19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.  24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 
-Lamentations 3:19-24

The scripture above is from the book of Lamentations.  Lamentations is dealing with the people of God, their sin against God, their hope in Him, and lament over the destruction of the Temple, and their desire for repentance from their sin.  However, this section in Lamentations 3 that deals with hope is needed in my state right now.  Hope must abound after all the destruction that has come due to the recent tornados in our area.  I realize that as I type this that other states are finding themselves in similar situations, but I will keep my focus on Arkansas, because it is where I live.

Yesterday I was able to drive through several of the areas hit and actually help in Mayflower.  There is only so much that officials will allow volunteers to do right now.  I ended up helping clean up debris.  I was able to see from one of the homes I was helping the area we weren't allowed into that day.  The storm created much damage.  There have been people who have lost businesses, homes, and even loved ones.  I witnessed a local deli owner as she was handing out sandwiches learn that one of her constant patrons lost his life in the storm.  It is hard news to hear and comprehend.  I met a lady named Rose who managed to ride out the storm with her husband and weenie dog in their bath tub.  Her husband watched the horrific sight of the storm heading right for there home, sucking up everything around it and blowing out transformers on telephone polls.  They were lucky.  There is no way that a bathtub could have saved them.  It is hard to believe the force of a tornado that picked up large oak trees with a 5ft plus diameter like they were weeds in a garden and lay them down on their side or thrown all over town.  I watched in horror as a family from a mobile home was using a backhoe to gather what was left of their home into a pile and watch as the bucket of that machine grabbed onto a baby's car seat.  Luckily that family left their home and went to a safer place.  I have yet to see the devastation of an entire downtown in Vilonia.  I bet I could see it and still not imagine it.  This was awful destruction.  As of right now 15 have been reported killed by storm and I'm sure that will rise before its over.  The search effort is still taking place.  This is bad, really bad.  

Many will ask, "Where was God?" or "Why would God kill children in such a storm?" or "Why were my prayers not answered?"  These are not bad questions and they may not have a definite answer.  It is not bad to question, but right now is not the time to give answer, I believe it is time to grieve and lament.  To lay our head into God's lap and weep.  It is time to lift our heads up to the heavens and cry out with questions, requests, and the cries of our heart.  What happened is truly beyond comprehension and needs no answers today.  Today we just need God and need one another and we need to know that God weeps too and hears our cries and our hearts.

If you get a chance today or this week, please pray for Arkansas and those families who have lost loved ones, some multiple loved ones.  Pray for those who have lost their homes and property, some everything they had.  Pray for our state to heal together.  And pray this prayer of hope:  


"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.   I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 

This picture is hard for me to digest and I almost didn't put it on my blog because of the hatred behind it.  

If I'm honest I really tire of the sentiments on this sandwich board.  Not because I am pro sin, but because I am pro love.  We might say that a political candidate resorts to mudslinging to hide or distract from the fact that they have nothing deep or new to say regarding the political issues or needs of their constituents.  And I think that is right.  When you can't beat the competition through fair, good, and exciting possibilities then give the people the best of the worst candidate.  It is sad really to watch candidates go out of their way to blast one another only to make themselves look cheap and petty.  Imagine taking thousands or millions of dollars only to drudge up the dirt on the other candidate and do your best to shame and humiliate them.  Sorry, but I have better things to do with my money.  

So, when I see Christians preaching and proclaiming a message of slander against sinners in order to have them turn to the truth I cannot help but think that the truth those Christians possess isn't big enough for them.  And they would be wrong.  Because the truth of Jesus is enough, period.  We claim to stand on the truth, but that stool seems to be so wobbly for us, we try to prop it up with a  leg of sin-hating, fear-mongering, shame-inducing judgment.  

God did not sit us at his right or left and put us at a place of judgment.  He asked us to follow him.  And where did He go that we should follow.  He went into the homes of sinners, Pharisees, and those of the dying.  If we are walking after Christ we are finding a way to helping others heal, come back to God, to help them be rid of shame and abuse.  

When we use sandwich boards like above or proclaim the destruction of those evil sinners, we are standing in the circle holding tightly to our rock that we are ready to sling.  However, we are not in the presence of an arrogant giant, but a humble rabbi who is playing in the dirt.  Drop the rock, walk away from the adulteress and learn what Jesus just taught.  Shame, judgment, retribution, and humiliation will not save a people.  Only the one who could cast the stone who wishes not to, can save people.  Judgment belongs to God.  I'm not saying that we should throw out the baby with the bathwater and not look at what God expects from us.  I'm saying that when we try to share the message of Jesus, we should share Jesus, not use every possible sin to shame someone into believing Jesus.  What you win people with, is what you win people to.  So if you use criticevangelism to win people to your movement or your church or even to Jesus, you will need to continue fuel the fire of criticism to keep them there, just ask Westboro Baptist Church.

If we truly are standing on the Truth, then we have much to stand on today.  Jesus was full of love.  Love for children, those in need, those who were involved in sin, those possessed by demons, those who wanted to follow and those who only wanted to rule and lord over people.  Jesus looked each of them in the eye and offered them a better story, a different perspective.  The truth is still there.  It is still rich.  It is still powerful!  The world should know what the church believes in, not only what it believes against.

I love the story that Donald Miller shares in Blue Like Jazz, where he talks about their college Christian club opening a confession booth on campus. And when the people came to them, they wouldn't let them confess their sin to them, but instead the Christian club confessed their sin of judgment and wrongness to those who came up to the booth.  Now that is the subversive work of the kingdom.  Maybe we could start that kind of movement and when people are won to the same humility Jesus had, then what we will need to continue in the effort is more Christ-likeness and I could go for that, how about you?  We need to stand for truth and let that truth be enough!

What would your sandwich board say to win others to Jesus?

The boys love Legos, especially Star Wars and Ninjago.  Both of these have "missions" that they go on and complete.  They fight a necessary fight where good overcomes evil.  I wish I would have thought of that to start off with on our Car Ride the other day.  Instead I asked if they thought everyone in the world knew about Jesus.  Dylan with his sensitive heart, said yes.  He wants everyone to know about Jesus.  Brody with his listening ears said, "well, not exactly every person."  Of course he is right.  Not everyone knows or believes about Jesus.

We continued to talk about how those who don't know could know about Jesus.  I introduced the term missionary to them.  We talked a bit about what it means to go talk to people about Jesus and whose job it is to go and teach.  We couldn't get quite where I wanted to go in our short ride, but I had them thinking of what it means to go into other foreign places for the purpose of spreading the news about Jesus.

If I had started with Star Wars or Ninjago, maybe we could have talked more about actually seeing this as a mission. Maybe next time.  But of course we ended our time talking about what they wanted to be when they grow up and of course it was to be a spy.  So maybe our conversation would have derailed earlier if I had brought up Star Wars first.

Talking to our kids about missionaries and missions is important that they see 1) we aren't the only Christians in the world.  2) We could be planting a seed in our children to take Jesus to foreign places.  3) They need to understand that God is everywhere and people are going to some really strange places to join Him in His work there.

Friday was not like any other day.  Finally the chief priests and Pharisees had got what they wanted.  Jesus was arrested and put into a farce of a trial.  Jesus didn't fight back but allowed evil to have a mocking laugh.  Pilate who knew what was best for his government position and so as not to cause too much concern for his bosses decides to delight the crowd and give them their crucifixion.  The crowd who shouted Hosanna on Sunday were now shouting "Crucify! Crucify" on Friday.  The place could have easily been a riot and Pilate did what was politically necessary and had Jesus flogged and handed over to be crucified.  Jesus is mocked with a crown of thorns and purple robe while being beaten on the head with a staff.  

All sanity has been lost in these moments.  There is no clarity.  The Pharisees have lost sight of "Do Not Murder."  The crowd has lost sight of the Messiah.  Pilate has lost sight of his own power and choice.  The guards have lost sight of decency and discipline.  The disciples are just out of sight.  Mark only mentions Peter on Friday and it is only to tell how he has lost sight of friendship and followship.  It seems that everyone is in need of the lighthouse to see the shore.  And as Jesus begins to prepare for his physical death on the cross the entire land will be filled with confusion and darkness.  

But beyond dark skies for 3 hours, the shout of the Psalms by Jesus, and the temple curtain ripping loudly from top to bottom there is a keen voice in Mark.  There is a clear phrase!  There is an unmistakable declaration.  A Centurion.  A Roman soldier.  Maybe seeing Jesus of Nazareth for the first time.

He is witnessing the torture of delicate flesh, nails in hands, and in feet.  He is listening to words he may not even understand.  He is hearing the insults far and near as the crowd and those crucified with him continue to mock Jesus.  He sees the sky grow eerily dark and not relent.  He can hear the curtain being torn as if Thunder was breaking in from all sides.  And he watches with great focus and an open mind as Jesus breathes his last breath.

Forget the years of being instructed on Caesar being your leader.  Forget the training of the hierarchy that existed in Roman government.  Forget whatever pagan religion he might have followed.  Forget about the job he was in the middle of as he stood at the foot of the cross.

All that can come to mind is one phrase:

"Surely this man was the Son Of God!"

In the midst of an environment of confusion
In the midst of Jewish leaders who lost sight
In the midst of a crowd that had become riotous
In the midst of his boss who had lost control
In the midst of his buddies who forgot their disicpline
In the midst of Jesus' followers abandonment

In ALL of this the Gentile, Roman soldier speaks...and declares...and which has been recorded in scripture for us all to see...and he says...

"SURELY THIS MAN WAS THE SON OF GOD"

And that truth and clarity focuses us still today past darkness, politics, power, indecency, and rejection to see what truly matters.  Jesus is the Son of God!!!

And that makes for a Good Friday!

What if you knew you had one last day?  What would you do?

The Thursday of Holy Week is Jesus' last day of freedom before his arrest, death, burial, resurrection, and post-resurrection life.  And as I have been studying Mark I wanted to look at this day and see what Jesus did with that day.

Now I understand that Jesus was purposeful his entire life and wouldn't just leave everything important for the last day.  However, we cannot deny the significance of every action going on during this week of his life.

So what does Jesus do on this final day.  He eats with his disciples.  He may still wreak of perfume, but they have sat down to eat.  Through great hospitality they are all relaxed and in a rare moment that is without tension, Jesus shares with them what will take place through betrayal.  He gives them a new outlook on some familiar eating elements.  And they sing together.  It is an intimate time they spend together being family and soaking up some last hours as good friends should and do.  

One of the other things that Jesus does is pray.  He spends his last hours, knowing what is coming to be in the beauty of the garden and praying that his father's will take the lead in all things even against his flesh that will want to cry out and ask for rescue.  In the eye of the storm, Jesus is shoring up his foundation.  And knowing that God can do all things he pleads his request for another way, but in all things desires God's plan to be carried out above his own.

That evening Jesus is arrested and with a rushed and mocking trial will be crucified the following day.  It will be a long night, but before all of that can take place Jesus eats with his friends and prays with his father.  It just goes to show you what is important to God and what should be important to us as well.

It doesn't take long once you've angered the right people to have a band of enemies. The mood of Sunday is about to drastically change. Not much is said about the Wednesday of Holy Week, but a plan of attack is being hatched.

The chief priests and Pharisees have pulled in one of his own, Judas, and have now set a course to kill Jesus.

When you can convince someone that their religion and their politics are being manipulated you can incite a crowd and pull every necessary string to have that mob do exactly what you want. Those opposed to Jesus were able to sway the Sunday triumphal entry crowd into the angry, dark Friday crucifixion mob by manipulating facts and leading them to believe Jesus was not their political messiah and on top of it all blasphemes God. In the end they will use the mob to influence the powerful Roman government to turn from whips to nails, from punishment to torture, from release to death by cross.

The plot begins because of fear and pride.

All of that begins on Wednesday...the silent day of holy week.

Tuesday of Holy Week is filled with the teachings of Jesus and some crazy, unbelievable events.  

One of the first Stories that Mark shares regarding Tuesday is Jesus' authority being questioned.  This is a good way to start, because Jesus will do some teaching that sets things straight.  These lessons and the actions of Jesus from the day previously are going to give the Pharisees and Chief Priests all they need to incite the elated crowd from Sunday against him on Thursday and Friday.  Jesus doesn't waiver from his teaching or what needs to be learned from God.  And when they question him, he stumps them.  And there is nothing like someone making you feel ignorant and trapped to make you want revenge.

And Jesus through his teaching will continue to land gut shots.  

• Parable of the Tenants
  
• Whose money is whose?
  
• What the end is really about
  
• What is the greatest command?
  
• Messiah, again?
  
• The Widow who gave more than anyone else
  
• The unknown time of the end
  
• Anointed by a prostitute
  

This is what is happening on Tuesday according to Mark (11-14)

• It is unbelievable that the tenants would kill the heir and yet those listening would kill God's heir

• It is unbelievable that paying taxes and money could lead to dissension and confusion and yet Jesus will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver
  

• It is unbelievable (to the sadducees) that people will be resurrected and yet Jesus will resurrect himself, thus allowing for all to be resurrected
  

• It is unbelievable that two commandments are really all one would need and yet Jesus delivers the fullness of those with his sacrifice on Friday
  

• It is unbelievable that they are in the presence of the long-awaited Messiah and yet He brings the kingdom of God to Earth
  

• It is unbelievable that the greatest giver would put the least amount in the offering and yet Jesus celebrates the widow who gave all she had on faith
  

• It is unbelievable that the end could not be predicted and talked about when the assumed Messiah had just arrived and yet it will come like a thief in the night and all because the Messiah will not just come, but come again
  

• It is unbelievable that such expensive perfume would be wasted on an anointing and from a prostitute no less and yet a prostitute knows better than the chief priests and Pharisees what is important and just who Jesus is and what he must endure
  

It was an UNBELIEVABLE day.

So BELIEVE!

Because Friday He will be crucified and His words will last forever and on Sunday He will resurrect and give all of creation its opportunity for full restoration when He returns.

BELIEVE the UNBELIEVABLE!!!

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "You can't see the forest for the trees."  If not, it means that you aren't able to see the bigger picture because of being so bogged down in the details.  What happens on Monday of Holy Week is actually opposite of that idea.  We read the story of the fig tree being cursed by Jesus and we quickly move on to the Temple being cleansed.  

I think we do this because the Temple story is such a bigger story.  And we can wrap our minds around why Jesus might set things straight in the Temple.  It is harder to understand the fig tree story and maybe even why it is in the passion week stories at all.  I am appreciative of N.T. Wright and his commentary on this passage that helps me understand the fullness of this story and what Mark is doing his gospel with these three stories.

Much like Mark 5 where Mark takes the story of Jairus' daughter and sandwiches in a healing story of the woman bleeding, he does that here as well.  And both times in my opinion the middle story grabs the majority of the attention.  Here Mark is sandwiching the story of the Temple in the story of the fig tree.  Here is the full text:  

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”


-Mark 11:12-25


Mark wants to use the fig tree story to help along the temple story and to use the temple story to help along the fig tree story.  


N.T. Wright says this regarding the sandwich of stories:  "But Mark makes it clear, by the placing of the Temple incident within the two halves of the fig tree story, that he sees Jesus' actions as, again, a dramatic acted parable of judgment.  This was Jesus' way of announcing God's condemnation of the Temple itself and all that it had become in the national life of Israel."  (Mark for Everyone, p. 151)


We tend to make the story of the temple about economics and how leaders were using the temple for commerce.  And while we need to be mindful of how economics affects us today and especially our churches and their decisions, the issue at hand is the idea of the temple in the first place.  The temple is a place for sacrifice.  Jesus will become that final, full sacrifice and they cannot even see the Son of God in their midst for what he truly is.  Which is why Jesus will curse the fig tree and cleanse the temple, and give a speech about a mountain thrown to the sea.  In N.T. Wright's words Jesus is acting out this dramatic parable of Judgment.  Jesus shows God's power on an innocent tree, then a big show in the temple.  Then when he speaks of the mountain being thrown to the sea, he is referring to the Temple and sharing that the Temple means nothing next to God.  God will judge and the new sacrifice is His son, Jesus Christ.  The innocent fig tree plays its part in the parable to draw attention to the fact that God will judge the Temple and bring glory back to Him rather than the place where He resides.


In our world today, we must be wiling to come to God and worship Him, not our churches and with a forgiving spirit be willing to help lead our churches to not be places of power, but places where God's justice can reign.  That will change what a church looks like.  Jesus stood up for the powerless, even when he had all the power, and wants His church (His bride) to do the same.  That is the journey we are traveling and hopefully innocent fig trees won't have to lose their lives so that we can keep learning this lesson.  Without malice and aggression we must stand up for the powerless, even if that means standing up to the church.  

There is something about realizing your own enjoyment and really trying to live in the moment.  If the moment around you is set up right, then chances are you will be able to really live the desired, provoked emotion.  A good party is like this, especially a joyous occasion.  Something like a wedding.  I remember people giving me advice before my wedding, some 11 years ago.  The one I remember most is that the day would be a blur.  I heard that wisdom and responded internally with, "Challenge Accepted!"  As hard as I tried the day went by like a blur.  It was the best blur I've ever experienced.  However, by being aware I did my best to enjoy every current moment of the day.  And at your wedding that's not too hard to do.  Everything that day went perfectly.  I remember my cheeks being sore the next day from smiling.  I remember the beauty of my wife as she came down the isle as a radiant angel.  I remember the candlelight we held during our ceremony with the entire audience and I remember walking out the church auditorium as husband and wife.  To top it all off we rode away in a horse-drawn carriage down the streets of Houston.  It was perfect!  And the atmosphere around us because of those who attended and those who participated was perfect.  Everyone decided to come to our wedding to enjoy themselves and celebrate the beginning of our marriage.  Had everyone come to cause chaos, the wedding day would have been a disaster.  Atmosphere and people's buy in to an event can direct so much of the spontaneous and create a perfect day.

Atmosphere meant a lot on the day Jesus rides in on the back of a donkey.  The week is leading to passover and everyone is coming to town to celebrate.  The sheer elation of such an event is overwhelming.  The people of Jerusalem are preparing for the great feast to celebrate what God has done.  And what has God done?  God has delivered them from the slavery in Egypt.  He has given them freedom more than once.  And He has provided.  Not only did he use forces of nature to drive Pharaoh into submission, but once freed from his evil rule God gave them food...from heaven no less.  Manna?  What is it?  Exactly!

So as they prepare to celebrate their largest feast and party of the year, they hear of Jesus of Nazareth coming into town.  They have heard that he is the messiah and the Jews with the elation and joy of the week are more than willing to accept this great prophet, healer, and teacher as their new king who will overthrow the tyranny of all other governments and bring them to their rightful place as the Jewish nation.  So they go to the entrance of the city and wave palm branches (An act for a king) and they lay down their cloaks on the road (An act for a king) and they shout out:
 “Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” -Mark 11:9-10

And that is an act for a Messiah!

It is the atmosphere of what is to come that leads people to celebrate the one true Messiah, even if it is for the wrong reasons.  And it will be their disappointment of what God really wants to do that will lead them to being the same people who form an angry mob that ask for his crucifixion from that very same government they long to free from just days earlier.  And that is where Mark leaves us on Sunday of Holy Week.  On Palm Sunday we are left in suspense of what is to come; a fuller story of God showing His people, THE WAY...A NEW WAY!

Last night while teaching class at my church one of our elders received a call that one of our members' parents had been involved in a terrible car accident.  He came back into the class reported to us about the accident and what we knew at the moment, then led us in prayer for our member and her family.  We had about 10 minutes of class time left and I decided to end class and travel with this elder to sit with our member as she waited in the hospital to hear about her parents.  We picked up his wife, another member from our church, and we all drove into Little Rock to the hospital.  We came to the waiting room and found the family.  Our member was in somewhat shock because her dad died in the accident and her mother was at the time in surgery for the injuries sustained in the accident.  We sat with her, met her extended family, offered our assistance for whatever she might need, and in the end we prayed together.  We were there almost 2 hours.

The truth is that if feels very weak to simply show up spend 2 hours sitting, say one public prayer and then leave.  However, we cannot underestimate the power of being present when crisis occurs.  The truth is we weren't saying one prayer, each of us were praying that entire trip to Little Rock and back and while sitting there.  When crises happen, we realize just how temporal is our world and how eternal is our God.  Our presence with the family was 2 hours, our prayers though are still echoing in the ear of God.

As people who journey together we must be willing to be a presence, even if it is temporary and we must be willing to pray, which is eternal.  God brings the two together.  God uses our presence to be His presence to those in need and he hears and responds to our prayers.  So, any time I walk into a nursing home, hospital room, or the living room of the grieving I am a presence of God with an eternal word.  And people respond to our presence with overwhelming appreciation and our prayers with hope, trust, and love.  They may not in that time be able to speak holy words, but they trust us as brothers and sisters to be their ambassadors to the Divine.

Never underestimate your presence with people.
Never discount your prayers to God.

Both Humans and God find them meaningful and holy.