Tag: worship

An Oasis for Authentic Worship

Background Passages: Psalm 84:1-2; Romans 12:1-2

Sitting in Mr. Wallace’s sixth grade world geography class made an impression on this West Texas farm boy. As nice as he could be, he had a dry way of teaching, reminiscent of the economics teacher played by Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off…”Anyone? Anyone?”

While not overly exciting in his presentation, he opened up a world of places I assumed I’d never get to see in person.

While I admit our farm didn’t get a lot of rain, I was fascinated by the world’s great deserts and even more intrigued by the oases that dotted the desert landscape.

The Jubbah oasis sits in the middle of Saudi Arabia’s Nefud Desert, a smudged green basin in an endless sea of sand dunes. Archeological evidence suggests that humans have continuously occupied the site for at least 10,000 years, a testament to changing climate patterns and human resilience.

The freshwater lake at Jubbah exists as it has for thousands of years, an oasis in the middle of a vast desert emptiness thanks to a quirk of local geography.

Due west of Jubbah sits Jebel um Sanman, a massive sandstone formation rising abruptly 1,300 feet above the desert floor. The strong westerly winds rushing across the flat desert terrain hit the rock, breaking around it like water cut by a ship’s bow. For much of human history, the rock has protected the lake, leaving the oasis unscathed, a respite for weary and thirsty travelers.

Can you imagine the nomadic lifestyle of the region that depended upon finding that green oasis in the middle of such a vast and empty space? Your life depended on finding water to drink and shade as a respite from the desert heat. I imagine they longed to see it come into view. Yearned for it.

The thought of oasis came to mind this week as I read Psalm 84. It is a song probably sung by those Jews on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a trek they were required to make at least once a year for the sole purpose of worshipping at God’s temple. The Psalm is a song of yearning, longing for the chance to be in God’s house to offer sacrifices of praise and worship.

As I read the Psalm, it made me think. Is church, being with God’s people engaged in worship, my oasis?

Do I truly long to be in God’s house? Do I yearn for his fellowship? Is it really my heart’s desire to seek him out, to worship God as Jesus said, “in truth and spirit?” Do I sincerely long to be in his presence?

Look at how the psalmist’s deepest desire is to spend time with God.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living Lord…Blessed are those who dwell in your house. They are ever praising you. (vs. 1-2, 4)

His soul aches so much to be in God’s temple that he grows faint. It’s not just something he wants to do. Worshipping his Lord is something he must do. When his heart cries out for God it expresses the hunger of a starving man or the thirst of one lost in the desert.

Picture a newborn infant, longing for its mother’s milk. That baby cries with its whole body. Arms punch out. Legs kick. Its face a mask of agony, crying out for what it needs. That’s the psalmist’s image. There is such an aching desire to be in God’s house. His whole being screams for it.

When I read those words, I realize how much I take for granted my presence at church every week. While I don’t consider it an obligation, I’m not sure I always approach worship with the same sense of urgency expressed by the psalmist. Where the only bad thing about worshipping in church each Sunday is that I have to count the days before I can do it again.

The psalmist talks about how he envies the birds that make their nests in the temple because they live each day in God’s presence and under God’s protection. I like the image it conveys. The birds lay their eggs and raise their young inside the walls of the temple courts. It is a place for their young to be safe. Isn’t that a great metaphor?

It’s easy as parents of children and teenagers to get so involved in other activities that church becomes less of a priority. My wife and I certainly felt that tug when our boys were young. Still, when Moms and Dads set an example by “building our nests” in God’s presence and under his protection, when our children see the value we place on worship, worship becomes priority for them.

Church ought to be a place for families. It ought to be a place where the “village” helps raise the young. As I grew up in that little First Baptist Church in Ropesville, I knew in some way every adult there was my parent…Sunday School teachers who helped lay out what God required of me. I knew they all wanted me to grow in my understanding of God’s love and grace. I certainly knew if I misbehaved, those “parents” would correct me and then let my parents know of my poor choices. They helped raise me.

Any child raised in the church and loved by God’s people is blessed.

The Valley of Baca referenced in verse 5 translates in the Hebrew more closely to the valley of weeping…a place of trouble and sorrow. The people of God on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship in the temple had to pass through this normally dry and barren place. It represents the difficult part of their journey to Jerusalem.

However, along the way, God provided rains that made pools of water that refreshed and rejuvenated the worshippers as they journeyed to meet in God’s house.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength before each appears before God in Zion. (vs. 4-7)

This introduces the concept of God and God’s house as an oasis, a respite from life’s burdens. Blessed…happy…content is the person who finds fulfillment and renewal when worshipping God.

I like what the psalmist said about those whose have “hearts set on pilgrimage.” Our faith journey is a pilgrimage from its beginning until it’s end. Always learning. Always growing. Always gaining understanding about God’s grace and his love for us. Always figuring out from one day to the next what it means to live a Christlike life. The pilgrimage is not always easy, but it is always best when walked with God…when we find God’s house as an oasis in the middle of life’s desert.

As I sit here this week, pondering my own worship experiences, I admit that I don’t always walk into the sanctuary in my church with a heart longing to be in God’s presence. At least, not in the same sense of yearning expressed by the psalmist. I must do better. If my heart is not ready to experience God, I find I don’t always find respite from my troubles.

Here’s the truth, though. God is my oasis. He is that point of renewal and rejuvenation. Just like that desert nomad, however, if I miss the oasis, if I don’t come with a heart yearning for God, I won’t find the waters that quench my thirst or find respite in the shade of God’s loving presence.

It starts with my attitude. It starts in my heart. It starts with my approach to worship.

The passage says essentially, “I can find contentment when the highlight of my week is when I get to worship God within a body of believers who yearn just as much to be in God’s presence as I do. While worship is a matter between God and me, it is greatly enhanced in the presence of others who have also set their hearts on the pilgrimage.

Remember Jebel um Sanman. The 1,300-foot rock redirects the wind and sand that would overwhelm and consume the lake at Jubbah that gives life to those who rest by its waters. Without the rock, there would be no oasis, no life.

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord is my sun and my shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold for those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. (vs. 10,12)

God and his church (the people of faith, not the building) stand as that protective rock that redirects the ill winds that blow our way. Better is one day in worship to God than a thousand days doing anything else. That’s the way it ought to be!

I get another chance tomorrow to find rest in God, my oasis, through Jesus his son. So do you. We’ll find that together only when we come with hearts prepared to worship., yearning for the chance to commune with our father in heaven.

So whether you are with me at South Main Baptist Church or among a congregation of your own choosing, listen as Paul tells us what true worship looks like.

I urge you therefore, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any more to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2)

I pray you’ll find your oasis this Sunday.

Decisions, Decisions

Background Passages: Matthew 4:2-11; John 1:1,14; Matthew 22:37-40

The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, once served as the palatial home of the tsars. The gilded palace is now an art museum. One of the works of art one can see at the Hermitage is The Benois Madonna, painted in 1478 by Leonardo Di Vinci.

Named after the family who once owned it, this portrait of Mary and the infant Jesus have them engrossed in play together, their gazes lifelike to a degree that only Di Vinci could achieve. Above both the Madonna and Jesus hover faint outlines of a halo.

The use of a halo to represent the deity of Jesus is a common theme in art. I remember thinking as I viewed that painting several years ago that Jesus might be embarrassed by the depiction. A halo just wasn’t his style. It’s difficult to see the halo when you read the astounding words in the Gospel of John.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:1, 14)

As steeped in theology as those words might be, I find them so incredibly comforting. Think about that for a second. God’s son who existed in him and with him and was, in fact him, surrendered that divine existence to walk among the weeds with us. The very image of God living the same life I live.

Jesus’ early life is shrouded in mystery that matters only a little bit. From the infant unnaturally born in a natural way, to a 12-year-old with a mind that soaked up scripture like the desert soaks up a raindrop. To the carpenter with calloused hands who emerged from Jordan’s waters to hear his Father kickstart his ministry by declaring, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”

Everything else in the years between those brief glimpses into his life remains a product of speculation and imagination. In my mind, he didn’t walk those 30 years with a halo on his head spouting the King James English. He lived those 30 years coming to grips with what it means to live as the image of God.

As he walked away from the Jordan that day, hair dripping with river water, with the words of his father echoing in his heart and soul, Jesus headed into the desert to face the options open to him in his ministry. To more clearly grasp his purpose.

Grady Nutt, in his book Being Me, wrote about Jesus’ time in the wilderness. “This remarkable young man with all his gifts and with his unique relationship to God—he even called God a word we would translate as Daddy—still had to decide who would rule his life and what he would do with his life.”

Scripture tells us that Jesus spent 40 days in prayer and fasting. It’s again speculation on my part, but I think this time spent talking to his father gave Jesus a clear understanding of the role he would play in God’s redemptive plan. Obedience to that plan would put him on a cross. It may not have been the first time the thought entered his mind, but his time in the desert, I believe, left no doubt as to his purpose.

I think the last time he got up from his knees with his stomach rumbling, it was with a sense of clarity and resolve. That’s probably why Satan began to put a bug in his ear, offering a few alternative choices.

You’ll find this account in both Matthew and Luke under a heading of “The Temptations of Christ.” The title gives a little too much credit to the tempter, it seems to me. Nutt calls the same passage, “The Decisions of Christ,” putting the emphasis on the response of the one who is tempted, not the challenge of the tempter.

I like that because when I’m being pulled to consider options other than what I know God demands of me, I have decisions to make. It’s less about the temptation and more about how I will respond to it. What I will decide to do. What choice I chose to make.

The good news is I only need to see Jesus, the image of God standing in a desert, to get a handle on the proper choice to any temptation. Take a look at a familiar story from the Bible.

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then, the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:2-10)

In Christ, there is certainly the halo effect of God sending his son to become redemption for a sinful humanity. There is also the human effect of God sending his son, as Pastor Ray Stedman says, “to reveal man as God intended man to be.” In all Jesus did, in every aspect of his life as he lived among us as the image of God, we see a man acting as God desired us to act from the very onset of creation. The perfect example of God in human form.

From that perspective, suddenly life makes more sense. Throughout his ministry and certainly in this episode of his life, Jesus calls us to live faithfully by his words, his deeds and his decisions. He even summed it up in two simple statements to a scheming Pharisee.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

You see how he internalized those commands in his response to the choices in front of him while in the wilderness.

Twice Satan challenged him, “If you are the Son of God, then…” Notice the emphasis on the “if.” It isn’t an “if” in our English sense of the word, as though Satan was trying to make Jesus doubt his relationship to God. God affirmed when Jesus came up out of the Jordan.

Satan himself isn’t confused. He knew exactly who Jesus was.

The Greek text renders the word “if” more closely to our word “since.” “Since you are the Son of God, then”…why not do this instead of what you’ve been told you must do. This will be far less work. Far less pain. Far more glory and power.

What follows the “then” is a decision point where Jesus has to choose to be the one God called him to be. “Since you are the Son of God, then…”turn the stones to bread.” “…throw yourself down…” “…this can all be yours…”

Jesus’ entire life, his entire ministry, would be lived out against the backdrop of these decisions. The devil here is trying to get Jesus to move from the principle of dependence and trust in God. To do things his way.

It is the very essence of temptation for us as well. We face decision point after decision point attempting to get us to act on our own, independently of God and his indwelling spirit. “If you do this, Kirk, then…”

Let’s take a look at the decisions Jesus was asked to make.

You just think you’ve been hungry. Jesus had limited sustenance for almost six weeks. In one of the most understated bits of scripture the Bible tells us “…afterwards he was hungry.” The mere thought of turning a stone to a loaf of fresh baked bread makes me salivate right now. Imagine how Jesus felt when the temptation arose.

As miraculous as the temptation sounds, it rose out of a simple physical need. The temptation came because he was human and hungry, but that’s not really what the devil was saying. The implication is that God left him in the wilderness to starve. That God no longer cared.

That’s the way temptations come to us even today…through subtle suggestions that God could not possibly care for someone like me or you.

It’s the objection we hear to Christianity all the time. How could a loving God allow all this suffering in the world…war, famine, sickness. How could he let a child die? If there is a God, he must not care for us at all.

The devil suggested to Jesus that since God obviously didn’t care and since you are the Son of God, just take matters in your own hands. Meet your own needs independent of God.

It is the same decision you and I must make every day when faced with the choices laid out in front of us. Am I going to trust God or will I do my own thing. Answer my own questions. Make my own way.

Jesus’ response to temptation put life in its proper perspective. “Man shall not live on bread alone.” You see, our deepest need, my deepest need, is not physical. Not now, not ever.

My deepest need is to stay in right relationship with God. To trust. Making decisions based on my own will or by trusting in my own abilities comes at a cost to that relationship. Every single time.

If Satan can’t push you off one cliff, he’ll try to push you off another. After Jesus brushed off his attempt to use his physical needs against him, the devil targeted his soul. The devil couldn’t move Jesus away from this trust in the father, so he opted to put that trust to the test.

Taking Jesus to the highest rampart of the Temple, he said, “Throw yourself off.” Then, he quoted some scripture of his own suggesting that the angels would never let anything bad happen to him…not so much as a stubbed toe.

He said basically, “Do it and everyone will see how much you trust God and how you are willing to put yourself in danger for them. They’ll flock to you. What a spectacle it will be!”

As powerful as his miracles would prove to be, they were not enough to convince many of who he was. His greatest displays of faith came in the quiet trust of his heart that rested on what God had said and revealed to him time and time again. The things he did to stay the course. His trust and obedience to his Father’s will made the difference.

When Jesus spoke again, he chastised the devil. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” In other words, you can’t force God to act on your behalf. You can’t force him to change the conditions of life. That’s not the way faith works.

While it may not be as exciting as a swan dive from the top of the Temple, but a life lived obedient to God’s will, in his power and strength, provides the endurance and patience to deal with anything life throws your way…and to do it with joy.

As a last resort, the tempter took Jesus to a high mountain where he could see the world spread out below him in all its glory and beauty. Through subtle pretext and artful disguise, he said, “Worship me and I’ll give you authority over all of this.” The heart of the matter. “You will have power and will be exalted.”

Interestingly, Jesus came to win the world. To be Lord of all. To be exalted above all men so that “every knee would bow” and “every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…” as it says in Philippians. It was seemingly being handed to him on a silver platter without the agony of the cross. Yet, to grasp the heart of it you have to finish reading the verse. “…to the glory of God.”

That last part is the kicker, isn’t it? It sounds good until you realize the power, authority and the exaltation that come with the devil’s offer is fruitless unless God receives the glory.

Jesus chose again the appropriate response. “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”

There lies the basis of our decision to set aside all that glitters and draws us away from God. To keep ourselves from being caught up in the quest for power and glory all our own. The only right decision is to worship and serve the Lord.

It’s such a heart thing to understand, as Stedman says, “To worship is to serve. To serve is to worship.” Only God gives any real value to life. The world can never give it. It is a decision that speaks to the deepest desires of the heart. To have a life that is worthwhile. To worship God only and to serve mankind on his behalf.

So, it seems to me these are the most important decisions I can make in the face of any temptation. Will I trust him? Will I be obedient? Will I worship and serve him? As it was for Jesus, my entire life is lived against the backdrop of these decisions. So is yours.

I’m drawn back to the beginning.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Not with Di Vinci’s halo around his head, but wrapped in humanness to show us how to live as the men and woman God created men and women to be.

Temptations will come, but it’s less about the temptations than it is about the decisions we make when they come. Somewhere out in that desert above the Jordan River, Jesus set a pretty good example for all of us.

Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh

Background Passages: Matthew 2:1-12

They have been called, throughout history, magi, wise men, astrologers and kings. While a great many of these royal counselors were sycophants and charlatans trying to stay in good graces with their kings, some were, indeed, learned men, scholars, faithful royal counselors.

Scripture typically paints an ugly picture of astrology, often mocking those who practiced the pseudo-science. (See Jeremiah 8:2 or Isaiah 47:13-15) It is somewhat remarkable that men of this ill-considered standing within the Jewish community found their way to the Bethlehem home of Mary and Joseph, intent upon laying their gifts at the feet of the newborn king of Judea.

Some biblical scholars suggest that God reversed the normal Jewish expectations and drew the stargazers to Judea to open the door, just a crack, for his desire to call Gentiles to Jesus.

Popular images of the magi clash with Matthew’s account. The Christmas hymn We Three Kings gives them titles they did not earn. They were counselors, not kings.

While the travelers from the East brought three gifts, the exact number of wise men who came is not revealed. What is clear in scripture is their numbers were sufficiently large and their quest so politically charged, given Herod’s insecurities, that it clearly created a disturbance throughout Jerusalem.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and came to worship him.” When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed and all of Jerusalem with him. (Matthew 2:1-3)

The thought of a new king in the pipeline was an anathema to the paranoid Herod, but it drew a murmur of hope among the Jewish people eager to have a king to push out the Roman occupiers.

It’s a story you know because we see it played out in every Nativity scene. After their visit to the palace, the wise men journeyed on a few more miles to Bethlehem. There they found the toddler Jesus and his parents who had escaped the stable and found more permanent residence in a small house in the village.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down to worship him. Then, they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)

Throughout history, giving gifts to a king was a long-standing practice. It served as a sign of respect and honor given to one who bore the title and responsibilities of king.

I Kings tells us that the Queen of Sheba brought a caravan of gifts to the newly crowned King Solomon in Israel.

And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. (I Kings 10:10)

Within Isaiah’s bold predictions about the coming Messiah, he speaks of these gifts.

They will bring gold and frankincense and proclaim the praises of the Lord. (Isaiah 60:6b)

Though I find them interesting, it’s not the magi who intrigued me this week, but their gifts. Gold. Frankincense. Myrrh.

If Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, took the time to specifically record the gifts, there must be a reason why. Each gift, according to folks smarter than me, matched some characteristic of Jesus and his work.

Gold has always been a precious and valuable metal. Gold was made into crowns, stamped and made into coins to be used as currency, and shaped into jewelry. The wise men brought gifts to a king. We can see the connection between gold for a king and Jesus as the King of Kings. They worshipped him as such.

What about the frankincense? Why is this one of their chosen gifts? Frankincense was used by Jewish priests in temple worship and burned as a sweet offering to God. It may be symbolic of the High Priest role Jesus assumes in our hearts. It is also a gift of worship, recognizing Jesus’ divine nature. Seeing him as one worthy of worship, honor and praise.

Then, there is the myrrh, a perfume connected with death and used in the burial process. In Mark, myrrh, mixed with wine, is offered to Jesus as he languishes on the cross. When the women who followed Jesus went to the tomb on that Easter morning to anoint his body, they carried myrrh with them.

While it is an odd gift to give a child, scholars see it as a hint toward Jesus’ sacrificial death. A gift to anoint his body in preparation for burial.

The scholars are probably right to share what those gifts meant symbolically for Christ. As our King of Kings. As one worthy of worship and praise. As one who came to give his life for the salvation of all who would believe.

The gifts point to who Jesus is. How he would live. What he would ultimately do for all of us.

Still, you know me, I read outside the box and between the lines. My journey to Jesus was not as arduous as the one experienced by the magi thanks to the godly examples of my Mom and Dad.

Though I came to him from West Texas, I still must come to him bearing gifts. If Jesus reigns as my King of Kings, what “gold, frankincense and myrrh” can I bring to him today?

What is my gold?

I could speak of tithes and offerings…returning to God a financial portion of that with which he has blessed me and my family. While I need to do that, I think it’s more than just that.

Gold was that thing valued most in the ancient world. A precious gift fit for a king. Bringing gifts of gold acknowledged the kingship of the one who sat on the throne. Maybe my gold is my willingness to declare Jesus as savior. Not just in that initial faith decision, but in the choice to make him the daily boss of my life. To yield and surrender my will to his each and every day. To declare him my Lord and king.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. For what good will it be for someone to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul. (Matthew 16:24-26a)

This is the first nugget of gold I present to Jesus—my heart, my life presented to Christ as I declare him Lord. It is not, however, my last golden gift. Once I declare Jesus as Lord, I give him a life of devotion and obedience.

Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who are brought from death to life and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:13-14)

This is the second nugget of gold to lay at the savior’s feet—that the life I offer him becomes an instrument of righteousness.

What Jesus told his disciples and what Paul declared to the Romans is pure gold for my life today. Gold any wise man would give to the Christ-child this Christmas.

What is my frankincense?

The gift of frankincense is about worship, honor and praise. God breathes the sweet aroma of my frankincense when I spend quality time with him. Do I spend time studying his Word and learning how his word applies to my life circumstances? Do I have the kind of conversations with him that reveal my heart and take the time to listen to his spirit? Does my time at church in fellowship with other believers and my time in fellowship with the world around me point always to God? Is the time I give him quality time in devotion and service to him?

This frankincense attitude is the message Paul left with the Ephesians. We give our time and energy to God because he will take that time and do so much more than we think possible. It is to his glory and honor and praise.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all the generations, forever and ever, Amen (Ephesians 3:21-22)

You see, worship is never about us. It is not whether I enjoy the music or the sermon. Worship is about giving glory, honor and praise to God with our whole being…heart, mind, body and soul. It’s about listening for his word, allowing it to make a difference in how we live and treat others.

What better way to worship him and give glory to his name than to walk in his ways? To set aside my own will for his will. To no longer think or act as the world does, but to change my mind and heart to mirror the mind and heart of God.

Therefore, I urge you, my brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-3)

Presenting my all as a living sacrifice is my frankincense offering to the one who has given me everything.

What, then, is my myrrh?

The myrrh given by the magi represented the sacrificial life and death of Jesus. His great sacrifice of love.

You see, the other gifts of gold and frankincense…my commitment to Christ as savior, my decision to follow him, my choice to worship him in every aspect of life…will be less meaningful if my life is not lived in sacrificial love…my myrrh. Paul says to live without love for God and others is a “clanging cymbal.” All noise. No substance.

The myrrh I give my Jesus means to pour myself unselfishly into the lives of others. To love unconditionally and sacrificially. It is the way Paul chose to serve.

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:17)

Like Paul, our labor for Christ….our gift of myrrh to him…is to pour ourselves into the lives of fellow believers and non-believers. To love them in ways that open the doors for them to come to know Christ as savior and to serve him faithfully.

This is our gift of myrrh.

Committing our life to Christ, worshipping him as one worthy of our praise and adoration and loving unconditionally, without reservation, requires sacrifice of our own desires, our own time, our own energy and effort. It is not easy. The cost of such discipleship is high. Jesus said as much.

Here’s the deal, though. When we give our gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus, he does the heavy lifting for us. He offers rest.

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-20)

The wise men laid their precious gifts at the feet of a two-year-old child in a hovel of a home in Bethlehem, worshipping him as the king.

Their example poses a question for you and for me.

Will you bring your gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus?

As Time Goes By

Background Passages: Psalm 90; Ephesians 5:15-20; Colossians 4:5-6 and Matthew 25:23

You must remember this.
A kiss is just a kiss,
A sigh is just a sigh,
The fundamental things apply,
As time goes by.

Written in 1931 by Herman Hupfeld, As Time Goes By leapt to fame when it was featured in the 1942 Warner Brothers film Casablanca, performed by Dooley Wilson as Sam. The popularity of the song through the years is in the way it evokes a strong feeling of nostalgia…of regret and remorse over opportunities missed.

We flipped the page to another calendar year last week. It seems natural that the dawning of a new year causes us to reflect on the past as we look with either expectation or dread to the coming year.

Time is a weird concept when you think about it. When asked by a report to explain his theory of relativity in simple terms, Albert Einstein only half-jokingly responded by saying, “The only reason for time is to keep everything from happening at once.”

Here’s what I know about time. One can have too much time or too little time. Sometimes, there is never enough time. The days can be the best of times or the worst of times. We can make time, waste time, take time and spend time. I know that time heals all wounds and that time is money. It can be his time, but not her time. Time flies and time stands still. None of that explains what we are to do with our time.

According to Hal Borland, noted author and journalist, “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning, but a going on.”

As a younger man, the new year brought a sense of excitement, offering a fresh start. As I have lived out my 69 trips around the sun, the pragmatist in me tends to agree with Borland, a new year is simply “going on.” Just another day on the calendar.

American poet Mary Oliver appeals to the dream in me when she invites us into a new year. “Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.” In a way, that makes time a God thing…a gift that is more than simply “going on.” Each passing day gives way to the unimaginable presence and purpose of God in our lives. Time is a God thing.

Though the Bible never explicitly says that time is God’s gift, it certainly implies it. Genesis tells us God created the heavens and the earth in the darkness. As he hovered over the depths of the sea, he spoke time into existence.

“Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God call the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning…the first day…and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:3-5, 9b)

Isn’t it interesting? God, who is “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2), had no need for the concept of time, but the finite beings he created would need to understand the limits placed on human existence.

“The length of our days is seventy years…or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10)

If that sounds too much like Borland’s rueful lament, we just need to keep reading God’s word to find Oliver’s unimaginable. Knowing that our time on earth has a beginning and end, the Psalmist goes on to say…

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

That’s an important point of a new year, don’t you think? To gain a heart of wisdom? It’s critical because there are some really unwise ways to live. I don’t even need to look at the lives of others to know that. All I have to do is look at some of the choices I’ve made in the last year.

A heart of wisdom tells me to not place my hopes and dreams, my identity or my worth on things that will pass away as time goes by. Rather, my hopes, dreams, identity and worth can only be found in my relationship with God who made me and sustains me. Because he is eternal and his promises to me are eternal I should live my life for him and trust the work he has given me. That’s why the Psalmist ends his song with this.

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17)

Each new year is God’s gift of time, a not-so-subtle reminder that life is finite…too short…to make plans that ignore God’s plan and will for us…to ignore the work he has established for our hands to do. That lays a responsibility upon every believer to use the time we’ve been given wisely.

Because Paul understood this responsibility to live wisely, he told believers in Ephesians and Colossians to “redeem the time.”

Be very careful, then, how you live…not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity (redeem the time (KJV), because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is…speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15-17, 19-20)

His message to the Colossian church hit a similar theme.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity (redeem the time (KJV)). Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6)

To redeem is to buy back. To give back something in exchange for what we have already been given.

To redeem the time or make the most of every opportunity suggest that we pay God back for the time he gives us by worshipping him in heart and spirit, constantly thanking him for all he has done for us. We redeem the time or make the most of every opportunity by speaking words of grace to a lost world. Letting our words and our deeds be a testimony to the love and grace of God in our lives.

Perhaps, there is no greater testimony than the life described in Micah 6:8.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

I wish I could look back on 2022 and say I lived those godly ideals every day. I suspect you’re no different. There is little we can do to change the past. There are, however, lessons to be learned from those experiences that guide us in the days to come.

Shauna Niequist is a Christian writer and author of Present Over Perfect. Her words may be the words we need to hear at the start of this new year.

“I used to think that the ability to turn back time would be the greatest possible gift, so I could undo all the things I wish I had not done. But grace is an even better gift because it allows me to do more than just erase the past; it allows me to become more than I was when I did those things. It’s forgiveness without forgetting, which is much sweeter than amnesia.”

Maybe Borland and Oliver were both right. The new year is a going on. It is also the doorway to the unimaginable. I know it is a new chance to redeem the time we’ve been given.

In the parable of the Talents, Jesus tells us that we are responsible for using what God has given us to bring him glory and honor. While he is not speaking specifically of time in the context of the parable, it does not take a great leap to see its application.

He tells the story of a rich man who has three servants. He gives each servant an amount of money (Talents) and asks each servant to be good stewards of what he has been given. The first servant is given five talents and uses it to produce five more. The second servant is given two talents and doubles his investment. The third servant, fearful of doing something that might displease the rich man, buried his talent. When he was called to account for what he was given, he dug up the coin and returned the single coin to his master.

The servant who hid the coin was scolded for his laziness. Those who made the most of their opportunity heard a different word.

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” (Matthew 25:23)

So as time goes by, let’s celebrate the amazing grace of God. Let’s redeem the time. Let’s make the most of every opportunity in the time we’ve been given to worship and serve the God who is worthy of our worship and service.

That’s my hope for my new year and my hope for you in the days to come. When we close the book on 2023, I hope we can all hear the voice of our timeless Father saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

That would truly be a Happy New Year.

A Question of Honor

Background Passages: Malachi 1:6-8, I Chronicles 16:25-29, Matthew 4:10, and I Peter 3:15

Two sons were born to a family named Taylor in England in the early 1800s. The older son set out to make a name for himself in Parliament. The younger son gave his life to Christ.

Hudson Taylor, the younger of the two brothers, wrote about his decision, “Well do I remember, as in unreserved consecration I put myself, my life, my friends, my all, upon the altar. I felt I was in the presence of God, entering into covenant with the Almighty.”

Taylor journeyed to China and the obscurity of life as a foreign missionary. As a result, he is known and honored by Christians on every continent for his faithful service and the founder of China Inland Mission. This verse is etched on his tombstone.

“He that does the will of God abides with him forever.” (I John 2:17)

The older son gained none of the fame and prestige he so desired. There are no monuments in London or elsewhere in Great Britain portraying his likeness. No verse scribbled on his tombstone. He is listed in the Encyclopedia Britannica only as “the brother of Hudson Taylor.”

Our culture talks a great deal about “honor” as a noun. Hudson Taylor received many honors (noun) for his life’s service. Yet, it is because of his life and commitment to God that he is honored (verb).

James McMenis, pastor and founder of Word of God Ministries, wrote in an 2020 blog that he was taught that honor goes “down, out and up.” He said, “It does not matter what position you hold, how hard you have worked or how much authority you think you have. Honor is essential at all times. If honor to our heavenly father is not executed, you cannot (possibly) honor those beside or below you. That idea begs some interesting questions.

Maybe I’m picking nits, but as I read the story of Hudson Taylor, I wondered, is God honored (verb) by our worship? Does he feel our praise and receive our tribute? Do we, through our worship, give God the honor (noun) due him? Do we approach him through our worship in sincerity and reverence?

How do we honor God through our worship?

Let me begin by saying God is worthy of our worship and our honor. As the creator God who made all things…as our father who loves unconditionally…as the provider God who gives us all we need…as author of our salvation through his son…he is worthy of worship and honor is due him.

“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him, strength and joy in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” (I Chronicles 16:25-29)

God is worthy of worship and we are commanded to honor him by his own son. In response to Satan’s temptations, Jesus declared, “You must worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” (Matthew 4:10)

As Christians, we gather for worship every Sunday. The opportunity is there. Sadly, much like those Malachi addressed in the Old Testament, just sitting in the pew doesn’t equate to worship. Just because we attend church regularly doesn’t mean we are honoring God with our presence.

Malachi, the last of the minor prophets in the Old Testament and the author of its last book, spoke at length about the question of honor.

Malachi came forward at a time after the Jewish exile and after the rebuilding of the temple by Zerubbabel. The Persian king Artaxerxes let his cupbearer Nehemiah return from captivity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. After completing his task, Nehemiah returned to his king. During his absence, the people of Israel rebelled once again, turning from God to do what was pleasing in their eyes.

When Nehemiah came back again to Jerusalem, he found that everything he taught them to do had been abandoned. No tithes filled the coffers. No Sabbath remained unbroken. The priests had become corrupt.

Malachi began to call out the corruption and to call them to a worship that honors God.

“A son honors his father and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me” says the Lord Almighty. “It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name.’ But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name.” (Malachi 1:6)

Certainly, there were those who divorced themselves from God and refused to worship at all just as there are people like that today. Malachi speaks to a different group, though. In this passage, Malachi is speaking to the priests…those responsible for worship.

God, through Malachi, asks them where is the respect and reverence due the father and master?

This is what stands out to me in this passage. This is the shot across our bow as we prepare for worship Sunday. As we prepare to honor our father through our worship.

In response to the accusation levied by God through his prophet, the priests are dumbfounded. They can’t believe what they’re hearing. See how the conversation plays out in Malachi 1:7-8.

“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’”

“You placed defiled food on my altar.”

“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’”

“By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? says the Lord Almighty…Oh that you would shut the temple doors so you would not light useless fires on my altar!” I Chronicles 16:7-8)

The priests had taken so many shortcuts in worship for so many years, they didn’t even realize their hearts were no longer in it. Worship had become so commonplace, so routine, they didn’t even realize they were no longer genuinely worshipping God. They didn’t know their worship was void of honor. They were there. They were in the temple. They were doing the things they were supposed to do. God could not see their sacrifices or hear their words as worship.

Worship was no longer their primary aim or purpose for coming to the temple. They simply took for granted the opportunity to praise and worship the Almighty God.

Taking things for granted is easy to do, no matter how important they can be to life.

I’ve watched with amazement as my oldest son, Adam, worked hard to recover from the debilitating effects of his stroke. I am grateful for the prayers of many and thankful to God for his answers as Adam continues to improve weekly. While his recovery is slower than any of us would want, Adam’s hard work, the assistance of the therapists and your answered prayers are making it happen.

As he worked through therapy, Adam told me how he had to tell the synapses of his brain to fire to get his fingers to grip anything or his leg to move even a step. I can only imagine what that feels like. We do a lot of things without thinking about how to do them.

When was the last time you thought about picking up a pencil with your left hand? Most of us just pick it up without having to tell our fingers to close around it. When was the last time you had to think about taking a step? Most of us just get off the couch and start walking without willing our left leg to move.

We tend to take things for granted until they are stripped from us.

So, it begs the question. When was the last time you thought about worship? We get up on Sunday and come to church, with the world heavy on our minds. We sit by each other without speaking. Sing a song or two without hearing the words. Listen to a sermon, carefully prepared and delivered, without letting the message sink in.

Trust me. Even as I write this next sentence, I know the “we” is equally “I,” for I am equally guilty. I suspect as we sat in church last Sunday pretending to worship, we might have heard God telling us, “You have shown contempt for my name.”

I also suspected we’d be as surprised as Malachi’s priests. Looking back into the sanctuary to the pew where we sat for the last hour, we’d be flabbergasted and stunned at the accusation.

“When did we show you contempt?”

When we sat there, going through the motions of worship without really turning our eyes to heaven, we showed contempt for God.

Man, that’s a harsh word I have to speak to myself far too often. I can easily get caught up in the things happening around me, get caught up in the things I’m doing…even when they are good things to do…that I forget to truly open my eyes and my heart to God in worship.

I think of those Christians in countries of the world so hostile to the Christian faith that they must gather in secret or face imprisonment or death. I saw a photograph this week of Ukrainian Christians kneeling in the snow praying for God’s protection of their country in the face of an impending military invasion from a country that would forbid their open worship. That’s worship that is honoring God. It shamed me for taking for granted the worship I can so freely experience.

So many of us take the opportunity for worship for granted that we stay away from church when going is inconvenient. I suspect we know we can always come next week. Yet, the more we stay away, the harder it is to return next week.

I suspect far too many of us will find our place in the pews this Sunday and immediately and spiritually check out of the service, lost in the burdens of the week behind or issues of the days ahead. We check out without understanding that the answers to those burdens or issues may well reside in the fellowship enjoyed, the songs being sung, the Bible verses shared or the message being delivered. Let’s not miss the chance this week to honor God by our presence and active participation in worship.

You see, worship is our way of honoring God. As McMenis reminds us, “Only by honoring God can we honor and serve those around us.” It is a thought echoed by Peter.

“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (I Peter 3:15)

Let’s do something different this week. Let’s walk into church with a heart ready for worship. With purpose and intent to honor God for his love and grace for he is worthy of worship.

 

Enter His Gates

Background Passages: Mark 11:15-17; Psalm 100:4

If we aren’t careful, reading scripture can become too common place. We hear or read a story enough times and Jesus becomes a two-dimensional character we place on the felt board of our lives as the story unfolds.

When we’re able to make Christ real, the story fleshes itself out in colorful, three dimensions that gives us a new way of looking at God’s truth and inspires us to live life more abundantly.

Three verses in Mark. Four quick sentences. These 78 words tell the story of Jesus physically clearing the temple in a moment of righteous anger. It is an intense passage. I don’t know that it happened exactly like I envision it, but you don’t know it didn’t. Read with the intent of learning what it means to make his house a house of prayer and inclusion.

She shuffled inside the temple through its eastern gate,
caught in a stream of
hurrying humanity.
Pressing.
Pushing.
Prodding
An exhausting effort to
pass through the portal.

The massive crowd created an instant bottleneck.
at the narrow opening
Hundreds tried to enter
like sheep herded into a pen.

The petite, elderly woman.
Jostled.
Jolted.
Jammed through the gateway.
Once inside,
some hurried soul shoved her to the side.
Knocked her off balance,
scraping her wrist of the rough, stone wall.

She scanned the courtyard of the women,
rubbing the abrasion on her hand.
Blaring noise.
Braying animals.
Barked insults.
Smells and sounds stunned her senses.
Every face that passed reflected a patience worn thin
by long lines.
Angry haggling.
Inhospitable hearts.

Slowly she meandered through the booths,
handing over her temple tax to a scowling priest.
Paying her pennies
for a sacrificial dove.
Exorbitant fees left two coins in her bag.

A Jewish convert from Syria.
A trip of a lifetime.
A demanding and dangerous
journey to Jerusalem.
In her heart,
worth every toilsome step to pray
to the living God.
In His home.
His temple.

Pictured this moment in her heart for years, but
she never expected such…
unholiness
in this most holy place.

Passed through the masses
deeper into the Court of the Gentiles.
Seeking a quieter place to pray.
Hawkish vendors pawed at her arms.
Plying their wares.
When she did not buy,
they pushed her away.
Cursed her family.
Cruel words.
Contemptuous sneers.

She moved again,
longing to feel God’s presence in
his temple.

Once…
Someone arguing at an elder of the temple
broke her reverent conversation.

Twice…
Someone yelled at her
as she settled to her knees.

Three times…
Someone shoved her against the wall
as they jockeyed for position.

Tears flowed down her wrinkled face.
Tired.
Traumatized.

Disillusioned.
Disheartened.

*****

A few minutes before,
Jesus and his disciples entered the temple court
through the same eastern gate.
A long journey from Capernaum
in obedience to the call of Passover.
The last Passover
before the passion
of the cross.

Jesus steeled himself against the revulsion he felt
every time he entered the unruly atmosphere.
Particularly rowdy and quarrelsome this year.

Muttered to his disciples
“How can anyone worship like this?”

Worked his way through the crowd
Brushing aside the moneychangers and sellers.
Hearing the relentless haggling over
price and
product.
Anger boiled with each passing moment.

Jesus’ head snapped to a commotion on his left.
An elder in the Temple.
Shouted and shamed
a man who refused to pay the asking price for a
blemished lamb.
A lamb unsuitable for sacrifice.
Unworthy of God’s blessing.

Too late Jesus stepped to intervene.
The elder drove the man back
with fisted rebuke,
pushing him into and over an elderly woman
kneeling at the wall,
offering her prayers amid the
chaos and confusion.

The master could tolerate no more.
Grabbed two cords from a vendor’s stand.
Wrapped them around his wrist.
Held tightly in his calloused hand.
A crack of the improvised whip.
A shout that bounced off the temple walls,
Jesus cried out,

“Enough!”

People spun around.
Stared.
Shocked.

The old Syrian woman backed against the wall.
Avoided the man in the dusty robe as he charged by.
She watched in awe as he…
Moved quickly to a moneychanger’s table,
tossing it aside as if it were made of papyrus.
Scattered a bag full of coins
across the dusty ground.
Pushed over a nearby fence holding a small herd of sheep.
Drove them toward the gate and
outside the temple

People scattered.
Ran from the man with furious eyes.

Above the din,
she heard again…

“Enough!”

Picking up an armful of cages holding the doves,
the man shoved them forcefully
into the arms of a temple guard.

“Take them and go!
Now!”

The elderly woman startled in fright.
A burly merchant jumped in front of the man.
Beefy hands stretched out to stop him.
Eyes intent on malice.

The man with the whip froze.
Held the index finger of his right hand
inches from the merchant’s face.
Dark eyes glared at the storekeeper.
An explicit,
unspoken
message.

“Don’t even think about it!”

The merchant cowered.
Grabbed his possessions.
Fled toward the gate without looking back.

The woman stood with her mouth agape.
Fascinated by the
presence and power
on display.

As he encountered each Gentile worshipper,
he looked intently into their eyes.
Urged them,

“Please wait.”

Then, in a whirlwind of God’s wrath,
He turned to another merchant,
driving them from the temple.

A swirl of dust.
The man stretched out his arms.
Grabbed the edge of the heavy wooden gates.
Watched the mass of fleeing humanity.

“My Father’s house is for all nations a house of prayer.
You have turned it into a den of thieves!”

“Enough!”

Slammed shut the doors.
Sealed the ensuing silence
into the courtyard of God’s temple.

The elderly woman and dozens of desiring worshippers
Stood still.
Shaken.
Silent.

*****

Jesus stood still at the entrance
breathing heavily.
Head bowed.
Tears of sadness stained dusty cheeks.
Rubbed his eyes and face
as he calmed his emotions.

Troubled worshippers…
Clung tightly to one another.
Clustered in tiny groups,
gathered across the courtyard.

Shocked priests…
Huddled in the far corner.
Trembling in a mixture of
terror and temper.

Stunned disciples…
Stood slack-jawed amid the overturned tables.
Astonished at the demonstration of physical power
never seen from their Lord.

Jesus looked at his closest friends.
Exhaled deeply.
Puffed out his reddened cheeks.
Shook his head slightly and…
with visible relief, winked.
“I’m okay.”

Jesus scanned the silent assembly.
Looked intently for the elderly woman caught in the middle.
He found her.
Crouched in a corner.
Leaning against the wall.
Knees pulled tightly to her chest.

He sat down beside her.
Smiled a self-conscious grin.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,
but I know you came to worship our God.”

They sat for a moment in silence. Jesus breathed deeply.

He pushed himself upward,
pressing his back against the stone wall.
He took her hands.
Led her to the center of the courtyard,
calling for the others to join him.
In the stillness of that moment,
Jesus led them in quiet prayer.

He motioned to the frightened priests.
Signaled them to quietly accept the offered sacrifices.
One by one.
The worshippers relinquished their tribute.
Moved to a quiet place.
Offering private praise
to the Lord Almighty.

Jesus watched the prayerful pass.
Spoke quiet words of encouragement.

The old, Syrian woman
moved slowly in the line of worshippers.
Waited for her moment to offer her dove to the priest.
As the line moved slowly forward, she
stopped in front of the man who cleared the temple.
With a look of gratitude
she raised a shaking hand, translucent with age,
placed it delicately on his cheek.
Patted it twice.
Inner joy bursting forth in a near toothless smile,
erasing 20 years from her elderly features.

Laughing quietly,
Jesus offered his arm.
They shuffled to a quiet corner.
Knelt together in the dust.
Offered more words of praise and worship to the Father.

What made this Passover different? The same chaotic scene played out every year upon Jesus’ arrival for Passover. The crowds. The clamor. The irreverence.

Every time he came to the temple, Jesus surely winced. Overwhelmed by the cacophony within the courtyard. Sickened by the difficulty of worshipping amid the clamor.

Yet, he never reacted outwardly to his inner revulsion…never yielded to the rising bile of anger in his throat.

The disturbance this time triggered a different response. This time he would enter Jerusalem’s temple for the last time…on his way to the cross. Jesus chose this time to make a bold statement about worship so seriously misunderstood and misrepresented by the myopic temple authorities.

In a graphic way Jesus reminded them that God’s house is a place of reverence.

In a graphic way Jesus confirmed that personal prayer lies at the heart of worship.

In a graphic way Jesus warned against attitudes and behaviors that impede the worship of another.

In a graphic way Jesus insisted that God’s house would be an inviting place of prayer…for all nations. For all people.

Imagine a church today with no distractions. No dissension. No disdain for the different.

A church with no elitism. No exclusivity.

A church with no arrogance. No attitude that shuns the seeker. No action that serves as a stumbling block to real worship.

Imagine a church with its doors and hearts wide open. Ready for worship.

A church for whom God’s house echoes with prayer and praise…for all people.

Just imagine.

Then…

Make it so.

“Enter his gates with Thanksgiving; His courts with praise, Give thanks to Him and Praise His name.” (Psalm 100:4)

Author’s Note: The article above is a chapter pulled from one of my books, The Chase: Our Passionate Pursuit of Life Worth Living. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of the book, leave a message on the comment section below. 

The Master Silversmith

Background Passages: Malachi 3:2-3; Ephesians 1:11; Genesis 50:20; I Corinthians 10:13

The following story made its rounds on Facebook last week pulling me into a quick study of Malachi.

According to the story, a group of women were studying the third chapter of Malachi in the Old Testament. They came across verse three, which says:

“…He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…”

This verse puzzled the women, and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

This woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot – then she thought again about the verse, that “he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man explained that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be damaged.

Watching in silence for a few moments. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy. When I see my image in it.”

That story made me wonder. As we are feeling the heat of today’s chaotic fire, are we simply being refined for a greater, purer and more holy purpose? Is this just another moment in time…another fire…that God is using to make us a more holy people, better equipped to serve and worship him more perfectly?

I suspect the answer is yes…at least for those who want to be refined.

Malachi, the last of the prophetic words of the Old Testament, was written after the people of Israel returned from exile and the rebuilding of the temple. Though back in their homeland, Israel was still a backwoods province subject to its Persian masters.

The grandeur of restoration preached by Zechariah had not been realized yet. The people of Israel, looking for a more instant gratification began again to doubt the promises of God and no longer trusted in his justice. They lost hope and their worship degenerated into rote and ritual without meaning.

God called Malachi to preach a word of rebuke for the faithlessness of Israel and its people. He said that God would again come to his people, but he would come like the “refiner’s fire” to warn and reassure his people of his coming salvation.

Malachi speaks of God’s “messenger” who will prepare the way of the Lord. Then, once the way is prepared, God will send “the messenger of the covenant,” a direct reference to Jesus.

“But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord…” (Malachi 3:2-3)

It is God’s role as a silversmith that we’ll explore for a bit today.

From a very human perspective, our world is in chaos. Think about the events of the past few weeks. Devastation caused by another major hurricane along the Gulf Coast. Severe forest fires claiming entire communities in the west. Major floods in the northeast. Recovery from these natural calamities take a toll on those affected.

Then, the pandemic continues to claim lives in illness, death and financial uncertainty, robbing us of normalcy we crave.

On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we’re reminded that humankind causes plenty of its own turmoil and destruction without the help of natural calamities or disease.

While we’ve not seen that level of terrorism in the past two decades, we see the chaos of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and the danger and threat to the innocent citizens of that country with signs of new brutality already emerging.

None of these things caught an omniscient God by surprise. He already had plans in place to use these circumstances to grow our faith. Set aside the familiar passage in Romans 8:28 and find truth in Ephesians 1:11.

“God works everything in conformity with the purpose of his will in order that we who were the first hope in Christ might be for the praise of his glory.”

He told as much in the story of Joseph. Sold into slavery by his scheming and resentful brothers, Joseph tells them later at that great reunion that God used the situation for the good of his people.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)

Though we’re on the opposite side of God’s redemptive work from Malachi, his words remind us that God uses the events of the world to offer a path forward through the chaos that will create in us a holy people who will serve and worship him in truth, tested by the fire…purer and stronger for it.

Here’s a thought we may not want to hear. One pastor wrote that God is less concerned that we “get out” of our current chaos, and more concerned that there is something he wants us to “get out” of our situation. To remove us from the refiner’s fire may cheat us out of the very lessons we need to learn. Trust in this. God is doing something in this time in your life and in the world. There is something he wants us to get out of this that fits into his plan for our lives.

So, what is it that God wants us to learn? I think there are two things we can draw from this passage in Malachi.

The refining process heats the ore to allow impurities to float to the surface where they can be skimmed off and discarded. The imagery of the woman watching the silversmith says that the artisan watches and waits until the perfect time to remove the slag. He doesn’t take the metal from the fire until it is cleansed.

God walks with us through the fire in our Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego moments so we can emerge on the other end stronger in faith and purer in purpose. God’s heart desire is for us to be pure and holy.

Lest we cringe at the thought of God holding us in the flame, the silversmith sits and keeps his eye on the work to ensure that the silver is not damaged beyond use. That is to say that God will not stretch us to the breaking point.

“No temptation (test) has overtaken you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted (tested) but when you are tempted (tested), he will provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (I Corinthians 10:13)

The purpose of the flame is to strengthen and purify, not destroy. As we walk through the trials of life, we must look for opportunities to rid ourselves of anything that pollutes our standing with God, careful to learn his lessons.

Think of it this way. In the story of the silversmith, the woman asked, “How do you know when it’s pure?” The silversmith answered, “When I can see my image in it.” That’s perfection! We have been refined by God’s hands when he can see his image in us. When we live as the image of Christ in a chaotic world.

So, here’s the second point. Perhaps the best reason for walking through the chaos. God refines our faith so that we can worship him. Malachi tells us in the latter part of verse three that “…he will purify the sons of Levi”…THEN, the Lord will have people who will “bring offerings in righteousness” and those offerings will be “acceptable to the Lord.”

The offerings or sacrifices of Malachi’s day were their forms of worship. The purpose of God’s refining work is so we can bring offerings of authentic praise and worship in truth and righteousness. The writer of Hebrews says we should offer a “sacrifice of praise” to our Lord.

If you believe God is at work through every aspect of life, know that this may well be the lesson he is trying to teach us. He wants us to return to him. The pandemic made it easy to stay away from church and the fellowship of believers. It provides an easy way out.

My church is in the middle of a pastor transition while in the middle of a pandemic. A double whammy! It would be easy to say, “I’ll just come back when all this settles down and a new pastor comes.” If we come at all, it would be easy to settle into the rote and routine of worship.

That’s not the lesson we should learn from this. Now, is the time God calls us to a stronger faith and a deeper commitment to worship. Now is the time he is calling us to worship in the way he created us to worship.

Bishop Handley Moule, an Anglican theologian from Durham, England, once wrote, “There is no situation so chaotic that God cannot, from that situation, create something that is surpassingly good. He did it at the creation. He did it at the cross. He is doing it today.”

“Today” for Moule was amid the worst days of bitter fighting in World War I. He could have easily been writing about almost any generation. It is certainly true of our “today.” There is, indeed, no situation so chaotic that God cannot create something surpassingly good.

The key is we must let him work in and through us. We must trust that he is at work refining and purifying us for his continued service. We must willingly draw nearer to him in worship and praise for the good work he is doing and the good work he will do amid the hurting lives of today’s chaos.

It certainly qualifies as the perfect prayer for Christians living in our ravaged world. Hold our feet to the fire. Refine us, Lord. Remove the impurities from us until you can see your image reflected in us.

Come! Now is the time to worship.

Worship and Adore Him

Background Passage: Matthew 2:1-12

The little fold-up Nativity that sat beneath our Christmas tree when I was a child is now displayed on a small table in the entry of our home. I’m not exactly sure how old it is, but it has been around for as long as I can remember.

Interestingly enough, the old family Nativity appears to show four magi, unless the bald one on the end is a out-of-place shepherd. It’s hard to tell.

That Nativity is one of more than two dozen Nativity sets my wife and I have collected over the years. Almost all of them display the typical scene. Joseph and Mary huddled over the baby in a hay-filled manger, surrounded by cattle and sheep. In a few, you’ll find shepherds off to one side and three wise men bearing their famous gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

It is usually these gifts that give the wise men their claim to fame.
In the case of the magi, maybe it isn’t so much about the gifts. Join me in Bethlehem so many years ago.

*****

The commotion outside brought Joseph to his feet. He and Mary exchanged uncertain looks. Pulling the curtain back, Joseph peaked outside as Mary scooped her toddler in her arms. The baby, unaware of their caution, laughed in delight.

Opening the door Joseph quietly told his wife to remain inside. In the fading light of day, Joseph nodded to his neighbors as they stood in their own doorways, awestruck by the sight of the well-dressed men stepping down from their camels.

The oldest of the men bowed his head and stretched out his arms in greeting. As quiet words were shared, the other men pulled several boxes from the satchels attached to the donkeys carrying their baggage.

“Come,” Joseph said, inviting the men inside his home. The men
stepped through the door of the humble stone house, dimly lit by small oil lanterns. A fire burned in its hearth. The smell of freshly baked bread filled the room.

Joseph crossed the room to stand beside his wife who held a small child on her hip. The child’s large brown eyes darted from his mother to the men, more curious than frightened.

In the quiet broken only by the crackling of the fire, the men stared in amazement at the small boy without speaking. Finally, the elder of the men slowly dropped to one knee, bowing before the child and his family. One by one the others followed their leader until all were on bent knee.

As one they began to offer words of praise and worship to the one they had traveled so far to see…the king they read about in the Hebrew scripture. One by one they shared their offering as tribute…among their gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh.

In the hours that followed, they told their remarkable story. How they had studied the ancient texts and followed a star, searching for the one who would be king of the Jews.

Mary and Joseph listened. Cherished their words. Affirmed for the visitors their own stories of God’s promises.

As the night grew longer, the men rose to leave, bowing again in worship and adoration before the child, certain in the knowledge that they had found the one for whom they had searched. They knew they found the Messiah.

*****

Almost every manger scene you and I have seen includes three wise men. We sing the popular Christmas carol about the three kings who came to see Jesus bearing expensive gifts. Three kings. Three gifts.

When we read this story in scripture or hear it told, we tend to focus on the gifts. The gold. The frankincense. The myrrh. Reading into each gift a symbol of some deeper meaning.

When we focus on the gifts, I think we miss something fundamental in the story. These magi, these wise men, did not travel the weeks across some 600 miles of awfully desolate land, searching for the king of the Jews, just to bring him gifts.

The desire to worship drove these men to find the Christ child.

What these learned men read in their texts, their interpretation of the star they followed, led them to believe that the child for whom they searched was the “king of the Jews.” Not a king, but the king.

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” (Matthew 1:1-2)

The phrasing of their question was such that it “disturbed” Herod. As the regional king appointed by the Roman Caesar, a new king would upset his apple cart. The long-promised messianic king who was to set his people free would really throw a wrench into his cushy life.

Herod, fearful of losing his power and position, called together his priests and scholars to ask them where scripture said the Messiah would be born. His reference to the Messiah would seem to indicate that the magi told him they were searching for God’s anointed one.

When their review of scripture pointed toward Bethlehem, he passed the word to the magi, instructing them to find this new king and report back to him so he could also “worship” the Messiah. Herod had no such intentions. He’s intent was to eliminate the competition.

After traveling hundreds of miles, the wise men of the East traveled the last five miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Once in the small village, it didn’t take them long to find the one for whom they had been searching so diligently.

The gifts they brought were secondary. They came to this obscure house in this out-of-the-way village to worship the Messiah.

As we think on this part of the Christmas story, perhaps there are a few things the wise men can teach us about our own worship.

The magi’s ardent desire compelled them to find the Messiah and to worship him. They faced a thousand obstacles and a thousand distractions. Little else mattered to them. Not the difficulty of the journey. Not the weeks of searching. Not Herod’s feelings. Not the humble house of a carpenter. Not the sight of a child without a crown.

None of that mattered once they dismounted their camels and walked through that door. Their hearts were ready for worship.

Our lives during the Christmas season are filled with distractions. The desire to find the perfect gift. The necessary shopping on top of the normal work routine. The parties. The travel.

In this most unusual year, we must add the bizarre political environment, the social disruptions and the pandemic to our list of things that divert our attention from that which God accomplished when he sent his son to be born in a manger.

Worship doesn’t happen without intent. We don’t walk into church, turn on a switch to eliminate the distractions and worship. Worship requires us to deliberately seek him. He is not hiding, making it more difficult for us to find him. We must sift through the distractions of our hearts, set them aside until the only thing in front of us is Jesus.

The magi prepared their hearts by reading God’s word. By listening to his spirit. When face to face with the savior of the world they could bow down before him, without distraction, in sincere worship and praise.

As we approach Christmas, let’s set aside the distractions. Let’s prepare our hearts to worship our king.

When Herod told them the Messiah would be found in Bethlehem, imagine their excitement. As a child, I remember the last five miles to my Grandma’s house through the winding streets of Fort Worth. When we passed the zoo, I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation of her hugs.

I’m guessing the magi felt the same on those final miles to Bethlehem. Image the excitement building over the course of the next couple of hours as they urged their camels onward. In a short time they would be in the presence of the one for whom they were searching. Matthew says as they followed the star it seemed to stop above a small house.

“After they heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” Matthew 2:9-10

Their joy didn’t come because they were saddle sore and could finally get off those camels after such a long trip. Their joy came from their growing excitement and anticipation to see the Messiah…for their chance to worship the one they had read and heard about.

I wonder how often we anticipate our chance to worship our Lord. How often do we enter the sanctuary overjoyed at the prospect of offering our praise to our savior? How different would our worship be if we approached the throne of God with the eager anticipation of the magi?

We sometimes overlook what was truly happening in the that little house in Bethlehem as these Gentile men from the East fell down to worship the King of the Jews. These were men who by their own faith and cultural traditions should have no interest in a Jewish messiah. Yet, here they were. Miles from home. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a star. On bent knee before God in human form.

The enemy of worship works hard to plant seeds of doubt and despair in believers through discord, distraction and distress. The events of 2020 and the impact on churches everywhere can easily divert worship away from the king.

The wise men let nothing get in the way of their worship. Given all we’ve been through this year, what an example the magi have set for all of us.

Christmas will always be “the most wonderful time of the year” for me. Maybe you feel the same. However, if we are not careful, Christmas will be just gold, frankincense and myrrh. Presents given and received.

Let us approach this Christmas especially without the distractions that will tug on our hearts, in eager anticipation of our chance to worship, really worship, the one whom God sent to offer his grace and salvation to a world in need of his touch, his love.

Let us follow the example of the magi. Let us approach this season on bent knee, overjoyed at the chance to worship our king. Let us consider the true worth of the one whom we worship.

Chances are you have at least one manger scene in your home. Maybe, like us, you have dozens. Join me today. Take a moment. Look at the manger scene you have displayed. See the wise men. Be reminded of their deep desire to worship the king of kings.

Let’s pledge to make this Christmas about our personal worship of Jesus. It could well be the best thing to happen in 2020.

Intentional Worship

Background Passages: John 4:23-24; Matthew 5:6

A routine visit with my cardiologist this week ended with his admonition and encouragement to gain some control over my diet. He said it so politely I walked out of his office determined to practice what he preached. His advice, “Don’t approach every meal as if it is your last meal. You always want to be a little hungry.”

I sincerely tried to remember that advice over the past few days even when I found myself wanting more. Then, I stumbled across this French proverb, “A good meal ought to begin with hunger.”

There is a measure of truth in that statement. When was the last time you truly enjoyed a meal when you were not hungry? When we’re hungry, we can savor every mouthful, even when the portions are limited. When you’re hungry, everything tastes good…except broccoli. Broccoli will always taste bad…and cauliflower…and Brussels sprouts.

But, we’re not talking about broccoli or Brussels sprouts today. Instead, let’s talk about worship. The Hebrew and Greek words for worship speak to “bowing down.” “Humbling oneself.” “Paying homage.” “Reverence.” “Adoration.” The words convey the idea that we recognize the eternal holiness of God and that he is, by his very nature, worthy of our worship and praise. Worship by definition is the attitude in which we approach God.

Jesus stood one day on the hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee as he spoke to the crowd gathered around him. Every word a nugget of truth penetrating the heart. The one bless by God will be the one whose heart longs for the right relationship with the Creator.

“Blessed is the man who hungers and thirsts after righteousness for they will be filled.”

The spirit that hungers to be in the right and proper relationship with God will find that hunger completely satisfied. What that tells me is we ought to approach worship with the appetite of a starving man. Meaningful worship begins with a genuine hunger to be in the presence of God. To celebrate in song praises to our Lord. To open our hearts in prayer to his words admonition and encouragement. To walk away changed by the experience of fellowship with the Father Creator. To commit ourselves to the life he calls us to live.

When was the last time you hungered for that kind of worship?

We can learn a great deal from an unexpected encounter at the well in Samaria. Tired from his journey, Jesus sat down on the stone edge of the well, leaning his back against the wooden support for the pulley and pail. He sent his disciples into town to buy bread and fruit for the day’s meal. Needing time to himself.

As he rested his eyes, a woman tentatively approached, carrying a large empty jar on her head. Alone and at mid-day…signs that all was not right in her life.

Jesus eased out of the way, allowing her access to the well and the water within. Jesus engaged her in a conversation. The distrust of a woman abused by men and by life and the natural antipathy between Jews and Samaritans led to an intense discussion and debate about life, faith and worship.

When Jesus hit a little too close to home with his insight into her circumstance, she adeptly changed the subject. Challenged by the woman regarding the differences in where the Jews and Samaritans worshiped, Jesus pointed her away from worship based on location and ritual and toward worship centered in the heart.

“Believe me, woman. A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem… A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is Spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

We must worship God in “spirit and truth.” What does that mean?

It think it means that genuine worship is a deep-seated desire for an intimate and worshipful relationship with God. It is not an act. It is an attitude. Worship isn’t just to be physically present in the place designated for praise and adoration. We won’t find true worship by an act of osmosis or absorption simply because we showed up. We find genuine worship when our spirit participates in the moment.

Theologian William Barclay declared that our God-given spirit is the highest, most noble part of us…the source of our greatest dreams and desires. True worship, according to Barclay, comes when our spirit seeks the highest…a personal and proper relationship with the eternal and holy God.

That kind of devotion cannot be a passive act. It is an ever present hunger to honor God in our hearts and with our lives. It is seeking with purpose and intent his wisdom in how we should live.

Intentional worship is the reason Paul and Silas could sing praises to God while locked in chains, battered and beaten, in a dungeon’s darkness (Acts. 16:23-25). Intentional worship is the reason, a woman whose life was shattered by sin, anointed the feet of Jesus with her most expensive perfume (Luke 7:41-50).

Intentional worship is the reason, a poor and destitute woman unselfishly dropped her last penny into the offering in celebration of everything God had given her (Mark 12:41-44). Intentional worship is the reason, Jesus prayed in the garden, “Not my will, but yours.” (Luke 22:41)

I find in those examples men and women who worshiped in spirit and truth. Despite their circumstances, they hungered to be in God’s presence. They hungered to know his will. When we hunger for righteousness, when we hunger for God in our lives, we can worship in any circumstance, in every way, seeking only to subordinate our will to the will of our Father.

The French said, “A good meal ought to begin with hunger.” For my physical health, that is a lesson I need to learn. Yet, it proclaims loudly a lesson for my spiritual health.

When I walk into that sanctuary each Sunday or open my Bible any day of the week, I need to start with a keen hunger for what I can experience in that moment. I need to approach the throne of God’s grace recognizing who he is and what he has done in my life. I need to declare in my heart that he is worthy of my praise. Worthy of my reverence. Worthy of my love.

It’s Saturday. Are you as hungry as I am to experience God tomorrow and in the week to come?

Singing in the Darkness

Background: Acts 16:16-40

My wife mocks my love of “coffeehouse music,” the unplugged renditions of familiar songs sung by the original artists or my relatively unknown singers offering a cover of the original version. I enjoy the softer chords without the amplified noise. Truthfully, I don’t listen to a lot of music until I get in my car. Once I turn the key, however, my car becomes my private and personal recording studio. That being said, my imagined talent undoubtedly sounds as little more than “joyful noise.”

Music speaks to me in ways that other human speech does not. There is something personal in the lyrics and the tune that reaches into the core of human emotion…especially it seems when life is darkest.

I am a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien. I read his books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy more times than I can remember and watched the movie adaptations countless times. Tolkien, a professor at Oxford was a devoted Christian and, together with his friend C. S. Lewis, looked for ways to share their faith through the lives of those they created in their rich and descriptive fantasy worlds. One doesn’t need to look too deeply to recognize the thread of Godly truth weaving through their stories.

Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware, authors of Finding God in the Lord of the Rings, speak to the way Tolkien sprinkled his story with song. Some light. Some airy. Some raucous. Some mournful. Some sung in more desperate times.

At one point in the story Frodo lay bitten by Shelob, a huge, carnivorous spider. Sam rescues Frodo, but sees a lifeless body. As the orcs drag Frodo’s body away, Sam overhears that his friend and companion is in a deep coma. Sam follows, trying to gather his courage to free Frodo from the prison tower. As his resolve ebbs away in the gloom of the stairwell, Sam begins to whisper a song. The song fills him with courage and he rises up, singing all the louder to confront and dispatch his enemies. It was a pivotal moment in the film.

The words reflect strongly a believer’s trust in a higher presence that sustains within and beyond the present circumstances.

Though here at journey’s end I lie
In darkness buried deep,
Beyond all towers strong and high,
Beyond all mountains steep.
Above all shadows rides the Sun
And stars forever dwell.
I will not say the day is done,
Nor bid the stars farewell.

History suggests that music is a language of emotion in every culture of every age. It affects us in profound and subtle ways. In our culture, a lively song written in a major key fills us with happiness. A slow song written in a minor key can evoke sadness. Music serves as a catalyst for our worship, expressing our deepest feelings for the Father in heaven. Reminds us of the strength of our gratitude for the salvation he provided. Soothes our troubled spirit just David’s harp calmed Saul’s anxious heart. Sustains us during difficult times as songs of praise and worship encouraged Paul and Silas in a Philippian dungeon.

As the biblical story unfolds in Acts, Paul and Silas found themselves in a difficult and dangerous situation. It had been a brutal day. It started well as God worked through them to heal a disturbed and demonized slave girl. Her owner stirred up a riot against the two missionaries for taking away his means of income. The crowd rose against them, beating them with sticks, until the authorities arrived and tossed them unceremoniously into jail.

Unable to nurse their wounds, the two men rested their heads against the coolness of the stone, hands and feet bound and chained, bodies bruised and bleeding. In the darkest moment of night, instead of crying out to their jailers for mercy, Paul and Silas sang.

While they sang their song, the earth shook. Their chains broke free and their frightened jailer let them go. Scripture doesn’t tell us what songs they sang, but I suspect the lyrics could have resembled the words of Sam’s song or the words of this old Quaker hymn, shared by Bruner and Ware, which celebrates a believer’s faith in God’s sheltering hand.

What though the tempest round me roars?
I know the Truth, it liveth;
What though the darkness round me blows?
Songs in the night it giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that Rock I’m clinging.
Since Love is Lord of heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?

To friends and strangers who have lost loved ones in recent days and those living through difficult times, Bruner and Ware said it well. Because of the God who loves us and gives our weary hearts comfort, we live assured of this one thing…

“It is never so dark we cannot sing.”