Little children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth. 1 John 3:18

Last year, I installed the Bible Gateway app on my phone. I’ve been a big fan of Bible Gateway for years. It’s an amazing resource that includes numerous translations of the Bible, reading plans, study guides, and all sorts of other great Bible reading tools. Bible Gateway allows me to really dig into Scripture. I love being able to look at 3-4 translations of a single verse on one page.

One of the things I love about the app is the Verse of the Day. As a working mom, I don’t always have 30-40 minutes where I can sit down and read my Bible. However, with the Bible Gateway app, I’ve always got Scripture in the palm of my hand. The Verse of the Day feature allows me to quickly access a meaningful passage of Scripture that I can then carry with me and meditate on as I’m going through my daily routine. Let me give you an example.

Monday, I was rushing around getting my boys ready for school. I clicked on my Bible Gateway app and read the Verse of the Day: 1 John 3:18. I have my Verse of the Day set to the CEB version of the Bible, so this is what I read:

Little children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth.

I thought about this Scripture a lot throughout the day. I thought about Jesus, and the ways that he interacted with others. In my mind, I watched as Jesus placed his hands on the blind beggar and gave the beggar sight. I saw Jesus holding children, their innocent faces smiling up at him, while the disciples looked on in disproval. I remembered Jesus breaking the bread at the Passover meal, passing it to each of his disciples, and declaring that this bread was his body which would be broken for us.

You see, Jesus’ actions displayed an important truth about the nature of God’s love. Love is touching the untouchables. Love is valuing those society tells us to dismiss as unimportant or inconsequential. Love is sacrificing so that others may live.

Do you see the correlation between action and truth? Our actions show the world what we believe to be true. And Jesus’ actions revealed the truth of God’s love.

As I continued to ponder this verse, I remembered a story someone shared with me several years ago. A group of college professors and administrators sat on an educational board of directors. One year, as new members were appointed to the board, people started noticing that all of the board members were men. This was troubling for some members of the college staff, who felt like the makeup of the board did not reflect the diversity the college proclaimed to hold so dear. As the board looked for a way to address this issue, one staff member made a bold suggestion. “Perhaps one of the board members should step down to open up a space for a woman.”

This suggestion was met with complete silence. Everyone looked at their feet, hoping for the awkward moment to pass. You see, for all of their talk about the importance of diversity, not one board member was willing to relinquish his power to put the college’s belief into practice. In that moment, power became a more important truth than diversity.

Our actions show the world what we truly believe.

Living out the truth of God’s love is hard. Honestly, I probably get it wrong more days that I get it right. God’s love is countercultural. God’s love chooses humility over power. It chooses poverty over wealth. It chooses the least of these over the most popular or successful. It chooses personal sacrifice over personal gain.

God calls us to live in truth. This week, I challenge each of us to spend some time thinking about our actions. What truths or beliefs do our actions reveal? How might we act in a way that truly embodies the truth of God’s love?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

 

 

 

I have to admit, I have been a bit lazy with posting this month. I’ve had lots of writing projects come across my desk, and have been busy developing courses, writing assessment items, and reviewing media.

So today, I’m cheating a bit. I’m reposting a blog post from several years ago about love. Tis the season for it, right? The truth is, as Jesus followers, love should be a way of life for us. And yet, we often let our own feelings, judgmental natures, and pettiness get in the way of practicing love. Today, as I make something old new again, consider love. What is it? What does it look like? And how do you practice it in a way that reveals Christ to others?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

 

This past weekend, we went to St. Genevive, Missouri for the wedding of my husband’s cousin to a lovely young woman.  The ceremony was held under the domed ceiling of a beautiful, ornate cathedral–the oldest cathedral west of the Mississippi I believe.  It was simple, yet elegant and the bride and groom both glowed with the warmth of love they held for one another.  One of the scripture passages used in the service was the same one my husband and I chose to have read on our wedding day almost six years ago.  It has become one of my favorites:

via Confession 428: Living as a New Creation in the New Year

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.  God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (CEV)

It’s New Year– that magical time of hope and possibility when we celebrate blank spaces on calendars, the return of fruits and veggies to our diets, and increased gym memberships. January is that glorious month when we resolve to be better versions of ourselves. February is when we finally succumb to wine and chocolate.

I’m not mocking New Year’s resolutions. I think they can be a very powerful tool for self-improvement. However, it’s important to understand why we’re resolving to eat healthier, exercise more, spend less, be kinder, forgive, etc…The fundamental question we should be considering in the New Year isn’t how we are going to change; rather, we should be considering whether or not we really want to change. 

Change is hard work. It requires a shift in mindset, and because our brains are hardwired in patterns of behavior, shifting our mindset takes a lot of time and practice. Paul understood this. When Paul encountered Jesus on the Damascus road, his entire life changed. But, it didn’t happen overnight. When Paul was re-gifted his ability to see, it was just the beginning of a long and arduous process of change. Paul left behind his power, his wealth, his family, and even his name to follow Christ. While Paul became a new creation in Christ, his life became immensely more complicated and difficult than it had been before.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the process of change. He told them that in Christ, they were made new. However, there’s a caveat. Look at the passage again:

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.  God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

In order to become a new creation, you first have to let go of the past. And, once you’ve managed to set aside the dreams, hurts, ambitions, fears, disappointments, and even joys of the past, you still have work to do. Paul writes that God sent Christ to make peace between himself and us. Therefore, as God’s new creation, we are called to continue that work Jesus began–going into the world and making peace between God and others. The Message puts it this way:

God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them.

As Christians, we’re Christ’s representatives in the world. Being a new creation in God means going about the work of reconciliation–reconciliation with ourselves, reconciliation with others, reconciliation with God. But again, in order to be God’s new creation, we have to want to change. We have to want the reconciliation, and then we have to work to help bring it about.

I’ve thought a lot about change in this New Year….about what it might look like to live as a new creation in God in 2018. I’ve decided to adopt John Wesley’s second rule of living as my motto for 2018: Do good. Wesley’s call to “Do good” goes beyond basic human decency to “doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all men…” (John Wesley, “The Nature, Design, and General Rules of Our United Societies”, umc.org.) For me, this includes practicing goodness and mercy in actions, thoughts, and words–not always an easy task for an opinionated know-it-all! 🙂

So, whatever you resolve to do this New Year, I encourage you to first ask yourself if you really want to change. Then, pray about how and why you and God might work together as you become a new creation.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

via Confession 427: Remembering to Exhale

He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, human one! Say to the breath, The Lord God proclaims: Come from the four winds, breath! Breathe into these dead bodies and let them live.” Ezekiel 37:9

I’ve seen a lot of posts in the blogosphere this Advent season about the importance of breathing. With the rush of holiday fever that sweeps our culture this time of year, it’s easy to get busy and stressed and forget to just breathe.

I love taking deep breaths. Did you know that three deep breaths are all it takes to shut off the stress mechanisms in your brain? Three deep breaths can clear your head and help you focus, calm down, and begin again. It feels good to breathe deeply–to fill your lungs full to bursting with oxygen. But for me, the real payoff of breathing deeply is the exhale. When you exhale, oxygen is propelled from the lungs through the veins until your entire body feels blissfully empty and light.

There’s release in the exhale. Where breathing in is about consumption, exhaling is about letting go. It’s a time to rid ourselves of the impurities in the world around us. When we exhale, we release the worry, anxiety, fear, anger, bitterness, sadness, and stress that can bind us. Exhaling allows us to empty out the negative so that we can breathe in afresh all of God’s love, mercy, and grace.

Advent is a season we should spend practicing the art of exhaling. Think of it as making room at the inn for the Christ child. Advent is a time when we can exhale our brokenness. Advent is a time when we can exhale our need for control. Advent is a time when we can exhale our desire for more stuff. Advent is a time when we can exhale the trappings of the world, so that we can then inhale the glorious gifts of God.

As you go about this hectic holiday season, I encourage you to practice the art of exhalation. Take some time to focus on your breathing. Push out all of those negative feelings and thoughts. Expel the stress and expectations of the season. Instead, focus on making room for the coming of the King.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

via Confession 426: What I Really Want for Christmas

You teach me the way of life.
    In your presence is total celebration.
Beautiful things are always in your right hand. Psalm 16:11 (CEB)

Now that Thanksgiving is over, my boys have begun their Christmas lists. We have a four gift policy in our household for Christmas: 1) something to wear, 2) something you need, 3) something you want, 4) something to read. It’s our effort to simplify Christmas and focus less on self, and more on God. That said, our boys always have quite the list for their one “want” gift. The conversation around the Christmas list always goes something like this:

Boy=Trampoline: Mom= Our yard slopes down into a lake.

Boy=A Gameboy: Mom= Seriously, how many screens do you need?

Boy=A drone: Mom= Please…it’s an expensive kite.

Boy=(Huff and Puff) How about some cooking stuff? Mom=Hmmm…you can write that down.

I know what you’re thinking…I’m a total Grinch. But, in a house already overflowing with stuff, the last thing I want to get my children is more stuff. For the past several years, my husband and I have practiced simplifying Christmas. We try to put traditions in place that emphasize the gift of Jesus, not the gift of stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I like presents, but sometimes I want more that what comes in a box.

What I really want for Christmas is an encounter with the divine. I want that moment, when the holy and human intersect for one brief moment and all you can do is stand in awe and wonder. I want to be with the shepherds, looking up as the angels sing. I want to be like Mary, full of the ponderous weight of God’s love. I want to experience the fresh hope that God’s salvation brings. I want to know, without a doubt, that “God is in us, God is for us, God is with us…Emmanuel”*. And that is not going to come from a department store.

Instead, I need to spend some time cultivating holiness. I need to sit in the quiet before God’s throne, seeking his presence, his wisdom, his light. I need to contemplate the Scriptures–mediate on them in the presence of the Holy Spirit. I need to go out into the world and see where God is moving and working, and then pick up some seeds and start planting his love.

And then, I need to celebrate his love. That’s what Christmas is really about, after all. We celebrate God’s love, God’s salvation and God’s presence among us. Because, as the psalmist writes, in God’s presence is total celebration. God makes beautiful things, and it’s our job as his followers to show others these beautiful things. So, at Christmas, we offer the gifts of hope, joy, love, and peace. Our celebration of Christmas should extend God’s beautiful gifts to the world, in the hope that his kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven.

As you put together your Christmas list this season, consider ways you might bring the gifts of hope, joy, love, and peace into the world.

I don’t know about you…but what I really want for Christmas is Emmanuel.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

* Wayne Kirkpatrick, “God is With Us”, recorded by Casting Crowns 2008, track 6 on Peace on Earth, Reunion Records. compact disc.

via Confession 425: Gratitude as a Way of Living

This is a post from several years ago, but as I reread it, I’m reminded of how much I still need to hear it. Gratitude can be challenging, and living a life of thanksgiving is not really something we’re particularly encouraged to do. But I have some great examples to follow, and I am endeavoring each day to put gratitude into practice a bit more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sara

As grace increases to benefit more and more people, it will cause gratitude to increase, which results in God’s glory. 2 Corinthians 4: 15 (CEB)

This Sunday, I did my perennial thanksgiving message during Children’s Time at church. You know…that Sunday when you pass the microphone around to all of the children and ask them to list one thing they’re thankful for…hoping against all hope that it’s not something humiliating for parents like “cheerleaders” or “when my mommy doesn’t cook”. The children are usually very thoughtful in their responses. We get a lot of “family, friends, food, God” responses, and those are all good things. However, sometimes I think that setting aside one Sunday (or Thursday) a year to express gratitude for things that mostly make us happy is really not a stretch of spiritual fortitude. Sometimes, the tiny time we carve out to give thanks before binge eating and shopping feels a bit trite.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving. I love spending time with family, eating copious amounts of my mother-in-law’s mouth-watering stuffing, playing cards and board games,  browsing Black Friday ads, and strolling around Target in the wee hours of the morning with my husband just because we can. My heart swells with gratitude during Thanksgiving, and it’s nice to have the opportunity to express love and thankfulness to the people around us.

But, as I read Paul’s words to the church in Corinth, I’m reminded that gratitude is not just a state of mind; it’s also a way of life. According to Paul, gratitude is a byproduct of grace that is used to bring glory to God. Think of it this way: God pours his grace into us, which causes us to pour gratitude out. As God’s grace fills us from within, we are able to pour gratitude out to the world. This pouring out of gratitude helps others see and experience the great love of God.

There’s a difference between thanksgiving and gratitude. Thanksgiving, as the word appears,  is the act of saying thank you. We literally give thanks for a  gift received. Gratitude, however, is the “quality” of being thankful. Do you notice the slight derivation between the words thanksgiving and gratitude? Thanksgiving is something we express, but gratitude is a state of being. In other words, it’s part of who we are. People who live with gratitude are in a constant state of thankfulness, and it is this state which Paul is calling the people of Corinth to enter into. It is this state which we, as Jesus followers, are still called into today.

When we live lives of gratitude, our actions become an extension of God’s grace. Living a life of gratitude means thinking of others before ourselves. It means that we seek to listen rather than be heard. It means we practice generosity–with our time, our talents, our resources, and our presence. It means we seek to see the good in others, and work to bring God’s goodness into the world. It means we forgive and let go. It means we carry the light for others. It means we seek peace.

Don’t mistake gratitude for positivity. We’re human, and we live in a human world. Stuff happens–sometimes terrible, devastating, life-altering stuff. There are times when we are consumed with grief, anxiety, anger, or hopelessness. God’s not asking us to thank him for those moments, that would be cruel. In those moments, living a life of gratitude means simply tossing the blankets off in the morning and taking one step out of bed. In our darkness, gratitude means simply trusting God enough to move into one more day.

This Thanksgiving, let’s do a gratitude check. Are we living lives of gratitude? Are our words and actions pointing others toward God?

As grace increases to benefit more and more people, it will cause gratitude to increase, which results in God’s glory. 2 Corinthians 4: 15 (CEB)

Blessings and Peace,

Sara