Take away the serpents
© 2009 John A. Clausen
ref: Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14-21
Lord, take away the serpents.
The bite is cruelly sharp.
The poison, now injected,
speeds quickly to my heart.
The venom of the reptile,
which courses through my veins,
gives pause to longer living
the poison, dark sin, stains.
Lord, take away the serpents;
I’ll take away my pride.
Lord, listen, answer truly,
lest the poison stay inside.
The serpents’ deadly pestilence
remains despite my prayer.
Yet lifted high above me
new life is fix’ed there.
You didn’t take the serpents,
but in answer to my plea,
you gave a means of living
as you died upon the tree.
You didn’t take the serpents;
you took, though, all my sin
and placed its fearful poison
in your life, mine to win.
So, when the serpents slither,
give now your gift of grace;
forgive my constant failings
my sins, by love, erase.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
I want a pet dragon!
Growing up, one of my favorite movies was The Neverending Story. I wanted to be Atreyu. I wanted to fly on the back of Falkor. I loved the movie because of its excitement and adventure along with its creative and unique characters. In this movie the parallel fantasy world is being destroyed by the Nothing, which represents people’s lack of imagination in the real world.
I also wanted to be Bastian the one reading The Neverending Story in the attic. Bastian is the nerd, the outcast, and is rejected by his peers. Why would I want to be him? Because he gets to be the hero! He’s the one who finally gives into his imagination and in doing so saves the parallel fantasy universe. Plus, he rides Falkor in the end!
I recently watched How to Train Your Dragon. After leaving the theater I of course wanted to get my own dragon. I mean riding on the back of a dragon – seriously just as cool as riding on Falkor… if not cooler because the dragon is a scary beast. Oh, wait… that’s the point. The scary beast doesn’t turn out to be so scary. And yet again I left the theater wanting to be Hiccup. Hiccup is the nerd, the outcast, and is rejected by his peers. Why would I want to be him? Because he gets to be the hero! He’s the one who dared to do the unthinkable. He befriended a beast and in the end saves both the dragons and his people.
In movies we tend to root for the underdog. Yet, we don’t do this in the real world.
We may not root for the underdog – but God does. After all God called Abraham in his old age, Moses even with a speech impediment, Jeremiah even though he was young, Paul who was the leading persecutor of Christians, and let’s not forget the mother of Jesus, Mary, a teenager who wasn’t even close to being a queen.
Then there were all the times that Jesus rooted for the underdog. The Samaritan woman at the well who was clearly not a Jew and I’m sorry to say a bit smutty. He transformed fishermen into fishers of people. He ate with Zacchaeus a short sinner and tax collector. He gave a second chance to a woman guilty of adultery. He even dared to touch a leper.
Maybe we have a lack of imagination as to who is worthy. Maybe we need to dare to do the unthinkable.
I also wanted to be Bastian the one reading The Neverending Story in the attic. Bastian is the nerd, the outcast, and is rejected by his peers. Why would I want to be him? Because he gets to be the hero! He’s the one who finally gives into his imagination and in doing so saves the parallel fantasy universe. Plus, he rides Falkor in the end!
I recently watched How to Train Your Dragon. After leaving the theater I of course wanted to get my own dragon. I mean riding on the back of a dragon – seriously just as cool as riding on Falkor… if not cooler because the dragon is a scary beast. Oh, wait… that’s the point. The scary beast doesn’t turn out to be so scary. And yet again I left the theater wanting to be Hiccup. Hiccup is the nerd, the outcast, and is rejected by his peers. Why would I want to be him? Because he gets to be the hero! He’s the one who dared to do the unthinkable. He befriended a beast and in the end saves both the dragons and his people.
In movies we tend to root for the underdog. Yet, we don’t do this in the real world.
We may not root for the underdog – but God does. After all God called Abraham in his old age, Moses even with a speech impediment, Jeremiah even though he was young, Paul who was the leading persecutor of Christians, and let’s not forget the mother of Jesus, Mary, a teenager who wasn’t even close to being a queen.
Then there were all the times that Jesus rooted for the underdog. The Samaritan woman at the well who was clearly not a Jew and I’m sorry to say a bit smutty. He transformed fishermen into fishers of people. He ate with Zacchaeus a short sinner and tax collector. He gave a second chance to a woman guilty of adultery. He even dared to touch a leper.
Maybe we have a lack of imagination as to who is worthy. Maybe we need to dare to do the unthinkable.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Onto Galilee
This week I would like to share with everyone the devotion I read at our council this past week. It is one that speaks too many at this moment. I have brought it up on the phone a number of times this week. Therefore, I feel called to share it here. I did not write this nor do I know who did – but thanks be to God for their message of Christ resurrected!
Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The shouts of joy echo in our churches as we celebrate this season of resurrection and new life in Christ.
It might be tempting for us to gather around the empty tomb, amazed at what has happened. We might also be tempted to focus on the signs of resurrection in our own lives or in the life of our congregation and to think that is what Easter is all about. The empty tomb, the announcement of resurrection and the signs of new life are only part of the message of Easter.
The rest of the message moves us into the future. The angel at the tomb said the risen Christ is going ahead to Galilee (Matthew 28: 7b). Following Christ does not end at the empty tomb. Following Christ always takes us on to another place, to where we are not yet, to some “Galilee” where Christ goes before us.
To live the resurrection is to be called to movement, to change, to transformation – as individuals and as congregations. Sometimes it can be frightening to leave behind the places where we have already seen signs of resurrection. It can be scary to step out into the unknown, into ventures of which we cannot see the ending, as one prayer puts it.
But this is not just change for the sake of change because we are bored or want something new. Our trip to “Galilee” is for the sake of the world, for the sake of those who still need to know Christ’s resurrected life.
How can we dare to do this? Because Christ is already there. The one who has gone ahead of us into the tomb and triumphed now goes before us into “Galilee” and promises to meet us there.
Let us then not hang around the empty tomb, but let us go on to “Galilee” where we can expect to find the risen Christ in the most unexpected places.
Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The shouts of joy echo in our churches as we celebrate this season of resurrection and new life in Christ.
It might be tempting for us to gather around the empty tomb, amazed at what has happened. We might also be tempted to focus on the signs of resurrection in our own lives or in the life of our congregation and to think that is what Easter is all about. The empty tomb, the announcement of resurrection and the signs of new life are only part of the message of Easter.
The rest of the message moves us into the future. The angel at the tomb said the risen Christ is going ahead to Galilee (Matthew 28: 7b). Following Christ does not end at the empty tomb. Following Christ always takes us on to another place, to where we are not yet, to some “Galilee” where Christ goes before us.
To live the resurrection is to be called to movement, to change, to transformation – as individuals and as congregations. Sometimes it can be frightening to leave behind the places where we have already seen signs of resurrection. It can be scary to step out into the unknown, into ventures of which we cannot see the ending, as one prayer puts it.
But this is not just change for the sake of change because we are bored or want something new. Our trip to “Galilee” is for the sake of the world, for the sake of those who still need to know Christ’s resurrected life.
How can we dare to do this? Because Christ is already there. The one who has gone ahead of us into the tomb and triumphed now goes before us into “Galilee” and promises to meet us there.
Let us then not hang around the empty tomb, but let us go on to “Galilee” where we can expect to find the risen Christ in the most unexpected places.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
AMEN!!
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions are few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till he comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till he stops me. And when he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognizing me... my banner will be clear.
(From a note found in the office of a young pastor in Zimbabwe, Africa, after he was killed for his faith.) Quoted in The Signature of Jesus by Brennan ManningLent is over. Our journey through the wilderness – to the cross – led us to a place where we can roll away the stone and let light into the dark tomb. Light penetrates into a place where we assume there is death – only to find life. That is why the pastor above wrote powerful words in such a dismal time. The passion that evoked the words of this pastor is something I wish we could all feel on Easter morning.
So that our words change, our thoughts change, and our actions change. Our whole being is changed in Christ – our journey doesn’t end – instead, it begins. The light of the resurrection cannot be extinguished. God’s love for us cannot be abolished. That is a banner we can all hold high!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
“Excuse me, that’s my seat, can you move over?”
“Excuse me, that’s my seat, can you move over?”
Not such a welcoming way to be invited into a new worship space. Yes, those words have been spoken at my church. When I first heard it, I stood in disbelief. I mean I know we joke about how we are creatures of habit and often sit in the same area, but to ask someone to move?
This past week, as I was walking down the aisle prior to worship I was stopped by two regular worshippers as they were getting their seats. I greeted them and they said, “We had to come early this week because other people were in our seat last week.”
I questioned, “Did you ask them to move?”
“Of course not, but we did come early this week.”
Is this because we know what we like? We want the right view, close to a speaker, near a fan, far from an A/C vent. It really is about comfort – I know on my couch at home I have a certain spot I like to sit in. Comfort is great – but it seems there becomes a point when comfort becomes a hindrance.
I was talking to a friend of mine who will occasionally attend an organized church service. I encouraged her to worship this week since it is Holy Week. She responded, “Well, I fear I’ll sit in someone’s seat.”
The visitor is showing empathy for the regular worshipper’s comfort – now that – blew me away. I never thought of it that way before. Then I realized that Jesus and his disciples never really had a chance to get comfortable. They were always on the move and in a new place. Maybe a reality we face in our current culture is that the church today has become too comfortable. And if that’s the case then is this a reason why so many don’t attend organized church services? People don’t know how to get in the club? or People don’t want to be a part of a club and therefore worship on their own?
Whatever the answer’s I cannot deny there is so much more behind, “Excuse me, that’s my seat, can you move over?”
Not such a welcoming way to be invited into a new worship space. Yes, those words have been spoken at my church. When I first heard it, I stood in disbelief. I mean I know we joke about how we are creatures of habit and often sit in the same area, but to ask someone to move?
This past week, as I was walking down the aisle prior to worship I was stopped by two regular worshippers as they were getting their seats. I greeted them and they said, “We had to come early this week because other people were in our seat last week.”
I questioned, “Did you ask them to move?”
“Of course not, but we did come early this week.”
Is this because we know what we like? We want the right view, close to a speaker, near a fan, far from an A/C vent. It really is about comfort – I know on my couch at home I have a certain spot I like to sit in. Comfort is great – but it seems there becomes a point when comfort becomes a hindrance.
I was talking to a friend of mine who will occasionally attend an organized church service. I encouraged her to worship this week since it is Holy Week. She responded, “Well, I fear I’ll sit in someone’s seat.”
The visitor is showing empathy for the regular worshipper’s comfort – now that – blew me away. I never thought of it that way before. Then I realized that Jesus and his disciples never really had a chance to get comfortable. They were always on the move and in a new place. Maybe a reality we face in our current culture is that the church today has become too comfortable. And if that’s the case then is this a reason why so many don’t attend organized church services? People don’t know how to get in the club? or People don’t want to be a part of a club and therefore worship on their own?
Whatever the answer’s I cannot deny there is so much more behind, “Excuse me, that’s my seat, can you move over?”
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Hostess in June
By Johanna Johnson
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)
One of the first things you could see walking into my grandparents’ home was a shelf full of guestbooks. These two dozen or so volumes contain the names of people well-known and un-known from all over the world, reflecting the many places my grandparents lived in their lives: South Dakota, Germany, Mexico City, Ethiopia, New York City, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles… Were these people all their dearest friends? Perhaps not before the door was opened to them, but by the time they had left the warm home my grandma cultivated, they had become brothers and sisters, leaving their mark, as so many others had, on the lives and hearts of the entire Solberg family.
Grandma June was the epitome of Hostess. Whether it be a stranger at the door, or a friend of a friend, or someone she had known for years, one was invited in, offered food and drink from what was sometimes a humble supply, and soon enough made to feel like the most interesting, important, and wonderful person in the world. This was the gift of June. Her warmth was undeniable and contagious, and she treated everyone she met like he or she was indeed an angel, sent from God to change June’s life. Beautiful artwork that decorated my grandparents’ home reflected the love they shared and received, as the people in their lives imparted these lovely gifts to them in gratitude for all that they had to give.
Grandma June now lives in an Alzheimer’s unit, hardly able to speak, but still bestowing her warm glow on everyone she encounters. Just to be in the presence of this amazing woman of faith is to feel the very warmth and love of God.
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)
One of the first things you could see walking into my grandparents’ home was a shelf full of guestbooks. These two dozen or so volumes contain the names of people well-known and un-known from all over the world, reflecting the many places my grandparents lived in their lives: South Dakota, Germany, Mexico City, Ethiopia, New York City, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles… Were these people all their dearest friends? Perhaps not before the door was opened to them, but by the time they had left the warm home my grandma cultivated, they had become brothers and sisters, leaving their mark, as so many others had, on the lives and hearts of the entire Solberg family.
Grandma June was the epitome of Hostess. Whether it be a stranger at the door, or a friend of a friend, or someone she had known for years, one was invited in, offered food and drink from what was sometimes a humble supply, and soon enough made to feel like the most interesting, important, and wonderful person in the world. This was the gift of June. Her warmth was undeniable and contagious, and she treated everyone she met like he or she was indeed an angel, sent from God to change June’s life. Beautiful artwork that decorated my grandparents’ home reflected the love they shared and received, as the people in their lives imparted these lovely gifts to them in gratitude for all that they had to give.
Grandma June now lives in an Alzheimer’s unit, hardly able to speak, but still bestowing her warm glow on everyone she encounters. Just to be in the presence of this amazing woman of faith is to feel the very warmth and love of God.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Orange Tree
This past week I had the pleasure of walking a labyrinth. I don’t know if you’ve ever walked a labyrinth. Most people think it looks like a maze. However, it’s not a maze. It only has one path to the center and the same path out. One purpose of walking a labyrinth is to go on a journey and rid of all the noise in our head so we can listen to God. I often focus on a word such as hope, joy, or Emmanuel. Once you reach the center then you are blessed to let go, sit down, and listen to God. Ideally, after you find peace with God in the center, on the journey out of the labyrinth, you can focus on how you can take that peace into the world.
As I was on the way out of the labyrinth I had not accomplished my ultimate goal. The noise in my head was still loud. I was actually looking at an orange tree off in the distance and thinking about how I really wanted to pick an orange from the tree before I left. While thinking this I stopped on the path for a moment, looked up to the heavens, and said, “Why can’t I simply be quiet.” Looking upwards I noticed that there was an orange tree right over my head. I had already walked the whole labyrinth and hadn’t noticed. And there was a tree right over my head. I noticed it after I had that desire.
As I paused I thought, “In life how often do we tend to only see what we’re looking for?"
We try to see what God wants for our life. We try to see where God is leading us. We try to be open to God's time and not our own. Yet, we can't help but look with a very focused lens. We tend to look for what we're looking for... we can't see the whole picture?
Lent is a time for renewal. Let's take time to renew our understanding of God and how we see God at work in our lives. Sometimes there is an orange tree right over your head - and you didn't even see it!
As I was on the way out of the labyrinth I had not accomplished my ultimate goal. The noise in my head was still loud. I was actually looking at an orange tree off in the distance and thinking about how I really wanted to pick an orange from the tree before I left. While thinking this I stopped on the path for a moment, looked up to the heavens, and said, “Why can’t I simply be quiet.” Looking upwards I noticed that there was an orange tree right over my head. I had already walked the whole labyrinth and hadn’t noticed. And there was a tree right over my head. I noticed it after I had that desire.
As I paused I thought, “In life how often do we tend to only see what we’re looking for?"
We try to see what God wants for our life. We try to see where God is leading us. We try to be open to God's time and not our own. Yet, we can't help but look with a very focused lens. We tend to look for what we're looking for... we can't see the whole picture?
Lent is a time for renewal. Let's take time to renew our understanding of God and how we see God at work in our lives. Sometimes there is an orange tree right over your head - and you didn't even see it!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
