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Week 14 – Luke 22:1-24:53 – John 1:1-2:25

Living as I do in Carrollton just north of Dallas I often wonder that about my home’s foundation. In fact the foundations of buildings all over this part of Texas suffer from our poor soils as a local spokesman so eloquently states. (or does he say ‘poor souls’?)

You see much of the earth around here is clay. And clay if you don’t know is not unlike a sponge. When there’s plenty of water it swells up nice and big, but give if a few windy and/or hot days and it dries out, shrinks up and cracks wide open. We don’t water our grass, we water our foundations – ask anyone. I just read a news story about a dog found at the bottom of one of those cracks. I think it was a great dane. You see apart from finding bedrock, foundations float on this ever moving piece of earth.

And much like our home’s foundation our own foundation is only as good as what it’s built upon. Consider the opening verses of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

With bold declaratives John puts his foot down. He is making a statement to be read and understood without question. There’s no second guessing what he writes.

These verses much like the opening verses of Genesis are foundational. They give us a place to plant our feet firmly and build from there. With this foundation we can live a life not tossed back and forth by every crazy thought or idea that comes our way. We can live with the security of knowing the God over all.

As a school boy I recall becoming frustrated with ever changing ‘truths’. It seemed as if what was taught one year was replaced the next with something else. Even counter to the foundations of the parochial school I attended, they taught evolution as if it were truth. But I knew that something was amiss. There had to be truth I could plant my feet upon. There had to be something that didn’t change from one year to the next.

So I searched as best as a child could until at age twenty, my younger brother shared with me the God of truth – the one who came full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) God’s Spirit testified with my spirit that Jesus was the truth I had been seeking. Finally I could plant my feet firmly upon the Rock!

In the beginning was the Word… that’s something to place our feet upon.

- There is so much more in these few chapters. Please feel free to comment on any or all of it. Thanks for reading and keeping up with Meet the Author.

Week 13, Luke 17:1-21:38

Jesus told one of his ironic little stories in Luke 18. There was this Pharisee, the good guy, and a tax collector, the vermin-like bad guy, or so everyone assumed. And Jesus had the gall to call the tax collector good and the Pharisee bad.

We love the irony, the double-takes by his audience, Jesus’ ability to poke holes in those old gas bags. Even today, one of our society’s most loved jibes at those in authority is the quote from The Wizard of Oz movie, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

However, the Spirit never leaves me alone for long to savor Jesus’ rapier wit. He asks disturbing questions like, “Are you innocent? Do you wear arrogance just as well?”

It turns out that we can be just as arrogant, just as judgmental, and just as unloving as any of them. Grace Pharisees are ugly beasts.

“God, I thank you that I am not like all other men – ignorant of forgiveness, devoid of eternal life, confused by law and grace – or even like this poor sot who thinks baptismal regeneration is necessary for salvation.”

Admit it. You’ve probably said things like this to yourself, if not to God. I have. It’s an example of the betrayal I wrote about in my last post.

Thankfully, forgiveness, life and grace apply in this situation just as they do in all the others. The Spirit, sometimes rather pointedly, reminds me that I was confused not so long ago, and then He predicts that I will be confused again in the future. I’m blessed because I quite often receive e-mail questions that poke holes in my own gas bag. God does that for me in order to keep my eyes and thoughts where they should be.

“God, I thank you that in spite of my own brand of pomposity, your grace is sufficient and your patience never wears thin. You’ve been merciful to me, a sinner. Please show me how to restore instead of condemn, to love instead of judge.”

Luke 2:1-6:49 – Week 10

In these Scriptures we find several claims of Jesus’ identity. Let’s take a look.

We read that He is born to Mary and Joseph while the were in Bethlehem taking part in the census. An angel appeared to the shepherds nearby and proclaimed the good news to them. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ [Messiah] the Lord.”

And ‘a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel’. It’s a good thing the angel told the shepherds ‘Do not be afraid’. This event certainly stayed with them. That fact is clearly displayed as they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. Just imagine being the first witnesses to this glorious event. And Mary and Joseph were in awe off all that was said about this newborn child.

Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. When he took Jesus in his arms he proclaimed, “…my eyes have seen your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people…”. Simeon was promised that he would see the Messiah before he died. And he did.

Anna the prophetess “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Israel”. Who did Anna believe Jesus to be?

In chapter 3 we read about John. John was recognized as having power from God. Many even wondered if he were the Christ. But what did John say? “I baptize you with water.” Baptisms [ceremonial washings] were not unusual. But John’s was. Why? Because it was to prepare the way for the Lord.

John went on to declare, “…one more powerful that I will come…. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire”. Upon the baptism of Jesus the Holy Spirit descend on him and a voice from heaven said: “You are my Son”.

So who is this child? Who do you say He is?

• Savior
• Christ [Messiah, Anointed One]
• More powerful than I
• Son of God
• Son of David
• ?
• ?
• ?

Redeemer – Savior – Lord!

That’s my testimony. What is yours?

Mark 13:1-Luke 1:80, Week 9

Jesus stated a fascinating contrast according to Mark’s reporting of the Lord’s Supper in Chapter 14.

In verses 17-21 he predicts that one of them would betray him. He ends with this statement: “…It would be better for him if he had not been born” (verse 21b).

In verses 27-28 he predicts that all of the disciples would fall away. He ends with this statement: “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee” (verse 28).

Apparently, betrayal and falling away are vastly different things. Jesus nearly wept over the former, but he regarded the latter as no big deal. In fact, he stated the latter as a matter of fact, and then promised to meet them all in Galilee.

This is not what I learned originally. For me, “fall away” always carried with it the idea of backsliding. It always was a terrible thing, something you hoped never happened to you, but something you always tsk’d over when it happened to others. In short, it exposed the uber-condescending attitudes displayed by we legalists and so hated by unbelievers.

Not so, Jesus. He even took Peter’s denial in stride.

What’s the difference? Falling away is a natural result of our battle with the flesh. There are times when each of us runs for the hills at the slightest provocation. It’s not pretty and we regret it, but there it is. It’s nice to know that Jesus, in fact, runs with us to those hills, and then leads us back.

Betrayal, on the other hand, is the complete rejection of who Jesus is and what he accomplished. It is completely self-serving, but worse, its goal is to destroy others. No wonder Jesus said it would be better not to be born than to betray him!

Falling away is what happened to those “poor unfortunates” to whom I was so condescending.

Betrayal is what I did to them in my condescension.

O Lord, please chisel this judgmental calcification off my heart.

This week, we read Luke’s take on the death, burial and resurrection. It is the event that changed human history. It is the event that changes our story, that moves us from death to life. Paul wrote that without the resurrection, we would still be in our sins. I simply ask this week, what does the resurrection mean to you?