Why Bother Jesus?

John 2:1-11   Jesus loved people, parties and any event he was invited to. He shows up at this wedding and either too many people came or they were just having too good of a time. But, they ran out of wine. Jesus' mom told him they were out of it. Jesus seemed almost frustrated with her statement and basically told her it was not his problem. His mom ignored that and told the servants to do whatever he told them. You know what happened next-he had the jars filled with water and made the best wine of the day. This was his first "big deal" and a glimpse of who he was and the disciples didn't miss the point. They were sold on him.

Was Jesus really bothered by this request or did he want to see who was on his team? Is he ever really interrupted by our questions? Not really. Nothing escapes his interest in us.

I'll bet that during this past year you have had some questions or thoughts you would like some kind of resolution to. Maybe some were big things and some not so big. Did you involve Jesus in them? Or did you think he might be busy with some real big deals and you didn't want to bother him? As you and I become radical followers of Jesus, one thing we learn is that he is not bothered by anything we talk to him about. He still wants to see who really wants to be on the team.

We are turning a page in a couple of days. Some of us will wake up and yawn but is there one thing you can think of that will get you to the heart of what it really means for you to be more of a radical follower of Jesus? Bother Jesus and talk with him about it. Better-go to a wedding or a bar and take Jesus with you and see what happens.

Too Close for Comfort?

Interesting scene in John 1:46-48   It is one thing to be an acquaintance with someone but quite another to be intimate with them. It is much more safe and non-threatening to be casual with people. Not much usually happens in these relationships if they can even be termed relationships. but ask a significant question or make a revealing comment and you quickly know if the conversation is over or just beginning.
Nate was real "Can anything good come from Nazareth?' He expressed what many in those days thought. Phillip didn't argue but just said "check it out yourself."


Jesus sees what is going on and said "Here comes a guy who is real-nothing fake here." Was Nate proud in saying "How do you know me?" or did he recognize that Jesus really saw through him? Whatever, Jesus said he saw him under a fig tree. He had not met him but already knew Nathanael. Nathanael knew they had not met and that could only mean one thing for him-this had to be the Son of God.
How close are you to Jesus? Maybe we like the acquaintance idea more than the "he really knows me" thought. One way to tell is what your Christian life is like. I mean if we are in the acquaintance section we show up at the right Christian meetings, with a smile, and make a few innocent comments, being friendly and checking our watch to see how much longer we have to do this. If you are in the other section, you talked with Jesus before the meeting about who he might want you to listen to or speak with and you asked him to help you know how to be sensitive to what you should say.
Jesus hangs out in this section and never really goes to the acquaintance area. He is committed to knowing us and us knowing him-really knowing him! Is that scary or exciting to you?


Real church is made up of those who are real-with each other and with Jesus. Where do you church?

Watch Out!

John 1:35-39 opens a door of understanding for us. These two men thought they knew who Jesus was. Maybe they did know some things but they were about to hear a question and a statement that are critical aspects of following Jesus.
Jesus saw them following him and asked them "What do you want?" Seems easy enough but this question is one that has deeper roots than we first think about. Jesus always asks these kinds of things because he wants us to learn what our real motivation is in following him and we need to think through what we believe following Jesus is about. Some of what we want may not be what Jesus is all about. If we want predicitable, comfortable, happiness, cool stuff and insights we better get off the road now.
So these guys ask Jesus a question but Jesus' answers are designed to get us to not only think but also to change. Their question-"Which motel are you in tonight?" Jesus' answer-"Come and you will see." Did he answer their question? Much better than they could have imagined but now, they have to decide-do we check it out or is it a a little scary.

We will often ask Jesus questions and we will get the exact answer Jesus gave here. Why? It puts us in a place where we are going to trust Jesus that he knows more than we do. To really follow Jesus means getting into these situations where the answer draws out our heart and always means something is going to change for us. Ready for the trip?

Do you want certainty in answers to your questions or do you want to learn? Sometimes you get both but it seems we learn more when Jesus says "Come and you will see."

If I could only see God, it would be easier

Ever had an imaginary friend? I had 3 of them-Dieter, Gogus and Gugli. I never asked them how to spell their names. I used to talk with them and play for hours. One day they were gone and that was it. These guys were not real.
Jesus is real but sometimes I know we would just like to see him in person. Sometimes, we just wonder if God is anywhere. Check our Luke 24:13-17-these two men were taking a 7 mile walk (they walked everywhere) and they were talking about recent events and Jesus shows up. But they didn't recognize him. Jesus even talked with them and they just didn't get it. They were focused on the events they had just witnessed.


There are times when we just don't think God is anywhere near us. He is always present even though we don't recognize him or his activity. He might be in a smile from someone, or a neat sunrise, or as we read something and our heart is pierced. How many ways does God appear to you? Do you recognize it when he does or when he speaks in the small voice? If you are focused on non-essential things in life, you are going to miss meeting Jesus just like these guys did at first.


It would not be easier if we could physically see Jesus because he can't get any closer than he is now. He did say "I am with you always." What makes it easier is not for Jesus to come up and high five you, but to become sensitive to his presence and his speaking to you through small things.


Hey, we can bring Jesus closer to people who don't know him at all because he is in our life. So, get out there and mix it up with people this week.
 

Is This Mardi Gras?

Having grown up in New Orleans and going to 11 Mardi Gras celebrations, I saw many people who I did not recognize. People dress up as anything their imagination can conceive of and they usually wear some kind of mask to hide their identity.

In Luke 24:13-17 there is the story of 2 guys walking on a road from Jerusalem to Emmaus who are discouraged about life now that Jesus is out of the picture or so they think. Jesus shows up on the road and walks with them but they don't recognize him for whatever reason. He even talks with them and they still are so focused on their discouragement they do not know who is talking with them. Maybe Jesus is wearing a mask.


If we were on this road and Jesus came up and started talking with us, we would certainly recognize him wouldn't we? There are times in our life or our day when we get into a funk like these guys and we conclude the whole thing sucks. And to make it worse, Jesus shows up in some way but we do not see him at all. It may be in a kid who is laughing and having a great day or a sunrise that is so filled with orange and red colors that it is hard to describe. Maybe it was a song that attempted to stir your spirit. Maybe a homeless guy held out his hand as we walked along.


It is easy to miss Jesus. Sometimes we won't open the Bible and Jesus is there ready to speak to us but we have to get on with life and we will spend some time looking at it later. But later never opens the door.


Look around and listen. Jesus is here...now.

Oops, sorry I forgot

Now, if you and I hung out with Jesus I am sure we would be hanging on every word he said. We would probably write them down in our journal. I mean really, these conversations would not be like listening to politicians endlessly discuss health care. No, these would all be powerful words you would not forget.

Right. Except that is exactly what these women did. I mean if someone said they would be killed but you would see him later and have dinner, you think you would remember that one. These women were no different than you and I. It is easy to read the words of Jesus and just pass them by not really believing what he said. Take John 4:14 where Jesus says if we live by his life and words we will never be thirsty for anything else that really doesn't matter. How many times have we read this? Yet we long for things that do not matter at all. We have forgotten his word.

Jesus told these people in Luke 9:22 exactly what was going to happen to him. They forgot but when these two angels reminded them, they remembered.

What does it take for you to remember Jesus' words? The discipline of scripture memory which is usually the one that we stop doing, or the process of consistent Bible study which no one really has time for, or daily time with Jesus in a quiet time that is squeezed out by busy routines all contribute to our forgetting what Jesus told us about how to live life.

To forget what Jesus said is really to forget Jesus.

What's going on here?

Luke 23:34   Familiar? Yes, but are we thinking far enough? This statement was definitely focused on the event of the cross and how those not following Jesus were viewing the event. They did not know what they were doing in killing Jesus. Instead of anger on Jesus' part, he asked the Father to forgive them. He asked the Father to not hold it against them.
But I believe there are more things God wants us to understand as we and others try to "figure out life and faith." Those who do not know Jesus and many who do are doing their best to understand what Monday, Tuesday and the other 5 days are about. What the spank are they supposed to be doing to make sense out of the life they are living? They may or may not know there is more than the 20-30 minute commute to work, work, watch a little TV, tell the kids goodnight and crash into bed.
Those perhaps without a spouse or kids desperately search for some fulfillment on Facebook, Twitter or any other .com sight that might offer some relief from the almost pointless track that they run on daily.
In our attemps to find meaning, we consistently miss why Jesus lived, died and left to be with the Father. And he says again "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they are doing."
How can you minimize these words of Jesus in your life? I mean how can you live so you don't have to hear it so often? He is always there to forgive but let's give him something else to say when he thinks about us.

Is anyone angry, frustrated or upset?

We can learn something from each day in Jesus' life. Here is one. Jesus was being accused by people who had no intention of listening to, thinking about or doing what he was saying. As far as they were concerned if it did not have the right label on it, it not only could not be right but it should be outright rejected... and that included Jesus. Take a look at Luke 23:5,13 and 14. His teaching offended them and was contrary to their tradition and they were determined to put an end to it.

Thinking and teaching something new or different is not important unless God has spoken and then it is critical that it be shared. It does not matter if people do not agree with it. They still have to deal with it. Jesus made these people come to a decision about what he had spoken to them about. He was willing to stir the pot even if it meant he might lose his reputation or life.

Have you heard from God lately? Has he spoken to you about something new, against a traditional religious belief or something that will cause people to want to avoid you? More than likely they are not going to want to kill you as these people did but they definitely will want you out of the room.

Jesus was thought of as a man who was inciting people to rebellion. The harder people fight against something can often indicate the truthfulness of what they are fighting against. If what Jesus was saying was true, they were in big trouble and they knew it.

Don't be afraid of causing people to think. If you have heard from God, people need to know what he said to you. It will help those who really want to follow Jesus have a clearer picture of what that looks like.

Did you hear that?

There were a bunch of religious guys trying to trap Jesus and they talked with him about who he was. They were not really interested in anything he said except that they wanted to nail him with violating some religious rule they had developed. He was more than ready to deal with them and give them an answer that they would later use to accuse him of a violation. Their conclusion in Luke 22:71 says it all. "We have heard it from his own lips."

These guys were not even followers of Jesus but it was unmistakable what he just said. For my purposes, it does not matter what Jesus said. It rather is that he said it and they heard it. You could easily say that of course they heard it. He was standing there talking.

But then every time we open the bible, Jesus is there talking...and specifically he wants to say something to us. We read it but do we hear him speak to us? When was the last time Jesus said something to you that you had no doubt it was him talking to you? We have to act on what he speaks to us about or we will not hear him again unless he speaks the same thing to us again. We can open our Bible all we want but if we treat what he says as an option, we're done and might as well play golf or whatever.

Do you have people in your life who are listening and hearing God speak to them? Are you one of those people? Is it a common thing for you to visit with someone at the church you show up at and have a conversation about what God has been talking with each of you about or is the conversation about weather, politics or some other fascinating subject?

Are you kidding me?

Luke 22:13 Jesus had given the guys something to think about as they thought about what he just told them. They were to go and make preparations for the Passover meal. They were to go to a man and talk with him about the guest room for Jesus and them. We do not know if they were surprised at what they found but their faith in Jesus had to have been strengthened by the event. and we know that they did exactly what Jesus told them to do.

Why does having to know the why's and how's of what God is speaking to you and I about become such an important aspect to our doing what he is speaking to us about? When do we experience the joy? While we act on what Jesus has spoken to us about or when we see the result of our believing him? There is as much joy in the anticipation of what God is going to do as there is in the completion of it. And I believe God is more pleased in our acting on what we do not really understand than in our trying to talk him out of what he has just spoken to us about.

Sometimes I know we do not really believe God talks to us like this. Isn't this just reserved for pastors or those in the Bible? The reason we think like this is partly due to our not having an adventurous relationship with Jesus each day. When we take Jesus at his word, as someone said "life becomes a romance."

Maybe we are anticipating being disappointed in God's not coming through with what we believe he is speaking to us about. Whatever the reason, most people never experience the joy of responding to what God is saying.

When was the last time you were filled with joy at knowing God had spoken to you about something and you trusted him with no reservations?

Have you seen Long's Peak lately?

I can see Long's Peak from my home window. At 14259 feet above sea level it is quite a sight to see anytime of year. As awesome as this sight is, it does not challenge my mind or heart as thinking about what God has done throughout the history of our world. Or does it inspire me more than what God has done because I have not personally seen or experienced who he is or what he has done? Do I really stand in awe of God's deeds?

Am I convinced that God is really who he says he is, that he has done what the Bible says he has done or that he is committed to working in my life? How do I know? Do I want to know? It becomes too easy to enter into a long journey of mediocrity in our Christian life. Conversations that focus on the insignificant, life that steals joy, relationships that never develop or mature all can cause me to move from an emptiness to hopelessness too easily.

I want God to be more real to me in everyday life so I can say with this ancient prophet " I stand in awe of your deeds, oh Lord." But what will it take to really mean this? What might God want to do in my life? I don't need him to make 5 more Long's Peaks but I would like to see some attitudes change in me. To see God make my heart tender to those who do not see things as I do would cause me to "stand in awe"of God's working in my life. How about you? How honest are you in wanting to see God work in your life? Don't settle for just talking about or wishing this could be true.

Do you get it?

Zechariah 4:5 and 13 Zechariah was a prophet. He was supposed to understand what was going on. But position does not always guarantee understanding. When this angel showed up and asked a question, Zach told the angel what he saw but asked the angel what this was about. The angel seemed surprised that Zach did not know and at least twice asked "do you not know what these are?"

It isn't too surprising to identify with Zechariah is it? There are times when we should have learned something God has been trying to get us to understand but when we ask what is going on, God could easily reply just like this angel with "don't you know?"

Why does it take us so long to get it? Psalms 119:59 and 60 give a clue. Instant obedience is what God is after. If I delay doing what God wants, the learning curve is lengthened and it becomes easy to not understand what God is up to in my life.

I would like to blame anything but my lack of obedience, but God knows better and asks this question of us to get us to focus on the right issue.

Are you having a hard time understanding something going on in your life right now? There could be another reason but maybe you are delaying doing something God has spoken to you about.

Blowing in the Wind

This is not a blog about Wyoming. It is connected to Haggai 1:9
There are always consequences to living like I want to and not like God has in mind. It was the same for these people. They neglected building God's temple because they were preoccupied with their own houses. As a result, their expectations were too high. It is not that they could not be achieved but rather their preoccupation with their own lifestyle adversely affected their expectations. What they earned and brought home, God diminished significantly. Having your gain blown away by God has to reveal how God sees this kind of lifestyle they were living. Too bad for them...right?

How easy to focus on what I want to do, what I am convinced is important for me or my family, or even what ministry I want to focus on. But what is on God's heart for you and I? It is not so much things to do but rather relationship to develop in order to know what we are to be giving our time, motivation and energy to. We easily justify so much of our stuff and neglect what God says is critical. There are consequences to this attitude or behavior. What do you think God will blow away in your life? God has a determined purpose for us and is focused on it beyond what we could imagine.

What are you thinking about buying this week? Doing next weekend or Thursday evening? To follow Jesus means we intentionally carve out time to do what he has said is critical and are involved in people's lives rather than spending more time than necessary on our computer or whatever we do for ourselves.

I'm not going to the doctor for an examination!

After a break to work on a document that I am still working on, I have decided to restart the blog. It will be shorter.
Haggai 1:7 is my first thought for the new start. "Give careful attention to your ways..." What does this mean, how do you begin to do it and what might result from doing this? The NLT says it this way "Look at what's happening to you."
First Stop "Careful" What does careful mean to you? Some of my thoughts-thinking through, taking my time and not rushing, not overlooking areas of my life I want to avoid, asking God to give me insight into how I am living my life. this is not a glance but rather is deliberate focusing on my life. It requires no distractions and perhaps a day away with God.

Second Stop "Thought" Is it difficult for you to think? I find it easy to rush through this and miss the heart of what God is wanting to say to me. Part of what this means is to think about what God's purpose is for me and think about how my life looks compared to it.

"Your" This word makes it personal. I do not need to think about how someone else is missing it but rather only look at my life. There is enough here that I will not have time to critique someone else. Look also at Romans 14:12,13

"Ways" How am I doing with Frannie, friends God has brought into my life, people in the small group I meet with, my disciplines, temptations, busyness, the church aspect of my life, following Jesus, being distinct from the culture I live in. I am sure you get it. Take some time to let God show you the areas of your life he wants you to "carefully" examine. I wonder how our summer would look if we did this now.

What is the right color?

Earlier this week Frannie and I spent the day in Boulder. Many Christians might say "why would you spend a day in Boulder?" If I told them we hung out on Pearl Street, they might immediately leave if I told them this in person. What would cause them to respond this way?

Pearl Street is one of the most eclectic places I know. It probably rules in this category in Colorado. Monday was an amazing sight on the Pearl Street Mall. People were everywhere, wearing multi colored everything, playing about every musical instrument you could think of, laying on the grass and probably doing more than that with grass. There was quite a bit of affection being shown, dreadlocks were plentiful. It was a perfect time to be there unless...

I commented to Frannie that I believe this is exactly where Jesus would be today. Most of the people on the mall were looking for ways to enjoy the warm day and find something resembling meaning or maybe they were escaping the deadly boredom that they knew was coming the next day as they returned to work. Many of these people were definitely marginalized types. Most believers would at the worst stay as far away from them as possible and at the best look another way as they passed by.

All I can say is that I felt more energy being there than I had for some time. My heart went out to the people trying to grab something to make life have a point. Jesus came for people like this. In fact he was more comfortable with them than those who thought they had figured out what special place they would have with him later. He made all the colors.

This might take you out of your comfort but after a few conversations with some of these Jesus loves and died for, you would change your mind. How could you not love these people when Jesus does?

Check out Matthew 9:9-13 and John 2:1-11

Where are you engaging those people who are ignored or avoided? You can be certain that the places and people we want to avoid is exactly where Jesus would be and who he would be helping figure out life.

Where are you having dinner today?

Seems like a common question we ask. We usually have some place in mind when someone asks us. Maybe Red Robin or Rasta Pasta or maybe at home or maybe...

Maybe it depends on who is asking the question. How about one of our friends who is not yet following Jesus? And what if it is at their house with several of their friends? And what if they serve something that is not on our acceptable religious list? Sound interesting or scary? What if it is with a religious person who we know we have disagreements with about what the Christian life is supposed to look like?

In Luke 11:37 Jesus is invited to have a meal with a religious type, but one who is not following Jesus. You didn't check your watch to see how long you had been there when you were invited to someone's house for a meal in Jesus' day. You planned to stay a while. Jesus goes but does not follow the rules-he didn't wash before the meal. This surprised the religious guy. It seems that Jesus got a kick out of surprising people who thought they knew what it was all about. He was not trying to draw attention to himself but knew there was something he wanted to say and this would definitely stir the pot.

It is easy to talk about the need for courageous change but when someone gets serious about it and we realize that this will disrupt our comfortable lifestyle or others' comfortable lifestyles, do we back away from it? At this dinner party, Jesus was about to say some things that would guarantee his not being invited to another of their dinner parties.

When God speaks to us about something that we know will probably not be accepted by other believers, we need to act on it anyway...not to cause trouble, but to help people see what are the critical issues in following Jesus. We need to be clear however on what God has said to us.