Evidence that Demands a Verdict

O Happy Day is upon us. And here we are, some 2000 years after the first Easter, still preaching the resurrection of Christ as the unique and central core of our Christian faith. His coming back from the dead established once and for all that “He is” who He said He is—both God and Lord. C.S. Lewis said it best in Mere Christianity:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about [Jesus]: “I’m ready to accept [Him] as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or som thing worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”


Need some evidence that Jesus is the risen Lord?

Resurrection Proof #1: The Empty Tomb of Jesus—The empty tomb may be the strongestproof Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Two major theories have been advanced by unbelievers: someone stole Jesus’ body or the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb. The Jews and Romans had no motive to steal the body. Christ’s apostles were too cowardly and would have had to overcome the Roman guards. The women who found the tomb empty had earlier watched Jesus being laid away; they knew where the correct tomb was. Even if they had gone to the wrong tomb, the Sanhedrin could have produced the body from the right tomb to stop the resurrection stories. Jesus’ burial cloths were left neatly folded inside, hardly the act of hurrying grave robbers. Angels said Jesus had risen from the dead.

Resurrection Proof #2: The Women Eyewitnesses—The women eyewitnesses are further proof that the Gospels are accurate historical records. If the accounts had been made up, no ancient author would have used women for witnesses to Christ’s resurrection. Women were second class citizens in Bible times; their testimony was not even allowed in court. Yet the Bible says the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdalene and other holy women. Even the apostles did not believe Mary when she told them the tomb was empty. Jesus, who always had special respect for these women, honored them as the first eyewitnesses to his resurrection. The male Gospel writers had no choice but to report this embarrassing act of God’s favor, because that was how it happened.

Resurrection Proof #3: Jesus’ Apostles’ New-Found Courage—After the crucifixion, Jesus’ apostles hid behind locked doors, terrified they would be executed next. But something changed them from cowards to bold preachers. Anyone who understands human character knows people do not change that much without some major influence. That influence was seeing their Master, bodily risen from the dead. Christ appeared to them in the locked room, on the shore of the Sea ofGalilee, and on the Mount of Olives. After seeing Jesus alive, Peter and the others left the locked room and preached the risen Christ, unafraid of what would happen to them. They quit hiding because they knew the truth. They finally understood that Jesus is God incarnate, who saves people from sin.

Resurrection Proof #4: The Changed Lives of James and Others—Changed lives are yet another proof of the resurrection. James, the brother of Jesus, was openly skeptical that Jesus was the Messiah. Later James became a courageous leader of the Jerusalem church, even being stoned to death for his faith. Why? The Bible says the risen Christ appeared to him. What a shock to see your own brother, alive again, after you knew he was dead. James and the apostles were effective
missionaries because people could tell these men had touched and seen the risen Christ. With such zealous eyewitnesses, the early church exploded in growth, spreading west from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond. For 2,000 years, encounters with the resurrected Jesus have changed lives.

Resurrection Proof #5: The Large Crowd of Eyewitnesses—A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus Christ at the same time. The Apostle Paul records this event in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that most of these men and women were still alive when he wrote this letter, about 55 A.D. Undoubtedly they told others about this miracle. Today,
psychologists say it would be impossible for a large crowd of people to have had the same hallucination at once. Smaller groups also saw the risen Christ, such as the apostles, and Cleopas and his companion. They all saw the same thing, and in the case of the apostles, they touched Jesus and watched him eat food. The hallucination theory is further debunked because after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, sightings of him stopped.

Resurrection Proof #6: The Conversion of Paul—The conversion of Paul records the most drastically changed life in the Bible. As Saul of Tarsus, he was an aggressive persecutor of the early church. When the risen Christ appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul became Christianity’s most determined missionary. He endured five floggings, three beatings, three shipwrecks, a stoning, poverty, and years of ridicule. Finally the Roman emperor Nero had Paul beheaded because the apostle refused to deny his faith in Jesus. What could make a person willingly accept—even welcome—such hardships? Christians believe the conversion of Paul came about because he encountered Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead.

of Christ is an historical fact. Tradition says ten of the original apostles died as martyrs for Christ, as did the Apostle Paul. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of early Christians died in the Roman arena and in prisons for their faith. Down through the centuries, thousands more have died for Jesus because they believed the resurrection is true. Even today, people suffer
persecution because they have faith that Christ rose from the dead. An isolated group may give up their lives for a cult leader who was later revealed to be a fraud, but no one willingly dies (much less violently) for someone they know to be a liar. For 2,000 years Christians have died in many lands, believing Jesus conquered death to give them eternal life.

Is the resurrection critical to our faith? Perhaps the apostle Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 15: “…if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.” Now that’s something to celebrate! Let’s have a glorious Easter in anticipation of that even greater Resurrection Morn to come! O Happy Day!

Resurrection Proof #7: They Died for Jesus—Countless people have died for Jesus, absolutely certain that the resurrection of Christ is an historical fact. Tradition says ten of the original apostles died as martyrs for Christ, as did the Apostle Paul. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of early Christians died in the Roman arena and in prisons for their faith. Down through the centuries, thousands more have died for Jesus because they believed the resurrection is true. Even today, people suffer persecution because they have faith that Christ rose from the dead. An isolated group may give up their lives for a cult leader who was later revealed to be a fraud, but no one willingly dies (much less violently) for someone they know to be a liar. For 2,000 years Christians have died in many lands, believing Jesus conquered death to give them eternal life.

Is the resurrection critical to our faith? Perhaps the apostle Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 15: “…if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.” Now that’s something to celebrate! Let’s have a glorious Easter in anticipation of that even greater Resurrection Morn to come! O Happy Day!

-tad

(Portions of this article excerpted from Jack Zavada’s Seven Proofs of the Resurrection)

Grace That Fits 'Just Right'

(Author’s Note: This article is a reprint, but one which might address our recent discussion and upcoming presentation of ‘Unredeemed.’ A key to looking for God’s activity in even the hard places of life is in knowing that his custom-fitted grace is always available to us…just for the asking.)

One of my favorite stories from childhood was about Goldilocks and the three bears. You remember…the one where the little blonde girl happens upon a house in the woods and ends up sitting in someone else’s chair, sampling someone else’s soup, and sleeping in someone else’s bed. If memory serves (and lately, I confess, it seems a tad overworked), the catch phrase in each of those situations was something like “this one is JUST RIGHT.” There was always something very satisfying about that statement, since to me it validated that little people, like big people, are individuals with different needs and different tastes. Never mind that blondie was breaking and entering. I identified with her curiosity, and, as a high J on the Meyers-Briggs personality inventory, I understood her need for closure before moving on to the next task.

As a child I was labeled a worrier, particularly by my mom. She often commented in my grade school years that I would have an ulcer at 15. What did I have to worry about? Well, for one thing, I was going to be getting this ulcer in a few years according to my mother. And then there were the monthly checkups to see if I had bitten my finger nails. If I was guilty (and, obviously, there was no hiding the evidence), I promptly received a spanking. (Not sure which was the cause and which was the effect in that case!)

But part of my anxiety was produced by witnessing sad, tragic or frightful things which happened to others and then projecting myself into their circumstances. Once, I got physically sick following a trip to the junk yard, where my father took me to view the wrecked remains of a car driven by a member of our church. Just seeing the steering wheel imbedded in the driver’s seat traumatized me, so vivid was my imagination.

And then there was the time, while in the back seat of my parents’ car, we happened past the local hospital, and I saw a poor man who had no arms or legs sitting upright in a wheelchair. At first horrified, my shock quickly moved to fear that someday I would be so handicapped…then to worry that I would be utterly helpless and totally dependent on others…and finally to despair that I would not be able to handle it and probably die.

The mental and emotional progression which seems almost humorous to me now was very real then, and I will never forget the comfort my mom brought me at that moment. She quietly reminded me that the man I saw in the wheel chair had just the grace he needed for that situation. The reason I couldn’t imagine handling the challenges he faced was because God wasn’t asking me to. And, I concluded that day, that whatever God allowed into my life would be accompanied by a custom-made grace that fit my particular circumstances “just right.”

One of Webster’s definitions of grace is simply “help given man by God.” Since I have concluded, like Goldilocks, that I am unique and that my life circumstances are similar to and yet unlike anyone else’s at any given moment, a “one size fits all” grace simply will not do. Rather, my loving Father tailor-makes the particular assistance, the comfort, the faith, and the ability I need to endure with joy whatever comes my way.

Have you ever found yourself looking at someone in grief or misery and saying to yourself, “I could never handle that,” “I would never survive that much pain,” or worse yet, “I would lose my faith.” In the Old Testament, Job’s wife tried to go there, and her conclusion was “curse God and die.” In the HISTORY’S WORST ADVICE category, we have a winner! I believe that reaction might come from an assumption that God is not very discriminating or particular in the type of care we need for life’s challenges. We might see this type of grace as just some nebulous, theological truism or the fatalistic reminder that this world is just ‘a vale of tears.’ But would any thinking, feeling person ever offer the same counsel and comfort to a person who had just become paralyzed as one would to a child who had just lost a fish? Both involve sensitivity, wisdom, and a grace that “just fits.”

So it is with our heavenly Father, who offers us precisely what we need when we need it to handle everything that life throws at us. Unlike His grace (undeserved love) that is universal and non-discriminating, offering forgiveness and new life to all who call upon Him, the grace that supports and tends to us in our daily struggles is always a custom-fit.

Until God redeems the life experiences which we wish had never happened, we have two choices: push Him away, clench our fists, and feel sorry for ourselves OR draw near to Him, open our hands, and receive His amazing, personalized grace for every situation. Sing with conviction this weekend! Many need to hear your message. For them, it will feel ‘just right.’

-tad

Let My People Laugh: The Sequel

Maybe it’s just me, but lately it seems we’re hearing a lot of prayer requests for health issues, everything from navigating safely through pregnancy all the way to the replacement of body parts. One conclusion that is irrefutable is that these bodies of ours do not carry an unlimited warranty. They do, eventually, break down and wear out. There is an expiration date on every one of them, so the delaying of that inevitability seems to occupy much of our time, even those of us who know that neither this earth nor our human frame is, ultimately, our eternal home.

So in the meantime, we exercise and we try to eat right, we take supplements, we try to get sufficient rest, and we try to follow our doctor’s advice, and we surf the internet to explain what ails us, even if, as Mark Twain once wrote: “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.” Looked at another way, though, maybe getting older is not all that bad. After all, consider these perks:

Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: “And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?” the reporter asked. She simply replied, “No peer pressure.”

Once the memory goes, you get to hide your own Easter eggs.

One senior mused: I sure have gotten old! I’ve had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees. Fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I’m half blind, can’t hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can’t remember if I’m 85 or 92 Have lost all my friends. But, thank goodness, I still have my driver’s license.

Another recalled: My memory’s not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory’s not as sharp as it used to be.

Maybe you’re not sure if any of this applies to you. But then that nagging little voice inside of you says, ‘you’re not getting any younger.’ Want a little test to help you know if you’re older than you think? Ponder these little irritations:

Everything hurts…and what doesn’t hurt doesn’t work.

You sit down in a rocking chair and can’t get it started.

Your back goes out more often than you do.

You’re really getting into swing dancing. Not on purpose.
Some parts of your body are just prone to swinging.

You finally get it all together, and then you can’t remember where you put it.

You notice you are starting to make the same noises as your coffeemaker.

Resisting temptation is not as hard as recognizing it.

Anything under a quarter isn’t worth bending over to pick up.

And the true litmus test for when you are really getting up in years: You no longer buy green bananas. Ultimately, we can relax in the truth that, as the psalmist says: [God] knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. (Psalm 103:14,15) We are all living in temporary housing…None of us, not even the healthiest of us, is guaranteed our next breath—that we will wake up tomorrow. James 4 says: “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.”

So in the meantime, beloved, let’s enjoy the ride, encourage each other, and keep a sense of humor about it all. Remember: You don’t stop laughing because you grow old, You grow old because you stop laughing. Have a great week and don’t forget to come out to support our drama team next Friday. You’ll be glad you did.

-tad

Let My People Laugh

As we prepare to enjoy an evening of laughter and fun put on by our drama department in two weeks, I have been musing (reflecting) on that whole concept in the life of a Christian. One of the first psalms I learned as a child was actually in the form of a song, a hymn actually. It was Psalm 100, and it began, “All people that on earth do dwell.” Most of it made sense to my 3 ½ lbs of brain until I got to the line, “Him serve with mirth, His praise forthtell.” Not exactly elementary age street slang! I had not a clue what mirth was...thought it might be a derivative of ‘mercy’, but requiring a lisp. When I found out it actually means great joy, it made more sense, even if the preponderance of German Lutherans around me seemed a bit lacking in it! From my trusty Thesaurus, I learned that synonyms for ‘mirth’ are even more intriguing: everything from cheerfulness, hilarity, hysteria, kicks, revelry—all the way to my personal favorite—whoopee!

Think of it—Him serve with whoopee! When was the last time you were asked to serve in some capacity and your response was whoopee!??? But that is exactly the goal of the Christian life…not only to follow Christ and serve one another, but to get to the point where it is our joy!!! It becomes a “get to”, rather than a “have to.”

Here are some scattered thoughts about joy and laughter from the Bible…

1. Timing is everything:

To everything there is a season: A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:4

2. God Himself enjoys a good laugh:

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Psalm 2:4 (Remember that famous one-liner: “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”)

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

3. God is the joy-giver:

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting. Job 8:21

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” Psalm 126:2

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there
is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. Psalm 4:7
4. God prescribes laughter for our well-being:

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. Proverbs 15:13

5. Sarcasm has its place, but not all laughter is helpful to the human spirit:

And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 1 Kings 18:27

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. Ephesians 5:4

6. True joy is a choice:

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:18

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

As a worship community, we have gone on record to say we want to be a place of safety, pursuing excellence, growing deeper in the things of God. Let’s resolve to also be known as a people of infectious joy, who love what they do and who love to laugh. Let’s serve our Savior with a little more Whoopee!!!

-tad

Worship Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

One of my favorite teachers on the subject of worship is Pastor Jack Hayford from Church on the Way in Van Nuys, CA. This week I am excerpting a portion from “A Man’s Worship and Witness” where Jack gives his own unique spin on one of the very first worshiping communities—Cain & Abel (see Genesis 4).

Soiled hands placed vegetables in a tidy arrangement on the rock altar. Cain felt proud of his display. His brother, Abel, had begun assembling his own offering hours ago and still wasn’t done. Cain was. All Cain did was walk into his garden and pull up the fine specimens out of the ground. They had grown all by themselves. And the garden was close by. It all seemed so easy. A smug smile curled Cain’s lips. His brother- still searching out in the fields for an offering- was laboring for nothing, Cain mused. He looked again upon the grand, colorful altar. There it was. Vegetables. On the altar. Easy.

This being one of his first offerings, Cain wondered what exactly was to happen next. Pondering this, he sat on a nearby stone and waited. He looked over at this brother’s altar just as Abel came through the bushes carrying several ewe lambs. It wasn’t long before the lambs were mounted on Abel’s altar and slain. Cain noticed that Abel’s altar was smaller than his. Good. Having sacrificed the animals on the altar, Abel walked several paces back and knelt in prayer. Cain felt uneasy. He hadn’t done that. But he comforted himself by observing that Abel’s altar was blood-stained and dirty, while his was neat, tidy and colorful: orange and red and yellow and green and – just then: Whoosh! Brilliant flames from out of nowhere- from another realm- licked up all of Abel’s sacrifice! All of it! Cain jumped to his feet. A few ashes drifted in the breeze. The colorful harvest on Cain’s altar remained defiantly the same- unchanged. Nothing happened to his. Cain stormed off, angered and pouting. And it was later, as his tormented mind seethed with hatred and jealousy, that the Lord met him near a tall palm tree: “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4:6,7). Shortly, Cain’s competitive jealousy grew to such intolerable levels that he rose in fury to kill his brother, Abel. And thus, the record teaches us: the first murder was born in the heart of a man who resisted God’s ways of worship. The first victim of violence was a man who worshiped God physically, openly, and freely.

Personally I am challenged by this story…not only from the original text, but also by the way Hayford has drawn applications for us as a worshiping community. From this, I have come up with my own Top Ten List of takeaways:

1. As we bring an offering to God (ourselves), He wants all of us, not just what is comfortable or convenient.

2. Nothing less than our very best is really worthy of God.

3. He doesn’t require what He does not provide.

4. Man looks at the outside—God looks at the heart.

5. No true act of worship can be separated from the need for the shedding of blood. Either we return to the old animal sacrificial system- or we adopt God’s new covenant offer of the life of His son. (Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. - Hebrews 9:22)

6. Uncontested spiritual warfare can be deadly. For the time being, Cain, an enemy of true worship, succeeded in quelling the sacrifice of praise offered by his brother. But unlike Abel, we are not left alone to be victimized by the Enemy in his effort to silence our praise. This is why we often pray that God would “bind the enemy” (Mark 3:27) prior to our worship experiences. We believe the One who is in us is greater than the one who is “in the world.”)

7. If we allow our worship to go public, it will impact others. Some might be blessed and encouraged. Others will begin to pull away from us or, worse, try to discredit us.

8. As Abel learned, worshiping freely with abandon in public places can be hazardous to your health! At the very least it can result in you being judged, ridiculed, less popular. Kind of like Jesus.

9. In the end, warring over whose worship is more Christian or appropriate or godly still misses the mark. As wrong as Cain was, he still was not beyond redemption. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us, “You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.”

10. Sincere and God-focused worship touches His very heart! (“The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering...” 4:4)

Bottom line? May our ultimate goal be to bring pleasure to the One who alone is worthy, no matter what the cost. Can I get an Amen?!?

-tad

Learning Through Listening

(As an addendum to this article, I would encourage you to reread Blending the Generations (Value 9) from Sweet Sixteen: A study of the core values of the Worship and Arts Ministry of Hope Church, available upon request.)
Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. {Psalm 71:16-18}

Years ago, I sat in my father’s living room, watching him as he faced the final days of his life. I remember struggling for words to comfort him as he dealt with loss of health, two wives, his ministry, his self- reliance, and worst of all—the vitality of his faith. After listening to him for several hours, I chose to read a portion of Psalm 71 to him and noted the irony. Here I was, the “next generation”, declaring to the previous generation (my dad) the mighty acts of God. And in my mind, turnabout was fair play. I can’t count the times in my life he had instructed me in the faith, encouraged me to trust God, and to trust Him fully with the uncertainty of my future. It only seemed fitting in his last days that I remind him of what he had taught me.

At Hope, we are entering a season of listening to and learning from each other across generations. The pastoral lead team, along with elders, have been studying One Church, Four Generations by Gary L McIntosh together to better understand not only how to communicate with one another, but also how to work together more effectively as the body of Christ. I am praying that each one of you will be a part of this dialogue, attending as many of the scheduled forums as you can. (A reminder that this week’s Builders meeting has been moved to February 26th because of last Sunday’s canceled services).

The way of the world is to isolate or group according to affinity, interest or demographics. Many churches have basically given up trying to do anything intergenerational, especially worship, but we at Hope are asking if this is not another example of letting the world squeeze us into its own mold (Rom 12:1,2).

Let’s be clear. There is nothing wrong with individuality and organizing activities around common interests…until it begins to contradict your basic message of love and unity. Jesus told us exactly how the world would know that He had come—that we have (genuine) love for one another. How does that love happen? Not without dialogue. Not without understanding or empathy. And not, on occasion, without compromise.

We in the worship community have a unique opportunity to lead the charge on this vision. Each week we are entrusted with the privilege and chance to help lead God’s people in the most unifying (potentially, at least) event of their week. We don’t all dress alike, listen to the same music, have the same amount of education or income, attend the same movies or prefer the same political candidates. But worship is that one experience which is supposed to center us on the One in whose very image each of us has been made and for whose very glory we have been created. Think about that: each of us— young and old alike, Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, black and white, sick and well, technical wizards and technical illiterates, has been made to reflect God. Jesus called us the very salt of the earth, the light of the world. Can you think of a better way to be reminded of that than to engage in a regular activity which celebrates what we share in common, not what distinguishes us?

Want a big dream? Then imagine Hope church being known as a place where all generations worship together, demonstrate a growing love for each other and an increasing respect for one another’s life view. It’s part of the vision of Hope’s staff and elders for all of us to begin living out a more common life together as a witness to others. It’s definitely not the way of the world. But it is, we truly believe, the way of the Word. Hope each of you will join us on this adventure.

The Power of A Moment

Three weeks ago, I spoke about the new movie, In Time, a futuristic thriller which imagines a society where time is the currency and life becomes a never-ending quest to acquire more of
it. Two weeks ago, Deb and I saw the movie. One observation: there’s a lot of running in this movie. And why not? It’s about time, and time is always running out. Then Sunday, Pastor Stephen referred to it in his message (no, we are not getting residuals), so once again I reflected
on the implications. I thought of a song Chris Rice wrote years ago, entitled “The Power of a
Moment.” The chorus went like this:

You know the number of my days So come paint Your pictures on the canvas in my head And come write Your wisdom on my heart Teach me the power of a moment.

These words suggest that we don’t naturally default to placing a high value on time. The One who has ordained the number of our days has to teach us to live in the moment. Left to ourselves, we tend to live as if time will never run out. Much like the makeup opportunities we
have for everything from missed piano lessons to college entrance exams, we assume that we can always do just about anything later.

The prophet Isaiah warned: “Seek the Lord while He may found; call on Him while He is near.”
The apostle Paul reiterates this in 2 Corinthians 6:2 “In the time of my favor, I heard you, and
in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day
of salvation.” If none of us can really control how much time we have left, then what we can
choose to do is make the most of what we have—namely, this moment! Honestly, we don’t
even have the rest of today, tomorrow, or next week guaranteed to us. I think about a friend
I had, back in my College Hill days, who was picnicking with his wife and two young children,
suffered an aneurism, and died before he hit the grass under the table. My point is not to be
maudlin or to scare you into action. It’s to encourage you to maximize each moment God gives
you.

Think back to your childhood. For a moment, don’t reflect on periods of time (my first summer
camp experience, my favorite Christmas, the year my parents split up, etc.). Instead, let your
mind lock in to certain specific moments that have really had an impact on you. For many, if
not all, of you, it might be the day you received Christ as your Savior and Lord. Maybe it was
the birth of your first child, or the day you left home. For others, it could be a historic event,
such as the day JFK or Martin Luther King were assassinated, or the day the space shuttle
Challenger exploded before our very eyes.

But what about those moments which seemingly came out of nowhere which not only impacted
you but also really shaped who you are today or how you look at life? I still remember my Aunt
Millie cupping my face in her hands and telling me I had “smiling eyes.” I think I was nine. I still
remember it like it was yesterday. And yet there was an even more powerful moment in my
childhood which left an indelible print on my mind and heart. It involved my mother and me. It
was not planned. It was not pretty. But it was profound.

Our family of eight lived in a small parsonage (preacher’s home owned by the church) in
Aberdeen, South Dakota. The smallest room in the house, other than the one bathroom,
was the kitchen. It was separated from the dining room by a swinging door. On one special
occasion when we were preparing to have company for dinner, I was helping set the table
(don’t think too highly of this action—I’m sure it was conscripted service). I remember being
in a bit of a hurry, and as I rushed into the kitchen for more tableware, I swung the door into
my mother, who was standing on the other side holding a bowl of beans. Like I said, it was not
pretty. Nor was her reaction. She screamed at me, and I, being the young stud that I was, ran
screaming up the stairs to my bedroom. Soon after, I was summoned back to the kitchen to
my mom’s waiting arms for a big hug and an apology for her tirade. She admitted that it was
obvious I was only trying to help.

In truth, I believe that moment was so powerful mainly because her physical gesture of
approval was so rare. She had a very difficult time expressing those kinds of tender emotions,
having grown up in the home of an abusive, alcoholic father. And yet in a moment, she
decided to swallow her pride and dial into my pain. In a moment, she modeled the need for
even big people to admit their faults to little people. And she chose to kneel down, make a
physical connection, and reassure me of her love, even when time was running out before our
guests arrived.

Are moments powerful? Chris concludes his song with these words:

I get so distracted by my bigger schemes Show me the importance of the simple things Like a word, a seed, a thorn, a nail And a cup of cold water.

Who in your sphere of influence needs an encouraging word from you today? Who needs a cup
of cold water? Who needs to hear that thorns and nails were endured on their behalf by a
loving Savior? Look around. Don’t miss…better yet, take full advantage of the power of a
moment.

-tad