Arrival in Heaven

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Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.                   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”

Holy Wednesday – There’s Still More

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And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head   
Mark 14:3 ESV
Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. John 12:3 NKJV

I have long been puzzled by the small but significant differences in the stories of the anointing of Jesus at Bethany. Then I began to re-imagine the scene at the banquet. I started by looking at Lazarus, seated quietly next to Jesus, and of course Martha bringing food to the tables as the room slowly filled with people. Suddenly, Mary appeared in the doorway, holding her alabaster jar of perfumed oil. While people munched on their meals, loudly visiting with their neighbors, she silently slipped through the crowd to where Jesus reclined, and then she broke the seal on her jar pouring some on the head of Jesus. The power of the fragrance immediately filled the room. A momentary silence ensued as the guests stopped and turned to see what had happened. But then, just as quickly as the beautiful perfume wafted through the room, the air began to be filled with complaints about the waste of precious resources that she had made. But Mary knelt unashamedly, looking up to Jesus’s face and saw His acceptance of her gift. Then, with a smile, she poured the remainder of her perfumed oil on His feet and wiped them dry with her hair. No matter how others thought of her, Mary was focused on only one thing. She still had more for Jesus! As we are traveling together towards the Cross this week, we should also ask; “Am I worried about what everyone else thinks today, or can I say with Mary, “Master there’s still more!”

Holy Tuesday – Jesus Watches Our Heart

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Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 
Luke 21:1-3 ESV

On this, His final day of public ministry, Jesus takes time to praise the offering of a widow. Among the crowds at the temple that day, she was probably considered the least important by most people. Few would have even noticed as that widow quietly slipped her two coins into the charity box. Everyone however saw the rich men as they carried in their gifts with great fanfare. At the sound of their silver and gold coins clanking into the offering box people were oohing and aahing about how much they gave. But Jesus was not impressed with money. He did not care about a big performance or false religiosity. He just waited quietly to see if anyone had come to give with better motives. Then just before Jesus sent His disciples to make preparations for His last meal on earth, He stopped for a moment to show the disciples the heart of one widow who had come to give her all.

Holy Monday Housecleaning

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And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Mark 11:17 ESV

Some of us get the idea that Jesus waltzed through His ministry smiling, blessing children, and holding lambs in His arms. But on Monday of Holy Week; the same Jesus who had forgiven the woman caught in adultery and sat down to dinner with sinners, became angry when He went to the temple to pray. Instead of a smiling Jesus, just meekly entering, an angry Messiah showed up who drove out the buyers and sellers shouting, “Is it not written My House shall be called a house of prayer?” Now the case could be made that Jesus was upset about the physical location where these vendors were set up. But when Jesus used the word “House” it didn’t mean just a building, it meant household (as in a family). In other words, the place where God’s family meets on earth should be primarily about coming together to pray.

Now, it is easy for us to criticize those temple vendors, but are we really any different? Do we sometimes maneuver our way into desirable positions in church in order to take an unfair advantage of others? While special events are great and fellowship and laughter in the church coffee area matters; can we really say with all honesty that prayer is the main thing that happens at our meetings? Also, notice that Jesus went on to say that His family was supposed to be for all the nations. Are all nations showing up at our place of worship? Jesus wants to clean His house today just as He did back then of anything that keeps us apart. Then when we all come together for prayer, together we can truly become the Household of God and His family indeed!

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