You are loved as you are...

You are loved as you are so that you can become who you were made to be.

Here’s the thing about the God of Israel. Other gods demanded things of their people. I know plenty of folks have talked about God in these terms too, insinuating that natural disasters are a response by God to punish his people for their wickedness. I totally sympathize with the intuitive ease with which we could naturally assume that a God who has the power would use it in this manner. Haven’t we seen plenty of examples of humans who, once given power, find amazingly creative ways to abuse it?

The scriptures provide us with a different framework for God. His character is steady. He is the kind of God you can love with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and not be abused. He’s the God who loves us because he can, not because we’ve figured out how to placate his temper. So when we “Behold the Lamb of God”, this is a Lamb who looks and acts and feels and believes like his daddy; that’s a big deal. And it matters because for those of us who call ourselves children of God through adoption into his family, we are given the responsibility and privilege of learning how to reflect this same character. We reflect the very nature of God in who we look like, how we act, what we feel and believe - again, a big deal.

The story of God invites us to challenge our traditionally held cultural perspectives. Here is one message I am learning as I experience God. It goes like this, paraphrased with great liberty by me! “Hey, kiddos, when I made you, it was all very good. And nothing much has changed. That nasty fruit tasting incident in the garden got you all confused, but listen, none of this is surprising or particularly upsetting to me. What WOULD upset me is if you kids started acting like our relationship was based on anything other than love. You don’t need to play me, hide from me, lie to me, manipulate me. I see you. I see all of you. And I find you quite to my liking, even if on some matters you and I both know - you have blown it!” I get this God.

Because this is how I feel about my children and my grandchildren. I fancy myself as someone who can SEE them and what I SEE I delight in. I study them from a place of wonder and curiosity, appreciation and great affection. Are my kids perfect? No way. They take turns like the rest of us being hot messes. But they delight me.

I see beyond the miscues and even the big wins. I see their essence. Or at least I pray this is true. I guess you could say that when the rest of the world has long forgotten their fresh baby aroma, I, their mother/Meme, have not. And if I can love this way, weak mere mortal that I am, how much MORE capacity does God have to love us? His acceptance allows us the relational foundation and wriggle room to see ourselves (and others) honestly.

We can work with this.

Faith is about GENUINE love

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is really greater than me because he existed before me.’  Even I didn’t recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it rested on him.  Even I didn’t recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  I have seen and testified that this one is God’s Son.”  John 1:29-34 CEB

That wild man John the Baptist cried out, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  Long before there was a United States of America, there came a man in the form of a baby, son of God, son of man - Jesus.  Destined to become The Christ.  John knew then what we need to remember today:  Jesus, son of God, son of man, The Christ - has come and changed everything.  John was a man to whom folks listened. 

Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.’ “  He’s that guy.  As a mother and grandmother who wants the world to be a decent place for my family and friends to thrive, I am DESPERATE for perspective.  If I’m looking around at the world through the lens of the news channel, I can get pretty freaked out.  Surely my hope cannot be found in trusting mere mortals to make the world a safe and decent place for my family.  I’m too old to believe that one!!

Fortunately, I am one of countless mothers who has learned over the course history that I do not need to put all my faith in humans.  In the book of Deuteronomy 6:4 it says something like this:  “Here, O Israel!  The Lord your God is one.  Love Him.  Love Him with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” 

What has taken me a bit longer to understand is the reason WHY I am encouraged to love with this wild abandon.  You see, humans taught me that love is conditional, a quid pro quo experience.  I learned this as a child and it took decades to unlearn this faux love principle.  As a young person, I thought I HAD to love God so that he wouldn’t smite me.  This is so very, very wrong. 

We do not have a hungry, angry, narcissistic God who demands our loyalty because he is insecure in his own Godhood.  I experience Deuteronomy as a cry to worship, not as a demand for obedience.  It’s the ONLY appropriate response to a God who loves us because he is loving.  It is acceptance that springs from his character, not as a response to our playing by his rules.  Oh how I love this God of mystery and grace, who holds me and my babies in the palm of his hand with tender mercy.

An Infant Born of Glory

Every year we look forward the great gift of the Behold the Lamb of God Concert….An Advent Narrative experience. We are grateful to have it back in Richmond this year (even though we're not hosting).

This month, we will focus on devotionals that accompany this theme. If you’re interested, grab a copy of the CD by Andrew Peterson and friends and/or grab a copy of Behold the Lamb of God book written by Russ Ramsey. Or read the devotionals…whatever delights you!

Gather round, ye children, come
Listen to the old, old story
Of the power of death undone
By an infant born of glory
Son of God
Son of man

Life changes when a grandchild is gifted to one’s family. We received our first on August 16, 2016 and our second on February 9, 2018. It's been such a pleasure to watch them grow over the past few years, to see them develop personalities, to witness them take in the wonders of the world. They haven't even seen much of the world yet, and still, they often say, "Woah," in complete wonder at something that's happened (even if it's mostly the television).

I personally think all infants are born of glory. Today, as a devoted Meme, the infant born of glory, son of God and son of Man, Jesus, has fresh and renewed significance for me. My grandchildren have begun life on planet earth and I pray that they find it habitable.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello blog subscribers! And Happy Thanksgiving!

You may have noticed we haven’t posted for a few days. We have given ourselves permission to take a few days off for Thanksgiving. Posts will resume on December 1st and move us into the Christmas spirit. Until then, here’s a message from Scott:

I struggle with gratitude. I particularly struggle with it when someone tells me I need to feel it, or any time I’m supposed to talk about it (like right now, at Thanksgiving, when we give thanks).

I understand that I will be better off if I’m grateful. It has both mental and physical health benefits and will generally help me grow into the kind of person I want to be.

The reality is, sometimes I'm ambivalent about doing the things I need to do in order to be who I want to be. I suspect many of us struggle with this.

In light of that, my goal for the Thanksgiving weekend is to look for the moments where I’m content, peaceful, enjoying myself, etc., and really try to soak them in when they happen. I want a modest goal, something that feels attainable. I think this might be it. Care to join me?

We don’t often get long stretches of time where we feel like all is right with the world, sometimes it is mere moments. Let’s be on the lookout for those moments and embrace them while they’re here.

God is not at our disposal

Yesterday I told a story about a family who really struggled with fear. Read that before reading today’s blog, if you haven’t yet.

In the story, the family was so afraid something bad had already happened that they then put God to work, and they were certain God did what they told him to do. Now, sometimes this is just a perfectly natural dynamic in prayer. But something about the way they told made me think they viewed God as an employee, so to speak.

God is not at our disposal. We are at his disposal. He’s not a pixie we use to do magic when we’re scared. He’s an all-powerful being who uses us to reveal himself to the world! In the process, he comforts, provides, secures, and reminds us that there is more going on in the world than darkness. He can tame the waters, the chaos. But we have to make sure we’re not pulling the cart before the horse.

Are we calling on God when we’re afraid so that we have someone to make us unafraid? That makes us in charge. That makes us God. Scary.

Or, instead, are we calling on God when we’re afraid because we realize that our perspective is out of whack?

See the difference? The difference is this: In the first scenario we’re making a demand that God change the way things are. In the second, we’re realizing that we’re not in charge and we need to submit to a higher power out of humility.