He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

This week in churches all across the world we will celebrate together the resurrection of our Lord.  Let that sink in for a moment.  People of different ethnicity, economic backgrounds, political preferences will all celebrate together the resurrection of our Savior. 

In our world we look for things that will unite.  We want unity in our churches, we want unity in our country, we want unity in our homes.  Broken unity dominates the news cycle and our lives.  We seem to be drawn like flies to the false light of our televisions and think about the world in terms of the disunity that is everywhere to be found.  And yet, on this one Sunday we have so much in common with so many.

Perhaps we need to consider the greater truth that unity comes not from agreement in all areas, but in agreement as to which area is most important.  And there is no more important truth than the truth that He is Alive!  In fact, this truth permeates every aspect of our faith.  We do not pray to a dead Savior, but a Savior who is alive and interceding.  Our hope is based upon our living Lord.  The promise of an eternal future hinges on the risen Christ. 

None of this minimizes the importance of discussions on other areas, nor does it minimize any other aspect of Christian living.  But what matters more than my opinion on denomination, more than my opinion on music in the church, more than who I vote for, is the fact that I serve a Risen Savior who is in the world today!

Thank God for Church

I am occasionally reminded of the importance of church.  The bottom line is that we need each other.  On our own we will often wallow in self-pity, pride and just about anything in between.  On our own we will be lonely and tend toward despair. 

Being in a church does not automatically fix any of these things.  But it gives us weekly opportunity to help others avoid such things, and most of all, it reminds us that we are not alone.  We all are in the struggle together until Christ returns to make it all right.  It allows us to be encouraged to know that we ask the same questions as others, or that someone has gone before us and asked the question and may have an answer that helps us in our time of need. 

Since it is March Madness, I wonder if a basketball team treated church like we treat church.

"I don't think I will go to practice today, I feel a little tired.  I will just go next week."
"I can't believe that last week Bob made that mistake.  I am not going to the game cause he might make it again."
"I was really hurt when someone in the crowd laughed when I missed the shot.  I think I might just stop playing basketball."
"Someone on my own team fouled me.  Can you believe it.  All basketball players are hypocrites."
"I am too awesome to need practice.  I am just going to show up at games and prove how awesome I can be without any help."
"I have nothing I need to work on, why would I go to the same practice as everyone else.  There needs to be something for my level."
"I don't really want the basics.  They seem beneath me.  I want some complex strategies to challenge me.  I don't really care where the rest of the team is, they need to cater to me."
"Who needs a coach, we can really lead ourselves right.  We know what is best for the whole church."
"They had the audacity to ask me to stretch.  Me.  I am the loosest player I know.  I don't need to stretch."
"The coach actually asked me to help pick up the balls after practice.  The young guys should really be doing that."

And we would laugh at any player who talked like this and they would not be on the team for very long.  And yet I have heard all of these things from various people over the years said in some way shape or form about church. 

So be reminded today that church is not about you.  Church is about you coming to offer yourself in service to Christ for the benefit of a body that includes you.  There will be a benefit.  There will be people who serve and help you.  But it is not about you - it is about Christ and therefore it may be the most important thing you do this week!

Encouragement from God

So, this morning I got to work eventually, but only after going to the dentist for a root canal.  No worries, I survived.  I will spare you the details, but needless to say it was not something I want to do again and in fact, there were some rough spots in there.  So I was a little down when coming into work.

God has a way of knowing just when we need to be picked up.  This weekend my wife had an activity at the church for the ladies of the church related to artistic use of Scripture.  And one of those pieces was laying on my table in my office as I came in, so the first thing I saw while down from the procedure on my mouth was:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."  Prov. 3:5

I found this almost comical as I was really struggling with not only the pain of a near tortuous experience, but I was struggling with the worry of if it happened again.  I was dealing the other stresses of course as well and all of it was adding up and I was leaning on my own understanding.  And there sat this simple word art reminding me that I am not to lean on my own understanding. 

I am so grateful for a God who loves us enough to remind us now and again that He still loves us and has given us His Word to tell us how we should live.  Thank you Lord for your grace to me and the loving reminder that I should not rely on myself, but place my trust wholly in you who made me!

Disappointment and Anxiety

I think that when we are tempted to be anxious a lot of times it is because of disappointment in our lives.  This morning I went to the dentist hoping to simply file down a tooth I thought was too sharp.  Instead I find out that I have an abscess that requires a root canal.  In that moment, in the disappointment of not having a quick fix I found myself anxious.  Anxious about the pain, but more anxious about the cost. 

As I sat back and observed myself begin to wander down the path of anxiety, I noticed that what was dragging me down the path of uncertainty was not rationality or reason, but disappointment.  Nothing had fundamentally changed.  God was still in charge.  God still sent His Son to die for me.  God has provided the finances so that the extra cost will not put me in a terrible position, and even if I could not afford it, I have no reason to believe that God would not provide for me as He has many times in the past.  In fact, the only thing that was not what I thought it was is my expectations.  I had expected one thing and now it was another.  I can change my expectations.  And in doing so, I can avoid the path of anxiety. 

I wonder how many times this exchange has occurred in my life.  I wonder how many of my anxieties have been based solely on disappointment.  I wonder how much time I could have spent in joy and peace rather than worry if I could only recognize the truth behind the anxiety I was feeling.  Perhaps in order to avoid this in the future I need to think less about what I am expecting and spend more time focusing on the promises of my God. 

"Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care of itself."  Matthew 6:34