Do You Trust The Lord?
Good Morning Friends,
There is a rare brand of people that face a reality where they are unsure whether or not they will live to see the end of the day. They are unsure whether they will live and this shapes the life and love they share with those close to them. They work as a team under authority…deployed to dangerous territory. Confronted with the same reality that Jesus faced…a fight, and they can only hope that they too are in the will of God. Interestingly I do not think that they so much continuously pray for miracles as live them. Do You Trust The Lord?
Scripture: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35 (NRSV)
After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.” And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
Luke 7:1-10 (NRSV)
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:2-7 (NRSV)
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
Luke 2:9-11 (NRSV)
Message: Some of us are filled with guilt, fear, anger and worry in response to the evil of war. We know that sometimes it is appropriate to fight but even then acting out of those emotions is a recipe for disaster. The Holy Spirit seems to move us in sorrow, knowing that at the core of what we feel should be faith and love.
Against that reality we contemplate the birth, life and death of Jesus. Against that reality we remember the fallen heroes who have left behind loved ones. And I am drawn this morning in memory of my friend Peter Thomas who died earlier this year in a battle he could not win. I studied the Bible with him for more than two decades. His Father was a Presbyterian Minister so Peter was raised learning scripture. During the Battle of the Bulge during the Christmas truce, on Christmas Eve in 1944, in a barn in the woods, he was asked by his company of inexperienced soldiers to share some scripture. He was still a teenager. What happened that night became for him the start of a personal tradition of the retelling of the Christmas story from Luke 2. Peter had such a great voice. Somehow I think the telling of the story, of the birth of Jesus, in that place helped him bring the meaning of Christmas alive in him and for others.Here on this Memorial Day, as we remember those who have died, we see an amazing example of the power of love that extends across all barriers of culture, time and geography. Here we see the power of faith activating participation and enthusiasm in the work of God. Here we see a love empowering faith that is filled with relational commitment and personal humility. Here we see the dynamics of leadership that is powered by trust in Christ. Here we experience love in the middle of a fight.
It is a strange plan for an estranged world. Today’s scripture from Isaiah prophecies of this plan and refers to the time before the Messiah would come, a time of when the people were living in darkness and needed help in getting out of its emptiness. They did not need an empty and systematic way of understanding their feelings. They needed, as we need today, the Prince of Peace. So today we search for identity, meaning and Truth in our culture’s practice of looking out on thousands of white crosses on green fields. Today is Memorial Day and we are drawn to the only cross that can make a difference for us all….the Cross of Jesus.
Pray we trust where we are not permitted to see. Pray we have faith and love in Christ’s leadership. Pray we too offer more grace than judgment. Pray we hear, feel and see Jesus’ new command. Pray we respond to the urgent call of Jesus when in the fight of his life…the fight of our lives. Pray for the one thing that demonstrates the worthiness of leadership…..the one thing that counts for success….. Pray for love, because then, when we love, they will know we are Christians. Pray when we are offered peace, we embrace it to honor those who have died. Pray we remember those faithful who have fallen in battle, but then turn the focus our energies on Jesus. Pray we remember that revelation is history not theology. Pray we remember that spiritual battles are also about control and power. Pray we remember for a purpose. Pray we are victorious. Pray we find Peace in our hearts.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 