I don’t think I have ever repeated a blog, especially within a month of writing it, but exactly one month ago, April 27, I shared the Liturgy for those flooded by too much information. The deaths of 19 children in south Texas in yet another school shooting surely tug at our hearts, and we wonder what we are supposed to do. A tragic event, to be sure.

We forget, however, that barely 100 years ago unless we lived in or near that town, we wouldn’t know about such a thing until days later, if at all. And then it would be tucked into the newspaper somewhere without videos of grieving parents. I’m pretty sure we weren’t designed to handle all the grief of the world – that’s God’s job, and Jesus was there, in that classroom. One perspective on such a tragedy is in The Shack, about a child abducted and murdered, devastating the parents. Where was God?

Anyway, I offer, again, The Liturgy for those flooded with too much information:

In a world so wired and interconnected,
our anxious hearts are pummeled by
an endless barrage of troubling news.
We are daily aware of more grief, O Lord,
than we can rightly consider,
of more suffering and scandal
than we can respond to, of more
hostility, hatred, horror, and injustice
than we can engage with compassion.

But you, O Jesus, are not disquieted
by such news of cruelty and terror and war.
You are neither anxious nor overwhelmed.
You carried the full weight of the suffering
of a broken world when you hung upon
the cross, and you carry it still.

When the cacophony of universal distress
unsettles us, remind us that we are but small
and finite creatures, never designed to carry
the vast abstractions of great burdens,
for our arms are too short and our strength
is too small. Justice and mercy, healing and
redemption, are your great labors.

And yes, it is your good pleasure to accomplish
such works through your people,
but you have never asked any one of us
to undertake more than your grace
will enable us to fulfill.

Guard us then from shutting down our empathy
or walling off our hearts because of the glut of
unactionable misery that floods our awareness.
You have many children in many places
around this globe. Move each of our hearts
to compassionately respond to those needs
that intersect our actual lives, that in all places
your body might be actively addressing
the pain and brokenness of this world,
each of us liberated and empowered by
your Spirit to fulfill the small part
of your redemptive work assigned to us.

Give us discernment
in the face of troubling news reports.
Give us discernment
to know when to pray,
when to speak out,
when to act,
and when to simply
shut off our screens
and our devices,
and to sit quietly
in your presence,

casting the burdens of this world
upon the strong shoulders
of the one who
alone
is able to bear them up.

Amen.

This liturgy is from Every Moment Holy by Doug McKelvey. Posted by The Rabbit Room • March 16, 2020

“Move each of our hearts to compassionately respond to those needs that intersect our actual lives…Give us discernment to know when to pray, when to speak out, when to act, and when to simply shut off our screens and our devices,…”

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. (Matthew 10.29, ESV)

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5.7, ESV)

People like to talk about “root causes” these days sometimes coming up with things like poverty, lack of education, and discrimination. The apostle Paul was clear about the root cause of bad behaviors. See what you think:

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him…Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,…For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions…And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (Excerpts from Romans 1.21 – 31, ESV, emphasis on “root cause” mine)

Some would say that if we don’t give up all these bad behaviors, God will judge us. Make no mistake, this is the judgment – judgment for failure to acknowledge God.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Romans 1.18, ESV)

Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols. (Jeremiah 2.11, NIV)

We’re into Romans in our New Testament reading program, and we won’t be able to do anything but catch a few highlights in what a friend of mine called “dense text.” There’s so much here.

We talked about power all the way through Acts, and Romans opens with it:

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord… (Romans 1.1 – 4, ESV, emphasis mine)

Then this:

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Romans 1.14 – 18, ESV)

Here are some key words, all worth meditating on:

• Obligation
• Eager
• Gospel
• Power (there it is again!)
• Salvation
• Righteousness
• Faith
• Wrath
• Ungodliness
• Unrighteousness
• Truth

Here are just a couple of thoughts – you fill in some more!

Verse 14: Greeks, barbarians, wise, foolish…everyone (verse 16). The gospel is for everyone. And Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 9 that he presents the gospel and himself in different ways to different people.

Verses 17 and 18: The gospel brings righteousness through faith. The opposite is ungodliness and unrighteousness, which suppresses the truth.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1.14, 17, ESV)

We often make fun of the “weather guessers,” but sometimes they get it right:

Two pictures, taken 38 hours apart: 5:20p, Thursday, 81 degrees, and they’re predicting 13 inches of snow within 48 hours. It was actually 16 inches at my house – I took the second picture Saturday morning, about 7:30a. Thursday was a beautiful day to take some out-of-town friends to see Garden of the Gods and Glen Eyrie. I’ve never seen Garden of the Gods so crowded. I think all the tourists in town knew that they had to see it Thursday. No chance over the weekend!

God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. For to the snow he says, “Fall on the earth,” likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. (Job 37.5, 6, ESV)

Here’s a nice follow-up to yesterday’s observation that the Great Commission was given to doubting disciples…but that’s OK because they had Jesus’ power and presence.

The other day I was reviewing one of my “goal” verses, which reminds me that important work requires effort:

Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD. (Haggai 1.8, NLT)

In Haggai’s day, the temple needed to be rebuilt, but going up into the hills and bringing down timber sounds hard! I’ve had two knee replacements, and I’m always reminding myself, “rebuild the house”…physically, spiritually, mentally. The apostle Paul is clear that our bodies are today’s temple:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6.19, 20, ESV)

But the other day, I was thinking, “But I’m getting older. Things are just not what they used to be,” and I remembered another verse in Haggai that was helpful: even when things don’t look like much, God’s power and presence are available:

The LORD sent another message through the prophet Haggai. “Say this to Zerubbabel…and to the remnant of God’s people there in the land: ‘Does anyone remember this house—this Temple—in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! But now the LORD says: Be strong, Zerubbabel…Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid…The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory…’” (Haggai 2.1 – 5, 9, NLT, emphasis mine)

God’s presence and power are available, and the future is brighter than the past!

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. (2 Corinthians 4.16, NLT)

I promised that today we would look at the meeting in Galilee of the risen Lord Jesus with his disciples:

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28.16 – 20, ESV)

I’ve written about this before, but it’s always worth remembering to whom Jesus gave what we call “The Great Commission.” Eleven men, the cream of the crop, brave, highly trained spiritual warriors! Ah, no. “When they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.” Doubted?! Doubted the resurrection when the risen Jesus was standing right in front of them? Doubted his identity? Doubted their abilities? What did they doubt? The text doesn’t say. But as my friend Bill Mowry says:

They doubted, but they showed up!

And to those doubters who showed up he promised…

• His POWER (“all authority on heaven and earth has been given to me”)
• His PRESENCE (“and behold I am with you always”)

…as they carry out his PURPOSE (“make disciples of all nations”)

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1.8, ESV)

We pointed out a couple of days ago that the Jewish leaders only thought they were in charge when they wanted to crucify Jesus but NOT on Passover. Guess when he died?

And then we find out they weren’t even in charge when they killed him – he didn’t stay dead!

Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. (Matthew 27.65 – 28.4, ESV)

“Make it as secure as you can. So they went and made the tomb secure…” But not secure enough! Guards, seals, none of it is enough when God chooses to act.

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” (Matthew 28.5 – 7, ESV)

Tomorrow we’ll look at the meeting in Galilee. For now, I’m reminded of a song we sang as children:

Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? 
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through? 
God specializes in things thought impossible: 
He can do what no others can do. – Oscar C. Eliason, 1945

It’s difficult to watch your friends die. Ken Gray, for example, Skip Gray’s oldest son, lived to participate in his dad’s memorial on March 21 but not much longer. He just passed on May 5. I have another friend who has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He is receiving treatment and also praying for healing. I am praying for the cancer to be sent straight to hell.

But it might not. Even those who believe in and pray for supernatural healing say that in their experience…

...the percentage of people who get completely well, or at least experience some improvement, is somewhere between 5 percent and 25 percent, the latter figure being rare. – Moreland, J. P.. A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles (p. 111). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

None of us knows the answer, but there might be a clue in the crucifixion story:

And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26.51 – 53, ESV)

Twelve legions is a lot of angels! Strong’s Concordance states that in Jesus’ day one legion was nearly 7,000 men. Jesus could have been delivered, but he wasn’t. There was a larger plan.

They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where he prayed.
They led him through the street in shame.
They spat upon the Saviour so pure and free from sin.
They said crucify him he’s to blame.
He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels but he died alone for you and me. – You can hear the song here.

Jesus suffered, and he suffers with the suffering.

…he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13.5, 6, ESV)

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. (James 5.13 – 18, ESV)

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26.39, ESV)

Matthew 26 and 27, the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus are hard to read, but the story starts with something I find amusing:

When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” (Matthew 26.1 – 5, ESV)

Jesus said he would be crucified on Passover, and it had to be so since he was the Passover lamb. John the Baptist said:

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1.29, ESV)

Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said:

Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5.7, ESV)

But the guys who crucified him, when they were planning it said, “Not during the feast lest there be an uproar among the people.” As I wrote in the title, “Who’s in charge.”

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. (Acts 4.26 – 28, ESV, emphasis mine)

¹  Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
²  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
³  “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
⁴  He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. (Psalm 2.1 – 4, ESV)

We interrupt our last few blogs in Matthew’s Gospel to bring late news…there was a lunar eclipse last Sunday night, May 15. For us in the Mountain Time zone, it was at a civilized hour, beginning at 8:30p. We watched it right outside our back door until totality at 9:30p, and my handheld camera with massive zoom and vibration dampener did a pretty good job:

And I’m always in awe of the astronomers and mathematicians who tell us exactly when these things will occur.

The sun turned to darkness in August of 2017, and I had told myself that if I was close enough to totality I would go. (Once I was just outside totality and didn’t go – it’s a huge difference.) My son Mark (far right) set this picture up in advance and we were able to get it. (L to R, granddaughter Kesley, me, Mark’s running friend from Denmark, KC and Mark.

Peter quotes Joel in his first sermon in Acts 2:

And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Acts 2.19 – 21, ESV, emphasis mine)