Dry Bones, Empty Graves, and Hope

     When Sarah heard that she would be giving birth to her own baby boy, she threw back her head and laughed out loud. She laughed at the very idea of an old woman having a baby. She had prayed for a son of her own, but as time passed, her dreams gave way to despair and finally, to acceptance. And now, it seemed comical to hear such a ridiculous thing- so she laughed right out loud... and one of the visitors heard her. He heard Sarah laugh, and he asked a question that each of us must answer: is anything too hard for God? Should we pray for things that don't seem possible? Should we believe in things that we can't explain? Is God just in the "comforting" business, or can God also be in the "transformation" and even the "miracle" business?
      Centuries after Sarah heard that she would give birth to a bouncing baby boy, an eccentric prophet was lifted up by the Spirit of God and deposited in a valley of dry bones. The people of God had hit bottom. It was a time of utter despair... and the prophet found himself in a valley of dry bones. The bones were piled deep and he couldn't begin to count them. But it was their "deadness" that was especially sobering. The bones were very dry, not sort of dry, and they were very dead, not  dying! It was a daunting spectacle, but unlike Sarah, Ezekiel did not laugh...when God asked him a question that each of us must answer: can these dry bones live? Can they stand up and dance? Can they take on life and begin again? Well... can they? Is anything too hard for God? And the prophet answered correctly when he said, "O Lord, you know." Speak to them, son of man, and call them back together. That's what God commanded and when His prophet obeyed, the dry bones came back together- foot bone to ankle bone to leg bone- and human forms took shape. And when the prophet was commanded to call the Spirit into them, the bones came to life! They came to life... and stood as a vast army, and with ears of faith, we can still hear their "amens."
      Centuries later still, an ordinary Jew died in a little village outside of Jerusalem. His name was Lazarus and when he became critically ill, his sisters sought help from their friend, Jesus, because they believed that he could heal their brother if he got to them in time. But as it turned out, Lazarus had been dead for four days by the time Jesus arrived. Martha met him first and she expressed a feeling that some of us may have had in our own lives. "Lord," she said, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died." If you had been here, my brother would not have died, and her sister, Mary, said the same thing. It was a time of great grief, and the Bible says that Jesus' heart broke when he saw the emptiness in their eyes and the pain that they were enduring. He sobbed- and he would be overwhelmed with grief again before he resurrected Lazarus- because broken dreams, dry bones, and dead brothers... are worth crying about. Then he told them to roll away the stone that covered Lazarus' tomb. "Oh no," Martha tried to say, "You're too late. My brother's been dead for days and we can smell him from here."
      We can smell him from here. My brother is not only dead-he is rotting. And then, Jesus asked her the same question that he asks us- Is anything too hard for God? Can God resurrect a dead man? Can God restore rotted flesh? Can shattered pieces be picked up and reassembled and become new again? Today, as we get nearer to Good Friday... we come to the question that Jesus asked Martha before he resurrected her brother. "Do you believe in the resurrection?"he asked. And when Martha said that she believed that there would be a resurrection on the last day, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives  believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Mary, Judy, Joan, Dave, Harold, Jack, and all the others... do you believe this? When you get right down to it, is this all there is... or is there life beyond the grave? Is Good Friday the end of it, or will we also dance for joy on some Easter morning? That's the question. What is your answer?

SACRED MOMENTS

       Each life is filled with Kronos time and Kairos time. Kronos time, as in chronology, is the sort of time that we count. It is ordinary time, like going to the grocery store, or doing laundry, or watching TV. But there is also Kairos time, which defies our efforts to measure it, because it’s too deep, too sacred… to be counted or measured.  It is much bigger, than the moment itself and, as often as not, it shapes us in permanent ways... so that we are never the same person again. In the sea of a million moments, a handful of them "define" us because they help us- sometimes force us- to come to grips with who we really are; they transform us, and they set us on a course that changes our entire lives. 

      I remember, like it was yesterday, sitting in Sherry’s one-room apartment, across from what was then Veteran’s Auditorium, in Des Moines, IA., listening to the music of Rod McKuen, as her window fan churned the hot, summer air. It was a modest place, to put it kindly, but it was heaven to me. It gave me peace and a sense of contentment that I hadn't known before… and I remember, too, the overwhelming sense of emptiness that overcame me just before I entered the treatment center… and the weight that was lifted when I said the “Sinner’s Prayer” with Pastor Lu. It was a sacred time- that defined me not only as a friend of Bill’s, but as a forgiven and saved disciple of Christ Jesus. Sherry’s diagnosis of cancer was yet another defining moment… that turned our world upside-down… and forced to live in the now… because there’s no point in buying a 50-year roof… when you have 5 years to live.

      There have been other defining moments, of course, the birth of our daughters, our granddaughters, our grandson, and our great-grandchildren… and the ups and downs of their lives, some of which were transforming in their own way. Life is filled with unexpected drops of joy, unforeseen challenges, and any number of little deaths… in which we lose some part of ourselves. My two younger brothers are gone now, mom and dad are too… and there’s a sadness that goes with being the last one standing. But their dying was a sacred moment nonetheless! Within the myriad of Kronos moments, we all have a handful of defining moments that force us to come to grips with who we are and where we’re going, Many of these are moments when God has broken into our lives in ways that get our attention, reassure us, challenge us, and give us the opportunity to be more than we ever thought possible.
      It's always been so. God is always involved in our lives, and when he chooses, he speaks and acts... if we have eyes that see and ears that hear. Most of Jesus’ moments were Kronos moments. Most of us life was filled with everyday stuff. When he was a kid, he played with the other kids, and when he was an adult, he spent a great deal of time coming and going, sleeping, and sharing stories with his friends... about the people they saw and the things they did on any given day. If you sometimes think that your life is filled with routine, you're in good company... but our Lord's life also had many "kairos" moments! His baptism comes to mind, with his Father’s affirmation of love. His time in the wilderness comes to mind, when he was tested in ways common to all of us… and showed that he had the faith to put the word of God first. His encounter with the Syrophonecian woman comes to mind, where she seemed to persuade him that even the dogs ought to get a few crumbs. Gethsemane comes to mind because it was a moment that called for complete and utter surrender to His Father’s will.

      Jesus had other Defining moments, but so did Father Abraham, who was called out of Ur to follow a God whom he had never worshiped. Moses' life was also defined by kairos moments. If he hadn’t been placed in a little basket, he would’ve drowned or starved as an infant; if he hadn’t killed the abusive Egyptian, he wouldn’t have come to grips with his own identity; if he hadn’t stopped at the very well that he stopped at in Midian, he wouldn’t found his wife… and he wouldn’t have seen the burning bush. he would not have heard God's call! Like all the rest of us, Moses’ life was lived mostly in Kronos time, but it was defined by Kairos time… because it was in those moments that he discovered the way in which he had to go. Moses, Joshua, Joseph, Sarah, Naomi, David, Mother Mary... and all the rest... lived lives that were defined by sacred, kairos moments that came to them in the ordinariness of kronos time...  
      but what God wants us to know today is this: so do we! What are the moments that have defined you? When has God spoken to you? Through whom? With what sort of message? What moments in your life have shaped your journey as a person and as a Christian? How does God speak to you most clearly- in the thoughts that cross your mind, through the nagging pangs that fill conscience, through the tears that burden your soul, through the people placed in your life? And in what ways is God still speaking to you? Are your eyes and ears wide open? Are you looking into the burning bushes in your own life? Are you involved with people and active in places ... that are likely to provide a Kairos moment? In the ordinariness of time, there will be moments that shape our tomorrows and touch the very core of who we are. Some of them will be filled with great joy, some of them may break our hearts, some of them may open doors, some of them may test us to our limits. But they will come- these Kairos moments. They will come and we need NOT be afraid... because God is always with us! 

I WAS RE-BORN IN 1976

When I was in the throes of my spiritual struggles (which had economic, relational, physical, and marital repercussions), my wife was counseling with the pastor of our neighborhood church. She was searching for serenity and hoping for a miracle. I've never been sure of just how long she'd been praying with Pastor Lu before I got involved, but in time...I certainly got involved. I "hit bottom" in the fall of '76,  and Pastor Lu came to visit me on the 6th floor of the Eppley treatment center in Omaha, Nebraska.

I would've welcomed anyone who cared enough to visit me at the time. So, even though I had never talked with a minister in any sort of real way, we talked... about my pain, fears, regrets, and my need for a new beginning. It wasn't a matter of philosophy or theology. It was a matter of survival because my life was out of control! I didn't know where to turn, but Pastor Lu said that he did. He said that I could find both forgiveness and new birth in Christ. He didn't mention joining "his church." He just told me that I would be a "new creation" if I surrendered to Christ, and without knowing that I had never read a Bible,  he cited several Bible passages to support his position.

The verses he cited didn't mean much to me, but I desperately needed a new beginning. I had reached the point where the unknown- whatever it turned out to be- had more appeal than the darkness that engulfed me. So, I accepted my visitor's invitation to accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and he led me in a "Sinner's Prayer," which went something like this: "Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and I ask your forgiveness. I believe that you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn my sin over to you and invite you to come into my life as Savior and Lord. I want to trust and follow you from this point forward, and with your help, I will serve you in every way that I can. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for redeeming me and for receiving this prayer. Amen." That was it- a decision, a prayer, a commitment, and that moment was the beginning of a new life for me. In that moment, I was reborn, and Sherry and I began to attend Lu's church after I finished treatment.

All of this took place in the fall of '76. It's been more than 43 years since my late pastor and I sat together on my treatment center bed, and God has never quit blessing Sherry and me. I've been pastoring a "mainline" church for some time now and I've been blessed to serve... many strong Christians who serve and worship Christ as Lord. Most of them came to Christ by growing up in the church and by making the church an integral part of their lives. So, we don't lead many people in the Sinner's Prayer, but I will be forever glad that Pastor Lu did! We don't talk much about "being saved" either, but being saved and born-again is the source of our joy and our power. Rather than beginning with a surrendered life, many people are more likely to struggle with how they can fit Christ into their lives on their terms.

This may lead to a religious life, but it will not lead to a new life! It may lead to some good deeds and proper behavior, but it will never lead to a spiritual transformation because that begins with surrender! In an effort to be "relevant," many churches have turned to marketing, entertainment, and low expectations over the yearsI But being relevant and entertaining is not the issue- rebirth is. Amen.

THE DEVIL AND US

Lent begins with temptation! It is our constant companion on the road less traveled. It comes in many forms- candy, alcohol, people pleasing, sexual relationships, cheating, lying, manipulating, stealing, quitting, self-absorption, idolatry, and more. It depends on the person, of course, but we all hear the tempting voices that call are name and see the sights that blow our minds. I think it was Will Rogers who said that there are many tempting parking places along our road and I can attest to that. For years I didn't have any trouble with temptation because I embraced it most of the time. It was simply a way of life, which I didn't give much thought, but after I accepted Christ, I saw sin, as sin, for the first time... and the things that tempted me seemed much more threatening. They also changed in form. I wasn't tempted very often to lie and I was no longer tempted to drink and smoke at all... but I WAS tempted to serve Christ on my own terms, to take shortcuts when they seemed advantageous, to take pride in my own righteousness, to preach about things that I didn't practice, and to ignore God's voice when it wasn't convenient for me to answer.

So, it's been a long time since I've been tempted to steal a pack of my dad's cigarettes or make up stories about where I had been, but the temptation to make my spiritual journey all about me still rears its head now and then, as does the temptation to have my own way. These, I think, are the greatest temptations- to serve Christ on our own terms and to serve him without sacrifice- and they have always been around. In the garden of Eden, Diabolos tempted Eve with seeds of doubt about God's motives and concern for her welfare and in the Judean wilderness, Diabolos tried to get Jesus to abandon his trust in his Father. He sowed seeds of doubt in both cases, but I think the account of Jesus' temptations is quite informative for our purposes.

As you know, when Jesus was baptized, God affirmed him and expressed His love. It was a promising first step toward Calvary, but even before his hair had dried, Jesus was “pushed” into the wilderness and tempted by the devil. Jesus was hungry and exhausted when the Tempter said, “IF you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread,” where the operative word is "if," as in doubt. Take matters into your own hands, Jesus! Feed yourself, Jesus! God knows that you'll need strength to carry your cross. But Jesus replied, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” Jesus needed bread, of course. We all do, but NOT in place of His Father’s word. Along the way, we’ll be tempted to meet our own needs first. We may even be tempted to believe that God wants us to “feed ourselves,” but nothing satisfies like the word of God.

Please note that Jesus was armed with God's word and reassured in the prayers he offered daily. No amount of will power is more effective than simply being prepared and spiritually fit. Go ahead, the Devil seemed to have concluded, and suffer if you must... but let me suggest that you make a name for yourself (which is really just another way of making it all about you). Look, the Tempter seemed to say, you can spend years walking around Galilee, teaching and healing a person now and then… OR you can make headlines by hurling yourself off of the highest point of the temple. Why, the entire city will turn out to watch and you will be a sensation. And IF you are God's Son, you know that God will save you before you hit the ground. It’s a no-brainer… unless, of course, you don’t trust your Father… or aren’t even His Son. The Devil made more appeals to self, more attempts to sow doubt, but Jesus replied, “It is also written: do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Jesus knew who and whose he was, which is perhaps the best deterrent against temptation, and he would not serve God on his own terms. Tempting Jesus to put himself first didn’t work. Tempting Jesus to force God’s hand didn’t work. So, the Diabolos took Jesus up to the top of a high mountain, and said, Look, Jesus. Look. Just look at it. It can all be yours… “if you bow down and worship me.” Why die for a world that you can own? Why hang on a cross when you can sit on a throne? It’s your choice, Jesus… serve God and go to a cross. Serve me and rule the world. Why invite people to follow you when you can order them to obey? What do you say? And Jesus said, “Get away, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”

Jesus was never tempted to smoke and carouse, or sneak a candy bar now and then. He was never tempted to rob a bank or scam some person in need, and you're not either. Our temptations are not that bold and transparent. Instead, like Jesus, we are tempted 1) to seek an easier and softer way of serving God, 2) to put ourselves first whenever we have to, 3) to trade God's long-term promises for our own immediate gratification, 4) to pick and choose what parts of God's Word we intend to obey, and 5) to let our own EGO “edge God out. ” Lent is upon us. Temptation will be around, and we will be far better off if we 1) know who and whose we are, 2) build our relationship with God by praying and studying, and 3) if we stay away from the people and places that we know to be trouble. Let's covenant to stay alert, build up our spiritual strength, stay out of harm's way, and most importantly, trust in God alone. Amen, 

GOD DON'T BULLY US!

In the novel, Cold Sassy Tree, 14 year-old Will and his grandpa talk about life and prayer. One day, Will nearly gets killed by a train because he is playing on a railroad trestle. "Grandpa," he asks, "You think I'm still alive cause it was God's will?" "Naw," grandpa replies, "You livin' cause you had the good sense to fall down twixt them tracks." Will wasn't to be dissuaded. "Maybe God gave me the idea,"he said. But grandpa was firm. "You can believe that son, if you believe that it was God's idea for you to play up on that there trestle in the first place. What God gave you was a brain. It is will for you to use it, particularly when a train's comin'. Will continued with his questions, "Grandpa, do you think it was God's will for Bluford Jackson to get lockjaw and die?" Grandpa spoke kindly, "The Lord don't make firecrackers son. It's just too bad poor Blu didn't be more careful." Will was perplexed, and asked, "You don't think God wills any of the things that happen to us? "Maybe. Maybe not," grandpa replied. Will said, "Mama and papa think he does." Grandpa licked the meringue off of his fork and offered a bit of wisdom. "Life bullies us son, but God don't," he concluded.
     
Freedom, grace, God's plan, and our responsibility- these are interesting things to ponder. Years ago a young professional was killed by lightning in Joliet, IL. He was a member of our church and I rushed to his grieving wife's side. Wanting to lift some of her burden, I said, "God doesn't cause these things to happen. They just happen, but God is there for us when they do happen... and He will give you a soft place to fall and wipe your tears." In my mind, it was a comforting comment about a God who suffers with us, but the young widow saw it differently. "I think you're wrong," she replied, "I don't believe things just happen. I believe that God makes things happen, but most often for reasons that we can't understand." Wow, I thought, she would rather believe that God was behind her husband's death... than struggle with the thought that bad things just happen to good people!
     
As for me, I don't know. Who knows? God can do anything, I know that, but I also know that "stuff" happens. And I agree with grandpa: God don't bully us! Life does. Events do, bosses do, sometimes loved ones do... but I think of God as a Comforter, a Healer, and an Inviter. God comes to our door and knocks- I believe that. God give us "holy coincidences" to guide us. I believe that too because God's been present in my life on many occasions. God may "test" us, even "tempt" us, but I think that God is best at forgiving us and empowering us. God, I think, walks with us and carries us when things are really tough, but I'm not convinced that God wants us to play on railway trestles. Bad things have happened to people I have loved with all of my heart... but that doesn't God was somehow pushing and shoving on them. In time, I will see all things clearly, but for now, I'm comfortable believing that God doesn't bully me. What do you think?

ON DUCKS AND SALT

The Danish philosopher and theologian, Soren Kierkegaard, was often critical of the church. He was critical of the clergy who watered down Jesus’ message as to make it a whole other gospel, and he was critical of the people, whose everyday lives lacked passion and commitment. To illustrate this, he told the story of a land inhabited only by ducks. And of duck church. One fine Lord’s Day, he wrote, all of the ducks waddled to duck church, where the pastor duck stood to deliver his homily. He opened his duck Bible and spoke of God’s great gift to ducks—wings. “With wings”, said the duck preacher, “we ducks can fly! We can mount up like eagles and soar! We can escape the confinement of pens and fences and know the euphoria of unfettered freedom! We must give God thanks for such a great gift!” To which all of the ducks in duck church stood to their feet with a hearty “Amen!” And then they waddled home.

There are a lot of things that Christ said that his followers don’t seem to take seriously. They seem to think he was exaggerating to make a point, or that someone misunderstood him or took his words out of context, but surely he didn’t mean it when he said… we must love our enemies and our neighbors every bit as much as we love ourselves. Who among us loves our neighbors quite as much as we love ourself? He couldn’t have been serious when he told us that we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless we serve the poor, no matter how well we behave ourselves, and who can take his admonition to forgive "70 times 7" as the gospel, when we have trouble forgiving at all. When we hear these passages, we tune them out. We are “artful dodgers,” to use another phrase from Kierkegaard, pretending that we can’t quite understand Scripture, when in truth, we often just don’t want to live it out in our own lives.

This is certainly true with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which many Christians don’t really know- it goes on for three chapters- and don’t even consider putting into practice. It seems that Jesus must have speaking poetically or abstractly when he gave this sermon. Blessed are the meek, he said- try being meek down at my office, we say. Blessed are the merciful he said- blessed are those who are demanding and uncompromising, we say. Blessed are those who are passionate about doing the right thing, he said; blessed are those who hunger for power, pleasure, and possessions, we say. It’s hard for us to take some of the things Jesus said seriously, as if he really meant them. He might as well ask us to fly.

It’s not easy to be a practicing Christian, but I don’t think Jesus was kidding or given to hyperbole when he delivered his Sermon of the Mount. You are the salt of the world, he said! Look, Jesus said- in a statement that will either amuse us or shock us because it is so big- you are the salt of the earth. Not your government, not some agency, not your neighbor, but you! Salt keeps things alive. It makes them useful and sometimes flavorable. Without you, without your ministries and without your witness to my love, the world will continue to decay. You are the life-sustaining salt that will preserve hope and joy in a world that desperately needs both. It’s up to you, but if you lose your flavor, your will, your zest… if you settle for waddling, if you won’t love one another in ways that no one can miss, you will be worth little more than the salt we throw on our paths, for people to walk on.

You, Jesus said, you uneducated fishermen, you born-again sinners, you high tech sophisticates, you mothers and fathers who are at wit’s end, you who have been burdened and disoriented by loss, and you who were in the hands of demons… all of you who call me Lord… YOU are the light of the world! You have discovered the fullness and purpose of life. You have claimed a joy that knows no end- so let your love shine like a beacon to the world. Let it shine, especially in the dark places, and people will come to see what’s going on for themselves. Don’t hide the confidence that you have in your hearts. Don’t hide the joy that burns in your spirit. Let others see your works, show them mercy, startle them with the love you have for one another… and they will respond because their hearts are burdened with trials and fears, and because they, too, hunger to be accepted and loved. Show that you love me by loving them, show that you have been forgiven by forgiving them, show them that there really is a place where people walk hand-in-hand and praise God as they walk along. 

You know the truth and the way, so let your light shine! Let them see that your love is genuine, your hearts are pure and that your joy runs deep… and they will be blessed by the light that shines through you. They will see that you are different and when they ask how did this happen to you, tell them to “come and see” what I can do for them. All of you who have answered his call… who have gathered around to hear this sermon- are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. No kidding. Really. We have life-preserving, light-giving work to do. So let’s get to work and put the Sermon on the Mount into action! Amen.

WHAT'S THE SCORE?

Would you enjoy watching football if there was no score? If the teams were simply trying their best, would you be entertained… or do you need a score? Would you play golf if there was no score… or would not having a score defeat its purpose? Someone should write an ode to the score because it means so much to us! How would who know who's getting ahead and who's falling behind... without a score? How would we know who's worth knowing and who isn't... without a score? Is “quality of life” scored by the neighborhood in which we live, the things that we own, the number of people who know our name, the number of people whom we love, the peace that abides in our heart?  There has to be a score! Otherwise, how will we ever know if we, or someone else, is worth applauding, emulating, or adoring? 

Sometimes we want our children to be our "score." If they attend the right colleges, pursue the right occupations, earn the right amount of money… we give ourselves a good score. Some men keep score of their manliness by the number of woman they’ve "known" and some women keep score by the number of shoes they own. Different people… give different points… to different things... but there's always a score! Otherwise, we would never really know how well we're doing as a man, woman, mother, father, son, or daughter, would we? And it's tempting to think that the same thing applies to our relationship with God. Some people believe that the extent to which God loves us... is revealed in the blessings we can show. Thus, if we're wealthy and healthy, God must be pleased with us, but if we're poor, addicted, or simply struggling to fit in, it's plain to see that we have not pleased God.

Good people have good things. Good Christians attend good churches. Good homes are orderly homes. God helps those who help themselves and people who help themselves please God. Every one keeps score. Every one needs a high score. It's as plain to see. Our scores are reflected in how we're doing and how we're doing is reflected in the things we own and wear, in the crowds we "hang out" with, and in the places we go. Everyone is keeping score, it seems, on our "goodness," our "attractiveness," our general "worth." Everyone EXCEPT GOD, that is!

Friends, here is the good news: God does NOT keep score! There are no scorecards in the kingdom. It's all about grace and nothing else. People of faith love their neighbors as themselves, they let their lights shine, they pick people up when they see them down- they do many, many wonderful things... for Christ's sake... but there is no score! For those of us who try so very hard to be good, this can be  frustrating. People who color outside the lines should not receive an “A.” For those of us who worship decency and order, it doesn’t seem “fair” to throw the scorecards away. And it’s not! It’s NOT fair. Not at all… but it is Amazing Grace! Like the Psalmist said so centuries ago, “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?” (Ps. 130:3)

Questions to Ponder

Who is the most successful person you know?  How did you reach this conclusion?

The most loving person you know?  The best Christian you know? How do you know?

Does the picture of "not having a score" give you an image of freedom... or chaos?

How can Christ say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," if He doesn't keep score?