12-25-17 A Christmas Wish - Seeking the Spiritually Marginalized

 

Who causes sadness, among the gladness, what makes us cry?

  What is the reason, for friends who leave us―it drains my laughter dry.

  Where do I fit in, where do I belong?

  Thought I had it all, thought the price was paid.

  But here I am alone again.

  Where do I fit in, where do I belong?

  I didn’t get back what love I gave―I’m just water down the drain.

                                                                                                Mark A. Cornelius

What a contrast is Christmas,

You Lord, know this best of all: In a time when a master country of unparalleled influence popularized and encouraged strange, even perverse cultural norms.  At a moment when individuals and countries lost themselves and depreciated their deeper beliefs in hopes of not becoming targets of ridicule or even persecution; in a land where your ways and your people were oppressed by an unwelcomed government determined to overrule you on the world stage―you appeared.

Your entry was not grand as I would have expected. Your humble approach in physical life seeming the polar opposite of what any might have imagined if God were to walk as a human. And how did we receive you? As a baby most did not recognize you, as a child you were ignored, as a man you were crucified. You joined the ranks of the marginalized.

“Oh,” many will say now, “I wasn’t there. Had I been, I would have opened my arms to you, cherished and worshiped you, maybe even given you some friendly advice on how to work with us.” Some think you are nothing but a concept; at best a moral example only; at worst an archaic notion easily replaced by supposedly improved societal inventions. Now, as then, we have difficulty fitting you into the framework of our modern self-centric lives.

I think to myself, beyond my belief in you, how can I break the cycle, how can I love you as you loved us? Your answer is a difficult one. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Not that I can’t or won’t serve my community and the nations beyond. In our defense, Lord, over the centuries and into this era, the world, me included, has demonstrated some capability at stepping up to the plate to donate a dollar, offer support, lend a hand to build a better world. Even the Romans understood this.

Then again, even the psychopath thinks he is improving things by his actions.

We all know the fancy credos: Teach someone to fish and we will all be better. Lift up the downtrodden and we all improve. So we march out, even those who don’t believe in you, to altruistically demarginalize those who have been cast aside. What a good feeling it is to invite them back into the fold.

And then, Lord, you correct me. It is not just their bodies and their minds that have been censured. It is their spirits that you long for. “They know not what they do,” you once said. And yet you sought to forgive them into relationship with you. If they would only ask, seek and knock for the same.

So you teach me once again what I thought I knew differently. It’s not just the physically or culturally aberrant that we sector off into convenient corners, it is the spiritually marginalized―the very ones you encouraged us by your example to touch.

But who are they really that we push aside in favor of our stronger standard? If we reached out to them in a sincere desire for mutual understanding (not forced tolerance), and requested the same in return…an honest dialogue…would your redeeming sacrifice be diminished? Would your better way be risked? Of course not, you assure me in your word. It is not only the why of redemption, but also the how.

Sadly, our human history of how has not been stellar. Instead of listening for the opportunity, learning the personal biography of hurt that each of them carries, and then inviting your Spirit to heal, we unknowingly or uncaringly encourage a more divisive cycle, sifting and censuring the right from the wrong, the best from the worst, the privileged from the unwanted.  Our churches and our institutions separate out those who don’t quite fit our expectations, don’t exactly match our theology or our social constructs. Not that we won’t assist them, we just won’t engage them on a deeper, more sacred level, becoming familiar with their personal creation story, daring to inquire of their salvation, whether or not they are even alert to the need for redemption, being bold enough if they say, “not interested” to hear the honest individual reply in follow up to, “why not?”

Is this the lesson-complete, Teacher? Or is there something more that I’m to receive? I confess that I have spiritually marginalized others…but can others acknowledge that they have denigrated my deeper values? Can we, every one of us, have the courage to admit that the spiritually marginalized are not just them…it is us. And what we have done to one another, we have then done to you.

Forgive us, for we still don’t know what we’re doing…without you.

Lord, I know that all of this is not just about listening, watching, and critiquing. It is as much about doing. That means some action on my part. I want to write about this and will dwell on the subject over a longer course of time. I desire to develop a more concise definition of what it means to be Spiritually Marginalized. But beyond that, you are inspiring in me a new hunger to engage the disengaged, to offer a reliable sanctuary for those who feel they have had their voices muted, their beliefs squelched. I want to invite and openly share in a deeper discourse, where even the faith and practices of those who believe openly and bravely in you may be safely shared without condemnation or reprisal toward their convictions.

And finally, Jesus, since I started with the subject; what does this all have to do with the season of Christmas? This is the season of joy, right? We are supposed to be all about hope and peace. Yet the number of suicides and crimes, the callous way we rush to parties and ambitiously aspire to either give or receive the shiniest gifts, suggest that we are either ignorant of, or resistant to the true purpose of your arrival…your offering of redemption to all who have ever been sidestepped or trampled upon by others. Ironic isn’t it, that all of us fit both the definition of “belittled” and “belittler”? Yet you loved us enough to offer your own marginalized life as a sacrifice for ours.

Thank you for your humble example and your open arms, Lord, that I, and any marginalized journeyer willing to approach, may find a home of truth in the message of your good-will. I pray now in invitation, for others to respond. Let the dialogue begin!

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

                                               Matthew 11:28-30

Peace and Good News from Him to us,

Mark C.

11-2-2017 Faith To Grace

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no 

need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."   2 Timothy 2:15

Father in heaven,

The season of Advent approaches and I’m preparing, on my knees in contrition. Your son came to earth for the very purpose of unifying us in his salvation and I confess that I don’t feel quite unified with the bride of him who invites us all to the table.

 I admit that I’ve had disagreements with other brothers and sisters in your body, Jesus. I’ve been considering the debates I hear (not just between me and others, but throughout my circle of friends, family, and fellow worshipers) and I think I’m beginning to see a pattern. Here’s how one brand of these discussions typically begin:

            “Are you a Calvinist or an Arminian?”

To some who are reading along in my conversation with You, Father God, this may seem like a question posed in some strange foreign language. But I’m struck by the number of folks who deem their allegiance to John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius; as critical as their devotion to you, Lord Jesus.

In their time, these two theologians offered great considerations concerning the condition of mankind, eternal security, and grace. But sadly, when a contemporary conversation fires up surrounding the two men’s positions, things seem to always go downhill from there. Not that there aren’t valid points from both camps; particularly regarding Grace and Eternal Security―these and the other components of Your redemptive plan are worthy of any believer’s serious study and understanding.

Yet, I wonder sometimes if You see us as children squabbling over prized packages under the tree. Treasures that we should actually be eagerly sharing with others rather than critiquing the wrapping and claiming our individual name to be the only one on the outer tag, regrettably never opening the box together to discover the deeper corporate blessings within? How You must weep at our feeble attempts to diminish the power of Your redemption. Forgive me, Father, along with my fellow followers, for my participation in any selfish attempt at forcing a point. I seek Your wisdom alone in this matter, God of all.

In Proverbs 27:17, You tell us, even encourage, that iron sharpening iron is healthy as long as it leads to a closer relationship together; walking toward Your righteousness. That has recently been proven out for me, individually. I believe, in my case, a slight twist in my personal theology surrounding the gifts of faith and grace is emerging.

I always seem to end up at the same scriptural junction whenever I consider grace―the gift of favor from You to believers which we do not deserve. The verses in mind are Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Please, Lord, don’t misunderstand. I do not trust or lean on this one scripture alone. It is but a landmark, arrived at by a path mapped and followed through a winding course of many connecting verses. But, based on the flow of where You are guiding my ecclesiastical journey, it sounds like both faith and grace are mighty important. So much so that I have to ask: Is there an order in which they influence? Does one come before the other?

I had to go way back to Abram to find this one: Abe’s faith in You was credited as righteousness.

So, let me get this straight, Master. Abram has a lineage crisis; You speak into him and tell him You will take care of things, provide him with not only an heir but a planet full of heirs over the course of history to come; He believes You and You act on Your promise. 

Mmmm,  that was a new one for any of us―appearing to be the first time You credit a human with faithful merit mentioned in Your word…

―or is it?

What about Noah? The record says he found chen…grace in Your eyes. How did that happen? Did You just decide he was worth something and the rest of mankind at that time was not? What did You base Noah’s grace on, if anything?  If I’m reading it right, Genesis 6:9 tells all:

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

So…Noah walked with―OT language for “believed in”―You, and You showed him grace. I’m seeing a trend here, an “If―Then Gifting” if I’m not mistaken, Lord:

If I accept Your gift of faith, then You respond with grace.

Please correct me if I’m wrong, Most Wise, I don’t see any scripture refuting this construct. And if that’s the case, then when Paul says in Ephesians 2:8, “…by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God...” I’m understanding that You do not provide Your gift of undeserved grace without first offering Your gift of faith (which I must choose to receive or reject).

Forgive my own logical leap here, Lord, but if Grace follows Faith, then there is a very important stepping stone I might have missed, and want to have made VERY clear by Your Word and Spirit:

I can’t receive Grace without first choosing Faith in Jesus?

And that means You first offer me Faith as an opportunity. I can choose or reject that Faith (and that is when my struggle with free will begins)…

―then (not before or even simultaneously) I become not Calvin’s or Arminius’; I become Yours! It is something You foresaw happening but did not force to happen. You desired my love as a voluntary response to Your sacrificial love, worked out in Your death and resurrection. I was offered the choice of faith-belief in You, or I could reject You. In my choice of Faith, You responded by pouring Your favor out for me―so much of it that now I can’t hold it within this Mark-jar of clay. It spills over, yet another lavish gift given as evidence to the faith and love that is Messiah Jesus for others to marvel at and then also choose to receive through…Your gift of Faith to them.  Praise You, God of Agape.

If all this is correct Lord, then faith must come first to inspire Yours and my relationship. Grace comes next to eternally protect and sufficiently cement Yours and my relationship.

So it appears to me Lord that:

Faith calls and Grace follows.

Can it be that simple? If what I’ve just stated is Truth, then I’m not sure Calvin or Arminius, either one had it exactly right. Grace does not have to be labeled as “resistible”, or “irresistible”. Grace is Your active gift, simply as a result of my Faith in Jesus. And if that’s the case; being that Grace is Yours to dispense as a perfect response to true Faith, then another inspiration strikes me:

Grace is Irreversible!

After all, once You have eternally decided that Your faithful ones in Messiah should receive Grace, how could such an eternal gift be retracted? Grace through Faith has permanently and indelibly cast its effect on the spiritual DNA of the true believer.

I’m astounded by Your perfect plan, Most High. As Paul so beautifully pointed out, “…neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Now the question is, how do I share this in a way that lifts up and encourages Your body, rather than causes division and barriers to be placed between us? And as important, if not more important; how do I offer this as food for new believers, to reveal to them the glory of Your plan?

If by Your Word and Spirit (not mine), faith calls; Then my reasoning and questions are just seeds of invitation planted by You, the Greater Sower. The invitation is then made, the discussion is then encouraged (and should not be avoided!), but ultimately the choice and results are freely gifted to each of us. Thank You, Lord for such an amazing treasure to share.

I will always welcome the challenges brought on by my sisters and brothers in Christ. You built us with brains that are up to that challenge! But I realize that until The Day, we will all see through a mirror, dimly. I pray that You become the lens to help us walk together toward righteousness without tripping. Focus us on Your priorities, Your purpose, by Your wisdom.

Strengthen our faith, Lord that we may better appreciate Your grace.

Amen,

Mark C.

8-27-2017 Eternal Thoughts of Faith

For by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, that not anyone should boast; for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God before prepared that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10 LITV

  

 My Lord, my God,

You awakened me in the middle of the night with this idea…

“God has two eternal thoughts:

                       First, that His faith in His creation is relational

            The second is that what His creation has faith in is consequential

With the breath of these two thoughts, God loves.”         

I’m frightened by such epiphanies. Are they mine, or Yours? How can I know Your ways? In these times, so many voices cry out, so many claim authority. All I know is where to go in my doubt.

Digging through scripture, I could not find arguments against the expression. In fact, it was verified by a peculiar passage, Mark 11:22 LITV.

And answering, Jesus said to them, 
“Have faith of God.”

As You seem to do a lot, I’ve been led immediately into controversy. No, I understand it’s not for the purpose of tearing apart, but for seeking understanding and resolution on behalf of Your bride―by testing. That is Your calling for me: Not always pleasant, always a challenge―for in the nocturnal message lies a tricky question…Do You, YHWH, have faith?

Most translations of the Mark 11 passage insert the preposition “in” to replace “of” God, but there is more to suggest it is Your faith, not ours that we are being asked to possess. The debate, unbeknownst to me has been longstanding and so, joining in, I have to ask: Why would you, Jesus, command devout Jews to have faith in God? They had that. It was not a matter of having faith, but in the character of that faith. Our measure of that character was on display in the life of the very one who made the request; you Lord Jesus.

And that begs another question. Why would You, all knowing, all seeing God, need faith? In that question, I’m drawn to another consideration which is indeed a brain-twister. You created the heavens and the earth; so somehow, in the eternal mechanics of things, there was a time, before that creation when You foreknew/foresaw Your masterpiece. It was not…yet. And as such, my puny human reasoning tells me that You had to have faith…belief in…the creation, for it to become.

That was then, this is…another dimension, after the fact. And I have to use the only model I’ve been given to work through the next puzzle:

Some day when I come before Your throne, there will be no need for my faith. Your presence will be the evidence of Your existence (what a moment that will be!).  All that will be necessary at that point is love.

So was it the same with You? Once Your creation took form, there was no need for faith.

And what would You do with Your faith, once Your work was manifest?

It appears, at least to me, that You did what only the One Loving God would do…You gifted Your faith to Your children through grace, as Paul so perfectly points out in Ephesians. In other words:

It has never been my faith in You, but Your faith in me that I claim.

Why is this twisty-theology important? The signs and wonders of end-times seem to be piling up. Scriptural prophecy is being fulfilled at an ever increasing rate. The world is becoming more and more resistant to Your authority.  The faith that You have offered to me (and any others who will receive it), is being challenged more stridently, even within Your body.

Many look at the signs and wonders to somehow predict a date of your return, Jesus. Others try to use the same evidence to disprove your existence; explaining all as a man-made formula rather than a spiritually designed miracle. Me? I confess Master that I’m tempted to fixate only on the calendar, I look at the events unfolding and I want to plug in my own calculations – rushing Your plan to completion. Instead, I now ask for you to strengthen the one thing that is provable beyond a doubt…the faith within me, which is Your faith, Father God: My faith OF God.

I ask this not for myself, but for others, because oddly; Your faith within me doesn’t appear to help me any more, or less as it strengthens―a mustard seed amount seems to be all I need according to your words, Savior. Your faith within this clay jar called Mark seems more designed to be evidence for those without faith. And so, I’m to share Your faith, pouring it out of the vessel liberally for others to see and consider.

What happens from that point forward? That’s between You and those others―I have faith in Your process. All I know is that, though Your faith within me may strengthen or weaken; like You, it is eternal. I cannot lose it. It is―because You are.

What a gift.

Lord, the time between your first and second coming is shortening. I pray that, in whatever time is left; I do not try to horde the gift of faith given to me, but find ways to share it more openly. I pray that its evidence sparks fires of new faith within those who now walk in darkness. Let the signs and wonders stir questions in the hearts of all mankind, and let Your faith be seen by them, in me…

―And by that faith; let us all know Your love, YHWH.

 

Amen. Come Lord Jesus…in your time, not mine,

Mark C.

Reference https://www.hopefaithprayer.com/word-of-faith/the-faith-of-god-god-kind-of-faith-smythe/

6-25-2017 A New Day, An Old Story.

Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; 

ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.
―Deuteronomy 32:7

Our family was sitting around the table, Lord. A casual breakfast preparing for a difficult event: the passing of my cousin. Our family though is resilient and we had prepared for this moment. My cousin’s wife, my sister, my wife, other friends and relatives sat there with me to do what we do best…share the stories of life. And so I shared.

I looked at my sister and asked, “Do you remember where we were 50 years ago today?”

She gave me the anticipated puzzled look and I proceeded with my advantage. I explained the coincidence that we had, on this date long ago, moved as a family to Houston Texas. Our father had been promoted in his company and so we were sitting in a motel room with a malfunctioning air conditioner. It was June in Texas, too hot to leave the premises, so we kept the motel door and windows open and did the only thing available, we watched television. It was what was on TV which stamped an indelible exclamation point on this memory. All three channels were covering the Six Day War in Israel.

Lord, You knew then and now, the power of that moment for me, even though it has taken me many years to figure it out. But at a breakfast table fifty years later, I am able to share how You changed my life in that moment long ago. You had planted a seed which began to germinate into a haunting curiosity that would persist and grow into a full-fledged conversation with You. You had cultivated in me a desire and love for Your people and Your land. Many in my family still can’t figure out my great passion for the place…for that matter, my love for You, Jesus. Still, You tell me to continue, in the right times and places, to share my story―not just to my family, but to the world.

I confess that I get the timing wrong and sometimes the words get tangled up in my mouth. But if I look to Your timing, wait for Your moment, just as You waited and planned early on for a young boy to be captured in his heart by a spiritual and physical struggle far away―I too can plant a new seed. It too will germinate in some other heart and…You will enter into the growing conversation.

So my story is really Your story, Lord. And as with many stories that You have combined into Your great telling, it has come about over a course of time. The story is rich and deep and the reward in its sharing is the look in someone’s eyes, the quickening of their heart and the change in their expression as they realize, “this is my story too.”

Lord, I pray for Your story to continue to be in my heart, on my lips and in these pages.

Mark C.

5-2-2017 El Shaddai -of the Tabernacle

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 35

I’m walking a dusty path, talking with my traveling companions as we go, discussing the wonders we’ve already seen on this pristine day. Though I’m engaged in the moment, my mind is far ahead of me. I’m distracted by what I know is to be―not by what is or has been. I find myself wanting to somehow prepare in a more appropriate way, but I don’t know what more to do―I’ve been preparing for this moment for years.

We are aiming for a building that sits at the pinnacle of a small rise, there-in to watch a movie which we are told should provide an historical and scriptural perspective of this place. But even that seems a distraction. It’s what lies beyond the building that calls to me as I crest the hill.

There it is, Lord, Your tabernacle area: Now only an archeological site of carefully excavated stone, outlining a perfect description in our time, as to the spiritual interaction, observances and rituals of times ancient. What intrigues me most is the placement; not perched on the highest mountain as most religious temples, this structure is centered in a bowl, surrounded by great hills.

Our friend, Luke, who has navigated us here, explains that the Israelites oriented this site so that all the tribes could gather, worshiping together with the ability to see and best hear the proceedings. I confess that the landscape in my mind’s eye had the crowds camped out on flat plains, but this makes so much more sense. It is the same arrangement as with the temple in Jerusalem where Mount Moriah is surrounded by high places looking down into the sacrificial area to allow for the visual impact.

Lord, you encouraged me to the Land for many reasons, but I find my heart beating faster as I place myself mentally into the significance of my immediate surroundings. YHWH, You planned a 40-year journey to bring Your people to this spot. Here they offered and sang and cried and responded to You. And here You loved, guided, corrected and prepared them toward an everlasting relationship which would eventually even allow for someone like me to commune with You.

We watch the movie, a dramatic interpretation depicting the struggle of Samuel’s mother Hannah, but I find myself struggling and anxious. For what? What am I wanting from this event? We exit the theater and descend the slope into the actual tabernacle area. As I negotiate the stony path, I become even more excited, but why, Lord? You are no more in this place than you are in my heart. Yet there is something spiritually electric that I can’t explain about Shiloh. Why am I here, why did You inspire the Israelites to congregate here for over 350 years?

I’ve been so inwardly focused that I haven’t been paying attention to my surroundings. Somehow I have arrived at the actual tabernacle foundation and am now standing where, thousands of years ago, the Holy of Holies would have been. At that time, standing in this place would have provoked an instant end to my existence. And I find that standing is no longer an appropriate position. On my knees I give thanks for the invitation, through you, Lord Jesus, to dwell together, intimately celebrating life; not fearing death. Do I really appreciate the power and significance in that?

This is what I came for, to experience what had happened here, appreciating what is happening here now, so that I can look forward to what will happen here soon-coming. I could be any place and You would love me no less; all the other events of this trip to the Land are inspiring, but this place is the source of that inspiration. I have always been drawn to origins and antiquity, to the primitive which is anything but primitive. Here is where You taught us all how to worship.

Now I’m prepared; seeking Your will, Father God and I know…yadah…Your presence. It is in the bones of this place. It is in the heart of this frail clay vessel whom You have led to this encounter. Fill me with Your purpose, as an offering to Your desire.

Regaining my feet, I return along the dusty path, talking with my traveling companions as we go, discussing the wonders that have just overwhelmed us on this pristine day. I’m tempted to turn back and, one more time, tabernacle with You where Samuel and David encountered You. But Your instructions are clear. “Go out.”

I’m no longer distracted by what I know is to be, for what is to be is where You want me focused. What is to be is every moment I can serve and praise and proclaim. There is nothing more to do―except what You have already given me to do. That is the way it was, that is the way it is, that is the way of my ongoing journey―that is Your way.

Thanks be to El Shaddai for offering His way, that we may tabernacle with Him.

Mark C.

3-17-17 The Wonder in the Moment

   "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and    you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison      and you came to me.'

   Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or        thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and          clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

   And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my   

   brothers, you did it to me.'"           
                                                                                                       Matthew 25:35-40

Lord, I ask Your indulgence while a great image tickles my memory. A beautiful day unfolds as we loiter near the Jaffa Gate. My wife and I are not pressed with any hard schedule at the moment and so stand together watching the crowds intersecting by the gate opening into Christ Church. Across the street―the middle-ages structure popularly called David’s Tower. I’m particularly enjoying the visual cross-section of humanity flowing past―Your diverse hand is so evident in the appearance and behavior of those who walk life with us, Lord.

Speaking of, I notice a weathered Arabic man approaching. His pants and shirt are worn, but neat, and he sports the traditional keffiyeh headdress of the Bedouin. A broad smile boasting a mostly complete set of yellowed and worn teeth further creases his deeply scored face. He’s seen a few miles, I think to myself as he nears. The man greets us, not atypical in this market area, and produces a map.

Master, I confess to suddenly becoming cynical. He wants to sell us the map, or lead us to his shop, I warn myself. He must read my wariness for he now directs his comments toward my bride.

“You are so very beautiful, may I give you this map for a moment of conversation?”

My wife accepts and I’m left to observe as he asks her where we are from and why we have journeyed to Jerusalem. My sweet wife is ever gracious and describes our love of the land. To my surprise, the elderly gentleman now turns to me and exclaims, “Your wife is very lovely. I will give you 100 camels, 2 donkeys and a goat for her.”

I recognize immediately the great compliment he has bestowed to both of us. He has literally offered a king’s ransom, which I’m reasonably certain he does not possess. It is simply a charming gesture and I have no immediate place where I could stable such treasures, so I give him a way out as is the custom. “Thank you so much, but I have to tell you, my wife is the jewel of my eye and I can’t possibly part with her.”

There; the compliment and the gratitude are fairly placed and I’m ready now to pay him for his gift of the map…except he is not done. “I have no such gem,” he responds. “So I offer you my eyes which are my jewels, in addition to the 100 camels, 2 donkeys, and a goat. Also, I will give you all of the Holy Land.

Well now, I must admit Lord, I would be tempted, but for a simple fact that I happen to know. He does not possess the Holy Land, You do. Still, he has flattered my wife and engaged us with a wonderful example of local tradition. I’m ready to buy the map for a sum above its actual value. As I begin to reach for my wallet, our new-found friend thanks us for our time and moves down the street. Amazing―he was a genuine ambassador to this place and I feel a bit the lesser. I really should have prayed with him―I wonder how he might have received that gesture?

Too late…or is it? Jesus, I know little of that man’s beliefs or faith, but I do know You. Forgive me if I did not immediately hear Your suggestion for communion. He is also one of Your loved ones, if not Your claimed ones―he deserved the invitation and I was stingy in my response. Please protect him…and us, on our separate journeys. I pray that what tiny bit of hospitality we offered in return for his, magnifies You and You alone. I pray that somehow, our reception of his kindness reflected Your light to him.

I haven’t gained any camels, donkeys, goats or property. You remain the jewel of my heart, I still am blessed with the jewel of my eye―my beautiful bride with which you have gifted me, and I have enjoyed a moment of gracious amusement offered by a fellow traveler. I’m wealthy beyond measure.

Some days are meant for just this―to receive and appreciate Your wonder of Lovingkindness in the moment.

Amen,

Mark C.

2-15-2017 Epiphanies of the Moment

Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." 

And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."  Exodus 33:13-14

Lord Jesus,

We’ve been back from our trip to Your amazing land for over three months and I’m still trying to absorb all You revealed to us. It’s daunting, to say the least; there were so many spiritual and physical experiences. Finding a way to honor You with our processed perceptions; to share the depth of Your outpouring with others…It’s just going to take time.  Help me to present this in a way which glorifies 

Your purpose and inspires others to learn more.

Our second trip to Israel was so different from the first. You allowed us to take in so much of the country on our first encounter, but there was such limited exposure to the people who lived and worked there. This time however and the organic experiences of interacting with those who dwell in the land were striking.

Epiphany # 1: Spirit, You equipped us and provided Scriptural encouragement. Lord, You showed us, Your ambassadors how our walk influenced the nation as suggested in Romans 11:11. But You also taught us how service flows both ways. We were sincerely blessed by the people we encountered and they taught us more than we could have imagined about true existence in Israel; how the world attempts to manipulate and delegitimize the country’s people (Jew and Palestinian alike!) and how other countries have invalidly claim the land a political object to conquer.

Epiphany # 2: Lord, You opened our eyes to common misconceptions and helped dismiss our preconceived assumptions that Israeli Jews are just like American Jews. We discovered an evangelical segment and attitude of Israeli Jews who piqued our curiosity greatly. Our shared dialogue was inspiring and open.

Epiphany # 3: Father, it appears the misconceptions go both ways. The Evangelical Jews we encountered perceive most American Christians to be highly uninformed on Old Testament and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. OK YHWH, maybe there is validity to the point. Regardless, they seemed surprised and encouraged about our knowledge and understanding. Thank You for shared wisdom.

Epiphany # 4. Master, You introduced us to the growing number of Jewish Ministries such as the Center for Jewish -Christian Understanding and Cooperation, and Yad Vashem – the Holocast Awareness Museum, desiring active study, discussion and interaction with Christian groups.  This is a very recent development of engagement and we are excited about the possibilities of shared ministry in Your name.

Epiphany # 5. Father, You have stirred the pot, involving more Multi-national Christians than American Christians to seek dialogue and relationship with Israel (Brazil, South Korea, Netherlands, Africa to name a few). We have learned this through our great friends at the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem who host a Feast of Tabernacles celebration during the Fall Festivals. We were amused to learn of the Jewish population’s amazement that Christians want to share their holy feasts. Lord I suspect You are smiling at the irony.

Epiphany #6. The blessing of Aliyah: Jews from all over the world are invited through the rite of Aliyah to claim and live in the land You God, promised to them. The increase of these “Sojourners” from other nations is reshaping the culture, politics and spiritual nature of Israel. We learned that Russian Jews since 1980s have found true fellowship and now Chinese Jews (amazing!) are flooding to the land. What a true melting pot isYour tabernacle.

Epiphany #7. The struggle of Aliyah: There is a contradictory attitude toward Messianics–  Jews who have claimed You Yeshua...Jesus, as their Lord and Savior. Although by all other cultural and ecumenical standards, they have in no way renounced their heritage, they are denied what every other Jew (even those forsaking You as God!) are granted by the administrative and religious authorities of Israel. Lord, we pray for these who are courageous enough to proclaim You, and we will walk with them in their effort to be legitimately recognized.

Epiphany #8.  Master, You are teaching us the sad reality that a large number ofAmerican Christians do not study or realize the significance of Living Prophecy. They do not full grasp the purpose of Your command to Bless Israel and what it means to our future.

We have come to realize that it’s difficult to perceive Biblical Prophecy unfolding when living in the prophecy’s time. It’s like standing on the pages in the middle of a giant book and trying to comprehend the book’s beginning and its ending

We need insight from the book’s readers of the past and the vision of Your Spirit to help us through.          

Epiphany #9. Holy Spirit, You have given us understanding that Spiritual warfare isn’t a news story of one historical moment. It’s a long term strategy―many battle-plans of two opposing forces throughout history toward the  determination of eternity. The two sides wrestle today in a continuation of past events and perspective. Here are questions that You have raised in my heart based on this revealing:

Why does Islam hate Israel so much? Nineveh of 6000 BC has become modern day Mosel in Iraq. Mohamad professed one of the Pillars of Islam to declare that possession of any land by Islamic conquerors also own the land and the people of that land for all time. In our modern age, the restoration of conquered land to the rightful inhabitants has not and cannot change spiritual warfare. There will be, until the end of the age, forces that will not recognize You and Your purpose, so they attack with their alternative purpose.

YHWH, all of these epiphanies are profound for me. They paint a picture of the reality we live in. It is not a new reality, as some would like to think. I hear others suggest that in the modern era, humanity has improved, that we don’t need You as much, if at all.

You know better. I’ve had my eyes and ears opened to Your most ancient of wisdom – we cannot improve ourselves; there is only One who has done that and I honor His rule: Your rule, Lord Jesus. I pray for the eyes of the world to recognize Your design. To become alert to the extraordinary restoration of Israel since 1948, the successful defense of deceitful attacks in1967, 1980 and the propaganda wars of this very moment cannot be attributed to our meager efforts.

There is only one possibility to explain the reclamations of vineyards, the restoration of fertility to the land, and the returning of faithful people to the Israel. It is Your doing and to Your glory that these things have happened.

Yours is the prophecy that has perfectly unfolded. Thank You for not giving up on us and for your Long Suffering while struggle between our will and Yours.

Shalom,

Mark C.