Let hope saturate your soul

Letter from Exile 13

God’s Word: 1 John 3: 1-3

1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Reflection: 

John Newton is famous for two things.  1) He wrote the timeless hymn, Amazing Grace.  And 2) before his conversion to Christ, he was steep in the African slave trade as a captain of a ship which transported slaves.  

Newton is really interesting to me because he was super dialed into how “bad” of a person he was.  In our modern culture, nobody thinks they are a “bad” person.  We might do bad things on occasion, but otherwise, we think that we at least have a “good heart.”  John Newton would have disagreed.  He simply could not shake the awful things in his life.  When he looked back on his life, he saw too much blood.  

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.” 

This is why Newton’s writings and music are so touching.  He is so grateful.  He is so hopeful.  Newton just can’t get over why God would save a wretch like him!  He is speechless!

He once wrote: “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.” 

I think this glimpse into Newton’s heart captures the sentiment of what the Apostle John is teaching us.  We are children of God.  Yes, we are a mess.  No, we did not “work” for the right to become children.  We are children of God by His sheer grace.  Nevertheless, we are not what we will be.  Although we are children of God, there is a gap between what we are now, and what we hope to be one day.  

But here’s the thing:  that “hope” is the active ingredient for growth.  Our hope puts our longings and desires on a trajectory of change, maturity, and growth.  For instance, if I hope to be a good piano player, then it shapes my desires right now.  I am not presently a good piano player, but my hope drives me to sit down today and practice.  See how this works? 

Hope is the active ingredient for growth.  Our hope puts our longings and desires on a trajectory of change, maturity, and growth. 

My fear with quarantines and curfews is that we stop “hoping”.  Or perhaps our “hope” becomes trite.  Instead of hoping to become like Christ, we “hope” to finish the mini-series on Netflix by Friday, so that we can start a new one.  Our dreams and hope become so ordinary.  Because we can’t leave our house, our fervor to embrace our identity as a “child of Christ” becomes muted.  

Listen Trinity, was last week a bad one for you?  Were you cynical, apathetic, or indulgent?  I want you to look back on it and see “blood.”  Not like John Newton though.  I want you to see Christ’s blood covering it all, giving you a new day to love Him.  

Let’s make this week better than last week.  Let’s step into our identity.  By God’s grace, He made you a privileged member of his family.  Let hope saturate your soul and put you on a new trajectory.  

Prayer:  

Heavenly Father, when I am truly honest about how I spend my days, it would be hard to convict me before a jury as being a committed son of yours.  I am sorry.  I repent of it. I really am astonished that you have saved me.  Spirit, put a new hope in my soul and set my longings towards heaven.  I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.  

Praying outside of ourselves:

• Pray for wisdom for health organizations as they provide public guidance.

• Pray for parents who are wearing thin with homeschool.

• Pray for disciples of Christ to lean into their identity as children of God.  

• Pray that those in our church family who have been exposed to the COVID-19 or have symptoms would not have the virus.

Nestled into God’s heart

letter from exile 12

God’s Word: Hebrews 7:25-27

25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

Reflection: 

I saw this hilarious meme highlighting the difference between our culture’s perspective of the levitical laws before and after the corona crisis. It went like this:  

You, 6-weeks ago:  “Those levitical laws on impurity and contagions are so barbaric! Have a heart!” 

You, today:  “If a person tests positive for Corona, he shall remain unclean all the days of his infection! He is unclean.  He shall live alone. His dwelling is outside the camp!”

This is funny for so many reasons, but mostly because our snobbery towards ancient cultures is relative to our current circumstances.  

In ancient Israel, the Levitical system was firmly in place.  There were priests and sacrifices.  The priests functioned to a certain degree as public healthcare workers.  But as you know, it was more than that.  Priests cared about physical AND spiritual wellbeing.  That was the point of the whole sacrificial system. 

Every day, some innocent animal was slaughtered.  Every single day. Being a priest was a bloody profession, but why all the killing?  The system was intended to keep the people fully dialed into that fact that rebellion against God was not insignificant.  Sin is like spiritual pollution.  The whole world is filling up with spiritual graffiti and blood was the cleaning agent.  Our sin is what keeps us cosmically alienated from God.

But here’s the deal:  The healthcare workers (i.e. the priests) were also infected.  And as you know this could be a crisis, right?  Even today, public health officials are worried that supplies (like masks and gloves) for our front-line doctors and nurses could run out. And what happens when our “helpers” need to be helped?  It could be a crisis? 

It felt like for all the blood that was shed, it was never enough.  Enough was never enough.  The priests and the people needed a cleaning agent that could go deeper, because the stain of sin was so resistant. 

Well, in Israel, they had a solution.  The priests had to make a sacrifice for the people, and they also had to make one for themselves.  And so they did.  Thousands upon thousands of slain animals.  But even with this practice, there was always something nagging in their souls.  It felt like for all the blood that was shed, it was never enough.  Enough was never enough.  The priests and the people needed a cleaning agent that could go deeper, because the stain of sin was so resistant.  

This is the backdrop upon which Jesus comes to us.  We sing about it all the time!  What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!  But wait.  Is Jesus the sacrifice or the priest?  He is both.  Jesus, our Great High Priest, the one who stands between God and us, became the sacrifice.  

Even in your loneliest and most isolated moment, He is with you.  There are no more sacrifices to be made.  As Jesus presides at the right hand of the Father, you equally are perpetually nestled into God’s heart. 

See, Jesus was taken outside the camp and sacrificed.  His blood cleans deeper than a sacrificial lamb.  He is the slain lamb, par excellence.  And guess what this means for us.  Because Jesus was taken out, we are invited in.  We are no longer cosmically alienated from God.  In fact, nothing can separate you from the love of God.  Nothing. NOT EVEN A QUARANTINE!  Even in your loneliest and most isolated moment, He is with you.  There are no more sacrifices to be made.  As Jesus presides at the right hand of the Father, you equally are perpetually nestled into God’s heart.  

May this sure and deep communion with God give you endurance in this season of curfew, quarantine, and isolation.  

Prayer:  

Heavenly Father, forgive me for taking for granted the sweet access I have with you because of Jesus.  Your nearness is my great consolation.  You see me, even when no one else does.  Teach me to rest in your presence.  Teach me to practice living before you.  Lord, thank you for the access I have to your heart.  May my eyes stay focused on my Great High Priest, who made all this possible.  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.  

Prayers of gratitude for answered prayers:

Thank you Lord, for we prayed to you and you answered!

• For the mended and encouraged hearts of friends who canceled their wedding. 

• For a healthy delivery (and continued health) of babies born.  

• For friends who were released from the hospital having beat COVID-19. 

• For friends and family who have healed and been released from the hospital without COVID-19 complications.