Servant of All

The Measure of Greatness

²⁴Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. ²⁵Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. (Luke 22: 24-26)

²The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13: 2-5)

From an early age we discover how to distinguish between the popular and the unpopular, the normal and the different, the leaders and the followers. Just imagine the disciples as they are arguing about which of them was considered to be the greatest around the ‘Last Supper’ table. In the midst of the arguing like little middle school boys, Jesus – the Lord of all - gets up from the table and shows them what greatness truly is; Service. John shows us how he takes a towel and wraps it around his waist. Jesus pours water into a basin and washes the disciple’s feet. “The one who rules should be like the one who serves.” What are you doing with what influence you have in this world? Are you lording it over others or using it to serve others? Jesus gave us the example and said, ‘Now that you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

My God - why have you forsaken me?

If you look at Jesus throughout the Gospels, He is particular in how He refers to God. Jesus calls him, Father. This speaks to the relational character of God more than it does about God's gender. Don't get too caught up in whether God is male or female. The point of it all is that God is relational and God's being should be understood in such a way. So if Jesus is continually saying, 'my Father this and my Father that... if you've seen me-you've seen my Father, no one comes unto the Father but by me, my Father is the vinedresser, here is how you should pray - our Father, etc. Then what is the importance that now from the cross Jesus says, 'My God'?

This phrase from the cross is understood in context from when Jesus quoted Psalm 22. Certainly he wouldn't want to misquote David... but one of the helpful realities about the mystery of Christ being both fully God and fully man is that this phrase connects us to Christ. Jesus cries out in the same way we would. Psalm 22 says that God will not always chide and that God does not despise the afflictions of the afflicted. Jesus became our affliction. Have you ever felt forsaken? Jesus understands. He could have easily adjusted the psalm and say, Father, why have you forsaken me? But he wanted to point us to a deeper truth that our cries echo the same as Christ himself. In our psalms of lament, never forget that though suffering or pain, or even sorrow would last for the night, joy comes in the morning. A lament in only a lament because it ends with a feeling of trust and praise. Future generations will indeed speak of the one who draws us to Himself and calls us brother. Oh forsaken one - look to the cross and find your forsaken Savior.

Word From the Cross

"Father, forgive them for they don't know what they're doing."

Why didn't Jesus just simply say, "Father, forgive them." That would have done the trick don't you think? Here is Jesus who is barely able to breathe because of the strain of the cross and the asphyxiation it was causing... and he decides to say this whole thing.

What is sin? The reality is that we really don't know what we are doing. While this verse could certainly be interpreted within its context, what if we viewed the role of sin in our lives in such a way? If we really knew what sin did and what it caused, then I would hope that there would be a longing for repentance and renewal. So I guess that in essence we don't really know what we are doing do we? But thanks be to God that there is forgiveness there. The areas of my life where I simply do not know what I am doing is still in need of forgiveness.

Having a disconnect between the head understanding of sin and the walk of a believer living in sin is a classic example of not having a clue. We understand what sin is and what it does to the relationship with God, but we still hate our neighbor. We truly do not know what we're doing. Forgive us Lord even for those things.

Revival

Beginning this Sunday we are having a very special time in the life of our church. I don't know what comes to your mind when you think of the word 'revival', but I want to invite you to see for yourself at Tabernacle.

This is something we all need as part of our faith journey. Services begin on Sunday Morning, February 27th at 10:15 am.

Evening Services Sunday through Wednesday are at 7 p.m. A children's program is provided.

Join us.

Spring Training

Even though it is still Winter... Spring Training is upon us. For the past several years the Philadelphia Phillies have been at the top of the discussion board about their potential for another winning season. This year the expectations are high with the acquisition of Cliff Lee. It is again, 'World Series or Bust' time for the Phillies.

At Tabernacle, we have some similarities. Our expectations are high, and we are also winning. We are on the path to winning and this is an exciting trip to be on. I encourage you to join us as we discover the winning elements of our ministry.

District Day of Learning

I mailed off my final project for a class I took in January and it is such a relief to be finished!

One of the other areas of focus on my vacation is to prep for two seminar classes I am teaching at the District Day of Learning on February 13th in Ocean City, NJ.

One class is called - "An Administrative Council that WINS" and the other is, "Listening to Outsiders". One of the joys about the preparation process is team teaching with a friend, Sarah Lee. I have discovered that you need to find areas of your life where you gain energy while giving energy. Teaching is one of them for me. Teaching on these particular topics also brings me such joy that I feel strengthened after each class.

If you are interested in attending the District Day of Learning on February 13th, please contact Cheryl in the Church office. 884.3574

Hope all is well with you!

See you soon.

The King's Speech

There has been ALOT of buzz around the new movie, 'The King's Speech', starring Colin Firth. Being at the top of the Oscar nominations, I wanted to go see for myself.

Here is a little known fact about me: I am the BEST at picking the winners for the Oscars. Every year, challengers step up only to get beat down by my prediction prowess. So here is a little piece on insider information about the upcoming Oscars.

While the King's Speech is a GREAT movie and I highly recommend it, it will not win best picture. But, Colin Firth will win best actor. If for some reason he does not, then the Academy got it wrong.

One of the subtle but beautiful parts of the movie is the look at the character of leadership and the ability to lead through words. Words have tremendous power and they can either harm or heal. I don't want to spoil or ruin any parts for you, but I encourage you to check it out.

I am enjoying my vacation and hope all is well with you. See you soon.

Take care,