Wednesday 6/27/2007
Readings
1 Kings 19.15-16, 19-21
Galatians 5.1, 13-25
Luke 9.51-62
Prayer
Lord, open our ears, open our eyes, and open our minds and souls to hear Your Word spoken clearly. Move us to respond, as You would have us respond. Amen
God’ Word
I want you to hear this loud and clear!
You are Mine.
I have chosen you.
I love you!
Now fulfill the purpose I give to you.
Complete the mission.
Set your face to the Love on that Cross and live for Me.
Being Chosen/Baptism
If you had to pick a Sacrament that was most represented in today’s readings; which one would you choose?
I hear Baptism coming through.
In our Baptism God chooses us. Chosen appointed and anointed as His children.
God does something very important to us in this calling and anointing.
Elijah was instructed by God to anoint a few people. Which he really never really did; at least in a literal sense.
Anointing would have included a ceremony in which olive oil was poured on the head of a person to show that the person was now a "chosen one." This is like what we do in our baptismal ceremonies here.
However, Elijah didn't anoint. He placed his mantle on Elisha.
The prophet’s mantle was like a cloak, or a coat of protection, made of skin and covered with hair, probably of goat’s skin with the hair turned outward. It was the distinctive clothing of the prophet. The mantle was the physical means by which the prophetic power was transferred from Elijah to Elisha.
Placing the mantle or coat on Elisha showed that Elijah wanted Elisha to follow him and become a prophet.
God in a sense places a mantle on each of us at our baptism. We are chosen and through His gift of Love in that mantle, he protects us and develops us for Life with Him.
Another thing relating to baptism, especially in the Galatians reading.
We see two forces conflicting within us. The Spirit and the flesh. We go through life in conflict. Even after baptism. We are chosen and called by God, yet we struggle with sin. In baptism we receive the Spirit. The Spirit is infinitely strong.
But what do we do in life? We sometimes rely on our own wisdom and make the wrong choices. If we try to follow the spirit of our own human effort, we will fail.
Our only way to freedom from our evil desires is through the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
You have been called and empowered by the Holy Spirit in your baptism. We must rely on it.
Bury the "old" life just as Elisha did when chosen and called---he destroyed his "old" livelihood.
Especially symbolic in immersion baptism, we bury our old life and a new life is begun.
A life with a course of action. A life with a mission planned by God.
There will be dangers in this New Life but God will always be with you to lead and guide you through the power of His Spirit.
In our baptism, God comes to us and displays an awesome gift of His gracious love for us. We do nothing to deserve this love. Whether baptized as infant or adult, we could never do anything to earn this Love of God. God comes to us and loves us and gives us Life.
Love
This Love is demonstrated by the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus for you and for me.
Jesus became our sin in our stead and crucified this life to save us from our sin.
You must crucify your old life as Jesus was so determined to crucify your sin for you.
Look at what Elisha did.
He slaughtered the oxen and used the plowing equipment to boil the meat and had a party with his friends.
Elisha destroyed his "old" means of making a living.
He crucified his "old" life and celebrated the new.
In Luke we read that Jesus "set his face to go to Jerusalem" --- we was about to destroy His life for our sin. Destroy His Life for New Life.
In this New Life is the ultimate Love for us.
And in this Love we are instructed to love each other. We are to love and be servants for and with each other. For and with our neighbors.
But who are your neighbors?
Think of a series of circles---larger and larger---going out---all are neighbors---including enemies.
Sure it will be easier for us to love those closest to us. But we are called to love even those on the outer edges. A tough mission and calling.
We are called to love and serve in the freedom that Christ has given us.
Next-having been baptized, and shown the Love of God in our baptism. We need to stop and hear and listen for what God would have us do with this new life.
Hearing
Elijah has just experienced a close call. He was running for his life and hiding in a cave. God passed by him and spoke to him in the "still small voice." Then God sent Elijah on a mission to go back and get the job done. Go back and anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha. And Elijah obeyed.
For Elijah the message from God occurred after he was in the depths of despair. God needed to feed Elijah with more than just a "shake if off and get going." So for Elijah, by watching the storm, the prophet’s eyes were opened to his own weakness and to the divine source of strength. The wind, the lightning, the earthquake were reminiscent of Elijah’s own methods against Ahab and the Baal (bail) priests. But the Lord was not in the noisy phenomena. It was after the "still small voice" that the divine presence became real.
The quiet spiritual resources superseded the blustering physical forces. The stormy Elijah was learning the gentleness of true giant hood. A further step was needed to free Elijah’s spirit from bitterness.
Elijah now got up and was ready to link up. Ready to go to the wilderness and get at the mission.
Elijah had been all wrapped up in himself. Wrapped up in a cave of self-pity. But God had widened his interests.
Elijah was trying vainly to comfort himself.
God picked Elijah up from his selfishness and sent him out on a mission to comfort and encourage others.
We sometimes in our selfish ways try to save ourselves. We fold inward and work on ourselves.
Sometimes we even think that if we can follow all the "good" actions God shows us that we can be saved. But in this thought we are as good as dead just as dead as those people with evil selfish desires are.
It’s the Spirit that leads to life. The Law cannot give life. I can only be made aware of my sins through the Law. The Law allows me to see and smell the stench of my sin. But it is the Spirit that leads to life.
Notice in the reading from Galatians how the works of the flesh are things we intentionally do.
But the "Fruit of the Spirit" is spontaneous.
The "Fruit of the Spirit" is not the result of the believer’s effort, but the gift of the Spirit.
Through God we hear of the roll we have to play in His Kingdom. In His Word and through His Spirit we are led on a mission for life in His Kingdom.
Loyalty is demanded of us. We are called to produce fruit. Spontaneous fruit.
We are baptized. We are loved. We have heard the Word.
Now let’s go! Let’s go with an attitude!
Attitude
Notice how Elijah permits Elisha to go back after he was chosen.
But Elisha returns with an attitude. An attitude that has eliminated his old means of making a living and readies for new service that God has called him to.
What will you leave when called by God?
Will you have the right attitude?
Elisha did not put his hand to the plow and look back.
He made a break. He destroyed the plow and the oxen.
Elisha was ready to move forward.
Jesus was resolute in his mission.
Jesus was curt and determined in his journey.
Jesus was truly a "man on a mission."
Will you be too?
Do you have the guts for it?
Are you determined to leave your old self behind?
Are you truly ready to make a break?
It’s time to decide!
Jesus was determined. He had an attitude. He accepted his fate.
Submit every aspect of your life to God.
Whew! There are some tough words. But true and honest words.
Words that come to us because in our baptism, God has a purpose for our lives.
Purpose
Elijah was given a purpose.
God asked Elijah to anoint three different people.
Hazael an enemy king. God was going to use Aram as his instrument to punish Israel for it’s sin. Aram brought Israel’s external punishment.
Israel’s internal punishment came from Jehu, the next man Elijah was to anoint.
Jehu would destroy all the false gods being worshipped in Israel.
Then the anointing of Elisha was to point the people back to God.
God had given Elijah a Purpose.
In the Luke reading ---even the reading itself represents a break.
Jesus emphasizes the need for a break.
A break for the old to the new life in Him.
Break away---don’t turn back.
Turn to life in Christ.
Jesus wants total dedication from us.
We can’t pick and choose ideas and follow Him selectively.
There is a cost to following Jesus and each of us must be ready to serve, even when it requires sacrifice.
If you put your hand to the plow and look back you tend to get off track and go crooked.
Kind of like driving with the car in drive while looking behind. You may go crooked and wreck!
Focus on Jesus so that nothing else distracts you.
Keep your focus forward to that cross.
Jesus was intent on his mission and purpose!
Everything is stripped away but what is relevant to the Purpose of God.
Talk about a "Purpose Driven Life!"
Baptized, Loved and given the Mission---now Go! Live!
Living
For Elijah, this turns out to be the first and last of the three appointments.
Since Elisha takes over Elijah’s staff or mantle, Elijah passed his spirit and mission on to Elisha and Elisha accepts the duty.
Put the old self to death.
Live in response to the new being you have received.
Let the Spirit direct your life.
Identify with the crucifixion of Christ.
Crucify your old behavior or old nature by living in the Spirit.
Live in the presence of God and each other; equal in His sight.
Live dependent on His grace and work with each other in service for and with each other.
Everyone in the church is free.
Live that freedom willingly performing the most menial tasks with and for one another out of the Love God has shown us.
Accept the crown of glory along with the cross.
Live while abandoning everything but the security in Christ.
Christ died to set us free. But not to free us to do whatever we want.
We are free to do what was impossible before.
Live unselfishly and stand up for this freedom and live the unselfish life in Christ.
Turn from your sins and nail them to the cross.
Sure you will still sin. But know that you have been set free from sin’s power over you and no longer have to give into it.
Let God crucify you sin for you---daily!
Now there’s some baptism!
Freed to be slaves. Chosen by the Spirit to live!
The Spirit has given you life.
Now go! Control that life in joy with His help.
Live by the Spirit and not by the flesh.
God’s Word
I want you to hear this loud and clear!
You are Mine.
I have chosen you.
I love you!
Now fulfill the purpose I give to you.
Complete the mission.
Set your face to the Love on that Cross and live for Me.
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment