WATCHWORD:
So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.… The reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom and peace. Proverbs 9:10
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20
Meditation:
Fear of The Lord
Do you see the thread running through these passages? The presence of the Holy Spirit in each of us, the instruction contained in the Beatitudes, the reassurance, the need to fear God in the sense of reverencing Him, and finally, I am with you always…
We need to keep that in mind. We each have concerns about the future.
You sometimes wonder, when listening to some of the great classical music composers, whether they really know how to bring a piece to an end. One of the most notorious is Beethoven. There are times when, at the end of a symphony, you think you’re just coming to the end, but the chords go crashing on and on.
I remember seeing this comment somewhere: Sorry this message is so long. If I had more time I could have made it much shorter! I think that might apply to this message…
These last verses of Matthew are like that. Not that it goes on longer than we expect; it is in fact quite compact. But it contains so much that we would do well to slow down in our reading of those final verses and ponder each line, indeed each phrase, to see how they gather up the whole gospel and pack it tight into the final meeting between Jesus and his followers.
Jesus says to us “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth.” We get puzzled by the claim that Jesus is already ruling the world, until we understand what is being said. The claim is not that the world is already as Jesus intends it to be. The claim is that he is working to take it from where it is and bring it under the rule of his love. How is he doing this? Through the disciples, through us, his followers. Right here, in each of our lives.
We humans are just a little cautious. We follow the first law of wing-walking – Never let go of one thing until you hold securely something else! We have a very hard time risking…
It is easy to love the God that saves us, but harder, much harder, to trust the God that asks hard questions of us, that sets high standards of a Christian life, that expresses expectations that take us out of our comfort zone and puts us on the high ledge where God says in so many words: “If you trust me, let go! Do what I say.” Or, in the words of Christ: “Come, follow me.”
The law of wing-walking seems to have become a basic life principle of a lot of Christians. I’m one of them. I am gradually learning that God is in charge of my life and I can let something go before I get hold of something else. However, my problem is that I want to know what God is going to do and how he is going to do it, with some practical illustrations of how he has done it in the past. I want assurance.
Steve Brown has this little conversation with God: “Father, I’m glad you made your will clear about my crawling out on that limb, and you know I want to do whatever you say. But how do I know you won’t saw that limb off once I am out on it?”
God replies: Son, you don’t know, except that I tell you I won’t saw it off.
Steve says: I understand that, and I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate your word, but could you give me a little more tangible assurance? How do I really know you won’t saw it off?
God replies: Son, the only way you are going to know for sure is to do what I say and crawl out on that limb.
That’s the problem with many Christians; we have not understood that risk in obedience to God requires action before knowledge. The world says knowing is acting and God says acting is knowing, and trusting.
We are to go – whether it is next door or to another country – and make disciples. It is not an option, but a command to all who call Jesus ‘Lord”. We are not all evangelists, but we all have received gifts that we can use in fulfilling the Great Commission. As we obey, we have comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is with us.
Yes, we worry about the future. All our worry will not accomplish much. However, knowing that God is always with us and we are His people, should reassure us as we accept the gift of His Peace. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Keep the prayers coming. We are all in need of the Master’s touch. How about trying what I would call “directed prayer”? Among those on our prayer lists and in our circle of family and friends there is much pain, from mild to severe. WebMD reported that all forms of prayer allows relaxation, reduces pain, and promotes healing. Prayer is a powerful force, as we bring our pain and the pain suffered by loved ones to Him, have confidence that your words and thoughts have meaning.
As we pray for our loved ones, be specific, name them, name the source of the pain. Surrender it all to Him. Always know that God is in charge and God loves us.
Morning Prayers:
Good morning, Lord! Today’s a new day, a chance for a new start. Yesterday is gone and with it any regrets, mistakes, or failures I may have experienced. It’s a good day to be glad and give thanks, and I do, Lord. Thank you for today, a new opportunity to love, give, and be all that you want me to be. Amen.
