Carry a nail for Lent

A pastor had a little kitten stuck up in a tree, and the kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove until the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. But as he moved just a little too far, the rope broke. The tree snapped upright and the kitten instantly sailed through the air and out of sight.

He felt just terrible and walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they had seen a little kitten. Nobody had and finally he prayed, "Lord, I commit this kitten to Your keeping," and then went about his business.

A few days later he was at the grocery store and met one of his church members. In her shopping cart he was amazed to see cat food. Now this woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her why she was buying cat food when she hated cats so much.

She replied, "You won't believe this but I have been refusing to buy my little girl a cat even though she has been begging for one. Finally I told her that if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it.

"I watched my child go out into the yard, get on her knees and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky with its paws spread out and landed right in front of her. Of course I had to let her keep the kitten since it came from God…”

Jesus taught his disciples, saying: And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:5-6)

 Prayer -- just the word elicits a wide variety of responses and feelings.  Everything from the most pious of responses to the most piteous of excuses, the concept and practice of prayer has evoked much writing and discussion in Christian circles down through the ages. Most of us would profess fairly easily that we believe prayer is important. Most of us would have to confess, perhaps not so easily, that we do not pray as we should.

 As we begin our Lenten pilgrimage, let us begin with prayer. And I mean that both literally and figuratively. Let us begin where Jesus always seemed to begin every venture and effort, with prayer. It is one of the Lenten disciplines espoused by the religious for years. But it is more than just a discipline. So let us take some time, as we begin our Lent, to explore what prayer is, or is not.

 Lent is a time designed to help us prepare for Easter.  It is intended to help us see our need for a Savior.  As we consider all the ways we have fallen short and failed to measure up, we grow in our appreciation of Christ.

Prayer is one of the primary ways we have of acknowledging our dependance on God.  It’s not about getting God’s help to bail us out, or to help us achieve our goals.  When we pray we are confessing that God gets to set the agenda.  We are asking for clarity in seeing it, and for the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish it.

Too often, though, we start with a self-centered approach.  Mark Twain had Huckleberry Finn give these comments on Prayer:

"Miss Watson, she took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing came of it. She told me to pray everyday, and whatever I asked for I would git it. But it warn't so. I tried it. Once I got a fish line but no hooks. It warn't any good to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn't make it work. By and by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool. She never told me why, and I could never make it out no way. I set down one day in the woods and had a long think about it. I says to myself, if a body can get anything they pray for, why don't Deacon Wynn get back the money he lost on pork? Why can't Miss Watson fat up? No, says I to myself, there ain't nothin' to it."

Corrie Ten Boom  asks, "Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire ? "

Lincoln's Proclamation on Prayer   April 30, 1863

 “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

 This Lenten season, as we think about our purpose in life, let us approach it prayerfully.  Let us remember Jesus Christ, who lived each day in the spirit of prayer.  It was a  mark of his dependance on God.  Express your dependance on God.  Hold on tightly to His purpose. Jesus expressed that supremely when he died on the cross.  He made a commitment and didn’t back down. 

 I  carry a nail in my pocket, as a reminder of what Christ went through.  But it also reminds me of Christ’s commitment to me.  When we want something to be solid, we nail it down.  He didn’t need nails to hold him to the cross;  his love was enough. But it reminds us of how solid his love for us is.

  Is your commitment to Christ nailed down solid?  Is your love for Him dependable?  Unwavering? Or is it dependant on the weather, or your health, or material prosperity?

“No Rules, Just Right”

Courtroom visits are sad.  Especially when you see a good boy, who was raised in a good home and a good church, who has made some very bad decisions.  You can’t pass over the consequences, or remove his responsibility, even though you grieve for him and his family.

  It is hard, raising kids.  When they are little, we can just give them rules to follow.  “Don’t play in the street;  don’t hit your sister…”  As we teach them about God, we stress obedience, and doing what God requires.  “Don’t tell lies;  don’t steal;  don’t swear…”  Rules, however, only reach as far as Daddy’s arm.  It’s OK, if you don’t get caught.  Big kids/adults need more than rules.

Sometimes our faith gets stuck at that childhood level of obeying the rules.  A “good Christian” is one who does good.  Hey, that’s better than doing bad!  The problem is, Jesus didn’t pay much attention to rules.  He always did what was right, but not because of rules.  Put simply, Jesus walked in harmony with the Father.  Right actions flowed from a heart that was right with God.

Jesus defines a “good Christian” as one who is in tune with Him.  One who cares about the things He cares about.  One who would do nothing to displease or dishonor Him.  One who finds joy just in spending time with Him.  The Christian life is – Christ in me.

I don’t understand it.  Rules would seem simpler.  On the other hand, seeing what we humans do with tax rules shows that it’s not that simple;  we’re always looking for a loophole!  God would rather have our heart first, then our behavior.

This is the beginning of the season of Lent in the church, when we consider again what does it mean to be a Christian.  You’ve heard the commercial, “No Rules, Just Right.”  A heart that is right with God does right without rules.  Let’s consider Jesus, heart to heart.  Take time to read the Gospels, and talk to the Author.  Do some fine-tuning, to be locked into His wavelength.  Christ in you.  When Christ is in our thoughts and attitudes, it will show in our actions

Even Greater than Expected

What if the various churches in a community could come together for a joint season of seeking the Lord, and reaching out to their neighbor?

Last fall 15 pastors in Anderson decided to try it. We co-wrote a devotional, focussing on the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission. Our 15 congregations from a variety of backgrounds started reading it this week. Week one targets what it means to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. Week two aims at loving our neighbor as ourselves. Week three  is designed to share with an unchurched friend, with six daily readings describing the joy of living with Christ. The title for this grand adventure? "Living the GREAT Life." Check it out at www.AndersonChurches.com. 

I've been reflecting on that - how great life is when we love God to the best of our ability, let that love spill over to our neighbor, and participate in sharing the good news of God's love! I used to think that life was something you endured. Get through the day. Keep your head down, enjoy what you can along the way, but don't expect too much. That way you will not be disappointed. God was in the picture, but only around the edges. He was the shadowy figure waiting to judge. You could call on Him in emergencies, but it was best not to call too much attention to yourself if you could help it.

Then by God's grace that all changed. God showed me He wants to be the center of life, not the shadow.  I prayed 36 years ago to ask Christ to be my Savior, and to help me live for Him. He answered that prayer with more than I ever imagined! What a GREAT life it has been!

I like to say "God's way is the right way; all shortcuts lead thruogh the brier patch." God has given us guidelines for good healthy living, and every time I think I know a better way than Him I find out how wrong I am. My ways always bring unintended consequences and hidden costs. His ways have unexpected blessings and surprise bonuses. 

But God's way is far more than a list of rules or principles. It's a relationship! That's why the greatest command is about love, and the primary principle is to live by faith. It means to put our hand in His hand and walk together. And let me tell you, there is no greater life than that. There is no greater joy than to receive God's love and to give mine back. There is no greater adventure than to step into the unknown with Him, trusting that He knows where He's going!

I think back on all the amazing times at church camp (All Ages II at Merom - WOW! Solid Rock Camp at St. Marys - POW!) of seeing God touch young lives. Emmaus Walks and mission trips. God has taken me places I never dreamed I'd be able to go; India, Nicaragua, Hungary, Ukraine. Nothing inspires faith quite like your first taxi ride in India! 

Truly, there is no greater life than living with God and for God. No greater work than letting Him work through you. No greater legacy than planting seeds of eternity. No greater thrill than seeing God's miracles.