Into the Unknown with Jesus

 Preserve my life, for I am godly;

    save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God. 

Be gracious to me, O Lord,

    for to you do I cry all the day.

 Gladden the soul of your servant,

    for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

(Psalm 86:2-4, ESV)

 

 

Alas, wherever I go, ahead or behind,
        He is not there;
        I am unable to find Him.
When He works on either side of me, I still cannot see Him.
        I catch no glimpse of Him.
But He knows the course I have traveled.
        And I believe that were He to prove me,
        I would come out purer than gold from the fire.
My foot has been securely set in His tracks;
        I have kept to His course of life without swerving;
I have not departed from the commands of His lips;
        I have valued everything He says more than all else.
He alone is one True God; who can alter Him?
        Whatever He desires within Himself, He does.
For He will carry out exactly what He has planned for me,
        and in the future there are more plans to come.

(Job 23:8-14, The Voice)

 

Do not take money with you: don’t take gold, silver, or even small, worthless change. Do not pack a bag with clothes. Do not take sandals or a walking stick. Be fed and sheltered by those who show you hospitality. When you enter a town or village, look for someone who is trustworthy and stay at his house as long as you are visiting that town. When you enter this home, greet the household kindly. And if the home is indeed trustworthy, let your blessing of peace rest upon it; if not, keep your blessing to yourself. If someone is inhospitable to you or refuses to listen to your testimony, leave that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. This is the truth: Sodom and Gomorrah, those ancient pits of inhospitality, will fare better on judgment day than towns who ignore you tomorrow or next week.
 

Listen: I am sending you out to be sheep among wolves. You must be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. You must be careful. You must be discerning. You must be on your guard. There will be men who try to hand you over to their town councils and have you flogged in their synagogues. Because of Me, naysayers and doubters will try to make an example out of you by trying you before rulers and kings. When this happens—when you are arrested, dragged to court—don’t worry about what to say or how to say it. The words you should speak will be given to you. For at that moment, it will not be you speaking; it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Matthew 10:9-20, The Voice)

 

It is a terrible risk to follow even a Friend into the unknown. It is made worse by the fact that he so often seems to disappear or go ahead instead of staying close by. 

 

The instructions he gives us should make it so much easier to continue our journey: but what instructions?  

 

'Don't provide extra for yourself in case I let you down.'
'Don't worry what to say.'
'I will be there when you need me, even if it's only at the last moment.' 

 

Instructions like these leave us incredibly vulnerable but they are only examples of what he is really asking from us: that we choose intentionally, deliberately to make ourselves vulnerable and to walk in that vulnerability! (Northumbria, Aidan readings, Dec. 2)

 

 

The Stranger Can See Through Different Eyes

 O my God, shine Your light and truth
    to help me see clearly,

To lead me to Your holy mountain,

    to Your home.

 (Psalm 43:3, The Voice) 

 

 After Methuselah was born, 

Enoch lived in a close relationship with God 

for 300 more years; 

he also had other sons and daughters. 

He lived to be 365 years old, 

but Enoch had such a close and intimate 

relationship with God 

that one day he just vanished

—God took him. 

(Genesis 5:22-24, The Voice)

 

If they were homesick for the old country, 

they could have gone back any time they wanted. 

But they were after a far better country than that

—heaven country. 

You can see why God is so proud of them, 

and has a City waiting for them. 

(Hebrews 11:15-16, The Message) 

 

This month's notes are on the subject of the call to a deeper life. 

One dynamic of that call is the sense that where we really belong is somewhere else, that we have heard something inside us calling us to, 'Come away.' We belong to a different Kingdom: our home is another country. It is often like this: 

'Follow me.'

'Yes, Lord, I'll follow you ... But Lord ...'

'Yes?'

'Where to? Where will I be going?'

'With me.'

From time to time the sense of alienation from everything around us may be strong, the sense of being a stranger, someone on a journey; but the stranger can see things through different eyes from those of people who live in that one place all the time. 

This world is not my home ...

(Northumbria, Aidan readings, Dec. 1) 

 

A Long Obedience: Rooted-ness

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

insidetheshrink-dailygrace

Our church held a Renovare Essentials conference a week ago.  One of the perils of conferences and retreats is the return home from them.  Suddenly everything is back to normal and all the new thoughts seem almost unreal in the face of everyday life.  What can I do with the hope I may have acquired during my time away?  How can I deal with the return home?

Eugene Peterson wrote a book called A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.  Even just looking at the title, I begin to suspect that change might not come as quickly as the hopeful feelings for change.  Inspiration is indispensable.  Without it, change becomes impossible.  The problem is that hope that is disappointed too often falls into cynicism and despair.  So inspiration must take root and become endurance if change is to occur.

Should I be surprised that the opening lines to Peterson's book are, "This world is no friend of grace."  (15)  This is not to be merely down-faced and negative, but a real assessment of our situation.  When I arrive home or even as I drive there I find out quickly that "the spiritual atmosphere in which we live erodes faith,, dissipates hope and corrupts love, but it is hard to put our finger on what is wrong."  (ibid)  This is not meant to disperse inspiration and hope, but to encourage them to "hunker down" for some long days of mundane work and even opposition.

Another quote from the book captures the main illness of our day: "Everyone is in a hurry."  (17)  Instead of expecting that my relationship with God should be like "Google" search or a pop tart, I need some other ways of understanding why hurry and growing in faith have little to do with each other.  As long as my faith and practice are "understood as a visit to an attractive site to be made when [I] have adequate leisure," (16) I will find the hope and excitement of walking with God too time consuming and even tedious.

NEW IMAGES FOR LIVING LIFE

Peterson recommends, "For recognizing and resisting the stream of the world's ways there are two biblical designations for people of faith that are extremely useful: disciple and pilgrim."  (17)  Both of these images require a "rooted-ness" which makes war on hurry in my life.  A disciple is rooted in a learning relationship where "we do not [merely] acquire information about God but skills in faith."  (ibid)  Jesus did not come to satisfy my curiosity, but comes to show me how I might live well and fully.

The pilgrim is rooted in a journey.  He cannot stay in one place for long, but is always moving, not in a frantic or worried way, but in a deliberate and hopeful way.  This world is not my home.  Jesus is himself the only way to get home.  Not only by his death, nor just by his teaching, but in a continuing conversational relationship with him on the way.

Jesus warned about the danger of inspiration without rooted-ness.  "The one that received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.  When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away."  (Matthew 13:20-21)  How often I have heard this and only thought of persecution because of the word and not the trouble!  "This world is no friend of grace."  Following Jesus as a disciple or pilgrim is full of trouble not because Jesus is a troublesome person, but because the people and human systems we are part of oppose the life he gives.  The seed is good, but the soil needs work.

The images of disciple and pilgrim can place my feet on the path of long obedience.  As with any training or adventure, deliberate planning is necessary.  There will be work.  Everything worthwhile demands it.  It need not be tedious or worrisome, however.  If Jesus keeps his promises, then the life I live in long obedience will be an escape from being weary and heavily-burdened into a partnership with him where he does all the heavy lifting.  (Matthew 11:28-29)

Lord, may my obedience be long and my worry short.  Take my hand for this journey.  Instruct me in living.  I want to leave behind what this world promises as "the good life" and learn from you as my gentle and humble teacher and friend what the good life really is.  Amen.

Traditionally, followers of Jesus find it necessary to adopt a "rule" or a planned way of living in order to remain rooted.  A rule brings my daily life into Jesus's presence.  Regular prayer, self-denial, Bible reading and study, service to others, are some ways I have found God in my life and remained near to him.