So there was this one day when Jesus went to church.  It made such a huge impression than Matthew, Mark and Luke record the events of the day for us.  Mark puts it pretty close to the start of his gospel.  Jesus went home in some respects and did what most people did in that day.  He went to church.  They called it a synagogue but church is far easier to spell.  Now remember that no one really knew who He was at that time.  He was not yet the celebrity that would follow in a short amount of time.  You can then only imagine the emotional effect of what Jesus did that day would have on those who were there.

The first thing that Jesus does is to take the Old Testament reading of the day and speak about it.  We may not know what He read but we do know what was the response.  People in attendance were amazed at how He spoke about God and the truth.  Their words were to the point of Jesus speaking with authority unlike the usual speakers at the service.  I think this means He didn't talk about what people thought of the scripture but what it really was all about.  This is what He does in the Sermon on the Mount.  No place was found for rehashing tired old ideas when Jesus cut to the point so God could speak to those listening.  His would be a first person authority rather than reciting the rules around the word.  That was enough to gain the attention of those there but more would follow.

It seems one person had a major problem with Jesus.  Actually, the problem was this person being inhabited by evil in the form of a demon.  Now some scholars may dismiss this as the old beliefs before we would be enlightened.  But it is just my humble opinion that what is recorded is what happened.  This time we read of Jesus dismissing the evil or the demon with a simple command.  Again the people exclaim wonder at this authority of Jesus to cast out this horrible being.  Jesus doesn't gloat over this power nor does He use the moment to call attention to Himself.  But that will not change the reactions of the people as they left church to tell others what they saw in Jesus.  Today was no ordinary day of worship as He displays a real authority to change the lives of others.

Church people tend to get worked up over this problem of authority.  We point to our positions or our accomplishments as some mark of power.  Jesus needs none of that as He simply takes action to bring God's presence into the world.  Other people claim a sense of authority due to longevity or having donated more to the church than another.  Real authority is the result of one thing only.  Is there the living presence of God active through you to change the lives of others?  No other measure really holds up in the Kingdom.  Some may brag or parade around as having something that God doesn't hold in high value.  Let a person begin to see God work through them and discover how threatening it is to the status quo.  May there come a day when we count authority in the same way as Jesus.  That time cannot come soon enough.

Bro. Trey

I confess to being a minimalist.  I do not need a lot of stuff to make me happy.  Maybe some of that is just being content with what I do have but either way it is true.  My closet gets cleaned out at least once a year of shirts or pants that were not worn over the last 365 days.  Most years will find me doing that twice.  Every so often I will gaze over the books in my library to decide which ones are really important.  That collection of books was once twice the size that it is now.  Some were left in other churches while some were sold or donated.  What is kept is usually somewhat valuable.

I say this because of recent developments here.  There was another cabinet clearing of books and papers just last week.  That is not the odd part of the matter.  What slowly crept into my mind was why some things are now being swept away.  I am getting older.  So much of what was cast aside was collected in my younger years.  There is a filing cabinet at home that carries my varied study notes and the like.  Even that was getting full with no room for what needed to be put in there.  I found myself discarding old files from perhaps thirty years ago.  The reason for such a sweep was I could not see me needing it over the next twenty years.  My actions were much the same as always but there was a creeping sense of a new motivation.

Most do not consider me particularly old.  Even my birthday may not say that antique status is around the corner.  But it does mean that so much of ministry is behind me rather than ahead of me.  I do believe the coming years can and should be the best after learning the hard way over and over again.  My goal is to keep active so age is an ally rather than a foe.  But at some point you have to realize that life counts as there are no do overs.  If you let me measure the past ministry you would find me to be my own worst critic. Sure there are many things that I would like to do over or different if given the chance.  We know that just is not possible.  Perhaps all anyone can do is offer that past to God for His blessing on our efforts.  But now we move into a new stage of life.

And so my cleaning out of files, papers, books becomes a real act of reflection.  What really gets me going with an energy that defies the calendar?  How much repetition do we experience moving in our journey rather than experiencing the newness of God?  Can we narrow down our focus to our core issues rather than being stuck in the traffic of lesser things?  All of this comes to mind for me lately.  I cannot give you any definitive answers just yet.  This is a process as well as a moment in time.  The answers will affect my work, my family and all that I am.  It is not enough to sweep out the old without also leaving room for the new.  That is my hope and desire.

Bro. Trey

Ever have God write a new verse in your Bible?  That is a phrase a family friend once used to describe the moment when you read a verse or passage in a new or fresh way.  She would describe it as the writing of a new verse.  We may not always do that or walk along in scripture the same manner.  It is a tragic thing to miss out on such experiences.  God's word has a way of revealing itself further or deeper as we go along in our study.  I got to have one of those moments yesterday while reading about John the Baptist.  It was as if God wrote a new verse in my mind when reading a familiar story.

Most of us who go to church know at least a little about John.  We hear his story from birth to his ministry around this time of the year in the church calendar.  One of the Sundays of Advent is usually devoted to one aspect of his narrative.  I was reading from Matthew 3 when something jumped out at me.  It tells us that John was in the wilderness as he began the ministry to which he was called.  Just those three words telling us where he was lodged in my brain.  John doesn't start his work in some grand cathedral or among the teeming masses but begins way out yonder in the wilderness.  That sounds odd to me.

Most people who lead in new church work or developing new ministries will do it where there are lots of people.  You research an area to discover who lives there and what are their characteristics.  No intelligent minister would start a cowboy church in an urban setting where people listen to classical or jazz music on the radio.  Would you really launch out into a grand children's work when you live among older adults?  Yet here we read about this evangelist starting his revival meetings way out there where the traffic patterns are limited.  Did he make a mistake or what exactly would God be doing to send him there?

Then we read in Luke 3 that God's word came to him while John was in that lonely place. It suggests not just an information dump from God but specific words directed to him for life and ministry.  We may wind up in the wilderness by dumb decisions of our own creation.  We may end up there because of conditions that are beyond us.  John is in a wilderness called of God to hear Him then respond to Him in obedience.  The result is that the crowds to come out to John as he obeys God in word and deed.  What started in an out of the way place will become a movement that ushers in God's best in Jesus.

Just remember one thing when reflecting on the gospel account.  God can speak to us anywhere, anytime, and in any place.  We limit Him when our view is the world must be perfect for God to operate.  We may also miss out when we are comfortable in life without our ears being in tune with God.  The greatest moments of our journey await us when we pay attention to what God is saying.  Maybe we think God is leading us into wilderness when that is exactly what He is doing.  He guides us where we do not understand in order to gain our full attention.  It worked out all right for John and it may just work out fine for us.

Bro. Trey

Trying to get back into the saddle is a bit more difficult than I imagined.  We get out of habits or routines for a time only to wrestle with stuff getting back to the norm. Here is an example.  Tons of people are going to sign up for health clubs during the next few weeks having made the resolution to get in shape.  Most of those new exercise fanatics will fall by the wayside by March or April.  We saw it happen every year when I was a health club member in Louisiana.  You could not get to the equipment for a month or two but by summer we were back to the same regulars who went year round.  Maybe one or two held on the their resolve but most would lose focus then wander away.  Think of me as one of those new members at the moment while trying to get back to life as I knew it.

There is also another thought to this theme.  Perhaps it would not be smart to get into the same saddle I had prior to all of the treatments and the transplant.  It could be that is time for a new saddle along with everything else.  Life is far more than just going back to what we had if that is far from God's best.  Paul would write to the Romans that they should discover God's will as they are transformed by His presence.  That may mean learning new stuff so we go on new journeys.  It may also mean letting go of the old that served as baggage though we had nowhere to go.  Being in the saddle should be no option for the believer but we tend to take it as something we may not care for.

Some avoid the journey from past hurts that haunt us.  There are believers that mean well but they are scared of anything new they cannot control.  Maybe we should not blame them as their scars are very real.  But they are missing out on God's best to settle for comfort now.  Others may avoid the journey as they enjoy the current saddle.  It fits them like a glove and doing anything new just doesn't appeal to them.  Theirs is a faith that recycles the memories of yesterday without a challenge to them.  That leads to a life without excitement, danger or faith.  People like that look good in their pews but notice if there is any real depth to their life.  We can go on and on but you get the idea.

Count me as one who wants a new saddle now.  Six weeks of being away from a normal life gives you a perspective.  Going back to my old saddle actually unnerves me a bit.  God wants to get us in the saddle with the purpose of keeping us new and fresh.  We do not face obstacles just because God wants to punish us but He longs to make us alive.  We fall short of His will if we are mad He wants us to change those saddles.  We fail to move forward when fear keeps us far away from the horse.  I want neither of those options.  Now that is not to say any of this is simple as it is not.  Neither is any of this painless.  But we get into all of this knowing our truest of hearts is aimed toward God and not self.  I choose to trust Him in these days of new discovery.  Maybe you can also.

Bro. Trey