Two Shirt Day

It was a two shirt day. I expected to have to change shirts. I do put a clean one on in the mornings. But I didn't expect it so soon.

Maybe I had better start at the beginning.

I took a shower in the house where we are staying here in Okinawa. Everything seemed fine. So I got dressed as usual. No problems yet. Then I started into the living room to continue my prep work for our first service here at Keystone Nazarene, the congregation with whom we have the privilege of sharing life this Summer.

And then it happened. The sweat started running. I turned on the fan and placed myself in front of it. But the sweat continued. I tried to ignore it, but to no avail. And then I made the mistake of moving.

As soon as I moved the evidence of the monsoon of sweat that was taking over the local weather system under my shirt became evident. What had been my secret was now revealed to the world, or at least to my wife and our host. The sweat had penetrated my shirt and was making its presence known to everyone who cared to look.

Sometimes in our spiritual life we try to hide the turmoil in our lives. We try to make the outside look better than our inside. We put on the happy face and pretend, at least to the outside world, that all is well. But we can't hide this turmoil from ourselves. And eventually it shows up to the outside world.

We all know people who pretend everything is OK, but are completely unaware that everyone around them knows something is wrong. They think they are hiding it, but it is plain to see.

Paul wrote that he was strongest when he was weakest (2Cor 12:10). When he was willing to live in that weakness, not trying to hide behind some fake facade, then God's power could take over, making the impossible possible.

So in defeat I went to my bedroom and put on a different shirt, one that would hide the sweat. The sweat is still there, but people can't see it. I guess I just became better at hiding my real self! Yikes! That isn't what I want. I want people to see the real me. But I hear in a voice in my head reminding me of what my loving wife might say, "Yes, but they don't want to smell the real you!"

I put on more deodorant!

Liar, Liar, Love’s on Fire

1 John 4:20-21

          I like people who communicate with clarity. I want to be a person who says what I mean and means what I say. I want my words to match my actions. And I want constancy over time. I don’t want to say and do one thing now, and then change and say and do something totally different later.

          Loving each other in the Body of Christ is so important, so vital, so central to the Gospel message that John doesn’t hold back. He makes a very clear statement about this absolute necessity of love. He tells us that if we aren’t loving each other, then we aren’t loving God. It is impossible to love God without loving each other.

          It is easy to say we love God. Only God can challenge that statement. So John tells us the proof of our love of God is our love for each other. There are no substitutes, no secret short cuts. We must love each other.

          So why does it seem so hard to do? Why is loving each other so difficult? Why does taking the risk carry such a high price? Two things jump out as an answer. First, past pains have taught us that reaching out and trusting others can be painful. And the second is we often don’t have an example of love in action from which to learn. Both can place a roadblock in our path. Both can make taking the risk seem too much to ask.

          But John doesn’t give us the option. He tells us that if we can’t love someone we have seen, we certainly can’t love someone we haven’t seen. I would think it is the other way around. It is easy to love someone I have never met. They haven’t pushed any of my buttons. They haven’t spoken a word with the wrong voice tone. They haven’t cut me off in the middle of a conversation. They haven’t given me “the look” that says that I don’t matter.

          It is really safe to say that I love someone on the far side of the globe. How can anyone prove me wrong? What does it cost me? Words are cheap. But the person I sit next to in the church can easily call my bluff. They can see if I am lying or not. If I say I love them, but do nothing about it, then they can easily point to my lack of action to prove their point.

          Love always comes with a price tag. To really love each other we must do what Jesus did. He didn’t think about himself. He served us. Are we willing to do the same? Are we willing to put action to our words?

Lost

Mark 16:9-20

      Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away portrays a man stranded on a desert island by himself after his plane crashed. A soccer ball became his new best friend. He had to learn to adapt in order to survive. And this drive to survive has spawned a whole series of TV shows. They are about how people make it through, although it is really about holding our attentions to the next commercial and next week’s episode.

      If you notice our text today, you will notice that most modern translations put this text as a separate section of the text. Often the put a footnote telling us that the oldest and most reliable manuscripts and most ancient sources don’t have this section. What does that mean?

      The Bible was written as men were moved by the LORD to write, and they wrote on the paper of their day or on animal skin. They didn’t have a printing press, or a scanner to make copies, so every copy that was passed along had to be copied by hand. They knew they were copying the most important document in the world, so they would have carried on the Jewish traditions around safeguarding the accuracy of the text. Thousands of these handwritten copies survive. They are remarkably similar. Only a few places have differences, and none of these differences change the meaning of the text or our understanding of theology. They are mainly spelling differences around places and people. Some have to do with the sound of words and regional variations.

      And since it was God’s Word, other people quoted these texts and commented on what they meant to everyday life, just like I try to do with this BLOG. They would often quote large sections in their writings. It is said that you could destroy all the copies of the Scriptures and reconstruct the entire Bible just from these ancient quotes. When the content of a book changes so many lives, it is bound to be copied and cherished.

      So when our footnote tells us that verses nine through twenty aren’t in these old copies or quoting sources we are led to doubt whether these verses were in the original. By the way, this is the largest section of the Bible that is in doubt. Most are a word or two, some a verse or two. So we can trust the accuracy of our Bibles.

      I think that the ending of Mark’s Gospel was lost very early, perhaps before even one copy was made. That would account for the lack of copies and ancient witnesses. Then I think someone down through history realized that the book ended abruptly without telling about the post-resurrection appearances, so they added them. Another possibility is that this part of Mark was broken off, only to be reunited with the rest of the Gospel at a later date. Or maybe a dog ate the last page and the owner of the manuscript wrote down what he remembered it said.

      We know from the other Gospels that Jesus did appear to His followers as out text today states. He is alive. He did send out His followers to reach the world with the news that sins are forgiven and relationship with God restored in Jesus. And the power that Jesus had while He was here on earth will be present with His followers, validating their message of hope.

      So while these verse may not be part of Scripture, part of God’s Word, the content is certainly validated through other texts that we do know are part of the Bible.

Leading the Way

Mark 10:32

      Have you ever noticed that the person in the front of the crowd, the one with the camera pointed at them, is usually the one that gets shot in the movie. Of course in typical Hollywood style, that same person miraculously continues in their valiant pursuit of the enemy, despite having lost use of their arm, leg and perhaps even an eye. And of course they die in the beautiful woman’s arms after the death kiss.

      Leading in any context can be a very lonely journey. Often modern leaders become isolated from their followers. The demands of leading seem to take over and consume time and energy that would otherwise be spent with the followers. For some, the demands of leadership and the honors that get bestowed by the followers lead to a false sense of importance. They begin to believe the adulations of those who follow. The drink the cool aide themselves. This is a dangerous position as a leader. When you believe your own spin, you are in trouble.

      Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. He knows it will mean His death and all that entails, and yet He leads the group headed in that direction. Perhaps it is the crowd of devout Jews who are headed to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. There would have been thousands who would make that journey each year. It was required of all devout Jewish men. The roads would have been filled with fellow Passover pilgrims.

      But Jesus wasn’t going to celebrate as so many others were going to do. He was going to His crucifixion. Not quite the same journey!

      And yet, we see Jesus leading the way. What would make someone who knows they are going to be killed so eager, so bold, to lead the way? What drove Jesus to lead? I am not so sure I would want to lead. How about you? I might want to get lost in the crowd.

      But Jesus knows the final outcome, and what that journey will bring about for us. He is willing to serve us, even at the cost of His life. There is no cost too great for Him. He knows the suffering that lays ahead. He knows the humiliation and the torment. And yet He moves forward, leading the way.

      One of the greatest testimonies that I have witnessed is when someone knows they are dying, and still takes the opportunity to witness and encourage those who come to visit them. They are in great pain, and yet they can speak of God’s goodness and faithfulness, even in the pain. And what is more amazing is that they are genuine in their proclamation and everyone knows it. They are not putting on an act for an audience. They are being true to themselves and to their Lord.