Mission Faithwalk

                 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”   He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. (Matthew 12:9-14) We tend to think that Jesus didn’t minister to the Scribes and Pharisees and that He disapproved of them. After all, His words sound (to put it mildly) negative. But the first point is that the Scribes and Pharisees considere...

              While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50) Jesus was creating a stir. The authorities weren’t happy with Him, and His family decided to step in to fix things. I wonder what Mary thought of this intervention. Maybe, as with the wedding at Cana, she thought a little push might produce some good results. Maybe she thought He was stepping on too many toes and needed a vacation and some advice to complete His mission. Maybe she was trying to convince His siblings that they needed to back off and came along ...

                 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness . (Matthew 10:1) Oh, that would be the life… to have God call me and tell me, “Go here, do this marvelous thing in the following manner” (not included above). What we likely would find coolest about it is the authority. But God had reasons for doing things that way at that time. He has reasons for doing things differently now. There are, however, two things are clear. The first is that He sent them to minister to people, and not just people, but people who were the last sort of people they (or we) are likely to have wanted to visit: the possessed, the broken, and the sick. This wasn’t about their classification. It was about their need and about the disciples' comfort zone. They were, in short, to be Good Samaritans who didn’t need an innkeeper to help them. And again, I struggle ...

  Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.   Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.   Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:35-38) Have you ever tried to point out a bird or other small object to someone? Or looked at an optical illusion and tried to explain to someone what you see, and they don’t? Being able to point helps, but this is the problem Jesus saw as He went through the land. The Pharisees, Sadducees, Romans, and even His disciples seemed to see the virtual people who weren’t what they wanted. When Jesus saw the crowd, He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. Not a flock of sheep, which would be the coll...

              Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”   Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?    Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”   Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man . (Matthew 9:1-8) Take a deep breath and relax. I’m not going...

                 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm . The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:23-27) The first point of interest this morning is that when the disciples got scared, they went to Jesus. Hurrah! How many of us get upset about something and try to solve it ourselves, seek social or governmental intervention, or otherwise look to someone or something other than God?  They had enough faith in Him to get them that far. Jesus chastised them for their lack of faith. What lack of faith...

                 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said (Matthew 5:2-3) And what He said is well known to us all as The Sermon on the Mount. Ministry involves communication. There are ways our ability to speak to others can be improved, but mostly, it involves two things. Love and practice. The love part includes caring enough to have something to say that will help them. Sometimes, we confuse helping them with making ourselves feel superior. They aren’t the same. In this sermon, Jesus doesn’t single out anyone. He’s talking to people, but He’s not exactly talking about people. He’s talking more about human conditions. This doesn’t mean that He never takes anyone to task, but more often than not, He acts as a teacher, not a judge. There are consequences to not correcting an error, but there is time in which to do so. That time is a...

                 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”   As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him… Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.  (Matthew 4:17-20 & 23) And today, we come to the crux of the matter. Jesus returned from His time in the desert and began to preach (v 17). He called disciples (actually verses 18-22, but I only shared 18-20). He traveled, taught, marketed (advertised the kingdom), and healed. One thing all those ...

                 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) This wasn’t the passage I had in mind for today, but it’s the one shared by my Bible platform, and let’s just say that it’s a concept that I want to be (and that I hope is ) central to my life. According to Jesus, it’s half of the greatest commandment. If we’re to have a mission in our lives, this is it. If we’re to have a ministry, this is its foundation and core. Having said that, I have to return to my “no magic” idea. Functionally, “god” refers to anything that provides the foundation of our lives and beliefs. This means not all gods have to be personal. Science can be a god. Self can be (and very often is) a god. And even if you hate that god, if you don’t turn to another god, you’re still loving that god because your a...

                 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.   After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (Matthew 4:1-3) As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, (Galatians 4:13) Perhaps, because He is Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus’s calendar had written across the forty days immediately after His baptism, “Forty Days Temptation.” Maybe He knew exactly what was coming. Most of us don’t expect that when we have taken on some sort of ministry, the next seven days, weeks, months, or years will be spent uncomfortably wandering around, hungry, and under attack. What does any of that have to do with ministering? How are we to serve God or help anyone else if we’re sick, homeless, poor, improperly educ...

            Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”         Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. (Matthew 3:13-15)   Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:    “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. (Matthew 23:1-3)   “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:7)   Jesus’ ministry didn’t start off with a fireworks demonstration signaling the start of something new and different. His life started ...

                   In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea   and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”    This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,     make straight paths for him.’” (Matthew 3:1-3) Continuing to think about ministry, today’s passage doesn’t use the word, but it describes what John the Baptist did. He fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3. He prepared the way for Jesus. This wasn’t a joyous task, necessarily. His job was to call people to repentance. There would be joy over those who repented, but “Repent” just isn’t a happy message. “The kingdom of heaven coming near” might be seen as either good or bad. It certainly would mean changes in the status quo. The point is that our ministries may not be what we expect them to ...

              He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (II Corinthians 3:6) Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. (Psalm  8 :2)           An idea that has been wandering through my head for months involves ministry . If I am going to change my perspective about my writing, the Master Gardeners, or my involvement in church, in my neighborhood, or at my job, I need to stop examining Exhibit Me, and figure out how to do whatever it is God wants me to (or even that I want me to), I would do well to learn what it means to minister. The basic definitions concern taking charge (administering), representing, and serving.           Ther...

                 Jesus wept. (John 11:35) Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn . (Romans 12:15) But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44) My Bible platform chose a passage I’ve written about more than once in the past ten years. If they continue in the passage tomorrow (as they probably will), I may return to them, but today’s verse came to mind as an alternative. It’s not a verse I think is really explored much, so, why not? To put the verse in context, Jesus had received word that his friend, Lazarus, was sick. We don’t know how far Jesus was from Bethany, but instead of packing up and hurrying there, He had announced that this sickness wasn’t “unto death” and the ministry team had remained where they were. Sometime later, Jesus had said that Lazarous had fallen asleep and He was going there to wake him. When ...

                 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10) Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.  (Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life ) Once again, definitions are essential. Some people tend to think that being humble is wallowing in self-degradation. We are nothing. We have nothing . We have done and can do nothing. Too bad the people around us aren’t worthy of our better effort.  Humility is often another opportunity for Exhibit Me to be put on the examination table. Have I been humble? Let me look at myself to find out. The second quote above has been attributed to C. S. Lewis, but when I looked it up to get the words right this morning, I discovered he didn’t say it. Rick Warren did. Again, however, did I think of myself less? Exhibit Me comes out again. As I contemplate this, I find myself smirking. At least if I’m crafting, cleaning, cooking, g...

                  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Ephesians 4:8)           Two days ago (because I’m writing a little ahead!), a friend shared a post about not complaining for 24 hours. I also shared it, along with some suggestions. I began by considering forgetting the 24-hour bit. That takes too much concentration. Try one minute, several times per day. You might try one minute during an upset, when you’re most likely to complain.           I also suggested that you replace the complaining with something, because “I will not complain” is likely to end with you complaining about your complaining. One option is to find something to do t...

              Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)           Two days ago, the subject was “Do Not Judge.” The verse my Bible platform shared today specifically says that “if someone is caught in a sin…”  Tied up in all of this are some big words: toxicity, narcissism, gaslighting, codependence, and intervention. It may come down to the question of motives, and even there, it can get difficult. The obvious claim is “It’s for your own good!” or “I’m just trying to help!”  But those claims can hide manipulation.           So, wisdom and prayer are needed.  Are we truly interested in helping the person caught sinning, or are we more interested in looking good, being right, or credit for “fixing” someo...

                 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5) Wisdom, Direction, Attitude. Those have been my automatic prayer requests for years. I suspect wisdom is on many people’s lists. Technically, if I had wisdom, there would be no question of my direction or my attitude. It’s all about wisdom. The first problem is that God doesn’t answer my prayer. I don’t open a book (even the Bible!) and put my finger on some wisdom. No light shines. No note descends from Heaven on a fishhook. I don’t have flashes of insight with which to impress someone. Life just goes on, disappointed because God doesn’t answer my prayers. And as life goes on, I find that I’ve learned a thing or two. I respond differently and it works. I realize that, while God can certainly teach us in a flash of insight, He tends to teach over time. The gift of wisdom isn’t...

       “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?   How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5)   “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.   If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to...

                 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8) Usually, when people talk about these verses, they think in terms of seeds. At least, I have. If you plant tomato seeds and you get no tomatoes but giant hogweed, there’s a problem. Either the tomato seeds were bad or they weren’t tomato seeds – and you probably need to call in professionals to deal with the hogweed. (PSA in case you don’t know: DO NOT TOUCH GIANT HOGWEED! It looks like giant Queen Anne’s Lace but it’s NASTY to skin.) The seed idea is there, but there’s another parallel that is also critical. Yes, we should expect to reap what we sow, but where we sow, into what soil, and from what soil we reap will also determine whether our harvest gives us destruction or life. You c...

                 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2-3) The phone rings. You pick it up and the voice on the other end says, “It’s ____ (your neighbor.) Get out of your house! It’s on fire!” There are times and reasons when an abrupt beginning is necessary. James may not have had time to write a longer letter, or the situation might have been that dire. I think it more likely that James was just that sort of person. He didn’t want to waste their time with platitudes or give them cause to misunderstand what he was trying to say. He begins his letter, From James. To the Twelve Tribes. Hi. Trials are good for you. The Twelve Tribes were used to all sorts of trials: slavery under Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Iran (Medes and Persians), and the Greeks, inconvenient commandments, famine, drought, and pov...

              Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Jesus Christ took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)           Lord, how does a person work toward becoming “like Christ” without spending all one’s time focusing inward on oneself?  How does one balance inward and outward life?           About a week ago, I wrote the second quote above in response to something I had read or thought. The problem, of course, is my mental examination table and my tendency to spend a great deal of time fussing over how exhibit Me, or some small aspect of ...

                      No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13)           Are you as disappointed by the first line of today’s passage as I am? It’s comforting in a way, but the drama queen in me wants my temptation, my drama to be award winning. I simultaneously want to be invisible, but to have others notice and value me. If my temptations are mass produced on an assembly line, I’m just a cheap bit of refuse rather than something to be repurposed, reused, recycled, reclaimed, redeemed, rescued, or otherwise valued.           Of course, if my temptations were one-of-a-kind, they wouldn’t be relevant or relatable. The fact tha...