The Seven Last Words of Christ

There is an old joke about a teacher who asked one of her students to name the four seasons, and he said, “Football, Basketball, Baseball and Hockey.” There is also a red-neck version in which the student answers, “Deer, quail, turkey and duck,” but that is another story.

     This week we are entering a new season in the life of the church. Most of us like Advent, Christmas, and Easter, but the season of Lent is usually not so popular. It is a season of somber introspection for the 40 days prior to Easter, a season when we recall our inclination to sin, and the things we have done that sent our Savior to the cross in the first place.

     As we think about the Passion of our Lord, and the events leading up to Good Friday, one of the themes that has resonated with Christians down through the centuries is The Seven Last Words of Christ, a recollection of the final utterances of our Lord from the cross of Calvary.

     On that desolate hillside so many years ago, a crowd gathered to see the gruesome sight and to hear the cries of pain and agony that would come from the pathetic figure nailed to the Roman Cross. But it was a surprise to them all when instead of a cry of anguish, there came a prayer of forgiveness when Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!”

     These words, spoken from the cross during the last hours of his earthly life, are particularly meaningful to Christians since they represent our Lord’s parting words to his people.

     One author wrote that “The Seven Last Words portray the terrible beauty and the rich and abundant meaning of those terse and deathless expressions that fell through that awful silence of Calvary to echo in men’s hearts down the ages.”

    Even a brief study of these words is a powerful experience.

    For the next five weeks, during the season of Lent, I am going to pick up this theme of the last words Jesus spoke before his death, words that are filled with meaning and purpose, and do a series of sermons on them. We will look at these words together and try to understand what Jesus meant when he said them, and what they mean for us, today.

      I hope you will make plans to join us for this special series of messages over the next few weeks. Lent is not always the most popular season of the church year, but having something to look forward to always makes things more interesting.

Life is a Journey

   Some years ago the country music band Rascal Flatts recorded a song entitled, “Life is a Highway,” which was a big hit for them, and was subsequently used in the Disney movie, Cars.

   The song reflects that life is more like a journey than a destination. The words go like this:

   Life’s like a road that you travel on; When there's one day here and the next day gone; Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand; Sometimes you turn your back to the wind.

   The image of a journey is a common theme in scripture to depict our life with God. But many times we resist the time and the effort that is required in spirituality. We want quick fixes and instant gratification, like the t-shirt that says, “Give me patience, and give it to me right now!”

   On our better days, most of us recognize that life doesn’t work like that. It moves forward in fits and starts, limping and lurching forward a little at a time.

   I think that is why so many of Jesus’ parables have agrarian themes, like a farmer planting seed, or harvesting grain. It is true that those were themes that the common person in his day understood, but it is also true that life doesn’t come with instant answers. Sometimes things have to have a while to germinate and to grow.

   That is why I like the church calendar. I don’t mean the one on my desk that keeps my schedule, I mean the events of the church year that are celebrated by Christians all over the world, like Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and Lent. They provide a certain pace to life, and help us put things in perspective.

   Lent, for example, sometimes gets a bad rap. People see it as a time to “give things up.” It’s a time for fasting and prayer, so some think of it as a morbid or depressing time in the church year.

   It’s true that Lent is a time of reflection and introspection, a time to think about the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross, and how we, in turn, are going to live for him. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.

   This spring, during our adult Bible study on Wednesday evenings, we are looking at the cross, what it means, what it did, and how we ought to live our lives in the light of it. I know some folks would rather focus only on the joy, the peace, and the love of God, but there is a time for each (Ecc. 3:1,2).

   It is a great study to do through the season of Lent, to think about how Christ loved us to death. Literally. You can join us at 5:30 for dinner, or 6:00 for Bible study each Wednesday evening now through May. It may be a slow journey, but it will be one worth taking.

Winter Thoughts

This has been quite a week! It’s a little over the top for those of us who have spent the last 15 years or so in temperate Texas!

     The word is that on February 2, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and headed back into his hole for six more weeks of winter weather, so it looks like we had better get used to it.

     I find it ironic that in my devotions this morning, I spent some time with Psalm 73. If you are not familiar with that Psalm, it raises some of the questions many of us have in life, but seldom give a voice. For instance, shouldn’t we as God’s children have an easier time of it than those who don’t fear God, don’t care about God, and never even give God the time of day?

     I think many of us live under the assumption that there must be some inherent advantage to being a believer; that maybe God listens more closely to our prayers, and grants us special favors. But I have never found this to be the case.

     Psalm 73 starts off with a declaration of faith, and says in verse 1, “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.” Don’t we who give special attention to God deserve special attention from him? If that is what we assume, we are mistaken.

     In verse 2, the Psalmist confesses his struggles. “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.” He had become aware of a situation that almost caused him to lose his faith. He almost slipped. What was it?

     It is the same struggle many of us deal with today. “I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles, their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.”

     Doesn’t it really frost your muffin when you see someone who couldn’t care less about God or even basic morality, and yet his life seems to be sailing along just fine; better than yours, in fact? It can be more than merely irritating, it can be faith-challenging. We wonder, what is the point of being good and doing good if we don’t receive good in return? The Psalmist says it well, “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.” He feels like all his faithfulness is for nothing.

     But wait. In verse 17, he finally understands, “when I entered the sanctuary of God.” There is something clarifying about entering into God’s presence. Then we get it. Then we finally see clearly. Away from God and God’s people, we lose our focus. Like Peter walking on the water to Jesus, when he took his eyes off Christ and looked instead at the waves, at the turmoil all around him, he began to sink. (Matt 14:30)

     The same can happen to us. Sometimes we concentrate more on the good things that other people have than the blessings that we have. Sometimes we think more about our problems and challenges than our blessings, and that causes us to slip.

     Driving in snow and ice is always a challenge. I’m pretty sure no one thought of that when they built our church on top of a hill. When it’s slick, how do you get up there? That was my challenge on Monday morning. Here is how I solved it: along the edges and in certain spots, you could see pavement, the snow was either melted or it had been driven over many times and squished out of the way. Dry spots! I carefully drove so that my wheels went in those spots, where I knew I could get traction. Slowly and carefully, I made it to the top.

     I think that is what the Psalmist encourages us to do. In the sanctuary of the Lord is where we get our traction in this slippery world. That is where truth is to be found. If we are to navigate safely, we have to steer our lives to those places we know to be true and use them to make sure we get safely home.

     We live in a slippery world, both literally and metaphorically. Be careful out there, and keep your feet on the rock so you will not slip!

The Year of the Butterfly

If you are an aficionado of Chinese New Year celebrations, you already see the problem with this week’s article. The New Year of 2014 (or 4712 as it is reckoned by the Chinese) is not the Year of the Butterfly, it is the Year of the Horse. In fact, I don’t even think there is a Year of the Butterfly.

So why the title of this week’s article? Rather than a reference to Chinese New Year celebrations, it is actually a reference to an opportunity for spiritual growth. I have already mentioned in a previous article that the New Year is a good time to think about our spiritual health as well as our physical health. Many of us are trying to get back in shape after a long holiday binge, so why not pay attention to our spiritual shape as well?

The reference to the butterfly is a reference to the Cursillo movement, which has adopted the butterfly as its mascot and logos, of sorts. If you are not familiar with it, “Cursillo” is a Spanish word that means “short course.” The Presbyterian Cursillo is a short course in the Christian life and is designed to encourage people to grow in their faith.

The reason Cursillo is on my mind is that recently, I have received several invitations to participate in Cursillo events. My daughter, Tiffany is participating in one this weekend, as I write this, and I will be serving on staff next month at an event in North Texas. Here in Eastern Oklahoma, there is an event scheduled at Dwight Mission on March 7-9, 2014. So, there seems to be a flurry of Cursillo events coming up.

If you have never considered a spiritual retreat, I would highly recommend Cursillo. The goal is to encourage participants to grow in their personal relationship with Jesus. It is a weekend that will inspire, challenge and equip those who attend so that they can live more effective lives for Christ whether they are at home, at church, school or work.

The format is a busy three-day weekend event filled with worship, singing, study, and lots of fun activities. The weekend centers around a series of short talks, given mostly by lay people, that center on God’s grace, Christian discipleship, and what it means to be the church.

The people I know who have been on these retreats come away blessed not just by information, but by formation—they feel they have had a new experience of God’s love and mercy. That is why the butterfly was selected as the image of the Cursillo weekend. It is a marvelous picture of transformation, which is what happens to us through faith in Christ. The Bible says in Christ, we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). So many people have experienced that through Cursillo.

If you want more information about Cursillo, or if you want to sign up for the weekend retreat, there are brochures on the table outside the office, and on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. It is a great opportunity not just to learn more, but to meet a great bunch of people, and to grow in your faith.

Let this New Year be more than just a time to think about shedding a few pounds. Think about how you can grow with God and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Winter of the Spirit

When the cold winds blow and the calendar turns over to a New Year, some folks think about shedding a few pounds after the holiday season, others resolve to eat better, spend more time with family, or even read more. I usually take a few moments to think about my spiritual life. Perhaps it’s an occupational hazard.

The Apostle Paul uses several athletic metaphors in reference to spiritual growth when he talks about “fighting the good fight,” (1 Tim. 6:12) or “running to win the race,” (1 Cor. 9:24), so perhaps I am in good company.

If you are also thinking about how you might improve your life with God in the New Year, let me encourage you to do so in several areas.

First, in the area of Personal Devotion. How much time do you regularly spend with God? If you think of your relationship with God as much like your other relationships, it makes sense that we nurture those relationships with our presence and communication. In the early stages of any relationship, what helps that relationship grow is time spent together, and conversation over a wide variety of topics. That’s how we get to know one another better.

I believe the same is true in our relationship with God. The way to feel closer to God is to spend time with God. We do this through prayer, which is a simple as talking to God, and through worship, in which we offer back to God some of the spiritual blessings with which we have been blessed.

Oswald Chambers compares our spiritual blessings to the manna the Israelites received in the wilderness to sustain them. If you recall the story, one of the unique features of the manna was that it would not keep. It spoiled if you so much as tried to keep it overnight. Chambers says, “God will never allow you to keep a spiritual blessing completely for yourself. It must be given back to Him so that He can make it a blessing to others.”

The lesson to be learned from this is that we can never hoard the gifts and blessings of God. They are to be used and shared, and we are to rely on God for any future blessings so that we can continue to work that God has given us.

This brings me to the second area in which we might seek to improve our spiritual relationship with God. In contrast to the first area, we might call this Public Devotion. It almost seems sacrilegious, or at least counter-productive, especially in light of Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees’ habit of public devotion whose only purpose was to call attention to themselves.

I don’t think we should condemn public devotion, but, rather, look to its higher purpose. As Jesus pointed out, those who are merely looking for public approval have already gotten their reward (Matt. 6:2, 5). The true reward of public devotion is in the sharing; we are blessed when we see others blessed. There is a mutual encouragement.

As the writer of Hebrews puts it, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching,” (Heb. 10:24, 25).

So as we are thinking about life’s priorities for the coming New Year, let’s not forget our spiritual fitness, and our relationship with God. Just like any other relationship, it requires work and attention.

Advent for Dummies

     I hope you will excuse the title of this article, but I have found that sometimes it actually helps to admit that you don’t know something. That way, people tend to be more patient and explain things clearly. I admit that I have used some of the “Dummies” books on occasion, and found them very helpful. I hope you will find the same is true as you read this article about Advent.

     Lots of times, in the church, we tend to assume that when we participate in certain traditions or rituals, that everyone knows what they mean and why we do them. Take Advent, for example. Even though we light candles and recite familiar verses, do most of us really understand what it’s all about?

     Most of us are familiar with the concept of a Christmas season, (thanks to the song) which lasts for twelve days. It begins with Christmas Eve, and lasts until Epiphany on January 6. Advent is a season in the Christian year that lasts for about four weeks. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve, so its length is not the same from year to year. Most of the time it begins on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, which often falls in the end of November.

     During Advent, Christians prepare for the celebration of the coming of Jesus. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “visit.” We remember and relive the Jewish desire for a Messiah, and we read many Old Testament Messianic passages, like those of Isaiah. But the Second Coming of Christ is also a prominent theme during Advent.

     Another unique feature of Advent is its color scheme. Most of us are used to the familiar reds and greens of the Christmas season, but we find the purple and pink of Advent a bit odd. Why do we use those colors? The reason has to do with the theological themes of Advent. As a season of preparation, it has much in common with Lent, which prepares us for Easter. Thus, the colors of Advent are also similar. Purple is a color that reminds us of both repentance and royalty. Remember the robe the soldiers put on Jesus as they tortured and beat him (Mark 15:20)?

     Advent wreaths also feature two other colors, pink and white. The pink candle reminds us that the coming of Christ is not just about repentance (You’d better watch out!) but about joy. After two Sundays of somber purple, we get a fun Sunday of pink, which is to remind us of joy. We are to be joyful about the coming of Christ, not just sober and introspective. So rejoice!

     The center candle is white. It is the Christ candle and represents the purity and the holiness of Jesus. We light this candle on Christmas Eve, and if we have services on Christmas Day, which happens when Christmas falls on a Sunday.

     Churches that have a Christmas Eve candlelight service will often use this candle to light all the other candles held by the people in the congregation as symbolic of the light of Christ spreading to all the world. Here, we like to do that as we sing Silent Night.

     If you haven’t made plans to be here for our Christmas Eve service, please do so. It is a little more relaxed service, with more singing, and less preaching. Bring your family, if they are in town, and start an Advent tradition of your own!

The Importance of Children

I have been thinking a lot about children lately. During Vacation Bible School we had over 40 kids, from infants to elementary school, join us to be part of this year’s Kingdom Rock, where we taught them to “stand strong” for God.

I have also had several conversations with people about how to build up our Sunday school program. I have talked with applicants who are interested in our Director of Children’s Ministry position. Even the Session has discussed how important it is to minister to our congregation’s children.

One of the comments I often hear is that we must do this because, “children are the future of our church.” I sometimes wonder if that is true.

Obviously, children are the future of the church in the sense that in 15 or 20 years they will be the ones supporting the church financially, and they will be the ones serving in positions of leadership. But, if we think we have to wait that long before children can make a significant contribution, I think we are mistaken. I think there is plenty that children can do in and for the church right now—before they grow up and become full-fledged adults.

Consider, for example, the energy and enthusiasm children bring to everything they do. It sometimes wears me out just watching them. During Bible school, there were two boys who would chase one another around and around the Fellowship Hall. While we had to encourage them, for their own safety, to find a more constructive activity, there was a part of me that longed for that kind of energy and exuberance. If I could put it in a bottle, I would soon be a very rich man! I think we need to have a fresh appreciation for the energy young children bring to church—Lord knows we can use it!

Children also bring a sense of wonder to worship as they listen to Bible stories. As adults, sometimes we act as though we have heard it all before—nothing surprises us. But if our God is anything, he is most certainly a God of surprises! Ask Abraham, Moses, Joshua, or David. You never know what God might be up to.

I love telling Bible stories to children because, for a few moments, I see them anew through the eyes of a child. I remember in a fresh, new way how wonderful these stories really are. Maybe that’s why Jesus said that if we want to see the Kingdom of God, we have to have faith like a little child—a faith laced with wonder and trust.

I remember when my kids were little and we would go swimming. They would stand on the side of the pool and jump into my arms. It didn’t matter that the water was way over their heads, or that they couldn’t swim very well. They trusted that I would keep them safe, and so they jumped.

What a great image that is of our relationship to God. We are often in over our heads in this life, but God doesn’t call us to sit on the side of the pool, he calls us to jump in—in faith and ministry, and in worship. We must trust that God will hold us up, like a child trusts her parent to catch her in the swimming pool.

Our church is significantly depleted without its children, so I want to make two pleas to you today: 1) these children need you to teach them, and to tell them the great stories of Jesus and the people of God. If you are asked to serve in this way, it is a great opportunity to see God in new ways. Take the plunge. 2) Children can’t get to church by themselves. So I am asking parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors that as you are figuring out your schedule for the fall, remember that your kids need God, and they need the church, and we need them. Plan to bring them to church and to Sunday school. We will all be the richer for it.