Pilate Revisited

Luke 23:22-23
For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him punished and then release him."
But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.

If you attend a traditional service in a Catholic or Episcopal Church, then you are readily familiar with the Nicene Creed which is recited during worship. It is both a recounting of the events preceding and following Jesus' death and resurrection and a declaration of Christian beliefs. Amazingly, aside from Mary, the Lord's mother, the only mortal mentioned in the Creed is the Roman prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate: "For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate". While this phrase solidly fixes the time of Jesus' death in history, it renders the reputation of this man, so reluctant to sent Jesus to the cross, infamous at best.

Is this being fair to Pilate's legacy? Yes, I know that, under the pressure from the crowds whipped into a frenzy by the Sanhedrin and the insistence of the Jewish leaders themselves, the prefect caved to the demands and finally ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. However, in this verse from Luke today, we see him pleading no less than three times with the mob to spare our Lord. Pilate also declares Jesus' innocence: he can find no crime, no circumstance, nothing to compel the death penalty. Was a Gentile, ironically, the first to point toward the sinless nature of the Savior? Now, that is something to stop and think about!

"He became sin who knew no sin that we might become His righteousness. He humbled himself and carried the cross. Love so amazing! ~ Chris Tomlin

Readings
Psalms 131, 132, (133) or 134, 135
1 Samuel 13:5-18
Acts 8:26-40
Luke 23:13-25

Wait Upon the Lord

Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

The darkest hour, as the saying goes, is just before dawn. Envision the weary watchmen, guarding an ancient city at the gates or along the walls through the night with only the stars in the heavens to illumine their steps. Yawning and bleary-eyed, they long for that firs, faint glimmer of light on the eastern horizon, the promise of day break and relief from their tedious duties. Their wait becomes more interminable with every passing second, yet they cling to the hope: "Any minute now . . . any minute now . . ."

Have you experienced days of darkness and desolation when you could not feel God's presence in your life? Perhaps you were facing a difficult choice or circumstance about which you had prayed, but there was no immediate answer. You waited for the Lord with every fiber of your being, holding fast to the hope that seemed so far away, desperately desiring the light of His company. Did you continue to pray because, even though you cont not feel His presence, you knew, in your heart of hearts, He was listening, that He cared for you and your needs?

In those times when God seems so removed from you, remember that His love is as steadfast and reliable as the dawning day. Let strength rise within you as you wait for Him, trusting like the watchmen: "Any minute now . . ."

Readings
Psalms 119:145-176 or 128, 129, 130
1 Samuel 12:1-6, 16-25
Acts 8:14-25
Luke 23:1-12

Show Me the Way!

Acts 8:3
But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Zealous to maintain the status quo of the Jewish traditions, Saul leads violent assaults on those converted to "The Way", the appellation used by early Christians to describe their religion. He is a cold, unfeeling witness to the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He instigates the fervent charge to round up and unmercifully imprison those he considers heretics. Later, in Acts 9:1-2, Saul, "still breathing threats and murder against the disciples", decides that persecuting them in Jerusalem just isn't enough. He petitions the High Priest for permission to travel to the synagogues in Damascus to warn them of this misguided, dangerous movement, and, while on his journey, capturing and sending back to Jerusalem any claiming to follow The Way. No one, least of all Saul, could have predicted the radical, miraculous transformation about to transpire in him along that fateful road when, in a flash of light that leaves him blinded, the Risen Christ confronts, convicts, and converts him.

I find it decidedly ironic that Paul (the Greek version of his name which he uses among the Gentiles), the most ardent, obsessive defender of the Jewish faith became the most passionate, devoted champion of Christianity. His conversion testifies to the fact that, with God, all things are possible. I believe the Lord saw through Paul's malevolent behaviors toward His people and recognized the qualities that would make Paul an indispensable apostle: determination, zeal, dedication, knowledge of the law, and devotion to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He simply needed his vision corrected. Jesus made that happen in a mighty way!

Have you ever known someone who experienced a dramatic conversion like Paul's? Was your own conversion one of out-of-the-blue magnitude, or was it, like C. S. Lewis', a quiet conviction within your soul? Is there a friend or acquaintance in your life for whom you wish there was a Damascus Road? Love them, pray for them, and witness through example. Believe that God can and will meet them at their crossroads; be prepared to take their hand and help show them The Way.

Amen!

Heaven Is My Throne

Acts 7:48-49
"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet (Isaiah 66:1-2) says:
'Heaven is my throne,
and the earth my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me?'
Says the Lord.
'Or where will my resting place be?'"

The Hubbell telescope has revolutionized human perception of the unfathomable vastness that is the universe. The scale and grandeur cannot be measured; its span is beyond human knowing. We can only gaze at the billions of galaxies, nebulae, black holes, dying and forming stars with awe and wonder, and feel infinitesimally small, irrelevant, insignificant, and unworthy before the omnipotence of God. We cry out, "Oh, gracious Heavenly Father, God of the Universe, Creator of All Worlds, who are we that You are mindful of us?"

The miracle and blessing for us in this is to realize that, just as God has created a humanly incomprehensible universe, He has created us, too. He placed withing us the desire and longing to know and love Him who is beyond our understanding. In His great mercy and compassion, He sent Jesus, His beloved Son, so we could grasp to the fullness of our human capacity, who God, the Father, is, was, and ever will be. No house built by human hands could contain the greatness of the Lord but, because we are His creations, He can reside in our hearts in the person of the Holy Spirit.

The next time you gaze at the mighty and breathtaking heavens, let your heart in which He lives leap for joy; the "God of wonders beyond our galaxy" is holy and "the universe declares His majesty". (Third Day) His love for you endures forever.

Readings
Psalms 106:1-18 or 106:19-48
1 Samuel 10:17-27
Acts 7:44-8:1a
Luke 22:52-62

On Level Ground

Psalm 143:10
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

When I use the treadmill at the gym for my cardio-workout, I place the speed at a stiff, power-walking pace (I don't do running) and hike the incline gradually until I can feel my leg muscles straining. I stay the course for as long as possible, usually about half-a-mile, before I begin reducing the incline's intensity bit by bit until I am, at last, down to zero. After all that uphill struggle, it's always a relief to return to level ground, to lower my speed, to feel my legs start to relax and embrace the stroll.

Doing things our way, not God's way, is like walking the treadmill at maximum speed and incline: It's a constant battle that gets us nowhere; it wears us down and finally wears us out. When we pray daily, however, that we might do His will and walk in His ways, the obstacles in our lives that were mountainous dwindle to molehills. God sets our feet on His straight and level path where we can stride in faith and confidence, knowing His holy presence is leading us. We are no longer consumed by the desire to know where we are going but, rather, free to delight in the journey He has set before us.

Lead on, Holy Spirit!

Readings
Psalms 118 or 143
1 Samuel 10:1-16
Romans 4:13-25
Matthew 21:23-32

Take This Cup . . .

Luke 22:42
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

Jesus knew all along that this moment would come. He had shared with His disciples how the Son of Man must suffer that His mission might be fulfilled; they would not or could not comprehend the magnitude of the agony their Lord must endure. Now, in Jesus' last moments with them, they cannot even stay awake to pray with Him, to comfort Him with their companionship. Jesus, betrayed and abandoned, is left to face this nightmare of impending death on His own.

On His own? Wasn't the Father there with Him? I'm sure God was there, but I am just as certain that Jesus, for the first time in His life, couldn't feel His Father's presence. Jesus' full humanity is nowhere in scripture as evident as at that dreadful, desperate time in the garden. "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me . . ." As the reality and proximity of His imminent torture and crucifixion loom glaringly before Him, so does His human longing to cling to this life, to question why it is He who must bear such suffering.

Haven't all of us, at a time of tragedy or disaster, begged God to take these cups away from us? When He didn't, what was your reaction? Did you feel forsaken and miles away from the Father's comforting touch? Or, did you, as Jesus did in the garden, pray the "prayer that never fails" (Jan Karon, author, Mitford Series): "Yet not my will, but yours be done"?

Trials and tribulations are inevitable in this life and, in the midst of these, you may not be able to feel God's presence with you. But, remember this: God allowed His beloved Son to endure an excruciating death for the price of your sins and glorified Jesus forever in the resurrection. You are His child. He will one day glorify you.

Readings
Psalms 107:33-43, 108:1-6 (7-13) or 33
1 Samuel 9:15-10:1
Acts 7:30-43
Luke 22:39-51

Because I'm Forgiven

Luke 22:33-34
But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death."
Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."

Was there ever a moment in your life when you felt you were absolutely committed to doing something but, when the time came, you couldn't follow through? Whether you make the commitment from a stand of weakness, i.e., you had not yet learned to say "no", or in self-assured sincerity, i.e., "I do" at the altar, failure to deliver on that promise gives rise to painful feelings of inadequacy and shame. It's embarrassing enough to admit your own failures, but you can be, unless you're a celebrity, so grateful your lurid shortcomings aren't graphically splashed on every tabloid in the supermarket, aired like dirty laundry for all to see.

Not so, poor Peter! He made the headlines in every available media source of his day. All four gospels contain his denial of Jesus in detail; Mark reports that he wept, and Luke and Matthew add the telling adverb, "bitterly". Peter, the disciple who first knew Jesus as the Christ, the rock on whom Jesus declared the church would be built, crumbles in humiliation and disgrace. He has forsaken his Lord, his Master, his Savior; how will anything in his life ever be right and good and true again?

Jesus dies on the cross; Peter is in hiding. Jesus rises from the dead; Peter is forgiven and healed, infused once more with hope and faith. The Holy Spirit descends upon him and the others in power and glory, and Peter is reborn, honed and prepared to keep the commitment he made at the Last Supper, one that now he is empowered to honor. Jesus' promise is fulfilled; this man adrift on shifting sands has become the rock envisioned upon which Christianity would thrive.

Did you break a promise, a vow; have you let someone down? Do you think that your mistake is unforgivable? Think again. Jesus counted on Peter to build the church and He is counting on you to do the same. He forgave Peter and He forgives you. It is only in the light of forgiveness that you can truly live. I say, "Live it up!"

Readings
Psalms 102 or 107:1-32
1 Samuel 9:1-14
Acts 7:17-29
Luke 22:31-38