Blessed are Those Who Mourn.

What do you do typically when you feel down? When you have had a tough day, what helps you get through? Most of us have go-to actions when things don’t go as planned. Some of us sit on the couch and eat a half gallon of ice cream. Some of us go for a long drive. Some of us just sit and cry. But we all do something. Often it comes with guilt or shame because we weren’t big enough to stand against whatever Goliath stood before us that particular day.

But then Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” So what does that mean?

Well, in our world today, there are plenty of things to mourn. We just emerged from a pandemic that took away many of the people we love and care for. Some of us lost our jobs during that time which led to losing our possessions. We have a political system that is tearing our country in half. Crime is rampant. Racism seems alive and well. The list goes on for things we mourn.

Some of us try to avoid the spirit of mourning. In doing so, we invite other emotions into our life that hurt and hinder our growth and progress. When we don’t mourn, two emotions typically emerge: anger and anxiety.

But in the middle of all the frustration and mourning, Jesus says we’ll be blessed because we’ll be comforted. I think there are three reasons mourning really reveals God is working and comforting. When we mourn our personal brokenness and sin, God has the opportunity to mend us and remind us that no matter our personal struggles, He has not left us nor abandoned us. He loves us incredibly.

When we mourn over the brokenness of our world, we are reminded in the mess and darkness, there is a light at work called Jesus Christ. As we look at hunger and genocide, racism and unrest. As we see poverty and sickness, we are reminded this world is temporary and Jesus is making all things new.

That knowledge brings a growth in our compassionate response to the brokenness around us. See, Jesus’ life gives us the example of compassion that we are called to live out every day. We want to walk closely with the Master and adopt his example of compassion and love for the world around us.

So mourn as followers of Christ because He’ll give us the comfort needed. Realize your need for a Savior and walk closely with him. Know Jesus is working in the world around us and join him in the story of redeeming compassion. May the dust of our rabbi, Jesus, settle upon you as you journey. Blessings on your journey.

It's a Wild Wilderness!

I remember the summer of 1986. It was the summer before I went to college and my dad wanted to go on a family vacation. So he took us to see Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. He wanted to make it adventurous so he took us in the back way through the Badlands of S.D. We ended up breaking down on this gravel road and my brother and I walked seven miles to the nearest town to get help. Walking through those badlands was hot, sweaty, and long. It was not hospitable.

Sometimes in life, you find yourself in a wilderness. It’s tough. It’s painful. You feel abandoned and alone. Sometimes it’s a season of spiritual dryness. But our deepest need becomes a gift when it drives you to depend on God.

That’s what happens to the prophet Elijah after he defeats the 850 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel in 1 Kings 18-19. He literally has this epic mountain top experience with God but one person says something that sends him running. It’s like he forgot all of the experiences in his life that showed him God was with him. That God was real. That God would protect him. That God had a relationship with him.

And some of you are there right now. You’ve had enough. You can’t take anymore. You’re exhausted and overwhelmed. The truth is a nap will not cure how tired you are. The truth is you’re spiritually depleted. You need a real, intimate encounter with God. You need a revelation of hope and loving kindness from a living God. You’re asking God, like the Psalmist in Psalms 23, to restore your soul.

In Elijah’s story, he runs away from the threat on his life but God is with him. And in his wilderness, God asks him a question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

God may be asking you the same question. “What are you doing here? You know better! You have full access to me. You’re a child of the King. You’re part of my family. Why are you running away?”

In Elijah’s story, God asks him to come to the edge of the mountain so that God can pass by in front of him. There is a multitude of things that happen: rock-busting strong wind, earthquake, fire…but God was not in any of those radical moments. God ultimately is in a quiet whisper. And why does God whisper?

Because he’s very close…he’s near to you. He’s right there with you in your wilderness. You can reach out and hold his hand. He’s that close to you. And what is he whispering to you? “I will never leave you or forsake you. I will hold you up with my strong right hand. I will stand by you. I won’t let you fall. I will be a light for you. I love you more than you can imagine.”

So know as we say goodbye to 2020, we embrace a new story and a new year. It’s a story where God is with you no matter what you are experiencing in life. He loves you and will never leave you. Blessings on your journey.

He's Got the Whole World...

Jesus! He. Is. Awesome. I sat with him over my Panera coffee this morning, and began to unravel my wound up and anxious heart. Rather than trying to put my best foot forward in my time with Him, I began to tell him what He already knew:

I am not sure if I can do it. I can’t make sure everybody likes me. I can’t stop eating sugar. I can’t focus in my time with him. Facebook seems much easier than facing my fears. It’s difficult to sleep because I have a couple of weddings on the calendar, a sermon series in the making and the list of “to do’s” is growing.  I can’t change my wandering heart and my “normal summer” is gone. I can’t “get it together.” (What is “it” anyway? Who defines “together?”)

In Jesus, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Our Lord “is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” (Psalm 145:8)

Jesus has “it together.” He is keenly aware that we don’t.  He moves toward us with infinite compassion and lavish love. This is why He died: that we can come with our wound up and anxious hearts and unravel them at His feet.

One by one the fibers of my heart were laid bare and I surrendered to the One who can handle my life, my propensity to wander, my addictions and my details. My eyes were shifted, if even temporarily, from myself to the One who spoke the world into existence and knit me in my mother’s womb.

He has taken the condemnation that I deserve so that I can have my mind free of the murmurings of self-contempt. This freedom allows me to live boldly, honestly and creatively. I no longer need to self-protect. I can allow space for Jesus to change me.

So today, remember that Jesus has you and gets you. Turn over your anxiety to him. Don’t worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough worry of its own. Hold his hand. Know He protects you. Blessings on your journey.

Connected by Love

As human being, we were made for connection. Right now, we long for company, hugs, handshakes, and close interaction. Right now, many are dejected because your “hoped-for” life story is not going as planned. Things took a different turn. There was a curveball thrown and now you’ve had to make different plans.

Similarly, that first Easter weekend was the same for those who had followed Jesus. Many had placed their hopes in him only to see those plans and hopes dashed with nails on a cross. What do we do now, they asked. How do we move through life since Jesus is no longer with us?

In Luke 24, we find a couple who are asking these questions on their way home to Emmaus. They are walking the 7-mile road home when suddenly a stranger joins them on their journey. It just so happens to be Jesus himself but the text tells us God prevented them for recognizing who he was. You see, when your eyes are downcast, you miss a lot.

Their posture was one of disbelief and disconnection, much like many of you today. Seniors are missing spring sports and graduation ceremonies. Couples are changing wedding plans. Some are getting creative on how to put food on the table due to the loss of job. Others in the medical field are missing their families because they are working long, hard hours on the front line of fighting this virus.

This couple in Luke 24 are telling Jesus about how hopeless they are; how and what Jesus endured in Jerusalem that weekend. They had “hoped” for something different. They thought the Messiah was going to be different. They wanted a political coup but Jesus was planning a spiritual revolution. Notice the past tense of “We had hoped…”

You had hoped for something different too. You had hoped the marriage was not over; the judge would show mercy; the tumor had shrunk; your child would come home; you could have children; you would not lose the house; your hours would not be cut. But like Luke 24, we must realize that God is still in control although things may not have turned out like you hoped.

As children of light, people who have declared Jesus is risen, we must remind the world, despair doesn’t have the last word when God is writing the story! Satan wants you to stop looking at Jesus and look at the waves. God says, “Wait—you don’t have the last say. It’s not over.”

The couple finally reach their home, still unaware of who is traveling with them. Jesus indicates he’s moving on but they invite him in their house for a meal. It’s a reminder, when you invite Jesus in, He’ll always say “yes”. And it’s in community, in the breaking of the bread, Jesus is revealed to this couple and to us. It’s a reminder that He’s with us on our journey, even in moments when we can’t see him.

So, may you know the Prince of Peace. May you feel his presence. May you feel comforted knowing He’s traveling with you. May your hope be in nothing else but the risen Savior and King of kings, Jesus the Christ. Blessings on your journey.