Luke 23:32-43
     Christmas and Easter are probably the most lauded holidays on the calendar. Subsequently, these two celebrations see church pews filled with the most congregants than any other day.  Pageants and cantatas center around these two events more than any other and most people can recite the Biblical accounts without hesitation. It was upon reading Luke’s account of Holy Week that something jumped off the page at me. It was just a three-letter word, but I cannot recall ever reading or even hearing it in all the retellings or productions.
     I am speaking purely from a personal perspective. In all of the sermons, movies, pageants, cantatas, depictions, etcetera that I have ever seen or heard retelling the events of Holy Week, when it comes to the thieves who hung on the crosses to the left and right of Jesus, I have always seen them depicted as already in position until Jesus makes His way to the top of Golgotha. However, it was in this part of my reading that I saw that three-letter word that stopped me in my tracks: L E D.
     Luke 23:32 says, “There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.” The thieves walked the path WITH Jesus to Golgotha. They experienced the crowds, the yells and jeers, the spitting…all of it. AND, the thieves witnessed Jesus’ demeanor, words, love, and restraint to it all. They saw Jesus’ ripped flesh from the cattails, a punishment far worse than any other prisoner before or since. They watched as Jesus bore His cross on shoulders that were unrecognizable as belonging to a person. They stepped in His bloody footsteps; they had to stop when He fell and Simon of Cyrenia picked up His cross; they saw into His eyes; they were with Him.
     Then the three make it to their destination. They are laid upon their stakes and are crucified. The criminals listen as the mocking comes from some in the crowd about saving Himself. They watch as the soldiers cast lots for His clothing. They listen to the response of Jesus asking God to forgive them. They watch as Jesus gives His mother to John and John to His mother.
     It is in this three-letter word, L E D, that the blasphemy from the thief challenging His deity and demanding He save Himself and them is even more treacherous and the response of the other thief even more profound. Jesus had been teaching them both the entire journey. No synagogue; no grassy hillside surrounded by disciples; no parables. He was being Jesus; one got it while one missed it.
          Which one of these thieves is most like us?  Before we stroke our piety, let us be honest enough to look at our lives. Has Jesus walked with us showing us Who He is for us to just miss it?  Have we heard the stories so many times and watched the pageants with all of their spectacular lighting that we have just become numb to His impact?  Do we claim Christ as Savior but never pick up another’s burden and help them carry it?  Do we sneer at Jesus when we do not get our way and demand that, since He is Christ, He should make it all go away?
     Yes, that one, small, three-letter word really held a lot of power in my reading. God’s Word is always living, and it is always grabbing my attention. May I never cease praying for God to keep my heart and mind open to all that He has to say and teach me through it. And may I never miss the power in the small words.

“Yes, I’m on my way to visit you with Judgment. I’ll present compelling evidence against sorcerers, adulterers, liars, those who exploit workers, those who take advantage of widows and orphans, those who are inhospitable to the homeless—anyone and everyone who doesn’t honor me.” A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies.”  Malachi 3:5 The Message
 
Are you married? Are you single? Are you a parent?  Are you a child? Are you an employer, boss, or company owner? Are you employed outside of the home? Are you a homemaker? Are you a pastor? Do you have breath?

Have you ever heard the saying, “I wish life came with an instruction manual? Or perhaps you have heard the acronym for Bible: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Regardless of the question or platitude, the Bible has been used by some as a weapon or by others as a flippant answer. But how many truly see the Word of God as the actual life-giving, instructional and correctional Word of the Living God?

The Book of Malachi just may be the premise for which the acronym just mentioned came to be. Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I love me some soft, cozy, fuzzy slippers! This book, however,  requires heavy, steel-toed boots for the reader as it is indeed admonishing everyone – beginning with pastors and ending with anyone drawing a breath.

If we are honest with ourselves, it will not take long for us to see that our world is a mess. Just take a look at any news story, newspaper headline, or a social media post as you scroll through your feed; there is not a shortage of “grab your attention” articles of disarray. BUT, if we want to really be honest with ourselves, we have a part in this demise.

Where did we go so terribly wrong?  When did it happen that our world slid so far off of its axis that we now find ourselves almost wobbling as we rotate around the sun? That’s it!  We are no longer keeping our path in line with the Son!

As a people, we have become so convinced that WE are the world’s axis. We have bought into the lie that our real names are Equator and WE are the center point by which all else rotates and keeps upright. We have believed that WE are the center of the universe and everything and everyone else should realize that it is indeed our world, and they are just allowed to exist within it.

Now, if that sounds absurd or a little extreme, I agree. BUT, let us, just for a moment, accept this as truth. What does YOUR world look like?  Now, remember, this is truth-telling time if only telling it to ourselves. Just for a moment, let’s swallow that truth serum and be really, brutally honest with ourselves. Let’s ask ourselves:

     1.What decisions have I made, thus far today, that were for the benefit, honor, or purpose of someone else completely without regard as to how it would affect, profit, or benefit me?
     2.How many conversations have I had today in which I never mentioned the words “I”, “My”, “Me”, or “Mine”?
       3.Have I spent time thanking God for the good, great, wonderful, and magnificent blessings in my life today?
     4.Have I spent time thanking God for the awful, miserable, heart-breaking, and difficult trials in my life today (as I know that refining takes heat, and testing creates opportunities to see God’s goodness and faithfulness)?
     5.Who have I honored today by celebrating them or by simply being silent while they shared their life with me?

These are but a few questions that can begin to set our focus on how WE have participated in the decline of our current state. We have walked ourselves into the state of oblivion, destruction, and misery as we have followed our own paths under our own leading and guidance. As Malachi puts it, we have not honored God.

I believe that the Word of God - the Bible, is indeed the inerrant, unchangeable, infallible, Holy Spirit inspired, Truth and Holy Word of the Living God. I believe it is full of instruction, correction, and unending love from the heart of our Holy Trinity and that God shows us Himself in the beautiful pages within.

I also believe that, if His Word IS Truth; if the letters we read within the cover of this magnificent Book are to be taken as His Word, then we MUST be willing to accept the correction and instruction as willingly as we accept His love, mercy, and grace. After all, God reminds us in Proverbs 3:11-12 and again in Hebrews 12:6-7 that He disciplines those He loves just as a parent corrects and instructs a child. It is for our protection, and we should embrace this, not as punishment, but as a part of His loving desire to see us NOT suffer.
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I commend the entire Book of Malachi to you. It is a short book, but FULL of wisdom. I encourage you to read each chapter, prayerfully and with a true desire to absorb its richness of instruction. Do not shrink away from its correction and do not bow up in pride or rebellion against its directives. These four chapters, if taken seriously, will certainly give the reader many months of contemplation. It will require commitment and submission to the One that knows us better than we know ourselves. It will require pastors, leaders, bosses, parents, children, and anyone else with breath in their lungs to be yielding to its convictions. BUT, it is in this pliability that we are abled to be molded back into that finest of craftsmanship you were designed to be from the start!

Yes, God's Word is sometimes direct, convicting, and corrective. It is also warm, soft, and comforting. SO - put on those steel-toed boots and dive into Malachi! And, once you have fully taken in all that God has to say through this reading, those fuzzy slippers are going to mean so much more to you!

                                  He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
                                                             Matthew 16:15 NKJV
 
Passage Reading: Matthew 16:13-16
 
     In our world today, we are short of many things. Some may say money; others may say time, while many may say fuses or temper. But one thing we are not lacking in societal circles is opinions.
 
     Social media has ramped up this platform and allowed keyboard warriors to use their swift and mighty fingers to slay any topic at will. Turn on the television and watch any number of newscasters give their view of any given topic. It appears that opinions have taken the place of reporting and thus presented as the story.
 
     Opinions and perception are nothing new. In the passage reading above, Jesus is continuing His travels to Caesarea Philippi. He has most recently been with the 5000 where the miracle of the loaves and fishes has taken place. As He and His disciples are entering the city, Jesus is asking what the gossip is around Who He is; He is asking about the perception of the masses.
 
     Jesus is not a man swayed by public opinion, so to ask this of His disciples was not a question of His “measuring up” as it were. No, Jesus is asking this question so that His next question could carry the weight. The disciples answer Jesus with varying responses; “John the Baptist”; “Elijah”, and so on. Not hanging on the replies, Jesus turns to them and says, “What about you; Who do YOU say that I am?”
 
     This is a personal question. Jesus was asking them for their understanding, their perception, of Who He was to them. He did not ask, “In view of these things that others are saying about Me, what do you think of Me?” He was not asking them to have a meeting and discuss it; He was not asking their collective judgement or what influence others had on their view. Jesus was asking them, personally, for their individual perception.
 
     Perhaps Jesus was wanting them to weigh what others were perceiving about Him against what they were witnessing about Him. Perhaps He wanted them to ask Him more. Or maybe, just maybe, Jesus wanted to see who would be the first of His followers to acknowledge that He was, indeed, the Christ; and Peter didn’t disappoint. Passionate Peter – the one who would deny that he would deny Jesus until he did. Passionate Peter – the one swinging the sword in the garden and severing the ear of the Roman guard. Passionate Peter – the one on whom Jesus said He would build His church. But that is a writing for another day.
 
      So, may I ask YOU? Who do YOU say Jesus is? Our world has so very many opinions and perceived notions about the authority of Christ; the relevance of Scripture in the culture today; the very Deity of Jesus…so what is YOUR answer?

Who is Jesus to YOU?

Luke 15:25-32 The Message
 
     If you have grown up in the church and have lived a life within its walls, you have no doubt heard the story of the prodigal son many, many times. As many of you have as well, I have heard every angle of this story except, perhaps, that of the fatted calf!  Or at least I thought.
     Recently, I was prompted to read this story again. As with anytime I read scripture, I pray that God will speak directly to me and reveal something afresh to my spirit. This time, I was truly seeking God with an open heart and longing spirit. 
     Are you a “Do Gooder”? By this I mean, do you always want to do the right thing? Does your conscious just scream for you to always follow the rules; obey the laws of man and God; make sure your bed is made in the morning before leaving your room for the day; you know, always wanting to do what’s right by everyone? Do you cry out to God when you see injustices? Do you question God when you see someone or ones that you KNOW do not do the right thing ever seemingly always win? You know of whom I speak…the ones that ALWAYS seem to come out on top no matter who they must step on to get there. 
     In our scripture reference, I believe the “good son” has gotten a bad rap. If you are like me, you have heard this story told, retold, preached, taught, and regurgitated for years. In every scenario, the good son is made to come off as selfish, rude, mean, unforgiving, etc. BUT God showed me a new perspective in my recent reading. Maybe, he too, was a do-gooder really upset.
     Our introduction to him in verse 25 says, ““All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day’s work was done he came in.” Poor guy. The older son had been doing what he did every day – working in the field; getting the job done; doing the right thing; being an obedient son. We are not told he was doing this for recognition or fame; he wasn’t looking for an “atta boy!”; he was doing his job and serving his father like he did every day. 
     When he gets near the house, he hears all of the commotion and inquires as to what was happening. I picture that he may have had somewhat of a furrowed brow but a spirit of anticipation. He was hearing laughter, partying; people were hugging one another, and a feeling of joy was present. BUT, when he finds out the reason for the jubilation, I believe his anger is more out of hurt than malice. Can’t you see him looking at his father with tears in his eyes? Perhaps he was feeling deflated; rejected. “‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief…” (v29) Can you relate to this? Have YOU ever cried out to God with a similar pain? “God, why? I try my best to serve You. I love You; I never go against Your Word as much as humanly possible. I pray; I study. Yet, here is so and so and they always get ahead. They never step foot in a church and even mock Your Name and they STILL don’t suffer…”
     The father’s reply to this is even a tender one. I envision the father placing his arm around the son’s shoulders, pulling him close and tenderly responding, “‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours…” (v31) Softly, sweetly, the father lovingly focuses on his eldest son, reminding him that, not only am I with you all of the time, but I take you with me all of the time too. You need but use whatever you have access to at any moment because it all belongs to you.
     As with all of His parables, I believe that God truly has a message for all of us in this story. Whether we are the son that squandered his life but found his way back home, the eldest son that sought to do right by his father always, or even the fatted calf that was born for such a time as this, (I’ll have to ask God to show me that storyline) God loves us all. He cares so deeply for us that He even tells us in this passage that He takes us with Him every day.
     So, if you have ever found yourself in the “Do-Gooder” role, take heart! God sees you; He knows your heart and motives. Remember, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12 KJV 

​In the days leading up to March 15, 2020, most Americans were going about their daily routines of life. January had brought little news of an illness that had begun in Wuhan, China as it barely received a ticker byline on any news station. 
 
In February, this mysterious illness remained at a distance, only catching most ears when news of stranded cruise ship occupants being quarantined headlined. But in late February, it becomes more of an interest when President Trump restricts travel into the US from China. We began to take a closer notice; we began to do internet searches on the phenomena and educate ourselves on just what was going on. We started looking into what this could possibly mean for us. What effect would this begin to have on our lives and those for whom we care.
 
By March, the news, roaring in as a lion, consumes every moment with updates, travel restrictions, and states of emergency. Store shelves are immediately vacant of basic essentials and toilet paper is the new gold. As schools, businesses and life came to a screeching halt, citizens everywhere began to ask “What is happening?” “Why is this happening?” and “What are we going to do?”. Churches became the next venues to be required to close their doors to help prevent the spread of a virus that was sweeping the globe. We become a nation changed in an instant.
 
As life became radically different, I started praying and listening to the Holy Spirit speak to me more than asking Him to listen to me. I began to feel a stirring in my spirit; “This is only a taste of what ‘in a twinkling of an eye’ will be.”  I began to search through Scripture for the exact reading of this Word. “It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.” 1 Corinthians 15:52 
 
I began to ponder the idea of ‘instant’. I began to look at how profoundly our world had, and continues to, changed. How suddenly we were forced to change our focus. We were cutoff from the lure of shopping for amusement; we were plunged into the surroundings of our homes; we had to refocus.
 
I began rereading the entire chapter of I and II Corinthians. WOW! There are so many lessons that we can remind ourselves of in these chapters and, perhaps, see some that we have missed. We can see the mighty power of the One true God and how much He wants us to set our lives upon the paths He has dreamed for us.
 
As these realities set in, it was as if God had pushed a pause button in the middle of the ongoing saga of our lives. He was allowing us the privilege and opportunity to reboot; to see again what is really important. He was giving us time to reignite our familial relationships and to reconnect with each other. He was showing us that purchasing “things” and trinkets is not the key to success or happiness. 
 
He was showing us just how quickly “instant” truly is. And, in doing so, He was also saying that we have been given this opportunity to change the pattern that our lives may have been taking. You see, we have the chance to change some things in this time of reflection. We have the opportunity to make our life-paths lead to a different destination.
 
What if we put as much research into God’s Word and plan for us? We if we took, with the sincerest of interest, what those plans meant for us and for those whom we love? What if we were as fervent about educating ourselves on the things of God as we have been on learning of this virus?
 
There WILL come a day when, in a twinkling of an eye, things will be instantaneously changed forever. We will not get a reboot or another chance to change things; it will be eternal.
 
There is no mistaking that the COVID-19 Pandemic has forever made a mark for the history books. Many families have been changed because of this crisis; dare I say, that we all have. My prayer is that we take advantage of this opportunity that we have been given as God will never waste time; nor should we.

Hosea 4:6 says, "My people perish for lack of knowledge." Oh what a Word from The Lord this morning in studying His Word!

Firstly, this is NOT a political post in any matter;this is a personal, life introspect post. Ephesians, Chapter 1, is so powerful. I encourage you to read it for yourself. I read from The Message translation this morning. Read this....”The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church.” (Ephesians 1:23)

Do you know that the term amnesia is derived from the Greek meaning, “they have forgotten”? Church- we have amnesia.

We have forgotten who we are and Whose we are. We are perishing due to our lack of knowledge. Let me explain. The church universal, the entire group of people claiming Christ regardless of denominational boundaries, has forgotten our call. We have lost our goal as a people and we have turned a deaf ear to the insturction of The Word of The Lord by negating the discipline of studying His Word and truly gleaning from it.

In Chapter 1 of Ephesians, we are given a breakdown of what it means to believe the Message of our salvation. We are further taught that to believe, or accept, this reality means we embrace the reason on earth for it; “—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers” (Ephesians 1:17-19). How can we become “intelligent and discerning” if we do not heed His Word or recognize our own personal need for it?

The chapter goes on to tell us that church is not to be on the periphery of the world, BUT the world should be on the periphery of the church. Can you just let your mind wrap around that for a moment and pull that in? Isn't that exactly what is happening? Church! We have made ourselves look so much like the world, that, indeed, now the world is a mirror reflection of the church! We've watered down, entertained, side stepped, “graced” ourselves into a place where the world and the church no longer have clear instructional lines. The lines have become water colored and blurred to the point where there is no longer a difference. We have dividing churches, agenda-driven clergy and laity; we have politically-correct mindsets while spiritually we suffer amnesia.
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We MUST get back to what we were called to be - children of the Mighty God! We were made in His image, to “go into all the world and make disciples of Christ”. We were made to show His love, spread His Word, teach HIS agenda and dust off our feet from those who do not listen and accept. It's God’s job to clean them, change them, touch them; it's our job to introduce Him, nurture them, and show them His love and help them “be transformed” by it. It is NOT our job to conform to the world’s likeness!
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Yes, we have amnesia as a Christian people. Let us be so bold as to look in the mirror and start there. We need God’s instruction; we need His Word to seer into our hearts a fire so bright that it draws those around us out of the dark. We need to remember Whose we are and why. We need to realize that our salvation is to be lived out and that it was not a “get out of hell” card. We need to remember that we are not on the periphery, wringing our hands at the events of the world; we are to BE the event of the world! Let's get busy about THAT agenda, Who's with me?

"I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world But for those you gave me, For they are yours by right.Everything mine is yours, and yours mine,I’m praying not only for themBut also for those who will believe in meBecause of them and their witness about me.The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.The same glory you gave me, I gave them,So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—I in them and you in me.Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,And give the godless world evidenceThat you’ve sent me and loved themIn the same way you’ve loved me." John 17:9-10, 20-23 The Message

My heart is so heavy this evening. I, like most Americans, have spent time today reflecting on this day 15 years ago when America as we knew it, changed forever. I have watched so many recounts of this horrific tragedy that changed everything we would ever consider in the term “safe”. As the images scrolled across my television screen, interrupted only by newscasters relaying the details as they came in, tears rolled down my cheeks as I am immediately transported back to that very moment. It was one of those, “I remember exactly where I was” moments for us all.
But as the heartbreaking emotions well up inside of me, another emotion comes alongside. It is the pride that we felt as Americans helping one another, embracing our fellow man, holding each other's hands, and wiping each other’s tears. We indeed became ONE nation, indivisible. So what has happened to us now?

The Scripture set above calls us to be One. Jesus, Himself, prayed this for us...He PRAYED IT FOR US! The terror attacks of 15 years ago shook us to our core. We did not stop to question the police, firefighters, or other first responders; we did what we could to help them. All over America, church doors flew open to welcome the masses than ran back to the foot of the cross. No one cared what color your skin was, what political affiliation you held; we were brothers and sisters united in our efforts to help anyone, in anyway, in any town. Why have we turned into our own terrorists?!

My beautiful brothers and sisters, are we willing to truly remember what happened on September 11, 2001? Are we willing to stand up and say “No More! No More hate, No More rioting, No More baiting!” Are we willing to meet the needs of those who are hurting, sick, in despair? Are we willing to come together, again, and be One Nation, Under God?
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Fifteen years ago, America did indeed change forever. In the aftermath of the attacks, however, the unity and resolve of the American citizens was strong and unrelenting. Let us return to that memory, unite as brothers and sisters, and truly honor those nearly 3000 men,women and children who will be in our hearts forever. Let us truly remember them and how great we became when we became One.

Are you finding yourself hopelessly troubled by the circumstances surrounding our culture today? Do you feel as if God has abandoned you? Listen as Faith gives a timely message for God's children today.