Prepare for the Journey

~~~ Wisdom 2:1A, 12-22 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 ~~~

...no one laid a hand upon him,
because his hour had not yet come.

Jesus is now being pursued by the officials
especially in his hometown of Judea.
For special feast days, as a faithful Jew would observe,
he travels back to Jerusalem with his friends.
Even though he tries to remain obscure,
word spreads throughout the region and he is recognized.

The rumors about Jesus continue
like an under toe just below the surface.
Perhaps even then the people were into sensational events.
In the temple Jesus cries out in his own defense,

You know me and also know where I come from...
Yet I did not come on my own...but (from) the one who sent me...

Have you ever not been recognized by someone
whom you thought knew you?

Jesus came home because he was a good Jew...
he followed the prescribed laws.

Jesus lived each day on earth in preparation for his journey.
The journey to his crucifixion and death.
We too can live each day in preparation for our final days.
I think Lent is a time when we can make an assessment
of how we are doing at our own death preparation.
A somber but important consideration...our own death.

What needs to change in your life?
How do you wish to spend your final days?

Blessed to have this time of Lent to reflect
on my own death.

Prepare for your final day.
Now is the time to prepare.

~~~Peace~~~

Hometown Boy Returns as Wonder Boy

~~~Saint Alphonsus Liguori, 

Bishop and Doctor of the Church~~~

~~~ Jeremiah 26:1-9 ~~~ Psalm 69 ~~~ Matthew 13:54-58 ~~~

...he did not work many mighty deeds there

because of their lack of faith.

Jesus was the hometown boy who became the 'wonder boy'.
When you speak to anyone from a small town they can
tell you everything about everybody.
It is as if they were living inside of an imaginary bubble.

Jesus returns to his hometown and immediately the gossip begins.
The whispers behind his back...the judgments of his actions
are in full swing.
The talk was not just about Jesus, but also Mary and Joseph.
They were not the leaders of their community.
They quietly went about their daily life.
Joseph worked well with his hands and Mary
kept a well organized clean home.
From the outside looking in they were just an ordinary family
until Jesus came back home as an adult.

Sometimes when you live your whole life in the same small town
 you begin to get a type of tunnel vision.
You see the whole world through the lens of your town.
Of course this is unrealistic to believe that all towns would be the same.

When Jesus comes back home at first people were listening to him,
but then skepticism rears its ugly head. 

People began to doubt more,
to question more, to judge more.
Until finally they walked away shaking
 their heads in disbelief.

Now what would you have done if you had been in Jesus' place?
Jesus reacts in the same way any normal person would.
He does not show his true colors; in fact he leaves his hometown.
Those who should have known him best
 believed in him the least.

Jesus never went about forcing himself on those he met.
Even those in authority would not say Jesus forced himself on them.
They had issues with Jesus no matter what he was doing or where he was.

His hometown missed the opportunity of his mighty deeds
 because they were basically hard headed and stubborn.

They deprived themselves of so much grace,
of so many healings.

Jesus conserved his special energy and went elsewhere.
The people of his hometown lacked faith.
They lacked faith in someone they had known as a young child.
Why couldn't they accept Jesus as the master
teacher he was?

What about today? What about us?
Are we too lacking in our own faith to see God's mighty deeds?
Are we content to observe them from a distance rather than
expecting to see them in front of our face?

Is the faith of a mustard seed really enough?
Is that where we should be satisfied?
What if there is more, a greater faith? 

How many people do you think followed after Jesus to the next town?

Maybe no one, maybe their vision was permanently damaged.
Maybe they were afraid to ask themselves the question,
Is there something more outside of our small town?

I cannot speak for you, but I want my faith to keep growing.
I want to be blown away by what God can do in my life...
in the lives of those around me...in my community.

I have been watching the TV series 'Under the Dome'.
The people of this small town are trapped inside a huge dome.
No one can leave and no one can enter.
The whole town is completely isolated from the outside world.

They are left to their own resources from food to safety. 

It is a good study in the frailty of our human nature.
Sometimes the truth is just plain ugly.

We do not live in a dome we have access to the entire world.
We have the ability to see the hand of God
 working his mighty deeds in any direction we look.

We need more faith it is better than vitamins for our soul.
The hometown boy Blesses us from every direction.
~~~Peace~~~

"Grown Up" Jesus

~~~ 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17 ~~~ Psalm 32 ~~~ Mark 6:1-6 ~~~

Where did this man get all this? 

Jesus came from the small insignificant village of Nazareth.
In the time of Jesus there may have only been 200 inhabitants living there.
It was a small farming village like many others in that time.

Jesus returns home accompanied by his disciples;
he is not home for a sabbatical from his ministry.
He is there to heal and to preach to his neighbors and friends.

Those who heard him were impressed, but skeptical at the same time.
How did he acquire all of this knowledge?

It is not unusual to be skeptical of a local person
who returns to their old neighborhood as a changed person.
There is no reason for the local people to believe that Jesus is a special person.
His actions, not necessarily his words, will be their proof.
They will see in his healing who
Jesus has 'grown up' to be.

He is no longer just the kid from the neighborhood.

How would people receive you
 if you were to return to your childhood community?

Are you a different person today?
How have you changed?

If we want to grow in our relationship with God
change is inevitable.
Whether or not we make the conscious effort to change it does happen.
It is up to us to manage the manner in which we change.
Do you want to become a bitter person resisting any change?
Do you want to embrace change in your life as coming from God?

Today I invite you to consider
those things which have changed in your life so far.

What feelings rise up in your heart?

God blesses us with his invitation
 to become all that he sees we already are.

Peace.

Homecoming in the Temple

~~~ John 4: 19-5:4 ~~~ Psalm 72 ~~~ Luke 4:14 ~~~

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

This is the fourth day including last Sunday, the Epiphany,
that we are given psalm 72
bridging the readings together.
The Kings came bearing gifts from afar,
prostrated themselves and adored the child Jesus.

Luke has Jesus returning to Galilee at the beginning of his ministry.
Mark, however has this reading in the temple closer to the end of his ministry.
Whenever it occurred, Jesus did go to temple.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day. 

He was a devout Jew, even though he came to bring about change.
Jesus is home perhaps he had come home to be with his family.
There is a certain comfort about coming home...
the unconditional love of family...
the familiarity of the home...
favorite meals...
sleeping in your own bed...
sharing stories...catching up on what has happened.

Jesus could not call home
or check in on social media with his loved ones.
It would have been normal for him to participate in temple service.
The elders welcomed him in the temple.
He was close to being an elder himself by now.

They handed him the scroll to read from in their presence.
However, they may not have been expecting to hear
 the passage he spoke aloud to them.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me...

But even more shocking was what he said to them afterward...

He was the kid down the street.
They had watched him grow up.
They had seen him laughing and helping Joseph
in his workshop.
Jesus was a local boy
who had been away and was now back home.

They must have been secretly irate when...
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

At first it took them by such surprise they were mesmerized by his eloquence.
They were impressed by how well he read from the scroll.
This first impressing will soon be replaced.
They begin to grumble quietly to themselves,
but soon their personal outrage spreads to others.

Just who does he think he is?

Jesus openly laid claim before the elders of Nazareth.
He proclaimed himself to be the subject of the prophecy of Isaiah.
What other surprises does he have for them?

Jesus blesses us where he needs for us to grow.
It may be in our home town, but it could
be while away in distant lands.
It may be among family members or it could be
amidst complete strangers.

He wants to bless you where you are today.
Peace.

A False Sense of Safety

~~~ Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 ~~~

Personal identity with your birth place. Do you tell people were you were born? Some of you may be proud of your birthplace others might just want it to remain unknown. This identity also holds true for your college affiliation. You A&M and UT grads know exactly what I am saying. Well I graduated from USC I will just leave you guessing which university those initials represent.

Jesus is now being pursued by the officials especially in his hometown of Judea. For special feast days, as a faithful Jew would observe, he travels back to Jerusalem with his friends. Even though he tries to remain obscure, word spreads throughout the region and he is recognized.

My thoughts turn for a moment to the many years our military searched for Bin Laden. He moved about freely until it became apparent that there was a bounty over his head. He too moved about in secret and often in disguise. The huge difference here is obvious...namely Osama was about spreading death and destruction, Jesus was about spreading the good news of our salvation.

The rumors about Jesus continue like an under toe just below the surface. Perhaps even then the people were into sensational events.In the temple Jesus cries out in his own defense, "You know me and also know where I come from...Yet I did not come on my own...but (from) the one who sent me...".

His very presence creates tension and unrest among the people, but "no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come."

How eerie to think that Jesus was enduring this false sense of safety in a way because of a timing issue. He knew what was ahead for himself. I thank God that I cannot see what lies ahead on my journey of life. Maybe I might like a peek at the good news, but definitely not the future trials and tribulations.

Jesus lived each day on earth in preparation for his journey to his crucifixion. We too can live each day in preparation for our final days. I think Lent is a time when we can make an assessment of how we are doing at our own death preparation. A somber but important consideration...our own death.

The presence of Jesus,
"...merely to see him is a hardship for us,
Because his life is not like that of others...
different are his ways."
The wonder of God far surpasses our understanding.
"...no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him."

Rejected at Home

2 Samuel 24: 2, 9-17

Mark 6: 1-6

Through the book of Samuel we continue to witness the life of David. We are privileged to see David with all of his short comings and sinfulness. We see in spite of his poor choices God does not withhold his mercy. David humbly accepts responsibility for his lack of wisdom. Again we see David begging the Lord to only punish him and not the innocent. It is because of David's fears that he orders the census of all males who can enter into battle on his behalf. Pride continues to dominate his life's decision. David is constantly being called to change his heart.

The gospel, however, presents a very different picture.

Mark brings into the scene where Jesus is returning to his home town. Surely by now the news has spread back to his tiny village of all the good he has been doing. But the people can only think of one thing; he was the son of a carpenter. Who does he think he is? They could not accept that anything good could come out of his native town, much less from the son of a carpenter.

Whenever I encounter feelings of rejection I remember this scene where Jesus too felt the sting of rejection. So often it happens that those within your own family cannot accept who you are. I think this is especially true if you have had some personal conversion or significant change of heart. You may even be made fun of or ridiculed for the positive changes you have made in your life.

Jesus was clearly surprised by this reception of rejection. It affected him so profoundly that he was only able to preform minor miracles of healing only a few. When your loved ones do not believe in you it can give rise to feelings self doubt.

Now I am not trying to imply that Jesus was suffering from self doubt, but he did not expect this response from those he had known his whole life. He was so shocked that he comments on their lack of faith...in Mark 6:6 "He was amazed at their lack of faith."

This is such a contrast from the examples of faith we saw in yesterday's readings with the hemorrhagic woman and Jairus. We can all be encouraged through their examples of faith. They cooperated in their heart with Jesus' healing power.

I think perhaps Jesus could not work as many miracles while among his childhood friends because of their lack of faith. In order for something positive to take place in your life you must first believe that it is possible. Our faith works hand and hand together with the power of Jesus. When we exercise our faith we complement what the Lord can accomplish. We are working together with him, not against him.

I am not trying to imply that Jesus will only heal those who believe, because after all he is God and God can do all things. God can use all things for good.

When you are feeling rejected by those who love you, remember this time period in the life of Jesus. Remember that in spite of the great things he had been doing he was still rejected at home. He was still rejected by those who had known him the longest. He was rejected by those who also knew his parents.

Jesus, because he was human, experienced the same feelings that you and I experience. "He was amazed at their lack of faith."

We tend to forget that whatever feelings we may experience; we can come to the Lord with those feelings because he knows our pain. He has, through his own personal experience, been in our place. Talk to the Lord about your heart aches and feelings of rejection. Believe that He will be there for you.

I chose this original picture with the word faith spelled out in large letters because these five letters have great meaning for my life.

I chose this kaleidoscope image because the solid blue circle reminds me that my faith supports me both inside my heart and outside through my actions.

Dear Lord, only you know where my faith needs to be increase. Help my unbelief!