Traditions, Sacred Moments, and Motives

I grew up in a home with a single dad.  We never had elaborate traditions.  I don't blame him one bit for this because family traditions are a lot of work.  With a toddler now running around our house I can understand even more how it's hard for a single parent to spend much more time on anything other than what's essential.  

Contrast that with my wife's family who goes big for holidays and get togethers.  My wife's mom is the queen of decorating!  Her house is always elegant, fun, and creative whatever season it is. Contrast that with my home growing up where we only decorated for Christmas.   We had a tree, maybe some of those plastic candles with the light bulb on top, and maybe a strand of lights out on the front bushes.  Every holiday my wife's family all gathers together for a home cooked meal near made from scratch.  Contrast that with what I grew up with where on thanksgiving we usually went to Shoney's and on Christmas going to a Chinese buffet and one year I remember going to Denny's.

Sometimes I do miss the simplicity of our simple traditions I had growing up but I also cherish and look forward to each and every holiday with my wife's big family while experiencing new ones.  Traditions can be a good thing.  Traditions can change over time, they can fade away, they can become irrelevant, we can develop new ones, we can always revisit them, or we can join in with other people's traditions.  Traditions are great and valuable to society but some things shouldn't be a tradition.

Luke 22:14-19 reads: when the hour came, He(Jesus) reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.  And He said to them, " I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.  For I tell you I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God"  And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves.  For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.  And He took the bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me."

In this passage Jesus didn't start a tradition.  He started a holy and sacred moment.  This holy moment wasn't something to be done for a while, lose interest in, and pick back up again.  This was to never change!  This moment is to remain sacred and set apart to remember what Christ did for us when he took the sin of the world upon His shoulders and paid the penalty for it with His death.

This Easter Sunday there were some firsts for me.  I wore a t-shirt to lead worship(forget the frock) and I knew I was going to say something that had a statistical 100% chance of offending someone who was in church...I asked some people not to participate in communion.  I made sure to welcome our Easter only guests and how much I valued their presence at church today.  I simply asked that if it's just your tradition to come to church on Easter to please let the plate and cup pass without taking communion out of respect for what communion is and the sacredness of the moment.  I challenge our congregation each week to examine the motives of their heart since we are a church where communion is celebrated every Sunday.  Communion isn't something where we come together and check it off our list to win Jesus points and/or feel good about ourselves because we've accomplished something.  We take it and reflect on what Jesus did and remember it was our sin that put Him on the cross.

I asked this of our guests not to shame them or make them feel alienated but because of what is written in 1st Corinthians 11:17-33.  We learn in that passage of scripture that to come and take communion with improper motives, to eat the bread and drink the juice/wine,  we eat and drink judgement on ourselves.  Everyone our congregation was encouraged to do the same thing, to examine their motives for being in church on Easter Sunday before they took the bread and the cup.  I cared enough for our Easter only guests to let them know what is written in scripture about those who take communion with improper motives.  The judgment of God is never to be taken flippantly, He is the creator of the universe and I fear our God because He is righteous and just.

The fear of God is healthy.  Because God is just the consequences of sin are just and the consequences of sin is death.

 God, though, is many things and though He is just He is also a God of grace.  Because of sin my sin my body is the body that deserved to be broken but a perfect and sinless Jesus substituted His body for him.  Because of my sin my blood should have been the blood that was spilled but a perfect and sinless Jesus Christ substituted His blood instated.  Because of my sin I should be the one to die but a perfect and sinless Jesus Christ took the burden of my sin and paid the penalty of death instead.  In communion we remember that moment in history where the sins of the world past, present, and future were placed upon our perfect and holy Lord and God Jesus Christ.  Communion is more than a tradition, it is a sacred and holy moment we are instructed to experience with pure motives, together, as one body of believers for the glory and honor of God!  

Remember your motives this week and live to glorify God in every moment!

Two Bites, Seconds, and God's Goodness

Being a southern boy I fall into the stereotype of liking green leafy vegetables, Turnips, collards,
spinach, etc.  I could eat them every day.  My absolute favorite is spinach fried in a pan with an egg cracked in while it's cooking and throw in a few dashes of salt.

My niece was over at our house a while ago and I decided to cook her my favorite dish.  As soon as I started cooking it she gave me the stank eye and let me know she was strongly opposed to putting whatever I was cooking in her mouth.  In my mind this northern child had been deprived of good southern greens and was going to take at least eat two bites.

When it came time for her to take her two bites with her meal she proclaimed my culinary
masterpiece as "yuck" and "groodey" and refused to eat it.  I politely told her if she ate two good bites I wouldn't ask her to eat any more.  Begrudgingly she took her two bites and I figured that would be the end of that.

After maybe a minute passed she asked in a sheepish voice, "Uncle Tim, Can I have some more of that spinach?"  I felt a little proud and then asked her if she liked it.  Her response, "No, I didn't like it at all, but God wants me to eat more of it."  I gave her all the fried spinach she wanted to eat!  She then turned to my wife and said in all seriousness, "God wants you to eat it too."  We still laugh about that moment in our home.

Psa 34:8-10  Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

God is so good!  So, so, good!  His ways are good and His motives are good.  Many people don't

have an accurate understanding of who God is but if they really got to know the creator of the universe they would discover a God who has loved them even before they were born.  They would know a God who has great things in store for them!  Just like my niece telling my wife you need to eat this spinach too so should we be telling our friends and neighbors about the goodness of God and testify to His goodness and grace.

Many times we also haven't surrendered areas of our lives to God as we should.  Yes, He is our Lord and Savior but many times we don't fully trust Him.  I know I'm guilty of that.  Are there situations in your life that seem hopeless or out of control?  Many time when I've been in a place like that it's because I haven't done things God's way or sought His wisdom and will.  When I repented and surrendered it to God His goodness shone through.  I know God will do the same for you if you would taste and see His goodness in every situation.

Pause and reflect on these two things: 

1. Who do you know that needs to taste and see God's goodness?  Who needs to hear the good news of Jesus Christ crucified and Him raising from the dead?  

2. Is there something in your life that isn't lining up with God's will?  Are your ways His ways?  What do we need to repent of and taste and see God's goodness in an area of our life.

God is so good He proved it to us!  Our Lord and God Jesus Christ stepped out of heaven to live as one of us.  He lived a life without the experience of sin yet suffered the burden of all of our sin past, present, and future!  The sinless and holy God experience sin for the first and only time and then died with that sin on His shoulders to pay the penalty of our judgement.  We deserved nothing short of death for our sin but God, in His goodness, choose to make a way for us to be reconciled to Him.  Be thankful and reflect on all these things this week!

Folding Laundry, Sorting Socks, and Reflection

-I love it that most of the time my wife is the one who folds the laundry. 

In our house my wife is usually the one who folds the laundry.  It's not because we divvy up the chores that way but because, like a lot of men, I do not have adequate folding skills.  A few days ago I decided to try my best and fold the laundry.  Like a lot of men when we do "extra" things we like for our wives to notice...like we were doing them a favor.  Well, my wife noticed and she then said "I appreciate your effort honey" before she began to refold my attempt.

Now, there is one chore I don't mind and I don't mess up that often, sorting socks.  It's pretty straight

forward and there's not really a lot of skill involved.  Now, if you're one of those weird people who fold your socks instead of rolling them I don't understand you at all.  But I match them up, roll them up, then stick them in the drawer they belong in.

So what does sorting socks have to do with communion?  If you read in 1st Corinthians chapter 11 we are  commanded to reflect and examine ourselves before taking communion and reflecting on the sacrifice of Christ.  Doing laundry has a purpose, to clean clothes.  Communion also has a purpose, to examine ourselves and remember Christ's death.

When sorting socks we have to match them up.  What in our lives doesn't match up with God's priorities, what things are out of alignment?  Do you have a lack of concern for the lost?  Are you making poor financial choices?  Perhaps you have put religious tradition or cultural relevancy over the truth of scripture.

When sorting socks we also need to discard those socks that have holes in them.  These socks aren't good for anything and can't serve the purpose they were created for.  We also need to reflect  and ask God to reveal to us the things in our lives we need to discard.  Perhaps there are some toxic relationships that need to go, or self-serving worship where you only worship when you're comfortable and refuse to worship if you don't like the style or song, or perhaps you need to get rid of lust, addictions, gluttony, hatred, etc. and replace it with new things that God has for you

Laundry is also not a one time deal and if you have a toddler, like we do, it's almost a daily chore.  1st John 1:9 reads if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Like laundry reflection and confession aren't one time deals either and we may need to daily confess to God.  Take some time to reflect upon your lives.  Is there some piece of it wich is contrary to God's will?  Then bring it to Jesus, ask Him to set it in order for you

Soap cleanses our laundry, our socks.  The blood of Jesus cleanses our souls.  Remember that as you go about your week

Spelling Test Fail, Sass, and Consequences

I failed a spelling test, had to not play BB

When I was a kid I failed a spelling test. My dad was pretty upset with me for it and said I would not be able to play baseball for a week.  I was so excited!  I hated playing baseball!  Not only did I not like playing I was horrible at it.  I didn't like the thought of a hard object flying through the air for my head.  All the kids who lack the necessary talent to play are always put in right field and pray no one hits the ball over there....that's where they put me.  I enjoyed spinning in circles, daydreaming, and building things out of grass more than I liked baseball.  Occasionally I would work on my fake karate moves which were super impressive in my mind.

Then the bad news came, I still had to go to the game.  I had to sit in the bleachers and watch my team play baseball.  I still to this day can't sit and enjoy a game of baseball, it's just too slow.

During the game we went up to the concession stand to get some dinner.  I always got the same thing which was a chicken sandwich with nothing on it.  A bun and a chicken patty stuck right between the two was perfect.  The guy who usually worked the stand called it a naked chicken sandwich and when I walked up he said "Hey Tim, you want your usual naked chicken sandwich".  Sure I did, but I decided I wanted to have a little sass.  So, my reply to the man was "Yeah, I want my "nekkid"(remember I'm from Alabama) chicken sandwich" I then sassily turned to my dad and said, "N-E-K-K-I-D, nekkid!" There wasn't any amount of crying out to Jesus I could have done to have saved me from the whoopin' I received.  I had to live with the consequence of my actions.

1 John 1:9 reads  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

God does cleanse us, He forgives us, and He loves us unconditionally!  However, many people confuse God's grace and believe God will give us a pass on sin!  That's a big misunderstanding about God's grace!  God is also a good father and like any good father would do God doesn't give us a pass on sin.  When we sin we usually have to live with the consequences.  When we sin we have to learn from it, we have to be refined by it.  Perhaps we sinned against another person and irreparably broken trust with that person or we abuse drugs, alcohol, or food and to irreparable damage to our bodies or we harbor hate and resentment towards another person which numbs us to future empathy with others.  Also other people's sin may have consequences on our lives.  A person lies or gossips about us and our reputation is tarnished for a lifetime, someone physically abuses us, or we are judged whether we are to be respected by our dress or looks. 

While we are promised present suffering this life, not suffering brought on us by God but always

brought on by sin, we also have a present and future hope.  Sometimes God does deliver us from the consequences of sin and sometimes God allows us to suffer through those consequences all the while carrying our burden for us.  We know we have a God who works out all things for our good!  We also have a future hope!  When we pass this life we will pass before God and be welcomed through the gates of heaven or Jesus will one day return and set everything right right here on earth!

All this hope is made possible because Jesus paid our penalty with His death and gave us the hope because of His resurrection!  God doesn't give us a pass on sin and we will probably suffer the present consequences but as believers we have a present and future hope!  Think about that this week we as you go about your week and strive to live for God's glory alone!

My ADHD, the wall of TV's, and God's eternal attention

Something I'm very open about, but people may not know about me, is I have ADHD.  I've dealt with ADHD my entire life.  ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and I have combined type.  I was one of the lucky ones who did not grow out of it.  Many people may be surprised that I'm so open to reveal this because mental health is still somewhat taboo in the church, however, it doesn't need to be.  It's a reality the Church needs to acknowledge and embrace with grace.

A friend of mine recently asked me to describe what ADHD is like.  Like a lot of people he pictured a 7 year old in the second grade who was unable to sit still in a desk for 6 hours a day and is disruptive to his class.  That's not what ADHD is at all.  That kid needs some P.E. and an opportunity to go outside and run around.  He probably needs some discipline too!  Many times we diagnose a kid with high energy with ADHD because we expect them to act like adults and they're not.  

So, I came up with this analogy:

It's like walking into Best Buy and going up to their wall of TVs.  Every TV is on the same picture because they want you to compare the picture quality.  Imagine walking up to the TV wall and there are 100 televisions.  Now let's change 30 random televisions to 30 different channels.  70 of the TV's will be on the same picture and 30 of the televisions will be on 30 different channels.  31 channels in all. Now your job is to watch them all at the same time.  I know this isn't a super scientific description and an expert in the field may disagree with it but that's the best I got

So, like a lot of things it got me thinking about God.  A lot of people think God doesn't notice them.  They think God has too many other people to concern Himself with or they or their problems are too insignificant for God to pay attention to.  But that's not who God is!  God sees every person in the world with perfect clarity at every moment and intimately knows every detail of their being.  

Romans 5:8-11 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

"God shows His love" is in present tense while "we were still sinners" is in past tense.  I love this!  God is eternal, He is not constrained by time and space.  This is a big concept to wrap our minds around but stay with me here.  Since God is not subject to time and space and is eternal it means He cannot run out of time or must choose to spend His time on more important matters.  He is eternal which leads us  to the conclusion He has an eternity to spend being concerned for you!  He has an eternity to spend being concerned for me!  He has an eternity to spend being concerned for your neighbor, your best friend, your worst enemy, your second grade teacher, etc.!

While Jesus was on the cross and having the burden of sin placed upon Him He was thinking of you.  He ultimately died for the glory of God of course but in that moment our eternal God was hanging on the cross.  As He hung I believe He was thinking of you, me, and everyone else stretching back from the beginning of creation until the end when He comes to fully redeem creation.  He was paying for the sin of every person.  Our eternal God showed His eternal grace for all mankind.  As follower of Christ we were personally eternally reconciled in that moment no matter how insignificant we feel.

Spend this week reflecting on that fact.  You are not insignificant to God.  God is personally and intimately concerned for you with love unfailing.  He extends unfailing grace and mercy.  Make sure to tell someone about it this week to!  Let them know how much God specifically is concerned for them and how much He loves them.

Speeding, Guilt, and Grace

I hit a major milestone in my life this week.  I got my first speeding ticket.  My wife was so excited about me getting my first speeding ticket she sent out a public service announcement to inform all of Facebook world about it.  When I went into the church office that day I was greeted by our church staff making siren sounds and giving me a hard time about it.  If I had to be a judge our children's minister, Chris Cunningham, makes the most realistic siren sound.

Before the officer came to my window I had several excuses running through my head: "I was following behind a row of cars, they were all going the same speed, I was going with the flow with everyone else."  "I did see the sign but really didn't think it was serious since 200 yards right up the road the speed goes up 20 mph."  "I drive a Toyota Yaris, I didn't think my car could actually go that fast."  Really I didn't have an excuse though, I knew how fast I was going and was guilty.

The same goes when we stand before God.  We can use excuses like "I was just doing what everyone else was doing." or "I knew exactly what Jesus said but I didn't take it seriously." or "I really didn't think I was all that bad of a person."  But the fact is we'll know we're guilty.  In the presence of a holy God our sin will be exposed for what it is.

Romans 3:23 reads For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,.  There's no distinction, we can't compare our level of badness or sin with another except God.  We won't have an excuse because God is the standard for perfection and He has clearly communicated that.  

But just like the late Billy Mays became famous for saying, and that’s not all.  If you look again at the verse above I intentionally left the comma at the end of the sentence, it wasn't a typo.  Yes, every person in the world, all of you reading this blog post is sinful and broken but God has placed a comma there.  The story continues.  Romans 3:24 reads and are justified by His grace has a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  Wow, let that sink in a moment!

God is just and He is a righteous judge.  When we stand before Him the sentence is death.  Satan stands as the accuser and all of the evidence is available to convict us.  But we have an advocate if we have accepted Jesus Christ and surrendered our life to Him.  How I wish I could stand before the Judge with my $170 fine for speeding and announce "Jesus it all" to get out of having to pay that fine but I must live with the present consequences of my sin.  Amen.  On the day you and I stand before God we'll get to do just that except we won't be the ones talking.  It will be Jesus, our advocate, who will approach the bench and show the proof He has already paid our penalty with His life by showing the scars on his hands, side, and feet.  We will then walk into heaven and enjoy eternity with our Creator God completely reconciled to Him.   His justice will be satisfied

As you go about your week take time to pause and reflect to remember Jesus is our advocate who paid our guilty sentence with His life.  The eternal God stepped down from heaven because of His great love for us and His desire for reconciliation with His precious creation.  Jesus paid it ALL.  ALL to Him I owe.

Unworthy At the Kings Table

He had no business eating at the king’s table. His family background, physical infirmities, and utter helplessness should have barred him from such an honored place. But there he sat, day after day, like one of the king’s own sons.

Mephibosheth had experienced more than his share of physical and emotional pain. Second Samuel 4:4 briefly recounts the tragic accident that left him unable to walk on the very day he learned of the battle deaths of his father, Jonathan, and his grandfather, King Saul.

Now, years later, David ruled as king over all Israel. Second Samuel 9 tells us Mephibosheth was living an obscure life a safe distance from Jerusalem. The usual custom in the ancient Near East was for new kings to wipe out the entire family of the previous king to prevent any possible political comeback. It is likely that Mephibosheth was also aware of his grandfather’s attempts to kill David years before.

So when messengers from King David arrived at his house to escort him to the king, Mephibosheth probably expected the worst. What he found when he arrived, however, was a king who understood grace; a king anxious to keep a promise he had made to Jonathan, Mephibosheth’s father, many years before.

When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied. “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” (2 Samuel 9:6-8).

You and I share a lot in common with Mephibosheth. We are unworthy servants who do not deserve any special favors from God. We and members of our family have sometimes treated him like an enemy. Crippled by the sin in our life, we are spiritually like dead dogs.

Yet God’s invitation remains open for a seat at his table. Each week we are invited to rejoice with our King at his table of remembrance. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God takes us from the gutter of sin and seats us at his royal table, with a promise of an even greater banquet someday in Heaven (Revelation 19:9).

So today as we sit at this table like one of the King’s sons or daughters, let’s celebrate the grace and kindness that allows us to be here. Let’s bow before the King and humbly respond to him as Mephibosheth did to David, “Your servant.”