Social Baggage

Today’s Bible study is from Acts 4-6.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus. -Acts 4:13

About three months prior to this incident, Peter was busy pretending he didn’t even know Jesus and John was still jockeying for a position at his right hand. Fast forward to a post-Pentecost encounter with these men and there was no denying it. They’ve been with Jesus.

There was power in their actions and authority in their speech. They went about boldly proclaiming the very things the ruling authorities told them not to and were proud of the beatings they took for it. This kind of change could not be overlooked, swept under a rug or stamped out.

Today’s Prayer
God fill me with Your Spirit daily. Let my conversations, actions and relationships bear witness that I have been with Jesus.

The Flood is a New Community effort to read through the New Testament in 40 days. To learn more about it, visit CentralChurchHHI.com. A devotional journal accompanies each reading, but I thought it would be a good idea to post my thoughts here.

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out”

Acts 3:13-19 (NIV)

There’s so much action in the first three chapters of Acts that it’s easy to miss the recurring theme of God’s forgiveness. The first people he reached out to on the day of Pentecost were the very people who nailed him to the cross.

Today’s Prayer:
God help me to be grateful always that you took a lonely boy intent on cursing your name and loved him in spite of himself. Help me to love others and view them as innocent no matter what.

That last part gave me pause. Do I really mean “no matter what?” God work in me.

“All the ‘great secrets’ under the mountains had turned out to be just empty night:? there was nothing more to find out, nothing worth doing, only nasty furtive eating and resentful remembering.? He was altogether wretched.? He hated the dark, and he hated the light more: he hated everything, and the Ring most of all.

“‘What do you mean?’ said Frodo. ‘Surely the Ring was his precious and the only thing he cared for?? But if he hated it, why didn’t he get rid of it or go away and leave it?’

“‘You ought to begin to understand, Frodo, after all you have heard,’ said Gandalf.? ‘He hated it and loved it, as he hated and loved himself.? He could not get rid of it.? He had no will left in the matter.’”

J.R.R. Tolkien

More than any other character in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, I understand Gollum.?

I have a love/hate relationship with myself and my desires.? My body cries out for the very thing that eats away at my mind.? I want money.? I want power.? I want sex.? These things bring an emptiness and sorrow that cannot be satisfied.? And yet I continue to try.? I feed my precious desires and keep them close to my heart.? I hide myself in a cavern of darkness and flee the light, hoping for what I do not know.

I hate what I do and yet I embrace it.? Thus was Gollum’s struggle, Paul’s struggle and my own.? Someone comes along and frees me from my precious living death and all I want to do is kill him for it.? “Give it back!” I cry.? “My precious! I wants it.”

I read the following poem and it made me think of Grandma. This is her first Christmas in Heaven. She was a staple of tradition in our family. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving. They were all centered around Grandma’s house. Funky colored Christmas trees, the annual gift exchange and even that nasty sausage cake (c’mon, you know it was gross) for Jesus’ birthday were things we could all count on at Christmas. Although it’s been a few years since we’ve been able to join the family for Christmas, this year feels especially sad knowing that Christmas at Grandma’s is only a memory.

And yet my sadness is mixed with hope as I watch the new life grow in Terry’s womb. We will form new traditions. Our family will have new grandparents and new children with new treasures to unwrap. We will have old memories to share as we create new ones to pass on to our own grandchildren.

It is a beautiful thing, this cycle of life. We wish all of you a blessed Christmas and joy throughout the new year.

MY FIRST CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN

I see the countless Christmas trees
Around the world below,
With tiny lights like Heaven’s stars
Reflecting on the snow.

The sight is so spectacular,
Please wipe away the tears.
For I am spending Christmas
With Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs,
That people hold so dear.
But the sounds of music can’t compare,
With the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you,
The joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description
To hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me,
I see the pain inside your heart,
But I am not so far away,
We really aren’t apart.

So be happy for me dear ones,
You know I hold you dear,
And be glad I am spending Christmas
With Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift,
From my heavenly home above.
I send you each a memory,
Of my undying love.

After all love is a gift,
More precious than pure gold.
It was always most important,
In the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other
As my Father said to do.
For I cannot count the blessings,
Or love he has for you.

So have a Merry Christmas,
And wipe away that tear.
Remember I’m spending Christmas
With Jesus Christ this year.