What is Your Perspective?

What is Your Perspective?

Good Morning Friends,

Yesterday the youth presented a Mother’s Day Musical at the Moorings. It is a Moorings tradition. The musical was based on the story of Jesus as a youth in the Temple during the Passover Celebration. The worship presentation, as Jesus did in the storyline, amazed the crowds. Here were children, not yet adults performing in a very adult manner. But from a different viewpoint it was about something lost being found. So it got me to thinking about the Parable of the Lost Son and then about the Road to Emmaus. The three scriptures from the book of Luke resonate in a way that is instructive for me. Collectively they are the focus of today’s devotional for as we get older we too misplace things. Keys, glasses, identity items are lost every day by people. But it can happen in our spiritual life too. Perhaps we too need to return from out of captivity to find a home in the Temple. Perhaps we too need our next step to be one of spiritual obedience. Friends, in life we always want and even expect Jesus to be where we are. And indeed Jesus can be found in the midst of everyday relationships in familiar places, here and now in the common stuff made anything but common when the goodness of God is revealed. But if we have a weak outlook or wrong presumptions it will certainly lead to wasteful progress on our spiritual journey. We can misplace the Master even though He never misplaces us. In the busyness of life, in the hurry with the crowd it is possible for us to take Him for granted. But let’s not pass up Jesus in the Passover. It is easy to get caught up and lose sight of Him in our lives. But don’t make the mistake of thinking it is all right for Him to be away from us. Don’t take Him for granted thinking we can do without Him for a while. Make Him the focal point and realize that without Jesus nothing else matters. Find the Savior in the Scriptures, the Teacher in the Temple, and Christ in Creation. Nothing can substitute for our relationship with Him. It is the most important thing. So we must set ourselves on guard so that we do not drift from this daily sustenance. And if we do realize we have misplaced Jesus in our life then it is time to retrace our footsteps and return to the place we left Him. So, What is Your Perspective?

Scripture:41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. ⁴²And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. ⁴³When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents^* saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’ ⁴⁹He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’^*
50But they did not understand what he said to them. ⁵¹Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Luke 2:41-51 (NRSV)

Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”‘ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe–the best one–and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes; you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'”

Luke 15:11-32 (NRSV)

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

Luke 24:13-32 (NRSV)

Message: On that first Easter day, the third day, the living hope of the resurrection had not yet been experienced by those on the road to Emmaus. They were lost in a way. As we put ourselves in their shoes, in the shoes of Mary and Joseph and the Prodigal Son, we too set out on the journey of life and its maze of emotions. We can sympathize with their bewilderment for we too, two thousand years later have been in the same position…too preoccupied to notice Jesus. But here we discover that being lost is not the end of the story. Weary travelers that we are, we are to lift our eyes and minds out of the dust of the earthly road we travel. We are to have a heart-searching experience that helps us to become aware of our predicament. And here the maze of symbols and scriptures comes together in the cosmic struggle between life and death revealed in the glory and strength of Jesus. Here we revisit our anticipation of a hope in Jesus. Here as our heart burns with emotion and is balanced with reason and purpose, we discover the solution to the problem. Here we confront our free will. Friends, scripture as life can be a bit of a maze. We get focused and anxious about the wrong turns and misinterpretations. We can be walking with the answer but not have the right vantage point. In the rush of the moment we can forget to get around to asking the relevant questions. In our distress we can take the next step too quickly. We hear a voice and see a face yet our vision and hearing is clouded and muted. We fail to see and hear all that we should. We are uncertain, thinking we can retrace our steps. Then in the depths of our disillusioned emotions Jesus comes to hold our hand and guide us with hope that we will discover the way home.

Pray we too are about our Father’s business. Pray realize that frustration and discouragement can get us walking in the wrong direction, retracing our steps. Pray we realize that discouragement and frustration can get us thinking about the past not the future. Pray we realize that discouragement and frustration can get us questioning God’s care. Pray we pour out our emotions so that we can experience the remarkable revelation that Jesus is now risen and we have hope that will not disappoint. Pray we recognize Jesus as the courteous companion in whom hope is found. Pray we allow the truth of the Holy Spirit to apply the truths of the word made flesh in our daily walk with Jesus. Pray we take, eat. Pray we move beyond heart break and heart searching to the heart cleansing experience of fellowship with risen Christ. Pray we realize that we are never lost if we are with Jesus. Pray we never misplace our purpose. Pray we not over think today’s scripture but just let it caresses our soul as we celebrate and remember.

Blessings,

John Lawson