Tag: possibility

Fourth Sunday of Advent – Mary and Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-55)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Mary and Elizabeth, by Lauren Wright Pittman

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
    Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name;
indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
    and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (New Revised Standard Version)

Mary had a visitation by an angel, informing her that she would give birth to the Son of God. She immediately hurried to visit her relative Elizabeth, who was pregnant with the forerunner to the Son of God.

In the two women’s encounter, the baby within Mary is portrayed as of greater significance than the one within Elizabeth. And that was not because of the adults, but because of the babies themselves.

Something amazing and spectacular was about to occur in history. It would be so cataclysmic that these two babies, especially the one within Mary, would change the world in profound ways.

There was nothing particularly special about either Mary or Elizabeth – which is probably why they were perfect for the jobs of raising the Messiah and the Prophet.

The lowly non-descript persons are usually favored by God, even though the world knows nothing about them. After all, the kingdom of God knows nothing of billionaires and those in high places, even though the world knows nearly everything about them.

Throughout the history of the world, women have often been overlooked and underrated. Even in today’s Western world, even though it’s better than it was, women are still viewed not as qualified like men are. But that’s a topic for another time.

The Visitation, by Sadao Watanabe (1913-1996)

The most obvious observation from today’s Gospel story is that we wouldn’t have babies born without women. There were two in utero babies that had responses, because of two women.

Inside of Elizabeth’s womb, John leaped at the voice of Mary carrying his new cousin. Indeed, even before birth, John was filled with the Holy Spirit and began pointing to Jesus. (Luke 1:15)

John, although getting his prophetic leap from the Spirit, also got some significant prophetic oomph from his mother. Elizabeth spoke the prophetic word about Mary, who is “the mother of my Lord.”

Good people bestow blessing on others. And that is what Elizabeth did for Mary. This then, enabled Mary to express her own inspired blessing to God. To bless and be blessed means, on the practical level, that spiritual eyes are opened to see what is truly there.

Mary is a blessed person, not only because she is the Lord’s mother, but more fundamentally because she is faithful, and trusted in the promise of God to her.

To be blessed is to have God’s stamp of approval on your life. It has little to do with wealth or abundant resources. But it does have a lot to do with living a life of godly virtue and values.

So, again, it only makes sense that God used Mary and Elizabeth, two women who embodied being poor in spirit (humble) as the divine conduits for blessing the world.

Both Mary and Elizabeth believed. Elizabeth believed the words of the angel to her husband Zechariah. And Mary believed the angel’s direct words to her when she heard them. Without hesitation or any ambiguity.

Faith accepts what it cannot see; and when faith does see with actual eyes, it can see what is underneath the physical appearance.

Let’s also make sure to observe that this sort of faith, this particular way of seeing, has its consequences. Elizabeth and Mary both knew quite well that one of them was an unmarried pregnant woman.

They understood the social judgments to come, along with the shaming, and perhaps even the ostracism that would likely occur – even though all of this is divine through and through.

But grace can always use the eyes of faith to see beyond social status and convention in order to do what is right, just, and good. Mercy can always see what is truly honorable.

Elizabeth was perfectly comfortable extending hospitality to a person for whom others were likely to whisper, judge, and reject. Which is why I like Elizabeth. Every generation needs more women like her.

The welcome and love of Elizabeth is of the same sort that Jesus would show to prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners. Like Elizabeth, Jesus could see beyond any societal shame to what was divinely happening in front of him.

Mary magnified the Lord with immortal words infused from the blessing bestowed upon her by Elizabeth. To bless another person is to open them to the possibilities of God’s actions in them and through them to the world.

That is the real gift that keeps on giving. And it is the most appropriate and valuable gift that we can give to another this season.

O God of Elizabeth and Mary, you visited your servants with news of the world’s redemption in the coming of the Savior. Make our hearts leap with joy, and fill our mouths with songs of praise, so that we may announce glad tidings of peace, and welcome Christ in our midst. Open our souls to receive the One who came to love your flock. Amen.

Broken and Poured Out (Matthew 26:6-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper. While he was there, a woman came to him. She had an alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. She poured the perfume on Jesus’ head while he was eating.

The followers saw the woman do this and were upset at her. They said, “Why waste that perfume? It could be sold for a lot of money, and the money could be given to those who are poor.”

But Jesus knew what happened. He said, “Why are you bothering this woman? She did a very good thing for me. You will always have the poor with you. But you will not always have me. This woman poured perfume on my body. She did this to prepare me for burial after I die. The Good News will be told to people all over the world. And I can assure you that everywhere the Good News is told, the story of what this woman did will also be told, and people will remember her.” (Easy-to-Read Version)

It seems that much of the world’s default response to events right in front of their eyes is to be judgmental, binary, and negative – as if everything is a simple sum of right and wrong, good and bad – and all adjudicated by our perceptions and perspectives on it.

The disciples reflexively moralized the actions of the woman and her jar of expensive perfume. What a waste, they believed. They thought they knew better and could do better.

But there was more going on in today’s Gospel lesson than what meets the eye. In the Apostle John’s account, the woman in the story is identified as Mary, a woman with a sordid background who had her life transformed through meeting Jesus. (John 12:1-11)

Near the end of Christ’s life, as he was about to enter Jerusalem and be arrested, tried, tortured, and killed, this woman, Mary, is aware of what is happening when others are not, even the disciples of Jesus. Her own brokenness cracked open to her the true reality of life.

The surface event itself is a touching and tender moment in history. This woman, whom everyone knew was a damaged person, took a high-end perfume and broke the entire thing open. She then proceeded to anoint Christ’s feet with it. You can imagine the aroma which filled the entire house with expensive perfume for all to smell. 

The woman, Mary, was affirmed by Jesus for seeing the situation as a possibility and opportunity of loving her Lord. Mary alone had the vision amongst all the disciples, and the accompanying action, to enter through the door of risk in order to connect intimately and lovingly with Jesus.

Mary’s love, radiating outward for all to see, reflected the genuine love of God for the world – a love so great that Jesus would soon experience death and burial because of that love for humanity.

The disciples were grumping and cursing about the right way to do things; whereas Jesus blessed the woman with no reference whatsoever to morality or ethics. Mary had no concern for playing the numbers game and counting money, but instead focused on the ultimate value before her.

Giving what she had to Jesus, Mary demonstrated the path of true discipleship. She helps open our eyes to the realities which are right in front of us:

  • The broken jar of perfume shows us her brokenness and our need to be broken. (Matthew 5:3-4)
  • An extraordinary and extravagant amount of perfume was used, picturing her overflowing love for Jesus. (John 20:1-18)
  • The perfume was poured on the head of Jesus, and she herself used her hair as the application (according to John); hair is a rich cultural symbol for submission and respect. (1 Corinthians 11:14)
  • The perfume directs us to the death of Jesus. (John 19:38-42)
  • The perfume highlights for us the aroma of Christ to the world. (2 Corinthians 2:15-17)
  • There is more to the disciples’ response than mere words about perfume; the Apostle John specifically names Judas as questioning this action – the one who is not actually concerned for the poor. (Matthew 26:15)
  • The woman and the disciples (specifically, Judas and Mary) serve as spiritual contrasts: Mary opens herself to the sweet aroma of Christ; Judas just plain stinks.
  • The perfume presents a powerful picture of the upcoming death of Christ, for those with eyes to see; he was broken and poured out for our salvation. (Luke 23:26-27:12)

Christianity was never meant to be a surface religion which only runs skin deep. The follower of Christ is meant to be transformed, inside and out, so that there is genuine healing, spiritual wellness, and authentic concern for the poor and needy. 

Keeping up appearances is what the Judas’s of this world do. However, the Mary’s among us dramatically point to Jesus with their tears, their humility, their openness, and their love.

In this contemporary environment of fragmented human ecology, our first step toward wholeness and integrity begins with a posture of giving everything we have – body, soul, and spirit – to the Lord Jesus. In receiving the love of God, we can then freely give that love to a world locked in the shackles of tunnel vision, judgmentalism, and incessant moralizing.

To take the risk of breaking ourselves open and becoming vulnerable, we find love. In finding love, there we see intimacy. And where there is intimacy, there is the relational connection which transforms the dark and the negative to possibility and light.

Loving Lord Jesus, my Savior, and my friend, you have gone before us and pioneered deliverance from an empty way of life and into a life of grace and gratitude. May I, and all of your followers, emulate the path of Mary and realize the true freedom which comes from emptying oneself out for you. Amen.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
The Feeding of the Five Thousand, by John Reilly (1928-2010)

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (New International Version)

Miracles still happen

I know of a woman who once brought a pan of lasagna to a community meal at her church, thinking that only 25-30 people would be fed. However, 70 people showed up. Her immediate thought was to go buy more, but she didn’t have the time.

So, here is what the dear woman did: She looked up to heaven, gave thanks, and started dishing out the lasagna – until every last person was fed. She confided in me that “every time I put my spatula down there was food to put on it!”

The story of Jesus feeding thousands of people is not just a nice account that happened a long time ago; Jesus is still in the miracle business. Christ can take our meager resources and turn them into something with a large impact on a lot of people. 

For this to happen, all we need to do is follow our Lord’s simple instructions: “You give them something to eat,” and, “Bring them here to me.” Jesus, using a simple act of obedience by the disciples, did one of the most famous miracles in history.

The message of the story is simple, but profound: Jesus can multiply whatever little we have, to accomplish his kingdom work, through us. Jesus could do miracles without us, but he wants us to participate in the work. We only need to bring our few loaves and fish to him.

The compassion of Jesus is the motivation for miracles

Jesus withdrew to a solitary place. But the crowd did not leave him alone. Rather than be annoyed by the situation, Jesus looked at the large group of people and his heart went out to them. So, he went about the work of healing the sick. Please know that God does not begrudgingly deal with you, as if you were an interruption to his day; he has compassion.

The desire of Jesus is for us to participate in the miracles

After a full day of healing, Christ’s disciples came to him as if he was unaware of the people’s need for food. They gave a very rational and realistic answer to the problem of hunger: Dismiss them so they can go out to eat. But Jesus said, “They don’t need to go away; you give them something to eat.” 

I detect maybe a hint of sarcasm in the tone of the disciples reply: “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish.” But their math was way off because they did not count Jesus.  “Bring them here to me,” Christ replied. If we have ears to hear, Jesus is still saying this today: bring them here to me. Through simple prayer and active obedience, we give Jesus what we have, no matter how little or insignificant it seems to us.

Much of what we do in the American church is a reasonable and rational ministry; it has little to do with the impossibility of faith and seeing God work in ways that are incomprehensible to our modern sensibilities.

A Chinese pastor once visited the United States. After seeing our vast resources of money, buildings, and ministries. He said, “This is amazing! It’s incredible what you American Christians can do without God!” 

In reality, we need God – who is in the business of taking our simple obedience and humble participation, and doing the miraculous. And it has always been this way. For example….

Elisha Multiplies the Widow’s Oil, from  L’histoire dv Vieux et dv Nouveau Testament, 1670

The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” (2 Kings 4:1-7, NIV)

You want me to do what?

What if we were to operate as if God were truly in the business of doing miracles?  Would it impact the way we pray, and the way we act?  What if we understood just enough of Jesus and what he can and wants to do that we would be bold to say: “This might sound crazy, but what if we….”

  • found out everyone who needs food in this community, go love on them, and feed them…
  • used our property to create a community garden and seek to help people grow their own food…
  • came up with a God-sized plan to reach our community…
  • prayed to see a hundred people come to Christ through this church… 

Most of our plans don’t require us to do anything impossible, so we simply settle for the possible.

We too often do nothing out of a sense that God either cannot or does not want to use me or what I have. But it just won’t do to stand afar off and expect God to work without us giving what we have – whether that something is time, money, conversation, food, hospitality, or whatever. 

Our limitations mean nothing to Jesus, so he doesn’t hear us when we say:

  • my home is too small, and it’s not clean enough
  • I don’t have enough money,
  • I’m not smart enough
  • my schedule won’t allow it
  • I don’t have enough resources

You don’t need much – only the willingness to be part of the miracle Jesus is doing.

Conclusion

You want me to do what? Feed thousands? Lead someone to Jesus? Pray in front of others? Work for justice?

Sometimes, the greatest miracle is for people to be open, real, and transparent enough to believe that Christ can do a miracle through confessing my sin, participating in a ministry, or having a spiritual conversation with an unbeliever. 

The question is never, “Can God use me?” It is, “What miracle does God want to do through me and through this church?”

It is no accident that when Jesus distributed the bread that it sounds a lot like communion. The Lord’s Supper may seem irrelevant, as if it is merely remembering Jesus. However, God’s design is much bigger: The Lord wants to do a miracle. 

God wants the practice of our communion together to bring healing and wholeness that the world cannot give. It might be unrealistic to expect that Jesus can use a Table to feed and reach thousands, but we don’t serve a God who is limited to work through rational means.

Blessed are you, O Lord God, King of the Universe, for you give us food to sustain our lives and make our hearts glad. We thank you for your countless blessings, especially for the gift of your Son, for the Church, for our faith, and now for this meal we are about to participate in, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Common Good of All (1 Corinthians 12:4-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person.

The evidence of the Spirit’s presence is given to each person for the common good of everyone. The Spirit gives one person the ability to speak with wisdom. The same Spirit gives another person the ability to speak with knowledge. To another person the same Spirit gives courageous faith. To another person the same Spirit gives the ability to heal. Another can work miracles. Another can speak what God has revealed. Another can tell the difference between spirits. Another can speak in different kinds of languages. Another can interpret languages. There is only one Spirit who does all these things by giving what God wants to give to each person.

For example, the body is one unit and yet has many parts. As all the parts form one body, so it is with Christ. By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether we are Jewish or Greek, slave or free, God gave all of us one Spirit to drink. (God’s Word Translation)

Being given a gift from someone is rightly associated with joy, celebration, goodness, and the possibility of what the gift is and how it might be used.

Unpacking Our Spiritual Gifts

And this is why we unpack gifts with curiosity and abandon. It would be weird if we were given a gift, then let it sit unopened. Instead, we typically receive the gift, rip it open, and express gratitude for the thoughtfulness. Then, we explore it, enjoy it, and use it.

The Spirit, likewise, has been marvelously given to God’s people. Each individual Christian is specially provided a gift to open, use, and enjoy. Spiritual gifts graciously given to us are meant for the common good of all. And this use for the common good is where the gift is different than Christmas presents or birthday gifts.

Spiritual gifts are designed by God to be acts and words of service, dispersed for the benefit of others. Yes, they are meant for us to enjoy them. Yet, they are not meant solely for personal satisfaction.

Using Our Spiritual Gifts

So, if a person’s spiritual gift is teaching, they do not stand in front of a mirror and talk at themselves. Rather, they jump into the fray of learning and explaining, and do it in such a gracious and loving way that the enablement of the Spirit is evident.

If a person’s gift is faith, they do not merely step out and act with unusual courage for the purpose of personal betterment in a holy belief from God. They also demonstrate faithfulness to God’s people and to God’s world. The gift is for the common good of all persons.

The accumulation of wisdom and knowledge is meant for the strengthening of faith in others. Spiritual gifts are intended by God to be shared freely for the common good of all people so that people are strengthened in faith and supported for the rigors of daily life in the world.

Therefore, we really need to take some initiative in identifying our gift(s), unpacking them, and indiscriminately using them. Spiritual health and wholeness can only truly be realized through everyone’s active participation in distributing their God-given abilities.

Stewarding Our Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual gifts are neither to be hoarded, nor miserly dealt to only people I like or my own little world of groupies and friends. Any and every ability comes from God, and is therefore, given for the benefit of all persons. Underprivileged groups need the giftedness of others, as well as discovering their own resources so that everyone is built up in a society of redeemed persons.

What’s more, spiritual mavericks are not so helpful here. The Lone Ranger is not a good model for us. Christians are the Body of Christ, meant to function as one. Just as the Holy Trinity of divine persons – Father, Son, and Spirit – work together in unity of purpose and harmony of being, so persons of the Church are to unify and act as one in the mission of God.

Diversity of gifts are to be expressed in unity of building up others and extending Christ’s love to the world. When we harmoniously coordinate our joint efforts in utilizing our collective spiritual gifts, the world is turned upside-down with kingdom grace and ethics.

Goodness, joy, and possibility become alive when people unpack their gifts and use them for the common good of everyone.

Spiritual Gift Envy

Sometimes, we might succumb to “gift envy.” We observe the talented gift of another and secretly wish it for ourselves. The proper remedy to such a malady is gratitude. When we give thanks to God for the gift(s) we truly possess, then envy has nowhere to reside and slithers away.

None of God’s gifts are “sexy” in the sense that they come easily without effort and always look appealing. On the contrary, our gifts are meant to be received and developed with lots of daily mundane work so that we live into the special endowment bestowed upon us.

In reality, this takes a lifetime of development. That’s because the Spirit’s gifts are so generously large – much bigger than we originally observe at first glance. Like an engagement ring in a tiny box, receiving the gift and putting it on will involve commitments and challenges we cannot at the time perceive.

Whatever it is you do well, do it to the glory of God. Allow God to activate it and energize it for the prevailing needs of a church and a world which is in want of seeing spiritual fruit manifested in kindness, goodness, and love.

O Lord, you have taught me that without love, whatever I do is worth nothing. Send your Holy Spirit and pour into my heart your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.