My Hero

Mark 2:3 Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him.
I love me some hero stories, where a noble and self-sacrificing soul overcomes great dangers, snatching victory from the slathering jaws of defeat, and triumphantly wins the fair maiden. OK, I have caught my limit of “fair maiden”(one little Pie Baker), but I still love the danger and the triumph, and I love the Heroes.
I suppose it goes back to The Lone Ranger, which me and my buddies watched religiously every day after school. “Return with me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear...with a cloud of dust and a mighty ‘HiYo SIL-verrrr! Away!'" Never missed him riding by that one big rock that must have followed him all over the West, but then he never missed with those silver bullets and always whipped the Black Hats and sent them off to their Just Reward. Plus he had a great theme song: Brum didee brum didee brum didee brum BRUM... It took me awhile to figure out that most heroes don’t come with theme songs, but that’s a story for another day.
Of course, I’m not the only one who loves heroes. Even Jesus noticed them and honored them!
Heroes like those 4 who tore off a roof to get their paralyzed buddy to Jesus: “And seeing their faith...” He didn’t admire their inventiveness, their roofing skills, or their unity. He never even mentioned their wardrobe choices. He rejoiced to see their FAITH - faith that He could help, that He would help, and that there was no one else to turn to. His admiration for their surprise entrance is obvious and immediate, and a bit surprising.
Mark 2:5 Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
To be fair, their faith in Jesus had some reasons behind it. He had been healing the worst diseases in their world right and left, but His first response addressing the internal (and Eternal) problems of their friend was probably not what they were looking for. It certainly took everybody else off guard, but He didn’t stop there. He went on to meet the obvious need, the one they thought they were there for, but He began with the one He saw most clearly - the Spiritual Need of one who was guilty.
Only the Lord knows the names of ANY of these men. Like our modern heroes, they keep their anonymity. They weren’t there to be noticed or glorified, but they have absolutely been remembered. Just so you know, when you come to the Lord with your troubles, be they large or small, He sees what you really need most, and for most of us it’s exactly what that paralytic needed: acceptance and forgiveness.
The heroic faith of these four “roof-raisers” inspires me, because I see me in them, and I want to be a Jesus kind of hero. My job is also to bring people to Jesus as they are, and let Him work His miracles in their lives. My understanding of their real need may be faulty, but His never is. He always does all things well.
Mark 2:12 ...they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

The Glory

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11

Glory: Beauty, Majesty, Splendor, Light. All of these parts of Webster's definition got me to thinking. How could anyone add to the Glory of God? After all, He's the source of it all. It's a mind-boggling thing, and hard to imagine, but when the twenty four elders drop to their knees and cast their crowns at the foot of God's throne, that's what they're trying to do, give Him more Glory.


So I tried to imagine what that was like.


Remember the moon landings? I was just a kid in '69 when Neil Armstrong made the first human footprint there. The pictures showed a gray surface that stood in marked contrast to the white spacesuits of the astronauts. Think about a full moon. Am I the only one who wondered how that dingy looking surface gave us the brightness and whiteness that we could see in the sky once a month?


I decided to refresh my memory by looking up some moon pictures on line. I got some bright full moon shots that reminded me of how beautiful it is – and why we have so many romantic songs and notions about it. “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore!” Sing it, Dean-O! But I also got some less romantic pics. They showed not only the gray and dingy look, they also showed craters. Lots and lots of craters. Remember Complexion Drama? I know it's been awhile, but “zits happened”. One of the less appealing nicknames that flew around then was “Crater Face”, because when we saw closeups of our oldest satellite, we saw evidence of damage. Meteors have been smacking the moon in the face since she was born – better her than us – and leaving big ugly holes everywhere like she was teenager. But when we see the full moon in all her (ahem) GLORY, we don't see her flaws OR her short-comings, only her beauty.


The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Isaiah 60:19


In years past, some idio...uh, I mean, critics have scoffed at the Bible's account of the moon giving light by saying that the moon is just a big rock with no light source. Nit-picking at the use of figurative language helps them miss something pretty cool, not to mention important. Where does the moon's light come from? It reflects the sun. In the sun's light, she is gloriously beautiful, her flaws invisible.


How can I give glory to God? By being in the Light. Out of that Light, my flaws are painfully obvious, and I prefer to hide, but in His Presence, the Glory transforms me and brings honor to Him. Let me just say to you who think “My flaws and failures are too much”, take a look at the moon. If the sun can make that much difference in that dirty old rock, how much more can the Son make in you?

Upgrade Now!

John 3:3 Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
So, I just bought a new tablet. No, not for headaches, or first grade, or even Commandments. It’s just your modern day version of a computer. When I bought it, the sign in the store said that it was ready to upgrade to the next version of the operating system. Got it home, turned it on, and a little “pop-up” popped up (!) on the screen, asking did I want to upgrade. “Sure, why not?” And I punched the “Continue” button. Immediately, it went to a screen that said (basically) “Don’t touch anything! Wait here!” Then the screen began to flicker as new software was being downloaded, then after a few minutes, Boom! The screen went dark as the tablet turned itself off.
“Oh No!” I whimpered, “Whatever shall I do?” Or I would have, if I didn’t know that was supposed to happen. After a few seconds, the tablet began to glow again, the welcome screen came up, and then I was free!
Free to wait while software updates started up.
A few of them even had to ask permission, but eventually it was complete, and my new device was somehow even newer! Maybe even Improved!
If only there was something in my experience that compared to that! If only there was a concept that could help me grasp this complex modern world!
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20
My “Old Self" Operating System (OS OS Ha!) was corrupt, in desperate need of something - really, Someone - to make a real change. I needed an Upgrade that would overwrite the corrupt and dying Self with new life-giving information. And the old stuff had to die to make way for the New. In the language of Computers, we call that an upgrade. In the language of the Church, we call it “being Born Again". (This doesn’t mean “got it all together", or “all my struggles are over". It means I have access to God and He has access to me. Like anything new, it can be a challenge to work it out and become adept. But it’s worth it!)
Something worth noting about this software upgrading process. The new stuff has access to stuff the old stuff can’t even see. If that sounds familiar, see our starting Bible verse. If I want my new device to function in the modern software world, it has to be upgraded. Otherwise, it eventually becomes so outdated it is essentially useless. If I want my spirit to operate in the Eternal Heaven Wide Web, it needs an upgrade. Otherwise, my old self can’t operate at that level, in fact it can’t even see what it’s missing. Happily, this upgrade has already been paid for, all that’s necessary is to download and activate. Ready? Continue!
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

The Practical Son

He said to me, "I suppose one of my favorite stories is about the Lord Jesus and the practical son." Joe McKeever

We actually know him better as the "Prodigal Son", but that little slip reminded me of how easy it is to hear one thing and think another. I'm pretty sure that the person who said that had heard the word "practical" a lot more often than "prodigal", but I suspect that many of us who have heard (and used) "prodigal" have never given a lot of thought to what it actually means. For a long time, I even assumed that it had something to do with him coming back to his father, but here's what the dictionary says: "Prodigal - recklessly spendthrift, wastefully extravagant, lavish."
And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. Luke 15:11-13
So, "prodigal" had to do with how he started rather than how he finished. He took his heritage - all that his father had treasured up to bless him with - and trashed it. He treasured trash so much that he blew his past and his future on present sensual indulgence. To add a little more sting to it, answer me this: When do you normally inherit? That’s right, after someone has DIED! So this son was basically saying, “Dad, I can’t wait for you to die!" This Prodigal had a Practical Plan with a Powerfully Painful Point.
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."’ Luke 15:17-19
Practically speaking - pun intended - the son had to expect some "I told you so's", a couple of "just dessert's", and a major possibility of a "You wished I was dead, so now you're dead to me!" But he was out of options, so he dropped the slop and pointed himself toward home, practicing his speech, preparing for his humiliation, and pondering what might happen.
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:24
There’s no practical reason for this response, but there is a very personal one. We call it “Love”. And it’s that same love that awaits every sinner who repents, a Heavenly Father calling for a joyful Celebration. It’s time to get practical, and choose the Prodigal’s return path!