ENDURANCE

ENDURANCE

“You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.

 (heb: 10:36)

A couple of clichés occurred to me when I read those words. “Truer words were never spoken” and “You can take that to the bank!”

In order for endurance to even be an issue in Christian life, it means one must be constantly working to spread the message of Christ.  We have to have that on our minds most of the time and that takes practice.  The letter to the Hebrews is a primer for evangelization. (Note: I don’t like that word. It’s too cold for an endeavor which requires so much love and patience.)

It is pretty obvious that the whole focus of the early Christians was fearlessly sharing the Good News. Listen to how they speak to one another. 

“I urge you to stir into flame the gifts of God.”   

“So strengthen your drooping hands and weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet.”

“Consider how Jesus endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.”

There are a lot more of these confidence-boosting sentences in Scripture.  The early Christians were inspired by the freedom they experienced once they stopped being afraid of God.  They feared God, because despite God’s protestations of love, he was continuously depicted as vengeful and quick to anger.   But, the People of The Way, as they were called, were serious about letting others know that Jesus Christ lived and died for them. His entire life on earth was motivated by an intense desire to be the link to the Father the world so desperately needed. 

Nothing has changed.  The world needs to know God as loving, merciful, approachable and above all, forgiving.  Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”  Begin there.  If people know Jesus at all, they need to know that fact. The Father is compassionate, loving, forgiving and thoroughly invested in his creation just as Jesus is.  

Do we, of the 21^stCentury need to ask ourselves if we have that sense of total joy in knowing the true nature of God?  If we don’t, we need to work on it and if we do, we need to share it.  Either way endurance will be required. 

Blessings on us all as we strive to do His will.

Carol Lemelin OPA

BELIEVER OR FOLLOWER?

BELIEVER OR FOLLOWER?

“At times our evangelical fervor has come at the cost of spiritual formation. For this reason, we can end up with a church full of believers, but followers of Jesus can be hard to come by.”  Richard Rohr

How deep are we willing to go to really know Christ?  We say we love him. We pray to him constantly.  We thank him when things go our way. No one can say we don’t believe in him.  But that is not the question.  The question is how willing are we to follow him?  To follow him does not mean just acknowledging him, it means living like him. It means that compassion should motivate everything we say and do. 

If we are really seeking to come into a living relationship with Jesus, we are met with the central challenge Christianity hands us. Indeed, how do we put on the mind of Christ? How do we seethrough his eyes? How do we feel through his heart? How do we learn to respond to the world with that same wholeness and healing love he had? 

A man once told me he couldn’t follow Jesus, even though he believed in Him, because Jesus said,  “When someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other.”

The man said that was too wimpy. If we take Jesus’ words to mean we should stand still and be beaten, of course, it seems absurd.  But once we realize that Jesus was clarifying for the Jewish people the true meaning of an eye for an eye. (A code they had lived by for centuries) That it does not mean return hurt for hurt. For example, if your neighbor kills your cow, you do not have God’s permission to kill his son.  Responding to anger with calm could change everything.  The power of the Spirit takes over. Jesus didn’t just say it, he did it on the Cross and forgave his murderers.

When Jesus forgave his killers, the Centurion was moved to recognize that Jesus is the Christ. We have accepted his statement as justification for our faith when in fact it is a statement of his own, that he is ready to actually follow Christ. If he was the Roman whose servant Jesus saved, and I believe he was, they had a connection. He knew Jesus. Jesus was real to him. 

Jesus is not real to many people. He has been lifted to such heights that he seems unapproachable and yet the followers of Jesus persevered because he was real to them.  It’s all there, the Real Jesus, waiting for us to delve into the scriptures to find its deepest meanings and to guide us to a life in Jesus. There is no reason to be timid about it.  It isn’t as though Jesus would lead us astray. There will be questions, of course, but that is part of the journey.  When questions arise, head for Google. 

There are so many great books to aid in this journey.  Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge  – Who is This Man? by John Ortberg – The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancy.  All available on Amazon. 

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin OPA

CONFESSION

CONFESSION 

Last week the theme was about living our lives they way Jesus lived his. His was a life of compassion, understanding and acceptance of other people.  He saw through their weaknesses to the vulnerable person underneath. Turns out that is a very lofty goal. I must confess that is really hard! It’s like learning to play the piano – it’s going to take a lot of practice!

You know that person who seems to enjoy making you feel uncomfortable? Well, I met him a couple of days ago.  That’s when my efforts to imitate Jesus fell by the wayside.  I left feeling so disappointed in myself.  I resolved to do better next time but I have to say, I almost hope the next time doesn’t come.  

The only solace I had was that this was just as difficult for the Apostles and yet they managed to achieve it.  St. Paul often refers mysteriously to the thing that plagued him. Could it have been a simple as that?  Paul was very confident; some would say too confident, a person.  I doubt he miraculously became a humble self-effacing person overnight.  Likely he had to practice a lot and failed regularly.  That got me to thinking.  Is it God’s plan for us?  Surely he understands how our egos get in the way.

So when we fail, as I did, we feel regret and promise to do better next time. What is that but practice? Just like playing the piano, you have to make a lot of mistakes before you master the art. 

When you come right down to it, when Jesus interacted with anyone, it was always about making them feel acknowledged and loved.  Beginners as we are in this endeavor, we can start with the acknowledging part.  There have been times when I was deliberately ignored and I never forgot the person who did it.  The only saving grace is that I pledged never to do it to anyone myself. 

This is about God and what he expects from us as regards his creations.  We have to start by admitting we have no idea what has gone into making a person who they are.   What Tolstoy said about families is just as true for individuals.

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

People, who are rude, mean, dismissive or any of the things that make them so unattractive and/or unlovable are not happy.  They do not enjoy the peace we do knowing that Jesus is with us.  Our responses have to be kindness, patience, a smile and a silent prayer for them.  Think of it like the scales one has to learn to play a musical instrument.  Like the old joke that asks, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”

The answer is “Practice, man, practice!”  The same is true for us as we strive to imitate Jesus. 

Blessings as you keep practicing, 

Carol Lemelin OPA

HOW COULD THING GO SO WRONG?

HOW COULD THINGS GO SO WRONG? 

Who hasn’t had occasion to ask that question?   A do-it-yourself project that failed miserably or a relationship you thought was good has collapsed, or a conversation misunderstood ruins a friendship. Any of those things can make us ask that question. Even if we know the cause, that rarely repairs the damage.  What’s done is done, has never been truer. Think for a minute how often that happened to Jesus.  

He chose Judas. There is no mention of that in the Bible. Either the writers or the translators may have decided not to include it.  Regardless, Jesus did choose him.  At the Last Supper when Judas is getting up to leave, Jesus meets him eye to eye. If this were a film, everything would be blurred out except the two men. Jesus looked at Judas and his eyes said, “I know exactly what you are about to do.”And Judas turned away like all cowards.  Jesus’ choice of Judas and the resultant betrayal probably contributed to his agony in the garden. 

A leper comes to him in misery and asks him to cure his disease.  Jesus’ compassion always overrides any doubts or hesitation even though he is fully aware of the danger.  He cures the man, asks him not to tell anyone, but, of course, he does tell everyone.  The result was an onslaught of petitioners, and Jesus was forced to avoid the crowded towns. It was likely here that he said, “The son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”   

Jesus goes home to Nazareth for the second time, memories of his last successful visit in his mind. Things go well for a while until some rabble-rouser starts accusing Jesus of ignoring his own people and instead curing others, even gentiles and Samaritans. He tells them those people were cured because they believed, but Nazarenes do not. They are so angry they try to throw him over a cliff: his own people, possibly even relatives. 

Need we any further proof of Jesus’ solidarity with us? Carol King said it well: 

When you're down and troubled,
And you need some love and care
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And I will be there.

It is actually that simple. When things like this happen, the secret to coping is to let go of doubt and let Jesus in. It will change your life.  I could be preaching to the choir, but just in case you may be hesitating on the edge, I encourage you to realize you do have a friend. 

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin OPA

NONE SO BLIND

THERE ARE NONE SO BLIND, 

AS THOSE WHO WILL NOT SEE.

When the Epiphany comes around each year, I call to mind these words of Jesus.  I can’t help but wonder at the incredible blindness of the leaders of the Jerusalem.  Three men of obvious wealth and station come directly to the King to ask directions to a nowhere town like Bethlehem and it seems no one made a big deal of it. However, when the King asked why they wanted to go there, their answer about the Star and the birth of the King of Jews threw the whole palace into frenzy.  But it wasn’t because they thought their long awaited Messiah could actually have come. Oh, no, it was because they were afraidtheir long awaited Messiah had come!  To Herod the idea of the Messiah being King was fine as long it didn’t happen while he was king and hopefully not for many years in the future. There is no evidence that anyone went out to see the star for themselves, instead they huddled together to decide what to do. Eliminating the three would not have been wise, so they hit on the idea of giving the directions and then cunningly suggested they would love to see this newborn and give homage.  The three men bought it.  They had no idea who they were dealing with. 

That was the Palace, but the leaders of the Jewish faith, the priests, the scribes and the Pharisees knew that the Scripture plainly foretold the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem. What a tragedy for them to turn away.  

This is a really sad story. These people, who were supposed to be the center of understanding the scriptures, instead not only denied it, they set out to destroy anyone who professed it to be true.  They had it in their grasp; they had their salvation and culmination of the promises of God right in front of them, and they not only ignored it, they acted as though it hadn’t happened.  They became voluntarily blind.  No wonder Jesus wept. 

Many people still deny God. They, too, are voluntarily blind to the wealth of love and grace and forgiveness that is in their grasp.  When tragedy strikes they blame God.  When fear comes they cry out to Him as they say, “If you’re really there”, in case anyone who has heard them deny God might be listening. 

Happily God does not hold grudges.  He forgives even hypocrites. 

We have to ask ourselves if we truly know the peace and joy that comes from faith in Christ.  Do we hold back a little, afraid that if we jump in with both feet, we’ll get hurt? We have the opportunity to live that life. It’s right in front of us.  We can’t let it slip through our fingers.  Because so many are blind to what’s theirs for the taking, we who know and love Jesus, have an obligation to let them know what they are missing. 

Share the joy, 

Carol Lemelin OPA

TOTAL FREEDOM

TOTAL FREEDOM 

There was a really cute children’s movie some years ago featuring Jimmy Neutron.

Jimmy was a genius. He invented wonderful things usually to solve tight situations, which he and his friends got into.  In this film, aliens come in the night and kidnap all the adults leaving the kids alone on their planet.  At first, this doesn’t look like a bad thing at all. No parents? No problem.  My favorite scene is when a little boy runs out on the street and dancing around sings, “I’m out in public and my clothes don’t match! I’m out in public and my clothes don’t match!”  We can all relate to the euphoria brought on by sudden freedom. Who hasn’t wished for total freedom at least once?  

Thing is, as the kids on the parentless-planet discovered quickly, freedom comes with some severe drawbacks.  For the kids it was no cooks, no drivers, no one to keep the peace, no nurses, and no direction. They soon banded together with Jimmy leading, to find their parents and bring them home.  

The Israelites leaving Egypt felt that joy, but it was short-lived when the hardships of life wandering on unknown terrain sunk in.  It wasn’t long before they began to complain and even to wish they were back in Egypt!   Their joy faded and they lost hope and began to blame Moses for everything. It was at that point that God gave Moses the Commandments.  

What was it that gave them the strength to carry on?  Was it the Commandments themselves or the order they brought, or was it simply the hope that their journey was not in vain because there was proof that God was with them?  It was that. It was also the return of their trust that God was guiding Moses. 

The children in the film banded together with hope that they could find their parents and trust that Jimmy would find a way.  Both groups were right.  

Those are the pillars of strength of those who follow Christ.  Hope is precious. Hope should never be denied and if hope fails, we all fail. When Jesus died, his followers were left with nothing but hope.  They did not deny it. They stayed in Jerusalem even though it was dangerous.  It was hope that kept them going, and trust in Christ’s promises gave them strength. I daresay that during those terrible hours they talked of those promises and drew strength from their memories of Christ and the evidence of his power they had witnessed.  

Those are our strengths as well and part of our ministry as His followers is to build hope and trust in Christ in others.  We have to fight the tendency to give up hope.  We have to renew daily our trust that God is surely with us.  We have to show a positive attitude, look for the good in others and above all keep Christ in our hearts. 

Freedom from fear and doubt is the reward. 

Blessings, 

Carol Lemelin OPA

Oh God!

OH GOD!

One day when things were slow at the Gate, Peter saw Jesus coming toward him.  “Peter,” said the Lord. “I need your advice.” “Of course Lord” said Peter, “how can I be of service?”  

“Well, I just spent another hour listening to a woman who never stops begging me for things.  I wish I had never told that story about the nagging woman and the judge. (LK 18),because everyone misinterpreted it, the result being people like this woman. I need humans to understand that is not how I work. Instead of them being my assistants, they behave as though I am theirs!” said Jesus.  Peter thought for a minute then said, “It’s too bad no one has any idea of what it is like to be God.”  “Of course!”  Said Jesus. “Peter you are genius.  You know how humans have those Mayor for a Dayevents?  Let’s choose some woman to be God for a day!”  “A woman, Lord? ” asked Peter.  “Yes, after all most of my requests come from mothers and grandmothers,” Jesus said.

It just so happened that the persistent lady was due to arrive in a very short time, so when she did, Peter and Jesus greeted her and told her their plan.  She, of course, was delirious with joy.  Finally, she was getting a chance to show God how he should handle things! They took her to Jesus’ simple office and sat her at his desk. The woman frowned and asked, “What is that annoying noise?”  A disconcerting loud hum filled the room. “That is the sound of the requests coming in.” Peter explained.  

They explained that there are departments for each type of request, such as, Weather, Relationships, Politics, and Sports and her job is to send the requests to the correct department with, denial, approval or other directions.

The first request came from a grandmother in Traverse City who was demanding that God make the next three days perfect because her granddaughter was getting married. The second request came from a Cherry Farmer, also from Traverse City, who demanded that the next three days be rainy because his harvest would be smaller without more rain. 

She sent the grandmother’s request stamped APPROVED to the Weather Department.   She noticed that nearly every request that came in came with an opposite request. She was dizzy trying to answer them.  Then the tone of the messages began to change. The farmer announced he would have to lay off 6 workers and, because the harvest would be poor, he would not be able to make his mortgage payment and it was all God’s fault!  The next messages were all like that  and the God-for-a-Day began to tremble with the weight of the responsibility. Finally, she rang for Peter who appeared instantly.  He found the woman weeping.  She looked up at him and cried, “I had no idea how complicated this is.  How does God do it? “

“God does not answer specific requests, instead he orders each department to send his love, wisdom and grace to the petitioner so they will be able to cope with whatever comes,” replied Peter. 

“Let me go back and tell everyone,” the woman said.  Peter smiled, “God already answered that one. (LK16: 31)Those who have ears to hear should listen.”

Blessings on your New Year,

Carol Lemelin OPA