40 days until Easter Sunday. It is a time of the year when many people give something up as an act of repentance.
For instance, members of my church have given up soda, alcohol and sweets. The hope is that when they crave any of these things, they will remember their sin and be thankful for the grace that they have been given by God.
I have been thinking about repentance a lot lately. I've come to the conclusion that true repentance is a great way to grow in faith. (By true repentance I mean giving up something out of love for God and not the desire to lose 5 pounds.) The deeper we understand our sinful selves and how unworthy we are of God's love, the more we can see how far God has gone to save us.
If I'm being honest with myself, I realize that I'm not that good of a person. My hearts desires are not the same as God's. If I had my way, I would spend most days golfing and sitting on the beach. I get too caught up in things that don't really matter, like professional sports, cars and my motorcycle. And, like everyone else, I want to do what I want to do.
I wasn't put on this earth to satisfy my own longings and desires, I was put here to do God's will. Somedays I'm pretty good at it, and other days I fail miserably. Which is why I need to know that God's love is strong enough to forgive me at my worst.
Repentance will help me be my best, so I need to stop thinking it and actually do it.
I am a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is a mainline denomination. Lutherans follow the liturgical year and seasons; right now we are in Lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues 40 days until Easter Sunday. It is a time of the year when many people give something up as an act of repentance.
For instance, members of my church have given up soda, alcohol and sweets. The hope is that when they crave any of these things, they will remember their sin and be thankful for the grace that they have been given by God.
I have been thinking about repentance a lot lately. I've come to the conclusion that true repentance is a great way to grow in faith. (By true repentance I mean giving up something out of love for God and not the desire to lose 5 pounds.) The deeper we understand our sinful selves and how unworthy we are of God's love, the more we can see how far God has gone to save us.
If I'm being honest with myself, I realize that I'm not that good of a person. My hearts desires are not the same as God's. If I had my way, I would spend most days golfing and sitting on the beach. I get too caught up in things that don't really matter, like professional sports, cars and my motorcycle. And, like everyone else, I want to do what I want to do.
I wasn't put on this earth to satisfy my own longings and desires, I was put here to do God's will. Somedays I'm pretty good at it, and other days I fail miserably. Which is why I need to know that God's love is strong enough to forgive me at my worst.
Repentance will help me be my best, so I need to stop thinking it and actually do it.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Luke 12
Jesus said "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three." (Verses 51-52)
This is a surprising verse. I think we have all heard Jesus referred to as the Prince of Peace, it's one of his nicknames. We send Christmas cards that say "Peace on Earth" because we think that is what Jesus came for. So then where does this verse come from? Why would Jesus say this?
I do believe that peace is Jesus' hope for humanity. But getting to that point is not going to be easy.
Jesus did not come to tell people what they wanted to hear. He didn't look them in the eye and say "God thinks that your sins are really cool, keep up the good work!" He actually did the opposite, he told people what they didn't want to hear.
He told a rich young guy to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor.
He chastised a man because he wanted to bury his dead father.
He called the religious leaders "unmarked graves."
Jesus didn't sugar coat what he was trying to say. Some people were offended by him, while others understood that being a disciple meant leaving behind their selfish desires. Jesus must have been a polarizing figure. Imagine owning a small fishing company and having both of your sons drop their nets and quit with no notice to follow a wandering preacher. You'd probably be pretty upset and your family might get into a little bit of an argument.
Maybe we have made Jesus out to be too nice. Most non-Christians I talk to respect Jesus for the man that he was and the things that he said. But Jesus didn't come to make friends, he came to make disciples; he didn't come to be liked, he came to challenge the status-quo... And he was pretty good at it.
If he said what everyone wanted to hear, then he never would have been crucified.
This is a surprising verse. I think we have all heard Jesus referred to as the Prince of Peace, it's one of his nicknames. We send Christmas cards that say "Peace on Earth" because we think that is what Jesus came for. So then where does this verse come from? Why would Jesus say this?
I do believe that peace is Jesus' hope for humanity. But getting to that point is not going to be easy.
Jesus did not come to tell people what they wanted to hear. He didn't look them in the eye and say "God thinks that your sins are really cool, keep up the good work!" He actually did the opposite, he told people what they didn't want to hear.
He told a rich young guy to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor.
He chastised a man because he wanted to bury his dead father.
He called the religious leaders "unmarked graves."
Jesus didn't sugar coat what he was trying to say. Some people were offended by him, while others understood that being a disciple meant leaving behind their selfish desires. Jesus must have been a polarizing figure. Imagine owning a small fishing company and having both of your sons drop their nets and quit with no notice to follow a wandering preacher. You'd probably be pretty upset and your family might get into a little bit of an argument.
Maybe we have made Jesus out to be too nice. Most non-Christians I talk to respect Jesus for the man that he was and the things that he said. But Jesus didn't come to make friends, he came to make disciples; he didn't come to be liked, he came to challenge the status-quo... And he was pretty good at it.
If he said what everyone wanted to hear, then he never would have been crucified.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Luke 11
Jesus said “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find.” (Verse 11)
When I read this verse I immediately thought of playing hide and go-seek when I was a kid. We’ve all played this game right? Everyone would go hide while someone closed their eyes and counted to fifty. Once they reached fifty, they would start looking for everyone else.
I always preferred to be the one hiding. It was fun to find the best hiding spot and watch people walk right by without seeing you.
But no matter how good my hiding spot was, I always wanted to be found eventually. It's no fun to be alone for too long, plus I always wanted someone to appreciate my creativity.
Jesus promises us, if we look for him, we will find him.
Jesus wants to be found.
Ready or not, now is a good time to start looking for him.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Luke 10
In Luke 10 Jesus told the parable of the Lousy Priest, otherwise known as the parable of the Good Samaritan.
There was a man that was beaten and robbed while traveling on a road. He was lying half dead in the road when a priest saw him. Instead of stopping to help the man, the priest chose to walk around him. Then came a member of the Levite tribe, which is the Hebrew tribe that God set aside for religious work, Moses was a Levite. This Levite, like the priest, chose to walk around the man lying in the street. No one stopped to help the man except a Samaritan.
The Israelites looked down on the Samaritans, claiming their religion wasn't good enough.
The priest walked around the man in the road. The Levite walked around the man in the road. But the Samaritan, with his inferior religion, stopped to care for this man in his time of need.
It has been two months since a murderer walked into an elementary school in Connecticut and killed innocent children and adults. It has been two months of grief and pain for a community that is hoping to wake from this nightmare. It has been two months that this community has been lying in the road.
What have we done as a church? What have we done as a nation?
As a church we have argued over the involvement of Lutheran pastors in inter-faith worship services. We have pointed fingers at each other and said, "I'm glad I'm not one of them!" (This actually happened on my Facebook page!)
As a nation we have argued about our rights to own guns. We have talked about the Second Ammendment and what it really means. Did the founders of our nation believe that American citizens have the right to own a semi-automatic assault rifle with a 30-round magazine? I don't know the right answer, but I don't think that now is the best time for the conversation.
As this community looks for support we are talking about who should be allowed to pray and when.
As this community looks for healing we are talking about who should be allowed to own a gun and how many bullets it can hold.
As this community looks for love we are talking right around them.
Lord, help me to be less like the priest and more like the Samaritan.
There was a man that was beaten and robbed while traveling on a road. He was lying half dead in the road when a priest saw him. Instead of stopping to help the man, the priest chose to walk around him. Then came a member of the Levite tribe, which is the Hebrew tribe that God set aside for religious work, Moses was a Levite. This Levite, like the priest, chose to walk around the man lying in the street. No one stopped to help the man except a Samaritan.
The Israelites looked down on the Samaritans, claiming their religion wasn't good enough.
The priest walked around the man in the road. The Levite walked around the man in the road. But the Samaritan, with his inferior religion, stopped to care for this man in his time of need.
It has been two months since a murderer walked into an elementary school in Connecticut and killed innocent children and adults. It has been two months of grief and pain for a community that is hoping to wake from this nightmare. It has been two months that this community has been lying in the road.
What have we done as a church? What have we done as a nation?
As a church we have argued over the involvement of Lutheran pastors in inter-faith worship services. We have pointed fingers at each other and said, "I'm glad I'm not one of them!" (This actually happened on my Facebook page!)
As a nation we have argued about our rights to own guns. We have talked about the Second Ammendment and what it really means. Did the founders of our nation believe that American citizens have the right to own a semi-automatic assault rifle with a 30-round magazine? I don't know the right answer, but I don't think that now is the best time for the conversation.
As this community looks for support we are talking about who should be allowed to pray and when.
As this community looks for healing we are talking about who should be allowed to own a gun and how many bullets it can hold.
As this community looks for love we are talking right around them.
Lord, help me to be less like the priest and more like the Samaritan.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Luke 9
Jesus said "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (Verse 23)
I would imagine that a few of Jesus' followers went home after this statement.
Jesus calls us to deny ourselves daily, he actually calls us to pick up our cross, which means to die to ourselves, and then follow him. I don't know about you, but I can only deny myself to a point and I can only follow Jesus to a point. Sometimes I need to take care of myself. There are things that I want to buy or do, so I buy them or do them. I'm not saying that buying a new pair of shoes or going on vacation is a bad thing, but they are motivated by my desires, not God's. (Although God did send Jonah on a cruise, but I don't think a whale's stomach makes for a very relaxing experience.)
This is the great paradox of a Chrsitian, we want to live the life we have, and we want live the life that Jesus has to offer. We want both!
We want our toys and we want God's grace.
We want to be popular and we want God's forgiveness.
We want to be wealthy and we want God' mercy.
We want to hate our enemies and we want God to love us.
We don't want to die and we want to go to heaven.
I'm sure Jesus wanted things too. I'm sure Jesus would have loved to trade his old sandals for a new pair of Nike's and I'm sure Jesus wanted to keep living. Our Lord never calls us to do something that He isn't willing to do first.
Jesus calls us to pick up our cross and follow him, because he picked up his cross first.
On the days when our wants and needs are stronger than our desire to follow him, we too can pick up his cross and know that we are loved.
I would imagine that a few of Jesus' followers went home after this statement.
Jesus calls us to deny ourselves daily, he actually calls us to pick up our cross, which means to die to ourselves, and then follow him. I don't know about you, but I can only deny myself to a point and I can only follow Jesus to a point. Sometimes I need to take care of myself. There are things that I want to buy or do, so I buy them or do them. I'm not saying that buying a new pair of shoes or going on vacation is a bad thing, but they are motivated by my desires, not God's. (Although God did send Jonah on a cruise, but I don't think a whale's stomach makes for a very relaxing experience.)
This is the great paradox of a Chrsitian, we want to live the life we have, and we want live the life that Jesus has to offer. We want both!
We want our toys and we want God's grace.
We want to be popular and we want God's forgiveness.
We want to be wealthy and we want God' mercy.
We want to hate our enemies and we want God to love us.
We don't want to die and we want to go to heaven.
I'm sure Jesus wanted things too. I'm sure Jesus would have loved to trade his old sandals for a new pair of Nike's and I'm sure Jesus wanted to keep living. Our Lord never calls us to do something that He isn't willing to do first.
Jesus calls us to pick up our cross and follow him, because he picked up his cross first.
On the days when our wants and needs are stronger than our desire to follow him, we too can pick up his cross and know that we are loved.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Luke 8
Jesus was sleeping in a boat with his disciples when a storm came. The boat was taking on water and the disciples thought they were going to die, so they shouted at Jesus, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" (Verse 24)
I imagine the disciples were doing everything they could to get water back out of the boat. They probably were filling up buckets and dumping them overboard... and they needed Jesus to help. They needed Jesus to grab a bucket and help keep the boat from sinking.
There are moments in life that we just need to survive. Moments when the water is coming over the top, when relationships are strained or when there is too much month at the end of the money and we just need to find a way to get to the shore. So we beg Jesus to help us... Help us get to next Friday or help us get through this argument... Help us survive.
Jesus didn't pick up a bucket, he told the wind to stop blowing, and it did.
I wonder if we are so focused on our boats that we've lost sight of God's ability to calm the storm.
God doesn't just want your marriage to survive, God wants it to thrive. If that's not the case, what changes need to be made? Do you need to meet with someone to help?
God doesn't want you to live paycheck to paycheck, God wants you to be at peace financially. Are you willing to admit you need help?
Calming a storm is hard work, but God can do it... if you're willing to get in the boat with Him.
I imagine the disciples were doing everything they could to get water back out of the boat. They probably were filling up buckets and dumping them overboard... and they needed Jesus to help. They needed Jesus to grab a bucket and help keep the boat from sinking.
There are moments in life that we just need to survive. Moments when the water is coming over the top, when relationships are strained or when there is too much month at the end of the money and we just need to find a way to get to the shore. So we beg Jesus to help us... Help us get to next Friday or help us get through this argument... Help us survive.
Jesus didn't pick up a bucket, he told the wind to stop blowing, and it did.
I wonder if we are so focused on our boats that we've lost sight of God's ability to calm the storm.
God doesn't just want your marriage to survive, God wants it to thrive. If that's not the case, what changes need to be made? Do you need to meet with someone to help?
God doesn't want you to live paycheck to paycheck, God wants you to be at peace financially. Are you willing to admit you need help?
Calming a storm is hard work, but God can do it... if you're willing to get in the boat with Him.
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