Jerusalem

Luke 13:31-35 (NIV)

³¹At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you."

³²He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.'

³³In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

³⁴"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

³⁵Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'

Holly and I had the incredible privilege just about one year ago, of going to see the very city that Jesus talks about in today's passage.

Jerusalem.

If someone said, "describe Jerusalem" to me, some words would spring immediately to mind. So would many, many images, sounds and smells.

Holy...overwhelming...mysterious...desperate...tormented...tense...spiritual...diverse...ecclectic...historical...powerful.

Jerusalem was an incredible experience.

It seems that the world truly does converge on this small city.

At its heart, the ancient temple mount comprises the most contested few acres in the world.

Jerusalem is crushingly beautiful. It is middle eastern and European crusader, it is Jewish and Muslim and Christian (though in the extreme minority).

It is guns and walls and fences. It is checkpoints and security. It is places of peaceful prayer, and the ever-present reality of terror and violence.

I will always remember our wonderful tour guide saying, as we stood on the Mount of Olives, outside of the city, "Until his arrest, Jesus never spent the night in Jerusalem. He wouldn't do it. If you read the gospels closely, you'll see that he always came back here, or he went to Bethany. It's as though he just wasn't comfortable in that city."

Notice "comfortable" didn't make my list of Jerusalem descriptors.

There is a deep, deep sense of brokenness in that place.

Though Jesus surely seemed to have that sense as well, he would not give up on this place that he loved so much.

He gives us the image of messiah-as-mother-hen as he tries to describe how much he longs to care for those in danger in that place.

Like a mother hen, he fights to the death, laying down his life for the ones he loves.

Jerusalem, of course, is also a metaphor for all of us. "You were not willing" must be some of the saddest words Jesus speaks in all of the gospels.

No matter how broken we are...no matter how beautiful or dangerous or mysterious or tension-filled our souls may be...the invitation stands from the mother hen who seeks to give us peace.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Note: the pic today is one I took in Jerusalem. There was a class of new Israeli army recruits, and we were told that they were on a "field trip" for an Israeli heritage/history component of their training. These girls are probably 18 years old and will do 2 years of compulsory military service. All Israeli men serve 3 years between the ages of 18 and 21. Yes, they were all carrying automatic weapons like this, and it's safe to assume they were loaded and ready to roll.

Jerusalem (Steve Earle)

I woke up this mornin' and none of the news was good
And death machines were rumblin' 'cross the ground where Jesus stood
And the man on my TV told me that it had always been that way
And there was nothin' anyone could do or say

And I almost listened to him
Yeah, I almost lost my mind
Then I regained my senses again
And looked into my heart to find

That I believe that one fine day all the children of Abraham
Will lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem

Well maybe I'm only dreamin' and maybe I'm just a fool
But I don't remember learnin' how to hate in Sunday school
But somewhere along the way I strayed and I never looked back again
But I still find some comfort now and then

Then the storm comes rumblin' in
And I can't lay me down
And the drums are drummin' again
And I can't stand the sound

But I believe there'll come a day when the lion and the lamb
Will lie down in peace together in Jerusalem

And there'll be no barricades then
There'll be no wire or walls
And we can wash all this blood from our hands
And all this hatred from our souls

And I believe that on that day all the children of Abraham

Will lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem

Await

Philippians 3:20-4:1 (NIV)

But our citizenship is in heaven.

And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

¹Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!

Who here enjoys waiting?

Really, there's nothing better than sitting in the waiting rooms with the stale, burned coffee, the 18 month old magazines, the vinyl furniture and vending machines. No signal on your phone. Somebody with a very communicable-sounding cough, sharing your air. Somebody else who's angry, or whiny, or just too loud on a bad, too-loud tv set.

Having fun yet?

We don't like to wait. We'd much rather be free. We'd much rather do whatever it is that we want to do.

But if you're gonna get those new tires...or that oil change...or that car wash...

you're gonna have to wait for it.

Good things do take time.

Now, this analogy really is pretty poor, but it's the best I could do this morning to stir our thoughts about what we wait for in this life.

Paul has seen the resurrected Christ. He knows that the promised future for all believers is to one day become "like his glorious body."

No, I don't know what that means.

But it sounds better than a new set of tires. And the waiting room is a lot nicer.

Right now, by faith, we get to enjoy the gifts of joy, peace and grace. There is laughter and hope and possibility.

There is meaning to be found right now in this waiting room, and there is more around the corner than we can begin to imagine.

And there's no bill to be paid.

This "mechanic" of our souls loves us...he's family...and he does what we need for love, not money.

Let's think about that today.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

"I'm Not Who I Was" - Brandon Heath Music Video

Stomach

Philippians 3:17-19 (NIV)

¹⁷Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

¹⁸For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

¹⁹Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.

Their mind is on earthly things.

So...where is our mind?

If I'm being honest, mine is often on "earthly things."

I'm an "earthly" being.

This is where I live. The earth is what I see and experience. We will think most of what we can touch and feel and taste and know in a first hand way.

But this scripture is calling us to know that there is a different way.

If our "god is our stomach," we are headed for destruction. The Bible constantly reminds us of this truth: all things are passing away.

The world we see is temporary and changing. The unseen world...the world of faith...is forever.

Certainly, there is a balance to be found. We shouldn't be so focused on the heavenly things to come that we're "of no earthly good."

But more often among us Christians, at least the kind that I am (21st century American), just the opposite is true.

Life is more than computers, tv's, houses, clothing, food (and food, and food) and vehicles and schools and hospitals and security and safety and power.

There is a hole in the human heart that can never be filled by wealth, or food or substance.

The missing piece is the love of God. Let's don't miss it because we're distracted by the spectacle, and the stomach.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

A song about "the stomach," the darkness of addiction, and the path of destruction from the Son Volt front man, a truly great alt country band, in my humble opinion of course.

I

"Cocaine and Ashes," Son Volt

I’ve had strychnine, I thought I was dead
I snorted my father and I’m still alive
I did because that’s how it is done
I’m the same as everyone, just kinda lucky

Body and soul, Cocaine and Ashes
Get to that place in time
Tears and blowin my mind

It’s no way of life but I’ve tried everything once
I have no pretensions of immortality
I’ve been told I had six months to live
But I’ve outlasted them all

Body and soul, Cocaine and Ashes
Get to that place in time
Tears and blowin my mind

Senses and Spirit, Mourning and Misery
Addiction is somethin I should know somethin about
Whatever gets done I know that I’ll be blamed
They say the King is the man who can

Body and soul, Cocaine and Ashes
Get to that place in time
Tears and blowin my mind

Body and soul, Cocaine and Ashes
Get to that place in time
Tears and blowin my mind

Body and soul, Cocaine and Ashes
Get to that place in time
Tears and blowin my mind

Getaway

Psalm 27 (The Message)

³ When besieged,
I'm calm as a baby.

When all hell breaks loose,
I'm collected and cool.

⁴ I'm asking God for one thing,
only one thing:

To live with him in his house
my whole life long.

I'll contemplate his beauty;
I'll study at his feet.

⁵ That's the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world,

The perfect getaway,
far from the buzz of traffic.

What's "the perfect getaway" for you?

The beach? The mountains? A hidden cabin somewhere at the end of a gravel road?

A place where the cell phones don't work, and nobody's really sure what they'd do with the internet if they had it?

There are very few places where you can actually get completely away from man-made noise. Planes fly, trucks deliver goods, the world goes on in its busy business.

But that's not really what this Psalm is all about. The truth is that our times spent in "the perfect getaway" are few and far between.

We don't have the time to go on long vacations, or the money, or the energy it would take to get there.

What we need is for God to make our current location "perfect" in him.

This psalm is really about peace. It's about knowing that we can rest.

You can rest.

Listen. You can rest. You can rest in him.

It's been said that, "life is about our stewardship of reaction to each passing moment."

Take a breath, know that his grace is sufficient, and that peace is the gift he truly seeks to give you.

React from that peace.

Grace & Peace -- Adam

"His Grace is Sufficient," by Jennifer Knapp

I've exhausted every possible solution,
I've tried every last game there is to play.
In this search for the Christ like perfection
I'm convinced I've only left my God ashamed
. I cry I wonder can he hear my despair.
Afraid to lift my hands afraid he doesn't care.

And if he answers and I fall again
can I still be his daughter can I still depend on him.
When I'm down search every mistake, looking for new regrets.
sometimes I forget, I forget that his grace is sufficient for me.
that it's deeper and wider than I can conceive.

His Grace is sufficient for me.
My convictions seem to fade with desperation,
my hope declines with each and every tear.
My sin an anchor and this grace just an illusion.

The gavels heavy and justice is near.
Up comes the light and finds the stains on my hands.
Up comes my pride, I hide, I know he won't understand.
Cause it's deeper than deep and it's wider then wide.
why did I ever doubt now I'm dying inside. (chorus).

His Grace is sufficient!

Stars

This Week's Readings:

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Psalm 27 (UMH 758)
Philippians 3:17–4:1
Luke 13:31-35

Genesis 15:1-12; 17-18 (NIV)

¹ After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward."

² But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" ³ And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."

⁴ Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir."

⁵ He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

⁶ Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Can you "count the heavens in the stars?"

It seems like maybe our best astronomers still can't.

I love it when God gets a little pointed with Bible characters (but not when he does that with me, of course).

"Look up at the heavens and count the stars -- if indeed you can count them."

A cursory stroll around the internet this morning seems to estimate the number of stars just in our own galaxy at "between 200 and 400 million."

That seems like give-or-take-200-million to me.

I don't think we can count them.

And we're one galaxy of billions in the universe.

There's a lot we don't know.

Like why God would choose a Chaldean herdsman of advanced age to become the father of his people.

Because God does, that's why.

I wonder what God might do today? Do we think he could do anything we don't expect? Do we believe he can act at all?

Genesis says that we should at least entertain the possibility...just like Abram did.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Tempted

Luke 4:5-13 (NIV)

⁵The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.

⁶And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷So if you worship me, it will all be yours."

⁸Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"

⁹The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here.

¹⁰For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
¹¹they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

¹²Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

¹³When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

The easy way. It's always there.

"Wide is the path that leads to destruction."

Remember where we left Jesus? Starving. Physically depleted. Spiritually strong.

Satan whispers, take the shortcut. No one is watching. You deserve it.

Jesus surely must have been tempted. Any way other than the cross.

This Sunday at SOTH, we'll talk about temptation. The Lenten discipline of giving up something that has allure and temptation...it's all about learning to lean into the strength of God when we experience our own weakness.

It's the narrow path that leads to life.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Hungry

Luke 4:1-4 (NIV)

¹Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,²where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

³The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."

⁴Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.

Last night, I couldn't sleep. For me, that is a thankfully rare experience.

But, I've been under the weather for a couple of days, and have slept a lot. Last night, it finally caught up. Maybe that's a good sign that I'm almost well.

At about 4:00 AM, I decided to watch a documentary about life in a post-apocalyptic world.

Famine. Disease. Danger at every turn. No water, no medical help, no authorities.

The "experts" on the show said that a human being could possibly live up to 60 days without food. Starvation is a slow process, though painful and full of nasty side-effects along the way. This was not good insomnia viewing.

I know beyond nothing of starvation. If I decide to fast, I usually make it less than 24 hours before I'm "really hungry."

I'm dependent on our civilization to feed me. Like most modern people, even though I like to think I've got some "country" credibility, the truth is that I couldn't possibly produce all the food my family needs with the skills that I have.

I want to believe that I trust God for my bread...but what if it wasn't there for any extended amount of time?

I would panic. We all would. Have you been in the milk aisle when snow is on the way in the south? Panic.

Last night, one person on the show said, "at any moment, we're 9 meals away from anarchy."

Jesus had missed 90 meals. And yet, when tempted, he remained focused on the truth.

The spiritual outlasts and outweighs the physical. There is no panic.

"Man does not live by bread alone."

How do our lives show this truth? How can we become more like Jesus?

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Do It Yourself Blog

Romans 10:8-13 (NIV)

⁸But what does it say?

"The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:

⁹That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

¹¹As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." ¹²For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Well, I'm a bit under the weather, so I'm going to keep it simple. The scripture can definitely speak for itself. Here's a poem for the day, and I invite you to leave your thoughts about this scripture and what it means for you. I've been to the doc and hopefully I'll be 100% again tomorrow.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

"That hollowness we sometimes feel
is not a sign of something gone wrong.
It is the holy of holies inside of us,
the uncluttered throne room of the Lord our God.
Nothing on earth can fill it,
but that does not stop us from trying.
Whenever we start feeling too empty inside,
we stick our pacifiers into our mouths
and suck for all we are worth.
They do not nourish us, but at least they plug the hole."

Barbara Brown Taylor, 1998

Rescue

Psalm 91:1-2; 9-16 (NIV)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

¹⁰ then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

¹³ You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

Psalm 91 has long been popular among soldiers. I can definitely understand why.

It is a reminder of God's love and protection.

When we are in danger, when situations surround us that are far beyond our control, God is present and on our side.

The message really is a simple one: draw close to God, and receive God's protection.

And, throughout history, people of faith have been tempted not to believe in this promise.

If we truly believed it, we would act with more courage. But, we have seen bad things happen to good people, and we have learned to rationalize away this psalm as a nice in theory but dangerous in reality.

But we do have to choose. Either we provide our own protection, or we rely on God. Which will it be?

If we truly think we protect ourselves in this life, we simply haven't been in enough danger to tear away the veil of false reality.

All life is lived in God's hands. We can walk in confidence, not tempting God (we'll talk about that later this week), but sure that he will walk before us every day.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

First

This Week's Readings:

Monday: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Tuesday: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Wednesday: Romans 10:8b-13
Thursday: Luke 4:1-4

Friday: Luke 4:5-13

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (NIV)

¹ When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, ² take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket.

^"8 ...So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders.

⁹ He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;¹⁰ and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me."

Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him.

Gratitude is a powerful thing.

To be truly thankful for what we have. To believe that it has come to us, unmerited, as the gift of a generous God.

These are the things that can give life meaning and joy.

But it can't be merely lip service, at least not according to scripture.

Often, we are wounded when others doubt our beliefs, or our intentions. But actions speak more powerfully than any words ever could. They reveal the real movements of our hearts.

So let's ask ourselves. Are we really grateful for the blessings that come from God?

Really?

Our checking accounts will tell the story.

What do we give? Not "how much." The number will be relative to each person's circumstance. But do we make giving, to someone, somewhere, a priority?

Is there some sense in which we regularly and clearly return a portion of the first and best that God has given us?

It's important. Try it. God gave us this instruction because it puts feet on our thoughts and feelings. And it changes the very core of who we are.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Tomorrow: Psalm 91

Greatness

Luke 9:37-43 NIV

The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.

³⁸A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.

⁴⁰I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."

⁴¹"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."

⁴²Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion.

But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father.

⁴³And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

As we wrap up this week of transfiguration scriptures, I want to simply point out that Jesus does here what the disciples could not.

He heals, casting out a demon, because he is so closely aligned with the power of God the Father, at work within him.

Of course, Jesus is more than "aligned." He is one and the same. He is "of the same stuff" as the Father, but his example of the perfect human life reminds us that the power of God waits to work within us to any degree that we will allow it.

I hope you'll take a few minutes with this wonderful film about the transfiguration below, and really reflect on what it would mean to let God's power be seen...and how all who see it might then be "amazed at the greatness of God."

Keep the comments coming, and come be part of worship at SOTH this weekend!

Peace -- Adam

Awake

Luke 9:28-36

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. ²⁹As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

³⁰Two men, Moses and Elijah, ³¹appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

³²Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

³³As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

³⁵A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him."

³⁶When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.

Have you ever been so tired, that you just could not get up and going?

I had a minor version of that feeling this morning. Last night was a late one at the church, as was the night before. This morning came early and sleeping in at all was not an option.

What could make you "fully awake" at such times?

A couple of years ago, at about 2 AM, one of our cats decided to jump in the bathtub, in the bathroom adjacent to our bedroom. He knocked shampoo bottles into the tub, he went crazy trying to get back out, and the whole thing (in my deep, deep sleep), sounded just like a gang of intruders trying to break down our door.

Holly says she had no idea that I know kung fu, or that I'm secretly a ninja, but that I bolted straight out of bed and assumed a Mr. Miagi fighting stance.

Adrenaline flowed, and I was weirdly, fully, awake.

How could this happen to us spiritually?

If you haven't noticed, it's "glowing face" week in the lectionary, as we talk about the transfiguration.

No, I don't really know the details of what the face-glowing could really mean.

But I do know it gets attention. I know it's a sign of an incredible closeness with the power of God. I know that when Peter and the other disciples experienced this moment, they wanted to stay there.

Until the "cloud" came. The cloud, and the voice of God himself. And then the silence.

I don't think they said much to each other, and certainly not to Jesus, as they walked back down that hill.

They were awestruck, fully awake.

Do we dare to want a taste of that kind of power in our own lives?

I think we do. Let's dare to ask God for experiences of his presence that will leave us wide awake, and forever changed.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

And, the response to the inclusion of a song yesterday was so good, let's give it another go. Don't know if you've heard this 80's pop song used on Christian radio, but if you think about the lyrics in terms of Christianity and especially this transfiguration story, it's pretty good...listen to references to being "awake," and to "light and heat."

Not Fade Away

2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 (The Message)

With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back.

Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us.

He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn't notice that the glory was fading away—and they didn't notice. They didn't notice it then and they don't notice it now, don't notice that there's nothing left behind that veil.

Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can't see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there's nothing there.

^16-18Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face!

They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone.

And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete.

We're free of it! All of us!

Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face.

And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

The powerful description we read, just two days ago, takes on a sad dimension today's reading from the Apostle Paul.

Moses' shining face, radiant from his visit with God at Mt. Sinai, begins to fade.

Paul says the veil mentioned in that Old Testament story was there to hide Moses' shame that the glow was passing away.

How sad it is to spend time with congregations, or entire denominations, or with individual Christians who spend much more time looking backward at what was, than focusing on a present connection with the face-to-face God.

Paul advocates a complete ripping away of the veil. In fact, he says that is exactly what Jesus came to do.

Relationship with the living Christ can never fade away.

There is no "constriction." There is not oppression. There is joy and life and a pulse!

Ours is not a religion of "chiseled stone." What God offers is relationship, presence and power.

If you haven't experienced that, ask God to bring that into your life. If your church is determined to protect the chiseled stone...perhaps you have to find a place of life, for your own spiritual health. If we find ourselves more concerned with legislation than love...we must let the Holy Spirit speak, and we must be willing to listen, and change.

But really, this isn't something that can be preached. It must be shown. Once "transfiguration" happens, nothing else will do.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Today's Bonus: Could this be a "Transfiguration Sunday" song?

Terrible

From Psalm 99 (The Message)

"...Great and terrible your beauty:

let everyone praise you!
Holy. Yes, holy.

^4-5 Strong King, lover of justice,
You laid things out fair and square;

You set down the foundations in Jacob,
Foundation stones of just and right ways.

Honor God, our God; worship his rule!

Holy. Yes, holy."

I wonder if you've ever witnessed the "great and terrible" beauty of God?

You have, no doubt. The question is whether any of us acknowledge what we're witnessing in that moment, or somehow dismiss it and walk away unchanged.

I can think of a few of those "great and terrible" God-revealing moments:

The birth of my children, and the times as a pastor that I have been privileged to be present with families during the passing of their loved ones

The first time I saw the ocean as a child (and every time I get back there)

When I've stood in the vast wilderness of the Cherokee National Forest, and anytime I'm in the mountains for that matter

Seeing the expansive stars from the pitch-black Honduran countryside.

Watching the sunrise from 30,000 ft.

Standing inside the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.

Sitting at the edge of the Sea of Galilee.

What about you? What moments have been both "great and terrible" in their revelation of God for you?

Great, in that they reveal the awesome power and grandeur of God...

Terrible, in that they reveal exactly how tiny and powerless we are as human individuals. Terrifying, in the Biblical sense, because they make us acutely aware that we are not God. That we could stand in God's judgment, but are saved purely by God's love.

They are the moments that leave you stunned and mumbling..."Holy, yes, holy."

They are the moments when God has to say, "don't be afraid."

But we are. We slowly return to business as usual. The worst thing is, sometimes we try not to look again.

Let's dare to have some Psalm 99 moments today.

Where do you see the great and terrible, awe-inspiring presence of God?

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Glow

This Week's Readings (Revised Common Lectionary):

Monday: Exodus 34:29-35
Tuesday: Psalm 99 (UMH 819)
Wednesday: 2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2
Thursday: Luke 9:28-36
Friday: Luke 9:37-43

Exodus 34:29-35 (NIV)
²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.

³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.

³¹ But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. ³² Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.

³³ When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face.

³⁴ But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.

Moses' face "glowed" because he had been in the presence of Yahweh. Take a second and really imagine that. It's an unbelievable, very-hard-to-understand kind of thing.

In fact, it was so confusing that for a large piece of Christian history, the passage was misinterpreted from the ancient Hebrew. Because of the mistake, Michelangelo depicted Moses with horns on his head.

I've met folks who had "horns," and they definitely didn't glow with the presence of God.

But I have met some wonderful people who truly do seem to shine.

They are people who honor others. They are the people who have built such a connection to God, over time, that they've come to truly trust in his love, no matter the circumstances. They are people who exude...peace.

I've never seen them "glow" with physical, divine light...but there is no doubt that time spent in the presence of God gave them a different kind of presence in this world.

I can only imagine that the glow surrounding Moses gave him a particular authority when he delivered God's commandments. What if we could give similar authority to those who "glow" with the love of God in our lives?

Too often, we easily blow past such people, considering them too soft or slow or weak. The truth is, their grace and peace is the most powerful force in this world. It could transform us, if we take the time to listen, and really see.

Perhaps, with enough time, and with attention to the presence of God, we might even take on a little shine ourselves.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Tomorrow's Scripture: Psalm 99

Lookin' Like a Fool

I was recently asked to be a guest blogger on a friend of mine's blog. His name is Joseph and he is a youth director in South Carolina. The following was my first post to his blog from this past week.

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I live and work in the Atlanta area, so when I heard of General Larry Platt’s audition on American Idol this season, I took great pride in his representation of my beloved city. Actually “pride” might be the wrong word. Truthfully, while I did find his audition entertaining, I worried what the world might think of the rest of Atlanta’s citizens.

All worry and speculation aside, Larry speaks a profound Biblical truth when he sings: “Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground. Walkin’…Talkin’ with your pants on the ground.”

Do I have your attention? Allow me to explain:

I’ve been walking my youth through Ephesians 6:10-17; What the Armor of God is comprised of and how we go about “suiting up,” so to speak. The first piece of said armor is the belt of truth. Now at first I balked at the idea of considering a belt a piece of armor. However, if you read theNKJV interpretation, its place amongst the other pieces becomes clearer as “gird” can be defined as “to arm.”

I asked my kids why they thought truth was so important to the armor. Our ultimate response was because without truth, we are faking it. Without sincerity attached to our beliefs and what they ask of us, we are not being truthful to what we claim to subscribe to as Christians. And when we get caught in this lie, it is like being caught with our pants on the ground. We feel exposed and embarrassed.

This belt of truth…this call to make tangible in our lives the beliefs we hold in our hearts and minds…is all important. Without it, we might as well forget about the other pieces of armor because the truth is that with our metaphorical pants around our ankles we are immobile (I mean, have you ever tried to run with your pants at your ankles? Not an easy feat, let me tell you.). We are stagnant. We become what God calls lukewarm in Revelation 3:16; neither hot nor cold. We even play into the Christian stereotype of the hypocrite as we say one thing but act on another.

It’s time we pick our pants up off the ground and secure them with the belt of truth; to not be found wanting of the fruits of the Spirit, but to rather keep in step with Him. Otherwise, we’re lookin’ like fools with our pants on the ground.