A Place to Pray

While there can be no doubt that Jesus prayed when He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, the first time we see a picture in Mark's gospel of Jesus praying is in the 35th verse of the first chapter.  After spending the night in the home of Peter and Andrew, the Scripture says, "In the morning while it was still very dark, He (Jesus) got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed."  As we read those words, "a deserted place," we see the importance of place.  Jesus could have rolled over on His mat when He woke and prayed as we sometimes might do.  Or, He could have gone outside and sat down on the ground.  Instead, He went to a deserted place.   

What this tells us is that where He went was not just any place. The place He went satisfied several criteria.  He could be alone.  It was a place empty of possible distractions.  The act of going to it was as intentional as the act of praying.  It was a place quiet enough that listening to what could not be heard was possible.  It speaks of a single mindedness.  The reason He went was to be alone with the Father.   It may not be possible or practical for us to physically leave the place were we sleep to pray, but such a restriction does not prohibit us from knowing a place within our home as a place of prayer.  

We have a place for preparing our meals. We have another place for eating. We have a place for entertainment and study.  If we choose, we could also have a place that we go to pray.  It could be a chair in a not so used room, or something like a self created worship center in the corner of a room.  Maybe one of the things suggested to us by the story of Jesus finding a place to pray is that having such a place would be a good thing for us as well.   

A Model for Praying

If we find ourselves too busy to pray, or if we find ourselves wondering if praying really makes any difference, we only need to read the first chapter of the gospel of Mark.  As we come to the 35th verse of that chapter we read, "In the morning while it was still very dark, He (Jesus) got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed."  The day before had been an extremely busy and full day.  The Scripture speaks of the whole city being gathered around his door and in response to such great need, "He cured many who were sick with various diseases."  (Mark 1:34).  

After a day and evening which must have been physically and emotionally draining,  Jesus was up long before the sun rose to pray.  He not only rose early to pray, but he sought out a place where He could pray without any distractions or disturbances.  As we read this passage of Scripture, we see Jesus modeling His own life of prayer.  His prayer life underscores the importance of prayer.  It is obvious to us that if Jesus found it important to do, it surely is important for us.  In His prayer life He received not only the strength to sustain Him, but also the direction for His life.  Through His prayer life, He was able to go forward iwth the will of the Father to direct Him.  

Surely, one of the things we want to do in our life is to live within the will of our Father God.  When Simon Peter found Jesus, it was his intent to bring Jesus back to the place of yesterday, but Jesus was ready to go into the future as He said, "Let us go to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came to do." (Mark 1:38).  Our praying enables us to move into the future God has planned for us.  It is a spiritual discipline that enables us to live in sync with that plan.

A Witness to Healing

During the last week I have used JourneyNotes to focus on the healing ministry of Jesus and the church's response to it.  While it seems to be a neglected and forgotten ministry of the church, I am convinced it is a ministry which needs to be an integral part of what the church does as it seeks to be the hands and feet and the heart of Christ in the world.  Jim Jackson, a good friend and retired pastor of one of the largest United Methodist churches in Houston, Texas, shared a response via email which I asked for permission to share.  It seems fitting to end this series of blogposts with this word which is an encouragement to those who are in need of healing and those who are praying for them.   

"This weekend I am doing a wedding for a 32 year old man.  He was a great high school athlete, but when he was a junior he had a virus attack his heart.  He was at death’s door for days.  His blood pressure was in the teens and they had to shock his heart several times an hour to keep him alive.  They put him on the heart transplant list and started looking everywhere for a donor.  On Saturday morning I called all the people leading worship services on Saturday night and Sunday (we had 8 services) and told them that at some point in their service I wanted every able bodied person in worship praying on their knees for God to spare Charlie Russell.  

I’d love to tell you that I was full of faith that God would intervene; that wouldn’t be true.  All I knew is that we could not let Charlie die without having everyone ask God to spare him.  What God chooses to do was God’s business, but we weren’t going to let him go without asking.  At 2pm the lead cardiologist told his parents (his dad had been in worship) that his heart had suddenly stabilized.  He said he was stunned and had no explanation.  They took him off the heart transplant list on Monday morning.  They sent him home on Tuesday.  Charlie may be the physically  strongest young man that I have ever known.  I have lunch with him about once a quarter.  He is a dynamic Christian leader.  I was also privileged to baptize the woman he will marry tomorrow night.  No one could ever convince Charlie or his family that God doesn’t still do miracles."  

Fear of Failure

There are not many churches which practice an intentional ministry of healing. The church today is more comfortable with worship that is carefully choreographed, raising money to build new buildings, and sending a small group of people to do missions in some third world country.  In its preoccupation with either attracting the masses, or keeping the status quo members content, spiritual ministries which seem to be on the edge are usually talked about but not practiced.  Institutions such as the church has become are not interested in taking risks.  Sunday School lessons and sermons are offered on the healing ministry of Jesus, but very seldom are there invitations given for the sick to gather for healing prayers.   

One of the reason is a fear of failure.  The leaders of the church want to be seen as successful and it looks like a failure has taken place if prayers are offered for healing and the sick walk away still sick.  "What if we pray and no one is healed?" is the question which frames the fears of those who give leadership to the church. What is often forgotten is that the person who prays for healing is not the healer.  God is the Healer.  The one doing the praying is simply praying, knowing that whatever happens is finally in the hands of God.  

Another reason for our reluctance is that we do no see ourselves as one who has the spiritual gift of healing.  Once again it must be remembered that no spiritual gifts are necessary to pray.  The healing prayers we pray depend not upon some special words we pray, or the length of those prayers, but the grace of God.  If a church is interested in pursuing a ministry of healing according to the ministry of Jesus, it needs to spend some time helping believers understand what God is able to do and the roles we do and do not have as participants in such a ministry.  

Anointing Oil

Something often used in ministries of healing is anointing oil.  Some traditions have a service in which the oil is consecrated for use during the upcoming year.  Usually, the oil is olive oil and in some cases spices may be added to it.  In the early church anointing oil was used as a part of prayers for healing; however, much later the ritual of anointing someone with oil was more about preparing them for death.  More recently that practice has been altered so that the anointing has a purpose which is more about living than dying.  

When I was growing up in the rural parts of south Georgia, I can never remember seeing anyone anointed with oil.  I did hear about its use in the Pentecostal churches, but back then there was more separation between the mainline Protestant community and the more independent Pentecostal churches where less sedate worship took place.  I was some twenty years into my ministry before I acquired my first anointing oil and actually began to make use it.  I was introduced to its usage and the practice of it by an Episcopalian pastor friend in Vidalia.  To my surprise he used it regularly which blew all my preconceived misconceptions out the window.   

Of course, it is a practice mentioned in the Scripture in numerous places.  Mark 6:6-13 tells the story of Jesus sending the twelve out two by two.  They came back reporting that they had "...cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them."  The most often read passage about anointing oil is found in James 5::14 where it says, "Are any among you sick?  The should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord."  Certainly, there is no special power in the oil, but it is a sign of God's presence and blessing as well as a visible reminder of the grace of God touching the broken for purposes of wholeness.  

Beginning A Ministry

Be careful when reading the accounts of the healing ministry of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit may lead you into a place of being involved in such a ministry.  He may speak to you about being more intentional about praying for the sick.  You may find that telling someone you will pray for them is no longer enough.  You may be asked to set aside time each day to pray for those who suffer.  Or, you may be asked to bring together a group of people who do not meet to socialize, or read a book about praying, but who actually spend time praying for those in need of God's healing hand.  

It may also be that the Spirit will use these accounts of the healing ministry of Jesus in such a way that you can no longer abide the church neglecting this ministry.  If such is where the Holy Spirit is leading, it would seem that the starting place is a personal conviction that the Holy Spirit with the gift of healing should have an essential place in the life of the church.  Perhaps, a small group study or a season of studying this ministry in Sunday School classes would be a way of giving the Spirit and opportunity to prepare the way.  Before launching out, it will prove to be a good thing to provide a place for teaching, discussion, and the questions which will surely arise.  Another thing required in a movement toward a healing ministry in the church is a loving community.  

Of course, at some point there must be a prayerful decision to offer services of worship dedicated to praying for the healing of those who come with their needs.  When such a service if offered, there should be no disappointment that it is attended by a small group instead of the larger Sunday morning worship crowd.  The people who come will be those who are led by the Holy Spirit.  Some may come to have prayers offered for themselves, or they may come and kneel at the altar asking for prayers in behalf of a family member or dear friend.  Those who are prepared to pray for those who come are not the Healer.  God is the Healer.  Those who pray know their responsibility is not to heal, but to pray.

A Holy Intersection

I was eighteen years into my ministry before I really took seriously the healing ministry of Jesus.  One of those ten years I was in Vidalia, I decided to lead an adult study during the Vacation Bible School hours. The study was entitled, "The Healing Ministry of the Church."  I spent several months ahead of the study reading about the healing ministry of Jesus as it was recorded in the gospel as well as what the Apostles wrote about it to the early church.  As I recall there were two books which really helped me prepare for these small group sessions.  One was a book simply entitled, "Healing," by Father Francis MacNutt and the other was entitled, "Healing and Christianity" by Morton T. Kelsey.   Since both books were published in the "70's, they would no doubt be considering ancient and outdated.   

As is often the case when a preacher, or anyone, prepares to lead a group, he or she is likely to be the first one impacted by the material.  By the time I considered myself ready to lead the group, I was convicted by an awareness that I had been neglecting an important ministry of the church.  This conviction has not changed over the years which have slipped away behind me.   When the Vacation Bible School adult group study was finished, I put on our regular schedule a fourth Sunday night service which I called, "A Service of Prayers for Healing."  Such a service would continue in some form for the rest of my years of ministry.  

There was never a huge crowd present.  Actually, it was a small group that gathered on those fourth Sunday nights, but everyone knew it was a night when the sermon would be on the healing ministry of Jesus, the Sacrament would be offered, and those who had a need could stay at the altar after receiving the Communion for anointing with oil and prayers for healing.  While there were those who were regulars for the service, there were always some unexpected folks who showed up with a need for the ministry being offered during a moment which seemed to be an intersection between raw human need and the abundant grace of God.

The Healing Ministry

It is impossible to read the gospels without encountering the healing ministry of Jesus.  It is particularly true in the gospel written by Mark.  While the first act of healing recorded by Him happens with Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:31), it says a few verses later that "...He (Jesus) cured many who were sick with various diseases..." (vs. 34) and this is followed by a references to casting out demons in vs. 39.  Later there is an account of Jesus cleansing a leper (Mark 1:41) and restoring a paralytic. (Mark 2:11). Mark 3:1-6 tells of a man's withered hand being made whole.  Going on to Mark 2:10 the Word says, "...He (Jesus) cured many so that all who had diseases pressed upon Him to touch Him..."  

Mark shows no reluctance in lifting up the healing ministry of Jesus.  It is obvious that the healing ministry was an integral part of the ministry of Jesus and an expression of His compassion and concern for those suffering with illness.  To look at the history of the church is to see periods when it was an intentional ministry and to see other times when it disappeared.  The church of our day seems content with healing being left solely in the hands of the medical community.  While the medical community is an important instrument of healing in the hands of God, the church is also given an important role if the Scripture and the ministry of Jesus is taken seriously.  

In addition to the healing ministry of Jesus, ministries of healing continued in the early church after the ascension of Jesus.  James 5:13-18 make it clear that prayers for the sick and anointing them with oil was a common practice in the early church.  If the church of our day is serious about faithfulness to the ministries entrusted to it, the ministry of healing can no longer be ignored.  

The Talked About Ministry

It does not take but a few strokes of the pen for Mark to write about a ministry of Jesus which confounds the contemporary church.  One of the struggles of the church is deciding what to do with the healing ministry of Jesus.  Though eager to be His hands and feet on the streets of suffering, and though eager to feed the hungry in soup kitchens, and though ready to be about preaching and teaching in the sanctuary, it shows some confusion about being an instrument of healing in the world.  Of course, the church is more than ready to heal the kind of brokenness which requires acts of of reconciliation, but healing the body of its illnesses and brokenness is mostly handled by putting names of a prayer list.  

In most places the church is hesitant to enter into a visible and intentional ministry of healing.  Mark makes it clear that such a ministry was close to the heart of Jesus.  The first place this ministry is really encountered is in stories found in Mark 1:29-34.  After that synagogue visit where Jesus cast out evil spirits from a man, He went to the home of Peter's mother-in-law.  She was healed of a fever by Jesus and then later in the evening the people brought their sick to the place He was staying and the Word says, "And He cured many who were sick with various diseases..." (Mark 1:34).  There would be many such moments in the ministry of Jesus.  

The church often speaks of itself as the body of Christ, or a community which is expressed as the hands and feet of Jesus.  The ministries of Jesus provide a model for the ministries to be embraced.  It seems strange that there are no evidences of the ministry of healing being taken seriously by the church.  Aside from names being put on prayer list and occasional verbal assurances that God can heal the sick of their illnesses, the healing ministry of Jesus is largely delegated to something that the church holds at a distance.  Unfortunately, it has become a talked about ministry, but not really a practiced one.

A Surprise in the Synagogue

A surprising thing happened on that Sabbath when Jesus went to the synagogue in Capernaum.  It is not surprising that Jesus entered and taught, neither is it surprising that the people who listened were astounded at the way He spoke with such authority.  What is surprising was the presence of some normal looking man who was actually possessed by an unclean spirit.  What is surprising is the fact that the evil one, confronted only a short time earlier in the wilderness, was once again confronting Jesus, but this time is was in one of the holy places of Israel.   

There were, however, some significant differences in the encounter between Jesus and the evil one in the synagogue.  First, in the wilderness, Satan was on the offense.  The evil one was the aggressor.  In the synagogue it is obvious that evil is on defense.  What is actually true is that Satan acts like a fearful and defeated foe instead of the foe of the wilderness so full of confidence in his own power.  When revealed, the evil spirit cries out, "What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us?" (Mark 1:24)   Another interesting thing about this moment in the synagogue is that the first recorded witness affirming the power of Jesus comes from the realm of the evil one.  

Mark makes it clear that this ministry of Jesus, as full and as powerful as it is and will be, will be an ongoing struggle.  Satan did not just show up in the wilderness and then leave Jesus, but every step Jesus took was contested.  Even though still present and at work, the power of evil knows the power unleashed at the cross and the empty tomb was a signal of its coming final defeat. Martin Luther has us singing truth when he wrote that great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God."  Verse 3 says, "And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us...his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him."

Preaching with Authority

A few months ago I heard a preacher who was 85 years old preach one of the most powerful sermons I have heard in a long time.  His was a commanding presence in the pulpit.  His voice was strong.  As folks used to say, "He had fire in his belly," but for sure he had fire in his eyes.  His sermon thundered in that room like the ancient prophets who said, "Thus saith the Lord!"  No one in the room was drifting off to sleep.  All eyes were focused on him.  He preached with such conviction and authority.  There was no doubt in my mind that what he preached was the Word of the Lord.  

The gospel writer Mark tells us about the first preaching foray of Jesus as He moved through the region of Galilee. (Mark 1:14-15). A little later in his account of these early days of the ministry of Jesus, he writes about a visit to the synagogue of Capernaum, "They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.  They were astounded at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes." (Mark 1:21-22). The scribes taught by constantly making reference to older scribes who had left written and oral teachings.  The writings and teachings of other men were the authority of these Sabbath teachers, but no so with Jesus.  He bypassed such references and preached and taught according to the direction of the Holy Spirit.  His Words that day were more like the ancient prophets who made it clear that their authority was the revealed Word of the Lord. 

The church today needs preachers who preach with such authority.  If the preacher to whom we are listening is lacing sermons with words like "I think..maybe...it could be..." or is basing the sermon on something seen on television, find another preacher quickly.  A preacher's only authority is the Scripture, the Word of God. If the sermon does not begin with the Word, it is not worthy of the time invested in listening.  We need more preachers like that old preacher who overwhelmed us that day as he preached with the authority of the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit.

One or Two

There was a time when I was of the opinion that there were two kinds of conversions.  Each was characterized by an event in the New Testament.  There was the instantaneous conversion such as Saul of Tarsus experienced on the Damascus Road.  There was the gradual transformation in which a person came to an awareness of the love of Christ growing in their heart.  The story of the Emmaus Road illustrates such an experience.  Why I spent time considering something so unimportant is beyond me as I live out this season of my life.  

These thoughts resurfaced as I was reading the first chapter of the book of Mark.  It would seem from the story that Jesus was strolling along the Sea of Galilee, saw four fishermen, and suddenly at almost a single word from Him, each one became a disciple.  A slower reading, however, enable us to include a previous section within the framework of what was happening.  In the earlier section, the Scripture says, "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news."  (Mark 1:14). It is likely that those fishermen heard Jesus preaching, talked about what they heard, and had carried His words with them as they returned to their boats.  When Jesus called out to them that day, their hearts had been prepared and made ready to say "Yes!"  What looks like an instantaneous decision might have been one that had been growing within them since they first heard Jesus preach.  

I wonder how long the grace of Jesus had been working in my heart that night I knelt by bed in the Alamo parsonage and said,"Yes" to Him.  Saul's Damascus Road experience may have been the culmination of a work of grace that really began as Saul held the coats of those who cast deadly stones at Stephen.  I know not when grace first appeared in my life, but it did.  Grace always comes before faith and as it does, we do not always see it taking hold in our life. Grace comes quietly, but surely.   

The Final "Yes"

After leaving the waters of the Jordan and dry arid sand of the desert, Mark begins to speak of the beginning days of Jesus' ministry.  As He began His preaching ministry in Galilee, four men became His first disciples.  Simon and Andrew were the first to hear Jesus calling, "Follow Me..."  (Mark 1:17). The brothers, James and John, were the next two who left everything to follow Jesus.  One of the interesting and often missed things about the moment of their entering into a relationship with Jesus was that it all happened at His initiative.  It was truly a moment of grace which, of course, is always the case.  It was then and continues to be.   

Those four fishermen were not required to attend a discipleship training class to prove themselves.  Jesus took them as they were and they were four fishermen who knew how to fish, but not really trained for being entrusted with the affairs of the Kingdom of God.  Such training would come over the next three years, but at the moment of their calling they were raw and untrained.  What cannot be missed as we read the text is that Jesus saw them.  He chose them.  They did not make any initial movement toward Jesus. They became disciples because He chose them and called them.  Everything those four fishermen did that day was in response to what Jesus was offering to them.   

It is still working the same way today.  Our faith in Christ is not the initial act which brings us into relationship with Jesus.  Grace is the primary and the original factor in the relationship we have with Jesus.  This is what Paul was affirming as he wrote those oft quoted words to the Ephesians, "For by grace you have been saved through faith..." (Ephesians 2:8).  All of us are created by God.   All of us are seen by God.  All of us are chosen by God.  All of us are called by God.  Even as those four fishermen had to abandon a life dependent on self and choose to follow Jesus, so do we.  His grace makes it all possible, but the final "Yes" is ours to speak.

Seeing What Has Been Unseen

Mark looks at the life of Jesus and sees the unfolding plan of God.  It is evident in the very first part of his gospel.  As he tells the story, it is as if he is saying, "this event follows this event and then comes the next event."  For Mark the story started centuries earlier with the prophecies of Isaiah who not only spoke of Jesus as the suffering Messiah, but also spoke of one who would come to announce the coming of the Holy One of God.  "As it is written,.." he says.  (Mark 1:2).   Then John the Baptist appears to baptize and to proclaim, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming..." (Mark 1:4-7).  

"Jesus came..." (Mark 1:9)  He was baptized, anointed by the Holy Spirit and led into the wilderness,  (Mark 1:9-13).  John is arrested and the ministry of the Kingdom begins. (Mark 1:14-15).  Each event is like the building block for what is to come.  Everything happens in such rapid fire fashion those reading the story hardly have time to catch their breath, or perhaps, to absorb the significance of what is unfolding before their very eyes.  What we see is the plan of God, one step at a time.  Surely, this Word from the Word which tells us that we are not outside the plan of God is true.  God does not just have a plan for certain folks, but for all of us.  

What is also true is that we live such hurried lives that we miss seeing the steps which God has used to bring us to place where we are.  Our lives are not just about our efforts and what we manage to accomplish, but a plan that God put in place from the moment of our conception in our mother's womb.  It is His grace and His plan which has taken us from there to here.  The season of Lent calls us to a period of reflection which can be used to look back, see what we have not seen, and be grateful. 

Abandoning Self

I wonder what John the Baptist thought when he saw Jesus coming out of the crowd and walking down toward the waters of the Jordan.  We have no idea how long it had been since the two of them had seen each other.  Their families were related and it is likely they spent some time together.  They surely knew each other's story.  It is hard to imagine that Elizabeth and Mary did not tell their sons about the first meeting the boys had while both were still in the womb.    

Before Jesus showed up at the Jordan, John spoke of Jesus by saying, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me..." (Mark 1:7). Given their history, I wonder how John, who was expecting Jesus, actually felt when "Jesus came from Nazareth  of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan." (Mark 1:9)  Even as John's imprisonment and death seem to trigger deep emotion in Jesus, seeing the One he had been told to proclaim as coming must have had a profound impact on the man from the wilderness.  When Jesus showed up the Jordan, I wonder if John realized his ministry was coming to end.  With the coming of Jesus, he had fulfilled his part of the plan God was working out in those days.  

One of the many things Jesus and John the Baptist had in common was their personal abandonment to the plan of God.  Nothing was more important than being obedient to that plan.  In both cases their absolute desire to be obedient to God took them to deaths that were both untimely and unjust.   During these day of Lent when we are called to consider how much we we are willing to give up as expressions of our obedience to God, it would do us well to look at these two and see once again what it means to completely abandon self for the purposes of God.

The Impossible

John the Baptist and Jesus were certainly not strangers to each other.  Mary and the mother of John were relatives. When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would bear a son who would be called the Son of the Most High, she was told that Elizabeth who was far beyond the child bearing age was in her sixth month of a pregnancy that would bring forth a son.  It was Gabriel's way of saying to Mary, "For nothing is impossible with God."  (Luke 1:37).  Mary went to see Elizabeth.  For her it was a means of confirmation.  It was no doubt a visit which cemented the faith growing in her. As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the still in the womb, John, "leaped for joy."  (Luke 1:44).   

It is interesting, too, that both disappear in those years between boyhood and age thirty.  It would seem that John became a forerunner to the Desert Fathers who would appear centuries later though there is some speculation that both John the Baptist and Jesus were acquainted with the Essene community of the Dead Sea area, or perhaps, were even a part of it for a time.  Of course, it is all speculation.  What we do know is that their lives were connected from the beginning and as they lived out the plan of God in each of their lives, their paths crossed once again out there at the Jordan River where John baptized Jesus.  

At first glance it would seem that their paths ran forward from their boyhood days separately, perhaps, even in a parallel manner, and then a at a time ordained by God, they intersected to bring a part of His plan to completion.  It is amazing how God can do things that seem impossible from a practical standpoint.  In fact, some of them are so impossible we know it is not about us, but that it has to be about Him.

The Surprise

One of the surprising things about the brief story of John the Baptist in Mark's gospel is that people went out to where he was preaching and baptizing.  So many came, it had to be of God.  He was not a preacher who made it easy for people. He was not into tickling their ears, or saying easy things to swallow.  He preached about the need for a baptism which spoke of repentance and forgiveness.  What is often missed because of the cultural differences is that baptism was a ritual for the unclean Gentiles who wanted to convert to Judaism.  Baptism was both unnecessary and unthinkable for any respectable person of the Jewish faith.  

In light of this reality, Mark 1:5 proclaims a surprising Word, "And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized in the river Jordan, confessing their sins"  The message John was preaching was attracting and changing the lives of country folks as well as those who lived on crowded city streets.  His preaching had such power it penetrated the barriers put up by religious institutionalism and touched hearts that were hungry for something new from God.  What was happening out there at the Jordan was a precursor to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for the salvation to everyone who has faith.,," (Romans 1:16).  

It was not the eloquent speaking of John the Baptist, nor his wilderness attire which attracted so many, but the power of the gospel.  What he was preaching was inherently powerful.  The church today, with its ears so attune to the directives of culture and its desire to please, needs to once again reclaim a vision of being a vessel of God's power in the world.  All that stuff the church says and does to blend in with culture will be part of its vestments when buried.  It is in the embracing of the radical message of Christ which has saving power that it will find its life and its future. 

The Greater Purpose

When we read the beginning of Mark's gospel, we are not introduced to men who heard angels singing, or to a young couple searching for a place to give birth to their child, but to a man who had been listening to the silence of the wilderness most of his life.  His skin was darkened by decades of exposure to the burning sun of the desert and coated with layers of its dust and sand.  He was  born with the name John, but came to be known as the Baptizer.   

From his early adult years to the onset of his thirties, he was unseen and silent.  The only explanation for him coming out of obscurity is that it was time.  He was a part of the plan of God and his time had fully come in those days.  His appearance had been spoken and written about by the prophet Isaiah.  He was as sent by God as much as any prophet or Apostle.  When God's timing was full, "John the Baptizer appeared..." (Mark 1:4).  He wore the clothing of a prophet and his voice sounded forth with the authority of a man called by God.   

John was like a bright burning flame that only burned for a moment.  Before the lights on the stage of history had become fully focused on him, he was arrested and quickly died a martyr's death. This messenger of God who was called to "Prepare the way of the Lord,"  (Mark 1:3) spent the bulk of his life alone in tbe wilderness preparing for a ministry that would be measured more by months than years.  John served God as one whose voice announced the coming of the Lord and whose ministry pointed people toward Jesus.  Whether we are called for the lights of center stage or the shadows offstage, there is no greater purpose for our living than to be one, who like John the Baptist, points people to Jesus. 

The Beginning Point

When I was active as a pastor of a local church, I was frequently asked about a good starting point for reading the New Testament.  I always directed folks toward the gospel.  It seemed more important to encounter Jesus before reading the systematic teachings about Jesus that the Apostles wrote to the early developing churches. Of course, there are four gospels and I usually ended being torn between suggesting either Mark or John as the beginning  point.  The first three gospels are collectively referred to as the Synoptic Gospel because of their similarities. 

Of those three Mark was the first one written and may well have served as a guide for Matthew and Luke when they later wrote their respective accounts of the life of Jesus.  From a practical standpoint, it was often chosen because it is the shortest gospel as well as one which has little fluff.  Mark wrote in a manner that was to the point utilizing as few words as possible.  On some occasions the gospel of John was selected  There were three reasons.  It has always been my favorite.  Secondly, it has some wonderful stories of people encountering Jesus which are not recorded in the Synoptic group.  Finally, John is rich in  images that take us beyond the factual information about Jesus to a place of wonder and contemplation. 

There are always some who want to begin at the beginning.  Genesis and Exodus are full of great stories of God interacting with His people, but Leviticus has often turned into a graveyard full of the bones of those who began as eager readers.  Of course, the whole Bible reveals God at work among His people.  Those who read the gospel first will learn much about the nature of God for as Jesus said, "Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father>" (John 14:9). 

The Great Experiment

I thought of it as the year of The Great Experiment.  Some of the church folks who gave me permission and then endured it probably remember it as The Great Disaster. It all came about because I took the Scripture too seriously.  In I Corinthians 12:7, the Word says, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." In this section about spiritual gifts it also says, "...there are varieties of gifts,,,but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone."  (I Corinthians 12:4-6)  The book of Romans speaks of each of us having gifts that differ ((Romans 12:6) and Ephesians 4:12 speaks of spiritual gifts being given "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."  

My simple way of thinking led me to believe that everyone had a spiritual gift useful for building up the body of Christ.  My conclusion was to get rid of the committees the General Church said were necessary and to create a program structure which was based on the idea that spiritual gifts should determine the missions and ministry of the church.  To make it simple: there would be no evangelism committee or children's ministry unless someone came forward convinced that such a ministry was their spiritual gift.  The programs and missions of the church would be based on spiritual gifts God had given to each one of us individually instead of a structure passed down to us.  

As I recall some programs and missions went well and some which we had always done lacked the support to go forward.  What I remember most is that it drove the hard liners who said, "This is the way it has always been done" absolutely crazy.  Maybe the church actually operates in such a way in some places, but in the year of The Great Experiment, we either lacked the faith for it to happen, or a preacher was trying to put the square pegs of the Kingdom in the round holes of the institutional church.   

Authentic Prayer

Praying in public is not as easy as it looks.  Of course, there are some who think that any kind of public speaking is frightening enough to send the bravest soul running the other way.  Praying in public is difficult for reasons other than some kind of brain freeze which makes words impossible to speak.  The sixth chapter of Matthew lifts up the real dangers.  "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven....And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners so that they may be seen by others."  (Matthew 6:1, 5).   

When I was preaching, it was my practice to write the sermon, memorize the manuscript, and preach without any notes.  This practice is not for every preacher, but it worked for me.  When I came to the end of my preparation, I would often pray, "I give this now to you, Lord, I ask You to give it back as You please at the time for preaching."  It was my way of submitting it to the Lord for a final editing.  What I noted often was that some particular sentence or sentences which I thought to be particularly well written were not given back to me as I depended on my memory and Spirit in the moment of preaching.  The Editor  struck them out.  

The words from Matthew are important words for any preacher or lay person who leads the congregation in a public prayer.  Anyone who dares to pray in the public arena must make sure that the prayer is prayed to God and not for admiring ears of the congregation.  I have heard and offered all kinds of praying.  Some seems so manicured and precise in theological language, it could come from a seminary professor and others are so rambling and repetitive that the one praying seems lost in a sea of words where there is no "Amen."  Regardless of how we pray, the Word calls us to consider the motive for the prayer we offer to God.  It is not always an easy thing for us to do, but it is an important first step toward authentic prayer. 

Taking Inventory of Wonder

When I hear or read the name "Wendell Berry," I stop and take note.  I have read many of his novels, poems, and essays that reflect his commitment to the land and the agrarian lifestyle.  I have never been disappointed by a writing which bears his name.  Today I heard a quote attributed to him which I wish I could put in context, but, unfortunately, it has not been possible to find.  Actually, it is just a phrase, but it speaks volumes.  "Taking inventory of wonder" is a phrase attributed to a discipline practiced by Berry at the end of the day.  

To "take inventory of wonder" each day would create a time for us to remember each day's blessing, the events that have blessed, and the people within those events who have brought blessing to us as well.  It is a discipline which has within it the way to gratitude.  What is true is that we often end our day with an exhaustion that says, "I made it through one more day.  Maybe I can do it tomorrow."  We need no one to tell us there must be a better way to live.  In our better days we know that even in the worst of things there are things which call for gratitude.  No amount of darkness can take the wonder out of our day.  The wonder in our life is about grace.  

We live in a world where we are loved. We live in a world where the creation all around us continues to astound us.  We have a measure of success and prosperity which is not just about our efforts, but about the gifts of God which have filled our lives.  Anyone who cannot end the day without knowing that the day has been filled with things of wonder is blind to the goodness of God and the way grace comes to us for no reason except it is grace.  Today is another day for "taking inventory of wonder."

Carrying the Word

It is a good thing to carry some Scripture with us every day.  This is not to say, we should carry our Bibles with us everywhere we go though it is not a bad idea.  A few minutes here and there reading the Word would surely be more beneficial to us than looking at social media sites on our hand held devices.  Of course, as soon as such is mentioned, there will be someone to suggest that the Scripture can be carried with us and read on those devices.  True enough, but not likely.  It sounds a little fishy to me, like the story some folks always told about the river being a sanctuary on Sunday morning!   

Actually, one of the best places to carry the Scripture is in our heart.  I confess to being sporadic when it comes to memorizing Scripture.  I wish I had done more of it.  There are times when a written copy of the Word is not available, or there are times when life seems so overwhelming that reading is too big a chore and in those times what we carry with us in our heart can prove to be invaluable.  Even those who have made no efforts in the discipline of Scripture memorization will be surprised at the amount of Scripture which is on file simply through the process of hearing it read again and again, or in singing some of the great hymns of the church.  

The Holy Spirit has a way of bringing God's truths into our conscious mind in those moments when we need an encouraging word from Him, or when we once again need to be reminded of one of His unchanging promises.  I am grateful my mother got me started memorizing Scripture verses early and regret that I did not keep at it as faithfully as I should have.

Feelings and Faith

There are surely those times when we have heard it said by some struggling soul, "I cannot feel the presence of God.  It feels as if He is absent."  Perhaps, it is also true that such words have not just been heard in the laments of others, but have been heard coming from our own mouth.  One thing which must always be remembered when we are walking through those dark nights, when search as we may, our world seems empty of His presence, is that feelings are not trustworthy.  

What is trustworthy are God's promises.  How many times in the Word do we hear His voice whispering, or even shouting "I am with you...?"  Of course, there is no condition of time or place on that promise for it concludes with the word, "always." (Matthew 28:20).  Our feelings have nothing to do with His presence.  The means by which we live with confidence is our faith.  Our faith calls us to trust Him when our feelings would tell us He is gone.  What our faith tells us is that He never gone.  He does not come to abide or dwell in us for a moment, but for eternity.  

The darkness in which we sometimes walk is very real and it can be extremely dark, but there is a Word from the One who brought us into being that tells us, "The light (the essence of Jesus) shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."  (John 1:5)  The darkness has no power to separate us from Christ (Romans 8:38-39). Christ has come to be with us, not for a season, but for every day of our journey Home . No matter how we feel, it is His promise.  His promises can be trusted!