Merging Together

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus

 

~~~ Zechariah 8:20-23 ~~~ Psalm 87 ~~~ Luke 9:51-56 ~~~

 

People from all walks of life, from all directions,

 from the rich to the poor will merge together

 in the holy city, Jerusalem.

The joy and excitement will be contagious. One more joyful than the other;

together they make one journey to the mountain top.

They come together with a common goal...

they desire to find the Lord.

 

...the inhabitants of one city shall approach those of another,
and say, “Come! let us go to implore the favor of the LORD”;
and, “I too will go to seek the LORD.”

 

 

The city set apart for his chosen ones...the same city

Jesus will be destined to journey toward...

his final death destination.

 

...the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.

 

The crowd made this journey with Jesus and the disciples.

They formed a sort of protection around

 him while causing discomfort and suspicion for the city officials.

He was the bearer of peace and salvation.

The city officials were threatened by his presence.

They feared the way he could draw in the people from far away.

 The people recognized that Jesus was from God.

 

“Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

 They wanted to go because they had been hearing

the marvelous stories of Jesus healing.

 Going with Jesus became something the people shared...

he had given them something in common

even though they had come from different cities.

Blessings come in joining together with others
in peace for a common goal.

Carry the Light

 

~~~ Ezra 1:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 126 ~~~ Luke 8:16-18 ~~~

 

King Cyrus was given the task of building the temple in Jerusalem.

For the Jewish people this temple was the light on the hill.

There is always something reassuring

when light breaks through the darkness.

 

Darkness often makes us feel uneasy and apprehensive.

After a storm when the power may go out for days it is the darkness

of night that seems most haunting.

Flashlights and candles can only give light to where they are located.

If you leave one room you must carry the light with you.

 

There would be nothing rational about hiding a light.

The whole purpose of the light is to enable us to see in the dark.

 

Because of the position of the city of Jerusalem the lights

of the city could be seen in the distance.

It gave the people a sense of direction...a sense of hope.

 

Jerusalem was set apart as a holy city for all to come

and participate in its building up in any way they were able.

 

Jesus said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”

Today we need the light to guide us in the right direction.

We are traveling on a path that is much like an obstacle course at times.

You have a much greater chance of completing

 an obstacle course in the light than in the darkness.

 

In the darkness you cannot plan your strategy.

In the darkness you are surprised.

In the darkness you can loose your balance and fall in the pit.

 

In the light you are able to carefully plant your foot on stable ground.

In the light you are less likely to be surprised...

less likely to fall off the path...less likely to be

caught off guard and attacked.

 

In the light we can see more clearly.

We are called to be the light in our world today.

We live in a world plagued with relentless darkness...

from the family breakdown to social issues

 and violence in our neighborhoods.

 

Blessings come in having the courage to be the light

 for those who fear the darkness.

Restored...Adorned...Rejected

~~~ Ez 16:1-15, 60,63 ~~~ Psalm(Is 12) ~~~Matthew 19: 3-12~~~

Most likely the shorter version from the prophet Ezekiel

will be heard today, but I would encourage you to get the Bible

and read Chapter 16. It is a beautiful poetic writing

reflecting honesty and great love. It describes how the daughter,

Jerusalem, was born.

What is most evident is that the usual birth rituals

were not performed.

The navel cord was not cut,

the ritual washing and anointing were not done.

The child was not even swaddled, but instead

thrown out on the ground.

This child was passed by and told to live in its blood and

grow like a plant in the field.

The child grew and developed, but was stark naked.

In old age God came and used his cloak to cover the child's nakedness.

At this point God entered into a covenant with the child, Jerusalem,

claiming her for his own.

Once God extended his care and his covenant

everything changed.

Jerusalem was transformed into a beautiful princess.

Dressed in the finest of textiles and adorned with fine jewelry.

This transformation by God to an entity of beauty was squandered.

Jerusalem was

"...captivated by your own beauty,
you used your renown to make yourself a harlot..."

Everything that had been gifted by God was misused and wasted.

The beauty evolved into a source of corruption.

God gives us gifts free to use.

God gives us gifts with no strings attached.

God gives us gifts to use wisely.

God gives us gifts; it should follow that we want to return

praise back to him in thanksgiving.

Once we break relationship with God he is not required to repair it,

but if we let him he will.

Repairing a broken relationship does not mean that the consequences

of your actions are also erased.

God did just that with Jerusalem...

he restored the relationship, but it was not the same as before.

"I will re-establish my covenant with you,
that you may know that I am the LORD,
that you may remember and be covered with confusion,
and that you may be utterly silenced for shame
when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD."

Sometimes restoration requires accepting the associated loss too.

All things can be restored by God, but the harm done is just that

harm done.

If a drunk driver accidentally kills someone while driving

nothing will bring that person back to life,

but the driver can be restored

to living a life of sobriety.

"Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth."

Give appropriate credit to the One who is deserving of it, God.

God chose Jerusalem to be his and then God was ignored.

It is not a good practice to ignore God.

Shepherd Sheep: Mutual Affection

~~~ Ezekiel 37: 21-28 ~~~ John 11: 45-56 ~~~

God, having assured us of his strength (rock, fortress) and power (lightning bolts, parted seas) yesterday,is now calling us to gather around him. Just as the sheep gather round the shepherd. The sheep know the shepherd's voice. They know by past experience that he will lead them safely through treacherous lands. The sheep know that he will protect them from the wolves at night. The sheep know that the shepherd will tend to their wounds from the Brier patches.

The sheep love the shepherd and the shepherd loves the sheep.

It is mutual.

This is exactly how God wants to take care of us in the same fashion as the shepherd. Our God shepherd wants to care for more than our physical needs. Our shepherd wants to care for the needs of our soul. Our shepherd wants to care for our salvation. He beckons to us to gather round him.

He now knows his time is getting very short. He retreats from the public interaction and flees to the desert. In the past the desert has been a place of temptation for Jesus. But now the desert is a place of respite before the feast of the Passover.

The high priests are getting restless and their unrest is mounting. They want to take action. They cannot stand what they perceive as competition. They fear Jesus is going to take over and that would be the end of life as they have grown accustomed to. 

It is too bad that the Jews of that time could not see Jesus for who he was...the Messiah. Many thought Jesus would not return to Jerusalem for the Passover.

But, it was so written that he would indeed return with a triumphant entry to Jerusalem.

The shepherd is gathering his sheep close to him.

Are you coming?

You do know the sound of his voice.

Listen carefully. He will tend to all your needs.