Sweet Words from Maine

Does God have a Budget?

House on the Rocks, Grindstone, Winter Harbor, Main

If we are wise, we work, budget, don’t over extend our credit, and live within our means. But our fortunes are tied to more than the money we earn or save. The cost of living changes as the economy fluctuates, a fact we have recently experienced during the pandemic as the production and supply of goods (and microchips) became problematic.

In contrast, God’s Kingdom has a stable economy. There are no shortages or unmet needs and no fluctuations in wealth. There are no hidden costs or taxes, no pre-qualifications, and no budgetary restrictions for soul-building. There is limitless grace, bountiful mercy, and boundless love and room for whoever wills to enter.

During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught how to secure and build this Kingdom life. He told a riveting, illustrative story. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)

His fellow Jews would have understood the importance of listening to God, who had miraculously guided their nation when they trusted Him, and they lived by the Law given to Moses by God. The astonishing thing is that Christ had confidently elevated the content, impact, and authority of his teaching to equal that of Scripture. His words had as much power and jurisdiction as the Law of Moses. At points of controversy with other religious teachers, his teaching was to take precedent. On another occasion, he made it clear that he did not speak his own words but those of His Father. (John 14:10)

His seemingly unique ideas were actually old scriptural truths. The concept of keeping the Law had become misinterpreted to mean one worked for one’s salvation, but loving and trusting God were always foundational for receiving national or personal blessings. Centuries before Christ, the Psalmist had said that “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.” (Psalm 127:1-5 (NLT2) And now Christ was teaching in this sermon and illustration that hard work, religious fervor, self effort, and personal merit do not gain God or the riches of His Kingdom. His blessings could be attained through “hearing,” and following Christ, who declared himself to be the Light, The Way, The Door to the Kingdom and to eternal life. It was a major paradigm shift in religious thought to believe Christ when he said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:25-28)

If that is true, if Christ is the promised Redeemer, wise men will listen to this cautionary tale. “Hearing” Christ means believing and following him. His Truth restores us to God and makes us into Kingdom dwellers, into who we are meant to be . His words are key to finding full forgiveness and discovering the unlimited love, grace and mercy found in God’s eternal provision for those who choose Him. Christ paid the cost for the sins of the world so that God could open His treasure house of unlimited blessing to His people without budgetary restrictions.

Why Do Birds Sing (or Ducks Quack)

One beauty of Spring in Maine is the recrudescence of nature’s music. After winter’s silence, (except for a few cawing crows, screaming Jays, screeching gulls and the occasional tweet of an Eagle or osprey) an amazing cacophony of peeping frogs and sweet bird voices bursts forth as the rest of the world is resurrected and blooms.

Do you wonder why birds sing, why the whip-o-will ushers out twilight by persistently chanting its name or the loon’s laughter echoes through the night? To whom does the Robin merrily chirp at sunrise or the white throated sparrow whistle into a fresh morning? For whom does a solitary duck softly quack as it paddles across the pond?

Bird songs are amazingly species specific, numerous, and purposeful. After weeks of separation, Emperor penguins find their mates and chicks simply by voice recognition within noisy populations of thousands of other penguins. However, thrushes sing, and cardinals trill for more than species specific reasons. There is a beautiful, old hymn that speaks the reality behind their songs: “This is my Father’s world/ And to my lis-tning ears/ All nature sings, and round me rings/ The music of the spheres…This is my Father’s world/ The birds their carols raise/The morning light, the lily white /Declare their Maker’s praise.”

The Psalmists lift their voices in similar praises: “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6) and also, “Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being. He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked. Praise the LORD from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths…wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds...Let them all praise the name of the LORD. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! (Psalm 148:1-13 (NLT2)

For some, this Biblical explanation of a meaningful creation is too simplistic or mythical. Therefore, God is kicked out of the narrative. But is there really a better or more complete explanation for natural order, specificity, and intention than His narrative? Genesis 1:20-31 is worth reading because it conveys the Scripture’s view about the progressive origins of the earth and its diverse life forms. It clues us in to what DNA is all about, presents life as an expression of God’s perfection, goodness, creativeness, and life giving power, and proclaims life as purposed and purposeful and as meant to be enjoyed in grateful recognition and relationship with God, who declared the earth and its life to be “good” when they fulfilled ultimate reasons for existence.

Why bird songs? Nature’s voices are created marvels and music to God’s hearing. They lift us to a wonder-filled, wonderful God: “For (God’s) invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (Romans 1:20)

Could it be possible that our various voices, our languages and dialects, are meant to join this chorus of praise?

The Johnny Appleseed Psalm!

My Grandmother used to say, “A watched pot never boils.” Spring in Maine is a bit like that. The more one looks for it, the longer it takes! But when it eventually arrives, it does so with a dramatic explosion of beauty. By late May, flowering apple trees grace yards, highlight country roads, and bring new life to old fields and orchards. Their blossoms always remind me of the legendary Johnny Appleseed, an eccentric whose real name was John Chapman. He was an orchardman who planted apple orchards from West Virginia through the mid-West into Canada. His work inspired imaginative anecdotes and ballads about his sowing apple seeds throughout the countryside. As a kid, I learned a catchy little nursery rhyme ditty about him but never gave it much thought until some years later when our friends sang this little verse for a meal time blessing with their children:

“Oh, the Lord is good to me,
And so I thank the Lord,
For giving me the things I need;
The sun and the rain and the apple seed.
The Lord is good to me…”

This song is an amazingly theologically sound and powerful prayer which acknowledges God as Creator, Sovereign and Sustainer of all the earth and expresses gratitude for His goodness, His sufficiency, His personal attentiveness, and His common grace to all. In child-like simplicity, it becomes a profound worship filled Psalm of thanksgiving and praise. Like spring blossoms, it fills us with wonder!

Magical Thinking?

“Beyond the Sunset” over Acadia, Grindstone Neck, Maine

Memorial Day is a day of “remembering”. Originating in the post civil war period as Decoration Day, it is now a Federal holiday designated to honor US military veterans who died while serving our country. However, the day has morphed into not only a day filled with ceremonies, parades, flags, and wreaths to remember all who died in military service but also to honor those who serve or have served. It has also become a day when families decorate graves of loved ones with flowers and meaningful mementos.

Memories may be bitter or sweet and commonly are a bitter-sweet mixture of tears and laughter as one reminisces about the special people with whom we have shared life. Perhaps that poignancy first hit home for me when my mother took my older brother and myself to a Curly O’Brien show in Howland, Maine. (Curly O’Brien was a Maine country singer who had a band with his brother called The Top Hands. He successfully stayed in the Country Music business for a quarter of a century doing radio and TV shows.) During the show hat night, there was what some might consider to be a sappy moment. To my youthful, impressionable imagination, it was quite vividly touching and dramatic. The stage darkened; the spotlight focused on a lone cowboy who movingly sang “Beyond the Sunset,” a hymn not previously known to me but one which had been popularized by singers such as Hank Williams and Pat Boone. Soliloquies were mixed into the song and began with the emotionally weighted line “Should you go first and I remain.” For example:

Should you go first and I remain, one thing I’d have you do.
Walk slowly down that long, long path, for soon I’ll follow you
And I’d want to know each step you take that I may walk the same
For someday down that lonely road, you’ll hear me call your name

For some, all this ” beyond the sunset” business is just magical thinking. For others, it is a God-promise to those who trust Him. Although believers may sometimes dress their their confidence and ideas of heaven in excessive sentimentality or personal comforting thoughts, their hope (confidence) is based on inspired Words and Promises that will never pass away. (Matt 2:35) (Hebrews 1:1-2)(11 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Psalmist sang, “Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting…” (Psalm 106:48)

Isaiah prophesized to Israel, “…O God of Israel, the Savior. ..Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity. (Isaiah 45:15-17) Israel understood that God is ever existent and ever present and learned that salvation depended upon repentance and belief.

Christ told many parables referencing heaven, gave prophetic glimpses of the future,(Matthew 13, 24) and addressed all humanity, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24) And prior to miraculously raising her brother from the dead, he astounded Martha by declaring, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” (John 11:25 -26)

The Apostles Peter and John were there, heard, saw, believed, and confirmed their belief by enduring severe persecution because of it. They proclaimed their faith with these words of encouragement to their audiences. Listen to Peter. ” All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. (1 Peter 1:3-5) And John told his readers, “This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.”(1 John 2:25) Furthermore, he ended the prophetic Book of Revelation with a glimpse of heaven.“…Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4 (ESV)

The believer’s Memorial day is filled with more than past memories. As that long ago lone cowboy sang, there is a sweet future “When with our Savior/ Heaven’s begun,” “Earth’s tolling ended,” “…glorious dawning/When day is done,” “Oh, glad reunion/ With our dear loved ones/Who’ve gone before.”

Magical thinking! No! This confidence is based on God’s character and the trustworthy promises of One who journeyed “beyond the sunset” and then returned to give us eternal hope.

Shalom

There is something calming about strolling through simple, precise vignettes of rock and sand, beautiful flowering trees and ornamental shrubs, meandering streams and murmuring waterfalls, and fish pools interspersed with reflective spaces containing old pots, bowls, lanterns or religious symbols. These natural and symbolic elements invoke a sense of orderliness and serenity, of antiquity and continuity, of a time warp connecting us with the past and the world in which we were made to dwell.

We all seek peace, not only freedom from external conflict but also relief from disordered minds overwhelmed and frustrated by an unruly world and sensitive spirits. The search for inner quietness and personal meaning are timeless. Historical characters like Israel’s King Solomon or fictional men like Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha went on life long searches for some enduring solution for their restlessness and dissatisfaction. Similarly, our search for respite from inner tension may lead to, among other things, dysfunctional behaviors, self-fulfillment endeavors, prescribed or illicit substances, counselling, and meditative techniques. We are in search of “shalom.”

The Jewish greeting “shalom” expresses much more than the thoughtless signaling of a peace sign or a superficial “good morning”. “Shalom” calls for the blessing of a whole and perfect life, of inner peace integrated with outer prosperity, of a life of harmony, health, safety, and tranquility. The origin of such peace is Jehovah-shalom (a Hebrew name for God).

Both the Old and New Testaments confirm God as the source of peace and love and comfort and hope. (Philippians 4:6) (11 Corinthians 1:3) (1 John 4:8,16)(Romans 15:13) Isaiah prophesized that Israel’s Messiah would be Immanuel, meaning God with us, and that He would be the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6) The name Immanuel and the idea that he would be the source of human peace were seamlessly connected to Jesus. (Matthew 1:23) (Luke 2:14) On the very night Jesus was born ,he was announced with God’s blessing of “ on earth, peace among men.” That peace would not be national or territorial or external peace but both a peace with God and an inner peace of God, a peace Christ mediated by taking the condemnation of sin which causes the spiritual breach between God and us and by bringing peace that “transcends understanding” to those who trust Him. (Philippians 4:7)

Christ dispensed “shalom” everywhere he went and to everyone he touched, even to lepers, the “untouchables”. Meeting Jesus is transformative and empowering. He healed and opened up an entirely new life to the crippled man at the pool of Siloam and did not condemn the adulterous woman whom the religious leaders were ready to stone. He forgave, exhorted, and empowered her to live a life of wholeness, to go and sin no more. And the wild, naked incontrollable, demon possessed man living in the tombs was found sitting clothed and in his right mind after he met Jesus.

Jesus restores people to wholeness. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 147:3) For that reason, he can be trusted to bring calmness to our brokenness, to our unruly thoughts and behaviors, and to the confusion brought by cultural influences. However, understanding how to live the Gospel is a life long process because Gospel-living is often counterintuitive and daunting. The New Testament letter to the Colossians delineates it this way:

“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:8-15 (ESV)

Putting off and putting on! That is “Shalom”! That is the process empowered by the “peace of Christ.” And that is God’s wish for us.

Shalom, my friend.

On Guard!

These geese are alert and on alert! As a defensive maneuver, they have stationed themselves to observe all points of the compass and seem to be “circling the wagons”, a tactic used by early pioneers to corral their oxen or horses at night and to protect themselves as they travelled West on the Oregon Trail.

We all attempt to protect ourselves from potential danger whether that is physical harm, toxic relationships, or situations that rob us of peace and joy. But danger always lurks because we are limited and flawed. Sometimes we are undiscerning or at the mercy of others who are also limited and flawed!

“We do what we do because we want what we want.” We batter natural weaknesses and understand what the Apostle Paul meant when he said he was prone to do what he really didn’t want to do! Sometimes his willfulness countermanded his sense of rightness. But more than that we have to deal with a chaotic, confused, disoriented world whose values are thin, relative, and transitory. It is easy to find oneself caught in the ditch of moral dilemmas.

Although our spirits may be oppressed and endangered by vain people and their philosophies, by untruths, and by prevalent, misguided, distorted images and unhealthy practices, they have not been left completely unprotected and vulnerable. Our soul safety is predicated on God’s integrity. “The name of Jehovah is a strong tower; The righteous run into it and are safe”. (Proverbs 18:10)

The King of Syria had become so annoyed with the prophet Elisha that he secretly took a “great army” at night and surrounded the city where Elisha was staying in an attempt to seize him.^“When Elisha’s servant went out the next morning, he saw the “army with horses and chariots …all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (Elisha) said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So, the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:11-16)

God cares about His people even when they cannot see Him and fearfully cry out, “Alas. What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:17) He created us and knows we are but fragile, broken, dust covered spirits who through faith have been granted great hope and safety because of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. King David asked “Wither can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139)

The Old and New Testaments affirm that faith is an active commitment to a relationship with God. The Psalmist sang, “You hold me up, and I shall be safe/ And shall have respect unto thy statutes continually. “ ^“Let integrity and uprightness preserve me/ For I wait for thee.” (Psalm 25:21) (Psalm 119:117). Faith is neither a passive intellectual state nor is it dependent upon circumstances. It is the kind of confidence modeled by Christ in His darkest hour, “Not my will but Yours be done.”

There is nothing passive about our faith journey. Scripture tells us to “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it… (Proverbs 4:23-27) Christ reiterated those same thoughts as he cautioned his disciples “… out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23)

Spiritual safety requires discipline and focus. “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” (Proverbs 4:23-27) That is a tall order for this age where social media and celebrity worship constantly entice one to superficiality and spirit oppression. The Book of Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus.(Hebrews 12:2) The Philippians were advised to think about “true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable” things. Because there is a spiritual battle for souls, the Ephesians were exhorted to put on God’s protective armor of truth, faith, salvation, the Gospel, righteousness, and prayer. (Philippians 4:8) (Ephesians 6:11-19)

We are free to choose whether we will live inside or outside the circle of God’s blessings and protection. Living within that circle requires intentionality and mindful vigilance to guard hearts from destructive ploys of the enemy of our souls. God always provides the means to combat or escape. It is our duty to be “on guard.” As the Psalmist rejoiced: “Thou art my hiding-place; Thou wilt preserve me from trouble; Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance.” (Psalm 32:7)

Oh, What About Those Neighbors?

The Neighbor Over the Hill, Lubec, Maine

Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall “ deals with the difficulties of neighborliness. Frost and his neighbor had different philosophies about the stone wall separating his orchard from his neighbor’s pine grove, but Frost pointed out how unnecessary the fence was, “My apple trees will never get across/And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.” Despite Frost’s further observation that even nature didn’t like the wall (“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,/That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,/And spills the upper boulders in the sun”), his neighbor insisted that “Good fences make good neighbors“, a mantra his father taught him. (“He will not go behind his father’s saying,…” /“And he likes having thought of it so well / He says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors…’ )

In a Freudian world, adherence to that maxim is more about protecting a fearful, insecure, bruised spirit than about maintaining boundary lines. (“He moves in darkness as it seems to me, Not of woods only and the shade of trees.” “Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top/ In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed..”) In some ways, Frost’s neighbor is reminiscent of Bette Midler’s “The Rose”, a popular early 80’s song about romantic love, which poetically addressed the hesitancies and fears of opening up one’s heart to another, of a “heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance”; of a dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance”; or of those who won’t take because they “cannot give”; or of the “soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.”

Relationships can be tricky! As Midler sang, “Some say, Love. It is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed.” We are flawed and wound each other, but healthy relationships are what we want most in life. That requires effort but also may require some “fencing”, discerning the extent that we will allow others into our lives, in order to protect us from the harm we can do to ourselves or each other and for maintaining personal integrity. Some influences and associations pull us away from cherished values, break up good relationships, or violate our consciences.

Christian thought about neighborliness is an elevated but risky view. Loving your enemies! Praying for those who abuse you! Turning the other cheek? Going that “extra mile”? After Jesus had said that the moral Law contained two principles (loving God with one’s whole being and loving one’s neighbor as oneself), someone asked him to define “neighbor.” He responded with the “Great Samaritan” parable, which illustrated that a neighbor is any human of any creed or race within our scope of influence who has a need we can help meet. Neighborliness is an act of the will to treat others with care and kindness and compassion, to put aside self-interest for the benefit of another. Jesus did more than teach that. He did it! He lay down his life for mankind so that we could have peace with God and each other. Scripture tell us that he has broken down the walls that separate humans from each other. There is equality at the foot of the cross. (Ephesians 2:14 (NLT2)

In “The Question of God,” a wonderfully written and thoroughly researched book comparing and contrasting the spiritual journey’s of Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis, Dr. Armand Nicholi Jr., a Harvard psychiatrist quoted Lewis, as saying, “There are no ordinary people…” He said that no one ever talks to “a mere mortal…it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, exploit…..your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.” What a dignified, encouraging view of humanity and its potential for redemption!

Neighborliness is not about proximity. Our neighbors may exist beyond touch or sight or sound. They are not just in the house down the path or half hidden over the hilltop. They reside in mansions and ghettos, in cities and bayous, in Appalachia and Beverly Hills, in the mountains and the deserts and refugee camps and wherever our scope of influence reaches whether it is to the educated or illiterate, to the bejeweled or those in rags.

What an I to do with my neighbor? Jesus, our greatest Neighbor, said to go into all the world with the Good News of God’s love. Whether in person, by some action, by a contribution, or by prayer, we can reach across borders and oceans to neighbors in the remotest, darkest recesses of our planet. Love has no boundaries! Whenever and wherever God’s love is experienced, others needs will be recognized, and the caring for one’s neighbors will implicitly and explicitly accompany it .

What’s the Beef?

What does God want from us? Does He have a beef with our religious practices? He may! He answered that question when He spoke these thoughts to the nation of Israel:

“I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer. But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens.
For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats?
Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” (Psalm 50:5-15 (NLT2)

God has “no complaint” with religious acts and traditions (sacrifices or burnt offerings) when used as proper worship symbols. However, if these become rote, religious duty or are used for feel good, self-righteous performance, they are meaningless. And if they are elevated to be the object of worship itself or become substitutes for sincere obedience and true gratitude, they are totally unacceptable. God said, “I do not need” them any more than I need more cattle!

Humanity is deeply indebted to God for His patient care. “God is love”. The historical narrative of God’s relationship with Israel demonstrates His immense compassion for Israel and for us. In spite of their abuse, neglect, and rejection, God repeatedly, patiently, graciously and mercifully forgave Israel as they repentantly turned back to him. He has given His heart to humanity with a love which is desperate, extreme and immeasurably vast. (Romans 8:28,38-39). Christ’s “sacrifice for us is the undeniable proof of that profound “agape” love. He “loved us to the end” by paying the gruesome, ultimate price for our redemption, bearing our sins upon the cross, and enabling our broken spirits to reconcile with God. (John 13:1)

Sincere gratitude and its resultant obedience to what is best are the “sacrifices” which demonstrate that we love Him. The author of Hebrews speaks of “sacrifices of praise to God” which include “the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name” , doing “good “ and sharing ” what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” These are the marks of genuine worship.

God wants our hearts! Our lives of repentance and trust! Our love!

Trapped?

These lobster buoys appear trapped and remind us that, at some point, most of us hit the proverbial wall from which there is no apparent exit, no obvious way back or forward. We long for the apparent unobtainable. Sometimes that is reality, but often it’s perception that ensnares us. We may believe ourselves captive to the helplessness and hopelessness of poverty, lack of education, abuse, addiction, financial distress, hatred , prejudice and bias, injustice, failure, or the consequences of bad decisions and behaviors or moral failures, or some ethical dilemma. We may be trapped in painful, dysfunctional bodies or caught up in a world-view that lacks meaning and promises only a “dead end” ahead.

However, our biggest dilemma is spiritual and universal. We are all imprisioned or enslaved by our natural inclinations and desires which are not always pure or good and which result in selfish behaviors that range from rude to abhorrent. We have no capability or possibility of transformation without help.

Failing the ultimate ethic of loving God and our neighbors as we should becomes the basis for the Biblical doctrines of sin, of spiritual deadness and lostness, and of our need for redemption. Lostness is all inclusive. Nobody escapes it. We need a rescuer, a redeemer , an advocate to extract us and to reconcile us to Holy God. That is why God gave us Christ, who through his purity and righteousness could pay for our sin. In his humanity, he experienced life’s struggles, its sadness, pain, and temptations, yet he did so with joy and purpose and has a unique empathy for our weaknesses and needs. Christ does not condemn but empowers. So, then we can “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16) He bids us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

Christ is for us, not against us. Once he said,“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:16-19 (NLT2) He also said that he had come “to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 9:10) And he promised that those who believed in him would “not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 11:25)

We do not have to live entrapped by bitterness, anger, depression and hopelessness. Faith brings meaning and hope and frees us from anxious living, self loathing, fear of dying and eternal condemnation. We can live forever free… He said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

One of God’s names is Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider. He is the ultimate source of wholeness and joy and all that is good and meaningful. He is faithful, trustworthy and the One in whom we can be confident, the God of hope. (Romans 15:13) We are never outside of his deep love and care for us. His grace lifts us up and forward.

Year Around Gardening and Earth Day

Perhaps the reason so many of us enjoy gardening is because God planted a very “good” garden “eastward in Eden” and turned its stewardship over to humanity ! (Genesis 1:10-12; 2:8,9,15; 3:18)

April 22^nd has been observed as “Earth Day” in the United States since 1970. Although long standing, conflicting ideas about humanity’s responsibility for the environment vary (from a “Who cares?” attitude, or a utilitarian approach in which resources are garnered and used for profit and prosperity, to environmental worship) the resultant slowdown in human and economic activity during this pandemic has demonstrated that human actions cause measurable changes in the quality of our air and water.

Regardless of how one views the Biblical narrative of creation, it is much more than an ancient story. It holds profound implications about human stewardship of the earth. Detailed discussion is far beyond the scope of this little blog, but a few basic points might generate some thinking on this subject:

1.God is creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1) 2. God pronounced His creation to be “very good.”(Genesis 1:31) 3.Creation declares God’s nature and magnifies His glory (Psalm 19:1;Psalm 97:6;Romans 2:18) 2:18) 4.Creation belongs to God alone. Humans are only travelers walking through time under God’s authority. (Psalm90:10)(Ps24:1) 5.God created man to share God’s character and to display His glory, and He appointed man to care for creation and to have dominion over it (Genesis 2:8,9,15,19-20; 3:18) (Psalm 24) 6. Because man corrupted the goodness and power and image given Him, he has a broken, fallen relationship with God and lives in a world corrupted by sin, disease and disaster. (Genesis 3:6-23) 7. In spite of humanity’s rebellion, God loves mankind so much that He provided a means of redemption, reconciliation, and spiritual renewal for man and for ultimate restoration of all of creation. (John 3:16)(1 John 4:9-11) (Romans 8:20-23)

If God values the world and the people in it that much, shouldn’t we also? Although solutions to earth’s sustainability and livability may be complex and complicated by selfishness, pride, politics, corruption, physical confrontations, geographical and geological boundaries, prejudices, and spiritual warfare, a sincere love for God and caring attentiveness to what He has given us and to those with whom we share this planet would be a great start toward preserving life and fulfilling the mandate of the moral Law. People of faith should have a stewardship perspective that goes far beyond religious tradition and ritual. Christ spoke forthrightly to religious leaders about their hypocrisy because they were overemphasizing trivial matters and not paying attention to the “weightier matters.” …for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. (Matthew 23:23)

Notable in Christ’s list of “weighty matters” “left undone” is faith. Genuine faith carries a message, an obligation and an action of love which require a conscious, compassionate, intentional awareness and understanding of people’s needs and a willingness to address the root cause of their needs whether environmental, physical, emotional, or spiritual. It means not only sharing the crucial “Good News” of salvation to all peoples as Christ commanded his disciples to do but also means making this world sustainable and livable for all by ministering with mercy and justice and love and generosity all the time to everyone.