Following Jesus: Humility and Grace

In our small group we are studying Leonard Sweet's book "I am a Follower" which encourages Christians to rethink their lives as ones of following Christ rather than being leaders for Christ.  Christ, the Good Shepherd, is THE leader. . . the rest of us are followers and to even think about "leading" someone to Jesus, first means becoming a devoted, committed, unabashedly courageous follower.  It's simple really . . . it's just that we've been sold a bill of goods that entices us all to be "good leaders," "brave leaders," "creative leaders," etc. When all we really have to do is follow. . . except being a follower has gotten a bad wrap!  It's weak, second-rate, less than the best, lacks creativity we would say.  Not so!  On the contrary it takes strength, courage, imagination, fervor, passion and commitment.

In our study yesterday, one in our group recounted a contrast between leadership that is walled off and unaccessible and followership that is filled with love and humility and grace.  Here is what Susan S. offered the group:

Last Spring,on a trip to Washington D.C. our group was very excited to be able to tour the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, and to have a meeting at the office of our Congressional Representative.  However, we were not able to access the White House.  With the first group of buildings and people, we went through a metal detector, left our bags in a locker and were granted access.  Pretty simple process for visiting those places, all of which are very important and house very important people's offices.  But, the White House on the other hand, required that at least two weeks before the visit, you apply online by filling out a form giving the Secret Service your name, address, social security number, birthdate, etc.  Only then might you receive a pass to enter the White House to take a tour.  Mind you, we had no false hopes that we would even come close to the President, we simply wanted to take a tour of some of the rooms.  

In contrast to this, several years ago my daughter was visiting Spain.  On a layover at an airport, Mother Theresa happened to walk by.  Graciously and without any reservation she stopped to chat with the girls for a couple of minutes. When she was ready to move on she blessed them, offering them a moment of mercy and love that came from her identity as a follower of Christ.  Then she continued on her journey.  She had no body guards to keep the public from her, as well known and as tiny as she was. . . she simply made her way through life, crowds, airports with the greatest humility and grace in the name of Jesus- blessing people as she went.  

Of course we know that it is the Secret Service's job to protect the President of the United States and that he probably has more threats against him than anyone in the world, but it seems a stark contrast between the two "leaders."  One allows herself to be accessible to whomever she meets, blessing them, praying with them as she encounters them.  Changing lives one at a time simply by following Jesus.  How might we use our lives as followers of Jesus to bless those we come in contact with each day?  Humility and grace might be the key to our followership of Jesus, one who modeled humility and grace in all aspects of his life on earth.  Perhaps it means not taking ourselves too seriously.  Perhaps it also means that we are never as important as we might think we are in the grand scheme of things. . . that our only mission in this life is to follow and serve and bless.


Image Credit: biography.com

Walking Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. . .

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

 ¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
 ² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
 ³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
   for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
   through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
   for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.

 ⁵ You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
   forever.

Last night in worship we sang the hymn I Want Jesus to Walk with Me. . . 

I want Jesus to walk with me, all along my pilgrim's journey, O Lord I want Jesus, to walk with me!  In my trials, Lord walk with me. . . . when my heart is almost breaking, Lord I want Jesus to walk with me.  When I'm in trouble, Lord walk with me. . . when my head is bowed in sorrow, O Lord I want Jesus to walk with me.

We sing it. . . loudly even. . . like we really mean it, especially when all is well and good and right with the world.  But do we remember our song when life comes crashing in on us, seeking to steal our peace and leaving us in a heap of tears and weeping?  Do we sing it when out of left field something terrible happens and we are reduced to doubt and despair?

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death for you are with me!  

When you walk through the fire you will not get burned! 

(Oh yeah?  That looks like a burn mark there, Father.)  

Perhaps, but remember what I have done for you, how I created the world with a word and how THE WORD experienced the same pain, suffering, degradation, annihilation, and death that you are walking through right now--- and on the third day he rose again! And on the third day he rose again!  Death, where is thy victory? Oh death, where is thy sting?  The wages of sin is death but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  

This suffering is but for a moment, God's love for us is forever!  Through every horrific experience, through emotions we don't know how to handle, through answers that never seem to come, for love that seems to do no good, through questions that never manage to leave our lips. . . God's love is forever!  God's love was nailed to the tree and destroyed, but that was not the end of the story!  God's love was so powerful, so perfect, so fully present that it could not be squelched- NOT EVER!  

You, my friends, are loved like that!  Completely and forever! Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, loves you that much! Close your eyes and feel it. Don't doubt it!  Sink into it. . . trust it. . . it is FOR YOU, for always!

Gifts from out of nowhere. . .

See these three crosses? (image removed)
Beautiful aren't they?

They appeared out of nowhere.  As is often the case with my congregation, gifts appear out of seemingly nowhere and for no particular reason!  It's always a joy to me because of course I love gifts, even gifts that are generously shared between two other people. I love to see generosity in action because it is a sign of love.   These gifts, when they are presented to me, remind me that someone is thinking about me and that they care about me, maybe even love me.  It has happened so many times that my shelves (and there are quite a few in my office) are filled with trinkets and plagues and little statues and signs and crosses and pictures and sayings and bowls and books and all sorts of other things that have been gifts to me in the past ten years.  All signs of God's love through the people I am privileged to serve.


Monday we received a magnificent gift from one of our families: a new carillon bell that was installed in the bell tower!  Now the whole town is gifted with the sound of hymns that will lilt toward their ears and hopefully lift their spirits and give them joy.  Another reminder to the village the Christ is truly present- wherever sound can travel, it will be a reminder of God's love for us in Jesus Christ!  This gift was a long time dream of one woman in our parish and the timing just never seemed right. . . but out of the blue (or so it seemed) it all happened in a matter of days.  Coincidentally (I don't think so) ready for Easter the baptism of her great granddaughter!  Kairos moment there! Gift given in water and word and also in sound!

Gifts from God do seem to come out of nowhere lots of times, don't they?  A moment of grace.  A smile on a dark day.  A word of hope just when you needed it most.  A phone call just to say, "I only wanted to hear your voice." These are small, but very effective reminders of God's love for us and of the love we share with one another in Christ.  We are also gift bearers in the name of Christ!  Our very presence can be a gift to someone and we may not have any idea that the Lord of our lives is using us to bring peace, contentment, even joy to the moment at hand.

As you continue your Holy Week journey toward the Last Supper, the Mandatum (foot-washing), Arrest, and Crucifixion. . . be aware of the gifts being given to you in each moment.  It was be a gift of mercy in your pain, a gift of hope in your darkness, a gift of laughter in your crabbiness, a gift of food in your hunger, a gift of water in your thirst, a gift of love in your loneliness.  And be aware of how Christ is using you to meet the needs of another as well.  In the giving is the greatest gift of all!

Have a blessed Holy Wednesday. . . hang in there. . . you know the WHOLE story so cling to it even as you dwell in each moment along the way!

The Invisible Christ

^{Philippians 2:9}Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him 
the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus 
every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
¹¹and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the 
glory of God the Father. ¹²Therefore, my beloved, just as you have 
always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more 
now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and 
trembling; ¹³for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both 
to will and to work for his good pleasure.

So often, it seems, I find myself talking to Jesus and wishing that I 
could see him.  Do you think that Jesus understands that we don't 
always see him and that it gets tough sometimes to follow what we 
cannot see?  

What a delightful thought to be like the woman at the well who had 
the magnificent opportunity to sit with Jesus and just talk; talk about 
life, love, the future.  (John 4)   Intellectually I know that Jesus is with 
me always but sometimes his presence is harder to detect than others.  
Holy Week seems particularly difficult for me this year for some reason.  
In the past I have found  myself weeping at my desk as I create the bulletins 
for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.  The liturgy is so moving and draws
 me so close to the heart of God.  As of the time I am writing this, I still have
 yet to finish the Good Friday bulletin- I have no idea what is holding me back 
from what should be a very simple task.  
Maybe it is the words of the Solemn Reproaches 
ringing in my ears.  The words that bring me to tears- each year 
choking them out in worship: 

O my people, O my church, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? 
Answer me! 
I led you out of slavery into freedom, and delivered you through the waters of rebirth, 
but you have prepared a cross for your Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.
Forty years I led you through the desert, feeding you with manna on the way; I saved 
you from the time of trial and gave you my body, the bread of heaven, but you have 
prepared a cross for your Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.
I led you on your way in a pillar of cloud and fire, but you led me to the judgment 
hall of Pilate; I guided you with the light of the Holy Spirit, but you have prepared
 a cross for your Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.
I planted you as my fairest vine, but you have brought forth biter fruit; I made you 
branches of the vine and never left your side, but you have prepared a cross for 
your Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.
O my people, O my church, what more could I have done for you? Answer me! 
I poured out saving water from the rock, but you gave me vinegar to drink; 
I poured out my life and gave you the new covenant in my blood, but you have 
prepared a cross for your Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.
O my people, O my church, what more could I have done for you? Answer me! 
I gave you a royal scepter, but you gave me a crown of thorns; I gave you the 
kingdom and crowned you with eternal life, but you have prepared a cross for 
your Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.
I struck down your enemies, but you struck my head with a reed; I gave you my
 peace, but you draw the sword in my name, and you have prepared a cross for 
your Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.
I opened the waters to lead you to the promised land, but you opened my side 
with a spear; I washed your feet as a sign of my love, but you have prepared 
a cross for your Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.

 O my people, O my church, what more could I have down for you? Answer me! 
I lifted you up to the heights, but you lifted me high on a cross; I raised you from 
death and prepared for you the tree of life, but you have prepared a cross for your 
Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.
I grafted you into my people Israel, but you made them scapegoats for your own guilt,
 and you have prepared a cross for your Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.

 I came to you in the least of your brothers and sisters, but I was hungry and you gave 
me no food, thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you did not welcome me,
 naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me, and you 
have prepared a cross for your Savior.
C Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.

Maybe I'm just tired, weary, broken, and clinging to the cross.  But I want 
to see Jesus!  I want to know his love and forgiveness.  He's here somewhere. . . perhaps in plain sight, perhaps a bit like this bumblebee I caught with my 
camera the other day. . . hidden in the beauty of nature, hidden in plain sight, hidden and yet fully visible if one is willing to open their eyes and look.  
How are you seeing Jesus this week?  How are you detecting his presence
 in your life as we make this journey to the cross?  

Prayer for today: Open my eyes Lord so I can see you more clearly this day and this week as you suffered and died for my sins and for the sins of all humanity.  Make your holy presence known to me in my spiritual blindness.  I know you are there, reveal yourself to me.  Bless me with your light and your love and draw out of despair and into hope and peace. Amen.

Emptiness. . . Room for Christ

^{Philippians 2:5}Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, ⁸he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.

Have you ever felt completely empty?

I mean, really, really empty. . . like there is nothing left to give no matter how much might be needed of you? You can be honest, go ahead, it is okay you know to be that honest (with yourself, with your loved ones, with God).  That kind of emptiness can be very uncomfortable because we like to be in control of all aspects of life.  It is too close to annihilation though, we think, when we begin to recognize that we are that empty inside.  We might try to fill it with food, drink, sex, things that will grab out attention and hold it for more than a minute. . . and yet the reality that seems counterintuitive.  Push the feelings down (we think)!  Keep ourselves ultra-busy (we try)!  Anything to dismiss the emptiness we feel inside, an emptiness that makes us think we are unworthy, unloveable, unattractive, un-you/name/it.

Christ emptied himself, though in the form of God, though completely one hundred percent divine. . . the Savior of the world let all of that go in order to be fully human in solidarity with us mere mortals. He emptied himself unto death and here's the thing-- as followers, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to empty ourselves as well.  Empty out the shame.  Empty out the need to be in charge.  Empty out our self sufficiency and self reliance.  Empty out our guilt.  Empty out our anger and regret and complacency and make room for what Christ offers us when we are empty.

When we can recognize our situation of emptiness, only then can we allow Christ to fill us up.  Christ's love will fill all the cracks and crevices of our desolation.  Christ's radiance will fill us with life and light.  Christ's mercy and forgiveness fill our hearts to overflowing. . . and heaven knows when we are empty that he is the ONLY one who can fill that void.

This Holy Week may you see, hear, feel, touch, taste, sing about, dwell in and be filled up to capacity with the love of Christ Jesus our Savior who emptied himself for us so that we might be filled forever. Amen.