Resurrection Sunday Proclamation

As this Resurrection Sunday approaches, this proclamation from the Sacremantary of the RC Church is powerful and enriching to the spirit. Enjoy...

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!

Exult, all creation around God's throne!

Jesus Christ, our Lord is risen!

Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,

radiant in the brightness of your King!

Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!

Darkness vanishes forever!

Rejoice, O Church! Exult in glory!

The risen Savior shines upon you!

Let this place resound with joy,

echoing the mighty song of all God's people!

It is truly right that with full hearts and minds and voices

we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,

and His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ has ransomed us with His blood,

and paid for us the price of Adam's sin

to our eternal Father!

Through the Passover sacrifice,

Christ, the Lamb, was slain, and

His blood consecrates the hearts of all believers.

Through that night, God freed the captives

from slavery and led them into liberty!

Through that night, the pillar of fire

destroyed the darkness of sin!

As a result of the Lamb's sacrifice,

believers in Christ everywhere, are

washed clean of sin,

freed from all defilement, and

are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

Through that night, Jesus Christ

broke the chains of death

and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us,

had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

Father, how wonderful your care for us!

How boundless your merciful love!

To ransom a slave

you gave away your son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,

which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

Most blessed of all nights, chosen by God

to see Christ rising from the dead!

Of that night scripture says:

"The night will be as clear as day:

it will become my light, my joy."

The power of that holy night

dispels all evil, washes guilt away,

restores lost innocence, brings joy to mourners;

it casts out hatred, brings us peace, and humbles

earthly pride.

Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth

and man is reconciled to God!

The flame of resurrection light though divided

remains undimmed:

a pillar of fire that glows to the glory of God.

May it, through the Church's witness

mingle with the lights of heaven

and continue bravely burning until

all darkness is completely dispelled!

May the morning Star of God ever find this flame

still burning in all our hearts:

Christ is the Morning Star, who came back from the dead,

and shed His peaceful light on all mankind,

God's Son who lives and reigns for ever and ever!

Again, rejoice, O Church! Exult in glory!

The risen Savior shines upon you!

Let this place resound with joy,

echoing the mighty song of victory!

R.C. SACRAMENTARY (pp 182-186)

His Frowns Are Short - His Smiles Are Sweet

Psalms 30 is a psalm about God’s favor. David sang this psalm at the dedication of his cedar house where he would worship his God.

In the last entry, I wrote about the favor of God being part of His manifestations of grace. Yes, favor is grace, but not necessarily synonymous. I wrote earlier:

Favor is more than just another synonym for grace, as believers commonly understand it. Favor is a richer, undeserved and unearned aspect of God’s fathomless grace. God gives it, by His own choice and initiative, and the “doses” of it vary according to God’s own kind intentions, based on His purpose and grace.

Favor comes because He not only loves us, but also because He LIKES us. Psalms 30:5 says:

“His displeasure is for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime.”

I pulled a phrase from a Matthew Henry commentary: “We have found his frowns very short... (and) his smiles very sweet.”

Now, that puts the displeasure issue in perspective: when God likes us, He may frown from time to time, but when the frown fades, OH THAT SMILE of His, is so very sweet!

His favor also brings security. Two verses later (Psalms 30:7), we hear the psalmist’s words in sweet melodious assurance:

“Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.”

Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Worried about politics and the economy? Pshaw, dear soul! Why are you disquieted? Put your hope in God and how He has chosen to favor you! (Psalms 43:5, 6) It is on the great mountain of His unshakable kingdom that you now can rest. Stay off the shifting sands of anger and imagination.

Look at my paraphrase of that whole (5^th) verse, and now connect to the latter half:

“His frowns are very short, but His favor smiles on me all my life. I may weep in the dark season, but because of His favor, the sun will finally break over the horizon, and there will be joy once again!”

Remember the two twins of favor: Goodness and Mercy? They follow us all the days of our lives (Psalms 23:6). You see, we’re the Father’s kids, and we get to live in His house (family household) all the days of our life… IN THIS LIFE!

Rest, now, and have confidence in the Lord. Just sit there at His table and enjoy the aftertaste of His nourishment.

Stay tuned…

The Favor of the Lord

There is an inexplicable issue in play in God’s manifestations of grace. It is about His favor and the degree to which it is bestowed on His children.

Favor is more than just another synonym for grace, as believers commonly understand it. Favor is a richer, undeserved and unearned aspect of God’s fathomless grace. God gives it, by His own choice and initiative, and the “doses” of it vary according to God’s own kind intentions, based on His purpose and grace.

But it is not given in the same degrees to everyone. For example, Joseph was favored above his brothers. That favor was why his influence spread beyond familiar circles like branches running over the walls. That’s the way of favor: it expands far beyond the boundaries and grows in many places. Here is my paraphrase of Jacob’s prophetic blessing on Joseph before the old patriarch died:

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a favored son. He is a fruitful bough by a spring; its branches run over familiar walls. When opposition came, he stood strong. A destiny within him held him steady.

“The blessings on you surpasses many who have preceded you, and issues from the everlasting hills of Zion. This blessing upon the head of Joseph is like a crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.” (Selected from Genesis 49:22-26)

There was also the biblical David, son of Jesse, being favored above his older brothers. Then there was Moses by contrast to his brother, Aaron. And don’t forget the Apostle Paul favored above the other apostles in his day.

In contemporary times, this mystery of favor has been seen as not being equally distributed. Billy Graham by contrast to other Southern Baptist ministers. Pope John Paul II over any other Popes in recent history (maybe ever). Ronald Reagan over other Presidents in many generations. Favor comes for specific purposes known only to God, and He doesn’t bother to explain why it comes on one instead of another.

There’s another mysterious reality about favor: you can't earn this sweet favor; you can’t increase it or lose it. It's for a lifetime (Psalms 30:5). It is a deep mystery, and all the reasons why remain inscrutable to this day.

Ours is not to ask why one is favored and why not another. Ours is to walk in amazement that God’s ways are higher than ours and because He favors some, the world and His Kingdom is made better as a result.

Thank God for Billy Graham, John Paul II and Ronald Reagan. America and the world needs to hear voices that ring deeply with seasoned wisdom and resonance; that can be a rudder for society.

Stay tuned…

Great Is His Faithfulness

I am a man richly blessed by my God’s love and favor. It is truly a relationship that I did not choose. He chose me instead. When I think of the traditional message of Jesus and the Samaritan adulteress at the well, and remember His words: “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him,” I assume most people tend to remember the “whoever” in that passage. It’s a normal place to springboard into an evangelistic overture to a lost soul. Not being an evangelist by calling and because of my first-hand history with Him, I tend to be first, mindful of God’s choices over my own when it comes to receiving God’s acts and gestures of grace and favor.

My mind, therefore goes first to the phrase “that I shall give him” when I recall that statement by the giver of all grace at that well. My relationship with Him is one of total, unmerited acts of lovingkindness when I least expected them and ABSOLUTELY DID NOT DESERVE THEM. My last statement of assumed humility about not deserving His gestures, is really not very humble of me. It simply reflects my experience. He tends to surprise me with kindnesses when I have been ugly or sinful or just extremely carnal.

I can testify to the absolute truth of our beloved Paul (you know, the Apostle?) as he reflected David’s contemplation in Psalms 32:1-2. Paul’s reference to David’s contemplative soliloquy in song is in Romans 4:7-8. Here are their combined reflections, as I understand this lovely truth:

"Highly favored are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and completely covered. God shows them how special they are when He refuses to even hold their sins against them."

Now that’s not a one time provision when you first meet God. It’s a lifetime disposition that God has shown to me personally, and that I know to be true in what the Bible teaches about forgiveness and grace.

Now people who are steeped in the erroneous assumption that God is waiting to throw them into solitary confinement in the prison of the damned if they sin, will have trouble processing this sweet reality of grace. They have a pitiful understanding of gracious fatherhood, whether they think of God or earthly fathers in general. That kind of fatherhood is small spirited and insecure in its personal identity. That is not like the Heavenly Father that I have come to know. He is not petty and unforgiving. He doesn’t not keep remembering and throwing our stupid past at us. Only small men will do that to their children to make sure they keep their children in line or to maintain some precarious position of personal security as a father. That is not being a father.

I have found my Lord to be like I am toward my children, and like my dad was toward me. It doesn’t matter how stupid their choices, I am there for my children, and ready to tell them it’s alright and we will get through this together. I said GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER. I tell them that we’ll find a way through it. Now think about God and what it means for HIM to say... are you ready for this? Think about what it means IF GOD SAYS:

“It’s alright son (or daughter), we will get through this together. We will find a way through it."

WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER? WE will find a way? Listen, my friends, IF GOD says, “we will get through this together,” what kind of outcome will it be? IF GOD says, “WE will find a way through it,” what kind of OUTCOME could there be, but a good one? Would there be any doubt about the outcome?

As the father of my children, if they get themselves into a difficulty due to foolish choices, I refuse to HOLD THEIR FOLLY AGAINST THEM! Why? Well duh! IT’S BECAUSE I’M THEIR DADDY! What other response would I have? I won’t tell them how stupid they are for getting themselves into this mess, and I won’t hold it over their heads if I “bail” them out. I will simply put the whole thing behind US.

What kind of father would I be to fuss and complain while I’m helping my children through a bad place? What kind of father would keep reminding their children of their foolish past? If God has thrown my sins behind Him into the sea of His forgetfulness, how else should I be? Unto whom much is given, then much is then required of them.

Now, allow me to go back to my original thought: My relationship with Him is one of total, unmerited acts of lovingkindness when I least expected them and ABSOLUTELY DID NOT DESERVE THEM. As the Samaritan adulteress at the well, He has given me waters to drink from the well springs of the eternal fountains. I have life when I have failed and been stupid. Nevertheless, He has given life and all things that pertain to a good life on earth. Blessing after blessing have been my portion, even in my sinfulness and human frailty. I can’t explain it or comprehend His favor.

“Surely Your goodness and unfailing mercies will pursue me all my life, and for the length of my days I will live in my Father’s house and a part of His family.” (Psalms 23:6)

Pause now and consider how much your Father in the heavens loves you and offer thanks to Him.

Who's In control Anyway?

Recently, my good friend, Ed Chinn, shared something with me. He may write something on this later. But, with his permission and encouragement, I want to peek into the essence of what he wrote and I heard:

When it comes to the social, political and economic “topography” of this upside-down world, I tend to have a more positive focus than what the visible communicates. I do not have a negative focus about this earth and its future. I really do believe that Isaiah 6:3 is forever true: "The whole earth is full of His glory." Let’s make the word “is” the operative word here. That statement did not say that some day, it would be full of His glory. It is full now. It is just not “seen” by most people. Very important statement!

Just because the natural eye "sees" one pattern, it does not mean that reality (truth) is grasped. A lot of people today see a world for which "the jury is still out." They think the planetary health and destiny are precarious, that the outcome could go either way. That is simply not true.

Remember, God created the earth. He still loves it. He is not in a quandary or a bad mood about it. The Lord continues to be very pleased with His Own creation. It is all exactly where it should be. Nothing is out of place or out of HIS control.

I have a friend who makes his living flying very sophisticated helicopters. Now, try to imagine a backwoods, uneducated, but highly opinionated man looking at the helicopter he flies. This ill-informed man would SEE the very same engine, instrument panel, and hi-tech gear that my friend sees. Yet, his observations would lead him into judgments and pronouncements that would be WAY off about what that helicopter could, and could not do.

But when Mr. Opinionated, would stop spouting nonsense, my friend would smile, lay a gentle hand on his shoulder, and patiently say, "Okay, if you would please just listen, I can help you understand how this really works."

That little metaphor represents most religious, political, and cultural commentaries about the world today. Well-intentioned, earnest people are looking into the gears of the planet and saying embarrassingly ill-informed things about what is about to happen.

So much of this kind of view is like a scene in 2 Kings 6 (vv 15-18):

“When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

God has created, and lives in, His Own reality. It’s different from the naturally inspired human mind. We can live by His reality or we can live in the view from the mud ruts.

Reading Ed’s comments leads me to pray, “Oh, Lord, would you please open our eyes to see what surrounds us in the eternal realm of the ultimate reality? Would you help us to not fear, but courageously speak to one another?”

Then those who respected the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD took notice. A scroll was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the LORD and honored his name. “They will belong to me,” says the LORD who rules over all, “in the day when I prepare my own special property. I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not. Mal. 3:16-18 (NET)

The Sun Shines When You Come Home

My good friend, Doug Roberts, was ministering recently in Mongolia for twenty-one days. He was there to speak to sheep herdsmen, pastors and Buddhist monks who have recently met the Lord. It was an enriching trip. While he was gone, one of his grandchildren wrote him:

"Hi papa! I miss you! Every time you leave it rains, I need you to come back so the sun will come out…"

What a sweet thought. The sun comes out when those we love the most come back home after a long absence.

How many times have we spoken harshly to someone and then have difficulty getting to an apology? Lifelong companions become distant after a misunderstanding that should have never happened. Then there are the wayward ones. It is always so good when prodigals come home, and the sun shines once again.

Many years ago, a friend of mine was itinerating and away from home a lot. He called from a distant place and spoke with his wife and children. His little daughter asked him:

“Daddy, when are you coming home?”
Her daddy replied: “I’ll be home next Tuesday.”
Her little voice came back to him and said: “No, Daddy, I mean when are you REALLY coming home?”

That broke his heart and it was the tipping point for him and he changed his lifestyle to be with his family more, so the sun would shine again at home.

Business and other life concerns can bring storm clouds at times, but God wants the “SON” to shine more for us. We should stop and try to do what we need to do so we can remove all the clouds for our loved ones.

Let’s try to cause the sun to shine again for more people around us. Find someone to "come home to" so you can bring the light back to his or her cloudy days.

“The Message” translation of the Bible has 2 Corinthians 4:6 starting the verse with these words: “It started when God said, ‘Light up the darkness!’”

Let’s go start something by making the sun shine for others.

Amazed or Miraculous?

On rare occasions in my life I have had experiences that contained subtle glimmers of the miraculous. Then afterward, as I reflected on it, there was the transcendent essence about it that was like a visitation; an epiphany; something life-altering.

Roberta got her stitches out today. The surgeon waited until today to let us know that he had to do quite a bit of repair on the rotator cuff as well as putting that titanium rod farther down inside the bone of her upper arm than expected. That was in order to completely straighten her old break 32 years ago. This surgical journey has been so very amazing to my darling and me.

The woman has amazed almost everyone about her progress. She is nearly pain free most of the time. Of course she continues to take her pain meds, but less frequently than days ago. Her range of motion when the physical therapist or surgeon moves her arm in different directions is far beyond what most people could endure. But my little woman just will sit there and let her arm remain passive until the arm and muscles tell the professional that he has moved it as far as necessary for the moment. He then smiles and lifts his eyebrows. It's all so pleasantly eerie and surreal.

Last night we walked over to our neighbors for a visit. One of these treasured friends, spoke of her father having rotator cuff surgery and suffering so much during recovery. Others have also told us of their painful recoveries of the same kind of procedure. At various moments over the past week and a half, I have paused, and felt a bit bad because others have had difficulty that Roberta has not.

But then yesterday, I thought to myself what an amazing ride this past eleven days has been. We had expected far more pain and struggle than has accompanied my wife. We are amazed, but then, in the early morning hours, just after midnight I thought to myself - or was it the whisper of the Spirit on the winds of grace? I heard the question gently echoing in my thoughts:

"Why should we be amazed? So many people across this beloved land of ours, who love this dear woman with a gentle intensity, have been offering up effectual and fervent prayers for her."

Now down deep in my heart, as I sit in my bed typing this happy report, I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene. And now Roberta and I want to thank all of you dear, wonderful friends for offering up your prayers before our Beloved Creator, King, God and Father of us all. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being such treasures in our lives.

Glen & Roberta