lazy hearts #1...from Luke 24

Luke 24:25-27
Then he said to them, "So thick-headed! So slow-hearted!
Why can't you simply believe all that the prophets said?
Don't you see that these things had to happen,
that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?"

Lord,
on the road to Emmaus,
You told us that our hearts were slow...
lazy...
too lazy to love...
to forgive...
to hear Your Spirit's call
as prophet after prophet
spoke of Your Abba's strong heart
to save us...
spoke of His Servant Who
would come lowly, meek, simple...
BUT...
Who would NOT be stopped until He had
established justice for the nations...

Later,
when we met You...
we were too thick-headed,
too slow & lazy of heart
to see You...
we had NO idea that YOU were
YaHWeH's Servant-Messiah!

Our minds were closed,
already made up
about Messiah...who he would be
& what he would look like!

So we missed You
until You left us...
returning in power from death
to show us what LIFE looked like!

Lord,
if You will take my lazy heart,
I will follow You
to the end of my days...
with all I have!

forgotten father...lost sons...

(Luke 15:1-3)
1-3 By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends." Their grumbling triggered this story.
(the Message translation)

Lord,
You saw us…the broken ones…
I mean You REALLY saw us!
You saw us the way
No one else ever did…we were
Friends of Matthew…people
Of the street…the
Under-side…the
Ignored-by-polite-society
People.

You joined us…coming
To us…to
Our place…to eat
With us…
Staying long enough to
Hear our stories…and
To tell Your Own.

People who were
More socially correct than
You…
Pointed out exactly who You
Were hanging with.
You told them…and
Us…
Three stories…each
About things that were
Lost…then found.

A shepherd
Chases down
A wayward sheep…and
A woman
Scours her house for
The one lost coin.

Finally…You
Spoke straight to us
All.
You talked about
The forgotten Father…
Your Abba…Who
Had some lost sons.

One lost son left home
Deliberately…trying
To shed the family identity
Only
To return home
Broken…begging for
Only a slave’s wages.

The other son
Got lost…when
He could not enjoy
His brother’s return…along with
His Father…since
He too had lost the
Family identity.

Both sons had forgotten their
Father…
As did the men who
Grumbled
About the class of folk
You loved to be with.
They too
Had forgotten their
Father…the
One-and-only YaHWeH- of-the-Heavens
Who
Hung in with
A slow-believing Abraham…and
Sarah…
The YaHWeH Who
Wrestled all night with
A lying Jacob…
The YaHWeH Who
Hyper-blessed
A fear-filled Moses…
The YaHWeH Who
Forgave
A murdering, adulterous
David…

YaHWeH…
Who is perfect
In every way…
Chooses
To look for us
Until
He finds us.
Then He sits down
With us…in
Our misery…and
Swaps stories with us…
THIS…is love!

Lawful or not?

1 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.
2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"
(Mark 10:1-2, NIV)

Lord,
They asked you for a ruling
On divorce…an
Official Rabbinical ruling…a
Definitive statement.

Why do we do this?

Why do we keep asking for
Laws?
A legal order?
A legal decision?

Do we really want
More rules?
Do we really want something
Hard and fast…so that
We can know?
For sure?

Or
Is it that we so desire to
Be in control
That we prefer a “law”
So
We can “lawyer” our way
Around it…whenever
We need to?

Do we look for a way
To discount…
To undermine Your heart,
Lord…just like
We attempt to over-ride…
To discount the heart
Of the wife of our youth…even
As she gains age…and wisdom?

Are we that hard-hearted?
Is the common desire to divorce…simply
That ugly?

I think, Lord,
The answer is, “YES.”
Most of the time it is either
That ugly…or maybe
It shows how lazy-of-heart
We are.

From Your example, Lord,
We know that no love
Ever
Grows on it’s own.
Love needs
Our active, constant
Care…or
Like any other living thing
It dies.

Chosen One from Isaiah 42:1-2

"Take a good look at my servant.
I'm backing him to the hilt.
He's the one I chose,
and I couldn't be more pleased with him.
I've bathed him with my Spirit, my life.
He'll set everything right among the nations.
(the Message)

Lord,
There is more to Your title, “Messiah”
Than we know.

YaHWeH chose Abraham to father
Many nations…and
Along the way
Asked him to sacrifice his
Only son.

YaHWeH chose Jacob to be heir
To Abraham…and
Along the way
Chose to permanently injure him
So that Jacob could learn
To tell the truth.

YaHWeH chose Moses to lead
His people to freedom…and
Along the way
Gave him 40 years
Of headache & deadly opposition.

YaHWeH chose David
As King & chief poet to
His Own people...and
Along the way
Made him pay fully…for
Each of his blunders
So that YaHWeH’s people
Would not think
That the I AM makes it easy
On the powerful
Without them paying a terrible cost.

YaHWeH chose You, Lord, as
His Messiah…for
All Israel
All nations
All the world.

YaHWeH
Sent to You every test
Any of us could
EVER go through…and
Even more.
YaHWeH was with You…
Always…calling You,
“Much-loved”
“Son”
“The One-Who-pleases-Me”

Along the way…that
YaHWeH asked You to walk
Was every demon
Known to Satan…seizing people
Destroying their families,
Their hearts…in the process…
Until
You stepped up
As YaHWeH’s Chosen One
As the One-Promised-of-Old.
You destroyed Satan’s campaign
Of destruction…and
Even more amazingly gave to us
POWER
In the Name of YaHWeH
In the Person of the Most Holy Spirit
To destroy the enemy’s work!

Even as YaHWeH’s hand
Was heavy
On You…especially
At the end…
So too
His hand lifts us up
Even as
The weight of His calling
On our lives
Gives pause to us.

What we have
That You did NOT…is
Your example to study
Your pattern to follow
Your steps to show us the Way!

Lord,
as YaHWeH's Own "Chosen One"
You were
You are…and
Always
You will be amazing!

Jesus In A Bathroom

Lord,
I saw You in a bathroom
At Carl’s Jr. yesterday.

A group of “special” adults
Had arrived in the restaurant.
Each had unique
Physical & mental needs:
Challenges
That they required outside help
To face.
To overcome.
They needed the adults who attended them.

As I entered the restroom
I saw
What I thought was a drug bust --
A man spread-eagled against the far wall.
But then I saw that his pants were down
Around his knees.
The smell of excrement
Was strong.
Very unpleasant.
A Mexican-American man
Was cleaning him off.
The attendant was moving
With toilet paper
Between man & toilet
Speaking softly,
(As if to a beloved child)...
Speaking comfortingly to the frightened
Man with his pants down.
“It’s okay.”
“But it sure smells bad,” the man said.
“That’s what happens
When you mess your pants,” was the reply.
But don’t worry, I’ll get it
Fixed up...right away.”
He spoke patiently
As he continued to work.
I did not want to stay there
Very long at all.
As I left,
It struck me that
I had been in that bathroom
With You, Lord.
You were that Mexican-American
Attendant
Cleaning the clothing,
The excrement,
Wiping the butt
Of that frightened man.
You were there speaking words
Of encouragement and comfort
To make the task
Not only lighter for Yourself
And Your charge,
But also to make
It understandable
To an uncomprehending
Public.
You served the dirty ones
As well as the ignorant ones.
Isn’t that what You did
On the tree?
You wiped the butt
Of the world.
You cleaned off the waste products
Of our lives.
Our own excrement
You took upon Yourself.
Even saying this,
I want to retch.
Bile rises in my throat.
But isn’t that
What Gesthemane was about?
Golgotha?

Perfect God-man.
Perfect life.
Subjected to the Father’s Will.
Completely.
Become the sin offering,
The excrement-catcher
For the whole world.
Target of the total wrath
The holy wrath
Of the Infinite YaHWeH-God!
The I AM THAT I AM-at-war to purge
His creation,
His people
His kingdom from sin.
It was not the blood.
The pain.
That caused you to pray so deeply
In the Garden...
Rather it was the absolute
Stench of death,
Of decay that our sin brings.
Yet, You carried it all.
Perfectly...completely.
Disposing of it in the only possible way.
Forever...“It is finished!”
When it was all over,
I was clean.
I could not clean myself...
For You see,
I was in that bathroom, too!

God's Joy 2 from Psalm 127:1-2

Psalm 127:1-2

1
Unless the LORD builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.

2
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
(Psalm 127 NASB)

Lord,
When You tell us
You give gifts
To those You love
Even
While they sleep…
What are You
Saying?

Are You saying
That Your love
For us…
NEVER changes?

Are You saying that
When good times come,
You love us?
When hard times crush,
You love us?
When easy times roll,
You love us?
When grief strikes,
You love us?

Are You saying that
Each…and
Everything we enter
We go in
Accompanied…
Preceded…by
You….and
Your love?

Are You saying that
We have NEVER been truly alone
In the dark…
EVER?

Yes…I think
You are saying just that,
Lord!

God's Joy 1...from Psalm 127:1-2

Psalm 127 The Message
1
If God doesn't build the house,
the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn't guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.

2
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don't you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?


Holy YaHWeH,
That You love us
Is the one message
That we can successfully escape
ONLY
If we ignore You.
Completely.

You tell us…
When we are building
A house…that
Making You our
Crew Foreman…
Insures a well-built house.

You say…
When we are standing guard
Over those we love…that
Having You as our
Watch-commander…
Makes everyone safe.

Finally You let us know…that
You enjoy OUR sleep…OUR
Rest…since
It is during our sleep that
Like a Daddy…
You
Look in on us…
Marveling over Your slumbering
Little ones…or
Is it something else?
Something like
You
Loving to make gifts
To surprise us
When we wake…and
Like any Daddy-in-love-labor
You anticipating our joy
With Your own?

Do You smile over us?
Do You tuck us in
Each night?

That we wonder at this
Shows how little of You
We understand…and
Appreciate.
That Jesus called You, “Abba,”
Is a good thing…since
It makes theologians look
Foolish…all their words
Fall down before the simple
Truth…that
YaHWeH is our “Abba”…
Our Daddy…our Papa…
To Him…To You, Lord, we
Can come with arms held out
Saying, “Up…up…”
And…
You always respond to
Our baby talk.

HEART-TRUST

In honor of my Hannah & our Jesus…
Ephesians 5:21-33 (the Message text at the end)

Lord,
The girl You gave me
Is a trust!

She
Belongs first…to You…
Next to me…so
It is to You that I will answer
For the hurts
I deal her…and
the ones I allow
to reach
her heart.

Her heart is a trust…
A holy trust
You have given to me…

Good old C.S. Lewis was right
When he said that
You “imposed headship”
Onto the husband…for
In marriage, headship is
a burden…
a precious one, yes…
but
a burden still…a
burden in which we men
stand
responsible to You
for the hearts…
the health…
of the brides
You…
have given to us.

What is headship? First…it must be
under You, Lord.

All we have is Your example…and
Paul’s words.

You showed us how to do this…
By laying down
Your life
in our place…
By protecting the disciples
in the Garden-betrayal…
By taking all of
YaHWeH’s wrath
for us…
By not forsaking us
when you could have.
Easily.

You NEVER imposed
Your will on us…
instead
like a kind shepherd…You
called to us…
walking each step
ahead of us…first…

You tested out the path
so we could follow
in the safety…of
Your love…of
Your kind intention.

You wondered at
our lack of faith…
but
You never wavered in
Your love for us…or
Your choosing of us…
even
the betrayer was
loved…by You…

We never understood
why…
back then…but
we had a lot of
trouble
understanding You
at all.

You always seemed to be working on us…
on our hearts…
so hard…as if
nothing was too small
for You to notice…
to care about…

John was right
when he said,
“He loved His Own…
to the end.”

In all the years
since…
our estimation
of Your love for us
has only grown…

You NEVER put Yourself
ahead
of us…even
though You were LORD
over all the other Lords!!

So meek…simple…straight up…
You were…that
we mistook You
for a wise man…
nothing more…
until near the end…
when
the word “Emmanuel”
began
to make sense
to us
as we thought of You!

Lord,
Maybe that is why
Being “head” of a wife
Is such
a scary thing for
us guys…since
it seems that
You
want us to do things…
like You did…to
speak and do…
ONLY
what YaHWeH
wants…
no less…no more.

That, Lord,
Is a BIG deal…
too hard to do
without
all of Your Holy Spirit
filling us up.
Completely.

Thank you, Lord,
For the beauty and danger
Of this heart-trust…we are
NOT worthy of it now…but
maybe that is why You
gave it to us
in the first place.

Ephesians 5:21-33 (the Message)
21 Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.
22-24Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.
25-28Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favor—since they're already "one" in marriage.
29-33No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That's how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become "one flesh." This is a huge mystery, and I don't pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.

Broken Heart 2 from Isaiah (chapters 42-53)

Lord,
It is easy to defend against
A broken heart
But
Much more difficult
To live with one
To live through one.

Fighting fear
discouragement
small faith
disgrace
shame
the disgust of others
rejection
pain
deep suffering
oppression
An finally
The inner death
That heart-brokenness brings…
These
Are the battles
A broken heart must wage…
Successfully…
So that it does not die
In hardness.

While brokenness gives the feeling
Of death,
Hardness
Is death…
Too often irreversible…
Almost irreparable…

Lord,
You know why I said, “Almost…”
Since
You are the God-of-impossible-causes,
The One Who melts stone-hard-hearts
Into living vibrating centers
Of LIFE!

This is what You accomplished
By taking our sins
Onto Your bruised shoulders
And fighting for our souls
From Your heart-broken cross-perch
Above Jerusalem.
You lived through every sorrow
We can imagine
And more.
So while Your heart
Was continually broken,
It was never weak…
It never wavered in pointing
You
Toward YaHWeH-willed-acts
Toward speaking YaHWeH’s Own words
To us…
For us.

So as You wept over us…
Over Jerusalem…
It was a broken-hearted YaHWeH
Who bemoaned our hard hearts.
It was the same YaHWeH
Whose heart was first torn in Noah’s day
Over the sin of our ancestors.

You…
As YaHWeH-in-the-flesh
Sobbed over the sin-cost to us all…
Our Father-YaHWeH
Would close the heavens
To mend
What had first broken His Own Heart…
Your Holy Spirit living in us
Each day still chooses
To endure our bad choices
Out of love
Never once interrupting
His deeper-than-words-prayers
For us.

It seems that
YaHWeH has chosen…
To live with a broken,
Wounded,
Stabbed,
Saddened heart
Rather than kill us all!

And that is the choice we all face…
To live broken-hearted
Or to kill those
Who hurt us.

Until...

ISAIAH 42:1-4
(The Message)

"Take a good look at my servant.
I'm backing him to the hilt.
He's the one I chose,
and I couldn't be more pleased with him.
I've bathed him with my Spirit, my life.
He'll set everything right among the nations.
He won't call attention to what he does
with loud speeches or gaudy parades.
He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt
and he won't disregard the small and insignificant,
but he'll steadily and firmly set things right.
He won't tire out and quit. He won't be stopped
until he's finished his work—to set things right on earth.

Lord,
To me…
You will always be
the quiet
steady
unstoppable man
Who never stepped
on another person
verbally…or
physically…
Who showed us
YaHWeH’s light up close
without blinding us
at all.
It was as if You
were hearing YaHWeH
whisper
in Your ears.
Each day new things
came out from
Your mouth
and hands and eyes…
which were
always
grace-filled…
life-giving…
YaHWeH-focused.
It was as if You wanted
Your Abba
to take credit for
everything You were…
everything You said…
everything You did.

So…You went after
the blind
to make them see…
the lepers
to touch them
back into life…
the wild party-ers
to love them
into Your Way…
the children
to look into their
eyes…and
to bless their future.
YaHWeH’s Messiah
Was to have been a Mighty Man
Who would free
YaHWeH’s people…like
Moses did…but
no one ever asked
what kind of person
Messiah would be…and
no one ever dreamed
that YaHWeH’s prophets
had called Messiah
“Emmanuel”…for
a reason…no one
knew You
were the Almighty One
dressed up
just like us.
We were awed by You…
even peeved with You…
upset when You asked
more than we wanted
to give…but
on those cross-days…
at that final
dark day…
we began to see..
to notice…
to hope…
what seemed to be
an impossibility.
You had been simply
Faithful to YaHWeH’s plans…alone…
Nothing else
Moved You…unless it was
our hopeless condition…
when every so often
You wept openly…
overcome by our deep
brokenness.
Only later
did we realize
how severely YaHWeH’s heart
breaks for us…
each day.

UNFORCED

ZECHARIAH 4:6-7 THE MESSAGE

Then he said, "This is God's Message to Zerubbabel:
'You can't force these things.
They only come about through my Spirit,'
says God-of-the-Angel-Armies. '
So, big mountain, who do you think you are?
Next to Zerubbabel you're nothing but a molehill.
He'll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place,
accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!'"

Lord,
Most things in life
good
lovely
blessed
cannot come through
force…but like
a lover…
they can only be
wooed….and
encouraged.

Your grace-plans
for us,
Your little ones,
were created
in might…and
in all wisdom…yet
are brought about
by weak men…and
women whose
fear
was often their most
constant companion.

Your eternal might
was bent
to produce a baby
in a young girl
who
was asked by Gabriel
if she would
consent…yes
Mary was asked
like a lover…when
a young man
declares himself…and
waits
for either rejection…or
the joy that
that comes first
in the accepting eyes
of his beloved.

Whether it was Your plans
to rebuild
the temple…or
to bring Yourself
into an
Immanuel-state-of-nearness
to us…
always…
Your faithfulness
along with our
answer
to You…is what
drives Grace into
place.

You…the ALL-MIGHTY ONE…
waits
on us…the weak…
to do Your grace-work…
for grace-that-is-forced
is no Grace at all!

You Shine! from Isaiah 49:1-3

“Listen, far-flung islands,
pay attention, faraway people:
God put me to work from the day I was born.
The moment I entered the world he named me.
He gave me speech that would cut and penetrate.
He kept his hand on me to protect me.
He made me his straight arrow
and hid me in his quiver.
He said to me, "You're my dear servant,
Israel, through whom I'll shine."

Isaiah wrote this passage about One Who would come as YaHWeH’s suffering servant. Jewish scholars today identify this “suffering servant” as Israel herself. We Christians know Him as Jesus Christ. This thought came primarily from the end of verse 3 as the Messiah meditates on His calling...and as I join Him in worship. I use the word "Lord" like Paul did in always referring to Jesus by this title.

Lord,
You shine!
You shine through me!
You shine with YaHWeH-glory!
YOU shine!

The sun is dim
Compared to You!
The sunlight is dark
Before Your gleam!
You take GLORY
and make it
close to us!
You take discouragement
and unmask it
as the impostor
it is…for
You shine…
not me!
You SHINE…and
all I do
is enjoy the LIGHT
as it
conquers all
standing against
You!
I do not fight!
You SHINE!
YOU shine!

Most mysteriously…
You WAIT…
for me
to be ready
to reflect
to carry Your light!
You have chosen NOT
to shine
in such away that
I die!
You have declared
Yourself to be FOR
me…so
Your light will
always be life
to me!
Like a kind shepherd
You wait
for the slow, small
steps…
the faltering
steps…
the heavy
steps…
to catch up…and
so it seems that
while You SHINE...
it is my small
torch
You want to use
to light up
the world.

Spitting on YaHWeH

Spitting on YaHWeH

“In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman—no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart." (Jesus in Mark 10:6-9 The Message)

Lord,
YaHWeH has made
Many things plain…
others
He has left vague.

One thing we must
Believe…in order
To claim to follow YaHWeH…
and You…
is that He…and
You have created
all that is,
making the human
race
into two-of-a-kind
designed
for a one-of-a-kind
union
where the physical act
we call “love” shows
both
YaHWeH’s artistry…and
His desire to make us
better…
deeper…
stronger.

Lord, You made marriage
ultimately personal…
not
merely an act of
desire…and
fulfillment
as so many say…
instead,
You made the first
marriage to be
a sign of
YaHWeH-love…
YaHWeH-interest…
YaHWeH-engagement
with us.

It’s as if
in every marriage
there are three partners…
the woman…
the man…and
You, Lord.

Is this why Your scriptures
Tell us that the marriage bed
is
undefiled…a
holy-place…a
blessing-place…to
NOT be skipped
on a whim…or
in anger…a
place where a
man and a woman
can please one another
resting
in Your embrace?

Is this true?

I sure hope so, Lord.

Leave Me To Myself (Luke 5:4-11)

Leave me to myself from Luke 5:4-11

4 When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, "Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch." 5-7Simon said, "Master, we've been fishing hard all night and haven't caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I'll let out the nets." It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch 8-10Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. "Master, leave. I'm a sinner and can't handle this holiness. Leave me to myself." When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee's sons, coworkers with Simon.10-11Jesus said to Simon, "There is nothing to fear. From now on you'll be fishing for men and women." They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him. (Luke 5 The Message)

Lord,
It is much easier
to be left alone
than it is
to follow You…

It is much easier
to wash nets…
to even celebrate a
tough, fruitless day…
to do nothing…
than it is
to go with You.

It is much easier
to declare You
to be too Holy
for us to associate
with…than
it is to go with You.

Fear beats loudly
in our hearts…
in our ears
when we hear You
call out to us…

What will people think?
What will happen next?
What can we do…
we’re just losers
who didn’t make the cut…

We say,
“I am incapable.”
“I won’t know what to do.”
“What if…?”

All these questions fill the air…
and more…
Your answer
Is…always the same…
“Don’t be afraid.”
“I will teach you...”
“We will catch people.”
“Together.”

God-Joined from Mark 10:6-9

God-Joined from Mark 10:6-9

“In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman—no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.” (Mark 10:6-9 The Message)

Lord,
The Pharisees…and
Us…Your guys…we all
Missed it!

They were talking about
divorce…and
Moses…
You were talking about
marriage…and
YaHWeH.

They were talking about
permission…
how far
they could go…
You were talking about
YaHWeH’s heart-gift
of marriage…
of the oneness
that YaHWeH causes
when a man and a woman
become one in body…
losing themselves
inside
one another.

Our mistake
was that we thought
we
did all this…as if
we chose our sex-partners
and
nothing else was
happening.

You told us…that…
from the Beginning…
YaHWeH had
a gift ready
for us…straight
from His heart!
This YaHWeH-gift involved us
choosing a mate…and
becoming one-flesh…and
somehow
YaHWeH’s Own Presence would
complete
the act
our bodies began.

We act
As if love is a thing
we invented…that
we fall into…like
stepping in doggie doo-doo…or
a thing
we do by ourselves…or
as nothing at all
exceptional...
just the act of
sex…pleasing ourselves…
a recreational pursuit
not unlike eating
a good meal.

We lie to ourselves
with each of these
love-ideas…we
twist and distort
YaHWeH’s heart-gift
to us…
killing off a bit
of our own hearts
with each lie we tell…
ourselves & others
with our words…
with our bodies.

Lord,
You saw us…each…
the poor Christ-follower…
the proud Pharisee…
the clueless passer-by…
as people in need
of more than
another sermon…or
a bit of permission
to do what we badly
wanted to do.

You saw us as needing
YaHWeH’s heart
beating inside
inside our own heart…so
we could see others
through His eyes…
through Yours…so…
You took time
with us…calling to us…
like the Lover You are.

The Hard-Hearted Life from Mark 10:1-12

Lord,
Many people came to You
With questions…real life
Questions that had buried
their hearts…and so
they bared their hearts
to You.
Some hard men came one day
Looking
to trip You up.
They asked a question
designed
to decrease Your following
to show You up
for the un-learned
bumpkin
they thought you to be.
“Is it lawful
to divorce Your wife?”

Your response to their,
“Moses was cool
with it.”
was to begin talking
about the core of marriage…
the heart.
You reminded them
that YaHWeH
invented marriage…
performed the first wedding…
and
saw marriage
as a kind of heart-thermometer
that shows
how soft…or
how hard our hearts
are.

As we sinned in Adam…then
in our own lives,
YaWeH had marriage
ready
as the great human heart
lab & surgery room
where healing…or
hardening would occur.

For…
In the way we
Have fallen from grace...and
have continued
to hide from it…
we need a place
to be both
healed…and
revealed.

Marriage
Is YAHWeH’s shortcut to both.
If a woman…a man…
is willing…
YaHWeH will bring them
together
to test their heart
material…stretching it
to the limit
so it can return
softer…stronger…bigger.

Fear fights YaHWeH
Everyday for the mastery of
Our hearts…our marriages.

And on that long ago day,
You
Taught some hard men
A lesson
they chose
to ignore.

As Your guys listening in…
We were confused
Until later…
Fearing marriage as a thing
too difficult
to be attempted…especially
When You told us
That re-marrying was to add
The act of adultery
against our first bride
to our list of issues…then
we were frightened even more.

Only later…
Did we come to the place
Where
We heard Your deep concern
For our hearts…and
then we began
to understand
ourselves…and
You a bit better.

We were not made
For alone-ness…
We were made for
one another…
who we can see…and
most of all
for You…for YaHWeH…
Who had remained
invisible
for so long.

Come to us, Great King…
Wonderful Friend
Awesome Lord
Mighty Warrior
Gentle Lover
Strong Husband of
our souls…
come.

YaHWeH's Verdict

Isaiah writes these words about the coming Messiah…
and His discouragement…

“But I said, ‘I've worked for nothing.
I've nothing to show for a life of hard work.
Nevertheless, I'll let God have the last word.
I'll let him pronounce his verdict.’"
Isaiah 49:4 (The Message)

Lord,
You knew discouragement
For what it truly is…
a weariness of heart…
a temptation to quit…
to stop short
of YaHWeH’s goal.

Voicing Your despair
Helped You to hear Your Own heart…
to fully experience Your grief
at our hardened
wounded
tired
ready-to-quit hearts.

The Enemy had earlier tempted
You in the desert…
with food to break Your fast
with power exercised
just for its own sake…
to make You feel
better…
with power used
to make You look more
like YaHWeH’s Messiah…
to bring many to Your
side…
easily…
quickly…
painlessly…
then finally he came at You…
with a simple, direct
command
to bow down
to someone other than
Your Abba…
to work through the
dark power of
earthly kings
to bring about the
YaHWeH-kingdom.

But…I think…we…
Your disciples…were
A harder test than all these…since
We hardly left Your side
For three years…until
it got too real for us
at the end.
We were slow of mind…and
Hard of heart.
Far too often.

Peter…
wanted to stop You
from going to Jerusalem…
he got a dark nickname
for a moment or two…
to go along with “Rock.”
James and John…
wanted to nuke
any who opposed You…and
those “Thunder Boys”
got a nickname as well.
Judas…
stole from the purse…and
always needed more…
“Always Empty.”
Simon…
would go on at times
about all “Roman Dogs”
deserving to die…
“Wild Man.”
Matthew…
would reminisce about
his easier days…
“Party Animal.”
We all…
wondered at the women
You were so quick to teach
who then followed us…
Your mom…she was
to be expected…but
the Magdalene?
the others?
No other Rabbi taught
women so easily.

I know
That we were a strong source
Of discouragement to You…
Often.

Yet…
You never left us…

You seemed to be awaiting
A verdict…from
Where?

I think you were waiting for
YaHWeH’s Words to You…maybe
that’s why You left us
for a few hours
at night…
so often.
What did Your Abba
Say to You?
Did He warn You about us?
Judas?
Your soon coming
Jerusalem-death-days?
Temple-worship-gone-bad?
Demonized Caiaphas?
Fools…like Pilate?
The coming visitation
of YaHWeH-wrath onto
the only One able
to bear it…
to carry it…
to believe through it?
Every bit of it?

Discouragement
Can lead us to either
crush our own heart…our own
heart-desire for You…or…
to faithfully and loyally
await our Abba’s
Verdict
just like You did.

carrying a cross

Lord,
You said we needed to make a choice
to...follow You...or not.

You called us to walk away from ourselves
first...then
pick up a cross...then
follow You.

Letting go of self
is tough...since
the Self doesn’t let go of us…
waking every morning trying
to find us…
call to us…demand from us…
everything it wants.

For the Self will kill friends,
make new enemies…and
destroy our own life
to that It can live…if
we let It win.

You then told us that leaving Self
was not enough…that
we also needed to pick up
our own cross…to be actively
involved in dying
on this planet
in obedience to…
in honor of…
You….a
voluntary thing…not forced…
fresh every morning…noon…and
night.
This means an active search each day,
each moment for the place,
the reason, the person
You
are calling us to die for by
again giving up what we have & are
for the sake of another…for the sake
of Your love.
It means that we begin to bear
Your resemblance
more & more each day…
because we want to.

Then…and only then…
You said, we could
walk the cross-road with You.

The cross-life is weird…
it’s free…with
the only thing tying us down
being love…
Your love moving through
us to others all the time.

The cross-life is strong…since
we give up the right
to own anything that might
cause real damage & hurt to
another…all in Your Name, Lord.
People sometimes walk
all over us…thinking they’re
winning, much like Satan
thot he was conquering You
when You hung bleeding
on Your cross.
He could not understand
that Your freely given death
for YaHWeH’s sake…
was a love-gift…that
would shake the Universe.
Forever.

So, Lord, I keep on
walking away from my old Self…
picking up my own cross…
trying to catch up with You
on the cross-road.

People do stop & stare…
seldom appreciating what
they are seeing…after all,
a man carrying a cross
sticks out
in the crowd.

Doubt

Lord,
Did Teresa of Caclutta
Name rightly
the darkness she felt
in her soul?
Did she call out
the demons attacking her
by name? Or perhaps…
Did she mis-diagnose…and
see the darkness
in her heart as real…
thus making You into
a mirage? Or..
Did she suffer from
the real darkness
that the Enemy
will try to bring
to us
hoping that we will
take it into our souls
and…then
lose sight of You…
refusing even
to obey Your clear
commands? Or…
Did she fight on
like You did, Lord?
Did she shout
her questions into
the face of darkness
like You did
as You laid down
Your life-blood
for us all?
“My God!”
“My God!”
“Why?”
“Have You forsaken Me?”
Did she obey
like You did, Lord?
In the dark
choosing
to do the right
with the little
she had?

the word made baby

Lord,
You are the WORD…the
Eternal WORD…that
when spoken
speaks
life into being
the cosmos into existence
from nothing.
Nothing at all.

Yet…while being God,
Creator-God by nature,
You chose
Freely
To join us
In the human
Race…
The human journey…
Through time
day by day
hour by hour.

Not only did You choose
To be one
Of us,
You
Chose to become like us
In every respect…
being en-wombed
for nine months
in the body of
an unmarried, pregnant teenage
girl.
Then by coming
into this life through
the blood
and suffering of this girl
who would be Your mother.

While Mary was not the Mother of God,
She
Was certainly the mother of
Emmanuel
The God-man-Who-walks-among-us
The Lamb of God
Who takes on our sins.

And You…
Eternal One that You are…
You
Grew into being a baby
Needing
His mother’s milk…
A baby Whose
Lips puckered in sleep…
Whose mouth opened
To cry
Because the WORD
Had yet to learn words
In the same way
We
All learn them…
by practice
by imitation
out of need
with all the cute mistakes
of baby-talk.

It was You…
The Eternal-WORD-made-into-a-baby
Who taught us
The baby-talk of prayer…
The kind of baby-talk
That moves mountains…
You taught us to pray,
“Abba”
“Father”
“Daddy”

You taught us
That lifting hands to pray
Was more
Than correct form…
Instead…it was what every child
Instinctively knows…
Repeating expectantly words like:
“Pick me up…”
“Daddy, please…now…”

You taught us
That when we correctly assess
Our situation
we find that the Creator-of-All…
is our “Abba”…and…
That we best understand ourselves
when we see ourselves
as His “little children.”
John got this long before
the rest of us did.
For sure.

Seeing
Life and the cosmos
From the viewpoint of the Creator’s-child
Makes
Many things more clear….
not always fun
nor easy
but
more clear.

So, Lord,
You are
The baby Who came
To join us…so that
You
Might free
Us from all
our brokenness
our lifeless lives
our wasted days
and from
death…

Reign in us…
Make our baby-talk
Acceptable in YaHWeH’s sight…
life-giving…
powerful…
sweet words.

Please do this.
Amen.