LOVE IS IN THE AIR Feb 2012

February is upon us and every mans heart turns to thoughts of love, or at least if theres a lady in his life and he knows whats good for him, it does. Everywhere weve been since Christmas Day, retailers have been plastering their stores with red hearts and Valentine cards, not daring to pass up an opportunity to part the consumer with his or her hard-earned money. But the kind of love Im referring to is seldom the consumer-driven feel good that adds coins to the pockets of Hallmark, and it is not usually what turns a confirmed bachelors stiff resolve to mush. What I am talking about is the drive within us to pour out our lives for the betterment of another, the need to give to another expecting nothing in return, the kind of love that Christ demonstrated by His life and death on our behalf, and what were exhorted by scripture to heap lavishly upon one another.

For much of my life, I have been the recipient of this kind of love from both God whom I cannot see and from many around me whom I can. My heart was overwhelmed just recently as many of you poured out on me and my wife much love and support on the occasion of my ordination. I tend to approach most events in a business-like, logistical manner, and in just a few moments that Sunday, it was clear that there was little business-like about the event. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

I was recently asked if our church had a plan for corporate Bible reading this year. Aside from the "Did You Know?" handouts distributed on New Years, I had not thought much about it, honestly. But as I contemplated the question, the words to John-Mark McMillans song came to mind, "He is jealous for me. [His] loves like a hurricane and I am a tree bending beneath the weight of His grace and mercy. When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, and I realize just how beautiful you are and how great is your affection for me. We are His portion and He is our prize drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes. If grace is an ocean were all sinking. So heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss and my heart turns violently inside of my chest; I dont have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us. Oh, how He love us so; oh, how He loves us!" (copyright 2009, John Mark McMillan)

I think the word pictures young Mr. McMillan paints are some of the best in contemporary Christian music as he captures in song the essence of the Fathers love and deep passion for His children, and the changes we undergo when we realize just how deep that love is. Suddenly nothing else matters except "for God so loved the world"

So, for the month of February, we have a Bible reference at the bottom of each day on the church calendar that refers to and helps us celebrate His love for us and/or the expressing of that love through us back to Him or toward one another.

Yeah, love is in the air; it is the story of how great His affection is for us.

Richard

A FRESH START - Jan 2012

Jeremiah, in his great Lament of the state of things in his life and in the life of his nation wrote: 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. (Lam 3:22-23 NIV)

Although we sometimes live like Bill Murrays character in Groundhog Day, we, in reality, have the opportunity for a clean slate and fresh start, always, every day. That is what grace means to us who believe. In the above-mentioned movie, Bill Murray plays a very self-centered star-wanna-be who is destined to live the same day over and over and over anduntil he gets it right, until his attitudes and actions become less its-all-about-me.

As Jeremiah realized and wrote, because of the Lords great love for us, He does not grow weary with us and destroy us. No, instead, we see His compassion, His mercy, and His forgiveness. For those of us who have believed in His Son and what was accomplished on our behalf at Calvary, we never have to deal with the eternal consequence of our self-centered start in life. Nor are we doomed to repeat day after day the same mistakes and foibles until we see the light and the error of our habits.

Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, in his book Jesus + Nothing = Everything defines Gods grace as, among other things, the ability and opportunity to begin again at the beginning, to start over with no past. The apostle Paul noted in his letter to the Philippians that he did not allow his past to define him. He laid aside both his former failures and his former successes so that he could press toward the goal of maturity in Christ, unencumbered by either regrets or pride.

We begin 2012 with new expectations, new hopes, new dreams as we do with every milestone in our lives. However, we need not wait until January 1^st to start over. Jeremiah noted that the mercies, the compassions of the Lord are new every morning. With each new day come new opportunities to begin again, to start over. This is one more of the things we celebrate with the New Year, one of the things purchased for us by the blood of our Savior, one of the things realized by His resurrection. Great is your faithfulness, O Lord!

Happy New Year, Richard

MORE THAN A CHANGE OF ADDRESS - December 2011

As anyone who has ever moved from one home to another can attest, a new location involves much more than what is written on their Drivers License; it always involves a whole new thought process. Let me explain:

If you were to move from your present home to the house just next door, at the very minimum you would be likely to begin every-other sentence with, "Where in the world is my?" Now, if you move, as the Sudduths are presently doing, from the "country" to a city address, you would have to become used to any number of changes such as garbage disposal, schedule adjustments, rethinking your path every time you get in your car, additional noise and traffic, parking issues, restrictions on virtually every aspect of life, and on and on the list goes, in addition to "Where in the world is my"

If you extend that move to another region of the country, additionally there are new friends to get to know, old friends to not forget, regional differences and habits, political changes, plus any number of legal differences that have to be adjusted to. And, well, if you move to another country, add to all of the above language and cultural differences, extreme distance from loved ones.

I have done all of the above except move to another country. I have spent a month, total, outside the US, always with friends, always with at least two other people from my home accompanying me at all times. Even knowing my time there would be short, there were many adaptations to my normal behaviors and thoughts that had to take place in order to function in my new places.

Now, let us extend this move much further than just from one area of the world to another. Lets imagine if we possible can what it was like for God the Son to leave His heavenly home to become one of us; the Creator of the universe coming to be on a level plane with His creation. It is no wonder that the vast majority of Jews who had celebrated the Other-ness of God for centuries were offended by this One who claimed to come from His Father in heaven.

So what was it like? That is the question of the season as we celebrate the advent of our Savior, the coming-to-earth from His heavenly throne to lie in a manger clothed in burial rags born to die for the sins of the world, incarnate to pay the ultimate price in the stead of those who had nothing to offer, reconciling the world back unto His Father and Himself.

As we mark His move, His change of address that gave us a new home to look forward to, let us thank Him with all that is within us for changing His normal surroundings so that we might truly live. What was it like?

Merry Christmas,

Richard

BEING COURAGEOUS - November 2011

Many of the men from River of Life Church went together to see the newest offering from Sherwood Films, called "Courageous". So that the story line is not spoiled for those who have not yet seen it, suffice it to say that the primary focus of the movie is leadership Godly leadership. It is about husbands and fathers taking their rightful and responsible place to lead their families with love and Courage.

Good, solid, Godly leadership requires Courage, and a great deal of it. Most of us can recall former generations of men who led with a heavy hand and dared anyone to challenge the authority they thought they had. Some of us are old enough to remember secular governmental leaders of that mold, from the federal level down to the most local of officials whose attitudes seemed to reflect the belief that the world revolved around them and they could do no wrong. Some of us recall churches, especially churches birthed during the Jesus Movement, with singular, larger-than-life heads whose word was "gospel" and no one dared cross them under fear of expulsion or public humiliation.

These were not leaders of the type God has called to lead His ordained institutions: churches, families, governments. These were often very insecure, cowardly persons who felt their positions were hard-fought and in order to retain them, they must fight back, putting others in "their place".

In the generations since these heavy-handed leaders, good leadership has become very scarce as the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme. There is a near-paralysis in our governments, churches, and families as people who were charged with leading have abdicated their role, in part, out of fear of criticism. Politicians fail to take a righteous stand on issues lest they be maligned in the press and their chance of reelection vaporized. Those who do take a definitive stand are vehemently castigated as we saw with our last US president. Churches are often run by committees that take, what seems to be, forever to reach a simple decision. Children are without boundaries and guidance as their parents are much more concerned about being a friend to their offspring than being responsible for their reaching maturity.

The apostle Paul asked, "If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will prepare for battle?" (I Cor. 14:8)

The Bible is unfortunately full of stories of leaders who failed in their tasks. A very prominent one has to do with Aaron, the high-priest before the children of Israel. Moses, a reluctant, yet obedient leader, had gone up the mountain to commune with God. He left his brother, Aaron, in charge. After some disturbances atop the mountain and Moses delayed return, the people began to clamor for an idol to worship so they could be like the other societies. Rather than take a Courageousstand against idolatry, Aaron caved in to the fear of man, and sealed the doom of an entire generation.

The scripture teaches that it is God who raises up and takes down leaders (despite the billion-dollar campaigns). Churches are to be led by those called; families are to be led by those who are called; yes, even governments should contain those called to lead. Courageous leaders are those who are confident, not in their own ability to gain and hold a position, but in Gods Word regarding their responsibilities.

Most of us, if we are honest, like Moses are not at all confident in our own abilities to lead. I believe that is just fine, actually preferable. The realization that we are not capable should keep us on our faces before the One who empowers us. Yet, let us not be so unsure of His empowerment that we fail to issue a clear, decisive call, whether to our families, our churches, our businesses, or the general public. Let us be Courageous, let us be clear, let us lead.

Richard

I AM THE ONLY ONE LEFT REALLY? October, 2011

We read in 1 Kings 19 the story of Elijah, being under pressure and duress from the authorities and the general population of Israel taking refuge in a cave and wanting to die. He is convinced that he is the sole survivor of Gods people and the very thought of it is so discouraging he can no longer bear the thought of continuing. As he wallows in his self-pity the voice of the Lord comes to him and enquires, "What are you doing here?"

It is never a comfortable situation when the Lord has to ask us why we are wherever we may be at the moment. Elijah is so convinced that he is alone that he hates his life and feels that he has accomplished nothing of Gods will "I am no better than my ancestors." The generation prior to Elijah had walked away from God and His ways and had followed strange gods. Elijah felt he had done no better. However, God had other ideas for this prophet.

In a vision, God reveals to Elijah that indeed he is not the only one who has refused to compromise in their faith and abandon the will of God. There are seven-thousand others who have refused to bow to Baal and continue to follow hard after God. Although this was not the majority of the children of Israel, seven-thousand was still a significant number of people. This revelation so inspired Elijah that he went and found a protg to help him and to carry on his work after him.

Many believers in todays world find themselves under the same kind of pressures as Elijah. It seems that everywhere they turn laws are being passed that compromise or restrict the free exercise of worship. Their fellow citizens no longer are cognizant of Gods ways or of His love, causing the believer to feel like the odd one. Societal pressures to turn away from God and His ways are prevalent, and some are so discouraged that they too, while perhaps not despairing for their literal physical life, are often tempted to simply give up and live as their neighbors do as moral humanists.

There is a remnant! While the overall numbers of those following hard after God seem to be in decline, assuming the polls are correct, there remains a strong, healthy, vibrant Body of Christ. When the apostle Paul referred to being pressed on every side, he was describing the current condition of the world we live in, yet we are not destroyed. Far from it! Gods hand is at work throughout the earth drawing men and women unto Himself, reaching out to them in His love and grace, inspiring them to reach others, inspiring them to respond to Him in adoration and love.

There is a huge temptation when under pressure to believe that we alone carry the spark of God within our breasts, that we alone have not compromised our faith. Sometimes we recognize that we arent the only individual, so our thoughts might become that our church or associated churches are somehow special above all others. Taken further, we might assume falsely that our nation remains the sole beacon of light in a dark world. None of these notions are true. Gods eyes continue to search throughout the earth to find those who love Him, just as they were in Jobs day. And He is finding them! Throughout the world, there are those whose hearts beat to the rhythm of Gods love. We stand within a mighty company, a large household of faith that grows stronger and larger, quite literally by the second.

Its good to be home. Richard

WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN GOIN ON

As I write this, we have just experienced the first earthquake I have ever known. Previously, for two years I lived on an active fault line that quakes periodically but generally without excitement or damage. However, during my stay, except for the occasional tornado and one hurricane, the earth stood mostly silent.

The reports of damage from Tuesdays tremor are beginning to trickle in on the various news channels, but it would seem that the injuries and damage sustained were, by comparison, quite minor as compared to say Haiti or Japans experience over the past few years. On the same day of the local quake, there were also reports of seismic activity in Colorado, Indonesia, Russia, and the next morning in San Francisco. Thankfully, while this round of tectonic plate re-alignment seems to be a mild one, it does serve to remind us how much we are not in control of our own destiny.

Hebrews 12:27 tells us that "everything that can be shaken will be shaken" so that what remains cannot be. Paul followed with verse 28, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe".

The relief that our recent experience was not a catastrophe made many of us almost euphoric. Some passed around on FaceBook a silly picture of an overturned lawn chair being the extent of damage from the quake it really was funny considering the horrific scenes we have all recently seen in the media from Asia. Yet, with the meteorologists predicting a hurricane to make landfall that could affect all of us, we remain aware that we rest in the hands of God and do not control our futures. Because of the moderation of the earths ravages in our area, we can almost believe that we will never experience natural disaster, but only He knows if that is true or not.

The bottom line to this discussion is that all created things will perish eventually. Whether or not it will occur during our lifetime is very much in question. Yet there is a purpose for these "labor pains", as Paul called them elsewhere. The purpose is to remind us that this current condition is not designed to remain forever; we are due to receive a Kingdom, fully manifest, that will never decay. Many times Jesus told His listeners that Gods kingdom was "at hand" or "within them", referring to the fact that we dont have to wait to experience the realm of heaven Gods sovereign rule. However, He was also clear that the present experience was in measure, a partial revelation, and that which is to come is without limitation.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe."

Richard

SPARE NOT DO NOT HOLD BACK - August 2011

Isaiah 54:1-2 says,"Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the Lord. 2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes."

In a recent message, Pastor Randy quoted the prophet Isaiah as the Lord was comforting His people. Two chapters earlier, Isaiah said of Israel that she was the barren one; she was the one who was cut short in her years, delivered into the hands of a conqueror before bearing the fruit of her womb. Now, God is telling His people to take heart; nay, rejoice, break into song, because the fruit of her existence is about to overcome the offspring of those who have not suffered the same indignities she has. The fruit of Israels womb is about to become more plentiful than that of her neighbors who have not lived in exile, those who have not suffered degradation, forced servitude and emasculation. In fact, God says, challenge your current existence and conditions and prepare for change BIG change, fundamental change, monumental change, a different thinking process, a whole new way of life!

In Verse 2, this preparation includes the enlargement of Israels capacity to receive from God. As Randy pointed out, we have to challenge the way things are, the way things have always been, our expectations and our experience. All too often we miss out on the best God has for us because our vision of Him or of what He desires for us is based on predetermined or pre-decided parameters. We hit the limitations of our vision so easily.

There is a phrase in 54:2 rendered in the NKJV as "Spare not". That is not terminology we often use today. The NIV translates it as, "Do not hold back." Some of us would better understand it if were translated "In for a penny; in for a pound." What the Lord is referring to is absolute, total, and complete commitment to the change at hand.

Isaiahs words are to a people devastated by the judgment of God in their lives. For some it was the result of their own actions, for some, they were just "along for the ride", suffering the same conditions of their fellow countrymen. Carted off into exile, forced into slavery, some killed, some emasculated (literally) to render them harmless, all bearing great hardship, reproach and shame as the result of the judgment, their lives collectively and individually a ruin.

The word of God to them was, "Wholesale change is coming prepare yourself to accept and receive the change. Challenge the status quo, dont accept your present condition. Look with great expectation at what God will do. In fact, the change is so great, you must expand your horizons beyond anything thus far in your experience. Therefore, your ability to not be overwhelmed with it all is directly proportionate to your willingness to "buy into" what God is doing." Please note that this passage is part of Isaiahs Messianic prophecy. The coming of the Savior was going to bring a whole new race of people into their world and theyd best be ready it didnt actually go real well for most of them as they struggled to accept the Gentiles as the family of God.

The barren, desolate one is now promised that the fruit of her womb will far overcome the present capacity of her abilities to shelter them. Her instruction is to create a larger area to set up her dwelling place and then throw open the curtains of the tent so that more may come in. But dont stop there "Spare not!" she is to lengthen her cords (expand her reach) and strengthen her stakes (provide better support and anchor for the tent), for her world is about to be turned upside down! The implication is that the enormity of the blessing of God in her life is limited only by her willingness to dive in completely. Dont hold back lest you miss all He has planned for you.

Richard

BUILDING FOR A LIFETIME - July 2011

Since I discovered it at age 17, one of my favorite passages in the scripture is in John 17 as Jesus prays,

"Father, I pray they may be one even as you and I are one." The "they" Jesus is referring to is those who have believed in Him, those the Father has given Him. Even today, this sentiment expressed by our Lord touches a place in me that little else seems to reach in the same way.

Perhaps it is because I am the product of a broken home where any "oneness" displayed by my parents was an extreme rarity, until their split when I was turning 16. Over the years, I have had seven brothers-in-law; that count now stands at two. And even though all the principals involved are still drawing breath on this terrestrial ball, there have been deaths nonetheless. Shared goals, dreams, aspirations of partners, of children, of extended families have all died to some extent as relationships have not endured. Perhaps the saddest aspect of this is all have professed to be included in the number Jesus prayed for the potential was huge, but for one reason or another (or lots of them), that potential was never realized.

Within the body of Christ, as a child, I, as many of you have, experienced the spit of a long-term congregation upon the retirement of a long-term pastor. People who had worshiped together for decades suddenly departed to find the "will of God" elsewhere and the friendships that had been so strong weakened or died. Later in my life as church leaders resigned under less-than-optimal conditions, again brothers and sisters in Christ found it necessary to move on. I have seen church associations dissolve from a lack of time investment or changes of priorities.

Lest I become absolutely morose in my musings, I remind myself and my readers that God has always redeemed the lost and the broken lost nations, lost souls, broken relationships. Some of these broken relationships I mentioned above have reconnected, with changes certainly, but nevertheless, love and friendship has replaced hurt and animosity. A second reminder is that there are always new opportunities for building covenant heart-to-heart relationships if we will but choose to do so.

The thing about relations is that we do have to decide we want them. I dare say more relationships have died from neglect than from any other cause. A couple starts out with common goals and dreams. But soon "their" dream might become "his" or maybe "hers", but no longer "theirs." One or the other, or both, simply failed to invest the time, energy, finances required to keep "us" alive and so now it becomes "you" and "me".

The oneness that Jesus referred to is not automatic; in fact, it is not even easy. The enemy of our souls would like nothing better than to be sure that no one ever experienced the life that comes from that unity, because that experience is getting a glimpse of Gods heart. To find oneness in life requires a commitment to each other as well as a commitment to the idea, itself. It will require everything you have and everything you are. Anything held back is a "backdoor" for the enemy to use to destroy that which is being built. The newlywed who keeps the letters of an ex- secret from their spouse is prophesying the marriage will not last. They are not investing the emotional capital needed to sustain it.

Within the church, Godly relationships require time, energy, finances, as well. Those who look after "them and theirs" only are not investing the capital needed for sustaining relationships there, either. Ananias failed to invest it all, deciding with his wife to hold something back for their selves. God judged their actions immediately refusing to allow the church to be tainted by that attitude. Unfortunately, it wormed its way in and today, is rampant.

In a few weeks, River of Life Church is sending a team to Cluj, Romania to invest more into the lives of our brothers and sisters there. Now, in no way is this a "one-way street". We go with full expectation of an exchange of life, both now and in the future. We know that on both sides of the Atlantic fruit will be born, people will be strengthened, lives will be forever changed, and Jesus prayer will come closer to being fulfilled. How can this be? We are willing to invest the time, energy, emotion, and finances to make it so, and our Father will not deny His Son the request. God will be glorified by the unity and oneness strengthened there.

Richard

HOW CAN THEY HEAR? - June 2011

The apostle Paul wrote to the elect in Rome, ""Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"" (Rom 10:13-15)

In our world of trying to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, words are the instruments or tools of our profession. When Joel and Isaiah originally penned the words that Paul quoted in verse 13 above, the prophets were counted among the very few privileged people with the capability of reading. Even as Paul wrote his letter to the church, on up to the past fifty years or so, most of the worlds population was illiterate. Therefore, the spoken word was the primary means of communication of the Good News.

Now, however, except in some of the most "backward" of communities, and I use the phrase with great trepidation, almost everyone can at least read and write on a basic level. Education has run rampant even among the "huddled masses" so that the spoken word is no longer the most important way to preach the word of God. As never before in the history of man, communication has become the opportunity of virtually anyone with access to a piece of paper and a pen, or to a computer, or to a cell phone. And we can reach virtually anyone else in the world. Even hacks such as I can sit at my laptop and string together some words that I hope and trust will bring light, life, and encouragement to those who read them.

However, although multiple means of communication are readily available to most who desire them, skills of communication are not automatic, nor are they necessarily keeping pace. It has become increasingly easy to embarrass oneself in front of a huge audience with a misspelled word, a typo, or an outright gaffe that causes all to shake their heads in dismay and wonder. Even those who are gifted communicators can easily mess up on a grand scale. It becomes all the more important to be sure of ones thoughts before striking the old keyboard. The old adage to "fully engage the brain before opening the mouth" applies in this electronic age, as well. I have certainly had my share of times when the article or message or lesson that was so clear in my head, was a garbled mess when it reached the recipient you.

Recently a writer and speaker for whom I have great respect released a book that has left many, including me, shaking their heads. For, some of his words seem to indicate either he has lost his ability to convey his thoughts clearly and succinctly, or he has lost his bearing in the news he was attempting to pass on. Either way, the message is certainly unclear and garbled.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that even though he might be eloquent in his words and possess an angelic voice, if the core of his message was off, the result would be no better than a musical instrument abused rather than played. As the ability to reach more and more people with our message increases almost daily, it is all the more important to pay heed lest we too become a "clashing cymbal". God grant us the ability to discern between the time to respond to the call and preach the Good News of Jesus Gospel, and the time to sit quietly in our corner and contemplate. For good and proper communication brings salvation and any other, confusion.

Paul continued his thought with, "For if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" In other words, if the message is jumbled and unclear, how can the listener properly respond? For those of us charged with speaking (or writing) the word of God, of passing on His message of salvation and hope for all to hear or read, Pauls admonition should give us pause.

With renewed fear and trembling,

Richard

WHOSE REALITY DO WE EMBRACE? - May 2011

Pop-culture will periodically hijack a common word and redefine it to fit a popular trend or event. As one who spends a great deal of time reading, writing, and speaking publicly, the meaning of words is important to me since those meanings are at the very core or essence of the thought I might be attempting to express. A word that has recently come under such attack is "reality", defined as authentic, that which happens in fact and not merely imagined, pretended, or fictitious. Applying that term to television is only as real as an event can be with two-to-four camera crews and a full production team. Anyone who believes these shows are "unscripted" may be truly deficient in the recognition of "reality". Anyway, for many, no longer an objective absolute, reality is now a mere subjective perspective differing realities for different people in the same situation.

I recently preached on Jesus story from Luke commonly known as the Parable of the Prodigal. Other translations may refer to the story as the Parable of the Lost Son. I entitled my message "Older Brothers and Sour Grapes", because I have lately begun to wonder which of the sons in the story was truly the lost one. The younger brother had claimed his inheritance early, left home and recklessly spent it all. After suffering from want and malnutrition, he returns to his fathers home, begging for a job as a servant.

The father, delighted that his wayward son has returned home, welcomes him with open arms and restores him to his former place in the family. The elder brother is not pleased and refuses to join in the celebration of the reunion.

Like the proverbial onion, this tale has many layers, various ones of which have provided object lessons for pastors and teachers for centuries. I have used this story as illustration several times, myself. I am currently reading a book whose author uncovers even another "layer" I, to my recollection, had not previously considered.

All the characters in the story have their own "reality" in their interaction with each other, a unique perspective. However, as in our interaction with our Father in heaven and with our spiritual or earthly siblings, there is only one of the realities that truly matters. As Sovereign Lord, His word carries the weight nothing else matters.

The younger son returned home broken and defeated. His "reality" is that because he has wasted everything his father gave him, blew every opportunity afforded him by carelessness and wanton appetites, that he is no longer worthy to be considered a member of the family (by the way, the elder brother agrees with that assessment). However, his father rules the roost and he declares, "No!" Not only is he a son, he is a son in good standing with all the honors, respect, and privileges that accompany the position.

The elder brothers reality is that indeed his sibling is not worthy of being a son; in his mind, he himself has slaved away for his dad for years, and their father has not even given him a meager celebration. The father is being grossly unfair to celebrate the inclusion into the family of this prodigal who has not followed the rules, who has not kept the family name in a respectful way, who wasted his chances, and lived as he desired to, with horrible consequences. Doesnt he deserve banishment?

Again, Dad says, "No!" Everything he has belongs to the elder son, yet he was too self-absorbed to notice. He has had the pleasure of his fathers presence and household, yet he was too concerned with his "slavery" to notice. The one place his dad would agree with him is the issue of unfairness none of us get what we deserve. If so, the eldest sons attitude would have certainly banished him from the family. Because the Father is sovereign, He doles out grace and mercy to whomever He desires. Since we have been recipients of that grace and mercy, how dare we begrudge it to another because we disapprove of them. Let us simply be grateful for what He has imparted to us.

Jesus, with His stories of lost sheep, coins, and sons, and of eleventh-hour employees, is adamant the Kingdom of God is a new reality. Would we do things that way? Would we operate in ways that so greatly offend our modern-day sensitivities and desires for equality for all? Of course not! That is just another reason we need a new reality. Our way of thinking is challenged by the Kingdom, and no matter what my "reality" is, the only one that truly matters is His "I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy."

Thankful for His grace and mercy,

Richard

BUILDING COMMUNITY, MAKING DISCIPLES, IMPACTING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS