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Forget the Easter Bunny, Just Give Me The Lamb

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Saturday, April 8, 2023

Message: The Passover Lamb

All scriptures taken from Bible Gateway and are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise indicated.

Today we will explore the connection between the Passover Lamb in the book of Exodus and Jesus Christ. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years, but God promised to set them free. He gave them very specific instructions to prepare for His rescue. 

God told them to choose a spotless one year old male goat or sheep. At the same moment, together, everyone in the community was to slaughter their goat or sheep. They were to immediately paint a strip of blood from the animal’s body over the doorposts of their homes. And then they were to roast the animal and share the meal with their families in their own homes. When they were finished, they were instructed to burn everything that was remaining. No leftovers were allowed. Once God gave the instructions, Moses ordered the men to do this. He said everyone must stay inside their homes until morning while God strikes down the Egyptians who were enslaving them. Remember the wickedness that Pharaoh was doing to the Israelites. When Moses was a baby, Pharaoh ordered all the males to be murdered at birth – but God rescued Moses. Moses was saved for a purpose, and this was his first task: to lead them out of Egypt after the first Passover.

Exodus 12:23: “For the Lord will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the Lord will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down.”

The angel of the Lord caused the firstborn sons of Egypt to die–in every household who did not have the blood of the lamb painted over their door frames. But every family who obeyed God’s instructions for this feast and covered their door frames with the blood of a spotless lamb or goat, was safe from death. 

Because of this, Pharaoh’s own son died, and he finally told the Israelites to go. After 400 years of slavery, they were free. It took a miracle of God and faithfulness to God for this rescue mission to succeed. 

In Hebrews 10:1, a book that was written after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven, it says this: “The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. / The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.”

Colossians 2:17 echoes this: “For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.”

There were many sacrifices in the Old Testament, many steps that the Israelites had to take in order to worship God. However, the New Testament tells us that these things were shadows or previews of the real thing.

When you stand in a partially sunny space, your shadow can be seen on the ground. Is that shadow real? Yes. Is it you?  No. You are flesh and bone, not a shadow.

The sacrifices in the Old Testament were shadows of the true sacrifice that was going to come. They were symbols.

What (or who) was the symbolism of the passover lamb and its blood on the doorposts? 

Jesus.

The prophecies of the Old Testament told of a coming Messiah, one who would be King of Israel and rescue her people. One who would make a way for ALL people on earth to come to God. Jesus is that coming King. Yet, as prophesied, he would have to suffer and die as part of His rescue mission. Isaiah 53 speaks in detail of this. Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (NIV)”

Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, he did not open his mouth. (NIV)”

In John 1:29, John calls Jesus “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus is the real sacrifice. He lived a perfect spotless life, like the spotless lamb.

Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. His blood was shed, and those who come to God through Jesus are saved from eternal destruction–just like the lamb’s blood that was put over the doorposts of the Israelites. When the angel of death went through the city, those covered by the lamb’s blood were saved. 

The Word of God is rich and filled with treasures available for all who sincerely seek to know the truth. (Hebrews 11:6, John 8:31-32, Matthew 7:8)

In John 10:9, Jesus says, “Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

Jesus is the gate to God. And accepting His sacrifice is the way through the gate. Just like the sacrifice of the lamb and the blood on the doorway was the only way to be saved from the angel of death.

On the night before Jesus was arrested to be sacrificed on the cross, He celebrated Passover with his disciples. This is where the symbolism of the first Passover becomes very clear to us.

Matthew 26:26 says, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Note the rich connection between the first Passover and what we now call, communion, the moment we come together corporately to remember what Jesus has done for us.

Soon after, Jesus was arrested, tortured, nailed to a cross, died, and was placed in a tomb. 

I believe that every rescue mission in the Bible points directly to Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through Him (John 14:6). 

This is Easter weekend. This is a time when Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is also Passover week. This is a time when Jews and some Christians celebrate the rescue of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. For it was after the first passover that Pharaoh sent the Egyptians away, where God parted the seas to lead them out of slavery.

But we must remember the most important part of all of this: we worship a LIVING GOD. We do not worship a dead God! (Matthew 16:16, Jeremiah 10:10) 

Three days after Jesus’ death and burial, in Matthew 28 it says: “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

Jesus was raised from the dead. Because He is God, He could not be imprisoned by death and is worthy of our worship just like the women worshiped him after his resurrection. It is because of His resurrection that we can know that He is the one true and living God. 

Today, we celebrate that Jesus is the true Passover lamb, and we can all be passed over from eternal death if we put our faith in Him–and He has proven that He is worthy of our trust. 

He lived a perfect, spotless life. He is the lamb.

He died a sacrificial death to save us. He is the lamb.

And He rose again. He is greater than a lamb. It was a shadow.

Those of us who put our trust in Him, will rise again as well on the last day when He comes to take us home (John 6:40).

I pray that you will meditate on the richness of Jesus’s identity today, his identity as the lamb, and that His love will dwell in your hearts and enable you to love others deeply.

If you haven’t called upon the name of Jesus as your Savior. Let it be today.

Amen.

Bible, Christianity, Daily Faith, Faith, Jesus

Ephesians 2:1-10

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Sermon: March 11, 2023

EPHESIANS PART 4

Sermon for Trinity Christian Fellowship – March 11
All Scripture is taken from BibleGateway.com, NLT

Over the past three weeks we explored Ephesians 1 and its message: that we have been united with all believers in Jesus Christ through the power of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. He took pleasure in sacrificing for us and it was His plan from the beginning to unite us as His family. Because of Jesus, we have power from the Holy Spirit to overcome evil. That is the power of the gospel. 

Today, we will explore more of what this means as we study Ephesians 2. 

Ephesians 2:1-10 is about how we were made alive through Christ. 

Verse 2-3 tells us who we were before Christ. I think as Christians we sometimes forget where we came from. Or if we don’t have a dramatic change then we may not fully understand how bad it was and how in danger we were of turning down a dark path.

Ephesians 1:2: Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

So who were we?

First, we were dead. We had no spiritual life, no eternal life. We were made of simple flesh that was going to pass away one day. 

Why were we dead? Paul says it was because of our disobedience and many sins. He explains that the devil is the one who influences and commands the unseen world – that is likely the evil spirits. He also says that this devil is the spirit that works in the hearts of the ungodly. Those who refuse to obey God.

If it seems like there is an evil authority over some people, it is because there is. The enemy, the devil, is working in this world according to the Bible. 

In verse 2, he reminds the church that they used to live that way – which was following the sinful desires of the flesh. That means that our sinful desires are desires that are influenced by satan. That should put us on high alert.

Do you ever feel pulled to do evil? Do you ever feel like you want to sin? To do things that you know are wrong and that God would not approve of? 

Paul says that they, and by extension, you and I before we knew Christ, used to live that way. We USED TO obey our flesh. It was natural for us to do this.

This is the key word: WE USED TO. 

Let’s look at verses 4-6: But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 

Something amazing happened when Jesus was raised from the dead. When God raised Christ from the dead, He also raised us from the dead! Of course we will die one day, but because we have been united with Christ Jesus by following Him, He will raise us like He raised Christ! 

That is a huge gift and it is because he loved us so much even when we were sinning. He wanted to rescue us. He had compassion on us. We did nothing to deserve his salvation, but it is by His grace that we will be saved and resurrected on the last day!

Why? Ephesians 2:7 says, So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

Remember that Paul is speaking to the church of Ephesus. He is telling them that God will be able to point to them in future ages as examples. WE – Trinity Christian Fellowship (or any other listener or reader!)– are part of that future age! The people of the church of Ephesus, who Paul is writing to, were not Jews! They were gentiles. They were people who were strangers to the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the knowledge of the coming messiah, but were saved anyway! Just like us! God called them and used them as an immediate audience for scripture that continues to teach us to this day. And you and I are just like them. We were strangers to the good news for so long, but we are included in the resurrection! Praise God!

And just in case we don’t fully understand what Paul has said so far about this being a gift from God, not something we deserve, he repeats his ideas in Ephesians 2:8: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Whenever something is repeated in scripture, we need to pay special attention. This letter repeats the message: Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. We cannot go around and say, “God chose me because I was just a good person and he wanted to save me.” NO. That is not true.

If we seem like good people, it is because of God’s supernatural power working in our hearts to enable us to overcome our flesh and to overcome the influence of the devil. The devil influences the hearts of those who don’t follow Jesus, but we who follow Jesus, have access to the Holy Spirit to overcome that temptation. 

We are NOT GOOD. HE is good, and He is in us. Hallelujah that He is in us!

Verse 10 reminds us that we do good because He planned those things for us to do. We were not saved because of our good works; we do good works because are saved!

Let’s tell the world that He is good and He can do good in all who humbly say yes to Him. Go and tell the world why you are as you are and why you are not as you once were – give the credit to Jesus and let’s make disciples of Phnom Penh and the world! 

Bible, Christianity, Daily Faith, Faith, Jesus

Listen Twice, Speak Once: Part 1

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This is a written adaptation of a sermon given virtually to Trinity Christian Fellowship in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on October 08, 2022. Khmer Translation provided on site.

Listen to this message here.

This week, we had a fire drill at work. It was a practice fire drill with only the teachers so that when we have one with the students the teachers will know how to help them. Our boss gave us each a map of where to stand, and based on my understanding of the map, I started helping to arrange teachers. Then, my boss came along and moved people. I began to playfully, but seriously argue with him about where we should stand based on what the map says. Then he showed me part of the map that I had not noticed, proving that I was wrong. Of course I was wrong. He made the map!

It was a friendly conversation, and he suggested that maybe I should listen more. And he’s right.

I am often quick to voice my understanding of an issue and later find out that I only have some of the information. I need to listen better. And I think that most of us need to listen better.

In fact, scripture speaks of listening much more than we speak over and over again. Scripture even gives warnings, suggesting that we talk too much when we have not listened enough–and when we don’t listen enough we make judgements that are often wrong. And when we make judgements that are often wrong, we become angry very quickly. And when we are quick to anger, we are often quick to sin. So listening at least twice as much as we speak helps prevent us from falling into sin. As many have said, “We have two ears and one mouth for a reason!”

Let’s examine what the scriptures say about this:

James 1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

 So why is it so important to be quick to listen? Not listening is the beginning of a path that leads to sin, and that is dangerous. Not listening is the opposite of humility–it’s related to pride.

Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

It is God’s will that we do the will of the Father. That is how his true disciples will be identified from false disciples. And we have to listen to Him to find out what His will is.

So what is the will of God? James 1:27 says, Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Caring for orphans and widows, not letting the world corrupt us. Those are clear directions and it sounds a lot like the greatest commandment Jesus gave us in Matthew. 

Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

How is this all connected? 

We are called to do the will of the Lord. We are called to pursue justice and be merciful. That is love. That is the will of God. We are called to do as He does. And we learn that by listening first with our two ears.

Do you know what else God does that we are supposed to also do? He Listens. 

Even God listens. God spends so much time listening to us, people who are so far beneath Him, who know so much less than Him, who are so much less intelligent and loving and capable than Him. But God is humble and gentle enough to listen to you and I day after day. 

Psalm 116:1-2 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

 Psalm 34:15 ESV The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Here, Jesus is telling us to speak to Him–so He can listen. He wants to listen. We should want to listen too!

God is not asking us to do anything He does not practice Himself with listening. He is our greatest model. He listens to His people. And He listens, not just so He can tell us how we are wrong. He listens with compassion.

If God, creator of the universe listens to our cries and responds, how much more must we listen to others and respond. And how much more must we listen to God? How much more grace and mercy do we owe one another?

We do not have all the answers. We do not know what other people are feeling or how they are experiencing or feeling about events even if we were part of the event. We must remember that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

There is a proverb, a rule for carpenters when building a house: Measure twice, cut once. If you measure once, or worse, if you don’t measure at all and then cut a piece of wood, it will be the wrong size. You will waste materials and time and money. But if you measure it multiple times and make sure you really understand, then you will be accurate as you cut the wood.

It is the same as listening. When we speak before we understand a situation fully, we will make mistakes. Our decisions will be based on incomplete information. We must listen, ask questions, all to try to truly understand before speaking. 

James 1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 

And may we all grow in Godly communication, and through that love one another better.

Next week, I hope to explore the rest of the list: speaking and anger.

Christianity, Daily Faith, eternity, Faith, Jesus

Whosoever: A Call to Wake Up

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This is a written adaptation of a sermon given virtually to Trinity Christian Fellowship in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on August 20, 2022. Khmer Translation provided on site.

Scripture Passage (Ephesians 5:5-20)

Lord, what are you showing me today. 

Last night, I could not sleep. I tossed and I turned. When I finally fell asleep, I had nightmares. It felt like I was having them all night. 

My dream was filled with a combination of people from different parts of my life and possibly TV characters. In my dream, I went to bed, and when I woke up “the next morning,” it was a year later. I didn’t know what had happened. I was terrified. I had been in some kind of unconscious state for one year. It happened over and over again, like a nightmare. And each time I woke up in my dream, another year had passed, and all the people in my life from my past felt more and more distant from and resigned to me.

My life was being wasted because I kept going unconscious. I couldn’t control it. There were moments in my dream where I was in danger. I had no control over who was in charge of taking care of me while I was asleep for a year, and it seemed like different people from my life took turns. The first time I woke up, my teaching colleague from ten years ago was my caretaker. Another time, some friends from college. And usually, it wasn’t even the people in my life I was closest to.

It was a very unsettling dream.

It makes me think though: how much of my life am I letting slip away because of intentional or unintentional laziness, lack of effort, or just not realizing how important each moment is. How far from my life’s purpose am I at any given moment?

How much of your life do you let slip away? 

Are we walking through life like I was in my dream, as a dreamer, unaware of the situations around us – unaware of how we could be doing good and serving the Lord? Or are we awake and alert to what God is doing and what God is asking each of do? 

There are so many moments in the Bible where we are told to wake up. And not just to be awake, but to be alert. To be ready.

Ephesians 5:5-20 explores this more fully, but here is a snapshot:

Ephesians 5:10-14 (NLT) Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,

rise up from the dead,

 and Christ will give you light.”

We are instructed to be awake. To rise from the dead as Christ will give us light. Well we know we are not physically dead. Paul, who wrote this passage, is talking to believers who are very much alive. A few chapters earlier, he says this to the same audience:

Ephesians 2:2-7 (NLT)

2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

This is the death we are reminded over and over again in the Bible to awake from. The death of sin. If we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and follow Him, sin should be dead to us. We should be obedient to Christ instead of obedient to Satan. We have the power to say no to those desires that come up in us that are evil. 

The passage also says,

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

Because of Jesus, we are free to wake up from the darkness and walk with Christ, in holiness. And He wants us to. He calls His people to wake up and look to Him over and over again.

Thousands of years before the book of Ephesians was written, Isaiah 52:1 says:

Awake, awake,
put on your strength, O Zion;
Put put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city;
for the uncircumcised and the unclean will not come into you anymore.

And Isaiah 60:1-3 says:

1 “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.
    For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.
2 Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth,
    but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.
3 All nations will come to your light;
    mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

Malachi 4:1-2 says:

1 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all. 2“But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.[b] And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 3

Romans 13:11 tells us to wake up”

11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

The Lord wants His people to be awake. To be alert. To live life on purpose. To make intentional choices and not just follow the crowd. We have a calling. The rest of the Ephesians 5 passage tells us why we are to do these things:

Paul says, 

7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

This is our job as Christians right now. Each and every one of us. To live as examples for all future generations – and of course for our current generation. 

Remember the love you have found in Christ: His provision, His defense, His protection. Being sons and daughters of the creator of the universe –- these things are gifts from God for you–-but they are not just for you. God wants this for all people. 

John 3:16 (KJV) For God so loved the world. (Not just certain people in the world, but the whole world)
That he gave His only begotten son.
That whosoever believes in Him
Shall not perish but have everlasting life.

WHOSOEVER. 

God does not discriminate. He accepts WHOSOEVER believes in Him.

He wants the young and innocent children.
He wants the greedy businessmen and politicians.
He wants the violent criminals.

Yes, our God is God of grace and mercy. He wants every person to leave behind their life of sin and follow Him. He is ready to accept WHOSOEVER believes in Him.

That includes you. Your best friend. Your worst enemy.

We need to awaken and live in the light so that all of our current generation of people can see what God is doing in our lives, so that they can understand that God can do the same thing in their lives. That is how we change the world. That is how we build the Kingdom of Heaven. That is how we live out the Kingdom of Heaven while still on earth.

Call on the name of Jesus. Cling to Him. Wake up.

New Living Translation Bible. (2022). Bible Gateway Online. https://biblegateway.com

King James Version Bible. (2022). Bible Gateway Online. https://biblegateway.com

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The Lies, But God

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For an audio recording of this poem, click here.

The lies
But God

YOU opened up my eyes
To dig deep within
YOU showed me the truth embedded in
My experiences
My programming

The lies
The enemy lied to me when I was but a young little girl–
My hopes and dreams were dashed because the enemy stole the truth and replaced it with a lie
And the web of lies continued and multiplied 
And took so many years–

BUT GOD
YOU are the healer and my story
Is yours
I’m yours.
The liar tried to steal my peace. My innocence. My light. My love. My joy. My hope.
Through lies.
But YOU my God, my healer
Are destroying the disguise
The demise of the tempter
Is coming soon
Forever

But I don’t have to wait for hope
For now YOU break the curse
The lies

YOU--Holy Spirit
Dwelling deep inside
Are revealing every secret and
Exposing every lie
And teaching me the truth that 
I could never quite understand
That I’m free

I’m not trapped.

I have a voice
To rejoice
Not to be be silent
Not to be private
Not to repeat the tempter’s lies.
I am protected
I am accepted
I am loved
And nothing done on this earth
Can destroy the works of God.
The work You started 
You will complete
This – You guarantee.

So all with ears to hear please hear
Open up your eyes
The tempter once deceived you
And set your life of pain in motion
But the answers to your questions
Can only now be found in Christ.

You are chosen 
You are adopted
You are accepted
You have new life
You are redeemed
You are esteemed
You are forgiven
Will you choose Christ?

--------------------------
By BD Lyons, May 29, 2022
Bible, Christianity, Daily Faith, eternity, Faith, Inspiration, Inspirational, Jesus, Travel

Chasing the Sun

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1 Corinthians 1:12 

For now we see in a mirror dimly,
but then face to face
Now I know in part,     
but then I will know fully,    
 even as I have been fully known.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve had a vision of this peaceful, green, sparkling forest. The grass is soft and a deep emerald (green) color. The air is cool and the sun is warm. Birds chirp and sing all around. There are no mosquitoes or snakes lurking underneath the bushes. Crystal water shimmers in the distance. 

I feel light. There is no stress or fear or any physical problem. I breathe easily. 

There are deer around, and when I look at them, they look happily back at me. My heart is warm. I’m happy beyond my imagination.

This is my dream place.

I am always and have always wanted PERFECTION, to live in paradise. I think this is what most people in America want when they retire or vacation. 

Maybe your idea of the perfect place is different from mine. Maybe it involves white sand and clear blue beaches or snowy mountains. 

However, the thing that remains the same between all of our paradise dreams is that we CAN NEVER QUITE CAPTURE IT.

Even if we make it to a tropical paradise, we have to return to our normal lives. Even the person who gets to live in a beautiful place will not appreciate it, and will start looking for a NEW KIND OF PARADISE. 

As humans, we are never fully satisfied. Even if we have the perfect moment, surrounded by our loved ones, it will soon come to an end. Tears will come. So will death. The perfect simply cannot last in our human lives.

One day several years ago, I was driving across the United States. I saw the most beautiful sunset in front of me. It was huge and bright orange. The beauty of that sunset captured my attention. I had been driving in my car for several days, only stopping at night to sleep. (Driving across the United States takes a LONG time… it’s a HUGE country!) I was hundreds of kilometers from my friend’s house, where I was going, but all I cared about was that sunset! 

After a few moments, the sun disappeared. It was hiding behind TALL buildings and clouds. The road was turning, so sometimes the sun was behind me. I kept turning onto different roads, just trying to see the sun again, but no matter how many turns I made, I just could NOT see it again. It was gone. I was not following my map anymore! I was turning onto different streets based on where the sun seemed to be hiding.

I will never forget how beautiful the sunset was that evening. Do you know what else I will never forget? I will never forget that after one short glance at the sunset, I never actually saw it again. 

I call that the day that I was literally CHASING THE SUN. 

While driving on that road, looking for the sun, God whispered a message to my heart”

“See, I’ve just given you a glimpse of my glory. You got to see it for a moment, but you will not be able to look at it for very long while you are still in THIS earthly life. My full glory is reserved for eternity. You will see it when I come and take you home. Until then, treasure the glimpses of my beauty that I show you. Pay attention. I show them to you more than you realize. And always remember that THIS WORLD IS NOT YOUR HOME.”

God used a moment of natural beauty to show me how beautiful He is. 

I realized that all those moments where I had stared into the beauty of God’s creation and hoped for my own peaceful, green, sparkling forest, and those moments where I experienced deep love from other people and felt the warmth in my heart of God’s love… all of those wonderful moments were just small glimpses of God’s glory. They were an appetizer before a meal. They were meant to help me see Him and desire Him! They were all gifts. 

I knew then that I would never capture perfect paradise in this life. I realized that the American Dream and “Happily Ever After” like in a fairy tale was not my calling. Not anyone’s calling. I realized that a life without PAIN and STRESS would not be possible. I realized that perfection was not possible until Heaven.

I didn’t understand before that day where I was chasing the sunset that I was experiencing God’s glory through moments of beauty and that it was a gift.

1 Corinthians 1:12 

For now we see in a mirror dimly,     
but then face to face. Now I know in part,    
 but then I will know fully,     
even as I have been fully known.

The glimpse of God’s glory was partial, but the closer I draw to Him the longer and deeper He will allow me to experience His presence. I desire for the day when I will see Jesus face to face and fully know HIM.

The Bible promises that one day, we will BE FULLY KNOWN by God and that WE WILL FULLY know God. To be known and understood deep in our souls is our greatest desire. It will fulfill all of the longings on our heart. 

Remember that everybody has GOD-SIZE HOLE in their hearts. We are all trying to fill it with something. But when we draw close to Jesus, He will draw close to us. He will KNOW us and He will not reject us. 

But we will still have trouble. We will not be able to be perfect or find perfection. But when we are “face to face,” we will be in complete relationship with God. We will be known by Him and know Him fully. That is what will fill the God-sized hole in our hearts.

Let us pursue Jesus. Let us trust Jesus to satisfy our souls and understand that nothing will fully satisfy us until we get to Heaven and get to know Him FULLY.

Chasing the sun that evening changed my life. What beauty is God showing you?

Daily Faith, independence day, Uncategorized

A Declaration of Independence: Be Free

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I have been studying the beginning of my faith these past few days, not the beginning of my personal walk, but the beginning of God’s recorded faithfulness: Genesis and Exodus. It’s quite timely that this morning, on our great nation’s Independence Day, I walked, so to speak, with the Israelites through their own independence from bondage in Egypt and into their first years as a baby nation. I got to see the formation process of their first set of laws, their first official leaders, and their first ruler: God Himself. 

I wanted to breathe in the knowledge of truth and just sit and soak in the verses surrounding the Exodus from Egypt and learn more about these roots from the Spirit of God. In some ways, it parallels the exodus of many of the people groups in the Americas from their motherland for the purpose of religious independence. Though the details are far from identical, the craving for autonomy and freedom transcends time and culture.

So what stands out to me most from my reading of the foundation of the nation of Israel? Well first, they were an oppressed people and they cried out to God. Additionally, their women were faithful even when their lives were in grave danger. The midwives were instructed by Pharaoh to kill all the boys upon birth, but the women “feared God,” didn’t follow this order, and were blessed with their own families as a result. When the rulers of the day wanted to annihilate Israel, their faithfulness led to their expansion (Exodus 1:20-21).

Something else that stands out to me occurs while Moses was on the run: God saw Israel, and He was “concerned” about them (Exodus 2:25). Now this word, “concern” seems to be a bit downplayed in this translation. Not to get too theological, but… well just bear with me as I get a bit theological!  The Hebrew word here for “concern” is Yada, which means to know, to be known, to deeply respected (Strong). It is the same word used to describe a sexual union between a man and a woman in the covenant of marriage (side note: the word for sexual relations when not referring to a man and a woman in a marital covenant is usually a totally different word with entirely different implications… totally worth looking into–something, by the way, I learned at Dannah and Bob Gresh’s Sexual Theology and Healing Training Master Class last week and highly recommend attending in the future! Visit purefreedom.org to find out more!). It is the same word used to describe the relationship between God and His people throughout the whole Bible. It is the highest form of relationship. In their agony, they were seen. They were known. They were understood. And they were rescued!

Finally, I am keen to mention the relentlessness of God’s heart. After rescuing Israel, God is relentlessly concerned with their well being. Something I didn’t realize before was that He reminded them of what He had done for them and offered to make them His “own treasure (Exodus 19:5).” They agreed to it! God did not force Himself on Israel! They cried out to Him. He heard them. He delivered them. Then, He OFFERED Himself as their King. They responded. “Everything that Adonai has spoken, we will do (Exodus 19:8).” And friend, He will not force Himself on you. (And neither should we try to force Him onto others.) But He will relentlessly pursue you when you’ve EARNESTLY said yes to His invitation.

He repeatedly instructs Moses to remind the people not to touch the mountain where He was located because it would kill them. Over and over again, he reminds Moses to remind the people. He had ongoing compassion and care for them. 

Then, He gave them a series of ordinances that were quite liberating! Remember that they had been in bondage, with no will of their own for hundreds of years. This was their constitution. It freed them to live in a society that was not lawless and oppressive towards even the least of them. 

And in this constitution, He gave them a day of rest! After hundreds of years of slavery, do you think they struggled to take a day off? I imagine they were quite addicted to productivity. I know how I get when all I do is work, work, work! It can be hard to force myself to turn my brain off and rest. And this new ruler required rest for everyone! Even the slaves and cattle! He even justifies the sabbath rest in Exodus 23:12, “You are to do your work for six days, but on the seventh day you will rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and also the son of your handmaid and the outsider may be refreshed.” Everybody wants Saturday off, and God started that! He made Saturday a required day off. (So why do we go to church on Sunday? Oh dear… that’s another, for some reason, controversial topic for another day, but please do look into it!)

He freed them from bondage, slavery, oppression, and violence and gave them a united identity, a set of laws to keep order and to protect all life and innocence. He ascribed value to the individual, including women and children! He took them from a nation with a bounty on their male infants and made it an offense punishable by death for anyone who hurt a pregnant woman, ending either of their lives (or causing severe harm) (Exodus 21:22). 

God declared their independence from the ways of an oppressive world, and in return they pledged allegiance to Him alone. 

Now that is a God to whom I want to pledge my allegiance! And I get to! We non-Israelites were invited into the family of God and declared spiritually and eternally independent from wickedness under the blood of Jesus. Through the blood of Jesus, like the Israelites through the blood of the passover lamb, we too have been emancipated. 

So today I ask you to look deeply into your relationship with God (and I invite you to ask Jesus to come into your heart and lead you in all your ways if you do not yet have this relationship) and ask yourself–Have I yet been declared independent? And if so, am I living in the freedom for which I was set free (Galatians 5:1)? 

Be free. Set others free.

Happy Independence Day! We have much to celebrate.

References:

The Bible. Tree of Life Version, Baker Books, 2015.

Strong, James. Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009.

Daily Faith, Repatriating, Uncategorized

Repatriating: Day One

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A brief note – I haven’t written since March, and I am sorry. I’m getting back into the groove now though. I will ask that if you read a post of mine that touches you or that you think might resonate with one of your friends, that you please consider sharing it and consider liking my author Facebook page. There are sharing buttons for many social media platforms at the end of each post. I am working towards publishing my first book, and the more readers I can show that I have, the better my chances are of being published. I will share more about the book later. Stay tuned! Thanks! -Brittany

Updated on 5/20/2017 for grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.

I was sitting in the passenger’s seat of my sister’s SUV, staring out the window at the fields of grass as we passed them by. Cows. Stacks of hay. The occasional barn. And the tears began to flow.

She had just picked me up from the airport. My last flight from China, my home for the past five years.

My nephews were in the back seat — my suitcases were stacked in the hatchback trunk with my cat’s crate tucked snugly between them. The occasional meow could be heard through all the cargo, as the boys craned their necks up and back as far as they could to look at the newest member of the family, my adopted Chinese cat-son. My most expensive souvenir.

Me Sissy Ash

Just after I was picked up from the airport

I’d been waiting for this moment since the previous summer when my sister and her family moved to this small town in the country. I had just returned from another summer of whirlwind world traveling and was able to visit her in her new town for two days before it was time to catch my flight back to my other world — China.

I knew when I had gotten on the airplane that summer to head back to China that it would be my last year. I sensed it in my spirit — and after a long hard and amazing school year, it was finally over.

I couldn’t even count the number of nights that last year in China that I sobbed myself to sleep because I wanted nothing else but to snap my fingers, be done with China, and back home in Virginia. And yet, there I was: landed, through customs, in the car, with my cat, and on my way “home” when the tears began to seep through my tired, burning eyes.

A few minutes before the tears began, I had warned my sister:

 

“Just so you know, repatriating is rumored to be one of the most difficult and stressful challenges people face in life. They say it is really hard and there is nothing that the surrounding family can do to help. So be warned. I’m beyond happy to be home, but I’m beyond grieved to be leaving China. I had a whole life there and a whole community and family that I may never see again. And I’m so excited to finally be home. And I feel everything. Joy. Sadness. Excitement. Grief. Anticipation. Loss. All at the same time. I’m going to be emotional, and I don’t know when or how, but you won’t understand. You can’t. And it’s not your fault. It just is.”

“Okay,” she replied.

“Okay.” I nodded and peered out the window. And just as quickly as the thoughts surfaced in my mind, Oh. Oh no. I can’t leave, the floodgates opened. I began to panic, mildly hyperventilating, and vocalized my suffering. “I’m stuck! I can’t escape. I’m really here. I’m really here. I’m really here.”

Without shame, with tears streaming down my face, I looked my sister in the eye. She gently grabbed my hand, held it and continued to drive.

–

This was just over one month ago. I’m still processing what it is like to repatriate. I haven’t settled into a new life yet, but I’m starting to feel like I’ve begun settling out of my old life. I’m in transition. I have a new job, but I haven’t started it yet. I’ve found a church, but I don’t know anyone yet.

I’m no longer sleeping on the couch of my sister’s house, but I am still sleeping on an air mattress on my nephew’s bedroom floor. I no longer have my own kitchen, but I am sharing my sister’s kitchen… and neither of us like to share our kitchen… something about me not believing in recipes and washing dishes in a “weird way.”

We haven’t gotten around to clearing out the basement where I will live for the next year, but I am here, sleeping on the floor of an eleven year old’s room, washing my own dishes, missing my housekeeper, running out of money, grateful I have a wonderful job starting soon, already living paycheck to paycheck, and just trying to figure out how to repatriate and be… an American again.

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Daily Faith, Uncategorized

On Suffering, A grain of hope & a plea to stop with the bad advice

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Today, I found out that a childhood friend I have occasional Facebook contact with has not only one rare cancer, Histio, she has been fighting for years, but now two. She suffers daily as she fights the illnesses all while raising two beautiful children with her husband.

I was about to post another blog, when I read her Facebook update and this topic seemed more important. It reminded me of the message I heard in church today. It was about “In the meantime” moments by Andy Stanley. When our situations seem hopeless, when there is nothing we can do, when the odds are stacked against us. What do we do? What do we do when there is nothing we can do?

I approach this topic with a heavy heart, hesitantly, and treading lightly because I have no answers and I do not want to put anyone, including those who suffer with ailments and heart-aches I do not understand or God Himself, in a box. I will not pretend to have a cookie cutter answer. Suffering sucks. It hurts. It hurts the body. It hurts the heart. It just hurts.

However, I felt compelled to explore the idea of suffering briefly and see what God says about it. This is not a sermon, just an exploration. Maybe I’ll learn something.

So I did what any non-seminarian student of the Word would do when looking for verses on a particular topic. I googled it. I typed in “scriptures on suffering” and got eleven million hits in less than a half of a second. Clearly a topic of concern to all of humanity.

A lot of what I found was unhelpful.

God uses suffering to bring people into closer relationship with Him is a paraphrase of almost every site I clicked on. And while I do not think the statement is incorrect, for I have myself, drawn closer to God in the midst of my own emotional and spiritual seasons of suffering, it is not enough, and in fact can seem quite cruel to the non-Christian and even to many Christians. It cannot stand alone.

Another common response is that the world is sinful and with the entry of sin into the world all those years ago, sickness came to the earth and it just infects us. And one day, in Heaven all sickness will cease. This is also not inaccurate, but doesn’t provide much comfort right now.

Words, true words, can be used as a weapon if not used properly. Just look at the Pharisees. They knew the scriptures. They knew the facts. They quoted Moses correctly. And yet, they were dead wrong, and they killed Jesus. The point here? Truth without love isn’t truth at all.

Dedication

To the young couple whose child is hanging on for dear life in the NICU on a ventilator, with feeding tubes, repeated seizures, temperature spikes, and unknown brain activity

To the wife and mother who suffers daily with a chronic rare cancer, who battles the monster with chemo, diet, and every other possibly helpful treatment available just so she can see her babies swing on the playground and blow out their birthday candles

To the single teacher who was diagnosed with cancer, who is living in a foreign country away from all family, who serves as her sole financial provider, who must take unpaid leave to have and recover from surgeries

To the others who suffer in ways the world does not know:

You are heroes. True heroes. I do not understand for I have not walked in your shoes. I do not know why or what good will come from your pain, but I pray to God that He will allow you to see even a glimmer of good fruit produced from it.

Remember and give thanks

What I have learned this past year from seeing the people I love suffer is that every moment matters.

To the parent of a healthy child, treasure the day you bring your baby home from the hospital for the first time because it was a gift and not a guarantee. Each breath is a gift from God. Don’t feel guilty that your child is healthy while another parent’s child suffers to breathe. Just thank God for giving your child breath and remember to love and not judge those who have a different path.

To the woman whose annual health check came back normal once again. Give thanks for clear test results. Each heart beat is a gift from God. And remember those women who have a different result.

To each parent who is healthy enough to enjoy every moment of your child’s life, embrace it, for it is not a guarantee. And remember those families who have a different path.

Letting go of unhelpful advice and replacing it with truth

And for the love of all God’s people, let us all stop saying catchphrases such as “Let go and let God.” As someone who has tried to let go and let God do all kinds of things in her life and in her heart, this is not helpful.

I also encourage people to stop saying, “God will not give you more than you can handle.” I admit that I have been guilty of this! While well-intentioned (I believe or hope), it’s not Biblical. He always gives us more than we can handle. Sometimes, I can’t even handle getting through a normal day where my health is not in question, I can’t. I just can’t. The best advice I have heard and that replaces this phrase, came from the previously mentioned sermon by Andy Stanley. He suggests we say to God daily, “I can’t. I can’t. But God, you can.”

The Bible actually says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

This verse is talking about temptation to act on sin. Suffering is not an act of sin. We may be tempted to sin as a result of our suffering, just like anything unpleasant could cause is to cope in unhealthy ways, but suffering is not a sin.

Regarding suffering, or rather mourning which I argue is directly related, the Bible does say this in Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Sometimes, we just can’t. We must and yet, we can’t. My friends who nearly lost their firstborn and one month later are still with him daily at the hospital couldn’t. They just couldn’t. And you know what, God never expected them to. God did. He comforted them.

Sometimes, we just can’t.

black-and-white-person-woman-girl.jpg

Fall apart. Mourn the loss of what is no longer. It is okay to fall apart. Tell God you can’t but recognize, do not forget to recognize, that He can. He somehow enables those who suffer to manage life. It may not be how they would prefer, but people do it. They are heroes. And He does comfort the broken-hearted and the broken-bodied. I don’t know how. He’s just a very big God.

Sometimes, I fall apart in God’s lap, metaphorically speaking of course. I believe those are His favorite moments with me. They are definitely my most favorite moments with Him. Moments of truth. Parents like it when their children humbly admit the truth.

I had an experience some time ago where I was in a minor fender bender and it wasn’t my car. And insurance wasn’t covering it for reasons I will not get into. No one was hurt, but I caused it, and I couldn’t afford to fix it. I fell apart. I cried. And then I told my dad. He scooped me up in his arms and told me he would fix it. And I fought him because I wanted to do it on my own. I thought I deserved whatever consequence would come for not being able to fix it myself since I caused it due to “stupidity” I claimed. But the truth is I couldn’t. I had no money and definitely no skills. And no insurance. He had the skills and the tools. I let him fix it. It hurt because I didn’t know how it would turn out. But it turned out fine. He didn’t care that it was my fault. He didn’t care that he would lose an entire month’s rent to pay for the damage that I had caused. He is my papa and he could and did when I couldn’t.

And he is human. God is so much bigger than our humanness. He loves us more. He provides for us bigger.

Back to the other point- telling people to let go and let God is simply not enough and when we do it, we miss the point. Perhaps a better thing to say is to Squeeze God around His broad chest instead of using those arms to carry our burdens alone because when we let Him hold us, he naturally carries the weight of the burden too. Even that is philosophical to many many people, and unhelpful to a large part of the population.

I have no perfect advice or solution here just experiences, mine and a few from other people. And God’s Word. That’s supreme.

Through the suffering of my friend’s first born, through the love poured out to them through the church, through their friends, through their community, a lens was placed on them, and the love they have for Jesus Christ was witnessed by hundreds, if not thousands. People who have never trusted Christ started a discussion. I witnessed one of these discussions in my own classroom during lunch as students talked about and admired their steady faith.

I am not saying that we all suffer so we can be put on display, but when we do suffer, what if we could be real and honestly admit that we can’t handle it without the judgement of others being poured on us, without people telling us to be strong when we know we are not. What if we could hand our giant pain over to God and then climb up in his lap and cry.

So then, what can we do?

This article from Focus on the Family offers some advice to those around people suffering that (I think) might be helpful. You decide.

What can we do practically to help those who suffer? Give a dollar or 1000, whatever we can when they are in financial need. Pray unceasingly. Send them a note. Babysit. Play with their kids. Bring them a cup of tea and sit next to them in their own home. Remember them. Do not judge them.

And try to help find a cure. Support them by helping to bring awareness for the purpose of promoting empathy and increasing funds for research.

This was not a sermon. Just an exploration. And I learned something.

God be with you all.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to please like, leave a comment and/or share it with your friends. I’d also love to hear your thoughts and about your own experiences. 

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