The mixing of Blood and Water, of Skin and Life, has its Root in the Wood of Calvary. The Veil in the temple was torn by the Elements of the Crucified and we forever have access to the Father by the Same.
Whenever the Wood of Calvary is infused into our situations a new Substance appears. It is a Substance of Judgement, firstly, then a Fountainhead of Redemption. The Rod of Moses prefigures all the benefits of the Cross. On that day when he touched its tip into the Nile and the water turned to blood it prefigured the tip of the Cross and it's penetration into our own NIle. When the Cross digs into our Egypt our bitter waters are at once judged, and then simultaneously forgiven for the sake of his Mercy.
Without the stinging infusion of his blood, extending out from the Wood of Calvary (that Rock which is Christ), our hearts would be forever Mara, forever bitter. Praise God that we are sweetened as the Root of Communion strikes through the sinfulness of our embittered hearts.
That Reality is present when you take Bread and Wine. As the power of the Cross bleeds into your life you are at once judged and pardoned by the all consuming power of the Cross. You are both united to the Story of the Horrible Act - you become one with the betrayal of Judas, the denying of Peter, the fury of the Romans, and the Judgement of Pilate - and, at the same time, you receive the undeserved freedom of Barabbas, and you become awestruck in wonder, united with the Centurion in his astounding proclamation, "Surely this is the Son of God."
It is enough to quake the ground beneath our feet.
All that happens - the Sacred Memory of the Wood and Lamb - and its timeless overlap in this present day - when you partake in the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Communion Prelude (I of V)
(I'm taking a break from Matthew to share reflections on the Act of Communion.)
Jesus was emphatic: Eat my Body and Blood or you will have no life in you.
Communion is essential to our health, or Life, in God. In these short blogs I want to look at the Eucharist - it's Root, its Presence, and its Eschatological Ethos so that, the next time you take communion your mind can be in tighter harmony with the Reality of that which your spirit is embracing.
Jesus was emphatic: Eat my Body and Blood or you will have no life in you.
Communion is essential to our health, or Life, in God. In these short blogs I want to look at the Eucharist - it's Root, its Presence, and its Eschatological Ethos so that, the next time you take communion your mind can be in tighter harmony with the Reality of that which your spirit is embracing.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Matthew Study 16:21
"... from that time Jesus began to show his disciples...."
The revelation of God's work in our midst simultaneously reveals a deeper level of Reality. Sometimes it's a Reality that we'd rather not hear about, or even want to know about. All the same, when we seek God for deeper revelation we should be prepared to see the Big Picture - both good and bad - on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus has just clarified in the Apostles their Kingdom Authority. He emphasized their power to loose and to bind, to walk with the very Keys of Heaven dangling from their cinctures. With that revelation - as with all revelation - Reality also is revealed. Now that you know a bit more about who I am, and your role in this Thing , I need to tell you how it's going to affect you. I am going to suffer. I am going to be be killed. I am going to be raised from the dead.
What?! Just when we're finally "getting it" you are leaving us? You must be out of your mind! And with that, Divine Revelation is severely questioned. The echoes of the Temptation - did God really say? - become one with the one who, just moments before, was given Authority over heaven and earth.
As recipients of Revelation we need to maintain an open posture to not only the Revelations themselves but the results of the revelation as well. We are not capable of choosing the ones we like and the ones we don't. Nor are we asked to change the implications of what is revealed. We are simply given the revelations as a deeper understanding - a holy clarification - of that which is going on in our midst, or of who we are in Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. We receive humbly, and we need to carry on, humbly walking in the light of that Revelation (which is one of the keys of being naturally supernatural.)
Trouble happens when we seek to manipulate the Revelations - or their results. When satan sees us - fumbling around in our human understanding, struggling to make sense of it, or question it, or to deny the authenticity of it - he (who is impulsively attracted to such breaches of Faith) swoops in and affirm our words, "No, my will be done, my kingdom come!"
Peace, humility, and a Holy Resignation to God's mysterious ways are hallmarks of the all observing, all trusting, Children of the Revelation. God, give us grace to be wholly content with that which you Holy reveal to us.
The revelation of God's work in our midst simultaneously reveals a deeper level of Reality. Sometimes it's a Reality that we'd rather not hear about, or even want to know about. All the same, when we seek God for deeper revelation we should be prepared to see the Big Picture - both good and bad - on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus has just clarified in the Apostles their Kingdom Authority. He emphasized their power to loose and to bind, to walk with the very Keys of Heaven dangling from their cinctures. With that revelation - as with all revelation - Reality also is revealed. Now that you know a bit more about who I am, and your role in this Thing , I need to tell you how it's going to affect you. I am going to suffer. I am going to be be killed. I am going to be raised from the dead.
What?! Just when we're finally "getting it" you are leaving us? You must be out of your mind! And with that, Divine Revelation is severely questioned. The echoes of the Temptation - did God really say? - become one with the one who, just moments before, was given Authority over heaven and earth.
As recipients of Revelation we need to maintain an open posture to not only the Revelations themselves but the results of the revelation as well. We are not capable of choosing the ones we like and the ones we don't. Nor are we asked to change the implications of what is revealed. We are simply given the revelations as a deeper understanding - a holy clarification - of that which is going on in our midst, or of who we are in Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. We receive humbly, and we need to carry on, humbly walking in the light of that Revelation (which is one of the keys of being naturally supernatural.)
Trouble happens when we seek to manipulate the Revelations - or their results. When satan sees us - fumbling around in our human understanding, struggling to make sense of it, or question it, or to deny the authenticity of it - he (who is impulsively attracted to such breaches of Faith) swoops in and affirm our words, "No, my will be done, my kingdom come!"
Peace, humility, and a Holy Resignation to God's mysterious ways are hallmarks of the all observing, all trusting, Children of the Revelation. God, give us grace to be wholly content with that which you Holy reveal to us.
Matthew Study 16:18
"... and upon this Rock I will build my church..."
The Confession of Faith - Christ is died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again - Christ is the Son of the Living God - is the Bedrock of the Ages. Though invisible, it is the most stable precept in the Universe.
In a day when we sometimes overdo evangelism - bending to the world's interest in compromising methods - this Confession anchors us to the Rock. The Confession is the goal of our evangelistic efforts. The Confession is the goal of Sunday School, ALPHA, a set of worship music. The Confession is the goal of good Liturgy, street witnessing, and miracles. We want everyone to say, as revealed by the Spirit, "You are the Son of the Living God!"
Anything less falls short of Glory.
You are the Rock. Jesus wasn't telling Peter that the church would be built on him, per se'. There were 12 other Apostles - then 72 more; then 120 more, then all of us, too - as we are all apart of the Great Commission, representing the Kingdom of God with co-equal Authority and Commission. Jesus was speaking about Peter's Confession here - the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. That is the Bedrock of Eternity. Upon THIS rock the Kingdom is established.
When the Church is built upon the Confession, it becomes living, breathing, and has a Life within it that is exciting, filled with grace and a general Living Buzz. When a single person becomes the church's confession you can be sure that it's a congregational setup for disappointment down the line. People are... well, people are human. Sure, we display the Image of God, but we not God. No wonder the Psalmist writes, A horse is a vain thing to trust in! It is when our Confession of Faith is lifted up above the people, above humanity - I lift my eyes up to the mountains - when God's Temple is established in our midst.
Jesus rejoices in Peter's Confession, for it is revealed from on high and it reflects its Celestial Origin. It is this Confession that supersedes humanity. It's very DNA is alien, non-human -- all the same, it is within grasp of any human that calls out to him in Faith.
The Confession of Faith - Christ is died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again - Christ is the Son of the Living God - is the Bedrock of the Ages. Though invisible, it is the most stable precept in the Universe.
In a day when we sometimes overdo evangelism - bending to the world's interest in compromising methods - this Confession anchors us to the Rock. The Confession is the goal of our evangelistic efforts. The Confession is the goal of Sunday School, ALPHA, a set of worship music. The Confession is the goal of good Liturgy, street witnessing, and miracles. We want everyone to say, as revealed by the Spirit, "You are the Son of the Living God!"
Anything less falls short of Glory.
You are the Rock. Jesus wasn't telling Peter that the church would be built on him, per se'. There were 12 other Apostles - then 72 more; then 120 more, then all of us, too - as we are all apart of the Great Commission, representing the Kingdom of God with co-equal Authority and Commission. Jesus was speaking about Peter's Confession here - the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. That is the Bedrock of Eternity. Upon THIS rock the Kingdom is established.
When the Church is built upon the Confession, it becomes living, breathing, and has a Life within it that is exciting, filled with grace and a general Living Buzz. When a single person becomes the church's confession you can be sure that it's a congregational setup for disappointment down the line. People are... well, people are human. Sure, we display the Image of God, but we not God. No wonder the Psalmist writes, A horse is a vain thing to trust in! It is when our Confession of Faith is lifted up above the people, above humanity - I lift my eyes up to the mountains - when God's Temple is established in our midst.
Jesus rejoices in Peter's Confession, for it is revealed from on high and it reflects its Celestial Origin. It is this Confession that supersedes humanity. It's very DNA is alien, non-human -- all the same, it is within grasp of any human that calls out to him in Faith.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Matthew Study 13:44
"... he goes and sells all he has..."
The discovery, purchase, and upkeep of Jesus Christ in our hearts is worth every amount of blood, sweat, and tears. Nothing is more important. Nothing is more worthy of our sacrifice.
Some spend their whole life's work seeking the Pearl of Great Price and never find it. Others find It early on, forget its worth, and it falls into the jewelry case of one's heart like any other religious trinket. O, it was a phase I went through, we say. It doesn't mean that much anymore.
But the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price described here is, in Jesus' words, the only thing worth living, and dying, for. This man sold all he had in order to buy the field. He sold things precious, things dear. He gave up sentimental things - time honored things, the stuff that memories are made of - for the sake of the field alone.
(No one could really see the treasure hidden in the field, by the way, and thus probably thought he was acting foolishly. They only saw the field. A field? What does this bloke want with that old field?!) But he knew. He could see where others could not.
If we are to follow Jesus we will follow him into the complete denial of our selves. All is counted loss for the sake of the Kingdom. Everything needs to be crucified for the sake of Tomb Life.
This is perhaps the hardest call on the life of a disciple - to sell everything for the Pearl's Sake. In some instances the call to sell is welcomed - as it provides opportunity for rescue, healing, and restoration. In other instances, especially in matters of emotion and love, the selling of everything can be a painful event.
Jesus knew his resurrection would follow the selling of all he had - his life for us - and it most likely encouraged him in the all out purchase of the Field. He, of course still needed to die, but now it had become death for a reason, for the good of us all. So, in a real sense, the eschatological joy which was to follow became infused into the Cross he endured. And it empowered him in the purchasing of the Field.
Paul writes that the joy on the other side is incomparable to anything we've ever known. Knowing that - using that - the disciple acquires the strength to sell all. He is infused with a hope that transcends momentary heartache and propels him into the Straight and Narrow.
Selling all isn't for the sake of selling all - with no return on the sales. It is the only entrance into a doorway where Life really begins.
The discovery, purchase, and upkeep of Jesus Christ in our hearts is worth every amount of blood, sweat, and tears. Nothing is more important. Nothing is more worthy of our sacrifice.
Some spend their whole life's work seeking the Pearl of Great Price and never find it. Others find It early on, forget its worth, and it falls into the jewelry case of one's heart like any other religious trinket. O, it was a phase I went through, we say. It doesn't mean that much anymore.
But the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price described here is, in Jesus' words, the only thing worth living, and dying, for. This man sold all he had in order to buy the field. He sold things precious, things dear. He gave up sentimental things - time honored things, the stuff that memories are made of - for the sake of the field alone.
(No one could really see the treasure hidden in the field, by the way, and thus probably thought he was acting foolishly. They only saw the field. A field? What does this bloke want with that old field?!) But he knew. He could see where others could not.
If we are to follow Jesus we will follow him into the complete denial of our selves. All is counted loss for the sake of the Kingdom. Everything needs to be crucified for the sake of Tomb Life.
This is perhaps the hardest call on the life of a disciple - to sell everything for the Pearl's Sake. In some instances the call to sell is welcomed - as it provides opportunity for rescue, healing, and restoration. In other instances, especially in matters of emotion and love, the selling of everything can be a painful event.
Jesus knew his resurrection would follow the selling of all he had - his life for us - and it most likely encouraged him in the all out purchase of the Field. He, of course still needed to die, but now it had become death for a reason, for the good of us all. So, in a real sense, the eschatological joy which was to follow became infused into the Cross he endured. And it empowered him in the purchasing of the Field.
Paul writes that the joy on the other side is incomparable to anything we've ever known. Knowing that - using that - the disciple acquires the strength to sell all. He is infused with a hope that transcends momentary heartache and propels him into the Straight and Narrow.
Selling all isn't for the sake of selling all - with no return on the sales. It is the only entrance into a doorway where Life really begins.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Matthew Study 15:27
"... Yes, Lord, but..."
A "no" from the Lord may be the Lord's quirky invitation for another request.
Why are you so quick to stop asking for something after hearing his apparent "no" on any given matter? Do you think he may be saying "no" in order that you might ask him again? And, if so, would you think he enjoys hearing from you and he knows that a gentle "no" may raise us up to ask him again, and again, and again - if nothing more than for the sake of his desire to have Fellowship with you?
Do you not sometimes tease your children - knowing that the developing dialogue between the two of you will actually grow you into deeper relationship? Even a dog, when hungry, will persistently bother its owner, even when the owner is apparently ignoring the whining canine.
God has designed prayer to be two-fold. Most importantly, it is an "avenue of relationship" between us and him. It is the one thing that links us to the Heart of God. Secondly - and perhaps a far second at that - it is for the fulfillment of his will. Many of us, however, get that backwards. We think that prayer is all about getting our lists covered and care little about the Person - his desire, opinion, personality - with whom we're petitioning.
God loves you so very much. His desire is to know you, to love you, to reveal himself to you. Prayer is not merely a matter or going through the motions. It is the ongoing dating relationship of two lovers.
Think of two lovers going to a restaurant. They walk in, sit down, read through the menus, and order. This is the shell of the evening, the perimeter of the prayer, so to speak. If not for the conversation - the laughter, thoughtfulness, sharing, and disclosure - happening within that event, it would be a flat evening. Sometimes (in a flirtatious way?) when a person infuses a bit of loving tension into a dialogue it actually brings the couple closer together.
In a similar manner, God asks questions - God pushes back - to make us think; in order to make us respond again, and again. We find ourselves clarifying, repeating what he said in order to really understand that what it was he said was what he really said. These things are NOT designed to quench our faith but to build It. We would be silly to throw our napkin on the table, push ourselves back from the table in frustration, and leave him with the bill. His loving "push-backs" are designed to get us to press in deeper, to lean into the relationship and talk more, clarify more - and that, for the sake of Knowing the Beloved.
"You're kidding - right?" Or, Did I hear you say...?" Or, "Wait a minute... even the dogs get the crumbs from the table..."
And that's when the sparkle in his eyes brightens. For he has truly seen you; and you him. You are knowing one another as Husband and wife.
So - if only for the joy of having Jesus in your midst - be persistent in prayer. Who knows, your prayer may be answered, too!
A "no" from the Lord may be the Lord's quirky invitation for another request.
Why are you so quick to stop asking for something after hearing his apparent "no" on any given matter? Do you think he may be saying "no" in order that you might ask him again? And, if so, would you think he enjoys hearing from you and he knows that a gentle "no" may raise us up to ask him again, and again, and again - if nothing more than for the sake of his desire to have Fellowship with you?
Do you not sometimes tease your children - knowing that the developing dialogue between the two of you will actually grow you into deeper relationship? Even a dog, when hungry, will persistently bother its owner, even when the owner is apparently ignoring the whining canine.
God has designed prayer to be two-fold. Most importantly, it is an "avenue of relationship" between us and him. It is the one thing that links us to the Heart of God. Secondly - and perhaps a far second at that - it is for the fulfillment of his will. Many of us, however, get that backwards. We think that prayer is all about getting our lists covered and care little about the Person - his desire, opinion, personality - with whom we're petitioning.
God loves you so very much. His desire is to know you, to love you, to reveal himself to you. Prayer is not merely a matter or going through the motions. It is the ongoing dating relationship of two lovers.
Think of two lovers going to a restaurant. They walk in, sit down, read through the menus, and order. This is the shell of the evening, the perimeter of the prayer, so to speak. If not for the conversation - the laughter, thoughtfulness, sharing, and disclosure - happening within that event, it would be a flat evening. Sometimes (in a flirtatious way?) when a person infuses a bit of loving tension into a dialogue it actually brings the couple closer together.
In a similar manner, God asks questions - God pushes back - to make us think; in order to make us respond again, and again. We find ourselves clarifying, repeating what he said in order to really understand that what it was he said was what he really said. These things are NOT designed to quench our faith but to build It. We would be silly to throw our napkin on the table, push ourselves back from the table in frustration, and leave him with the bill. His loving "push-backs" are designed to get us to press in deeper, to lean into the relationship and talk more, clarify more - and that, for the sake of Knowing the Beloved.
"You're kidding - right?" Or, Did I hear you say...?" Or, "Wait a minute... even the dogs get the crumbs from the table..."
And that's when the sparkle in his eyes brightens. For he has truly seen you; and you him. You are knowing one another as Husband and wife.
So - if only for the joy of having Jesus in your midst - be persistent in prayer. Who knows, your prayer may be answered, too!
Matthew Study 15:8
"... but their hearts are far from me..."
Jesus' standard of righteousness - beyond anything else - is a matter of the heart.
Some believe that we are judged on how we behave, especially with regard to the keeping of the Law. So they memorize it, live by it, and judge others by it. Then there comes a time when, by the interior design of their own internal impurities, they actually use the Law to justify their own wickedness. They design clever spiritual loopholes which are, in part, supported by that same Law which was originally designed to promote purity of heart.
Purity of heart, on the other hand, makes no such allowances. It cannot maneuver, it does not seek to spiritualize sin, for it cannot. A heart is... well, a heart. It is unveiled before the Lord, who sees all, knows all, and is aquatinted with the Substance of who we really are. Christ's gaze of Grace pierces through the curtain of our spiritual arrogance and makes a bulls-eye for our heart.
It is here we are judged. Not by the keeping, or forsaking, of the tradition. We are judged by the Law of Love, by our obedience to the Holy Spirit's Conviction in our most Holy Place. This raises us far above the standard of the Law.
Oddly enough, it is possible for a Law abider's heart to remain distant from God. To be hardened to the Life of the Lord - and, thereby, unable to experience the Love of God. It is not, however, possible for one with purity of heart to fake it - to hide behind a curtain of works of righteousness (though one work of righteousness from a pure heart rises higher in fruitfulness than a lifetime of righteous deeds from a heart which has grown cold). That's why the pure in heart shall see God.
A person may fall short of the tradition and even fall short of a Commandment from time to time but God's Judgment looks far beyond what is seen by others, far beyond the Standard of the Commandment, and investigates us by his own living, Standard of Holiness as revealed by the Holy Spirit.
This is where the Lord lives, in the Temple of our Heart. This is how a person is judged, in the heart, not by "being good," per se'. For it is by grace that you are saved. All works of righteousness (and there will be many from a person as such) first flow from that Sacred Relationship - they must flow from that Sacred Relationship - or they are good for nothing.
No wonder the psalmist cries, "Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Jesus' standard of righteousness - beyond anything else - is a matter of the heart.
Some believe that we are judged on how we behave, especially with regard to the keeping of the Law. So they memorize it, live by it, and judge others by it. Then there comes a time when, by the interior design of their own internal impurities, they actually use the Law to justify their own wickedness. They design clever spiritual loopholes which are, in part, supported by that same Law which was originally designed to promote purity of heart.
Purity of heart, on the other hand, makes no such allowances. It cannot maneuver, it does not seek to spiritualize sin, for it cannot. A heart is... well, a heart. It is unveiled before the Lord, who sees all, knows all, and is aquatinted with the Substance of who we really are. Christ's gaze of Grace pierces through the curtain of our spiritual arrogance and makes a bulls-eye for our heart.
It is here we are judged. Not by the keeping, or forsaking, of the tradition. We are judged by the Law of Love, by our obedience to the Holy Spirit's Conviction in our most Holy Place. This raises us far above the standard of the Law.
Oddly enough, it is possible for a Law abider's heart to remain distant from God. To be hardened to the Life of the Lord - and, thereby, unable to experience the Love of God. It is not, however, possible for one with purity of heart to fake it - to hide behind a curtain of works of righteousness (though one work of righteousness from a pure heart rises higher in fruitfulness than a lifetime of righteous deeds from a heart which has grown cold). That's why the pure in heart shall see God.
A person may fall short of the tradition and even fall short of a Commandment from time to time but God's Judgment looks far beyond what is seen by others, far beyond the Standard of the Commandment, and investigates us by his own living, Standard of Holiness as revealed by the Holy Spirit.
This is where the Lord lives, in the Temple of our Heart. This is how a person is judged, in the heart, not by "being good," per se'. For it is by grace that you are saved. All works of righteousness (and there will be many from a person as such) first flow from that Sacred Relationship - they must flow from that Sacred Relationship - or they are good for nothing.
No wonder the psalmist cries, "Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
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