I love the story about the kindergartner who was drawing a picture of a reindeer. One antler was purple the other orange. Its fur was green and blue and yellow. The teacher was a little concerned and told him, “You know most people don’t see reindeers like that.” The little boy’s response was to step back, sigh and say, “Yeah! That’s too bad.”
Consider for a moment whether we are more like the little boy or “most people”. Do we see the unseen, the mysterious and marvelous or do we only see those things we can touch, taste, and ‘prove’? Do we see God present with us or is the presence of Jesus a mental attitude and belief without any solid facts behind it.
I ask that because our ability to see things others miss is what God is all about. Don’t believe me? Consider these examples. In Exodus 33 God tells Israel, “My presence will go with you.” At the end of Matthew gospel’s Jesus tells us “I am with you even to the end of the age.” Even Christmas that we just celebrated announces that Jesus Emmanuel—God with us. It was news missed by the “most people” of the world because they didn’t see Messiah’s that way. Yet those astrologers, who saw the sign, and those shepherds, who heard the angels, all realized the great truth that the unthinkable had happened.
The question I gave you to answer isn’t hypothetical at all. It is, in fact, a powerful question that says a great deal about who we are, what we believe and why we’re here. What difference would it make in Christ were physically present in worship with us on Sunday?
One possible impact might be on the way we worship Christ. Psalm 105 shows praise taking center stage when we realize what God’s done for us. There are at least five imperative commands to praise God in the first few verses—Give thanks; call on His name, make known, sing, sing praise, tell. Each of these are commands to verbalize what we believe about God. We are to reflect on what God has done as well. Glory, rejoice, seek, and remember are what we must do if we our lives are focused on Christ. You may think that simply praising God seems silly or a waste of time; but I’ll remind you that God’s word says God “inhabits” the praises of his people. It is in praising God that we discover him anew.
One of the outcomes of living life in the presence of God is that we see our very character changed. The passage in Acts talks about stewardship but beyond that it shows us Barnabas who is known as “son of encouragement” His name comes from the character that he demonstrated in his daily life. I would believe that it is a character that developed over the time he knew Jesus and had walked with those early followers.
This congregation is getting ready to take a step of faith as we seek ways to draw closer to Jesus. Our 50-Day Spiritual Adventure is a special time we set aside to experience accelerated spiritual growth. For a congregation to grow it takes individuals taking steps on their own. A number of positive spiritual choices made by each of us will make a difference in our whole community. We start next Sunday the 14th. We’re going to set aside 50 days to practice some positive habits—basic spiritual disciplines—that will mark our life over the long haul. It’s not busy work but a chance to grab hold of some spiritual truth and form some solid healthy habits that honor Christ.
Each Sunday I will be preach on characteristics of the Church and individuals who know firsthand the presence of the Lord. Next Sunday I will focus on worship. If Christ were to make himself physically perceptible, probably our first response would be to bow down before him, to kneel. Such actions are the body language of worship just as a hug or passionate kiss is the body language of love.
Each week Monday through Wednesday the passages in your journal will review what I preached on the week before. The scriptures for Thursday and Friday deal with temptation and are recommended memory verses to help us overcome a self-destructive habit. Saturday the verses help us get ready for Sunday morning.
Do you know the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge? Head knowledge knows all about something whereas heart knowledge has the experience. Neither is better, both are good and so the adventure doesn’t begin and end with a look at various Bible passages as if reading were enough. In fact there are Action Steps that will give feet to what we’re learning. They are one way we move the head knowledge to our hearts.
Some of these actions steps are pretty impressive. One thing we’re asked to do is to identify a self-destructive pattern in our life. It could be arrogance, gossip, a critical spirit, holding a grudge, lust, wasting time, worry; you know what it would be. Daily we’re going to rate ourselves as to how you think Jesus would say you’ve done on a scale of one to ten (ten being best). What unfolds during the Adventure will be a picture of our progress in reversing that pattern.
We are also being encouraged to memorize scripture. This isn’t a magic bullet but one more skill and tool, to have at our disposal when we’re tempted to give into the temptation around us. It should be enough to know that Jesus quoted the Scripture when confronted by Satan in the wilderness.
Another action step will be to weekly show an act of love for another person. We will keep track of it for our benefit. We’re going to write down seven acts highlights the need for each of us to have his/her own journal since we want to keep that private. One suggestion would be to try to see that at least two of your acts are for the benefit of a non-Christian. This is one way to share the Lord’s love with those who need it most.
What types of acts am I talking about? They can be as simple as sending a card to someone Christ lays on our heart. It might be preparing a meal, raking a yard, or spending time with someone who is alone. The possibilities are endless. The secret is that whenever possible do these acts in secret because if that happens the recipient has to praise God because they don’t know who else is responsible.
Here is what we need to do. First of all we need to get our journals. There are a variety available for all ages and even a large print version. If we are out when to get to Kathy Butler she’ll take your name and what you want. I’ll call the order in Monday morning and I’ll give you call either Wednesday or I’ll bring them by so you’ll have them by Friday. Secondly, read the introductory material once or twice so you have a feeling where we’re going. Lastly, get ready for Friday because that’s the warm up date as launch into this year’s adventure
Psalm 105:4 reads, “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” The Amplified Bible uses a different word for look. It reads “Crave Him and His strength.” Have you ever craved something? If you’ve known people who are in recovery they can tell you what craving is all about but you don’t have to be addicted to crave a food, a conversation, a break, a new lease on life.
I am coming into this adventure craving a fresh touch from God. I am craving an experience with Jesus that will refresh and change me. I crave the time when God’s renewal and regenesis will pour out on Kenton and the whole North Portland area. Yet I know it won’t happen unless I take the first step. What do you crave?
