One thought to consider BEFORE running out on to the field of a professional football game: There are 20+ guys out there with you, who are trained to hurt other people.
I submit to you Exhibit A, from the recent Packers-Lions game.
For those of you who frequent this blog, I offer an apology of how out-of-date my Listening, Watching, and Reading tabs have been!
I recognize that the world runs quite well without readers knowing what I’m consuming media-wise, but the purpose of those pages is to share what’s influencing me and perhaps be one more voice for you on what is or isn’t worth your time, in the sea of stuff out there.
As of two minutes ago, those pages are all up-to-date, and I am putting measures in place to providing at least monthly updates on those pages, beginning now.
In his book, “In Pursuit of the Great White Rabbit,” Edward Hays puts out this significant portion of spiritual guidance:
“If we are to experience God, we must be open to God, to the mystical, to the divine, appearing in our lives. And we must have an openness that is free of any preconditions about HOW that will happen. Looking for God in a godly form is the great historical mistake.”
A season like Christmas can redirect the spotlight to this mark once again: An “unplanned” baby in a mangey manger in a barely-there town, held by peasant parents who are about to become refugees… Continue reading
Matthew 4:12-17 depicts a time when John the Baptist has been arrested and when Jesus is stepping forward into his own ministry. His curious first step forward? Withdraw.
The language of the text says that Jesus “withdrew into Galilee”, leaving Nazareth for Capernaum. More than mere relocation, the shift is backed with Isaiah’s prophetic language:
“The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
Jesus’ presence is akin to that of light: Comforting, empowering, and revealing. It was so in the region of Galilee, and it continues to be so in every life that opens its doors to Jesus.
Verse 17 then adds:
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Too often, we internally shrink this sharp call of Jesus’ into a paraphrase: “Stop being bad, start being good, and you’ll feel God’s blessing on your life.” That isn’t untrue; it’s just not true enough.
Jesus’ statement is framed as a logical movement from Isaiah’s words, meaning that a more accurate slant on Jesus’ earliest message would be: “God’s light is shining brighter and nearer than you would dare to think. In view of this, drop everything that hinders and hardens you against this growing God-reign and embrace all that frees and forms you for full participation in it.”
In two lines: Jesus, the Light of lights, is shining. Draw near and step in to the view and the warmth found there.
Anything less shouldn’t likely be called Christmas.
A recent Advent reading was from Zephaniah 3. Scanning the rest of the chapter later, I stayed for a while on the opening verses (3:1-2):
“Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God.”
My observation is that most Bible readers nowadays mentally check out when a passage kicks off with the word “woe”. Perhaps it’s the “old feel” of the term; perhaps it’s the sheer weight of the word and it warning nature.
But we would be wise to swallow the “woe” and rest on what follows. There is warning. Anyone who strives to live in a responsible, upstanding fashion may be tempted to deflect a word like “rebellious” toward someone more “worthy of the title”. But that would dull the blade set to do surgery on us.
Zephaniah fleshes out “rebellious” with these descriptives:
These are harder shots to dodge. Who among us doesn’t shut our ears sometimes when we should be listening hardest? Which of us has called God our own, while living out nothing resembling trust?
Such living wears the banner of “rebellious”, and we dwelling on Zephaniah’s words can convict us that this banner fits with remarkable comfort, more than we expected.
That is the blade of prophecy. At its sharpest, it has surgical precision and transformative power in the lives of God’s people. That has always been the intention—to tune our attention.