Unity, Liberty, Love

(image courtesy of Zazzle.com)

Worldwide pandemic and the growing unrest in America have shattered the cozy bubble many Christians have been living in. It’s one thing to think of the poor and downtrodden and maybe even give a little money toward some helpful cause; but it is quite another when the very real threat of serious illness could await your next trip to the grocery store. The same goes for reading about oppressed people from long ago: Seeing it played out in real time before our eyes on our newsfeeds and in front of our eyes in our streets brings the reality of abuse to the forefront of the heart and mind.

With our bubble having been burst, what are we Christians to do? One thing we most assuredly cannot do is run from the issues, looking for some place we can bury our heads (and hearts) so as to not have the uncertainty of these times disrupt our quiet, peaceful and non-caring lives. Living like that helps no one, ourselves included.

What, then, is the body of Christ to do in the face of a world spinning more and more out of control? With so many people and causes that need our attention, how do we even begin an attempt to be a positive influence for Christ in the chaos surrounding us?

In my opinion, if the Church (that is all who profess faith in Christ) is going to have a lasting impact for God in today’s world, it is of the utmost importance that we begin with a clear and discerning look at ourselves. I found this helpful guideline regarding our attitudes and actions in the study notes of the NIV Application Study Bible from Romans Chapter 14:1-4: Our principle should be: In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in everything, love.

This honest appraisal hopefully will lead us to a clear decision: that we must move forward in Unity as a body to be best used by the Lord in today’s world. Unity can be a confusing word, especially if one were naïve enough to believe that all Christians around the globe (or even across town) are going to suddenly and completely agree on everything.

Yet, with regard to the above-mentioned essentials, I believe it is necessary that we do move ahead in complete unity. What are the essentials? I enjoy noted bible teacher, author and pastor Alstair Begg’s definition of what is essential for all believers. Begg says that from the Scriptures we find the essentials as being the main stuff is the plain stuff and the plain stuff is the main stuff. What wisdom in that definition! Here are just a few of the verses that fall clearly under this category:

John 14:6: Jesus speaking: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Paul writes in Romans 10:9: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Peter speaking in Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:18: For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

I could gladly go on, but you see the point. On this essential we must be unified. Salvation by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). For the individual Christian as well as the church in its many expressions, the body of Christ needs to have this baseline as our rallying cry. Jesus is Savior for all. He is the ultimate equal opportunity giver. His life, death and resurrection are the proof of His undying, equal love for all. All. All are invited to partake in what He has to give. All. When the believer, individually or corporately has this unshakable truth in them, they are prepared to be used by God for the furthering of His plans and goodness in the here and now. As He spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah so may years ago, “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It is essential that we go forward trusting in God’s plan as we seek His guidance to follow and act our part in it.

Almost as important is the Liberty we express to our fellow believers who may have traditions, music, or styles that are different from what we know and participate in. As long as the essentials are held in the absolute highest regard, liberty can be given with greater ease and assurance in the non-essentials. For example, your worship experience may be much more exuberant than mine. Liberty to you. As long as the Lord Jesus is being praised, it matters not if it is through dance or a strictly adhered to liturgy. Far too often we Christians get to bickering with each other over non-essential things. Shame on us! This is a wasting of time to prove my way is better than yours. Meanwhile, the world watches and wonders what is so special about church. When we are seen as combative with other Christians, we lose any credibility with the world as far as being a place to put some hope in.

When we can extend liberty instead of harmful or destructive debate over non-essentials, we certainly can gain ground for the kingdom of God. But, this can be a difficult step. It requires humility. It requires a proper perspective on the ‘main stuff.’ When I feel myself hedging away from the center, I try to remember to ask myself, “Who is be edified by this argument or confrontation?” My honest reply is usually either me or the cause I am supporting. Neither of these are proper. Acting or thinking in these ways is not in accordance with the last point: Love

All of the above goes for naught if we fail in the ‘new’ command gave us: Love one another.” (John 13:34). Jesus did not leave this instruction as a mere suggestion, like something we ought to try to see if we like. No. To love others as He loved us is a command.

“A command sounds pretty rigid” you might be thinking. And if you attempt to follow it without whole-heartedly embracing it, that is how it will appear. I believe  the call to love one another, especially for the follower of Christ, is the manifestation of living out the unity and liberty I have been speaking of. And, I also believe it is imperative that we do so because quite simply, how are we going to show real love to our hurting and lost world if we cannot love one another?

One last reservation that creeps up on many: ‘I just cannot love everyone,’ for whatever your reasons are. I respond, ‘That’s ok.’ I am in no way suggesting we walk about our world like saints with hands folder in prayer, mouthing empty words of no meaning or value. Rather, I am saying that as devoted followers of the Son of God, our lives ought to be overflowing with His love for us. Living and walking this fact out will allow for the love of God to flow through us, helping us when we feel we cannot love another.

Unity, Liberty, Love. May we make these the battle cry as we march into our personal mission fields.

Blessings and peace to you all,

Pastor Chuck

 

The More Things Stay the Same, the More they Stay the Same

Thomas Hobbes (image courtesy of famousbiographies.org)

On the surface of things, it appears that not much has changed over say, the last 4 centuries. It is as if it is in our DNA to not trust, respect or even get along with people who differ from us by skin color, nationality, or political bent. Recent events in this country have brought these latent feelings to a boiling point once again.

Listening to the car radio the other day, I heard a speaker reference Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher from the 17^th century. I was struck by the similarities of his thoughts from 1651 to the current state of affairs.

Hobbes, in his most famous work Leviathan, wrote the following:

“Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal. In such condition there is no place for industry… no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” (Emphasis added)

The focus of this work by Hobbes was the plight of humankind living without a strong leader. I’ll leave that particular thought alone and instead focus on his description of society bound for chaos as noted in the bold print above.

Our news feeds are filled destruction and violence as years of oppression and struggle have been brought to a head by the thoughtless taking of lives by those paid to protect and preserve it. I am not here to argue one point versus the other; only to say that every life is precious in the eyes of our Creator and we should hold each other in that type of esteem as well.

What strikes me is how close Hobbes description of life in anarchy reflects ours today, some 450 years later! The more things stay the same, the more they stay the same. Many are living daily with the fear of violent death, which casts a pall over the lives of any thinking and caring person. It indeed can make the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.

I, for one, don’t want to have this dark description be true of my life, and in fact, it is not. Though I do not have much of a say as to the brevity of my life, I certainly do have when it comes to being solitary, poor, nasty or brutish. And please understand, on my own I have made no great strides with any of these. It is only through the grace of God, poured out on me through the Savior Jesus Christ that has raised me out of the mire.

As Edward Mote wrote in that great hymn, my hope too is in Jesus Christ. Only when we, that is all of us, embrace the righteousness that only comes from the Lord, can we live as a people not described by Hobbes.

Jesus left clear instructions: Love others as He loved all. When individuals can truthfully live out this command of Jesus is when we will see true cracks in the walls of hatred and judgment of others.

Let us begin today to be what history will record us as. With God’s help we can be remembered as people who loved others as themselves, who promoted forgiveness and kindness instead of division and strife.

I pray for a grassroots growth of many individuals coming to know the love of God, for He truly is humanity’s only true hope.

1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in ev’ry high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]

Source: Trinity Psalter Hymnal #459

Lyrics by Edward Mote

May you all come to know more deeply the love God has for you,

Pastor Chuck

 

Remember Jesus

(image courtesy of plymouthlights.com)

It was heartening to see so many other bloggers taking time on this Memorial Day Weekend to share their heartfelt thoughts about the importance of remembering those who gave their life for the protection of our country. As I wrote yesterday, I join my heart with yours in expressing my deepest gratitude to them all.

The preacher in me would like to take this opportunity to remind us all, including me, to remember Jesus. He too gave his life; not for the service of any one country, but for all humanity. The sacrifice that Jesus made makes it possible for sinners just like me to be welcomed into sweet fellowship with Him. The salvation that God offers is entirely from Him. I/we can not earn, nor could we ever truly deserve it on own merit. Jesus, motivated by pure love, bore the punishment that each of our wayward lives should bear.

And if that were not enough, His resurrection from the dead that we celebrate each Easter seals the deal: Jesus has won the ultimate victory over death. Whereas the brave men and women we remember during this time each year gave their only life and died, Jesus, who also died, is alive!

If, Dear Reader, you have a relationship with our Living Lord, I rejoice with you; asking only that you call to mind frequently the price Jesus purchased you with.

However, if you’re reading this and Jesus is nothing more than a historical or maybe mythical figure, I simply ask you to seek Him out. The Bible promises that He is available always to anyone who calls out to Him. Search your heart and mind and consider if there is an emptiness there that you just can’t seem to fill. If there is, won’t you consider asking Jesus to fill that void. My own experience with this process proved that there was nothing He couldn’t or wouldn’t do to fill me to overflowing with His love. I assure you He can and will do the same for you!

Once you accept the Lord’s invitation to salvation, you will find that remembering Him  will bring great joy.

Blessings and thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

Dogs or People?

 

I’m a dog person.  I mean, I really like dogs.  If I see you out with your canine, I will invariably ask if it’s alright if I pet him or her.  Almost always, the answer is yes.  That’s because, in my opinion, dog people understand one another.

I had yet another opportunity to meet a new to me dog the other day.  I saw Brutus, taking up most of the corner of a waiting room, sitting with his human mom.  Being a 165-pound Great Dane, you can see how he would take up space.  I asked and was given permission to pet the gentle giant.

As dog owners, our conversation went along predictable lines as we shared stories of our beloved pets habits and activities.  It was then the Brutus’ owner confided to me another common sentiment among those who love their dogs:  she liked dogs better than most people.

I responded by telling her I understood how she felt but that I, being in the ministry and all, had to make sure I put people ahead of our furry friends.  Whereas this usually changes the topic, this lady instead pressed me, “But don’t you sometimes like dogs better than people?”

I laughed off a response and then it was time for Brutus and his owner to go, leaving me to ponder her question about which I liked more.  Anyone who knows me, or is familiar with my Facebook page knows that I adore our Goldendoodle, Violet.

 

In my eyes, she is the perfect dog: friendly to everyone with a ‘I want to please you’ style that is so endearing.  Smart and playful, Violet is loved deeply.

But the lady’s question lingered.  This usually means that something is going on in my brain or spirit that God wants to address.  It didn’t take long to come into focus.  For me, it’s not so much a question of liking one over the other.  The sticky point is how much patience I have with dog v. human.  Violet can have an accident or chew on another dish towel or eat the occasional jig-saw puzzle peace and I take it all in stride.  Her good points outweigh these minor inconveniences to such an extent that these bumps in the road hardly register with me.

If only I could so easily extend grace to the world of humans around me.  Personal slights or forgetting something important that I told you are nearly capital offences at times.  The list of ‘how could you’ can get quite long.  Not a ringing endorsement for a pastor, but it is an honest one.

Having identified an area that needed adjusting, God was just as quick to show me how to start.  Praying, as I like to do on my long afternoon walks with the above-pictured Violet, God spoke quietly to my spirit.  Basically, He reminded me that He loved me.  So much so that He gave His one and only Son to die for the forgiveness of sins, mine included.  His Spirit also reminded me that my very capacity to love comes from God and that I ought to access it more frequently.

Taking this to heart and putting into practice these last couple of days has been a joy.  Allowing God’s grace to flow through me to others has re-opened my eyes and heart.  These folks, all created by and loved as deeply by the same God who poured Himself out for me, deserve my patience and all the understanding I can muster.

Colossians 3:13 instructs me (and all of us) to: Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (NIV) I’ve been doing this all along with my four-legged friends, simply loving them for what they are.  Applying this same criteria to the bi-peds around me is helping me to see them more clearly and compassionately for who they are as well.

Next time I’m asked which I like better, I’ll have a clearer answer! It’s not an ‘either or’ but rather a ‘yes and’ that works the best!

How about you: Dogs or people? And cat lovers too!

Blessings and thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

But wait, there’s more!!!!!

Ronco Vegematic (Pinterest)

Ronco advertisements, those earliest of TV info-mercials, always used the tag line: but wait, there’s more! It implied that no matter what a great deal you were getting on their veg-e-matic with all its many attachments, there was something more coming for those who ordered right now.

 No matter how well your new veg-e-matic was going to ‘slice, dice and make julienne fries,’ the ad promised even more if you would only order Right Now! Jesus makes no such slanted an offer to you and me.  He is the best! Now and forever.  There’s no need to make a hurried phone call to assure yourself of being one of the few lucky ones to get whatever was being tangled in front of your eyes.

As an example, consider the first miracle recorded in John’s Gospel.  In it, Jesus changed water into wine. The whole account can be found in the beginning of John Chapter 2.  Jesus, as a guest at a wedding, is informed by His mother that the hosts have run out of wine.  The Lord then instructs some servants to fill 6 stone jugs with water, each with a capacity of 20-30 gallons.  It must have been one big party (they sometimes went on for a week) considering Jesus was about to miraculously make another 100 gallons of wine!  Thirst of the wedding guests aside, I like to spend our time together today discussing what the master of ceremonies had to say when he tasted this newly created vintage.

He asked the groom why he had broken tradition and saved the very best wine for last, after the guests were already well lubricated.  You were always bring it out first, so that folks could discern what excellent wine you have provided for them at your feast.

You see, with Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you get His very best from the start and all the way through, forever.  You get all of Him, from the very first, no waiting for some special offer at the end.  No veggy slicer/peeler can match that!  What’s even better, there is no payment required! No credit card, no shipping cost or extra postage for overnight delivery.  By bearing our sins on the cross, Jesus has paid, in full, the one-time price for you, me, and everyone who would accept His unmatchable offer of redemption and life eternal.

Allow me to change to change the Ronco pitch from “But wait, there’s more,” to “Don’t wait, this no charge to you, for this assurance of life eternal is available for you, right now!” If you haven’t partaken of this yet, won’t you please consider it today? Where you stand with Jesus is where you will stand forever.  What Jesus has done breaks the mold of ‘it’s too good to be true.’ For in fact, it is true!  As the bible says speaking of Jesus, “Salvation is found in no one else.” (Acts 4:12)

If you’re still wondering about this, you’re probably not alone.  As one who has accepted the mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, let me tell you that even though their doesn’t need to be any more added to His offer, there is.  The ‘more’ I’ve found is true peace in my life.  The ups and downs of my day to day activities are comforted by His presence.  What’s ‘more,’ I found the true purpose in my life, simply serving Jesus each day, in whatever form that takes.  By taking Him at His word by faith, I have an unshakable assurance that He is in control.  What a relief! By learning to trust the Lord more and more, those things that distracted or disrupted my life are in a much more proper perspective.  I know, beyond any doubt, that my forever place is set with Him because of Him.  What more could anyone possibly want knowing that!

As always, thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

 

One More Day

What an absolutely gorgeous day has dawned here is Central New York.  The sun is shining brightly in a cloudless sky as the temperature hovers in the mid-70s.  It has the look of a quintessential summer day!  In no particular order, my plans for this day include officiating at an outdoor wedding, mowing the back yard and walking our Goldendoodle Violet several times.

This is a perfect day, and that it comes on a Saturday is simply an extra bonus! We have lived through and a long and cold winter and an exceedingly wet spring to get to this mid-summer classic.  Factoring in all those dreary weather days makes realizing that today is a real keeper easy to do.

Yet, am I that shallow to allow the current weather conditions to dictate how I feel about this day? Didn’t God create all the days? One of my favorite bible verses assures me that He did: This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24 NIV) I believe the point of this verse is to remind me that it is Who has created this day that I ought to be rejoicing in, not whether or not it fits my mold of what a nice day is!

Not that I intend to beat myself up about this.  Like many, I fall prey to the rut of the everyday life, where tasks and deadlines often make it impossible to get outside, regardless of the weather.  These are wonderfully busy times, and I do not want to complain about what God has got me doing, but time sure is flying by.

There is a fine line, however, that I would like to write about; that being the tendency many of us have for taking for granted these wonderful daily creations called Today.  For me, the maintaining of a comfortable routine is probably the biggest culprit.  Rather than simply thank God for what He has provided within the context of this set of twenty-four hours, I crowd Him out by surrounding myself with those people and things that keep me smugly satisfied with my place in life.  Here I am minimally challenged, and life chugs on it its predictable and somewhat controllable pace.

As a pastor/preacher I attempt to teach folks to consider the bigger picture.  Maybe I need a refresher!  Eternal life is God’s greatest gift to His kids, and folks have told me I explain it to them in ways they can understand and relate to.  Having faith in the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ is how we step into this forever place of love and assurance.  I believe this with every fiber of my being as I present the biblical case for eternity.  My oft stated purpose is not to lead folks by the nose, but to give them enough information that they can make their own informed decision about Jesus.

Part of this teaching includes the wonder of each twenty-four hours that God gives us.  Each day, tailor made by the Author of all, is full of opportunities to thank and praise Him.  Yet it is here that routine can often cause the gradual loss of awareness of the special gift of today.

As usual, an example from my work experience helps to make my point.  One of the most interesting and well-paying hourly jobs I held over the years was at the James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant.  My job title was Buildings and Ground Attendant, a name that barely scratches the surface of what us ‘grunts’ had to do.  You name it, from lawn care and snow removal to gathering contaminated protective clothing to assisting the operations staff as they moved spent fuel bundles, we basically did whatever was needed to be done to support the safe operation of the plant.

Like I said, these were high paying jobs.  When our funding finally got cut and several of us got let go, I was earning $21 per hour (in 1997).  Of course, this level of pay did not come without its risks.  Any time you were in the actual power plant, you had one constant companion, radiation.  The plant, run by the State of New York at that time, had a highly trained staff of radiation technicians, whose primary function was to keep the rest of us aware of the dose rates in the various place we might be working, thus limiting our exposure.  But coming in contact with radiation was a given to all who worked there.

To keep an accurate count of just how much dose we encountered, every employee was subject to a whole-body scan on the first day of employment.  This established a baseline against which further scans could accurately assess how much radiation each employee was exposed to.  On a person’s last day of employment, the whole-body scan was taken again.  From this the Nuclear Regulatory Commission establishes what your lifetime dose exposure has been.  They send you a letter within six weeks of this exam telling you the results and ending with the cheery statistic of how much you can expect your life expectancy to have been shortened by the radiation.

My final scan resulted in the NRC informing me that I could expect to live one day less than I would have otherwise because of my work at the plant.

“One day, that’s not so bad, so long as it comes at end,” I often quipped.  Fast forward to today, some 23 years since I frequented the inside of a nuclear plant.  That’s quite a few one more days I have lived.  It occurs to me that I have let a fair number of them slip by, barely noticed.  It seems like there will always be one more day when you are younger.

As I approach the fourth (of four) 20-year slices of life pie, as my oldest son describes it, the reality that there is a finite number of days left to me is quite clear.  The question becomes, what do I do with this fresh insight?  One thing I won’t do is waist time lamenting the fact that I have let so much of it go by.  There is nothing to gain in doing that, and certainly more to lose, like another day! Today I choose to keep the door to the past just open enough to learn from past experiences, in hopes of putting this precious today to better use.

I’m not saying I’m about to go hog-wild, living at some reckless pace as if this were indeed the day the NRC told me about.  No, just the opposite.  I believe a slowdown is in fact what is needed.  To truly embrace what God’s gift of today is, I have to idle back so as to not miss so much of the goodness He has surrounded me with.

Like other aspects of my faith walk, this is a simple, but not always easy thing to do.  It’s really not about focusing on things or people, as wonderful as they are, that God has put in my life.  The key to rejoicing in this day He has made is to heighten my awareness of Him.  After all, He has made the arrangement for me through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ to be with Him forever.  This is a great day to enjoy that awesome truth, and if it is the last one on earth, so be it.  The best is yet to come!

As always Faithful Reader, thanks for spending some time with me,

Pastor Chuck

Peace by Peace: The Full Armor of God

 

I put my armor on first thing today.  No, I’m not re-enacting a joust or trying to blend in at a Renaissance Faire, I’m referring to the full armor of God that the Apostle Paul wrote about in Ephesians 6:10-18

It might seem peculiar to some that the God of peace, love and forgiveness would also make a soldier’s armor necessary.  However, if you have been a follower of Jesus Christ for any length of time, you know all too well the battle that rages on around you.  Thankfully, nothing about this struggle is a surprise to the Almighty.  Therefore, He gives us access to all we need to carry on each day.

Paul knew full well the spiritual battle that was happening in his time.  He used the familiar picture of a Roman, dressed in full battle regalia, to describe what and how God was providing for our spiritual protection.  The Apostle then describes why we need it:

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:11-12) NIV

Paul establishes that there is an unseen battle going on around us and that we do have a common enemy, the devil.  Not to give the old liar too much credit, but he is a powerful and nasty adversary who wants nothing more than to cause strife and division, especially among those who profess faith in Christ.

I am eternally grateful that our God is more powerful than Satan.  (Spoiler alert: if you read the Bible all the way to the end, you’ll see it proved forever!) Having said that, the Bible also teaches that the devil is still active in this world.  Peter describes him as a roaring lion prowling around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Knowing this, putting on the full protection of God’s armor seems like a no-brainer.

Let’s go through the various pieces of this God-given armor to see how they work to protect us.

The belt of truth is the first piece.  Whereas if may sound weird to us to put a belt on first, in this case it makes sense.  A Roman soldier put this piece of his armor on first because all the rest of his gear would be attached to it.  This holds true for our spiritual protection as well.  We must be able to ‘wear’ the truth of who God is if we are going to be able to stand at all in the battles we encounter.

With apologies to those who hold that truth is a relative thing, the truth of God is all encompassing and unchanging.  God is who He says He is and does what He promises to do.

The truth is that Jesus is the Savior of the world; there is no other way to heaven accept through His death and resurrection.  This has to be firmly buckled into our being if we are to put on the rest of the armor of God.

The breastplate of righteousness then attaches to the belt of truth.  A soldier’s breastplate protected his vital organs from harm.  This piece of godly armor does the same for us.  Righteousness, a term that sometimes gets thrown around in Christendom, simply means to be in right standing with God.  The position of being righteous in God’s eyes is necessary because He is perfect and without sin.  I, for one, am not.  The bible says He imputes righteousness to believers and I could never hope to be in His presence if He didn’t.  Because of this breastplate He provides, I am protected from His wrath.  God hates sin; the breastplate of righteousness keeps me shielded from the eternal consequences of it because He provides it to those who have put their faith in Him.

Verse 15 of Ephesians Chapter 6 then tells us that our feet are fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  I love the fact that this is fitted to each of us personally.  God’s peace, which we cannot fully grasp, is tailor made in such a way by the Master that even though we don’t understand it, we can live and move about with the assurance of the peace that salvation brings.

Once our shoes are on, we are to take up the shield of faith because by carrying it we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  The Roman soldier’s shield was curved in such a way that things would bounce off it.  As we carry our shield of faith, the lies and deceptions our enemy throws at us will also be deflected, bringing us no harm.

With our bodies now protected, we are instructed to put on the helmet of salvation.  Helmets, of course, are designed to protect the head.  The helmet of salvation does the same in a spiritual sense.  By donning it, we are to keep in the forefront of our mind the salvation God has given us.  By staying mindful of the of the grace of God that has been poured out on us, we are better able to stay focused on Him.  As we go through our days in this way, we are far less likely to fall victim to wrong thinking of the deceitfulness of the world around us.

As we are now fully clothed in the armor of God, we are then to pick up the only weapon we need, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17).  Much as a sword was the common weapon of the foot soldier in Paul’s day, the word of God is for us.  However, this sword has no equal.  In fact, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews describes it thus: The word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), God’s infallible Word is unmatched by any other weapon or tool.  It contains the very essence of God, making it supreme to all things.  What weapon would we possibly want to carry in its place?

Paul concludes this teaching of the full armor of God by reminding us all that once clothed in it, we must never forget to pray.  The list of what we could pray about is endless, but in this context, I would recommend praying to have awareness of the battles going on around us, and the wisdom to now when to engage the enemy and when to wait for re-enforcements.  It is then a very good idea to be praying for others that are on the battlefront, that they too are fully protected and moving within the will of God.

There you have it, my friends.  The full armor of God.  As was recommended to me years ago, I pass on to you.  Get into the practice of thinking about putting on this armor every day.  As you do, consider what each piece represents and how God has supplied it for you and the specific battles and struggles you are up against.  Remember, He who has made this armor is perfect.  What He makes is also perfect and perfectly molded to fit your needs.  All that is left is for us to put it on.

Thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

Thoughts about Ash Wednesday from a non-denominational pastor

Many of my dear sisters and brothers in Christ will be receiving ashes on their foreheads today.  As a non-denominational pastor, I’d like to share a few thoughts about what Ash Wednesday means to me.

I was born to Roman Catholic parents.  They faithfully went to Mass each Sunday, dragging my brother and me along with them.  They also hit all the Holy Days of Obligation with us in tow.  That meant that we got ashes on our foreheads every year at the beginning of Lent.  At the time, all I cared about was that this was bringing us closer to Easter and a basket filled with chocolate bunnies.

As I got a little older, I listened to the readings at these gatherings, again without any real impact on my life.  As soon as I was old enough to decide whether I wanted to continue down my parent’s path of religious belief, I opted out.

Many years later life-changing things happened to me, and I found my self back in a church.  This time it was Lutheran.  These good folks also had a special midweek gathering at the beginning of the Lenten season where they, too, had ashes put on their foreheads.

By this time, thankfully, I knew more about the reasons behind this, which gave me a better appreciation of the symbolism.  My faith journey continued and my family and I landed in a non-denominational church.  I was, and am, still deeply moved by this approach.  When church life here is lived in the proper light, the non-denominational church answers to God and not the traditions of men.  Therefore, I found no Ash Wednesday celebrations among these good people.

More time has passed, and I am now an ordained pastor of a non-denominational ministry.  What may be surprising to some is that I will be assisting at an Ash Wednesday service at a Lutheran Church this evening.  How did this come about, you might ask?

My wife and I have been blessed to become friends with the Pastor of the local Lutheran Church.  She is a dynamic person of God, whose devotion to the Word, to prayer, and to others is inspiring.  We met at an ecumenical gathering of local pastors who get together every Saturday morning at 7 to pray for revival in our area.

Pastor Wheatley has invited Betsy and me to participate at this evening’s service at her church: Betsy will lead us in song and I will help distribute ashes.  This is what got me thinking about this topic today.  Why me?  And why ashes?

Non-denominational or not, I have concluded that the receiving of ashes on this day is a very good thing to do.  The ashes themselves symbolize three things: our sinfulness, our mortality, and the hope we have in God through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

The first two of these of go together; the bible teaches (and my life proves) that all people are hopelessly lost in sin.  Only God, in His mercy, can save us from eternal doom.  The ashes remind me of this fact today.  They also serve to refresh my memory about my own mortality; that no matter how good I feel physically today, at age 59, I am still much closer to the end of my natural life than I am to its beginning.  When this sobering thought is taken with the first point made, I am ever so glad for the third one!

The ashes, placed on the forehead in the shape of a cross, are a visual reminder of the reality of the love of God for us all.  Jesus, God’s Son, chose to die an awful death on a cross in order that sinners (that’s all of us) could be saved.  Peter expressed it this way: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

I can’t save myself, and no other human can do it for me either.  Only faith in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ can.  The ashes on my forehead remind me of this awesome truth again today.  I’ll gladly hand them out and humbly receive them.  The only title I bear today is follower of Christ, for it is the only one that truly matters.

Blessings,

Pastor Chuck

Stormy Weather

Regular readers of mine are aware than I often mention current weather conditions in these jottings.  That’s because winters here in Central New York are usually noteworthy.  Where I am sitting, Lake Ontario often releases what is known as Lake-effect Snow.  I’ll save you the science lesson and simply say that the relatively warmer air flowing over the cold water of the lake produces these events.  Proof in point: we received about 12 inches of new lake-effect snow over- night.

Those who know me personally are also well aware of my angst when it comes to TV weather-people and their inability to forecast these snows (and most any other weather!) with any accuracy.  Locally televised weather reporting spends the majority of its time telling us what the weather was like over the previous 24 hours.  I lived it and don’t need a recap.  Please just tell me what is ahead!

But I really don’t want to rant on about the nice folks that report the weather on television.  After all, they are doing their job the way they are told to and the current procedure seems to bring in ample advertising dollars.

Besides, I have lived in this area all my life and as a bit of a weather geek, I am quite capable of formulating my own forecasts.  There is little that happens in the local weather here that surprises me.  Storms, be they lake-effect or other types, come and go; so I will keep my snowblower, shovel and chainsaw in good working condition.

There are other storms that I am still blindsided by, however.  These would be the far less meteorological ‘storms of life.’ They often come from out of nowhere and can rage on endlessly, upsetting the quiet calm that I so love.  Much like Jesus’ disciples felt fear when a sudden storm came up while they were in a boat together, I can quickly become unsure of things as a storm of life blows up around me.

Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.  But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matthew 8:24-25 NIV)

We know that at least four of the disciples were experienced fishermen, yet the text seems to indicate that all twelve were fearful for their lives.  Sudden storms were not rare on the Sea of Galilee, but even so, this one appeared to be bad enough to bring a feeling of certain doom to the group.

Obviously, the storm the disciples were in was an actual physical emergency, whereas the personal storms I referenced above are usually relational/personal in nature.  Regardless, the lesson to be gleaned in how to deal with them is found in the disciples reaction.

Note first that they were not hiding how they felt.  They were scared to death! Their urgent plea to Jesus reveals this.  Not hindered by concern over admitting the fear they felt, the disciples exercised their best option; they ran to Jesus.  There was no trying to turn the boat around or maybe into the wind to stabilize it, they rushed to wake Jesus to save them.

The bible says that after Jesus chastised his guys for their lack of faith, he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm (Matthew 8:26).  Even though the disciples lacked a measure of faith, nonetheless the Lord granted their request as He miraculously silenced the wind, thus calming the sea.

Oh that I would run post-haste to Jesus when a storm of life blows up around me! The disciples did and their problem was solved.  Do I believe things happened the way they are recorded in this passage? Absolutely! Do I believe Jesus can and does still speak into the circumstances of people’s lives when they run to Him seeking comfort? Indeed I do!

So why is it I don’t always follow the example of what the disciples did on that stormy boat ride when life throws a storm at me? Is it a lack of faith? Sometimes.  I know I trust my salvation completely on Jesus, no doubt.  But being honest, there are times when I think what is happening to me is somehow off of His radar and I’ll go tearing off looking for advice or a quick cure or just a metaphoric shovel to bury whatever it is that is troubling me.

The usual result of these efforts for my part is the opposite of what the disciples experienced when they sought the help of Jesus.  What can I do? I can put myself in that boat with them, meaning I can confess my fear, uncertainty, etc. and swallow my pride and say, “Lord, I’m going to drown” in this.  Please help me.”

How about you.  What fears do you have? Are there things you struggle with and yet don’t bring them to the Lord? Why? I’d love to hear from you and how/if God has calmed the seas of your life.

Too cold for just fig leaves!

 

Part of a normal winter here in upstate New York has a couple of weeks of truly cold weather to accompany the prodigious amounts of snow that falls.  This winter is no exception.  Today’s high temperature is forecast to be 5 degrees (that’s Fahrenheit my friends!).  What has the weather people in an even greater dizzy is the wind-chill factor.  That they tell us this will bring the ‘feels like’ temp to -30.  I was just outside walking our dog Violet and I can assure you, it is cold outside.

Having lived in this area all my life, I have learned the importance of dressing in layers for protection against this kind of cold, keeping as much skin as possible covered to prevent frostbite.  This morning was no different: two pairs of pants, 2 shirts, wool socks, hoodie, hat, insulated jacket, lined boots and insulated gloves.  Both Violet (I suppose her fur keeps her warm) and I survived and even enjoyed our morning walk today.

Staying warm in these conditions got me to thinking about this week’s bible study as we will be looking at Genesis Chapter 3.  Reading this we see the awful result of Adam and Eve’s falling to the temptation of the serpent.  They believed his lie and subsequently got banished from Paradise.

It’s not only that God cast them out, bad as that was, but that they knew they screwed up. Verse 7 of Chapter 3 explains it this way: Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (NIV)

There is way more to glean from this chapter that I have space for today, so let’s focus in on the inadequate coverings Adam and Eve made for themselves.  If I understand this correctly, their realizing they were naked tells us they were ashamed of what they had done.  Because of this, they no longer saw their bodies as just being the way God made them, but rather something objectionable and forbidden, thus making it necessary to cover up what then became inappropriate parts.

Sadly, the world hasn’t learned much since then.  We (I include myself), tend to want to hide our imperfections.  We feel very exposed if they become known.  Same thing with our mistakes: hide them as best we can or try as Adam did to pass the blame on to someone else.

Reading on in Chapter 3, we discover that Adam and Eve knew that their new coverings were not much of a cover-up.  The second half of verse 8 tells what they did when they heard God walking toward them: and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (NIV).  Not only did they attempt to cover their nakedness, they also tried to hide from God.  It amazes me that they (and many of us) think that we can somehow hide our activities from an all-knowing and ever-present God.

Thankfully, our God has a heart that loves us enough to cover our weaknesses.  It the case of Adam and Eve, the bible says that, The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21 NIV) God saw that what they had made for themselves was woefully inadequate for protection.  Wearing garments fashioned by God is certainly preferable to running around with just a few figs leaves on!

Taken a step further, we can see God’s creative work in the protective covering he supplies us through His Son Jesus Christ.  Christianity 101 teaches us that it is only by believing that Jesus Christ took our place and died for our sins on the cross that gives us access to spend eternity with God.  In essence, it is the Lord’s shed blood that covers us.  Only in this way can we be made acceptable to the glorious God of heaven.  The Apostle Paul, quoting from Psalm 32 says it this way: Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. (Romans 4:7-8 NIV) We receive this incredible blessing of forgiveness because God knows we can’t do it for ourselves.

Just as Adam and Eve’s self-made garments proved no real help, neither would flipflops, shorts and a tee shirt be any good against the bitter cold we are experiencing here where I live.  And truthfully, even my best layering technique would ultimately fail me if I had to stay outside to long when it is this cold.

The bottom line is this: We are to take care of our outer-selves being mindful of weather conditions and dressing appropriately.  It’s nobody’s fault but mine if I go outside in these conditions without gloves to shovel the driveway.  The ensuing frost-bitten fingers would be my fault.

Just as we learn how to do the practical with regard to dressing for cold weather, so we must know and believe that the most important covering always and forever is the one the Jesus Christ offers.  We cannot cover up or hide from God and the blessing is He doesn’t want us to! Come to Him, just as you are, and allow His love to cover you like no wool garment ever can.  His love is an all-season love and it is a perfect fit, just for you!