March Madness and One Shining Moment

A Series on Lent
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Mark 14:12-26

[As we approach Easter, consider the example that Jesus set by spending forty days alone in the wilderness to prepare for his ministry and his ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Lent is a forty day period with a focus on spending time with Jesus, to meditate on who he is and what he did for us. This Lenten series is about people who spent time with Jesus; and as a result, their lives were changed forever.]

  

March Madness is one of my favorite times of the year! 

College basketball teams from across the country compete in a single elimination tournament. There are schools that haven’t been in the tournament for over thirty years; and other schools that are there every year. From a small private school to a public mega-university; they’re all thrilled to play.

 

For me, it’s exciting to see what school is going to be this years “Cinderella” team. It’s exciting to watch as the tournament unfolds and is whittled down from 68 teams to 32 to the Sweet Sixteen to the Elite Eight to the Final Four. With each game, the excitement and pressure builds until the climactic finish when they play ‘One Shining Moment”. It’s a pressure cooker that ultimately explodes.

 

The final week of Jesus’ life was a pressure cooker too. Jews had been anxiously waiting for centuries for the Messiah. With these expectations, Jesus road into Jerusalem on a donkey with the crowds cheering him onto victory, and calling him the Son of David.

 

But soon after arriving, Jesus created chaos as he went to the Temple and drove out those who were buying and selling, and turned over the tables of the money changers. Following this, Jesus gave his disciples instructions on preparing for the Passover meal.

 

During this meal, the pressure really ratcheted up. It was then that Jesus informed his disciples that one of them would betray him. On top of that, Jesus told them that all of them would desert him! Peter was adamant that he would never do that; he would die before deserting Jesus.

 

Finally, Jesus took the disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here, while Jesus was fervently praying to his Abba, Father, he sweat drops of blood while his closest friends and followers fell asleep. Soon a crowd came to arrest Jesus. In one final attempt of bravado, Peter cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant.

 

After three years of living and learning and loving together, the pressure cooker exploded, and the disciples scattered. Peter denied Jesus three times. There seemed to be no victory. All seemed to be lost. There was no “One Shining Moment”.

 

Yet, in the midst of all this darkness and defeat, there was a brief moment of hope... one shining moment, if you will. During the Last Supper, Jesus explained that his body was the bread; that his blood was the wine. And even though they would desert him, he wouldn’t desert them. He would be faithful.

 

That promise is still true for you and me. That same meal is the one that we as believers celebrate to remind us of his promise. It doesn’t matter how badly we sin; it doesn’t matter how badly we fail him; he will forgive us. Jesus paid the ultimate price as the perfect Passover lamb so that we might also know his Abba Father.

 

 

When Life Knocks You Down

 A Series on Lent
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Matthew 17:1-11

[As we approach Easter, consider the example that Jesus set by spending forty days alone in the wilderness to prepare for his ministry and his ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Lent is a forty day period with a focus on spending some time with Jesus; to meditate on who he is and what he did for us. This Lenten series is about people who spent time with Jesus; and as a result, their lives were changed forever.]

 

When life knocks you down, how do you respond?

 

You have lots of choices. You might feel sorry for yourself, blame others or resort to self-destructive behavior. You might lash out at others. Or maybe you’re the type of person that turns inward and gets very quiet; blaming yourself and feeling like there is something inherently wrong with you.

 

It doesn’t have to be some terrible circumstance either. It can be a harsh, thoughtless word spoken by someone close to you. It can be a condescending remark of a teacher or coach in front of the class or team. It can be feeling left out of a social activity. There are lots of ways that life can knock you down.

 

The story from Matthew 17 is an example of this. Peter, James and John didn’t suffer from adversity, but life knocked them down just the same.

 

⁵ While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” ⁸ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.   NIV

 

How Jesus responded to them is significant. He gently touched them and encouraged them with his words. Although this was a fairly minor setback, Jesus knew how difficult life was going to get for his disciples in the near future. He knew they would experience some serious knock downs from life.

 

As I began to write this blog, I asked myself, “When did life knock me down”? Included in my list was when my fiancé unceremoniously dumped me. It includes our first born child that was still born. It includes a period of a few short years when my Mom and my wife’s Dad, sister and brother all died.

 

And how did I respond? With the comfort and support of friends and family, I eventually survived these events. But also, I experienced strength from the gentle touch of my

Heavenly Father, and the comfort of his words saying, “Get up. Don’t be afraid. You are my son and I love you”.

 

⁸ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

Launch Your Rocket

A Series on Lent
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Mark 5:1-20

[Lent gives us an opportunity to step back and pause to recognize our humanity and sinful nature. The Lenten season reminds us of our need for a Savior as a time to reflect and repent for our shortcomings. It is an opportunity to recognize the human condition we may spend the rest of the year running from and bring our need for a Savior to the forefront. Lent prepares us as we approach Good Friday and Easter with thanksgiving for the grace and mercy shown to us.]

  

Rocket Watts is a great name for an athlete. There actually is a Michigan State basketball player by that name. He’s a sophomore guard, and was expected to have a breakout season this year. Instead, he has struggled… until the most recent game against arch-rival Michigan.

 

To understand what happened, you need to go back to the game just before that which, in this COVID crazy season, was also against Michigan. At the beginning of the second half there was a loose ball. The star center for Michigan dove to the court to get it… while Rocket watched. Immediately after that, Coach Izzo yanked Rocket from the game, not to return.

 

Apparently, that got Rocket’s attention because when he got into the very next Michigan game, he played his best of the season. It was as if he had flipped a switch; the difference between the two games was night and day. Rocket had finally launched.

 

The story from Mark 5 has a somewhat similar storyline in it.

 

² When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. ⁴ Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.          NLT

 

In this story, the demon possessed man interacted with Jesus resulting in a change that could be described in the same terms as Rocket’s; it was as if he had flipped a switch; the difference was night and day.

 

¹⁴ The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. ¹⁵ A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.        NLT

 

Most of us don’t have this kind of a dramatic, life-changing experience when we come to faith in Christ. It tends to be more of a gradual change where we become more like Christ one small step at a time.

     

The tradition of Lent is to give up something that is meaningful to us. The idea being that we will better understand the love and grace of Jesus. What if we looked at it from a slightly different perspective?

 

What if we pursued giving up one thing permanently that would help us to become more like Christ? What if we asked the Spirit to show us some character trait or behavior or attitude that needs to be changed? And then asked him to help us change it?

 

Do you think you might flip a switch? Would you launch your rocket?

 

 

Who is this Man?

 A Series on Lent
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 7:36-50

[Lent gives us an opportunity to step back and pause to recognize our humanity and sinful nature. The Lenten season reminds us of our need for a Savior as a time to reflect and repent for our shortcomings. It is an opportunity to recognize the human condition we may spend the rest of the year running from and bring our need for a Savior to the forefront. Lent prepares us as we approach Good Friday and Easter with thanksgiving for the grace and mercy shown to us.]

Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon... 

⁴⁷ “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man that he goes around forgiving sins?” ⁵⁰ And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”         NLT

 

Just for a minute, put yourself in the setting of this story and imagine the scene. Simon, a respected Pharisee, invited Jesus to share a meal, maybe after speaking at synagogue. Of course his entourage is with him including his twelve closest followers, the disciples, as well as the women who support him in his ministry.

 

But there are many others. After all, Jesus is a rising star, and crowds follow him everywhere. There’s a buzz of activity and conversation in the room, including speculation about who Jesus is; a teacher, a rabbi, a prophet, or, dare I say it, the Messiah. There are those who want to see if he will perform a miracle; and those who need one.

 

Unnoticed, a woman quietly walks into the room, kneels behind Jesus at the table, and begins to cry; washing his dirty feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. She stands out in the crowd, not only because of her behavior, but because she is a known sinner, and Jesus is a respected teacher.

 

However, she seems totally unaware of the people gawking at her; talking about her; pointing fingers and whispering. She seems unaware that her clothing, her appearance, her life itself, doesn’t belong. In reality, she’s a social and religious outcast that doesn’t belong anywhere.

 

But the words that she heard from Jesus’ mouth have touched her heart; they’ve moved her to action; they’ve lifted her soul. Instead of feeling self-conscious, she feels free. Instead of feeling shame, she feels love. Instead of feeling alone in a crowd, she feels alone with Jesus.

 

And for her faith; for her love; for her undivided devotion; Jesus forgives her sins.

 

If only when we are in the presence of Jesus, we could feel the same way; if only we could experience his love and forgiveness like this sinful woman; if only we could be so devoted to Jesus… if only.

 

“Who is this man that forgives sins?” Think about this question; about the sinful woman and her story. Then ask yourself, “What can I learn from her? This woman who anointed Jesus with an extravagant bottle of perfume?”