MAY BLESSINGS FLOW FREELY THROUGHOUT THIS NEW YEAR!
JANUARY 2020 !
JANUARY 2020 !
Another year, another opportunity to fill our souls
with the JOY of the Lord! As people clang pans outside during the first minutes of this new day, new year, let us join in, celebrate, shoo those evil spirits away so we can get down to business . . . by seeking, learning, meditating, knowing more deeply the One who was and is and is to come. Hallelujah!
It’s true.
Centuries ago people used whatever loud noisemaker they could find, a pot and spoon, a pan and ladle, to bang away any evil spirits who might interrupt their lives. Since the beginning, we celebrate this tradition knowing full well that the name of Jesus, said softly or yelled at the top of our lungs, will work just as well.
As we begin anew, let us enJOY some words of wisdom from wise ones who have gone before us to shape our Christian theology:
"To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.”
St. Augustine of Hippo
"And I saw that truly nothing happens by accident or luck, but everything by God's wise providence ... for matters that have been in God's foreseeing wisdom, since before time began, befall us suddenly, all unawares; and so in our blindness and ignorance we say that this is accident or luck, but to our Lord God it is not so.” St. Juliana of Norwich
"He who carries God in his heart bears heaven with him wherever he goes." St. Ignatius of Loyola
Numbers 6:24-26 Aaron’s Blessing “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Nothing beats a good blessing to begin our new year.
These verses of Hebrew poetry specify the blessing that Aaron and all future priests are to pronounce over the congregation of God’s people. The Blessing’s ancient character and importance were confirmed by an archaeological discovery in Jerusalem: the blessing was found inscribed on two silver cylinders dating from 600 BC and are the earliest known fragments of any biblical texts, predating the Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts by 400 years. (NIB p.200.)
This blessing provides peace, prosperity, good health, salvation and all the good gifts to begin a new year. The Light of God leads us into great and mighty new works He has laid out for us in the new year. The Peace that surpasses all understanding wraps us tight and draws us further into God’s presence.
God’s divine face, countenance, breathes new His love and new life into our soul especially when we feel we do not deserve this blessing.
God protects. God saves. God is. Always. Forever. God-With-Us, Emmanuel, Jesus, the Christ, the Anointed one, IS. Always. Forever. God: The Holy Spirit, swirls around us until we ask God’s presence to reside in us, lead us and guide us. Always. Forever. By faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit nestles into our soul and leads us, guides us, Always, Forever, in peace, as we persevere in our life-journey with our Lord.
Think about it: How often have you heard this blessing? Does your pastor speak some of these words at the end of the worship service before you go into the world to evangelize? “The Lord Bless You!” Maybe this
blessing is nestled into a ‘doxology,’ a ‘thank you’ for the gifts received and gifts given, such as Holy Communion, during the worship service. Next time you enjoy your worship service, listen for a blessing.
It’s there, nestled into some part of the service to remind us of God’s forever love and blessing that KEEPs us, holds us, in the palm of His hand.
Perhaps you have memorized these verses. If not, memorizing this might be a good challenge for the year. This blessing will not only fill you to overflowing but, by giving this blessing to another, you can help to fill another soul that might need to be filled up with the fulness of the Lord.
Print the words of Aaron’s blessing out on card stock. Cut and mount this on a pretty paper. Have these ‘cards’ ready to pop into a note you might write or a gift you plan to give to a friend. Have a few of God’s Blessings handy when you visit friends. Set a few near the door so you can hand them out when friends visit. Be ready to give them away at any moment.
May this New Year bring you an abundance of BLESSINGS, renewed JOY, moments to BREATHE DEEPLY and more moments of QUIET CONTEMPLATION on God’s Word. BLESSINGS TO YOU as we begin this New Year!
Think about it: The Apostle, Paul, did not mince words when he directed change for both men and women. Yet, he made sure that with every exhortation there was a word of encouragement. Often, Paul gets a bad reputation because we take one phrase out of context. Paul was tough on new disciples, men and women, who choose to follow Christ. He did not treat any one group differently but he focused on any and all groups who needed correction. That’s why Barnabas, the encourager, was often with Paul on his missionary journeys. Barnabas would fill the ruts and scars in the soul with words of encouragement. Exhortation and encouragement go hand in hand when we help others grow in Christ.
How about you?
Matthew 2:10-11 “When the Magi saw the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother and they knelt down and paid him homage. :12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.”
If you were a character in this Epiphany scene, which would you be? One of the Magi? A Shepherd? A person passing by in Bethlehem to took a moment to see and follow the star?
Isaiah’s words, “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen about you,” awakens the heart with hope and expectation. It’s an ‘epiphany’ in a very dark world both back then and today. Our LIGHT has come!
Think about it: It’s the manna, the bread of Life, Jesus Christ, that sustains us daily. We know that. Yet, do you
remember when you first discovered the healing power of Jesus, the changing power of Jesus, the exuberant JOY you felt with one discovery after another?
Up to this point, since the Israelites left Egypt, God had been testing them. God’s people were beginning to understand what it meant to follow One God. They had not worshipped properly for nearly 450 years. They’d forgotten covenant relationship. So, through their wanderings thus far, God tested their resolve, their willingness to follow Him. God is present, as always. Yet, these ‘wanderers’ needed proof.
PAUSE: Remember, we are still celebrating the twelve days of Christmas. Today we celebrate the Octave or eighth day of Christmas. According to Jewish law, on the 8th day after his birth a male child was to be
circumcised, receive his name, and become a full member of God’s covenant people. According to the old Roman liturgical calendar, the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus was celebrated on January 1st, eight days after Christmas, the same day that Jesus' name was dedicated to God. The letters, IHS, is the monogram or "Christogram" for the name of Jesus. These are the first three letters of the Greek spelling of Jesus’ name.
January 2,2020 1 Kings 19:1-8; Psalm 33,34; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:1-14
Ephesians 4:1b “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. :4 There is one body and one spirit just as you were called to one hope of your calling, one lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all, through all
and in all. :7 and to each of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. :11 and He gave some as prophets and Apostles and Evangelista and Pastors and Teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ. :15 Speaking of Truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is head, even Christ.” NASB
It’s still Christmastide with all the revelry we choose to enjoy if we have the time. We should not be stretching our brains around the meaning of scripture passages . . . or should we? No matter the day of the year, no matter the moments we celebrate, no matter the time-outs we might set aside for ourselves, we are still called to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called.” You might say, “I don’t have a ‘calling’.” .
Here’s the glitch. We who claim to be Christians and make the choice, by faith, to walk the path the Lord gives us, are living out our ‘calling.’ God “called” us to Himself. God struck us with His magnetic power to draw us to Himself sometime in our life-journey if, indeed, we claim Him as our God. He called our soul to Himself. We answered that ‘call,’ by becoming His disciple.
Verse :4 is clear. There is only one body . . . the body of Christ Jesus. There is not a body of Presbyterians or Baptists or non-denominational or Anglicans or this group or that. We are all One Christian group even if we worship a little differently. In God’s eyes, we ALL are His. We believe in the same God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We were all baptized in the name of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The same God and Father of ALL is over, in and through ALL of us Christ followers.
Therefore, we are all filled with God’s grace in a
manner which enables us to live up to the gifts given to us. Some of us are called to teach and lead. Some are called to tell the story of Christ Jesus so others are drawn into the kingdom of God. Each of us has a gift to be used to build up the body of Christ. We each have a job to do to grow others, to draw others into the presence of our Lord, to touch all those in our sphere of influence with the love of God.
We are ‘called’ to do a mighty work with and for the Lord but first we must learn to walk in a manner worthy of the ‘calling’ in which we have been called. An apostle is not born that way. An apostle must spend much time with the Lord, have a teachable spirit, learn to die to self and live for Christ. Any of us can be an apostle if the Lord calls us into that gift.
Just like any baby, we must absorb, listen, look, digest our surroundings. We first ‘crawl’ through the overwhelming maze of learning. Then we learn to stand firm in our faith. Soon enough we learn to walk slowly, hesitantly. Before we know it we are walking at a good clip and ‘running the race’ as we excel in the ‘calling’ which which we have been called. All this takes time, focus, dedication, a love for all things the Lord places in our path as we mature in Him.
Think about it: Can you remember the stories about Jesus you learned when you were a ‘babe’ in Christ, no matter how old you were? Perhaps you are just learning Christ stories now.
Reflect on your first experience with scripture study.
Did it overwhelm you?
Did you feel like you did not know much compared to others in the class?
Good.
We all have to begin at the beginning.
Sometimes simply listening to those who know a little more is what you are called to do. All too soon, you will dig deeply and find morsels to chew upon. You will then burst with new insights that you feel compelled to share with others. That’s using the gift of your ‘calling’ to study God’s Word, teach others and even evangelize.
Ask the Lord to help you discern three ways you love to “serve the Lord with gladness.” Does this ‘action’ need preparation?
Find a leader who can help you grow. It does not matter where your path takes you if you are growing close to God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and being led by the Holy Spirit.
All you have to remember is, walk in a manner worthy your ‘calling’ as a Christian. God will do the rest.
January3 1 Kings 19:9-18; Psalm 68,72; Ephesians 4:17-32; John 6:15-27
Ephesians 4:22-24 “Lay aside the old self that you may be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put on the
new self which, in the likeness of God, has been created in righteousness and holiness of the Truth. :26 Let not the sun go down on your anger. :29 Say words . . . good for edification . . . so it will give grace to those who hear. :30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Great exhortation for the new year. It’s saying, “Let’s begin again, with a fresh focus, making all things new.” These verses may also be addressing the newly baptized. Gentiles, pagans, must make a 180 degree turn-around from their idol worship. Now they need only focus on one God whose Son lived as we are called to live.
Yet, we cannot make life changes by ourselves. That’s why, in baptism, the Holy Spirit is called upon to enter into our souls. “You are filled with the Holy Spirit and sealed as Christ’s own forever.” This phrase denotes ownership and guarantee of contents. God owns us now and guarantees a new life IF and only if we choose to allow the Holy Spirit, now residing within us, to be open to change.
If baptized as in infant, we ‘confirm’ God’s ownership
when we are old enough to desire to belong to the Lord. As we grow in our faith and re-read words such as these in Ephesians, we have “aha” moments. We ‘assess’ the condition of our soul and evaluate our walk in Christ through epiphany moments we have throughout our journey in Christ.
Change begins in the mind, doesn’t it. Whatever we think about most likely directs our actions. We can think of self with all our needs and wants or we can think, “What would Jesus do,” as we go about our day. Remember those bracelets that were so popular a decade or so ago? WWJD was everywhere. It seems trite but I’m reminded of WWJD every time I purchase groceries or that extra shirt or another pair of shoes. Would Jesus see this as a waste of money or a necessary and good purchase?
We cannot put on the ‘likeness of God’ unless we know God, can we. This takes work. The awesome work of God begins in Genesis and continues past the book of Revelation. Digesting scripture is a great beginning. When we digest a passage daily and pray about how this might affect our lives and talk to the Lord in prayer about what this passage means to us personally, we learn about the One we worship and praise, the One who gave us this new life.
Paul exhorts, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger . . . share words that are kind.” He gives firm direction but he also adds those ‘grace-notes’ of love. Instead of, “Don’t be angry,” he suggests that anger should not simmer long. Those who prepare for marriage are usually given this verse,“Make sure you resolve the conflict before you end the day.” Great advice.
The last phrase quoted above, “Do not ‘grieve’ the Holy Spirit,’ is powerful. Sometimes we forget to think first before we speak. Ask yourself, WWJD. Act the
way Jesus would act, with grace and love. If we think first, ponder long, pray to the Lord, write it down, take our time, most likely we will glorify God in what we say or do when we make a course correction in our Christian journey. In doing so, our goal is not to “grieve” the Holy Spirit but to fill our soul to the brim with joy and gladness.
Indeed, this is difficult. Instant flair-ups happen. That’s where forgiveness is necessary. As we confess to another our transgression, we also confess to God. God hears, forgives and helps us begin anew. Each day we are called to set aside self and renew our mind. When we find a good rhythm in our own walk, we then can do the same with another as we exhort and encourage each other to ‘walk in love as Christ loves us.”
Each day is a good day to begin with a fresh slate and make all things new.
1-4 Joshua 3:14—4:7; Psalm 85,87,89:1-29; Ephesians 5:1-20; John 9:1-12,35-38
Joshua 3:17 “The priests who carried the Ark of the
Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground until all finished crossing. 4:2 The Lord told Joshua to take 12, one man from each tribe, and take 12 stones from where the priests stand in the Jordan and lay them down in the lodging place. 'These stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.’
Joshua, a disciple of Moses, is one who believed and remained close to Moses during the Exodus from Egypt and throughout the Hebrew people’s wanderings. Joshua and Caleb, years before this time, were sent out to see what the ‘world’ was like beyond the Jordan river. Joshua reported back that the place was filled with ‘milk and honey’ and good things but the people feared the ‘giants’ of men whom they also reported. Joshua’s faithfulness to God and Moses enabled him to live beyond the time of the crossing of the Jordan, a feat much like the crossing of the Red Sea.
If you study the writings of Joshua, his actions mirror those of Moses. He became a great leader who
listened to God. He knew when this next generation, this wandering group of Hebrew ‘children’, born in the desert after their parents fled from Egypt, would be ready to cross into the Promised Land. He knew because he listened to God and followed God.
When it was time, Joshua called the Priests to stand in the middle of the Jordan to help direct the people across. The people may have found a path of stones to make their journey across the Jordan easier. God directed Joshua to lead the Hebrew people across this body of water, perhaps in the dry season when the Jordan is only 100 feet wide and 3 to 10 feet deep. It was easy to cross but the people needed faith to trust they would not drown. Priests stood along the path to show people how shallow it was, to help the people as they crossed. God was with them at the Jordan just as He was with the previous generation when they crossed the Red Sea.
Of course they want to honor God and remember this triumphant move from empty wandering to the Promised
Land. They returned to the land of the Covenant, the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. An altar must be erected where they would reside, a sign that would remain forever, just as God remains with them, and us, forever. The 12 stones, taken from the river by each of the 12 leaders of the Hebrew tribes, remain to this day. A place of dedication, a place of tribute, a place to worship the One who saved this wandering populous once again. It’s a place of remembrance. “Tell your children this story,” says Joshua, “So they never forget.” Just as God’s Chosen people were told to REMEMBER the Exodus as they do to this day with their annual Passover, so also must they remember this day for generations to come.
Think about it: There are books written about the 12 stones, a ‘marker’ of a major step in the growth of the Hebrew people. A REMEMBRANCE.
God’s chosen people crossed over from survival to new life.
They crossed over from desolate murmurs to JOY!
They crossed over from a life of eating Manna to thriving on Milk and Honey. They crossed over by faith, with thanksgiving, with a new insight into God’s bounteous presence in their lives.
When did you cross your own Jordan river from unbelief to a new understanding of how the Lord can work in your life?
Did you erect some special memorial, a remembrance, like a calligraphy of a verse that highlights your new beginning?
Creating ‘markers’ to remember special turning points in our Christian journey is important. I have icons, important scriptures in calligraphy and figurines that people have given to me at momentous times in my own journey.
Look around.
See what you can find to set aside some space on a wall or on a shelf or even in your garden to build a place of REMEMBRANCE.
Each time you have a major transformation in Christ, a new ‘aha’ moment, add a little something, a ‘stone’, to your ‘Remembrance Collection.”
January 5 Second Sunday of Christmas
Epiphany Sunday
Jeremiah 31:7-14; Psalm 84; Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a; Matthew 2:1-12
Because we know of the three gifts of the Magi, we assume there were only three men who paid homage to Jesus. Most likely, due to the long journey they made from what we now know as Iraq, there were several in their party, including many servants. Some were astrologers who could read the stars. Most people in those days could read the stars because they were used as navigation tools, especially when crossing empty desert spaces. However, these ‘wise men’ studied the history of the stars and knew this particular star was unique. Two stars crossing one another could have caused such a great light. Scientifically it is a proved possibility that may have occurred at this time.
Just because we seek deeper identification of the Magi or we plot the crossing of stars to explain this phenomenon, it does not take away from the awesome event of this Epiphany. God can orchestrate His creation any way He wants to get our attention. Open hearts, seeking a god that is yet unknown by some Persian scientists, are part of God’s plan. These men came into the presence of God after seeking for a very long time. They bowed down and worshipped a child they knew deep in their souls would be the great and mighty King, whom they had been seeking.
These wise men were open to God’s message to them.
They sought to understand what was pulling them South to this place called Bethlehem.
They sought to understand the magnetic charisma that enveloped them in awe and drew them into worship and adoration when them met Jesus.
They found the answer to their wonder and wanderings.
They understood.
They listened to the angel who spoke to them in a dream.
They walked in the path God laid out before them to return to their homeland without hindrance.
These Magi were filled with newness of life. Their EPIPHANY turned their lives around. In fact, these men were the first evangelists for Christ Jesus as they shared their story throughout the rest of their lives. These pagans learned about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the Jews. Yet then saw more than what they were told of the Hebrew’s covenant relationship with God. They knew more than anyone else might know for the next few decades while Jesus was growing into his ministry.
They knew this Jesus they saw and worshipped would become the fulfillment of Hebrew prophecy, the One who would become the New Covenant and change the world.
Think about it: This single ‘epiphany’ would change the world as the Magi knew it. Jesus would change the world
of Mary and Joseph even more than what happened to them thus far. Lives would change for generation into eternity because of the birth of divinity in the flesh.
If you were a character in this Epiphany scene, which would you be? One of the Magi? A Shepherd? A person passing by in Bethlehem to took a moment to see and follow the star?
Could you be like Mary and say, “yes” to the angel Gabriel when he said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”
Would you be as faithful as Joseph who chose to stand by Mary, protect her and be the father and protector of this child, Jesus?
As you continue to read these stories, place yourself in the scene or the event. Imagine yourself as one of the characters in which God speaks, guides, blesses. It’s a marvelous way to live the story . . . to make new discoveries as we continue our journey through this new year.
PAUSE: Epiphany is the twelfth day of Christmas. This celebration is moved to the nearest Sunday but the season of Epiphany begins with this celebration.
It’s the grand celebration, the ‘discovery’ the ‘aha’ moment when the Magi made the connection with Jesus as the One who would be the divine king. The secondary of Epophany we celebrate Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist. The third Sunday we immerse ourselves in Jesus' first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana in which Jesus turned water into the ‘best wine of the celebration’. Each biblical event is a theophany, or epiphany, a special manifestation of Jesus Christ to mankind.
In the Orthodox Church this day of Epiphany is the highlight of the Christmas season. The celebration of Epiphany is the time for sharing gifts just as the Magi shared their gifts with the Christ child. As we open gifts we find surprises, something new. That’s the same with an ‘epiphany,’ a moment when we see something new that might joyfully surprise us.
January 6 The Season of the Epiphany of our Lord, Jesus Christ begins.
Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7,10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine for your light has come and
the glory of the Lord has risen about you. :6b they will bring Gold and Frankincense and will bear good news of the praises of the Lord.”
Most churches celebrate Epiphany on the Sunday closest to the actual day. We sang, “We Three Kings . .” while three “wise ones” processed to the manger. These young ones took their rolls very seriously as they followed others. We sang, we said prayers, we remembered. It’s the same every year and I would not change anything. We celebrate Epiphany for a few more weeks as we witness God’s divinity blooming through His begotten Son, Jesus. We will also discover epiphanies throughout the year if we become conscious of these ‘aha’ moments as we read the stories.
Amazingly, the prophet, Isaiah, had many ‘epiphanies’ about the coming Messiah. Yet, he may not have know he was saying words about Jesus, the Christ. God’s chosen people were returning to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. This was a new beginning. God gave Isaiah visions and these visions became words to share with those who sought to return to the worship of their God and follow God’s precepts. Life as a Hebrew dedicated to the living God was not easy. Prophets such as Isaiah gave assuring words as well as words of warning if God were usurped by devotion to another god, like an emperor. Although the Israelites were released from their exile, Babylonian overseers were sent with them to govern the area as it was rebuilt.
How would Isaiah know these words would come true through Jesus Christ? This is the amazing part: “They will bring Gold and Frankincense . . .” Who knew!
God promised continued provision, and golden opportunities to follow Him to that generation and all of the following. Frankincense brings with it the promise that, in death, our soul is preserved forever through eternal life with God.
God whispers words into Isaiah’s soul who, in turn, repeats them to his world. God promises that which we may not understand today but, in time, this gift of God’s presence and provision will be unwrapped to show us the true meaning. Jesus Christ is the ‘unwrapped’ gift to us to show us Truth and meaning to life, purpose, our destiny, life eternally with Him. Isaiah only said the word, God has done the rest. That’s Epiphany!
Think about it: Words, visions, dreams and so much
more, are gifts from God to be unwrapped as we journey with Him. We who seek understanding will know, in God’s timing, where we are to go, what we are to do, how we are to live when we remained focused on Him and receive Him with joy.
Understanding?
Some epiphanies take time to light up the soul.
This ‘season’ of Epiphany is a time for us to celebrate our connection with the Lord and pray for new understanding as we grow in our journey with Christ.
1-7 Deuteronomy 8:1-3; Psalm 103, 114, 115; Colossians 1:1-14; John 6:30-33, 48-51
Deuteronomy 8:1 “Remember your wandering in the wilderness and how God fed you with manna. :3b Man does not live by bread alone but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”
John 6:31 “God gave them mana, bread from heaven, to eat. :33 The bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. I AM the bread of life :48 so that you might eat and not die"
Throughout the new covenant, the scriptures repeat what was known for millennia. Manna, the bread of life, sustained God’s chosen people for forty years while they wandered from generations of unbelief into anticipation of living a new life in the Promised Land of their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Manna, the sustenance that became mundane yet was essential to maintain life. God’s people whined, pleaded, tried every way they could to find another way to sustain themselves but there were too many to feed from the few morsels they grew. They moved too often to plant more than a meager garden in the desert sand.
God provided. His sustenance was not glamorous. After a short time manna became tasteless as they picked it off the ground daily. . . ate it daily. It sustained their body but not their soul. They forgot God’s promise to provide. They forgot that life, so very daily, is hard work without joyous praise. They forgot to praise God for the tasteless, boring, endless sameness.
They forgot.
Millennia passed.
God came down to us, to give renewed sustenance. The Bread of heaven came down. He came in the form of a helpless baby who could do nothing but be present and
take sustenance given to him. Yet, his mere presence, when seen and touched, was nourishment to others. There was something about this tiny human being that gave to all in his sphere of influence, an aura of the divine. Shepherds, scientists, neighbors bowed down and worshipped him. Jesus, the sustenance, the manna, the Bread of Life, sent to us by God.
God came down to us, to give renewed sustenance. The Bread of heaven came down. He came in the form of a helpless baby who could do nothing but be present and
And so humanity ate, took Him into their soul’s by faith, chewed on His every word when we grew into ministering to others, at a very young age. [Remember when he was about twelve and Mary and Joseph had to return to Jerusalem to find him in the temple teaching rabbis?]
And so we chewed on every morsel we could digest when we discovered this Bread of Life. We shared with others the bounty that poured from our soul. Our faith grew strong with wonder as we digested as much Bread as we could . . . and then . . . these morsels began to taste the same, like manna did to the people wandering in the wilderness. We became bored after we learned all the stories. We chewed on a morsel here and there to sustain us but the Bread of Life became tasteless, boring, tasteless with endless sameness.
We forgot how much this new Bread of Life changed our lives.
We forgot our new-faith discoveries.
We forgot about he power working within us each time we eat Jesus’ words, Drink His Cup, chew on Him.
We forgot.
Or did we?
Think about it: It’s the manna, the bread of Life, Jesus Christ, that sustains us daily. We know that. Yet, do you
Did you forget how you were so full of The Bread of the presence of our Lord that you burst forth with accolades to anyone you met?
Did you feel that way now?
That’s how we are called to feel every . . . single . . . day.
We are called to share our ‘manna’ with others after we have been filled to overflowing.
Yet, after awhile it seems like we are simply eating morsels sent from heaven as if we were eating dry, tasteless, toast.
We have life!
We have new life!
We have new life sustained by daily bread from heaven: Eat, drink, live!
It’s not only the Word of God that we must keep eating to live but it is also
communing with our Lord, chewing on His presence.
The next time you receive Holy Communion, whether it is this week, this month or within this next few months, ask yourself how this ‘manna’ is not only sustaining you but giving you new life.
Is Jesus fully present to you at this moment?
Are you digesting Jesus, the Bread of Life, when you receive the bread and wine?
No matter how tasteless your daily meal might be with Jesus, keep dining so that you might live. Ask the Lord to add a little spice to your daily digesting of The Bread of life so that those ‘spices’ give you that surge of excitement that overflows from your soul. As you share your ‘spiced up’ sustenance with others, you will discover a renewed tastiness as you continue to digest morsels of The Bread of Heaven, Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God.
1-8 Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 117,118,113; Colossians 1:15-23; John 7:37-52
Exodus 17:1 From the wilderness of Sin the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord
commanded. They camped at Rephidim (meaning refresh or support), but there was no water for the people to drink. :3 The people grumbled against Moses . . . so Moses called out to God, “What am I to do, they are almost ready to stone me.” :5 God said, “Take the Elders and the staff used to strike the water of the Nile and go. :6 I will be standing in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock and water will come out of it that people can drink.” :7 The place was called Massah (day of trial) and Meribah (provoked) because the people quarreled and tested God. saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Up to this point, since the Israelites left Egypt, God had been testing them. God’s people were beginning to understand what it meant to follow One God. They had not worshipped properly for nearly 450 years. They’d forgotten covenant relationship. So, through their wanderings thus far, God tested their resolve, their willingness to follow Him. God is present, as always. Yet, these ‘wanderers’ needed proof.
They were thirsty. Their animals were thirsty. There were too many people and animals to drink from each oasis they dug. The water would be sucked up in such a short time they would move again. Unlike what we think, the desert has plenty of places to dig for water. Yet, up to two million people are not meant to be in one place at the same time. God’s provision had to be massive and the people knew it.
It’s like the people were saying, “OK, God, we followed you to this forsaken, empty space with no leeks, no cucumbers, no easy-to-obtain water. Moses is no help. Use your powers, God, to give us our basic needs!” They were a strident group, ready to stone Moses because he was God’s emissary and he was not giving them basic needs. Indeed, God listened while Moses pleaded . . . again . . . and again. God said, “I’m right here with you, Moses. I’m at your side.”
A miracle like no other . . . until Jesus turned water
into wine at the wedding in Cana . . . would happen. God wanted many mature witnesses, like the elders, present. Remember when Elijah was taken up in a chariot of fire and seventy elders were present at the sight? God calls witnesses to be present at His miracles because the ‘story’ of God’s provision needs to be told and retold. God’s people too often forget these miracles.
“Strike a rock!” said God. Wow. How easy is that? “Use that staff that is in the Ark of the covenant, the one you used to strike the waters of the Nile and turn it red as blood,” said God. Power! Belief! Affirmation!
Moses remembered the effect of striking the Nile. How much greater would the task be to strike the rock at Horeb and expect water! Indeed, water gushed out . . . a river of water . . . so much water that animals drank, people bathed and drank and refreshed!
Think about it: Do we sometimes wonder if God is present in our lives? We go along, minding our own
business and suddenly we are confronted with a very basic need. We call on God. Nothing happens. We scream for God’s presence, “Where are you, Lord, when I need you?” Yet, we know in our soul that the Lord is forever present, working in and through us via the power of the Holy Spirit planted into us at baptism.
We know and yet we forget. Being a Christian is not easy. We are bound to hit ‘water-less’ places in our lives. As we face our ‘mini-crises’ we call on the Lord for strength, courage and understanding. Same with major crises. Yet, we forget that we have a God of the impossible, a God who already promised us the miracle of eternal life, the miracle of Living Water, Jesus, the Christ.
Each day you read a passage of scripture think of the rock of Horeb gushing out fresh water. God’s Word is fresh water for our soul. Jesus Christ is the Living Water who sustains us daily . . . eternally . . . forever. The body may die but our soul, fed with the presence of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, will continue to thrive with Him in paradise, the place of forever-gushing Living Water.
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