November 2016
I Just Don't Get It
09 November 2016 @ 18:38
I have been trying to picture our current political fiasco and this past presidential election as it would have taken place in a Christian nation. Okay, I can already hear the moans and’ What do you mean? We are a Christian nation.’ I would beg to differ. It appears to me that we have chosen to be more of an Old Testament nation and that we are awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. An OT passage that I feel is very fitting on the day after the election is ‘The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.’ (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) It will serve us well to remember this. If we journey through the Old Testament we find that it is book after book of God’s plan for his people and their inability to adhere to God’s law. We read of failure after failure. Encouraging words to me in knowing that God continues to desire the redemption of his people which points to Christ in the New Testament through the words of the prophets. In the OT we read of these people who profess to be God’s people but they feel it is too difficult to have God speaking to them directly through the prophets so they go to the prophet Samuel and declare. ‘Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.’ (1Samuel 8:5b-7) With each election it seems we move further and further from following God to simply appointing leaders who say what we want to hear which leads me to the New Testament.
The apostle Paul wrote ‘I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:1-4)
The God of the OT is the same God of the New Testament but now seen through the Son, the Messiah. As I read these accounts my heart is lifted because I see the Hope that He brings to this world. His message is one of love. Jesus says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35) Love has not been a key part of our politics. We seem to care less about doing what is right and, instead, doing what is popular with our party. Our main concern is not what we can do for those around us but rather, what’s in it for me, while Jesus teaches that “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Be careful though if you want Him to clarify who your neighbor is.
We have been filled with fear through the political rhetoric of the day but Jesus says, “My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. (Luke 12:4-7) Our human nature makes this thought very difficult but Jesus taught it none the less.
What does Jesus say to us when we are filled with thoughts of vengeance? “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Matthew 5:28-36)
We need only to scroll through the pages of posts on Facebook to feel the sting of Jesus’ words when He says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be [u]added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34)
I have watched this election process and I must say that my heart has been so heavy as it seems that so many are awaiting the arrival of a messiah. My trust will remain in Jesus. As I walk down hospital hallways today, tomorrow and in the weeks to come the hurt will not be less because of the outcome of any election. Politicians will bicker and partisan politics will continue, while so many around us await the healing that only Jesus can give. The darkness of our politics cannot overcome the darkness of the world. Only the light of Jesus can overcome the darkness. As I have said before, Jesus did not teach us to ‘elect the right officials to feed me, give me drink, clothe me and visit me when I am sick and in prison.’ No, He taught, “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not [e]take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:33-46)
I believe with all my heart that the only good that can come out of any election is for God’s people to be God’s people and ‘seek first His kingdom and His righteousness’ that God’s will alone might be done. Jesus calls those of us who profess to be His followers to be vessels of love, compassion, mercy and grace. We are called to do what is right for our fellow man and not simply do what is popular. Thinking that we are a Godly nation because we have God in our Pledge of allegiance couldn’t be further from the truth. We become a Godly nation when He resides in our hearts and our actions. Thinking that we can legislate morality is foolishness when what is required is to do our best to live our lives with a sense of Godly morality that spills over into the lives around us. As a dear friend would always say after a discussion of scripture, ‘All We Need Is Love.’
In closing I pray that I might simply be able to live my life as God intended it in loving others as He has loved me, for I have come to know a God who loves me as I am and not as I should be, for none of us are ever as we should be.
The apostle Paul wrote ‘I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:1-4)
The God of the OT is the same God of the New Testament but now seen through the Son, the Messiah. As I read these accounts my heart is lifted because I see the Hope that He brings to this world. His message is one of love. Jesus says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35) Love has not been a key part of our politics. We seem to care less about doing what is right and, instead, doing what is popular with our party. Our main concern is not what we can do for those around us but rather, what’s in it for me, while Jesus teaches that “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Be careful though if you want Him to clarify who your neighbor is.
We have been filled with fear through the political rhetoric of the day but Jesus says, “My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. (Luke 12:4-7) Our human nature makes this thought very difficult but Jesus taught it none the less.
What does Jesus say to us when we are filled with thoughts of vengeance? “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Matthew 5:28-36)
We need only to scroll through the pages of posts on Facebook to feel the sting of Jesus’ words when He says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be [u]added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34)
I have watched this election process and I must say that my heart has been so heavy as it seems that so many are awaiting the arrival of a messiah. My trust will remain in Jesus. As I walk down hospital hallways today, tomorrow and in the weeks to come the hurt will not be less because of the outcome of any election. Politicians will bicker and partisan politics will continue, while so many around us await the healing that only Jesus can give. The darkness of our politics cannot overcome the darkness of the world. Only the light of Jesus can overcome the darkness. As I have said before, Jesus did not teach us to ‘elect the right officials to feed me, give me drink, clothe me and visit me when I am sick and in prison.’ No, He taught, “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not [e]take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:33-46)
I believe with all my heart that the only good that can come out of any election is for God’s people to be God’s people and ‘seek first His kingdom and His righteousness’ that God’s will alone might be done. Jesus calls those of us who profess to be His followers to be vessels of love, compassion, mercy and grace. We are called to do what is right for our fellow man and not simply do what is popular. Thinking that we are a Godly nation because we have God in our Pledge of allegiance couldn’t be further from the truth. We become a Godly nation when He resides in our hearts and our actions. Thinking that we can legislate morality is foolishness when what is required is to do our best to live our lives with a sense of Godly morality that spills over into the lives around us. As a dear friend would always say after a discussion of scripture, ‘All We Need Is Love.’
In closing I pray that I might simply be able to live my life as God intended it in loving others as He has loved me, for I have come to know a God who loves me as I am and not as I should be, for none of us are ever as we should be.
Twenty Four Years!
07 November 2016 @ 10:23
Twenty four years ago today I found myself in full-time ministry after working my last day as a Geisinger Medical Center employee on November 6th, 1992. I was scared, unsure of how God could use someone like me in a ministry to critically and chronically ill children because I knew I didn’t have the strength to go forward on that path, because sick children terrified me, yet here I was at the trailhead. I was just as scared about how I would provide for my family and whether or not my own kids would understand why dad was spending so much time with other kids. I wondered how my wife would hold up in the midst of this. We had one child in college and a second about to graduate from high school. The timing seemed far from perfect. As I have reflected on all of this today, I have come to see the perfection of God’s timing and I thank Him for His wisdom in calling me out on this journey. It has been a journey where, because of my weakness, I have had to depend on Him to be my strength. When someone says to me, oh I couldn’t work with sick children, I can honestly say that I can’t either but I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
On this first day of my twenty-fifth year in this ministry I thank God for my family and the loving support that they have given me over the years and I thank Him for the multitudes of friends that He has blessed me with on this journey. We have laughed together; we have cried together. We have rejoiced together and we have mourned together. I have witnessed the strength found in relationship. God has a way of balancing our weak moments with the strong moments of another that He has brought along side. I am so grateful to know the kind of Love and Grace and Mercy that only a God who loves us unconditionally can give. God has allowed me to do what I do, not because I deserve it but because He is God. He loves me as I am and not as I should be. He loves us all as we are and not as we should be because none of us are ever as we should be. In this world we will have troubles but Jesus tells us to be of good heart for He has overcome the world. In that I find incredible peace and I am filled with thankfulness.
Scripture teaches us that we should ‘let our light shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.’ To God be the glory.
In His service,
Woody
On this first day of my twenty-fifth year in this ministry I thank God for my family and the loving support that they have given me over the years and I thank Him for the multitudes of friends that He has blessed me with on this journey. We have laughed together; we have cried together. We have rejoiced together and we have mourned together. I have witnessed the strength found in relationship. God has a way of balancing our weak moments with the strong moments of another that He has brought along side. I am so grateful to know the kind of Love and Grace and Mercy that only a God who loves us unconditionally can give. God has allowed me to do what I do, not because I deserve it but because He is God. He loves me as I am and not as I should be. He loves us all as we are and not as we should be because none of us are ever as we should be. In this world we will have troubles but Jesus tells us to be of good heart for He has overcome the world. In that I find incredible peace and I am filled with thankfulness.
Scripture teaches us that we should ‘let our light shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.’ To God be the glory.
In His service,
Woody