Sweet Words from Maine

Nature’s Song

Sunrise, Lubec Narrows, West Quoddy Head, Lubec, Maine

Watching the moon quietly rise down river and the sun set in glorious splendor up river while listening to evening songs of twittering kingfishers, tweeting eagles, a rippling tide, and gentle breezes whispering through the pines as heron quietly fish and fog silently threatens, I am reminded of an old hymn : “Let all things their Creator bless, And worship Him in humbleness…” and am awed by a perfection which once was, by a design which knits all nature together, and by an imagination and creativity and power so mighty that this beautiful but broken and scarred world remains on course while spinning out time through an incomprehensibly vast cosmos.

Some of us consider nature to be our worship space because connecting with creation brings a temporary peace and relief which we have not discovered in houses of worship. We have become disillusioned with “organized religion” because of the imperfections, the hypocrisy, and the lack of love and grace of people professing “faith”, which for many is no more than tradition, ritual, rules, and self righteous entitlement in a do-good, feel-good religious system. However, religion predicated upon people and human philosophies and empowered by self will always be limited, prideful, and disappointing.

A morning walk, a mountain hike, an ocean view, a shady forest, or the “milky way” can become a spiritual event because God speaks through the complexities and secrets of His creation. However, we tend to miss creation’s evidences and implications because other voices have led us to disbelieve the divine origins of our universe. So, if we desire to know God, we must let Him tell us who He is and who we are.

Thankfully, He has spoken clearly through the voice of Scripture, which exposes us to the truth about ourselves, narrates historical events of His interactions with humanity, speaks to His purposes and plans and desires to be with and for us, and tells us of Christ, whose life, teachings, purposes, and identity have been carefully preserved by eye witnesses and whose redemptive actions are the most crucial evidence of God’s involvement with us. Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Thomas confessed him as God. The Apostle Paul said that the glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus , that he is God’s love gift and “God’s wisdom” to us, and that he is our “redemption” and hope. The author of Hebrews says that Christ ” is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature…”

Nature may give us a sense of the transcendent, but Christ is God’s solution for our spiritual brokenness. He brings peace and wholeness. Through him, God has lavished His love and righteousness on needy humanity. Faith founded on Christ brings a quiet spirit and meaning to life. As another old hymn says it: “My faith has found a resting place, not in device nor creed. I trust the ever-living One, His wounds for me shall plead… “

Nature’s songs may tell us of God’s character and power, but Christ shows us the greatness, the intimacy, the need, and the purposes of divine love. If one is interested in God, one must as a minimum investigate Christ’s credibility, his words, and his life’s purposes.

_{(Romans 1:19-20) (Psalm 8) (Hebrews 4:12) (Romans 3:23) (Hebrews 1:1) (Matthew 16:13-16) (John 20:28)(1Corinthians 1:30) (2 Corinthians 4:6) (Roman’s 5:8) (Hebrews 1:1-3)}

Nature’s Song

_{(Romans 1:19-20) (Psalm 8) (Hebrews 4:12) (Romans 3:23) (Hebrews 1:1) (Matthew 16:13-16) (John 20:28)(1Corinthians 1:30) (2 Corinthians 4:6) (Roman’s 5:8) (Hebrews 1:1-3)}

Spring ‘s Hope

Spring is glorious in Maine. Flowering shrubs and trees beautify formal landscapes and gardens. Wild cherry and crab apple blossoms line roadsides, blueberry blossoms flood fields, and apple orchards show off their pinks and whites. The smells of fresh beauty are everywhere. But the farmer’s mind quickly turns to thoughts of the harvest heralded by these wonders. A good spring blooming could mean a grand harvest, but it isn’t a promise. What appears to be a great opportunity may lose it potential or even end in a disaster because of limited growing time, too much or too little rain, mildew, freezes, infestations, and poor pollination.

Life mirrors those possibilities. Our early bloom is susceptible to blight. Our actions and inactions have consequences. We will reap what we sow. We are time-limited people and our outcomes are subject to interferences and disruptions.

Jesus knew that all life, his included, is fragile, brief, and threatened by evil. Because his redemptive message of forgiveness and transformation is life saving, he approached his ministry with focus, vigorous intention, and urgency as he brought God’s kingdom to lost, needy people. On one occasion, he appointed seventy-two followers to precede him and to prepare people for upcoming visits; he urged them on with the metaphor that “The harvest is plentiful…” (Luke 10:1-2)

Millions of people world wide have responded to and continue to receive Jesus’ redemptive message of forgiveness and of restoration to a relationship with God through faith. They are part of that “plentiful” harvest which was sowed in an isolated, remote corner of the world by a few disciples. That image powerfully testifies to the vital need for Jesus in life and also confirms another ancient truth. Moses repeatedly reminded Israel to keep alive the memory of God’s empowering presence by telling succeeding generations about His wonders and how He cared for those who followed Him by faith. That thoughtful advice still holds. Whether lived or spoken, the values, the attitudes, the truths we model and teach today will bare future fruit even in generations which we may never live to see.

God’s grand plan holds an amazing eternal hope, but it is couched in gravity. When the people of Judah realized that they had ignored God and that the moment for their salvation from enemies had passed because God had not intervened and rescued them, the prophet Jeremiah recorded their lament: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” (Jeremiah 8:20) We face the same challenge today because distractions take us from the awareness that we need God and that there is an urgency about knowing and investigating Jesus’ intervention for our salvation which with grace and gratitude can grow into the sowing and reaping of God’s love, peace, humility, sensitivity, mercy, compassion and righteousness for generations to come.(Matthew 5:3-12) What better harvest could there be?

The Heron Walk

A Great Blue Heron taking its evening stroll, Sullivan, Maine

The Great Blue Heron arrived at dusk. It was fascinating to watch its delicate, unrushed, almost elegant walk as it lifted its long, thin legs before gently and quietly placing its feet between long pauses of listening and peering intently into the cold water.

This heron’s intentional hesitancy was a reminder of the immediacy in the ancient but ever contemporary admonition to be circumspect, to be wise, to make the best use of time and opportunity, to not be fools, and to “walk in wisdom…redeeming the time.” (Ephesians 5:15-16) (Colossians 4:5) That wisdom is vital and applicable to any race or creed because one misstep can be life changing. Although we can never relive even a single second, the Psalmist counseled “to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12; 39:4-5). He recognized that if we consider life’s brevity, we should be motivated to seek its purpose.

Despite the choices we make or those imposed upon us, or our circumstances, or our personalities, interests and abilities, we all struggle to find pleasure, peace, meaning, and purpose. We are also vulnerable to the the shrill, disruptive, and sometimes rebellious voices of our culture or are distracted by the more soothing words of our intellectual, celebrity, and religious heroes whose wisdom isn’t always wise but is filled with half truths which reinforce what we want to believe. We want to believe that meaning lies within ourselves and our ability to make the most of ourselves, that we are self empowered, that freedom means being free to do what we want to do, that right or wrong is relative to the situation, and that there is no absolute moral framework by which to live.

As a result, we become easily conflicted and weirdly inconsistent as we resist the image, principles, and purposes for which we are designed and by which we are enabled to achieve what we actually want. Jesus succinctly and profoundly laid out the course to happiness by condensing the moral code into loving God with all one’s being and our neighbors as ourselves. This was given with a promise and a principle: when followed, one will live the best possible life. (Matthew 22:37-40) (Deuteronomy 6:1-3) Pleasure, hard work, wealth, relationships, and intellectual pursuits are unsatisfying and empty without God.

Obviously, we all fail at the ideal because we have trouble seeing beyond the world of our senses, have control issues, and are unforgiving and perverse. Even when we “believe”, our faith is defective. We regularly fail to meet the benchmarks of integrity, humility, love, compassion and forgiveness and constantly live in unwitting opposition to what God intends for us.

However, God has “redeemed” the days! Because of His compassionate, merciful understanding of human weaknesses, Christ has finished our struggle for goodness. He is the Way to redemption, forgiveness, righteousness, and restoration through the gift of faith. There is no guilt, shame or condemnation when living in this faith which goes beyond intellectual belief to a graciously empowered relationship and a “walk” of seeking the wisdom of God’s will that we believe and live the Gospel of mercy and grace. (Titus 3:5).(Galatians 2:16) (Romans 3:28)

Regardless of whether or not we are “people of faith”, this strange but beautiful heron speaks a cautionary tale: “Look carefully then how (we) walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” But even most importantly we should consider and live for the ultimate goal: Therefore (let us) not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Doing the “Heron Walk”

Great Blue Heron on its evening stroll, Taunton River, Sullivan, Maine

This heron’s intentional hesitancy was a reminder of the immediacy in the ancient but ever contemporary admonition to be circumspect, to be wise, to make the best use of time and opportunity, to not be fools, and to “walk in wisdom…redeeming the time.” (Ephesians 5:15-16) (Colossians 4:5) That wisdom is vital and applicable to any race or creed because one misstep can be life changing. Although we can never relive even a single second, the Psalmist counseled “to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12; 39:4-5). He recognized that if we consider life’s brevity, we should be motivated to seek its purpose.

The View of Everything

It is quite unlikely that this little gull’s brain was filled with philosophical or theological thoughts as it watched the rising sun drive away the darkness hiding Stonington Harbor and the thoroughfare. In contrast, human minds constantly deal with values and meaning and purposes even while enjoying a sunrise. C.S. Lewis once said: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

As we search for enlightened answers to questions about cause and reality, our observations, our experiences, and the considerations we give to what others say or have discovered create for us a view of “everything else,” an intellectual understanding which shapes our emotional and spiritual responses to our personal world. Lewis, a converted atheist, found answers in the person, life, teachings, and purposes of Christ, who became the framework for his world view. He saw life through the lens of Christianity.

Some say that we imagine religious answers because we long for reasons. The more compelling argument would be that we long for reasons because we were made for them, that we were created with the capacity for goodness, love, honesty, integrity, holiness, and joy, and that there is a transcendent quality and purpose and meaning behind them. Because of that, we curiously and constantly probe for answers which hold ultimate meaning.

Just as the rising sun pushes back the darkness, Christianity pushes us to consider our greatest possibilities because Christ shines a brighter and broader light on the workings of our universe. He makes sense of this world and its brokenness. His teachings speak to ultimate reason, truth, reality, and providence. John, the Apostle, spoke of Christ as “The true light, which gives light to everyone…”.(John 1:9) And Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Belief in the person and redemptive work of Christ sets us on the path meant for us, a path of joyful expression of divine love and grace. He lifts us from our dusty limitations to the great, eternal story lying beyond and behind the cosmos and transports us from the kingdom of darkness where rebellion and lawlessness and guilt and shame and condemnation reign into the Kingdom of God where grace and love reside.

Tim Hughes ‘s song expresses it this way:

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, Let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you

The View of Everything

Tim Hughes ‘s song expresses it this way:

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, Let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you

The View of Every Thing…

Tim Hughes ‘s song expresses it this way:

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, Let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you

Mountain Movers

Sunrise over the Mountains of Acadia from Hancock Point, Maine

In Mark 11:22-25, Jesus made the interesting claim that it is possible to move a mountain if one has faith! He provided context to that statement by saying belief (in God’s good character and sovereign will) and prayer are two critical factors in this amazing power of faith. Then Jesus tossed another crucial ingredient into the mix: ”And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)

This Easter week Christians “celebrate” Christ’s passion, his horrible crucifixion, and his glorious resurrection. They celebrate with humility, awe, and thankfulness for God’s grace and mercy, realizing that Christ’s ministry to humanity not only redeems because of God’s forgiveness but assures eternal life because of his victory over death in his bodily resurrection.

No one has ever had greater goodwill for humanity than Jesus. Yet, nobody could possibly know more about adversity, anguish, agony, and injustice suffered at the hands of human deceit, betrayal, desertion, and wickedness. No one has had more wrong to forgive than Jesus. Yet, at the peak of wrenching, emotional, physical and spiritual pain, he felt compassion for those who had denigrated and tortured and were mocking and killing him. He asked God’s mercy and forgiveness for them. “Father forgive them…,” he prayed.

Christ’s death and his plea for his torturers show the utter selflessness of absolution, an act that cuts to a person’s core because it involves emotional, willful decisions and requires profound, intentional actions. That is the message of Good Friday’s cross when Holy God lovingly, intentionally, and sacrificially made full pardon available to sinful mankind. Likewise, extending mercy and grace are of great importance to those who profess Christianity. Jesus taught his disciples that God’s forgiveness for them was nuanced by the personal forgiveness which they offered others. He taught us to pray, “ Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive our trespassers.”

Once Jesus told a story about a king who forgave one of his servant a huge debt, but the very same servant then refused to forgive a fellow servant a very small debt. Upon hearing of the unforgiving servant’s behavior, the King withdrew his mercy and disciplined him. (Matthew 18-23-35)

That parable tells the Gospel story. Unconditional, supernatural love and mercy moved heaven to patiently travel the arduous, dusty, unjust road to Jesus’ cross so that even his enemies could be redeemed from their sinful natures. In His immeasurable mercy and love, God cancelled our sin debt at extreme cost. Jesus said that kind of love would be shown by his followers. It would be paid forward with the ability to continually forgive, to walk extra miles with oppressors , to take slapping insults without retaliation, and to be generous to those who have taken unfair advantage.(John 13:35)(Matthew 18:21) (Matthew 5:39-42) . Spiteful behaviors, retribution, and vengeance are not manifestations of the Gospel in one’s life.

Just as receiving God’s forgiveness redeems, frees from guilt and condemnation, and reconciles, peace with others results when our forgiveness is offered and received. The offended and the offender are released from anger, bitterness, hatred, vengefulness, grudges, resentment, and shame and are freed to respect, to treat justly, and to be gracious despite severe hurt; negativity can no longer inform and control and consume their lives. Even if forgiveness is not received and full restoration does not occur, the willingness to forgive releases the negative emotions and attitudes that have affected the forgiver. Forgiveness is humbling but is a powerful mountain mover which redeems relationships and situation and renews spirits.

These last three blogs on “moving mountains” have suggested that belief in God’s good character and sovereign will, prayer, and forgiveness go a long way toward relieving the obstacles which delay or prevent us from moving forward with the peace and the confidence which are discovered in Christ, who wholly trusted His heavenly Father, lived a humble and prayer filled and sacrificial life, lovingly forgave his worst enemies, and ultimately defeated life’s final obstacle -death. He has risen! We need not fear because by faith we will also live.