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  Mark 9:45 am on August 29, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  TRUST – the WAY and the DESTINATION 

  “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me…” — Jesus, John 14:1

  “TRUST” is the main issue on Jesus’ heart as he gives his disciples a “farewell” speech.  There is such deep Trinitarian theology in these few chapters, I’m really looking forward to dwelling in the reality of the Godhead over the next few days.  But truly, Jesus does not begin his final talk with his disciples by reinforcing their doctrinal beliefs, or by pop-quizzing them on their Trinitarian orthodoxy…no, to Jesus there is something far more important than anything else.

  Deeper than theology, deeper than doctrine…is TRUST.  It is the first developmental task a human must achieve.

  Fully-formed adults all around us are still waiting for someone to teach them how to trust, and thus still function as scared, insecure little infants.  The cynicism and skepticism of this age is profound, and I believe it is partly because we put our trust in things that will inevitably fail us.  Politicians, love-relationships, money, our health…

  But Jesus promotes an attitude of TRUST.  Trust in him.  He is worthy of your trust…quite possibly your most precious asset. Not only is it the avenue by which Christ can enter our hearts and we enter his, but it transforms our approach to life!  If you have an ATTITUDE of TRUST, then your APPROACH to every relationship will grow out of faith, not fearfulness.  Jesus, no matter what happens in this election, or relationship, or job, or doctor’s appointment…JESUS will always be trustworthy – he will never fail us.

  In what, specifically, is Jesus asking us to trust him?  From his words, it seems he wants us to trust that he is both the WAY and the DESTINATION.

  Speaking with his disciples, Jesus begins admitting to them that he is leaving and preparing a place for them with the Father.  He tells them that they “know the way,” and will come after him to get there.  Thomas, thankfully, asks a clarifying question – “How will we know the way if we’ve never been there before?”

  Jesus then turns the metaphor of “way” on its head and says that they know the Way because they know him – Jesus IS the Way!  But he goes on to say that he is in the Father and the Father is in him.  Also, he says that the place that God dwells is in Christ – the new Temple.

  If we see Jesus as both destination and way, we will develop a sense of spiritual satisfaction, and continued development in our maturity as disciples.  We aren’t left hungering and craving something new all the time (new ideas about God, a new church or community to meet my needs, etc) – we already have complete “arrival” in the person of Jesus – but we don’t see the Way of Jesus as a once-and-for-all list of propositions to be defended…we are always on a journey with him – he our “trailblazer” (Heb 6:20) and we are his followers!  In following Jesus, we live in humility – realizing that we haven’t “arrived” yet – we are still “the Wandering People of God,” hoping and longing for the complete rest waiting for us when we know and can see with our own eyes the answers to all our questions.

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  Mark 2:14 pm on August 26, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: shepherd   

  Permission to Enter – a short story 

  1 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

  6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant,7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.8 All who came before mes were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.  They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

  — Jesus, John 10:1-6

  We can trust Jesus, because he alone enters through the sheep gate as the Good Shepherd. Imagine the walls in this story; they are the defenses we erect in our lives to filter out the bad and keep in the good. It is the membrane of our emotional and spiritual hearts. Walls are a good thing! Most sane people don’t want just anything entering into their sacred garden in their heart. It is the place where one’s deepest secrets, regrets, fears and hopes reside.

  So many live with broken walls allowing thrives of all kinds to jump the fence to kill and destroy the most important thing to them, their heart. Abusive boyfriends, commanding bosses, marketing and advertising, conceited religious teachers, and more find the cracks in your wall and penetrate unwelcome into the darkest corners of your life.

  Only Jesus has the right to enter through the gate. He comes in directly, not slithering past your defenses. Your guard with him is still up- you’ve been burned before. But he has a different quality to him, no one has ever walked so honestly through “the gate” before; its always been through cracks and crevices- sneaking in without notice or invitation.

  It is almost as if he was both the key and the door to your very heart- the longing and the fulfillment simultaneously.

  Learning to follow Jesus out of the confines of your broken-down heart with it’s crumbling walls is the process of spiritual formation. Jesus has every intention of meeting you where you are, but loves you too much to leave you there.

  Instead of chasing and driving you out the door of your cynical, skeptical, fear-filled heart, he begins to speak to you. He begins to woo you and convince you that he is worth trusting- that his voice is one you can listen to.

  Others have entered your heart in the past, and they too were interested in getting you outside your walls of safety so they could take advantage of you; exploiting your beauty, taking your money, or simply adding you as another notch on their belt. Each time you fell for it, you felt dirty, cheapened, commoditized.  Once past your walls, they terrorize you and force you through your gate and out into the dangerous wild- you just kept running and running…until you looked back and found yourself once again, alone…vulnerable.

  Tricked again, your heart is pillaged.

  Jesus is dramatically different- he speaks to you, coaxes you- stands at the doorway of your heart, getting to know the real you. He doesn’t seem interested with pillaging your heart- he wants to lead you out of it’s confining walls. You step carefully toward him, he is not chasing you around the pen, driving you and beating you. He continues to speak to you as you follow him- he’s the leader here- and it is so comforting to hear his voice speaking to you! You and he are on a grand adventure now! Great vistas and pastures are yours to delight in together! And now more sheep begin to join the flock- strange, different-looking sheep, so different that the only thing you have in common is your Shepherd.

  This is a story of overcoming and transformation, about learning to listen to a voice that loves you rather than myriad others that want your destruction. Learning to listen and learn Jesus’ voice and trust him enough to follow him is the most critical skill to learn in this life. Nothing else even comes close.

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  Mark 11:23 am on August 19, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: business, church, family, institution, philosophy   

  In the first century in Palestine, Christianity was a community of believers. Then Christianity moved to Greece and became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome and became an institution. Then it moved to Europe and became a culture. And then it moved to America and became a business. We need to get back to being a healthy, vibrant community of true followers of Jesus.

  Pricilla Shirer