The Lost Sheep

Luke 15: 1 - 7 (NIV): 1 Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

    This story tells us a lot about God's character. He loves everyone. He isn't judgmental, but instead, goes after those who are lost from him or who have strayed from him. He, like any good father or shepherd, wants us to be found and safe. The Pharisees thought Jesus should shun sinners if he really was the Christ, but they were wrong. Jesus said he came to save that which was lost. 

    He told this parable to show how God feels about sinners and lost people. A shepherd would actively seek after one lost sheep. The shepherd, Jesus said, would in fact leave the ninety-nine and search for the lost one. That's God's attitude -- he doesn't want to lose even one person. And it thrills his heart when a lost person comes to him and is saved. God's heart is for evangelism and always has been. Ours should be too. We should be concerned about people all around us who have never found Christ, or who have strayed away and need to be found again.

    Jesus wasn't tempted by the "sinners" who came to hear him, instead he had compassion on them. He loved them just as they were, but he loved them too much to let them stay that way. He wasn't celebrating their sinfulness, but was calling them to repentance. That's what pleases God and it should please us too.

Day One of Creation

Genesis 1: 1 - 5 (NIV): 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day. 

    How can we believe the Bible is true if we do not believe the very first verse? How are we not calling God a liar if we believe that we arrived on this planet through natural forces when God said he created us? How can we believe that Jesus raised people from the dead -- and that he himself rose from the dead if we do not believe these verses too?

    Ancient stories of creation were wild and full of legendary embellishments, but this account is orderly and logical. God states that he was before time. He spoke the universe into existence. He created light, then began to separate the elements and put them into place. Call it the big bang, but it was God speaking.

    Einstein said "either everything is a miracle or nothing is." I totally agree. Clearly everything is a miracle. Everything is supernatural. The more I have studied this the more I see that the only way life makes any sense is if it was set in place as it is. Cells are irreducibly complex and so are whole eco-systems and human organ systems. Nothing would work if it were any "simpler". Life clearly did not evolve from some, more simple, form. That's impossible. A woodpecker could never have survived without the cushion that allows it to peck the side of a tree and without the hollow bones and amazing feathers that allow it to fly. These so called adaptations are design features that couldn't have happened by accident. Someone had to write the DNA code.
    Yes, some things appear to be ancient, but God had to create everything with the appearance of age. This isn't deception, but a necessity. Adam was grown when he was created so he appeared to be much older than he was when he was first created. Why not the entire universe? When The Bible says it, I believe it. And logic is on my side.

Jesus is Baptized

Matthew 3: 13 - 17 (NIV): 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened,and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

    Why did Jesus need to be baptized? Was he a sinner who needed to repent? After all, that was John the Baptist's message. No, Jesus was without sin. But he showed that he was one of us by this act. God never asks us to do anything he isn't willing to do himself. Here, Jesus set the example for us that we need to be baptized. He was also showing that he approved of John the Baptist and his message.

    At Pentecost, Peter told the crowd to "repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) Jesus told us to baptize all believers in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So baptism is important. Baptism is our entry into the church which is critical for spiritual growth. Baptism tells the world what has happened inside of us. God has cleansed us and we have been born again. Paul says we are buried with Christ in baptism and raised to walk a new life in him. So the water is symbolic of our being covered by the grace of God.

    Different denominations baptize by different methods and at different times in a person's spiritual journey. To me, what is important is that you have been baptized and that you are comfortable with where you stand with God.

Epiphany 2014

Matthew 2: 10-12 (NIV): 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

    This is the part of the Christmas story about the mysterious Magi who came and worshiped Jesus and presented him with gifts. Many churches tell this story on "Epiphany Sunday", which falls around the 12th-day of Christmas. This is a centuries-old tradition that dates back to at least 350 A.D.

    An Epiphany is a revelation. It is when a person sees something, as though a light were shining on it to reveal it to him. It's an "Oh, I see" moment. Since we are not sure who the Magi were, they represent the peoples of the earth. Matthew tells us they were from the east and from another country. That's all we know for sure. I personally believe they were Jews who had remained in Babylon after the exile, but I can't completely prove this. Because they came from a distant land to worship the Christ, we celebrate the epiphany that God's gift of salvation is for all people.

    So, have you seen the light? Have you had the epiphany that God loves you and wants to save you?

    And they worshiped Jesus when they found him. That should be our response as well. They bowed to him and presented him with gifts -- gifts that reveal who he was: gold is a gift for a king, incense is a gift for a God, and myrrh is a gift for a Savior. Myrrh was used to anoint a dead person and would have been a strange gift to give anyone other than a person who came to die for us. True worship always involves sacrifice and they understood this.

    We see in this story that evil was at work to thwart God's plans, but evil did not prevail. God is in control and his plans are always fulfilled. Now it's up to us to see the light and understand this.