A More Abundant JOY

“You have given me greater joy

    than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.

 In peace I will lie down and sleep,

    for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”

--Psalm 4:7-8

What do you need? I mean, what is the one thing you need more than anything else?

For some of us the answer to that might change on the day. For other people perhaps you know exactly what that one thing is.

For the writer of this Psalm, there is nothing that was more valued, nothing was more needed than an abundant harvest. The harvest determined not only the lifestyle, but more importantly the livelihood of the entire community. The harvest was essential for survival.

And in some ways it still is. I am not a farmer, but the harvest that I bring in is essential for my family. It is what supports and sustains my family…to an extent.

True JOY is found, not in what we have, but in whose we are.

This JOY, is more abundant in our lives than being blessed with great resources, great wealth, great security, even great possessions and resources.

            JOY, as mentioned in the Bible, is referred to as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5). This means that as part of being a born again Christian, there are evidences of this Spirit filled life. JOY, is one of those. This is a non-situational and non-circumstancial JOY. It is not dependent on any other externals, it is completely a gift from God to you for being His child.

It is with this “Greater JOY” that the Psalmist can lie down and sleep in peace (verse 8).

I have never had an issues lying down to sleep. For some reason, much to my wife’s frustration at times, as soon as I lie down I am asleep. A peaceful sleep, however, is different. A peaceful sleep can be found as a result of this “Greater JOY”.

And this JOY is a gift. God has freely given it.

Today, instead of focusing on your harvests, and how unabundant they seem in your eyes, focus on what is greater. Focus on who is greater. And ask to receive this “Greater JOY” and to really feel it in your life today.

Today, “trust in the Lord” (verse 5) and be sure of this: “The Lord will answer when you call to Him” (verse 3).

What is it that you need to trust the Lord for? Would you write it down on a piece of paper and set time to pray about it every day? No, really, I am serious. And ask a friend to pray about it with you. And if you don’t have anyone to ask to pray over this thing with you then email or call me and I will pray about it with you.

What is it that you are seeking an answer from God for? Keep asking. The first verse to Psalm 4 actually says this:

“Answer me when I call to you,

    O God who declares me innocent.

Free me from my troubles.

    Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”

Are you ready to move from seeking temporary happiness to experiencing true and eternal JOY?

Can you accept the “Greater JOY” that Jesus is offering you today as a gift, a gift greater even greater than material possessions or what you think you need? That’s what is being offered to us. What in the world could we ever say in response to such an extravagant gift?

Just, “thank you”.

(Excerpt from Pastor Michael’s upcoming book: JOY in the Psalms)

Christmas is Over

            I am writing this article the day after Christmas. Christmas is over. For some people there are many different emotions on this day. Some may feel relief, that the festivities and activities of the day are over, or at least that they survived another round of Four Christmases. Some may feel sad, a feeling that might come from the constant joyous parties and comings and goings, and now all that is over. Some might feel regret, that another Christmas season has come and gone and there was that thing that was wanted or needed that didn’t happen. Some might just feel overwhelmed, looking at the mounds of wrapping paper strewn across the house and the sinks piled high with dirty dishes. And some might just feel lonely. Whether this loneliness had been there all season making this just another Blue Christmas, or whether this feeling has come about since all the family has gone back to their own homes, jobs, and lives.

            Maybe you find yourself in one of these feeling today, or maybe you feel a mixture of these, or maybe more.

            Today I just want to start by saying own it where you are. Don’t deny how you’re feeling. Don’t pretend that you aren’t feeling the way you are, and don’t feel worse because you aren’t feeling how you think, or others think, you should be feeling.

            On Christmas Eve I had to go to Dollar General. That’s not a new thing for me, every Christmas Eve I have to make a run to a store for something that we need. And I am thankful for everyone working on Christmas Eve so that I can get the batteries, or cheese, or trash bags that I need. One thing that surprised me this trip, however, was that all of the Christmas items had been moved to the front of the store and marked down for reduced pricing and the seasonal shelving area was full of Valentine’s Day decorations, gifts, and chocolates.    

            This really got me thinking, so I am just asking can we extend some of the Christmasness this year? Do we have to start packing up the decorations and get everything back to normal, whatever that is, by December 26? I know we are already into a new year as you are reading this. Maybe you have already packed up your decorations, maybe you’re already decorated for Valentine’s Day, and that’s OK.

            When the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.” (Luke 2:14)

            And when Mary brought Jesus to the Temple when he was 8 days old, a righteous and devout Jewish man named Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms, and knowing that He was the long awaited Messiah, proclaimed, “I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations and he is the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:31-32. And before Mary and Joseph could leave the Temple area there was a prophet, Anna, who “talked about the child (Jesus) to everyone” (Luke 2:38a).

            During Advent, the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas, the church where I serve as pastor lit a candle every week on an Advent wreath. Each candle had a different “theme”; Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

            I guess this is what I am wondering today is if we can just not pack up so quickly this year. Nothing, in fact, can ever really gets “back to normal” after Jesus has arrived. So maybe we don’t need to leave the Christmas tree up until but may we can stay in the “Christmas Spirit” a bit longer this year…maybe even permanently. But it starts, as everything does, with our attitude today.

            May you be filled today with the hope, peace, love, and joy of Jesus and may this filling spill out into you family and work, your hobbies and school. And may this last, not just for Christmas, but every day throughout the year. Amen.

The Great Gift Exchange

            Every December at the church where I serve we have a Christmas gift exchange party. I have heard these referred to by different names, one of the most common is a “White Elephant Gift Exchange”. The way the game goes is that you bring a wrapped gift and then everyone draws a number and you get to either select an unopened gift and see what’s in it, or you can “steal” a gift that someone before you has already opened. Sometimes you get what you want, sometimes someone else takes what you want and you get the leftovers.

            The week after Christmas retail stores, both online and brick and mortar stores will be overrun with exchanges. Gifts will have given, opened, and then taken back to be exchanged for something else.

            That’s part of the Christmas season.

            Interestingly enough, our Christian life is much like this. And what better time than this Christmas season to make an exchange?

            Read this passage from Isaiah and then you’ll see how it works:

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
   and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes, the oil of joy, instead of mourning, and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.”

--Isaiah 61:1b-3a

            Exchange your ashes for beauty. Cash in your mourning for joy. Take your despair to the return desk and walk away with praise.

            Did you catch all of that?

            Your ashes, your mourning, your despair need to be placed in the exchange bin. You’ve carried these things around long enough. It’s time to give them back. These are the gifts you’ve been given, perhaps, but you don’t have to keep them. The Christmas gift exchange has begun!

            Jesus has some new gifts for you: Beauty, Joy, and Praise.

            That sounds a whole lot better than what you’ve got now doesn’t it? But here’s how this works, you can’t hang on to old gifts and get the new ones. You have to give the old ones up first. You have to give up the despair, the mourning, the ashes of this temporal life. That sounds like something that we all want to do, but deep down you know that it really isn’t that easy, right?

            I agree with you. It’s not easy. But it is simple. It is the way that God has created us to live in this life. We are burdened down with things that are just part of this earthly existence, but not part of who we are.

            Everyone has experienced pain, hurt, and disappointment. That’s why we have the ashes, despair, and mourning. But today you can trade those things in. You can give up the ashes of the past for the beauty of eternity. You can exchange the mourning of loss and death for the true joy that a relationship with Christ Jesus brings to life. You can let go of the despair of regret and put on new clothes of constant praise.

            The past is over. But your future is awaiting.

            Welcome to God’s Gift Exchange. It’s your turn.

A reflection on Hope

 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:22-25)

               WARNING: The following contains completely honest reflections on Hope from a Methodist pastor…

Hope. It’s an important word in our daily lives. It’s an important word in our Christian faith. It’s been an important word to me over the last few weeks. My mom had been in the hospital for three weeks, and over a week ago she went into hospice care. She didn’t want any more tests, no more procedures, no more blood transfusions. She was tired from years of battling physical issues. She was a fighter, for sure, but she was tired.

               “It’s like putting new oil into an old cylinder,” she told me, “I just want to go home”.

               Of course by “home” she meant heaven. The one true and real home that we are all created for. Billy Graham said that we aren’t citizens of this world, we are just passing through. Mom was prepared for her real home.

               And I had hope. Hope that God would take his faithful daughter soon. Hope that God would comfort our family in this loss. Hope that promises of God’s presence would be recognized and felt.

               And so we waited. Day after day, night after night. As she grew weaker, and more tired, then as she was non-responsive most days and as the morphine increased.

               And I had hope.

               During this time I was with five other families who lost loved ones. Most were quick deaths, unexpected, even. I sat with families that wondered why their brother/mother/aunt was taken in death, while I was wondering why my mother wasn’t.

               These families didn’t want death to come, and yet I prayed for death to mercifully come quickly every day and it didn’t. My mom wanted to see Jesus, and yet Jesus was seeing plenty of other people every day, but not my mom.

               Why is that, God?

               Nothing that I was hoping for was happening.

And then 11 later days it did.

               While my wife, Heather, who has been my rock and my best friend during this entire process, and my sister, stood around my mom’s bed she had a moment of direct and focused eye contact with me. I could see her love, and then she blinked…and she was gone.

               What I had prayed for had happened. And in the midst of the pain, in the middle of the loss and beginning of grief, there was that Hope again. 

               It had never left. 

               I had pushed it away a little, I think, but it was still there. A Hope that had redeemed her body and given her a new life. A Hope that saved her, and saved me. A Hope that “we wait for it with patience”.

               And that’s where I hadn’t been doing a good job. Oh, I am pretty good in reminding others the need to wait for the perfect timing of God, but when it came to my mom and her daily slow process of actively dying, I wasn’t patient. I wanted God to act, and act now. And He didn’t.

               And I am thankful for that. 

               I am thankful that we were right there with mom when her last breath was breathed here on this earth and her spirit soared to eternity. I am thankful for the Hope that my mom had in Jesus and in the fact that she is in the presence of God right now. I am thankful for the Hope that I have, even when I wasn’t paying attention to it, even when I was more focused on “my will” than “Thy will”.

               And this Hope is here for you too this Advent season. After all, Advent is about waiting. And none of us are good at it, maybe that’s why God gives us opportunities to do the things that we aren’t very good at.

               Hope is available in Christ Jesus. And God knows we need it.

Merry Christmas mom!

Overwhelmed

This month at the church where I pastor I have been preaching a series called “Overwhelmed”. The idea is that there are things that seek to overwhelm us in life. Things like debt, stress, expectations that others place on us, the expectations that we place on ourselves, and simply the events and stresses of our daily lives.

            Turn on the TV and watch a little bit of the news. Overwhelmed.

            Talk to your friend who is going through a divorce after decades of marriage. Overwhelmed.

            Listen to the doctor explain the diagnosis and the treatment options. Overwhelmed.

            Look at your checkbook and bank balance. Overwhelmed.

            Think about all that you have to do this week, all that is expected of you by your spouse, your boss, your children, your church, your….Overwhelmed.

            Life can seem to be overwhelming at times. Shoot, life can be overwhelming most of the time!

            But only if we let it. I know, that sounds like a really pat answer when we are faced with the giants that threaten to overwhelm us. But here’s the thing: these are all external factors. I realize how huge the OVERWHELMER seems right now. I know that there is nothing else that

Jesus said to not worry about any of this (see Matthew 6:25) and don’t let your heart be troubled by outside things (see John 14:1). Paul wrote to not worry about anything (see Philippians 4:6).

            There is also a difference is being “overwhelmed” and being “overcome”. To be overwhelmed is to be completely engulfed b something for a time. It may be a circumstance, or an emotion, it could be fear. It could also be an overwhelming of the goodness of God, a feeling of being overwhelmed by his love and his mercy, his grace and his forgiveness. So, not every overwhelming is a bad thing! To be overcome is more sever, when we are overcome something has “come over” us that has weighed us down to the point that we cannot get back up on our own. It feels like Hulk Hogan just dropped an elbow on us from the top turnbuckle and is now pinning us down to the mat. All that’s left to hear is the referee’s three count and the bell to ring. We feel done, like this is the end.

            “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”—Jesus (John 16:33).

            Jesus has already overcome the “world”. That seems a little vague, and to be honest, rather large! The world. The word that John uses there for world is “κόσμος”, or “cosmos”. This word has the definition of the world, the universe, all earthly affairs, principalities, the inhabitants of the earth, diseases of the world, and all ordered things in the earth. That is pretty big, and Jesus said he has overcome all of this already!

            As Christians, we believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. That this gift of the Spirit (Comforter, Advocate, Helper) was promised by Jesus to all believers and given by God to us to be in us and to work through us. That’s pretty big too, I must say.

            Bigger, I would argue, than the overwhelming thing that is up against you. Maybe it’s a little about perspective. The more we look at something the bigger it seems. The closer we get to something the bigger it appears. This is definitely true of the overwhelmers, but it is equally true of God. The more we focus on Jesus and his kingdom, the more we seek to be agents of grace and love in a hurting and broken world, the more time we spend looking at God, the bigger he seems to us. Not because he has in any way changed, but because we have.

            At times we will all feel overwhelmed. But we are not overcome. Jesus has already proved to be the Overcomer, now rest in that knowledge. Be overwhelmed today with how much you are loved by the God of this κόσμος. Be overwhelmed that your sins are forgiven (see 1 John 1:9).

            “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

           

"Is God really with us...or not?"

Let’s do this together today. Grab your Bible and read Exodus 17:1-7.

The Israelites are in the desert, and they are thirsty. 

They still are picking up pints of the manna each morning, they are still having quail flown in from God in the evening, but they don’t have water. And water is important. So they complain. Against Moses. It’s always easier when there is someone to blame, after all. And so Moses brought their complaints once again into perspective and told them that they are really complaining against God, that they are testing God.

And what's astonishing is that God doesn't seem to mind in the least. God seems to welcome the challenge. Thomas doubts that Jesus is risen, and Jesus doesn't say, “Be Gone You Doubter!”  He says, “Look, touch, see for yourself, test it out.” We get this idea that matters of faith can't be proven, that the brain and faith are opposite realms, that science and faith can’t coincide. No wonder that kind of spirituality is irrelevant to the real world! God welcomes a sifting of the evidence; God loves hard questions. God revealed his self to Israel and to the world in the person of Jesus. Emmanual means “God with us”. And Jesus answered plenty of questions.

Ironically, that’s the question of the day in verse 7 “Is God really with us or not?”

Now here's the wrinkle in this story and in our lives that really matters. The Israelites are simply trying to survive. Survival is no small thing; and, in fact, we find ourselves far more intrigued by survival than we care to admit. The movie 127 Hours is about the story of Aron Ralston, who winds up cutting off his own arm in order to escape a canyon in Utah where he is hopelessly trapped. The book Unbroken tells the incredible story of Louis Zamperini, who survived a crash in the Pacific, weeks on a raft battling sharks and Japanese planes, and then months of torture in a prison camp. But we are wired to want more than mere survival.

Not many people want to just survive, we want to thirve.

And so survival is underrated--until you think you might not survive.  The doctor says, "It's malignant; there's a 30% chance of survival" or "You have six months to three years to live." Or if you have ever had a near death experience that in reality lasted a few seconds but at the time seemed like everything was going in slow motion, where people say their entire life flashed before their eyes because they thought this was the end; they weren’t going to survive. Or perhaps it is when you feel so down or broke or alone that you just don’t know how you’re going to survive another day. Now when that happens, your full time business is survival, and you want nothing more than one more time to stick your feet in the ocean or tuck your son into bed or tell that person, “I love you”.

And in the midst of that trying to survive, the question will come up, “is God really with us or not?”

We often don’t ask that question when we are thriving, but it is when we are fighting to survive, trying to make it another day, wondering why this has happened, that the questions come.

And God does not shrink from your questions. I believe he embraces them, he answers them, and then in some way he provides for us day after day after day after day, just like he always has.

“Is God really with us or not?” God was with them in a cloud by day. God was with them in a pillar of fire by night. God was with them during the plagues on Egypt and God was with them when they were liberated from captivity. God was with them when they stood at the Red Sea. God was with them when they were hangry, and he fed them. God was with them when they were thirsty and he gave them living water to drink.

The people of Israel found fault with Moses, with God, and probably, somewhere deep inside, with themselves. God's response? It's all grace, it's all mercy. They survive to live another day to try to grasp the unfathomable, the presence of God that isn't a flashing light or a winning lottery ticket, but the mysterious presence of God noticed in the silence, in manna from heaven, in water from a rock, and in bread and wine at the table.

And that water that the Israelites were thirsting for, it was right there under the rock the whole time, just below the surface of what they could see. The problem was they were only focused on their problem (no water) and they couldn’t see God’s solution (providing in a new and unexpected way).

God’s grace, God’s love, God’s provision was right there, waiting to be set loose.

But the people couldn’t get to it on their own, this was a source of life that only God can give.

               So today, perhaps you are wondering the same thing: “Is God really with me or not?”

               The answer is yes, He is.

Age Well

As I am writing this week’s column I have been thinking about a sermon I will be preaching later this week at a United Methodist senior adult gathering in Elizabethton. This will be my first time speaking at a senior adult event, and I am honored that they asked me, though I have been struggling a little with the invitation. I am not a senior, yet. But the reality is that I am rapidly approaching this stage of my life, and rather than view it with fear or avoidance, I am choosing to embrace it as the gift that it is.

            God has gifted me with this life, and I am enjoying it. And so I have been looking over Scripture passages that might be a good fit for this senior adult event. I thought about Abraham and Sarah, and how God made a promise to them that they would have a child in their old age. Sarah thought this was so unimaginable that she laughed out loud at God. I thought about Moses, who was in his 80’s as we was leading the Israelite people on their trek around the Sinai Peninsula after their exodus from Egypt. I thought about Caleb, who was one of the first spies sent in to check out the land of the Canaan, the “promised land” that God would give to his people, and how at the age of 85 Caleb said that he felt as young and strong as he did when he was 40. And as Solomon aged he looked back on his own life and gave views of life and death.

            There are some great stories in the Bible of aging well.

            One of my favorites is Psalms 71. This was a song written by an older man who was looking back on his own life. Here is something that I appreciate about his perspective: he isn’t focused on regrets. I am pretty sure he probably had some, but that isn’t the focus of his psalm to the Lord.

            “You have been with me from birth, from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you! My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising you. I declare your glory all day long. And now, in my old age don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing” – Psalm 71:6

            I think as we get older we can look back at our lives and see that God really was with us through it all, whether we realized it at the time or not. And that is cause for celebration; that is cause for continual praise!

            I pray that when I am 80 I can look back on my life as an example of the love and grace of God. But the beautiful reminder is that I don’t have to wait 40 years for this. I can do it now. I can, by the grace of God, live my life now as an example to my spouse, my children, and my friends. And part of that involves praising God. He has been with me. He is with me. He will be with me.

            And so we pray that God does not set us aside, or abandon us in our old age. The reality is that there are people that will. As we get older we just can’t do all the physical activities that we once could, we can’t run as fast or as long as we could when we were younger. And sometimes it seems that society values the young and the strong more than the wrinkled and the wise. But that is not true in God’s eyes.

            The psalmist prays, “Don’t set me aside”. And God won’t. And neither will His church. It takes all of us together to live abundantly in this Christian life. We can do it together, and we can finish well, until the day we all stand before our Lord, and then may we hear “well done, my good and faithful servant”.

            Praise Him today for the gift of today, and age well, my friends.