Have You Discovered the Everlasting Joy of the Kingdom in the Church?
Good Morning Friends,
Today’s scripture is about giving extravagantly to the point of joy, to the point of being totally dependent on God. And yes there is a bit of fear in moving closer to this truth. The product of the process though is a resilience formed by belonging, active engagement, reflection and an assertiveness that have become balanced in Christ. In today’s scripture story we see a woman loving the Lord God with all her passion and prayer and intelligence and energy… it is the story of the widow’s mite. It is an example of how God uses something small to make a big point. You see, here we see a woman loving others as if she were loving herself. Here her yes was a resounding yes. Here we too learn that only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to completely letting go of everything can we find that which is indestructible in us. It is a story about measuring giving not by the size of the gift, but how much we have obliterated our financial and emotional savings accounts in favor of increasing our collective assets. And so we stand at the border of the kingdom realizing that we too must put God first before we can come into an intimacy with Him. We cannot serve two masters. We must risk the destruction of all that the world tells us is safe. And in this story about little things we are brought to the door of the kingdom, to the story of a little Christ child, who was both the giver and the gift. It is the story of Jesus who gave first, who gave extravagantly to the point of being totally dependent on God the Father… Friends, in Jesus is the story of God who gave even unto death and beyond, all the way back to the birth of creation, this is echoed in the birth of the Christ child we will celebrate in just a few weeks. It is a time when the dance between belonging, active engagement, reflection and assertiveness is played out in the ways of the Spirit. Here we see God giving so we too can share in the experience of the God who gave God, as a child born as a gift to the world…Yes there is an initial surprise and energy to the event but that is not the kind of joy I am writing about this morning. Today I write about the kind of joy that permeates our very being and persists into eternity as a courage that will not end. It is the passion to live. The collective resilience of those called for a purpose. For we know the story beyond the story and it all gives us a choice that is pure drama. Have You Discovered the Everlasting Joy of the Kingdom in the Church?
Scripture: He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Mark 12: 41-44 (NRSV)
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Philippians 2:1-2 (NRSV)
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28 (NRSV)
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,
John 1:12 (NRSV)
Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NRSV)
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NRSV)
But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
Ephesians 4:15 (NRSV)
Message: God gave all of us a purpose and His church a purpose as well. Do you know what it is? Do you know how they relate? Unfortunately the world looks at the church as having no direction and sometimes, frankly, if we are trying to control it, their perception is understandable. We come to Church and say hello and goodbye…we say forgive me for I have sinned…get a quick blessing and maybe a message that we can remember for about 20 minutes and then head out the door. I do not know what this is but I am pretty sure that this is not what Jesus had in mind. Sure some of us come back for committees and choirs but there is something missing. The problem is that we do not know what our driving force is supposed to be. Our lives are cluttered with the world… excited about football, building things, cars, money, sex, food, and family. None of these are bad, but they are not the main reason we are here. Friends, God gave us the church with a purpose in mind and although the purpose is still there, I think we have lost our minds…or at least the one Christ intends us to have when it comes to being the called out assembly. The reason that the church seems so out of touch with the rest of our lives is that we have the wrong priorities in our daily lives and therefore miss out on the joy of life. We major in the minors. We are out of balance. When Jesus told Peter that, “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven,” that sounds like Jesus was starting something extra special…huge… and he was. The Church is to be the really, really big show with Jesus leading the action. The problem is that we make it transactional instead of relational. We forget that much of what we do does not necessarily build up the body in a resilience that honors God. Friends, as disciples, the intense focus, the conscious effort is to do what Jesus told us to do and though that initially feels very unnatural, it also can also become very joyous when we find as a child of God a balance between belonging, active engagement, reflection, and assertiveness. Contemplate these examples of how we are to live life reflected in today’s scripture and then apply what you have learned to the purpose you have been given.
Pray we actively worship as we learn to love God with all our heart and mind and soul. Pray in ministry we learn to meet the real needs of others…physical, mental, emotional and spiritual as we learn to love our neighbors as ourselves. Pray we read the Bible and grow stronger. Pray we have the courage and respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently. Pray we understand the interaction between the larger community, the crowds that come to events, and the congregation of those who meet each week providing support for our places of worship. Pray we as disciples…. the core of believers, are committed to the intimate ministry of the church in community. Pray we fit into the purpose of the church through our purpose. Pray we do more than just follow. Pray we learn to apply the teachings of Jesus, the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the love of the Father in our lives so that we might glorify God in changing the world. Pray we immerse ourselves daily to build up and equip the fellowship. Pray we be in awe of Jesus but get to know him in and through the lives of others. Pray we have the courage to meet Jesus, the extraordinary in the ordinary. Pray we realize that we can selfishly reject Jesus or humbly receive him in our daily walk. Pray we realize that what we do in the lives of others is reflected in the life of Jesus in heaven. Pray we realize that what we choose to do today makes a difference. Pray we have the courage to keep our eyes open and our hearts and minds open to joy.
Pray we do not let our emotions deprive us of the grace of God’s joy as we grow.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 