Drawn to Come Closer

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 8:26-40 ~~~ Psalm 66 ~~~

~~~ John 6:44-51 ~~~

No one can come to me unless 

the Father who sent me draw him,

and I will raise him on the last day.

Jesus draws us to himself because this
is where our soul longs to be.

We may not know why we are
drawn to the things of God.
Jesus draws people too himself
in ways that are unique to each person.

Many times Jesus draws us to himself and we resist...
We do not understand that delicate flower
blooming in your yard is an invitation from God.

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

You have probably heard the saying...
when the student is ready the teacher will come.

The same is true with Jesus.
When the believer is ready Jesus
will draw him/her closer.

They shall all be taught by God.

When we come closer to Jesus we naturally
want to stay in that space.

Being close to Jesus means we
want to be near the Living Bread of Life.

Pay attention so that you never miss
 the opportunity to come closer to God.

Come close enough to God so that you
will be within teaching proximity.

It is true God can reach you
no matter how far away you are, but
don't you want to be close enough to hear clearly?
I don't want to fill in the missing words
because I am not close enough to hear well.

Come closer, be attentive,
Be Blessed.

~~~Peace~~~

"Stalemate"

~~~Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17A ~~~ Psalm 25 ~~~ Matthew 21:23-27 ~~~

Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Jesus had so many chances to teach the elders his ways,
but they threw up road blocks.
It is only years later that the whole picture
can be seen through the gospels.

The elders were too concerned about their own
 reputations than to learn the truth.

Jesus did not try to argue with them...
he did not try to belittle them...
Jesus simply responded to them in their own style.
He reflected back to them their own image.

As Jesus was teaching the elders questioned his authority.
He was not one of them...he had not come up through
 the ranks alongside them.
Jesus was a stranger...a visitor...a foreigner...
They considered him to be a self appointed teacher.

How dare he speak with such authority.
So Jesus poses a question to them about John the Baptist
concerning the origin of his baptism.
After discussing their answer among themselves
they decided to reply with a non answer.

So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” 
He himself said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Jesus accepted their reply of ignorance by responding
in the same manner.
The conversation ended in stalemate.
The elders did not get what they wanted
 and they were unable to tell Jesus to stop teaching.

Today we too can be confused by the teachings of Jesus,
we are fortunate to have theologians help

us better understand.

The elders were betting they could outsmart Jesus.
In chess terms they wanted to claim 'checkmate',
of course they did not fully understand who Jesus was.
Perhaps they departed confused and scratching their heads.
They had not been able to win the 'game'.
It ended in a 'stalemate'...

Stalemate is the relatively rare situation when a player whose king
 isn’t in check has no legal move to make. 
Stalemate is considered a draw. 
Neither player wins, but the game is over.

The elders expected to depart as winners
instead they left shaking their heads.

Jesus was the winner yet he did not claim victory.

Blessed to have a 'teacher' who is humble...
a teacher who is not about 'winning' the game.
Our teacher is patient, kind, and all knowing.
~~~Peace~~~

Humbly Follow the Teacher

 

~~~ Genesis 18:16-33 ~~~ Psalm 103 ~~~ Matthew 8:18-22 ~~~

 

Yesterday we heard Luke's account of the same message we read today.

The scripture reference to follow Jesus.

 

Jesus crosses to the other side of the lake...

what do you think may be the significance is about the other side of the lake?

The crowd was growing larger...perhaps he was in fear for his safety.

Perhaps he thought it would be easier for the crowd

to see him better from the other side.

 

It is a scribe who addresses Jesus as 'teacher'.

This scribe wants to commit to follow Jesus.

 He is an unlikely candidate to be following Jesus.

 

In Biblical times the scribes were the teachers.

They were the ones who were the most educated.

They were often seen as being elevated above others.

They could write, which also made them command respect.

 

The scribes were THE teachers because

they were among the few would could read and write.

The people looked to the scribes to teach them about the laws of Moses.

Because he could write, the scribes preformed a useful function

within the community.

If you needed something to be written,

a scribe could do it for you.

 

A scribe approached and said to him,
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

 

This proclamation, coming from a scribe, was huge.

He was placing Jesus higher than himself.

This was his own choice.

 

How many times do we want to place ourselves

 higher than those around us?

How many times do we judge ourselves to be the better person?

 

 

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.

 

Following Jesus gives you countless reasons

to Bless the Lord.

How can we begin to thank him for all he has done for us?

The best we can give back to our Lord

is to respond be spreading his love and mercy to those

we meet along the path.

 

If a scribe can decide to follow Jesus then so can you.

Blessings come through sending his love forward.

The Word Speaks of Itself

 

~~~  Hebrews 2:5-12 ~~~ Psalm 8 ~~~ Mark 1:21-28 ~~~

 

The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

 

 

From the first time Jesus taught in the synagogue at age twelve

those listening to him were amazed and astonished.

for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

 

A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand.

They might also be called to copy the sacred texts.

By the very nature of their profession they were educated...

they could read and write.

In Ancient Israel the scribes would have been

the ones creating copies of the Torah.

 

There were very strict guidelines for the scribe to follow for creating

a copy of the sacred writings.

In addition to counting the exact number of lines and writing in black ink

they were also to speak each aloud as they were writing.

In other words they would have been very familiar with the

sacred texts by the time the copy was completed.

 

It would have been the scribes who taught the people to read the Bible.

The scribes were the teachers of the synagogue...

the "rabbi".

The scribes were respected because they were the keepers of the words of God.

 

Now we see Jesus teaching in the synagogue as one having authority...

as one who knew the text he was teaching.

 

The scribes knew the mechanics of the words.

They knew how to write the letters to make the words.

They knew how to speak the words.

But they did not have the spirit and meaning of the words like Jesus.

 

The scribes could copy the words exactly,

but Jesus could make the words come to life.

He was after all "the Word" made flesh.

 

 

Jesus was teaching from the heart.

The scribes were following procedures...

originating from the head.

 

When Jesus taught it way more than mechanical rhetoric.

When Jesus taught it was with spirit and passion.

 

A scribe had to measure exactly and carefully count.

A scribe had to speak precisely each word as he was writing.

A scribe had to do his work in a the proper environment.

 

Jesus went about his work in the streets;

among the poor, lame, and possessed.

Jesus took his teaching outside of the synagogue proper

and all who heard him were astonished.

 

He spoke differently than the learned scribes.

God's Glory...Beyond Brilliance

~~~ Ez 43: 1-7ab ~~~ Psalm 85 ~~~ Matthew 23: 1-12 ~~~

 

The glory of the Lord shines brighter than we can comprehend.

The glory of the Lord encompasses with a vastness we have never seen.

"...the earth shone with his glory..."

 

The glory of the Lord flows freely across the land.

The glory of the Lord travels encountering no obstacles.

 

The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.

 

There is only one Lord who can radiate such glory.

There is only one Father...

There is only one Rabbi...

There is only one Teacher...

There is only one Master...

 

We may be impressed by what we hear from those would be teachers.

We may be fooled by their majestic garments, and pompous demeanors,

but there is only One who's presence is seen as visible light.

A light so bright that we must have a unique word

just to describe its brilliance...

GLORY

 

The impostors among us love places of honor at banquets

"All their works are performed to be seen."

 

Even in their synagogues they relish at being seated in places of honor

where all present see that they are important and influential.

As we have come to understand Jesus

turns everything upside down

with his lessons.

They are foreign to what has been the norm before his coming.

Jesus claims that those who are truly great will be dressed to impress others.

Jesus instead says to be truly great you must be a servant to others.

 

"...The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

 

I can just imagine how offended and resentful the

'masters'...'rabbis'...and 'teachers' must have been

when presented with this concept.

Jesus cautions his followers to not imitate the actions of these

mislead leaders.

They are filled with their own ego.

When your ego supercedes everything else you cannot

be about the work of the Lord.

 

We must all be humbled before the glory of the Lord.

To witness the glory of the Lord will truly cause us to be struck with

such wonder and awe that we

will collapse to the ground in its presence.

 

We will know without a doubt that this glory is coming from the Lord.

For not even the light from the sun will compare to this

divine glory.

The glory from the Lord will not be a hot fiery glory.

The glory of the Lord will be one of powerful overwhelming Love.

There will be no question that it is coming not only from the Lord,

but with the his presence.

 

 

When the glory of the Lord is revealed

it will be capable of scooping us up to become one with it.

Of course this is pure speculation on my part so you may have

a different point of view, which is fine as well.

 

Help me, Lord, to be ready to receive your glory

when it is revealed to me.

Perhaps at the hour of our death the light so many people

claim to see is only a tiny speck of the full spectrum of God's glory.

False Prophets Still Exist

~~~ 2 Kings 22: 8-13, 23: 1-3 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Matthew 7: 15-20 ~~~

The response for the psalm today acknowledges that Jesus is the master teacher.

"Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord."

The psalm continues with petitions for instruction by the Lord.

'Give me discernment...Lead me in the path...Incline my heart...

Turn away my eyes...Give me life...'

"Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord."

The gospel is alerting us to some things we should be aware of as we are searching for the Lord's true decrees.

In today's religious climate people are appointing themselves as the ones who can interpret the decrees of the Lord for others.

We can look sround and see evidence of this by the numerous independent churches cropping up each year.

We have only one great teacher who knows fully well the decrees of the Lord.

That of course would be Jesus. If God really thought we could do a good job of teaching the decrees of Christianity he could have kept sending his prophets

and continued to speak to us in our dreams.

But God knew that without sending his Son to become our earthly teacher we would have gotten it all confused. And so here we are today still trying to discern what is really coming from God and what is coming from our own human fraility.

The picture give to us of false prophets as ravenous wolves is rather disturbing.

We have no real gaurantee other than their fruits. But even then I have seen some not so nice people produce good results.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them."

These words just cannot be taken literally for I have seen a good tree produce bad fruit.

Sometimes bad things happen to good trees which result in them bearing 'bad' fruit.

Life is not so simple that we can just throw a things away in the fire.

No, often we reach out and help revive the unfortunate tree...we water...

we fertilize...we care for the tree.

So that some day they too can be known by their fruits.

Fruits that have been made possible because someone cared

enough to make a difference.

Original photo: three dead trees captured on a sunny, blue sky day.

  

So by 'your' fruits you will be known.

Are you okay with that decree from today's Gospel?

Peace, my friends. The false prophets are not extinct.

We still need to be praying Psalm 119...asking for guidance and discernment

in the spirit for the true path to Life.

The Listening Servant

Okay I have a confession to make....I am addicted to the Internet. I was not able to post yesterday due to our modem ceasing to work.

The scripture for yesterday was the beautiful story of young Samuel. So Hannah was indeed blessed with a son...Samuel. It seems she made sure to keep her promise to God and arranged for Samuel to reside in the temple with Eli. How convenient when you have promised to give your child back to God.

Samuel in his youth is unfamiliar with the voice of the Lord. While he is sleeping he mistakenly thinks that Eli is calling him. He has gotten used to being called by Eli. Eli is his teacher, Eli is his mentor in the ways of God.

God is patient with the young boy and calls him not once, but three times. God is often persistent when he calls us too. Through the wisdom and guidance of Eli Samuel answers the Lord with a most profound response.  "Speak Lord for your servant is listening." Those words are so meaningful to me. Whenever I am faced with discerning a choice in my life this short verse comes to mind.

Part of praying is being able to humbly and sincerely speak those same words to the Lord. Once I have committed to listening to the Lord the whole game changes and I become God's instrument. I accept his invitation to "Come follow me". Sometimes listening to the Lord can be challenging, because sometimes he calls you where you do not want to go. Other times I have been listening and God is silent. When God is silent I sometimes get frustrated and confused about where he wants me. It is hard to wait.

I pray that you may recognize the voice of the Lord in your life and that you will respond appropriately. The Lord used Eli to alert Samuel to the voice of God and God can also use people in your life in the same fashion...to help you discern the voice of the Lord.

When you listen to the Lord you are filled with the brilliance of Love.

This image was captured from a glass candle holder etched with the letters

L O V E.

Jesus, the Teacher

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." Buddha

In today's reading from the gospel of John we find Jesus interacting with two of his disciples. Two others passing by overheard their comments which sparked their curiosity. These two began to follow Jesus without speaking to him.

Have you ever had the feeling that someone was following you or near you before actually seeing them? It can be disturbing having a stranger following you. You do not know if their intention is to harm you. So it is a natural feeling to become more aware of the follower.

So sensing thteir presence Jesus turns around. Imagine how surprised they must have been when he turned and spoke to them. "What are you looking for?", he says to them. In other words 'why are you following me?' he implys.

Somehow they are either simply curious or have been moved through the Holy Spirit to seek this 'Teacher' out. Of couse Jesus invites them to "Come, and you will see." All good teachers invite and encourage their students to enter into the circle of learning...to join in the dialogue.

Today I invite you to ask yourself the disciples' question. What are You lokking for? You can find your answers by following the teachings of Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and life for all who follow him.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..." Colossians 3:16

"Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord." Ephesians 5:10

"If you are willing to listen, you will learn..." Sirach 6:33

Let these verses strengthen your trust in the Word.

Original picture: Jesus looking down at the world below form the cross. I chose this kaleidoscope image because moving from the center, Jesus, we move out to share his teachings with others.