Month: February 2018

Remember

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

remember you are dust

Here’s a thought for your mind to consider: Remembering is a spiritual practice.

It doesn’t take any effort to forget.  But it does take an intentional plan to remember.  If you have a habit of losing your car keys, you make the effort to build some ritual in your life to not lose them.  Maybe they always live on the same hook just inside your back door or are always with you in your pocket.  That way you never have to “remember” where they are.

I look at my planner every day.  Every morning it’s a ritual.  Before doing any work, I access my planner and go over my schedule and my goals.  I will forget my best laid plans unless I review them each day.

Christians are about to enter the season of Lent.  Lent is a 40-day observance of journeying with Jesus to his cross.  It’s a time for believers to remember their baptisms, that is, to remember that they belong to God – to remember and to never forget that our primary identity is in Christ, known and loved by God as his people.

We even have an entire book of the Bible dedicated to remembering: Deuteronomy.  The book of Deuteronomy is a restating of the Law for a new generation of Israelities about to enter the Promised Land.  They were to remember why they existed as a nation, and to whom they belonged.  The Israelites needed to remember through restatement and ritual that God delivered them with power from the mighty Egyptians.  God is their trust – which means there is no need for a trust supplemental insurance policy with another deity in case he doesn’t come through for them.

dont-forget-to-remember

“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” (Deuteronomy 5:15, NIV)

“Remember the long road on which the Lord your God led you during these forty years in the desert so he could humble you, testing you to find out what was in your heart: whether you would keep his commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2, CEB)

“Remember the Lord your God! He’s the one who gives you the strength to be prosperous in order to establish the covenant he made with your ancestors.” (Deuteronomy 8:18, CEB) 

“So all your life you will remember the time you left Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 16:3, NCV)

“Remember a time long ago.
Think about all the past generations.
Ask your fathers to remind you,
and your leaders to tell you.” (Deuteronomy 32:7, GW)

We cannot expect the next generation to simply know God because we do.  If it’s so easy for you and me to forget about God in our workaday world, then how much more do we need to be intentional about passing on the words and ways of Jesus with routines and rituals which help us to remember?

On Ash Wednesday the minister applies the sign of the cross to the forehead of the penitent with the words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It’s not meant to be a downer, or a morbid display that we are going to die someday.  The ashes are to be a reminder that we only have one life to live on this earth, and it is to be lived knowing, trusting, and finding our truest identity in the Holy Trinity whom we serve – Father, Son, and Spirit – the God who has orchestrated salvation for his people.  Remember, and do not forget, your life belongs to God.  He cares for you, and you can trust in his goodness.

ash wed

“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26, NKJV)

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35, ESV)

“Then he broke it in pieces and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.’  In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.’  For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.” (1 Corinthians 11:24-26, NLT)

“They only asked us to remember the poor, and that was something I had always been eager to do.” (Galatians 2:10, CEV)

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead.” (2 Timothy 2:8, NRSV)

“Remember, then, what you were taught and what you heard; obey it and turn from your sins.” (Revelation 3:3, GNT)

If you think about it, caring involves consistency.  Others know what to expect from us.  We continually show up with the grace and kindness given to us in Christ.  People don’t have to wonder what kind of mood we’re going to be in.  We’re there for them.  We have provided for them a history of consistent rituals they can remember – a history of patient assistance and quiet strength on their behalf.

We’ve been given one life to live.  It is to be a life dedicated to practicing remembrance. We’re to live in the remembrance that Christ has delivered us from brokenness to be an agent of healing in a world in need of remembering who they are.  There’s no need to invent new rituals for remembrance.  We just need to remember to show up and participate in the rituals the church has practiced for centuries.

Hebrews 2:1-4 – Learning to Pay Attention

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
“We must give our full attention to what we were told, so that we won’t drift away.” (CEV)
 
            My three girls all have attention deficit disorder (A.D.D.).  You might think this is a disadvantage.  Rather, since the biology of their brain doesn’t have a good filter for sifting out all the stimuli they hear each day, each of them are much more intentional about picking out the voice they want to hear and engaging with it.  Whereas you and I might take this for granted, my girls know the value of creating the skills to pay attention.
            We stand at the cusp of Lent, just two days from now.  A healthy way of looking at this important season in the Christian Year is that it is a time to listen.  It’s the opportunity and privilege of giving our complete attention to Jesus as we plod along the 40-day path to Easter.  And we need to develop some solid skills in paying attention, whether we have A.D.D. or not.
            The cost of not developing such skills is that we will drift away.  Taking for granted that we are Christians, that we know something about salvation, and are basically good people might only be setting us up for spiritual failure. That is, we think we already know about Christ’s person and work of salvation, so we don’t really pay attention.  Bad idea.
            Assuming we are paying attention is not the same thing as actually doing it.
Assumptions lead to drifting away from truth.  We are meant to have continual and constant reminders of Christ and his redemptive events.  This is what Lent intends for us.  To ignore the wisdom of two-thousand years of church practice puts us in a precarious position of being lost in a sea of competing voices.
            For the next six weeks, make the choice that you will pay attention to Christ each day through:
·         Reading the Scripture every day with a combination of standing and sitting, reading silently and out loud.
·         Holding a cross or other Christian reminder in your hand and feel free to fidget with it.
·         Journaling your thoughts in a notebook.
·         Imposing a time limit on yourself each day for the next 40 days.
·         Using different versions of the Bible to read throughout Lent.
·         Going outside occasionally and praying while walking.
·         Focusing on your breathing. Breathe out: “Speak Lord.” Breathe in: “I am listening.”
·         Drinking some coffee, tea, or something soothing.
·         Being mindful of distractions and acknowledging them without judging yourself.
The point is to have an intentional plan for paying attention.  Don’t assume you’ll just be focused.

 

May your journey with Jesus this season be a fresh experience in knowing him better.

Transfiguration Sunday

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
            Are you a good listener?  I don’t find many people who describe themselves that way.  That’s probably because listening is a developed skill.  It doesn’t come easy.  It takes hard work to actively listen to another person.  But if you and I, as well as the entire church universal, fosters and nurtures the ability to listen, then we just might encounter the glorious.
            The last Sunday before Ash Wednesday (the beginning of the 40 days of Lent, leading up to Easter) is traditionally celebrated for an event found in the New Testament Gospels as the Transfiguration of Jesus.  In this event, the glory of God shines brightly on Jesus to the degree that he is changed, transfigured, before Peter, James, and John (Mark 9:2-12).  This encounter on the mountain is meant to prepare us today, all these centuries later, for the listening posture we are to have for the six weeks of Lent.
            The voice of God the Father spoke on the mountain in the presence of the disciples and said, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!”  Listen to Jesus.  Every word he speaks is to be heard.  We are not to be distracted from hearing and listening well to all that Jesus says to us.  Perhaps we need to still ourselves, break away, enter a time of solitude, and confess that we have not listened well.  We cannot have ministry for God until we adopt the assignment of hearing the Lord.  Perhaps some confession is in order:
Great God of the Transfiguration, you meet me in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary moments of life.  I seek you in the valleys and on the mountaintops.  Yet I admit that too often my eyes are blind to your glorious presence, and my ears are too often deaf to your call.  When you reach out to me through the cries of people in need, I’m too busy to listen.  Forgive me, I pray, and set me free to hear your voice so that I may love and serve you in the lives of people who desperately need to experience you, Jesus.  Amen.
 
            If we want to listen to Jesus as individuals, and as ministry organizations and churches, we need to take the following stances toward listening:
Listening must be a priority.
 
Unless listening is a top tier value for you, it won’t matter how loud God speaks – you won’t be able to hear.  In other words, you need to put yourself in a position to listen.  Leave multi-tasking for some other endeavor.  Listening is important enough to focus all your faculties on hearing what God has to say to you.
“The Lord came and called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’  And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10, NLT)
 
Jesus said, “Let the person who has ears, hear.” (Matthew 11:15, CEB)
 
Listening requires us to stop talking.
 
Most of us are better at talking than listening.  We have no problem expressing our thoughts, opinions, and sharing our experiences.  But talking needs to take a back seat to listening.  You’ve got to determine that you will not interrupt God with what you believe he’s got to hear from you.
“Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving].” (James 1:19, AMP)
 
“Let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance.” (Proverbs 1:5, CSB)
 
Listening happens in a distraction-free mind.
 
Its not only important to set-aside a consistent time and place to meet with God, it’s also necessary to be able to hear God in the middle of noise.  If we cultivate the skill of listening in times of solitude and silence, then we will learn to distinguish God’s voice in a sea of other voices crying-out.  Like the mother who can discern her baby’s cry in a room full of other voices, so spending extended time with God enables us to discern his still small voice, even when there is chaos all around.
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” (Proverbs 11:15, ESV)
 
“Don’t stop listening to correction, my child, or you will forget what you have already learned.” (Proverbs 19:27, NCV)
 
Listening involves regular reading.
 
The Bible is God’s self-revealing of his basic character, nature, and purposes.  If we are to listen well, it will involve a daily regular regimen of reading God’s Word in a slow, meditative, contemplative way.  We learn to listen because listening is a skill.  That skill will only be fully developed for the Christian through consistent listening to God through the text of Holy Scripture.
Jesus said, “Therefore, everyone who hears what I say and obeys it will be like a wise person who built a house on rock.” (Matthew 7:24, GW)
 
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:28, NIV)
 
            Enlightenment, awaking to God, comes from taking a posture of listening well to the words and ways of Jesus.  Living in the light of Christ’s shining self on the mountain top can be experienced as we adopt hearing him as a high value.  Today, and every day, is to be a day of listening to Jesus.  Allowing his words to meld with our inner person results in loving actions for the sake of the church and the world.
How can you incorporate listening into the life of your church?
Do you allow for extended times of silence to hear from God?
What do think would happen if you made listening to Jesus, and not talking, a high value in leadership meetings?

 

Is Scripture read in all your gatherings? Is it read slowly so that everyone can listen well?

Mark 9:2-9 – Listen to Jesus

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
“This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.” 
 
            Today on the Christian Calendar is Transfiguration Sunday.  Each year it occurs the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.  This is significant because the season of Lent (the 40 days leading to Easter) more than any other season in the Year is meant to for us to listen well.
            Jesus took three of his disciples up a mountain, secluded from all else, and he revealed to them his glory.  Moses and Elijah showed up to join in the awe of the event, two of the most influential men of the Old Testament.  This was all designed to draw attention to Jesus.  Everything which was given in the past, what is happening in the present, and what will be in the future all focuses on the mid-point of history: Jesus, who is Lord and Savior.
            What’s more, Father God’s voice speaks into the glorious event.  His instruction was clear and succinct.  Listen to Jesus.   Listen to Jesus.  This is to be our assignment and our posture for the next six weeks.  You and I are to be intentional about breaking away from our life in the valley, ascend the mountain with Jesus in solitude, and get a glimpse of his glory.  Like a mother who puts her hands to her busy two-year old’s face to get his attention, God is speaking to us, if we will but listen.
            To be fully in the moment, having an open mind and heart to Jesus requires some solitude and silence. Having both a consistent time and place to ascend the mountain, meet with Jesus, and listen to him is most necessary for you and me.  Our minds are too distracted without the firm decision to guard a time and place to listen well to Jesus.  Where and when we meet with Jesus might have options, but, for the Christian, it is not an option whether we listen to Jesus, or not.
            Whatever it takes, yes, I’ll say it again, whatever it takes to meet with Jesus so that we can listen well to him is our spiritual occupation for the next 40 days.
            Where is the mountain? When will you ascend it? What posture will you take to listen well to Jesus? Will you be silent?
            Put some thought into those questions today and develop a plan.  Then, you’ll put yourself in a position to encounter Jesus.

 

Glorious Lord Jesus, the entire universe bends and bows to your will.  Help me, especially in these next weeks, to listen well to your words so that I may follow your ways in all I say and do; to your honor and glory.  Amen.