Category Archives: readiness

Getting Us Ready

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When it came time for God to send His Son to save the world, first He sent a prophet to get us ready.  By doing what?  What would need to be done to get a people ready to receive the Son of the the Creator, ready to fully profit from His coming?

You might think the prophet would take them on spiritual retreats to fast and pray on the top of a mountain.  Perhaps a lot of humming and incense would be involved.  But, according to the last thing written in the Old Testament and the first thing in the New Testament, proclaimed by an angel to the father of this prophet, a major part of what he would do would be:

“… to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”  (Luke 1:17b, quoting from Malachi 4:6)

That seems a pretty basic thing to do to prepare people for God’s arrival.  And it is.  But, as we have experienced in the last several decades, the health and strength of a people is directly proportional to the loving concern of fathers for their children.  And vice versa.  When fathers abandon their children, even emotionally, the whole sound structure of wellbeing begins to crumble. 

Jesus came to bring us eternal life and reconciliation with God.  He came to bring the power of the Holy Spirit to us.  But He also came to repair the broken fabric of how simple, healthy life on earth was designed to be lived.  Starting, even before He showed up, with fathers.

We’d do well to pay attention to that and act accordingly…

We’ll Leave the Light On

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Once again, I watched “Close Encounters,” one of the best movies ever made.  Do you remember the scene, early in the movie, in which the people who had seen or sensed the presence of the aliens gathered on the hillside, lighting lights to welcome them?  Remember how they watched and waited, eagerly anticipating their coming? 

It would be nice if Christmas lights were lit with that same attitude, watching and waiting, eagerly anticipating the coming of our Lord.  Perhaps they once were, back before Christmas became flattened and homogenized into “Happy Holidays.”  But you and I can light welcoming lights year round, not on our gutters and bushes but in our attitudes and actions.  Watching and waiting, as many once did for His birth.

David said it like this:

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;  my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.  O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love,and with him is plentiful redemption.  And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.(Psalm 130:5-7)

Running the Rapids with Jesus

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Before you even get in the raft, the white water guide begins to establish his or her authority and control.  In the early stages of the float trip they work hard to make sure everyone knows what to do, practicing the commands over and over.  “Back-paddle!”  “Right turn!”  “Let’s do it again!”  Why?  White water!  There’s rapids downstream and, when they get to them, it’s too late to begin figuring out what to do.  The idea is for everyone to be alert, trained and ready to respond quickly, without panic.  Even if the raft seems about to flip.

Jesus told the folks in His raft they would eventually confront dangerous rapids.  When they asked how they could know the end of the age was approaching, He didn’t mince words.  Instead, He prepared them (and us).   You can read what He told them in the 24th Chapter of Matthew, but here are some excepts of what He said:

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

In other words, “When things get dicey, make sure you listen to my commands and not anyone else.”

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 

In other words, “When you hear the roar of the rapids, don’t freak out;  I have told you this trip winds up in white water so keep your heads.”

“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.   –  (Matthew 24:4–13 Excerpts – NIV84)

In other words, “Don’t be surprised at how violent the rapids will seem.  You may even get tossed out of the raft.  But remember to trust me.  Do what I say and you will come through just fine.”

Human history is filled with failed attempts to make our world better as we strive for utopia.  People even held the hope that World War I would serve to end all future wars.  No matter how or what we try, we have not succeeded in eradicating evil.  As we see the rise of ISIS, Russia’s alliances with wicked dictators and nations who pledge the destruction of Israel, it might seem discouraging and frightening.

But these kinds of events have been foretold in Scripture.  Jesus never whitewashed the truth: wickedness will increase as the age continues toward the end.  But He also said,  “see to it you are not alarmed.”  And, “don’t listen to others who will lead you astray.”  And, “stand firm in your faith and you will be saved.”

Mo Bettah

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There wasn’t much my mother and I agreed on during my adolescence.  Especially music (Yeah, I know: big surprise…).  She was into lofty, classical refinements; I tended toward Four Strong Winds and Mr. Tambourine Man.  So when she announced that she had bought me a ticket to a performance at the local university, I groaned and protested.  With great reluctance I slumped down the dusty halls of academia, preparing to sleep my way through some tedious Elizabethan minstrels or something.  But it was legendary blues great, Josh White playing!  Far from being tedious, he held the audience captive with his plaintive, rich baritone voice.  His soulful guitar work, replete with amazing, raspy slide licks with his leathery thumb, put the whole experience over the top.  An experience I almost missed because I assumed I knew what to expect.  Score one for Mother. 

So frequently when I try to communicate the exhilaration and joy I’ve found in Jesus, I am met with the same indifference.  Usually, I am convinced, it is because they hear the name, Jesus, and immediately associate it with dusty, boring, irrelevant religion.  But I’m talking about lighting the afterburners on life and blasting into a whole different reality.  

Of course, this is nothing new; you can hear a bit of similar frustration in Paul’s words:

“I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
  –  (Colossians 2:1)

He goes on to say that the purpose for his struggle is:

“… so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
  –  (Colossians 2:2b-3)

If you have kept yourself a safe distance from Jesus because of dull religious experiences (or worse), don’t let what you assume you know keep you from experiencing the “One in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!”

Are You Ready? – Part 3

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When punters are called into a game, it is usually an emergency.  The outcome of the game will likely be determined by how well the punter does what he is meant to do.  Therefore, the stakes are high for punters: those who consistently do well will celebrate with the rest of the team; those who do not will lose their place on the team.  The same is true for those who follow Jesus, who are meant to serve as His witnesses in an attitude of readiness for His return.

This is the concluding section of a message on being ready for Jesus’ return.  In Jesus’ parable about being ready (Luke 12:36 – 48), He said, those whose actions demonstrated their readiness, who were doing what He assigned us to do would be really glad.  He concluded His parable by talking about how devastating it would be for those who were not ready:

 

If  you haven’t already listened to the first two parts, you can hear them here: )   

Are You Ready? – Part 2

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At my grandson’s T-ball game, some little kid smacked a long hit, way out into the outfield.  Everybody went chasing after the ball, everybody on both teams, – even the base runners and several of those waiting to bat!  T-ball is a riot.  Another time, one of the youngsters was so intent on being in the “ready position” – knees slightly bent, hands forward, eyes fixed on the batter – that when the ball came his way it sailed right past him.  Readiness doesn’t amount to much unless you can translate an attitude or mindset of readiness into actions of readiness.  When we are truly ready, we do what we are meant to do.

As we continue a study of Jesus’ parable about being ready for His return (Luke 12:36 – 48), how we can maintain an attitude of readiness and translate that readiness into action – the right kind of action?  What is the right kind of action?

If  you haven’t already listened to the first part, you can hear it here: )

The conclusion of this message will be posted on Friday.

Are You Ready? Part 1

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One of the hassles of selling your home is that you have to keep that place ready for folks to come to see it, for them to come at any time of day without much notice.  It’s stressful to stay ready for an inspection at all times.  But Jesus tells His followers to be ready for His return, which will come when we least expect it.  You have probably spotted a crucial distinction: the difference between getting ready to look perfect in an artificial way and being ready because that is how you naturally live.  The first kind of readiness is stressful; the second is not.

But what does it mean to be ready?  Jesus told a parable about what it means, recorded in the 12th chapter of Luke, starting at verse 35.  Let’s take a close look at what that parable means and consider how it applies to our lives today, once again by means of a recorded message.  If you have been following these blog posts you know I’m experimenting with this format.  I really appreciate your feedback on what works and what does not.  This week, I’m going to break the message up into three sections but post them separately, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  (That is, if Jesus hasn’t come back before Friday!)

What does it mean to be ready?  Let’s begin with a mindset of readiness, something NFL punters know a lot about:

Next time we’ll talk about turning the mindset of readiness into action.