The Cloak of Christ's Love

By Marilyn McGrath

Sarah Young, in Jesus Calling, writes, “Seek to live in My love, which covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8); both yours and others’. Wear my love like a cloak of light, covering you from head to toe.”

A lovely thought… So what is it like to wear Jesus’ love like a cloak of light? What will we do beneath the cloak? We cannot hide – the cloak is love and light. Facing toward Jesus, “we can open up a space within ourselves for God to work. We can become fully conscious of what we are about to do rather than mindlessly completing another task.” Christine Valters Paintner in The Soul’s Slow Ripening, pg. 9

When I am conscious of being covered by Jesus’ love, for that moment I think of and see those I am with in a kindly way, and that starts our conversation on good and friendly terms. I find I am more open with that person.

“When we skim over the surface of life, we lose the sacred attentiveness that brings forth revelations in very ordinary moments.” The Soul’s Slow Ripening, pg. 9. But beneath the cloak, I can slow down and cultivate friendships I might not otherwise make time for. I can develop interests that nourish my soul, knowing that the joy from those pursuits will spill over into the work I do for my Lord. Best of all, the love and light of the cloak soak into my body and mind, filling me with gratitude, and also spilling over onto others.

Because living beneath the cloak is a journey of living like Jesus, and “sometimes our deepest purpose is discovered in living our ordinary lives with great reverence and attention. Our call may not be to change anything in our life other than our perspective.” The Soul’s Slow Ripening, pg. 156.

In the years that I have purposely sought to grow spiritually, my perspective on life, people, goals, and ideals have all changed several times under the tutelage of Jesus and my earthly teachers. At first the changes seemed harsh, even extreme. As I have continued along this path, the changes have become softer, like welcome revelations, and I enjoy sitting with them and meditating on them, on their significance to me and the people whom those changes may touch.

When I think of a person or group of people that I don’t understand or am at odds with, whether socially, politically or spiritually, and I think of changing my perspective to see them as Jesus would, it occurs to me that Jesus dismisses no one. He is open to every single person on earth and looks on each one through eyes of love, even those who reject Him.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often I have desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matt 23:37). Yet still, He offers them love and forgiveness. “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not look with their eyes, and understand with their heart and turn – and I would heal them.” (John 12:40).

Remember, the cloak of Jesus’ love covers a multitude of sins, both yours and others’. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13). So, for today, I cover myself with Jesus’ cloak of love to see all through his eyes of love. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12).

Going Deeper for July 12

By Pastor Bruce

Considering the sermon by Pastor Bruce Spear on July 12, 2020

Scripture Reading:  Luke 7:11-17

As we “go deeper” with this story, let me suggest that we read it again with our hearts tuned to the sorrow this woman felt and the joy she experienced when her son was restored to life.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son (Luke 7:11-17)

¹¹ Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. ¹² As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

¹⁴ Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶ They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” ¹⁷ This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

Tom Wright suggests two more ways we can go deeper with this story.

The first is to see the drama of Mary’s own loss of Jesus at the cross and how her heart was broken and then three days later filled with joy when she received him back as her Risen Lord. Take a minute to gaze at Michelangelo’s Pieta to help you enter into Mary’s experience of losing her son. She must have been a widow herself by then especially since Jesus even as he suffered on the cross made provision for his friend John to take Mary into his home and household.

 

 

Then Dr. Wright suggests a way to go through this story to help us bring Jesus into our own lives and give us strength in an area where we feel fear or sorrow or uncertainty. This is what he suggests:

Now go through the scene again; but this time, instead of it being a funeral procession in a small first-century Galilean town, make it the moment you most dread in this next week or next year. Maybe it's something that you know is going to happen, like a traumatic move of house or job. Maybe it's something you are always afraid of, a sudden accident or illness, a tragedy or scandal. Come into the middle of the scene, if you can, in prayer; feel its sorrow and frustration, its bitterness and anger. Then watch as Jesus comes to join you in the middle of it. Take time in prayer and let him approach, speak, touch, command. He may not say what you expect. He may not do what you want. But if his presence comes to be with you there that is what you most need. Once he is in the middle of it all with you, you will be able to come through it.

Having experienced the presence of Jesus in our moment of need, let’s join Henri Nouwen in this prayer:

Loving Savior, in your wounds and suffering, you showed us a love stronger than death. So quiet my anxiety, Lord Jesus, and give me the grace to open my heart to you. And then give me your compassion for others. Let me willingly take up the burden of another person’s grief and pain. Teach me to know your heart and to show that love to the world. Amen.

A Precious Stone of Great Size

By Pastor Bruce

Here is another story from Søren Kierkegaard (SK).

There once lived a poor, old couple. They possessed nothing but poverty. Naturally, anxiety about the future increased as they grew older. They did not blame God for their poverty, for they were too pious for that; but nevertheless, they continually cried to heaven for help.

Then it happened one morning that the wife, going out to the oven, found a precious stone of great size upon the hearth. She immediately showed the stone to her husband, who saw at once that they were well supplied for the rest of their life. A bright future for this old couple – what joy!

Yet, God-fearing as they were, and content with little, they resolved that since they had enough to live upon for another day, they would not sell the jewel that day, but the following. And then a new life would begin.

That night the woman dreamed that she was transported to paradise. An angel took her around and showed her all the glories of eternity. And the angel led her into a hall where around a great banquet table there were long rows of chairs adorned with pearls and precious stones, which, the angel explained, were for the devout.

Finally, the angel showed her the chair that was intended for her. Looking more closely, the woman saw a very large jewel was missing from the back of the seat leaving an unsightly hole. She asked the angel how that had come about. The angel answered, “That was the precious stone you found on the hearth. You received it in advance, and so it cannot be inserted again.”

In the morning the woman related the dream to her husband. She felt they should hold on to the stone for a few years longer rather than let the precious stone be absent throughout eternity. And her devout husband agreed. So, that evening they laid the stone back on the hearth and prayed to God that he would take it back. In the morning, sure enough, it was gone. Where it had gone the old couple knew; it was now in its right place.

SK then gives this stern warning: “You may perhaps be cunning enough to avoid suffering and adversity in this life, you may perhaps be clever enough to evade ruin and ridicule and instead enjoy all the earth’s goods, and you may perhaps be fooled into the vain delusion that you are on the right path just because you have won worldly benefits, but beware, you will have an eternity in which to repent! An eternity in which to repent that you failed to invest your life upon that which lasts, to love God in truth, come what may, with the consequence that in this life you will suffer under the hands of men.”

For me, the most uncomfortable and yet ultimately the most helpful question that SK raises is whether we are willing to live our lives before an audience of One regardless of how those around us react or respond with their often subtle signs of approval or disapproval. He writes elsewhere, “No one dares to be a genuine self; everyone is hiding in some kind of ‘togetherness.’ Every life that is preoccupied with being like others is a wasted life, a lost life. What faith it takes to believe that one’s life is noticed by God and that this is enough!”

Jesus proclaimed, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth.”

Of course, the opposition that Jesus faced was from religious people, and SK warned that in his day the greatest hindrance to following Jesus was the influence of the clergy and other religious people. We pastors are notorious for wanting to be liked and for “loving human praise more than praise from God.”

Oh, to be like the prophets of old who began with, “Thus sayeth the Lord…” and then proceeded to deliver a message regardless of how it was received. They played to an audience of One, and they were indeed blessed. Instead of grasping at the earthly reward of being well-liked, their reward, that precious stone of great size, was in its right place embedded on the back of their chair at the great banquet table of the feast of the Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world.

Selections taken from Kierkegaard, Søren. Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard. Plough Publishing House.

A Tale of Two Artists

By Pastor Bruce

Søren Kierkegaard was like Jesus in that he liked to tell stories or make up parables to illustrate the truth he had discovered and wanted to convey to others.

He tells the story of two artists. The first artist said, “I have traveled the world but have found no face with such perfection of beauty that would be worth painting. In every face I have seen one or another little fault. Therefore, I seek in vain.”

The second artist said, “Well, I do not pretend to be a real artist, neither have I traveled foreign lands. But remaining in the little circle of people who are closest to me, I have not found a face so insignificant or full of faults that I still could not discern in it a more beautiful side and discover something glorious. Therefore, I am happy in my art and it satisfies me even though I may not lay claim to being an artist.”

Would this not indicate that precisely this one was the true artist who by bringing a certain something with him found beauty among those he encountered every day, a beauty which the first artist failed to discover in all his travels?

Would it not also be sad if art instead of making life beautiful for us, only fastidiously discovers that not one of us is beautiful? Would it not be sadder still if love only discovered that none of us was worth loving?

Instead, the true artist sees glory and beauty in ordinary faces and true love finds what is lovable in all of us, loving enough to be able to love us all.

Last fall, Susan and I enjoyed the Renoir exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. I learned that Renoir spent the last twenty years of his life on a farm near the Mediterranean painting the very familiar faces of the people around him and the landscapes visible from his farmhouse. As you look at the paintings below, it goes without saying that he saw beauty everywhere and in everyone.

Oh, that God would pluck out the eyes from our heads that only find fault and replace them with new eyes which see beauty everywhere and in everyone! And praise be to the God of all love who loves enough to be able to love us all just as we are!

Story taken from Parables of Kierkegaard, edited by Thomas Oden, Princeton Paperbacks.

Showing Christ to the World

By Marilyn Travis

I found a poem my mother had saved from a magazine. The author is unknown, but it was published sometime in the early 1970’s.

      You Tell on Yourself

      You tell on yourself by the friends you seek,

      By the very manner in which you speak,

      By the way you employ your leisure time,

      By the use you make of dollar and dime.

      You tell on yourself by the things you wear,

      By the spirit in which your burdens you bear,

      By the type of things at which you laugh,

      By the records you play on your phonograph.

      You tell what you are by the way you walk,

      By the things of which you delight to talk,

      By the manner in which you can bear defeat,

      By so simple a thing as how you eat.

      By the books you choose from the library shelf,

      By these things and more, you tell on yourself.

We must be very careful how we, as Christians, are behaving these days. We live in an atmosphere of great tension as a result of the events of 2020. We have an opportunity to minister to others and show Christ to the world through our words, be it on social media or in person, and through our deeds.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in our Lord Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1:3-8

Paul teaches us:

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 4:32 – 5:2

Take time to listen to Sister Sarah O’Rourke, Salesian, Ireland. It is five minutes well spent.

Click here to listen.

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

By Pat Russell

We finished teaching at a women’s leadership training in China, and we were up for a break before we headed on to our next event in another city. My friend and I decided that we would take a walk down the pedestrian zone in the heart of this beautiful mega-city for our Sabbath day. We were feeling like the Kingdom of Heaven was all around us and His Reign was alive and well.

There, right on the edge of a lovely park was a coffee shop of world renown, so we purchased our too-expensive coffee and pastries and headed up an outdoor flight of stairs to the patio above. As we climbed the stairs, there she was – a little lady about four and a half feet tall. Her face was round and red from sunburn, wrapped in a scarf. She wore peasant clothes that were mismatched and dirty. Her teeth were yellow and only partially present.

She carried a shoeshine kit in one hand – a small box with a place to put your foot so that she could work on your shoes. And so it was that she offered to clean our shoes. She greeted us at the top of the steps and followed us over to the patio constantly making the offer even though we put our hands up to say no. We sat down and she was right beside our table waiting for us to give in.

Finally my friend and I gave her a small portion of our pastry hoping that this would suffice and she would leave us alone to enjoy our Sabbath day. We were, after all, “holy women” who had served the Lord with all our hearts the day before.

The little lady took our offerings, pulled up her shoeshine box and sat down below us. Picture a people-triangle by an umbrella café table – my friend sitting on a chair, a little Chinese peasant lady sitting on a shoeshine kit, not quite coming up as high as the table, and then me sitting on another café chair. My friend and I looked at each other in wonderment at this woman’s persistence. We did not look at her. We ate bites of our pastry and drank our warm coffee.

The little shoeshine lady stood up when she was finished and simply, quietly remained between us. We reluctantly gave her more of our pastries. She ate while standing.  Soon after she wandered away.

It was in that moment when the little shoeshine lady was gone that my friend and I looked at one another and realized our great omission. We had missed the very presence of Christ among us. I believe that the little shoeshine lady wanted to join our fellowship, wanted to sit at our table with us, but we did not want her.

I did not have eyes to see. I could have engaged the shoeshine lady with my eyes even though we could not talk, and l could have had the love and kindness of Christ in my heart while I sat beside this little lady. Instead, I thought that if I acted kindly that would be the same thing as being kind from the inside out. I could have let go of my agenda for the agenda of the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead, I saw her as an interruption that, if ignored, would go away. I missed a chance to interact with Christ for the price of a coffee and pastry.

I was sad, sad that I missed Christ that day, sad that I rejected the little shoeshine lady as a sister. I am still sad when I think of that experience. I have asked forgiveness. Since that time, I have heard his voice, “Pat, next time. Next time you will see me. I believe you will, my dear child.” Oh how I pray that will be so.

Let It Go!

By Marilyn Travis

My week was next to perfect. I was enjoying wonderful daily walks with Elwood. A beautiful blue bird swooped down landing right next to me, unafraid. The cactus is in bloom. We got to see our children and grandson Alex this week. It was all lovely. Mitch and I were enjoying our garage sale, seeing several friends and neighbors, minding social distancing but reveling in face-to-face encounters.

Then it happened. An antique sideboard which sold to the highest bidder, the ensuing reaction of a sentimental extended family member, and Mitch and I smack dab in the middle. So much for my near perfect week.

I will ease the tension right now and let you know that all turned out well. We were able to cancel the sale and deliver the sideboard to our family member. I should also let you know that everyone in this little drama behaved civilly. Our family member was devastated at first and tearful, but never raised her voice. The person we sold the sideboard to said she understood that family was more important than business. Mitch was upset that we had caused someone else emotional pain and felt guilty about having to back out of an agreement, especially since half payment had already been received.

Did I say everyone in this scenario was civil? I confess I was angry, indignant, enraged! I ranted and raved about how unfair it all was. Didn’t we have a right to dispose of a piece of furniture that had been in our home for thirty years? How dare this family member make Mitch feel so upset! We were enjoying each other’s company, reveling in the day’s activities until this issue ruined everything! I haven’t been so angry in a very long time. I felt entitled to my anger. I felt we had been treated unfairly. I felt justified in my rage.

What came next? Conviction. I should rephrase the question to “Who came next?” The Holy Spirit. He spoke to me through Mitch. Mitch has such an even temperament. He is always there to help me set my feet on the ground after I lose my temper, which is more often than I like to admit! Mitch reminded me that love is unconditional, that family is important. He asked me to let go of my anger and resentment. He asked me to choose love.

I thought I had. I prayed about it and I slept well. This morning before watching and listening to our church service, I sat to write in my journal. What poured out of me onto the paper was a recount of all the anger, indignancy and rage I’d felt the morning before. This time my rant was on paper. I’m surprised the pages didn’t burst into flame!

What came next? Conviction. Again, I prayed. I felt the Spirit clearly ask me to let go of my anger. I felt better after spending some time in prayer, so I started writing again. The second sentence I wrote was “I thought I was finished venting, but evidently I’m not…”

I’m so thankful that God is patient. After a couple more pages of ranting I finally wrote “Oh man, I have GOT to LET THIS GO! Maybe I should set out on foot from our house and climb a fourteener to see if that helps!”

That was not the answer, but something had shifted in my attitude. I tried something different. I tried staying quiet and listening. I asked the Spirit to reveal my sin, instead of me confessing what I believed I had done wrong. I came to realize that the anger, resentment and indignation was a result of being self-centered and dishonest. I was not thinking about anyone but myself.

I felt guilty because we did not offer the sideboard first to family members, though we knew we should have. We had planned to just hide the fact it was gone, but I posted pictures on social media that showed the sideboard in the background. I had been caught in the middle of a deception. Our plan fell apart because of my actions. I didn’t want to deal with the fact I had been dishonest. I didn’t want to believe I had been dishonest – after all we weren’t going to lie, we were just going to hide the truth! I didn’t want to face the ugly facts about myself and my choices, so I chose to get angry and throw blame on the innocent.

I had to truly confess everything. It was not fun. It was not easy. It was emotionally draining. It was also wonderful. I am so grateful now that I got caught. Spending so much energy trying to justify my actions and my emotions was not only exhausting, it was separating me from God.

Ephesians 4: 29 - 5:2 holds special meaning for me today:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

I thought about sugar coating this story, so I wouldn’t look so bad. I want people to believe I would never do such things, never lose my temper, blame the innocent or try to get away with deception. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only imperfect person in the body of Christ, though, and I hope sharing my stories will help you to not feel alone in your own struggles. 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.   1 John 1:9

 I am truly at peace. God is good. Thanks be to God!

“How beautiful it is to learn that grace isn’t fragile, and that in the family of God we can fail and not be a failure.”  Gloria Gaither