Cows, Hikes and Running For Your Life

Psalm 55

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David.

¹ Listen to my prayer, O God,
    do not ignore my plea; 
²     hear me and answer me. 
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught 
³     because of what my enemy is saying,
    because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me 
    and assail me in their anger.

⁴ My heart is in anguish within me;
    the terrors of death have fallen on me.
⁵ Fear and trembling have beset me;
    horror has overwhelmed me.
⁶ I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷ I would flee far away
    and stay in the desert; 
⁸ I would hurry to my place of shelter, 
    far from the tempest and storm. ”

***

In Psychology class in high school, I learned about this fascinating mental process called "Fight or Flight." When a person is unexpectedly presented with a problem or dangerous situation, their brains cause them to act in one of two ways: Either extricate themselves from the situation as fast as possible, or actively move toward it with the intention of destroying or subduing it.

This came into play at one point years ago as I was on a hike with a friend. We came upon an open field with numerous huge cows in it. They all looked up and stared at us as soon as we walked by, obviously assessing whether or not we were a threat. I put myself between the cows and my friend, telling her "It's alright, they won't hurt you."

At this point, the cow started running right at us. There was no fence or barrier, mind you; nothing was between this cow and me. As soon as the cow made it's way toward me, I panicked. I ran! My friend had the good sense to run too, and the cow stopped running as soon as we got far enough away. 

Not my proudest moment. I had every intention of standing my ground and protecting her, but when push came to shove, I fled. My brain switched into "flight" mode. Not cool, brain. 

But let's be honest; I was afraid.

David is not physically afraid of anyone here, but he feels just as attacked as I did that day on the hiking path. He wants to run. He longs for a way to escape his situation. People are slandering him, hurting him with their words. Most of us would shrug off hurtful words instead of admitting being in pain. Sticks and stones, right?

David wrote this in a place of complete truth and honesty with the Father. He was not afraid to admit his pain or his hurt. He tells God all about his desire to flee and rid himself of the situation he's in. 

So what can we learn from this short passage? 

1. Being honest with God, no matter what, will help us. We may not feel it right away, but we were built and designed to be intimately connected with our Creator; when we trust him enough to talk openly about our issues with Him, He is pleased.
2. It's alright to be afraid. We are human, we are flawed, and we are weak more often than we would like to admit. Jesus stressed out so much, he sweat blood; through all of that, he remained sinless. We are allowed to be afraid. Within that fear, we need to work toward a trusting of God.

Are we honest with God? Do we trust Him? Are we accepting of our own human nature?

Sent Out.

Mark 6:7-13

The Twelve Sent Out

 ⁷ And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; ⁸ and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— ⁹ but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” ¹⁰ And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. ¹¹ Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” ¹² They went out and preached that men should repent. ¹³ And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

Reflection

As I was growing up in church, I always saw the church building as the place where God moved and God’s people acted. I thought, as Christians, our goal was to invite people to the church building to hear from God, only then could lives be transformed.  It was not until I was a junior in high school and I was asked to go on a mission trip that I realized that God sent out the Church, the Body of Christ, into the world.

At this point in the gospel of Mark, Jesus’ disciples have only been with Jesus for a short time. During that time, they have seen Jesus do some amazing things: heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the gospel. In today’s text, Jesus now calls his disciples forward and calls them to the same things has he has done, to preach the gospel to the world.

The first thing that Jesus commands his disciples to do is to take nothing with them. Jesus does this so that at every point of their ministry, Jesus’s disciples will have to rely on God to provide for them. The disciples of Jesus will have to rely on God working through others to provide everything from a place to sleep at night to food for the next day. Through this command, Jesus is teaching his followers that in life and ministry, you will have to rely on God.

Secondly, Jesus gives his followers a command relating to how to deal with those who reject the gospel. When the disciples enter into a community that rejects the action of God in the world, the disciples are to “dust off the soles of your feet as a testimony against them.” This action is a sign would be comparable to the modern day phrase, “I wash my hands of you.” By dusting off their feet, the disciples are literally dusting off the city itself. In a way, the disciples are communicating, I have faithfully proclaimed God message to you; now you have rejected not only me, but God who sent me here.

Jesus wanted his followers to understand that there will be times in life that you proclaim the gospel; where you have been faithful to preach what God has called you to. This will not mean that because you have been faithful to God, that others will accept your message or accept you. Jesus warns his followers that his message comes to divide families and cut to the heart of people. There will be times when some are resistant to God’s work in the world. As followers, we have to remember that when we are rejected, they are first rejecting God, not us.

Following the leading of Christ, his disciples are sent out to proclaim and show or manifest the Kingdom of God. Jesus’s command to us is no different than his command to his disciples in Mark 6. As followers of Jesus, we are to be characterized as those who are sent out. Pastor Mike reminded our church community about that during the 11 am service on Sunday when he taught us that the word “church” means, “those who are sent out.” As the Church, the Body of Christ, we are those who have been sent out to preach and manifest the Kingdom of God.

Questions

1.     What did Jesus send out his disciples to do?

2.     Why did Jesus send out his disciples?

3.     Why did Jesus not want his disciples to bring anything with them?

4.     What did he command them to do when their message was rejected? Why did he command them to do this?

5.     What do you think Jesus calls us to do as his disciples?

6.     Where is Jesus sending you?

7.     What can we learn from out Jesus sent out his disciples?

8.     How might your family work to proclaim God’s message to your community?

Regret & Submission, by King David

Psalm 51

    For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

 ¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
   blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
   and cleanse me from my sin.

 ³ For I know my transgressions,
   and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
   and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
   and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
   sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
   you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

***

Last Tuesday here at High School Youth Group, we had a panel on Prayer. I got to participate and answer the question: "When was it hardest for you to pray?"

My answer was what I imagine David's answer would've been. I answered that the hardest times for me to pray have been when I am steeped in sin. Prayer is this relationship, this conversation between God and us; when I am messing up in my own life, I avoid God. Talking to Him feels false, fabricated. I can't talk to Him like everything is fine when I know HE knows I've messed up. I know that, if I'm going to talk to God, the first thing I have to do is repent. I have to admit fault and let him forgive me. 

Here we see David having just been called out on his sin by Nathan the prophet. David does not deny his sin; he accepts it and faces it head on. (Note: This is the adult way to handle things in your life. Accepting responsibility when you've done something wrong is a very, very good thing.) 

He then throws himself upon the mercy of God. There is a relationship here. A trust. David deeply loves God. David's sin doesn't change that fact. he essentially responds this way: 

• God, you are great in mercy and forgiveness; please direct that towards me.
• Make me clean again and restore our relationship.
• My sin is haunting me; plaguing me terribly.
• I know whatever I've done, I've done against You first and others second.
• You are completely just. I trust Your judgment of me.
• You have given me grace and the capacity for good since birth; give me the wisdom to exercise that wisdom.

David is an incredible example to us because he sinned. We all sin; it's unavoidable. We see here how to wisely communicate with God when we sin. It's not an easy thing to do, but it is a good thing.

We sing this song by Jon Foreman (singer for Switchfoot) in youth group sometimes. It is based on this verse. Let this resonate with you and empower you to come to God in confession when you need to. 

God The Sower

Mark 4
The Parable of the Sower

1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Reflection

Katie and I have a very small garden on our apartment balcony. Scattered across our back porch are little, medium, and large pots containing some alive and some barely living plants.

When we first moved into our apartment, we went out and bought some plants, some seeds, pots, and soil to decorate our porch. We went home and placed some planets in the shade, some in the sun, and planted some in the dirt. Then we waited. A few weeks and months went by and some plants bloomed beautiful flowers, while some others just wilted and died. (Don’t worry; we had a small ceremony for those that passed-on.)

Through this whole process, Katie and I learned one hard lesson: plants are very delicate creatures.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus is using the practice of sowing seeds to illustrate a spiritual reality. The sower in the story just has one job, to go out and sow seeds. What is interesting about the parable is that the sower doesn’t carefully place each seed in the prefect place; the sower just throws them and allows them to land wherever they do.

Some of the seeds grow up to become healthy plants that produce amazing fruit and many more health plants. Other seeds fall into different types of environments and soon cause the seed to wither and pass-away.

Most preachers use this passage to tell Christians, “You are the sower. You better go out there and preach God’s gospel… now go out and throw those seeds!”

I think this is a rather interesting take on this parable. I have always thought of the “sower” as God, not us. That is not to say we do not have to preach the gospel by how we live, but we need to realize that we are not the one who plants the seed, God is.

What I have always found interesting about this parable is the different environments the seeds fall into. Some seeds fall into a good enough environments that they are able to grow up and become healthy plants. Other seeds fall into environments that destroy the seeds ability to become healthy.

This parable communicates something very interesting about us as humans: just like the plants that Katie and I tried to plant, we are delicate creatures. There are certain environments that can destroy our spirituality and the ability for us to grow into healthy, fruit-bearing Christians.

When I read this parable I always find myself asking, “What environment am I creating?” If God planted a seed in my community, would I help it grow or not?

In families and as people, I think we need to sometimes check in and ask ourselves a hard question, “What environment are we creating?” Is it one that is creating space for the spirit of God to move? Or, is it one that is focused more on things of the world?

Question
1. Who is the sower in Jesus’s parable?
2. Who are the seeds?
3. Why do some seeds grow while others die off? What is it about some environments that help the seeds grow well? What is it about the environment that causes some seeds to die?
4. What type of environment do you feel like this family is creating? Are we helping nourish each other’s spiritual lives?
5. What are some practical things we can change to help create a healthier environment?

The God of Jacob is our Fortress

Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Reflection

In the fall, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church installed a labyrinth in the park outside of the youth room. A labyrinth is a prayer path that winds away from and toward the center in a circular pattern as you follow the road to the center of the circle and then back out again.

This maze without dead-ends is a representation of the Christian life. In life, there are times when you feel really close to the “center” (God) and there are times when you far away from the “center” (God). As you follow the path, no matter what you do, you end up at the “center” with God.

Psalm 46 is what is known as a “Hymn of Zion.” These psalms represent a special kind of connection to the holy place in the life of Israel know as Zion. It represents the presence of God on Earth; a place where God is always present.

In the early life of the church, many people would take what is known as pilgrimages to Zion, or Jerusalem. These journeys would represent the spiritual journey that all of us are on, that in some way we are all on a journey towards the “center.”

In today’s world, it can be so hard to remember that we Christians are all on a journey towards God. There are so many distractions or other “centers” we can feel like we are on a journey towards. Those “centers,” such as college, career, marriage, and retirement can distract us from the true “center” we are all moving towards.

At the same time, there are events in life that distract us from God, that pull us away from the “center.” These can be things like a death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a bad break-up, or the failure to make that team or group.

Psalm 46 reminds us of a truth that the evil one tries to steal from us. The first stanza (verse 1 through 7) shows us that no matter what happens in life, God is always present. He never changes and is our “strength and refuge.”

In the second stanza, starting in verse 8, the psalm takes a turn toward the future, toward a time where God will dwell with his creation, when God will finally cast away all evil and pain and be exalted over all the nations and kings.

Throughout this psalm there runs a promise so important it is repeated twice (v. 7 and v. 11), “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

I hope that you take refuge in the fact that the God who created you is always with you, no matter what. God looks down on you and cares for you. He cannot take his eyes off of you and one day, you will not be able to take your eyes off of him. One day, God and his creation will dwell in prefect harmony. On that day, the LORD will be with us for eternity.

Questions
1. What have been some times in your life when you have felt close to God?
2. What have been some times in your life when you have felt far away from God?
3. Why do you think there are times that we feel close to God?
4. Why do you think there are times when we feel far away from God?
5. No mater how we feel, what is the promise given to us by God in this psalm?
6. How can we find hope and peace in that promise?
7. How can we as a family help each other remember that promise?

Y.O.L.O. & The Resurrection

Matthew 28

Jesus Has Risen

 ¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

 ² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

 ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

 ⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report

 ¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³ telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

The Great Commission

 ¹⁶ 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.”

***

As we prepare for Easter Sunday in a few days, this passage is clearly poignant and well-used in the Moravian Text plan. Here we see Christ's triumphant return from the grave and his victory on full display to his followers and killers alike. The beauty of this verse can fade with time if you let it, but for those who love Christ with a heart of fondness and joy, this passage is the bedrock of every Christians hope. Our Lord did not give his soul up to death; he is fully and completely resurrected and living!


With this truth comes many resounding truths, the foremost being that death itself is conquered forevermore. We no longer need to fear our own demise; Christ has taken away our temporal lives and replaced them with eternity. Death has no power over the Christian. We are free!


There is a little catchphrase going around these days with a lot of our students at GSLC called Y.O.L.O., which stands for "You Only Live Once." A hip-hop artist named Drake made it up, and it essentially has become a soundbyte reason for people to live out their lives as if there's a time limit on what they will be able to do. The idea behind it goes something like this: "I better do as much fun stuff as I can right now, because that's what it means to really have a full and fulfilled life. If I make mistakes, it doesn't matter; I only live once, and I would rather make mistakes but be able to say I 'lived' at the end of my life."


As a Christian, this is simply a non-reality. While it is true that we only live once, the whole truth is that we live forever. Not only that, but the vast, VAST majority of that life will be lived in the full, uncensored presence of our living God. This passage of Scripture is one full of hope, and one that proves our lives are not resigned to the point when our earthly bodies expire. On the contrary, in fact! Once we enter the presence of our Heavenly Father, then we will really understand life as it was meant to be; the life that Jesus came to give us. We will be wed to our holy and glorified Bridegroom, and what happened during our lives on earth will blissfully fade. 


So in leu of reflection questions this week, I offer this: Simply reflect on the glory of a never-ending life with God Himself. His beauty, His endless love, His splendor, His majesty. Let that image be your source of life. And remember this incredible truth: Y.O.L.F. You Only Live Forever.

The Forsaken

Matthew 27:45-56
The Death of Jesus

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Reflection

In today’s reading we come to the pinnacle of the passion narrative. Jesus only has hours left on his life. As the sky over Jesus’ head continue to grow darker, it becomes harder and harder for Jesus to breathe.

What many do not realize about crucifixion is that one does not die of pain. Instead, they die of weakness, dehydration, and suffocation. The goal of the cross used by the Roman Empire was to keep the person alive as long as they could so that they would suffer further shame.

The reason Jesus dies so quickly was because of the pain, dehydration, and blood loss he suffered during this flogging.

Now Jesus hangs trying to lift his body to gasp at breath. Finally with what was probably one his last breathes, he shouts out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

This phrase is meant to make the reader pause and contemplate the fact that there is no other place in any gospel that Jesus says, “My God.” When referring to any member of the Trinity, Jesus uses the phrases “my Father,” the “Spirit,” or the “helper.”

At the same time, any good Jewish student would have known that this phrase comes form Psalm 22. In fact it is the first statement in that psalm. By saying the first phrase of the psalm, Jesus is drawing forth the meaning of the whole psalm and calling it to the listeners and readers mind.

There is one phrase in Psalm 22 that comes to mind: “But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.”

Many Biblical scholars believe that in this moment God turned his back on Jesus. At the point of Jesus’s death, God leaves Jesus alone. God is completely separated from God for the first and only time in history.

This occurs so that Jesus can die; so he can take on the shame and the reality of sin in the world. In this action Jesus takes our place. Jesus takes on our words, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus becomes the one who is forsaken so we don't have to be.

After Jesus’s cry to God, Jesus takes his last breath and gives up his spirit.

At this moment in time, a large earthquake shakes the world and the curtain between the Holy of Holies and the rest of the temple is torn in two. These physical actions denote a dramatic shift in the world; the end of the old world and the beginning of a new one.

Now, God’s people have direct access to God. They no longer need a priest to go to God for them. They can go to God in prayer, bring him an offering, show him their thanks, worship him freely, and find forgiveness.

Questions
1. Why did Jesus say, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” What does this tell us about what happened when Jesus died?
2. What does Jesus’s death take from us?
3. What does the earthquake and the tearing of the curtain in the temple tell us about the new reality that is present in the world?
4. What does Jesus’s death mean to you personally?
5. How can we reason in thankfulness for what Jesus did for us?