Tears

Tears are a weird aspect, yet essential part of life. They lubricate our eyeballs for smooth movement of the eyelids when blinking. They help remove micro particles from the surface of the eye and help flush larger particles like grits of sand. The tear duct also seems to be connected to our emotions. When watching the seemingly spontaneous antics of young children as they explore their world or our pets as they clown around in a game of conquest, we can sometimes get laughing so hard tears come streaming from our eyes. Then there are the times when sorrow and sadness erupts in tears. Some of you may have seen the picture of Roxanne Chalifoux, the crying piccolo player from Villanova. Just after her team had lost a three point game to underdog North Carolina State in an NCAA B’ball Tournament, the cameras captured her sadness on the jumbo-tron and later on national TV. With her passion and loyalty to her school, despite the tears, she played her tiny musical instrument; love sometimes shines brightest in loss. And when the Astros won the World Series of Baseball, tears of joy flowed throughout Houston. Weird, huh?

[2 Corinthians 9:6-15] Would you cry if God could not take the time to bless us today because we didn’t take the time to thank Him yesterday? What if God stopped leading us tomorrow because we did not follow Him today? What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the rain? What if God did not walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day? What if God took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today? What if God had not sent His only begotten Son because He’d rather see us pay the price for our own sins? What if the door of the church were closed because we did not open the door of our heart? What if God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others? What if God would not hear us today because we refused to listen to Him yesterday? What if God answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service? What if God met our needs the way we give Him our lives? The late and lamented Foy Smith used to tell the following story, and added a few thoughts to drive the point home. A preacher was sitting in his office one Sunday morning. It was time for him to go into the pulpit. A friend tapped on the door and entered the office to see what was causing the delay. There the preacher sat in his chair looking out the window. He could see for miles down into the valley below. When asked why he was weeping, the preacher replied, “I was sitting here looking out over the valley. I see hundreds of houses. I see people going about their business and most of them are lost, and I can’t do anything about it.” The friend replied, “Quit crying, you’ll get over it.” The preacher responded, “I know it. That’s why I’m crying!” Have we forgotten how to cry over lost souls? We are so used to seeing hundreds and thousands all around us who are all but impossible to reach with the gospel and, with a shrug, we learn to let them go on with a “so what”, dismissive attitude. Our Lord wept as he looked out over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). His agony is also evident in the reading of Matthew 23:37-38. If Jesus wept over lost souls, so should we. May we never try to comfort the soul winner by saying, “Dry your eyes, quit crying. You’ll get over it!” Benjamin Franklin once said, “Nothing dries sooner than a tear.” But it was the apostle Paul, who by inspiration said, “...Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Is it not time we start shedding these kinds of tears?

Must We?

I recently read about a touching moment in sports. It took place at a women’s softball game in April 2009. Central Washington and Western Oregon faced off against each other, the winner to receive a bid to the NCAA’s Division II playoffs. Sara Tucholsky, a Western Oregon player, came to the plate in the second inning with the scored tied 0-0 and two runners on base. Sara had never hit a homerun, however, things were about to change. She connected with a pitch and hit the ball over the center field fence. Due to her excitement, she missed touching first base. She stopped, turned to go back to the base, oddly twisting her body, tearing her ACL, and collapsing to the ground. Her first base coach wanted to run out to help her, but if she touched her, she would have been counted out. As Sara lay on the ground, the umpires conferred and determined that the best thing to do was allow Western Oregon to substitute a pinch runner to first base (also cancelling her homerun). The coach prepared to make the substitution when she heard a voice, “Excuse me! Would it be okay if we carried her around the bases and she touched each bag?” In softball, a teammate can’t touch a player running the bases, but there’s no rule says the opponents can’t touch the runner. So, Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace, two Central Washington players, offered to carry Sara around the bases so her homerun would not be counted as a single. These two players gently picked up Sara and carried her around the bases, allowing her to tap each base along the way. When asked why she did it, Mallory said, “Honestly, it’s one of those things that I hope anyone would do for me...” In other words, she was practicing the “Golden Rule”: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:9-12).

[Romans 13:1-2] In many circumstances we desire to help others in their times of need, not because we have to, but because our love for others demands action. There are also times when, because we love our self, we must take action to keep from trouble. “Right Lane MUST Turn Right.” The, “MUST”, lets the driver know that in no uncertain terms that going straight ahead in the right lane is not an option. What is it in human nature that so often chafes against the “musts” of life? Is it a prideful desire to be self-directed, answerable to none? Jesus submitted to his parents (Luke 2:41-51) and to his Father’s will (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38). In this he models for us the humble, obedient spirit God desires in each of us. For Jesus, what was the ultimate “must”? “...he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed...” (Matthew 16:21; Luke 17:25; 24:6-7). What “musts” apply to us? “...anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). This “must” applies to far more than simply believing God exists. Most people do. But God rewards only those who seek him. “...You must be born again” (John 3:6-7). Baptism – being born of water and the Spirit is a must if we want to enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:14-16; Titus 3:3-7). Then, “...we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). We may exercise our free will not to seek God, not to be baptized and ignore God’s will for our life, but we do not have any choice about appearing before the judgment seat of Christ. There is no escaping it. God says we MUST, and there is no eternal alternative.

I Know The Tentmaker

Please pray for our pulpit minister, Lloyd Mansfield, who is ill and in the hospital.

“This Old Tent” by Steve Coyle: “When I looked upon the days gone past, I’d thought this tent was built to last. For I’d stood it on some rocky ground, Where stormy winds couldn’t beat it down. And with my pride and my own hand, I put my tent on shifting sand; Where pegs pulled loose and my tent did shake, But I was young and I could take, The unstable world that I was in; I’d just  up and move again. So for many years I went this route, Shifting this old tent about.  Till one cold day when my mind grew clear, This tent had an end and it might draw near. So with much fear (such a heavy load) I looked for the One who had made this abode. Yes, the Tentmaker, He’d surely know, Where one such rotting tent should go; To have this canvas revitalized, To have these poles and pegs re-sized. I went to Him on bended knees, Begging Him, “Oh tentmaker please! Restore this tent I thought would last, This canvas house that went so fast.” He looked at me through loving eyes, And merely pointed to the skies.  “Please do not grieve over some old tent, Old canvas walls that have been spent.  For this mansion that’s been built by Me, Will last you for eternity.” Paul taught of our tent (2 Corinthians 5:1-4).

[Ephesians 3:20] It might come as a welcome shock to realize that what most people think of as Christianity is only religion. Christ didn’t die so we could be religious. He died so we could become Christians. We forget who Jesus is. He’s not just a nice guy who smiles and pats us on the back. He’s the one who pulled off the un-pull-off-able. He went up against the whole world and beat it. Jesus took on the whole realm and came out on top. “...I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus is the one and only true winner. “...all things were created by Him and for Him ...and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). He proved this by cheating death. Being a Christian is being part of the most powerful event of existence. It isn’t a movement among many; it is The Movement. It isn’t a way among many; it is The Way. So why do so many Christians shuffle through life like a kid who got a pair of socks for his birthday? Many of us are not making the most of our relationship with God. For a people who have direct connection with the Creator of the universe, we seem to be making very little use of the arrangement. We may have very well made the clear choice of following Jesus, but then we often settle down on the road and forget that there’s a journey to be made. We become either complacent or satisfied with what we’ve become in comparison with our life without God, but we stop growing. It is very easy to crawl over the brink of salvation and then simply lie there until Judgment Day. Our “Christianity” can become simply a source of frustration as we strive by our power rather than God’s. Starving from daily Bible reading and prayer, we arrive at the assembly spiritually gasping for breath. Having allowed God to rescue us from sin, we then attempt to survive from that point on without Him, only carrying the name of His Son, rather than the cross itself and all the power that it gives. There is life after death, but there is also life before death. Heaven is going to be much better than you hope. But life on earth can also be much better than you hope. Jesus died to make us more than just pleasant people. According to Scripture, “...we are more than conquers through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37). All of us need to remember that we know the Creator of heaven and earth (In part: Bulletin Digest, April 2006).

1-4-3 Forever

You may not have thought about it before, but much of our life is regulated through signals we receive from many different sources. Just think about the chaos that would erupt on our highways and byways without signals and signs to govern our traffic patterns and driving habits. Misread or ignore a given signal and one could attempt to occupy the same spot in the road as another driver and we all know what happens then. Children give signals that show us sickness or social problems. Husbands and wives share signals both loving and not-so loving. Bella, my little Chihuahua, has trained me to obey her signals. She’ll sit in the middle of the floor and stare at me, then glance over at her empty food dish, then stare at me again. “Feed me!” If she jumps up on my lap to stare me in the eyes, that’s a little different as she specifically wants treats. Then there are other signals, if ignored or misread, which could lead to picking up a little sausage or two having been deposited on the floor. Signals are important and could make or break a day.

One of the most famous light houses in America is Minot’s Ledge Light House off shore from Scituate, Massachusetts. It is not known for its age or beauty. Though it has a rich, interesting history, it is perhaps best known for its light flashing, in nautical code, “1-4-3.” The flashing lantern was installed in 1894 by the U.S. Coast Guard, a simple flashing sequence. But, to so many, it quickly came to mean much more. The wife of the light-keeper, Winfield Scott Thompson, told her small children that Thompson was telling mariners how much they were loved and wished them safety every night with his “I love you” flash. Many sailors, long at sea, have taken comfort by Minot’s Ledge flashing signal. Several years ago the Coast Guard decided to replace the old equipment with modern electronics. They informed the residents that the new equipment would not be able to flash “143” and the outcry was such that the Coast Guard eventually gave in to it. The old equipment was restored and remained, flashing its message of love to all who came within its reach and influence (Info via Boston.com).

[Matthew 5:16; 6:22-23] A little boy asked his father what a “Christian” was. The dad replied that a Christian is a person who loves and obeys God. He loves his friends and neighbors and expresses his appreciation for other Christians. He even loves his enemies and prays for them that they might be blessed. He prays often and blesses God’s holy name in reverent worship. He is kind, considerate, gentle, courteous in his speech and in his selfless attitude. He lives a life that is pure and holy and is a Christian through and through. The little boy thought for a moment and then asked another question. “Daddy, have I ever seen a Christian?” Minot’s Ledge Light House is known as the “lovers light.” What a wonderful reputation! You and I are flashing signals too. The signals are perhaps at times neutral, but overall they are either loving or unloving. Our actions, our words and our attitudes convey a message about us. They may repel or attract. It depends on what signals we are sending. Jesus tells us that His church should be shining a loving light (John 13:34-35). We should be renowned as a loving people. Husbands (Ephesians 5:25) and wives (Titus 2:5) are told to let their love lights shine toward each other. Parents are to love their children in a way that is plainly evident (Ephesians 6:4; 1 Timothy 2:15). What signal are you emitting? If you are Christ’s, it will love. Let your love light shine and it will bless all who come within your reach and influence. [Proverbs 4:18-19]