Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalms 51:7-12 (NKJV)

When I was younger I used to enjoy those occasional snow days that would halt regularly scheduled activities, especially school. Waking up in the morning and hearing the radio announce the name of our school as one of the districts to be closed due to a major snow storm was exhilarating. My brother and sister and I would bundle up in our winter gear and grab the sleds out of the garage and head on outside to make tracks in the freshly fallen snow. Hours would pass before we grew tired of playing in the snow. We would make snow forts, snowmen, toss snowballs at each other, sled down the back hill into the neighbors yard, roll around in the snow and even make snow angels. Oh the fun we had as kids playing in the snow.

This week the northeast got blanketed in over 2 feet of snow, and now that I am no longer a school kid snow days are not quite as much fun as they once where. Having a snow day from work is not the same as having a snow day from school, primarily because there is a financial cost attached to the day off. The joy of a snow day has been replaced with the realization that someone has to shovel all that snow out of the driveway and off the sidewalks to make it possible to travel away from home. I have no desire today to make snowmen, or sled down a hill, or even make snow angels, the fact is I do not particularly like snow at all. It does look pretty hanging off the trees and blanketing the countryside, but it surely is no fun to have to shovel all that white stuff off the driveway and maneuver around on snow covered roadways.

It is amazing how our perspective changes as we age. What once was an event we looked forward too has turned into an event we could for the most part live without. I know God in His infinite wisdom felt the need to send snow in the winter, but I think I would much prefer to skip it altogether. If I could control the weather I think it would be a nice warm sunny spring day all year round. I know that is not practical in the northeast but hey I can dream can’t I?

Why this change of perspective when it comes to snow days? What causes one to change one’s opinion of a life event so markedly? Has our life’s situation changed so much that we no longer view the same event in the same way? When I was a child a snow day meant a day off from something that was less appealing — school, but as I got older that same snow day became the object of my dislike because I no longer associated the arrival of snow as a welcome diversion but rather as toilsome and inconvenient. The joy of those bygone snow days has been erased.

The snow that was a joy and delight in my childhood has become a minor inconvenience today. What once brought hours of joy and endless possibilities has today become a nuisance. Perhaps it would do me good to try to remember the joy of my childhood during these Northeast snow days. Perhaps I should try to recapture some of the thrill of those bygone days. Perhaps I should try to see a snow day as a welcomed diversion from normal day to day life.

King David likened snow to his being washed of his sin. He had lost the joy that came along with living because of his transgressions against God. He knew daily that he had messed up and wanted to recapture the joy that came along with being cleansed and forgiven. Guilt and shame steals a great deal of joy from our lives. So does regret. To a child being corrected by our parents ranked high on the list of dislikes. Being disciplined was not something we loved as a child, actually it is not something we enjoy as adults either. (more…)

A View from the Nest

Jn 3 (GW) When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, "They’re out of wine." 4 Jesus said to her, "Why did you come to me? My time has not yet come." 5 His mother told the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Six stone water jars were there. They were used for Jewish purification rituals. Each jar held 18 to 27 gallons. 7 Jesus told the servers, "Fill the jars with water." The servers filled the jars to the brim. 8 Jesus said to them, "Pour some, and take it to the person in charge." The servers did as they were told. 9 The person in charge tasted the water that had become wine. He didn’t know where it had come from, although the servers who had poured the water knew. The person in charge called the groom 10 and said to him, "Everyone serves the best wine first. When people are drunk, the host serves cheap wine. But you have saved the best wine for now." _{John 2:3-10}

I had always wondered why Jesus provided more wine for a drunk audience. I am not one to continue to give drink to someone who is visibly intoxicated, or for that matter even provide drink to someone who is sober. I am not a drinker, I do not hang around with people who drink, I really do not like the whole idea of drinking with the intent of getting drunk. I know some in the church who like to drink beer, others enjoy a glass of wine, and I am sure there are some who may like a mixed drink. I just do not. I really see no value in drinking so much that you become impaired and unable to think clearly and function rationally. The bible teaches to be SOBER and live a godly life.

For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, _{Titus 2:11-12 (RSV)}

Other than being obedient to his mother, I really do not know why Jesus would turn water into wine to be served to a drunken wedding crowd, but he did. I have to put myself in this scene and see what I would have done if approached about the wine situation. First I would not have thought about pouring water into stone pots to try to pass it off as wine. I would have had to see where I could procure wine to purchase for the bridle party. Or the more likely scenario I would say back to my mother, what do you expect me to do about it? I would not see it as my duty to provide wine to a drunken crowd. Or to paraphrase a famous quote, Let em drink water. So you see even when it comes to wine procurement I can not be like Jesus.

What can I learn from this, regardless of the theology of water to wine? What jumps out to me in this story is what happened when Jesus was called upon to make a contribution. First he questions his mother as to why she came to him to fix this problem because his time had not yet come to reveal himself to the people. He knew he had the ability and knew that he could do whatever it is that needed to be done, but he was also mindful of the reason why he came into the world and providing wine for a drunken wedding party was not high on his list of things to do before he died. His mother put him in charge by turning to the paid servants and told them to do whatever Jesus told them to do. Okay, again I have to ask myself, what would I do when presented with a paid staff looking to me for direction and instruction. What do you want us to do about this problem? The crowd is hollering for more wine and we are out! How do you want to handle this? Being in charge has it’s responsibilities. You can not say I don’t know, or do whatever you want to do. You have to have a solution or some plan to fix the problem. Now one thing I might have thought about doing was simply telling everyone the wine was gone and there would be no more. But any good host knows that when you are hosting a party it is your responsibility to make sure that the party goers are taken care of. It is a sign of a poor host who does not see to it that the guests are satisfied. That is just proper party etiquette.

Jesus tells the servants to gather up the ceremonial washing jars and fill them to the brim with water. There were 6 of them each holding almost 30 gallons of water would produce approximately 180 gallons of wine. That is a great deal of wine! The narrative does not say when exactly the water became wine it simply says that the servants were to fill the jars and then pour some out and give it to the person in charge of the party to taste. I do not know what the servants may have been thinking when taking a glass of water to the party host but they did as they were told and heard the host say that it was the best wine he had had that day. The servants perhaps looked at each other thinking this guy is drunker than we thought if he thinks water is good wine. Nevertheless the water filled ceremonial washing jars produced fine wine.

Jesus did not get into a theological discussion with his mother about drunkenness or contributing to the moral downfall of a people by providing more wine to a drunken crowd. He simply met the need that was presented to him and exceeded the expectations of even the host. Jesus could have made cheap wine but instead the water became FINE WINE. Sweet wine. The best wine according to the host. I would not expect anything less from Jesus, to be honest. I would expect him to do his very best to provide the very best. After all his life was an example of God’s provision to the world. God cared enough to send his own son, his best offering, not a poor substitution. How could Jesus go against his own character do anything less than his very best? If this first miracle would have resulted in cheap wine being produced, how would Jesus then be viewed in the future? How would we look upon Jesus had he not provided the best wine he could? I don’t know about you but when I ask someone for help I want them to do the very best that they can do and not the very least. Again I can not say that at all times I do the very best I can do. I have to admit that many times I look for excuses to not do what is asked of me. Again I do not know if I could provide wine for a drunken party, but Jesus did. Of course he also died for a sinful world so this is not really a HUGE stretch for him in light of everything else he had done.

Looking at this story from a character perspective I am encouraged to see that when asked for help, Jesus will not overlook any detail. He will not cut corners. He will not offer you a poor substitute but he will provide above and beyond what you asked for. He will do his very best to meet your need. Jesus can take the ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary. Those ordinary stone pots became vessels of honor, holding fine wine for the host of this wedding ceremony to pour forth and serve his guests. Although contained in an ordinary stone jar, the wine was of extraordinary value when compared to what had already been served to the quests. What Jesus touched exceeded what was already made available. Those stone jars, up until this time, only held water for the ceremonial washing of the priests in their daily temple work. They were simple wash basins but on this day they served up something sweeter and finer. They held fine wine.

The lesson I take away from this story then is this. In order for my life to have an impact on others, I have two options. I can do all I can to become famous or rich so that I can buy the finest, and throw the fanciest parties, purchase the finest of everything in attempts to wow the crowd or I can simply allow my clay pot to be filled with the sweet water of God’s spirit and then pour it out for others to taste and see that the LORD is good and not me. It is what is on the inside that matters more than what is on the outside. If one were to look at my resume or lists of accomplishments they would be underwhelmed because I can not say that I have done anything great. However I do want my life to be worthy of something. Although I do not care if I am ever rich or famous I do want to contain the sweet wine of God’s spirit. I do want to have something to offer a thirsty crowd when they come to me looking for a drink. I want to be able to pour out the refreshing of God’s love when all other sources of hope and expectations have run dry. I want to be a river of blessing to those who are in need of a blessing. I would like to be a well-spring of refreshment to those who are in need of refreshing.

Jesus did not fill just one jar, he filled every jar that sat around empty. He instructed that all those jars were to be filled to full. Jesus wants to fill everyone with His Spirit. He wants everyone to be full to over flowing. He desires that no one should be sitting on the sidelines and living an unfulfilled life. Jesus’ desire is for all of us to be filled with the sweetness of his Spirit. Those six jars became something more that day when Jesus had need of them. You and I can also become extraordinary if we are willing and ready to be used by Jesus when he has need of us. We can be more than we are, we can even be more than what we ever dreamed we could be. Even though our everyday use may seem ordinary and dull, there will come a time when Jesus will call upon you to be extraordinary. If we are empty to our own ambitions and desires, if we are emptied of our own selfish motives, if we are emptied to ways of the world and instead engaged in the work of the Lord (even if it is only washing the priests at the temple) then one day, in the hands of Jesus, our ordinariness can become extraordinary.

However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves. _{2 Cor 4:7 (AMP)}

You see we hold a treasure inside these earthly vessels. We hold the treasures of heaven itself within our mortal beings if we are filled with the sweet wine of God’s spirit. It is that same spirit which raised Christ from the dead that will quicken our mortal bodies and enrich our very lives. The servants knew that the stone pots only contained water, therefore the fact that those pots produced wine had to be attributed to Jesus and to nothing else. The servants knew that there was no power in the pots to produce wine from ordinary water, but they knew who told them to fill the pots. What may have started out as unbelief turned to belief once the host tasted the water and praised the groom for the fine wine that he was now serving. Those ordinary pots, filled with ordinary water, carried by ordinary servants, presented at an ordinary wedding ceremony were anything but ordinary because they had been blessed by God himself through Jesus Christ. We too are no longer looked upon as ordinary by God if we are filled with the Spirit of God but rather God views us as extraordinary. Praise be to God!

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

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For the creation waits with eager longing
for the revealing of the sons of God.
Romans 8:19 (ESV)

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6 Take to heart these words that I give you today. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up. 8 {Write them down, and} tie them around your wrist, and wear them as headbands as a reminder. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. _{Deut 6:6-9 (GW)}

Save, Back-up and restore are three terms familiar to every computer IT tech, especially those who working in a ‘Microsoft Windows ™’ environment. With all the malicious malware circulating over the internet and hackers sending out viruses and denial of service attacks, it is not a matter of if, but when a computer will crash. Firewalls and virus protection can only do so much, therefore it is important that when your computer is running smoothly, you take the time to back it up.