Church with Feet On

On mission at the high school, on a Sunday morning.

Just about everyone knows that Church is not a building, even though that is what most people (even believers) think of when someone says the “C” word. Of course, it’s not really something you go to. Instead, it’s meant to be a gathering of fellow believers who meet with God and encourage one another to keep going on this wonderful, narrow road while sharing Hope with others in word and deed. But sometimes, when the right circumstances come together, a different kind of Church can happen in some unlikely places—where the “called out ones” actually get called out. Even on a Sunday.

Last weekend was such a time. Plans had been made in advance for spending several days on the Maine coast, partly to fulfill an obligation and partly to get a change of scenery. In the back of mind were plans to gather with fellow believers at some local Down East “C” building come Sunday. Instead, I cut all of those plans short and hustled back home in time to participate in a 5K run/walk to benefit teen mental health and suicide awareness. 

On a Sunday. A Sunday morning, even, when my body and soul were used to gathering with the saints and were pulling hard in that direction....

...It felt weird. It felt wonderful. It felt a bit like being that salt seasoning and light carrying that Jesus taught His followers to be in Matthew 5:13-16.

I do not know exactly when or how this particular mission grabbed my heart, but when it did, it hit hard. The more I heard and read about it, it crushed my heart to think that many young people felt so alone, so hurt, so isolated by COVID, so unaccepted (by others and themselves), so fearful of world conditions and things in their own little world, that they would think no one really cared. That there seemed to be no hope, no way out. To then keep it all stuffed down inside themselves in silent pain.

A guy’s DNA is to want to fix things, and fix all what was wrong for these young people. But in this case, there are very few fixing options for anyone. Until I remembered that Someone came for all of that, and cared for all of that, and that all that going to the “C” gathering-with-believers experience had stirred up a passion for things I knew I could and wanted to do—to pray, and to listen/“be there” in some way. And that 5K was one small but practical way to “be there” in person and for those providing resources, and to listen to stories, and to try to put names with faces of students who were rallying to do the same for their friends so I could pray. Even make it a habit to pray for the middle and high schools as a whole whenever I drive by.

“Why this mission, and why now?” It’s something many believers ask themselves. Only God knows. Seasons come and go, and so do the eternal things that God will suddenly pour into our heart out of nowhere with a sort of burning. And the only explanation I can come up with is that the more time you take to get to know, and listen to, and seek to follow the greatest Light of the world of all time, the more He becomes the motor that drives your thinking, your passions, your interests, and your everyday interactions—especially with those who find going to the “C” word on Sundays a very foreign idea.

Kind of like, that’s the whole point of the gospel.

Because nearly 900 years before Jesus, there was a prophet named Isaiah who described what His mission would be all about. And in Luke 4, the Light of the world Himself not only confirmed it, but passed the baton of salt and light on to all believers down through the ages to carry for as long as we have life and breath…

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;

He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed

And to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim freedom for the captives,

And release from darkness for the prisoners”

—Isaiah 61:1: Luke 4:16-21, ISV

To go to church on Sundays, yes, but much more than that— to be church with feet on.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

For vitamins beyond Sunday, see the Day Starter morning devotionals on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/renewchurchhancock

Checkout Line Awakening

Last night’s thunder and lightning have been replaced by this morning’s mighty rushing wind that is making the trees roar and setting the two ship’s bells in the backyard to dancing. Their joyful clanging is almost church-bell-like while reading an ancient Hebrew invitation on this first day of Holy Week: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘let us go to the house of the Lord!’” (Psalm 122:1) But their joyful clanging triggers another reminder: More than 2,000 years ago, Jesus showed up not just at synagogue but wherever His followers happened to be in their normal everyday life.

It's good to remember that He still loves to do that...

...Preoccupied with life and a bunch of to-dos on a rainy Good Friday morning not long ago, and wondering if anyone (including myself) had grasped the meaning of this day in history, something wonderfully jolting happened while standing, of all places, in the grocery store checkout line. It began with a rugged-looking workman in front of me who was carrying the surprising combination of a balloon presumably destined to be given to his child, and a pot of springtime for someone special in his life. But none of it was as surprising as his reply to the cheerful cashier's "Happy Friday, sir!"

"Thank you, and happy Good Friday to you...if you believe in all of that."

"Oh, I do! Happy Good Friday to you as well, sir."

Wow, people were actually talking Gospel things in public? In a grocery store, no less. And that was that, or so I thought. Until it was my turn to check out, and the cashier continued her train of thought as she scanned my items, then looking out the window at the dreary weather: "You know, I was just telling my husband this morning, every Good Friday, it seems to be like this. I don't think that's a coincidence, do you?"

Wait. Was this cashier opening the door to further conversation about the Good Friday I had nearly forgotten in all my preoccupation? And here? Where anyone and everyone could listen in, in a grocery store checkout line? How cool! And the door was opened, and the uplifting conversation went public. It’s easy to look for Jesus on Sunday mornings in “the house of the Lord” when God's people gather together. Easier still is to forget that...

... just as He burst forth from the tomb on that most glorious of mornings, Jesus still shows up in unlikely places by bursting in to our preoccupied everyday lives.

This was not the first time Jesus showed up at a grocery store checkout line. Something similar happened several years earlier during a different holiday....

Everyone was in a kind and festive mood, even though the line was long, and remarkably patient for day before Thanksgiving. The line seemed to be moving at a snail's pace—make that a frozen snail. Stores seem to love this. It's why they often display some of their most tempting goodies nearest the cash register, so that you check it all out while you're waiting for the snail to move. The marketing scheme worked. I scanned it all, because there was nothing else to do. But then looking up one of the shelves by the window, my eye caught a jolly figure standing outside the store with a red collection bucket and bell. 'Tis the season, after all, and I purposed to stop by on my way home. 

Fortunately, the people in front of me had only a couple of items, so I was out of the store faster than expected. As I headed to the bearded fellow with the red bucket and bell, I noticed a sign and easel had been set up next to the collection pot. Today was a special collection for a young local guy who had been seriously wounded while serving in Iraq. Instead of emptying my pocket of loose change as usual, without hesitation, I went to my billfold and pulled out dollar bills and stuffed them as best I could into the bucket. 

The jolly bearded gentleman handed out remembrance pins with a photo of the soldier on it, and as I started walking away, pinning the pin to my fleece, I suddenly—out of nowhere—felt a wave of tears trying to rise up. For sure, part of it was the emotion of being a dad, and thinking: "If it was my son, I'd give anything to make his world right again. Anything!" But then Divine revelation while, of all places, walking downtown: As I was making my way back to my car and asking God aloud about this strange reaction, almost immediately, I sensed Him speak in so many words: "This is how I feel about you, and for everyone you see around you right now, and in that grocery line. I have looked upon My kids, gravely wounded by sin, and I determined that I would give anything to make it right again. And I did.”

Right then and there, on a side street downtown, while walking and talking and doing the supposedly unimportant stuff of life, I celebrated Thanksgiving and Easter together in a moment that seemed far more significant and weighty than the goodness of what happens on any given Sunday morning....

... "You saved four dollars today. Thank you, and happy Easter!" And just as I was on that day several years ago, and thinking of the rugged workman with the balloon and his Good Friday sermon starter, I left the grocery store checkout line on that dreary Good Friday morning grateful all over again for the One who really matters in this life--no matter where I am.

And with it, renewed hope that no matter what kind of mess the world is in right now, God is still speaking to and through His kids today right in the middle of it all—in “the house of the Lord” on Sunday for sure, but perhaps most loudly and urgently in the streets, the daily grind, and in the grocery store checkout lines.

"This is my Father's world...He speaks to me everywhere."

—Hymn, by Maltbie D. Babcock

Good Tools Handed Down

Dad and me back in the day. Nothing like the grip of a father's arms...Selah.

Originally published October 2016

Yesterday started out like many a Saturday morning around the homestead: Up early because I have farmer's blood in my veins, some rugged coffee, a check of the headlines and a good dose of some good Words, a hearty breakfast where the locals hang out, then off to the recycling center, the hardware store, and a bunch of other chores around the house. I used to think I had to defend this satisfying routine whenever anyone asked "so, what did you do this weekend?" But no more. It's good to rest in the fact that life doesn't have to be complex and busy to be simply good.

But in the midst of the beautiful routine yesterday came an unusual jolt of a beautiful "and to remind you." A gray and damp late fall day, with most of the hardwoods partially naked except for a scattering of yellows and browns, and woodsmoke in the air, somehow brought me back several decades to Saturday mornings with dad. This is where and how he spent his Saturday mornings, too, complete with pipe smoke and the aroma of sawdust from his workshop where he had seemingly endless fix-its and cool projects. Even at that grade school age, I learned many lifetime lessons and habits by watching what dad did, and how he did it. Never really got the hang of being adept at fix-its and projects, but I know the reason I have a clean desk at work at the end of the day is because on dad's workbench, every nail type had its can, and every screw its jar so that he'd know just where to find what he needed the next time.

And to keep the routine and fix-its and projects straight, dad always had a list. Sometimes, there'd be a lengthy list near his workbench, with most of the items crossed off. A few long-range tasks remained. And so, whether on paper, on a laptop doc, or in my head, to this day there is nothing like that universally felt rush of accomplishment whenever I can cross something of "the list."

But amidst the damp fall morning, the routine, the sawdust, and orderly workbench and lists, also came a reminder of how dad followed Jesus in a very practical and meaningful way, and how he modeled being a servant to God and others long before I understood what that meant. Because there are some things in life for which dad made a list that were never meant to be crossed off or erased, but to be walked out over and over again.

Things Jesus said and did.

Things He said and did only because His Father was saying and doing them.

Things His first followers saw Him do in the routine of their days, and wrote down for our benefit for the routine of our days some 2000 years later.

Things dad embraced, just like he felt the arms of his Father around him in the day-to-day.

Things like this:

• "Love others well, and don’t hide behind a mask; love authentically.
• "Despise evil; pursue what is good as if your life depends on it.
• "Live in true devotion to one another, loving each other as sisters and brothers.
• "Be first to honor others by putting them first.
• "Do not slack in your faithfulness and hard work.
• "Let your spirit be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over, as you serve the Lord.
• "Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner.
• "Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer.
• "Share what you have with the saints, so they lack nothing;
• "Take every opportunity to open your life and home to others."

(Romans 12:9-13, The Voice)

Good tools handed down...and passed along as a baton...

Back Roads Matter

A late fall afternoon on Elm Hill Road.

Sometimes out of necessity, but more often, it seems, by choice, Jesus preferred the back roads to the highways to get from Point A to Point B. Not that there was much structural difference back in the day—all roads were pretty much well-worn foot paths. But as with today's Interstate, some paths got you to your destination faster and more directly. WJDD —What Jesus Didn't Do — most of the time.

This is no throw-away fact. Because one of the more fascinating things about following Jesus in this life is to see over and over again in the Gospels that He was seldom in an Interstate state of mind. And what is that? In the words of journalist Charles Kuralt, "Thanks to the Interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything." Jesus preferred to slow down and take the back roads and see. And if there was a delay in plans, there was a good reason for it. If there was a detour that had to be made, it was seldom a waste of time...

"Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives." —Matthew 9:35, Message

...It takes a lifetime of walking with the One who walked everywhere to begin to embrace all of that. “Git ‘er done” is how we roll in this culture, and that Interstate mindset does not die easily.

But if you live anywhere near a back road that branches off of your local main highway and that meanders along river banks, up and down and around hillsides and fields, and is occasionally interrupted by little clusters of homes, it never fails: you begin to unwind, get perspective, and…breathe. You also begin to notice what you didn’t notice on the main road:

You notice.

On the back roads, you become less aware of me-myself-and-I and more aware of your surroundings, the changing scenery, the woman walking her dog, the old man shuffling out to his mailbox, the kids jumping with delight off the school bus at the end of the day. You tend to see things you don't see when you're on Interstate mode.

To slow down and see—that just might be the subtle, outrageously beautiful plot behind God’s idea of creating back roads and why Jesus often followed them. To take His followers back to the main thing of seeing and serving and ministering to others and away from the deeply engrained “it’s me and my life and I’m in an Interstate hurry to get wherever that is” mindset.

That outrageously beautiful plot was driven home one bitterly cold winter morning when the usual sounds of guys in pick up trucks going to work on the back road through the woods were greatly amplified. You notice things like that. And things like this: At the same time those trucks on the back road made their presence known, two seemingly random and passionate readings from two generations collided, and rather than chaos, the result was fusion and focus and seeing once more:

• “The person who loves his life and pampers himself will miss this life! But the one who detaches his life from this world and abandons himself to Me will find true life and enjoy it forever!”—John 12:25, Passion Translation

• “Because I was created by God and for His glory, I desire to make knowing and enjoying God the passionate pursuit of my life.”—From the Passion Conference “268 Declaration”

It was seeing that "to everything, there is a season" includes a time and place for the highways and Interstates of life. Because sometimes, we really do have to “Git ‘er done.” But maybe, just maybe, following in the Master’s footsteps looks more like intentionally slowing down on the back roads, and seeing people and things that really matter, and remembering that in the upside down Kingdom, “it’s all about me” is really supposed to be just the opposite...

"We're not where we're going

And we're not lost where we are

Taking the long way Home

Just taking the long way Home

There's beauty on the backroads

Even when this journey's hard

Taking the long way Home"

(From "The Long Way Home," Neon Feather with David Dunn)

(Updated from a previous entry.)

The Kid on the Trail

Times of refreshing on a hot day at the summit of Pack Monadnock.

A very pleasant woman at the state park toll booth yesterday peered into my driver’s window and greeted me as though I were her next door neighbor. We chatted briefly about the hot weather but that the woods would be cooler and the summit refreshing, and that taking a summer hike was better than sitting at home in heat wave quarantine. “That will be four dollars…unless, of course, you are a senior citizen and then there is no charge,” she said. And when I acknowledged that I indeed qualified, she said, “My, well you certainly don’t look it!” Made my day.

Or so I thought. As I adjusted my backpack and gulped some water, I sensed this relatively short but steep jaunt up the mountain was to be more than just a nice hike. I had been reminded over the past 24 hours of how countless men and women through the ages have sensed the presence of God by walking through His creation. Sometimes, sensing in very unusual ways. It’s always evident, but not always noticed and often taken for granted, and so I was on a mission to enjoy the day and to be aware that I was not alone. And for some inspiration before launching out, I decided to check my bible app for the verse of the day…

”Some people brought their little children to Jesus so He could touch them, but His followers told them to stop. When Jesus saw this, He was upset and said to them, 'Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children. I tell you the truth, you must accept the kingdom of God as if you were a little child, or you will never enter it.'” 

—Mark 10:13-15, NCV

Huh. What I remembered most about that passage was that it was one of the few instances where Jesus got really angry with His disciples. The NIV even says He was “indignant.” What's with that? More than just an incident involving little kids, it would seem Jesus was and is serious about how we look at living life in His kingdom—and that it is not as adulting as we would like to think. 

It all seemed rather random out here in the middle of the woods. Still, I figured there was something to be gleaned from the passage as I headed up the trail. There was a nice breeze and the sound of a few birds singing in the distance, but other than the sound of my feet negotiating rocks and roots, all was very quiet and peaceful. But then, a strange sound in the distance. It sounded like a two-way radio but with laughter. A park ranger, perhaps? And then suddenly, around a bend in the trail, a young boy about 12 all by himself (his parents, I learned, were not far behind) came bounding to a stop. He had some sort of a walkie-talkie where he was communicating with the leader. He looked fearless and wide-eyed. And he just stood there, hands on hips, smiling, waiting for me to go by.

And there it was! That easily forgotten picture of what it’s supposed to look like walking with Jesus every day in His kingdom here on earth….“The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child.”—Matthew 18:4, NCV

But as I too quickly forget, to be child-like humble on this journey does not mean to be childish or weak or soft. Here, right in front of me on the trail, was Jesus’ serious reminder of what continually being child-like before Him really looks like:

• Having a kids’ untarnished heart to always learn and explore in wonder the things of God, leaving worldly cynicism and worry at the door
• Remembering to love life and people simply because we know and love the One who made it and them all
• Bounding along the journey in boldness and joy, even if there are a few sprained ankles along the way, because our Leader always knows the way and has got us in His grip
• Trusting, feeling safe, always feeling welcome in the Father’s presence simply because “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1)
• Having that kid’s walkie-talkie lifestyle—always talking and listening to the Leader for guidance
• Always looking Up in honor and admiration—the Mentor of all mentors
• Remembering to smile and laugh…often

I soon arrived at the summit, drenched in sweat but fully energized. Having encountered that verse and that boy and his walkie-talkie along the way had me bounding like a kid from rock to rock to take in the panoramic vistas and feel the refreshing breeze.

I had thought that pleasant woman’s comment at the base parking lot would be my highlight of the day, but this was much better—a reminder to my adulting self to “carry this moment with you, and carry it often, because it’s easy to forget that this is what walking with Jesus in His Kingdom here on earth is supposed to look like.”

Paying Attention

Along the Marginal Way, Ogunquit, ME

 “But there is only one thing that is essential. Miryam [Mary] has chosen the right thing, and it won’t be taken away from her.”—Luke 10:42, Complete Jewish Bible

It seems that many of our dreams are just mixed up gobbledygook that’s easily forgotten, but then there are those that seem to say “pay attention to this.” The other night, I remember observing a long list of what seemed to be great ideas and thoughts, waiting for a winner to be selected as on a talent show. There were some obvious contenders and personal favorites, but when the winner was selected, everyone (myself included) was stunned.

“Wait, what? Who?” And way down this very long list, the winner’s name was found: “Mary.” Yes, that Mary. I sensed many around me were shaking their heads in unbelief. But in my dream, the word “Mary” seemed to jump off the list and pass right before my eyes… “Pay attention to this.”

The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42  is one of the most polarizing for believers. I know I have a love-hate relationship with it. At first glance, the Home Depot “do-ers” (and that would be most of us born in the USA) who are wired more like Martha think Jesus is favoring the more contemplative Mary. We can get a bit defensive and try to counter with Paul’s words that “we are God’s workmanship created to do good works…that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10). Yeah!…Also true, but when Jesus speaks, it is best to follow the Leader. What might He be really saying?

A closer look at this story seems to indicate that it is not as it first appears—it’s not really about do-ers vs. contemplative personalities. After all, no one ever did as much amazing stuff as Jesus did. Instead, if we can get past the defensiveness, it seems to be about priorities and dealing with all the distractions of life that would try to get in the way of the one thing that really matters.

And Jesus is quite clear in identifying that greatest priority of them all: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. There is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” (Matthew 22:37, Message).

It is hard to do that—wait, it is impossible to do that—when we’re distracted. It is even hard to do that when we’re busy doing God-busy things. Doing the stuff is still important—it’s gotta get done—but before lifting a finger or getting distracted by what needs to be done, it would seem Jesus is saying to Martha and all of us down through the ages that no matter how busy we are or what needs to get done, the best and first move is always to take our cue from Mary and make sitting at the feet of Jesus (the position of a disciple) our priority. In case there are any doubts, it gets no clearer than this:

…“I am the Vine and you are the branches. Get your life from Me. THEN I will live in you and you will give much fruit. You can do nothing without Me.”

—John 15:5, NLV

Mary's is the position of the heart of worship—worship that is more than 20 minutes of singing, or going to church every Sunday but of one who seeks to trust and obey Jesus’ greatest commandment of them all, whether we are more Home Depot-inclined or contemplative. Because this is the position for our life’s purpose, effectiveness and fruitfulness, and its launching pad for becoming better reflectors of Jesus to those around us. We keep trying to look elsewhere, but it is found only here, and nowhere else…and deep down inside, our hearts know it and even long for it. It is something that needs frequent recalibrating, and thus sometimes the Lord sends us crazy dreams as a reminder, but it is still the right and only position that matters.

Because the story of Mary and Martha and Jesus and all the rest of them really comes down to this:

"I Am looking for a people that will simply pay attention to Me.”

—Andy Byrd, from “Fire and Fragrance”

Selah…

Foundations

At a corner of the corner of Main and Grove.

I could walk through my town a thousand times a day and find something beautiful to photograph—people, architecture, the way the sun’s setting paints a golden glow on old buildings, waterfalls and reflections, flowers in bloom and trees clothed in fall foliage or standing bravely naked against the harsh winter. I look for objects that paint a pleasant, beautiful or hopeful mood or that prompt some sort of good vibes within when you look at them—never too much positivity in a world like ours.

A photograph, well, like this one: Just a bunch of cool-looking rocks holding up a corner of the old Granite Block building at the corner of Main and Grove in my hometown. Colorful, artsy foundation architecture for sure, but I remember when I took that photo a couple of years ago, it was intentional—to help practically illustrate a teaching on something mysterious that Jesus said about Himself many years ago:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the very stone—the cornerstone—that holds together the entire foundation.” (Luke 20:17).

That's a great image to hold on to when you wake up every morning to a world gone mad, where all around seems shaken and unstable. The Lord who made heaven and earth and all that is in them is still the firm foundation of it all. Whew! But the news gets even better, and frankly a bit unbelievable, for anyone who has made Jesus the cornerstone for life—news that promises a life full of meaning and adventure and fantastic purpose, even amidst all the trials and stresses that everyone has to deal with on planet Earth. And Peter, that most imperfect and relatable of all disciples, sends the invitation that has no expiration date: “Come to Him, the risen Lord, as to a living Stone which men rejected and threw away, but which is choice and precious in the sight of God. You believers, like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5)

While that always sounds like “Amen!” music to the ears and you know in your brain that it is so because God said it is so, truth be told, there can be days when I wake up on the wrong side of bed and wonder how on earth I can fit in to that kind of holy structure — to reflect the love of God to people and situations and conversations throughout the day. "Maybe not today. Too may faults and blemishes and inconsistencies." On such days, Peter's invitation is still a beautiful picture, but something seems missing...

... My newspaper publisher, when I first broke into journalism back in the day, never let us settle for the obvious. He’d often say something like, “Dig! Get more details. Tell a story.” And once that gets in your blood, there’s no turning back. I had to admit that “cornerstone” was a word I could easily throw around and nod at, but didn’t know much about. And how do the other stones fit in?  So, I dug a bit. From an architectural definition:

“The cornerstone, also known as the foundation stone or setting stone, is the first stone to be laid in the building of a foundation. All other stones will be placed with reference to this stone… The cornerstone should be selected based on its quality and the reputation of the builder….Cornerstones can also be used as an anchor for heavy loads [Amen!], such as when placing a foundation under a house or garage. … It is laid initially to verify that the structure is square and sturdy. It is the rock that bears the weight of the entire construction…

… Each stone has been selected with care; some are more notable than others, but they all serve one purpose: they build up the structure so that it is solid and reliable.”

Every picture tells a story beyond the obvious, and there it is!

Unlike many other photos that can be liked and quickly forgotten, I will often return to this one and gaze intently as one might do at a painting in an art gallery. I return to praise God in awe and wonder and joy as I remind myself that no matter what kind of day I'm waking up to or think I’m having, He always has and always will delight in choosing to build His Kingdom every single day with and through a bunch of imperfect, oddly-shaped stones who simply depend on the Cornerstone for unshakeable strength.

No excuses. Time to get on with it...

That Name

 

(Photo: Priscilla du Preez @unsplash.com)

There is Fred Flintstone, and Fred Rogers. And around these parts, there’s this funny fellow named Fred Marple. But as a little kid, I knew that there was only one Fred who really mattered—the one who I could run to, who could pick me up, who alone could help in my time of need. Fred was my dad’s name and I knew there was no other Fred like him. There was something about that name.

Throughout history, and even today, like many people named Fred, many men have also been named Jesus. The apostle Paul commends one for his friendship and loyalty as “Jesus, who is called Justus.” (Colossians 4:1). In Spanish-speaking countries, Jesus is a popular name to be given baby boys and pronounced “hey-ZOOS.” And in contemporary culture, the Greek root name for Jesus—Joshua—is one of the most popular of all guy names.

But there is no power in just having the name Jesus. The power is in who He alone is. Not just another person named Jesus but Jesus the Christ—the Messiah, the Savior of the world, God’s one and only deliverer of salvation. Like my dad, there is none other like this Jesus. None. In fact, when the name Jesus of Nazareth was spoken during His time on earth, or when this particular Jesus was identified, as Peter confessed, “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” the whole world shook in awe and fear and wonder and love, and even…“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth…” (Philippians 2:10)

You wonder why you wince or feel something righteously angry entwined with an unexplainable rush of Love whenever someone around you uses that Name in vain? It is not human backlash. It is the Holy Spirit bearing witness within us that this Jesus of whom they are swearing is not just any Jesus but our Savior’s Holy name and there is no Jesus like Him. "You have no idea what you're saying!" There’s just something about that Name!

…On the night Jesus Christ was betrayed, when fear, uncertainty and sorrow gripped the disciples, when they heard their closest Friend in such prayerful agony that He sweat drops of blood, it must have felt like their whole world was spinning out of control. But then a shocking moment as the religious leaders’ soldiers, led by Judas the betrayer, approached and said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth:

“When Jesus said ‘I AM he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.” (John 18:6).

Even when it all seemed bleakest in Gethsemane, all authority still belonged to that Name above all names, because as He had already declared: “My life cannot be taken away by anybody else; I AM giving it of My own free will. My authority allows Me to give My life and to take it again. All this has been commanded by My Father.” (John 10:18) No other man named Jesus had every claimed that and never will...

Why does any of that matter today?

...Because no matter how many times someone uses Jesus’ name in vain, or no matter how crazy life looks around us at any given moment, nothing ever has or ever will have authority over that Name above all names, Jesus Christ. And that means no matter what, we can always trust in, declare, sing and confidently pray that Name, believing that every time we do so, we will be strengthened within knowing that all authority still belongs to Jesus the Christ alone, just as it did in that darkest of nights in the garden of Gethsemane. No other Jesus or Joshua or Fred can ever say or do that.

There’s something about that Name!…and He’s still got the whole world in His hands.

A Little Bit of Dynamite

 

Last year's Easter sunrise across the street from my church.

“He is not here—He is risen, just as He said He would.”
—Matthew 28:6, Phillips Translation

Barely awake this morning, I looked out the window at the emerging glow of light on the eastern horizon and found myself kinda-sorta singing the first verse of that great Easter hymn: “Christ the Lord is risen today! Hallelujah!” And it stopped me in my tracks, maybe because I was struggling to remember all the words or maybe because working with words and finding the right words to say things clearly has been my lifelong career. I was suddenly reminded once more of one of the littlest throw-away words of all time in that hymn, one that explodes with impact this Resurrection Day morning:

“Is.” 

It may be a tiny word but underestimate its power at your own risk. Because as that old hymn declares, “Is” is not a has-been, used-to-be, might-be kind of word. Dictionaries state matter-of-factly that “is” means “to be” or better still, “to be present,” but for we who Believe, that means “is” is everything! “Is” is active. It is right now and relevant. It’s an awesomely amazing little word that reminds our life-numbed minds this morning that…“God’s not dead He IS surely alive!”

“Yes, but tell me again, how can I know for sure?” 

Because from before the beginning of time, God has said about Himself: “I AM the Lord! That IS My name!” (Isaiah 42:8, Amplified). From the garden tomb on a morning like this, the angel tells startled and confused visitors looking for Jesus: “He isn’t here! He IS risen from the dead, just as He said would happen!” (Matthew 28:6, New Living Translation). And in the last chapters of history, God assures us nothing has changed about Him and never will, and best of all that this story is not over: “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who IS, who always was, and who IS still to come—the Almighty One!” (Revelation 1:8, New Living Translation)

And because “Christ, the Lord, IS risen today!,” I can rest in knowing He still reigns over this (crazy) world He created and that He is ever interceding for me (Hebrews 7:25), every single day. He’s not a far-off, too busy with other things, “try-to-go-figure-it-out-yourself-and-call-Me-if-you-need-anything” God, but the One and only “Emmanuel—God with us” 24/7 God. And whenever we need reminding, convincing or reassurance that “is” really means what it says it means, that little stick of dynamite has some pretty amazing synonyms that dictionary writers think are just interesting similar words but to every Believer—especially on Resurrection Sunday—are fire to the bones:

The Lord…abides

The Lord…acts

The Lord…breathes

The Lord…continues

The Lord…does

The Lord…endures

The Lord…holds

The Lord…inhabits

The Lord…lasts

The Lord…lives

The Lord…moves

The Lord…obtains

The Lord…persists

The Lord…prevails

The Lord…remains

The Lord…rests

The Lord…stands

The Lord…stays

Which is why one of the best-known Bible passages of them all will always get us recalibrated, well beyond Easter:

“The Lord IS my Shepherd. I will have everything I need.”

(Psalm 23:1, NLV)