ONE OF THOSE DAYS

I changed my flight to Hanoi from Saturday morning over the phone a few days ago. The group I was meeting had requested to meet on Friday afternoon. My morning flight stayed the same: 9:40 am on Friday instead of Saturday - I thought. At 8:00 am this morning, as I leisurely prepared to fly, I looked once more at the changed itinerary. On Fridays I suddenly read, the flight leaves at 8:50 am not 9:40. I raced out the door, grabbed a taxi and asked for "very fast". He drove fast (I even gave him a large tip) but in rush hour traffic it still took 33 minutes to the airport. I was told firmly at the check in counter that the gate was closed, "doesn't matter that you have no baggage to check."
So they kindly put me on another flight scheduled for one hour later, at an additional cost of $50. At this point I was not surprised to find that the flight was late departing, but arrived only 35 minutes late. My taxi driver had difficulty finding the address but did get me to the right place at 2:00 pm for what was to be a 12:30 meeting.
After the meeting and an interesting dinner with folks from Canada and the USA who work in Hanoi, I got in a taxi and showed him the address of my hotel. He seemed to have not a clue. He started to drive away but I suggested maybe he should call for directions if he didn't know where he was going. This he did not once but three times as we drove along - finally to my great joy, we found the hotel.
At the desk, what did my wondering eyes behold? A desk clerk who could not find my reservation. Did I change my flight date but not my hotel reservation? How could you be that stupid? Stupid is as stupid does. "They are full for tonight but have my reservation for Saturday and Sunday".
So I canceled the paid reservation for two nights and they sent me to a hotel two blocks away for tonight. Tomorrow I will go back to that hotel for my second night in Hanoi.
Oh, did I mention that Jan is not at home right now. Could that be the reason I was late and missed a flight (first time I've done that I think.) Could that be the reason I had great reservations for the 30th and 31st but none for tonight.
"For this reason a man shall --- cleave to his wife and the two shall become one." So if I am missing my "better half", it may be fortunate that I am safely in any good hotel room in the correct city tonight. :)
After two major mistakes like this, on one short trip, I may never again tease my absent minded professor son-in-law.

THOSE THAT HONOUR ME

Tomorrow I will participate in a ground breaking ceremony for a major development project in Vietnam. The CEO is a follower of Christ who lives in the USA but has deep roots in Vietnam. The project is massive and has been over three years in preparation.
In the Vietnamese business culture a ground breaking or store/company opening ceremony, includes a traditional dragon dance (I've seen several) and often involves Buddhist priests. Not so tomorrow. Two Vietnamese pastors will bring dedication prayers and since there will be some English speaking guests, I will pray in English. There will also be music by a Vietnamese Christian choir.
I believe this is highly unusual and will make a significant impression upon the variety of government officials and others who will attend tomorrow's ceremony. I wonder if this is the politically safe thing to do for someone beginning a multi-million dollar project in a land of Buddhism and Communism.
I am certain that in God's view, this is a great thing to do. I am reminded of God's word in I Samuel 2: "Those who honour me, I will honour."
Would you take a moment to pray for this Christian CEO and his project that I will remain unnamed. May his testimony make an eternal impact on the lives of his employees and on those who attend tomorrow morning's ceremony.

WOULD YOU PICK PETER?

We are not given all the details of exactly how the calling of the first disciples took place. As with other aspect of our Lord's life and ministry, different Gospels give us different aspects and details of how Jesus called Peter and Andrew.
Today I read the Luke 5 account. Peter may have listened to Jesus teaching before this event. Peter may have seen Jesus perform miracles in Capernaum. However what Luke records is how Jesus needed a comfortable teaching position, so borrowed Simon Peter's fishing boat. I suspect there was an offshore breeze which made it easier for the crowd to hear our Lord's words.
When He finished teaching - you remember  - Jesus said to the tired fisherman, "Take the boat out and throw out your nets." Peter responded with some reluctance; "We've been fishing all night and caught nothing. They aren't in this part of the lake right now. But if you say so, I'll do it."
When they miraculously catch more fish than they can handle - they have to call for another boat to help them with the catch - Peter's reaction is vulnerable and spontaneous (can't expect anything else from this blunt man). "Go away from me, Lord, I am a sinful man." (Luke 5:8)
Peter sensed enough about Christ's greatness and his own unworthiness, to know he was no "great catch" for Jesus. What he didn't know was how Christ can see potential when others, and even the person himself, cannot see it.
We are pretty sure that Paul had the marks of greatness as he grew up and studied under the best of teachers. He just needed to be called, harnessed and shaped by Christ. But Peter? Only Jesus could have seen in him the man who would preach and see thousands respond.  Only Jesus would know that this  man Peter would courageously stand in front of powerful religious leaders who had recently killed His Lord, and defy them.
May God increase our sensitivity and insight so that we see the potential in others that Christ sees. May this be especially true for those of us who are older. As we watch younger people: who may not have done much yet; who may be easy to critique; may we instead have eyes to see their wonderful God given potential; And be their encouragers!

RADICAL DISCIPLES

I have been reading today the 2010 book by David Platt entitled "Radical". Do NOT read it if you want to remain a comfortable Christian. It is a challenging call to true biblical discipleship by someone pastoring a large wealthy congregation in Birmingham, Tennessee. David is honest about his own struggles and the struggles in his congregation as they are moving into true, radical discipleship. He provides examples both from developing countries and from his own congregation. (His second book is much smaller, a follow up: "Radical Together".)
As Jesus does over and over in the Gospels, Platt calls us to realign our priorities; to radically examine our stewardship; to be involved in discipleship and to deepen our concern for a world of need.
As I read the book today, I was thinking of folks I know here who demonstrate radical discipleship. They challenge me and encourage me by their example.
One expat couple have been here for a decade. They are a few years younger than Jan and me. Last night we were talking with several couples about moving, storing things while living overseas, etc. I shared that after downsizing and selling a lot of stuff, we still had things stored in three homes of friends in Calgary. Then I asked our friends: how much do you have "stored" back in Canada. They affirmed: "we have one full trunk, nothing else". Of course they own some basics here in the two bedroom house they rent. But when eventually they return to Canada, not much of it will go with them. They really physically have left "all but one trunk" to follow Jesus.
I met another expat couple just two weeks ago. Now in his 60's, the husband took early retirement in his 50's.  They moved to Vietnam and live on his pension. We visited the small four room house they rent for $250 a month. They have very little furniture. In their main room we sat on the floor - there are no couches or chairs. This frees up play space for the six little children (ages 1 to 4 years) for whom they care, 24/7. Orphaned or abandoned by parents who did not want or could not afford to keep them, this couple are lovingly raising these needy children. With no formal organization, their work (with generous support from Canada and the USA) over the past decade has mushroomed to include over 200 children in 15 different shelters.
This couple have chosen to leave a comfortable middle class North American life and live at an amazingly basic level. They plan to live out their lives here, serving children who need their care and support. Why? Because they love and follow Christ and believe His love and Good News needs to be shared with Vietnamese.
Radical discipleship? Sacrificial stewardship? Truly seeking first the Kingdom of God? I am thankful for Platt's book but am even more thankful for these radical examples. What should radical discipleship mean in my life? I thank God for folks like these who exemplify such a high standard. Keeps me challenged and humbled. 

RAIN AND MOTORBIKES

After a couple of intense blogs, let me share a small light slice of life in Vietnam.
Rainy season in the tropics as you would expect, even if you've never lived in the tropics, requires some adjustments. This is certainly true in this city of 8 million or more. Most people in Ho Chi Minh City travel by motorbike. (In fact there is presently some discussion in our city about constructing a footbridge over the Saigon River. I read one strong argument against it: most people in this city don't walk. If that is true, and I think it is, it is not primarily because people use buses and taxis. It is because there are 4 or 5 million motorbikes used regularly. If you don't own one, in much of the city you can easily find Xe om - motorbike taxis, ready with an extra helmet for you to put on. Cost is 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a car taxi.)
All motorbikes carry rain ponchos in their storage compartment. When rain suddenly arrives (as it does most every day in rainy season) every motorbike pulls over to the side of the road. The driver (and passenger if there is one) quickly pulls on her poncho, and is back on the road again within a minute or two. Some ponchos fit over almost the entire bike, some are very flimsy. It is amazing how quickly every motorbike driver on the road is suddenly covered with a poncho. (In case you were wondering, umbrellas don't work well on a motorbike. :)  )
I learned after a few months here, that in rainy season you understand if someone is late for an appointment, or possibly does not come at all. Since rainfall when it comes, is intense, not a drizzle, we expect some parts of the city streets will flood. Many times the rain falls for less than an hour. So your contact may simply wait until it stops - or if it is prolonged, may simply assume you know that the appointment is canceled. If you travel by car, driving through 1/2 a meter of rain may be OK. Not so with motorbikes.
Now I understand why our dinner guests arrived 45 minutes late; why someone who confirmed they were coming to a meeting never showed up. We live in the tropics, we should have known.

Speaking of flooding: in the ancient city of Hoi Anh, they have photos of how the city regularly floods. The photos show shoppers travelling by small boat up the streets that we walked last month. It is a seasonal happening and residents and store owners take it in stride (or should I say, in stroke.)

AGONY IN THE GARDEN

I looked yesterday at the emotional and spiritual agony of Jesus in the Garden, as described in Mark's Gospel. Matthew uses the exact words that Mark uses, and John records the High Priestly prayer of Jesus, not his struggle in the Garden. But Luke does, and while there is similarity to the description in Matthew and Mark, Luke sheds more light on our Lord's intense struggle.
"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Luke 22:44 ("He prayed more fervently and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood." NLT)
It is evident that Luke is describing a very unusual mental, emotional and spiritual struggle. Jesus is in great agony and sweating profusely. His sweat was so heavy that in the dark it looked like he was bleeding. Or he experienced what is called hematidrosis, a very rare occurrence of capillaries around the sweat glands actually bursting and bleeding. In either case, the picture is of an extremely intense struggle as Jesus prays. Jesus is so terrified that three times He asks the Father to please let Him avoid what lies ahead.
I note this to emphasize that if Jesus were facing simply, or primarily the agony of crucifixion, He would not have prayed in the same way with the same amazing intensity. As I noted in yesterday's blog, thousands of others "went to the cross" during the Roman period, including numerous followers of Christ in the years following his death. Surely the perfect God-man faced the physical torture as courageously as any other person.
However our Lord was facing a unique qualitatively terrible spiritual pain: He was about to take the sin and evil of the world onto his spiritually perfect being. As He did this, His Father with whom He had perfect eternal fellowship, and in His perfection hates sin, would in some mysterious manner abandon Christ on the Cross. Here was where the true agonizing pain existed.
After all the scholarship devoted to the theology of the cross, we still face mystery beyond our human understanding. What did Jesus experience in the Garden and on the Cross? What exactly did it involve and how really painful was it to our Lord, in spiritual terms? Only God fully understands. With our limited understanding we simply stand in awe of the price Jesus paid to take our place, our punishment, our sin. The cost is glimpsed as we see Him in the Garden. And we cry "Hallelujan, what a Saviour!"

HOW PAINFUL WAS IT

Crucified! You have read or heard someone, perhaps a preacher, describe in detail the great pain suffered by anyone executed by crucifixion. It was a terrible, cruel way of death. It is most interesting that while all four Gospel writers record that Jesus was crucified, none of them describe the details of the process or the pain involved.
I think this omission is due to two things. First, everyone in the Roman world was very familiar with this form of execution. It was common for these executions to be done in public places, near markets or beside popular roads. There was no need for this brutal, painful form of capital punishment to be described for first century readers.
The second and more important reason for the omission is for emphasis on what was and is most important. Yes, the physical suffering of our Lord was terrible. Execution by crucifixion was a horrific way to die. But thousands of others were crucified over several centuries and experienced much of the same pain - in fact endured much more because typically they took much longer to die than did Jesus.
The unique, awful pain Jesus Christ endured was spiritual. How painful was it? We are given  insight from the description of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The crisis He was facing made Jesus feel the need of company. He asked his three closest apostles to stay close for physical support and pray for spiritual support. Of course we remember that they failed to stay awake, and were of little or no support.
Mark uses strong descriptive words about Jesus grief. Jesus is quoted using a powerful word picture to describe to his apostles the terrible anguish he is experiencing as he prepares to pray.
"he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow (crushed with grief - NLT) to the point of death, ---." (Mark 14:32, 33; NIV)
"He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. He told them, I feel bad enough right now to die." (The Message)
After predicting and explaining to his followers over a number of weeks that He was going to suffer and be killed, is the reality of the impending physical pain now finally overwhelming Him? I don't think so.
Jesus prays "Abba Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." (Mark 14:36) Is Jesus afraid to face the execution that lies ahead of him, an execution similar to what thousands of others had experienced and what many would yet face, including some of his followers? I don't think so.
We must never forget that the spiritual agony of what lay ahead for Jesus was much greater than the very real physical pain He would endure on the cross. (To be continued.)

REACTIONS TO JESUS

I began in yesterday's blog to list the variety of reactions to Jesus. I introduced this subject with the dramatic contrast found in Mark 5. There we see the spiritually liberated (formerly demon possessed) man begging to go with Jesus right after the town people have pleaded with Jesus to depart.
Notice with me other reactions in the early chapters of Mark's Gospel. Amazement. At least six times Mark records the reaction of amazement: at his new, powerful, authoritative teaching (1:22, 6:2, 10:26 11:18); at his powerful healing miracles (7:37). The disciples were understandably amazed when he walked on the water and then spoke to them and climbed into the boat. (6:51)
Somewhat similar is the reaction of fear. The disciples were terrified when Jesus calmed the storm: "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (4:40, 41) The crowd who learned of the demon possessed man and the drowning of the pigs were afraid. (4:15) The woman who had been bleeding for 12 years and now was healed but discovered by Jesus, was afraid. (5:33; see also 6:50, 11:18)
Offended. The residents of Jesus' hometown, Nazareth, were at first amazed at his teaching. But then as they considered that He was just one of them, Mary's son the carpenter, they were offended by Him. (6:1 - 3)
If we tabulated every kind of reaction and response to Jesus, the list would be long, especially if we surveyed all four Gospel accounts. Some people openly follow Him, some become only secret followers. Some run after Him, others walk away from Him. Some worship Him, others accuse Him of using the power of Satan to perform miracles. Some express love for Him while others grow to hate Him. The Gospels record a wide, often contrasting variety of reactions to Jesus.
Isn't it interesting that the perhaps the most common reaction to Jesus in Canada is never recorded of anyone in the Gospels? No one seemed to react with indifference to Jesus. No one displayed disinterested neutrality after hearing Him teach or seeing His miracles. Sadly, for many in Canada and Europe especially, Jesus Christ and his church are simply irrelevant to the average person.
That is not true in some parts of the world. There are countries today where Jesus and His followers stir strong reactions. In those countries, people are strongly attracted to join His followers even at great risk, while others react with anger and even hatred.

HOW PEOPLE REACT TO YOU AND JESUS

Don't you wish everyone liked you? Come on, you may not be a classic people pleaser, but of course you do. I sure do. I wish everyone's reaction to me as a person, a pastor, a preacher, a leader was a strong attraction. But it never has been.
I remember thinking when a few of us planted a new church - everyone will like it. But they didn't. I remember wishing (especially after finishing my D.Min. with an emphasis on preaching) that everyone loved my preaching. But they didn't. Over the years as I led churches and staff, I wished everyone's reaction would be "isn't he great". But it wasn't.
When we stop to think about it, this variety of reactions should be expected. First of course, I am far from perfect; I am a sinner, I make mistakes, I fail to be who I should be. (And that may be true of you also.) Then there is the fact that a variety of people have a variety of personal tastes - in the personality types we enjoy; the kind of preaching we enjoy; the leadership style we most like to follow, etc. The very things that attract some people to my personality, my preaching, my leadership style will be the very things that may irritate or be unattractive to others. So I have had to reconcile myself to the variety of reactions people have to me. I hope you're working that through in your life as well. Not everyone will react to you in the way you would like.
Now let's take it up a huge notch or two. Have you ever thought about the wide variety of reactions to Jesus recorded in the Gospels? For some reason as I was reading familiar chapters in Mark today, I was impacted by the vast differences in the reactions to our Lord, the perfect God-man, the perfect teacher, the perfect miracle worker. In His case, the reactions were not due to any failing on his part. Rather the reactions revealed something about those reacting. Let me give you a classic example here and expand on this in my next blog.
Jesus and the apostles sail to the far, eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. As they get out of the boat they are confronted by a man possessed by many demons. They, through the man, cry out for mercy to the One they recognize as "Son of the Most High God". (Mark 5:1 - 20; see also Matthew and Luke) Jesus at their request sends the demons into a herd of pigs who immediately run into the lake and drown. The "pig tenders" race into town and report what has happened. A crowd of people rush out to where Jesus, the apostles and the well known, wild, weird, uncontrollable man calmly sit, talking together.
Shocked is too mild a word. They are overwhelmed by two things - first the wild man has been utterly changed! Second, the pigs (at great financial loss) are all gone. Their reaction? They were afraid! What kind of power does Jesus have to be able to tame an untameable man; to drive out demons (if they understood he was controlled by demons); to move what was in that man and put it (them) into the herd of pigs.
If He can do that kind of thing, then Jesus cannot be explained or controlled. Who knows what He will do next? And so they make the biggest mistake a town could make. Their reaction: they "began to plead with Jesus to leave their region." What a huge opportunity missed. What a tragic loss.
In absolute contrast, Mark and Luke record the reaction of the newly liberated, fully rational man. As Jesus prepared to depart as requested, as He was getting into the boat, the man "begged to go with Him."
Same miracle power; same Jesus. The crowd reacts and begs Jesus to leave. The man reacts and begs to be allowed to stay near Jesus.
Fascinating the variety of reactions to Jesus. Back then. And today. (To be continued.)

JESUS WAS ANGRY

Jesus was fully human even as He remained fully God. We see numerous human responses in the Gospels: Jesus was thirsty, he was hungry, he was tired, he wept. And he was angered.
Most people if asked about Jesus and anger, would immediately reference the scene in the temple, that took place shortly after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. The Gospel writers don't use the word anger to describe Jesus in those moments. However Jesus was evidently experiencing strong emotion as he overturned tables and chased out the people who had turned a place of prayer and worship into a place of business.
There is actually only one place in the Gospel record where it is mentioned that Jesus was angry. This strong feeling was not caused by sinful actions but by sinful attitudes. In Mark 3:1-6 we read of Jesus in the synagogue on a Sabbath day. His opponents were watching him when Jesus saw a man with a paralyzed hand.
They already knew his disciples broke the Sabbath laws. Now they watched to see if Jesus would dare to break the Sabbath law by doing work; would He heal this man. They felt no concern for the man but great concern for there religious laws.
Jesus knew their thinking and their attitudes and "He looked around at them with anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts", Jesus restored the man's hand to health. Hard, uncaring hearts - that is what caused Jesus to be angry.
We know that the first command is to love the Lord our God with our whole being. And the second command is to love others as we love ourselves. Of course we who are evangelicals know this law of love. But we also like to be right. We want people to act as we think they should act; and we know (or think we know) how good Christians should live.
Sometimes I don't really care very much; and I can be way too critical (not that I'd let you hear me) of other Christians. I so need to keep growing in love. I want; and I want for you, to be dominated by love as Jesus was, so that compassion flows out of us to others as it flowed from Him. May we not be so concerned about whether we or others are doing the right thing so much as concerned that they and we are acting from the central motive of love - for God and others. God looks on the heart - and expects to find in us hearts transformed by His great love.

BUGS BUT NOT CAMELS

There is a human tendency, a dangerous leaning toward straining out bugs and swallowing camels. Jesus rebuked the religious teachers of his day for this very thing. He rebuked them for being so meticulous about keeping certain small religious laws but failing to focus on things of real significance. "You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." Matthew 23:24
I think all of us, even when we revel in the grace and freedom we've found in Jesus, are very careful about certain things that we have deemed as wrong (whether grounded in Scripture or not). Yet we may too easily fail in our commitment to some of the things that are most important in God's sight. We are being very careful about the bugs but may totally miss the camels.
One of the most glaring examples of this is found in the conduct of the Jewish leaders after they arrest Jesus. They are about to falsely accuse and demand the execution of the One who has demonstrated, who has claimed and by crowds, been acclaimed that He is indeed the long promised Messiah; the One sent by God. (How large can a camel get?)
Yet as they pursue His death, they are meticulous about what? They don't want to improperly use the money they paid Judas to betray Jesus, lest they break the law! (27:6) And they don't want to enter the pagan, unclean palace because they wish to be ceremonially clean (after making sure that Jesus dies on a cross) when they eat the Passover that night! (John 18:28) The contrast, the terrible inconsistency of straining out religious gnats and swallowing a camel has surely never been so glaring.
No sin is too small to avoid; no part of righteousness too small to act upon. Yet God, please help us, as we seek to follow Christ, to major on majors; to be careful to pursue the things most important to you: things like justice, mercy and faithfulness. (Matthew 23:23)

BE PREPARED

In some ways it seems strange. Jesus gave his disciples some pretty clear teaching when they asked "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3) His reply extends from 24:4 through 24:35. Then he says "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." People will be just as surprised as they were in the time of Noah's flood.
With all the prophecies and with Jesus' descriptive language, some believers of almost every generation for 20 centuries have been guessing that they were the ones who would see the end come. We know that in recent months misguided believers followed the misguided teaching of a California preacher and believed that he had  identified the specific 2011 date for Christ's return.
History seems to prove that none of us will "guess" correctly before the grand event. Perhaps God wanted every generation to have "a strong feeling" that the end is near. Jesus does tell us that we - every believer in every generation - need to be prepared in case the master, the bridegroom suddenly arrives. (See Matthew 24:42 - 25:30) Just because his return has "been delayed"; just because on various occasions failed predictions have been made; we have no excuse to live as though there will be no accountability. Jesus makes it very clear - we should live as though "this may be the day."
And of course, this today will be the final day for many believers. Thousands of believers will die today: some whose death is expected after prolonged illness; some who die of an accident or cardiac arrest. Since we don't know when Jesus will return nor when our death may come, we need to live as faithful managers of all He has given each of us.
Humans have become quite adept at accurately (OK, with a good number of mistakes) predicting the weather. Yet with all of the Old Testament prophecy and New Testament teaching, believers thus far have been 100% wrong in predicting the end of the age.
So I am not going to spend time guessing, but I will do my best to "manage" each day, ready to meet my Master - whether it is on that Great Day, or on my day of death. Let's all be prepared for the owner's return!

HOW WRONG CAN YOU BE?

The Sadducees were the upper class of religious sects in the time of Jesus. They were especially responsible for the Temple, and they "competed" with the Pharisees for the role of most important Jewish religious leaders. They are most notable for not believing in the resurrection. (See Paul's divisive statement in Acts 23:6 - 8.) They also united with the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.
Late in his ministry, some Sadducees approached Jesus with what they thought was an insurmountable question. His failure to satisfactorily answer would reveal his limitations as a rabbi. They posed the theoretical dilemma about a woman who married, one after another, seven brothers. She was not able to have children with any of them. (See Matthew 22:23 - 33.) So the "impossible question" was, in the resurrection (in which they did not believe), to whom will she be married?
Jesus answers with such wisdom and insight that the listening crowd is once again "astonished at his teaching." He affirms the reality of the resurrection, for God is the God of the living; and he tells them that many things, including marriage, will be different in the life to come.
In this passage, what always causes me to wince, is our Lord's devastating condemnation of these religious leaders. They of all the Jewish people should know the Hebrew Scriptures and should walk closely with God. Yet listen to Jesus' words: "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God!" Matthew 22:29 How wrong could they be?
We have been given wonderful access to God and knowledge of God. To believe in the biblical God, yet not be increasing our knowledge of Scripture or experiencing the power of God is a tragedy. Ignorance of Scripture or a sterile, legalistic obedience to a distant God, is a terrible thing. May the Lord's criticism of these Sadducees not apply to us.
God has revealed himself in one primary, authoritative book. We need to know it. And God invites us into a living relationship so that we experience His power; changing us from the inside - out, answering prayers, moving through us to impact the lives of others.

THEY WOULDN'T STOP

Moving toward the tragedy and triumph of Easter weekend, Christians around the world celebrate Palm Sunday each year. In many churches, there is a re-enactment of the triumphal entry - or at least the waving of palm branches during the church service. (In southern climates churches they use real palm branches. In the north we have to use plastic ones, or some other kind of substitute.)
The Palm Sunday parade did not last long, but it was a fitting welcome to Jesus the Messiah. It is good in the 21st century to sing hymns/praise songs that echo the 1st century cry of "Hosanna, to the Son of David." As far as we know the adults chanted or sang that welcome for a few minutes or maybe an hour as Jesus entered the city.
But have you ever noticed that the children wouldn't stop? I must have noticed before because I have read the last chapters of Matthew dozens of times. What the children kept doing really captured my attention as I read it today in Matthew 21:14 - 16.
It may have been later on Palm Sunday. However those who attempt to harmonize the four gospel accounts agree that it was happening the next day, Monday. (For some reason, Matthew does not worry about following an exact chronological time line here.)
Jesus had cleansed the temple. He was healing those who came to him including those who were sight impaired and paraplegics. Some children in the temple area (were they watching the joy of those who were healed?) kept on shouting "Hosanna, to the Son of David." Can't you just imagine? Don't you love it? Children like repetition, and they had heard their parents on Sunday shouting this phrase. So now, on Monday, they just kept shouting praise for Jesus! And it is always hard to get children to be quiet!
Matthew records that this really irritated the Jewish religious leaders. The man they have grown to hate; the one they want to kill, is being praised as the Messiah by a group of noisy children. The chief priests and teachers of the law were indignant. "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they ask Jesus. My guess is that everyone couldn't help but hear these wonderful, loud, "just won't stop" children!
Jesus replies (was he smiling with pleasure?): "Yes, have you never read, 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?'" (Matthew 21:16, quoting Psalm 8:2)
When it comes to faith - and to praise - may we keep imitating those children.

EATING WELL

Typical of most people who move to a tropical country, we enjoy eating much more fruit in Vietnam than we did in Canada. Right now in our kitchen we have bananas, pineapple, mango, apples, oranges, chum chum (there is another name for this little hairy fruit but I forget it) and an unnamed fruit given by our dinner guests last night. With one or two exceptions these are all grown in Vietnam.
You can buy fruit on almost any street in the city. The fruit appears on carts, or in baskets carried by vendors at the end of long poles; it appears at tiny portable sidewalk kiosks, at small store front shops, and at markets, both outdoor and indoor. The single vendor on the street may only sell bananas, or only papaya. The larger kiosks and store front shops sell a large variety of fruit. We never have to look far to find fruit for sale.
Of course in Vietnam as in Canada and other countries, food safety concerns are regularly expressed about fruit, vegetables, fish and meat. One can never be sure what has been used in sprays or fertilizers; or what hormones or antibiotics have been used with fish or animals. Vietnam continues to improve their health standards and consumer protection laws. However the great challenge is to enforce these regulations in a large developing country where food is marketed in so many ways.
It is possible to order vegetables from an organic farm/company that provides home delivery for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. From them we get wholesome, safe lettuce, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, etc. delivered right to our door. You are what you eat, right?
Thinking of health and hygiene, in Jesus era there was no concern about food additives nor germs. Jewish people washed, not for the purpose of hygiene but rather as a religious ritual symbol; ridding themselves of spiritual impurity. Jesus warned his listeners not to worry about the ritual outward cleansing but to take care regarding inner spiritual purity. Matthew 15:16 - 20
We need to guard our minds from the input of spiritual pollution. We especially need to guard against the impurity of our hearts. Inner impurity causes us to say and do what is sinful and spiritually unhealthy.
So here is to health - physical and spiritual!

GREATNESS OF CHRIST

I need to extend yesterday's post on the greatness of Jesus, flowing out of my reading this morning. Matthe 16 could be described as the central or turning point in Christ's ministry. It is here we find Jesus asking his disciples "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" Matthew 16:13
We realize that the Jewish people of that day would consider no reference person outside of the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish oral history. Sure, some at least would know of Roman and Greek gods and goddesses. But they did not live in the kind of multi-ethnic, multi-religious, pluralistic culture which is so familiar to most of us. Thus if asked to "identify" Jesus, and using comparison, no one in that culture would have made any reference to non-Jewish figures as say, Canadians might today to Buddha, Mohammed, Gandhi, etc.
But they did know their important Jewish figures. So the disciples answer was: "well Lord, they compare you to (or think you are the second coming of) John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets". Parallel this to what I wrote yesterday, and what you can hear from others in our culture: "Jesus is very important, like one of the other great teachers or prophets of history." That is what many of the people were saying.
Then Jesus asked "Who do you say I am?" To paraphrase: "Is that all you think of me? Do you agree with that low view of who I am?"
Thank God for Peter, who answers so well for the other eleven. "You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God!" Matthew 16:16 Peter affirms "You are Greater! You are not just another wonderful prophet. You are not merely doing the great things they did and teaching great truths like they did. You are unique. You are greater, you are the Greatest!"
Jesus accepts this confession of faith. He affirms that Peter is correct. He asserts that on this confession of faith; and on this man Peter, (the first to preach the Good News after the Holy Spirit comes in Acts 2), Jesus will begin to build his church. And ever since, the true, orthodox, faithful Church of Jesus Christ around the world has continued to affirm the uniqueness and greatness of Christ. Like Peter and the Apostles we, in our pluralistic world must confess this truth. Jesus deserves nothing less. We can settle for nothing less.

JESUS IS GREATER

So many people - those with no religious faith, and those from other world religions - try to assure us. Sincerely trying to find common ground they affirm Jesus as a great teacher or a powerful prophet. They honour Him as one of the greatest, but only that and no more. They wonder why we are not satisfied with this honour.

Yet we who take the biblical record seriously, who really take Jesus seriously, cannot settle for anything less than professing that Jesus is the Greatest. We must assert that He is far greater and claimed to be far greater than any other human.

I affirm His greatness as once again I read through Matthew's Gospel. For example, in Matthew 9, Jesus speaks to the paralyzed man "Your sins are forgiven". Then Jesus  confirms that it is as easy for Him to forgive sins as it is to heal the paralytic. In the same chapter Matthew records the healing of woman sick for a dozen years; healing of a blind man and one unable to speak; and finally the raising of a dead girl. In chapter ten He asserts that his followers must love Him more than they love their parents or their own children. In chapter twelve He insists that He is greater than the greatest object in Judaism - the temple; that He is Lord of the God given Sabbath; that He is greater than the prophet Jonah and greater than the most powerful of ancient Israel's kings, Solomon. No prophet would demand what Jesus demanded or say about himself what Jesus said.

It is no wonder that the writer of Hebrews goes to some lengths to teach and argue for the greatness of Jesus.  Jesus demonstrated His greatness and claimed this unique greatness for Himself. The authors of Scripture proclaim it many times. His greatness, His uniqueness, His deity are what move believers to worship and love Jesus, to serve Him and sacrifice for Him. We cannot accept any teaching that subtracts from the Greatness of Christ.

To honour Him as great or as one of the greatest, is to dishonour Him. Jesus is Greater!

SMALL GATE, NARROW ROAD

Christianity Today Weekly features a great article this week by Tim Stafford, on the recent explosive growth of the church in India. It touched me deeply to read in more detail of the Spirit's gracious, powerful moving, especially among the Dalits, India's untouchables. Praise God for His loving compassion for the poor. Praise God for the creative, loving approaches being used to share God's Good News in action and in Word. Praise God - how encouraging - that today there are as many as 70 million Christ followers in India. May their numbers continue to increase rapidly.
Just after reading this article, I read Jesus' sobering words "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."Matthew 7:13, 14
Many of us pray regularly for family members who have not yet found the small gate, the narrow road. We especially grieve for those who seem to have found but not walked through the gate. We also pray for countries where the huge majority of the population, in some as high as 99% or more, give no indication of knowing that Jesus is the Way. We pray for those few "gate finders" living among them - that they will represent our Lord with wisdom and power.
We continue to pray that millions in those countries and in our countries, will find the gate and follow along with us on the narrow, difficult but so wonderful and joyful road. Even in India, where there may now be 70 millions believers (twice the total population of Canada), we know there are still over 900 million who do not believe.
And sometimes we wonder why? Why do so few believe? In fact some critics of Christianity will argue: if Jesus is the Only Way to God, if He is God's ultimate revelation, why don't a majority of people believe and follow Him? We know that God loves the whole world enough that He sent His Unique Son to rescue us.
Jesus came to "seek and to save those who are lost." Yet Jesus in the verses I've quoted above, and again in the parable of the Sower and the Seed predicts that only a minority will truly believe. As well, on different occasions he discourages individuals and crowds from following Him, wanting them to recognize that the Way is narrow. He does not want casual followers, He wants disciples.
We can hope and pray for large numbers of people to come to Christ. We know that at different times in history and in our lifetimes among different people groups and in different countries there have been  huge turnings to Christ. Yet it seems that as in Jesus day, so it will normally be, only a few will find the gate, enter and walk on the narrow road, following the Crucified One.
May our lives and our words be truly helpful and point the way for those who are sincerely seeking. And let's keep praying for those who have not yet found the narrow gate.

CRAZY FOREIGNERS

Why wouldn't you go swimming at 6:00 am? Everyone else does! Well actually, no.
We were at one of the world's most beautiful bays, staying in the city of Nha Trang. We had arrived late the previous June day at our beachfront hotel. As I looked out the window at 6:00 am the next morning I saw hundreds of people already on the beach and in the water. The following morning, preparing for an early flight, I looked out the window at 5:15 am. Dozens of Vietnamese were in the water and the beach was filling up quickly.
This was shocking and totally out of line for any native Canadian. Mornings are cool but by mid day it is warm and time to go to the beach. Unless you are one of those hardy people who enjoy a refreshing (read cold) start to your summer day, early morning swims are avoided.
But of course in a tropical climate, mornings are warm and mid-day is really hot. And if your skin is naturally brown, you have no need or desire to work on a tan. So what I observed on two mornings in Nha Trang, is part of a typical day at the beach for Vietnamese vacationers. Start your day early and enjoy the beach and the ocean. By 11:00 am retire to your room, a restaurant, somewhere cool. Then about 3:00 or 4:00 pm, go back to the beach for two or three more hours.
One American friend commented: "This works really well for crazy foreigners. After sleeping in on vacation, by the time we get to the beach, the crowd is gone and the place is ours." After all, only crazy foreigners would choose to be at the beach during the hottest time of day, when the sun is directly overhead.

THE HUSBAND OF MARY

I  know it's the "Christmas Story", and it is early July, but I just finished reading through the OT. Yesterday I began to read Matthew. At the end of the Jesus' genealogy, Joseph is described as "the husband of Mary". In the New Testament narrative, Joseph certainly does stand in Mary's shadow.
However we know he must have been a special man. He learns that Mary is pregnant and plans to end their engagement quietly, not wanting to expose her to public disgrace. An angel appears to Joseph in  a dream and explains what is happening and what he is to do. When he wakes up, he does exactly that: took Mary home as his wife, and refrains from sexual relations until after Jesus is  born.
I am impressed with his unquestioning obedience. He did not have an easy calling. He needed God's help and direction, and he received it. Three more times we read that God gave Joseph instructions in a dream. Each time he obeys: making the long journey to Egypt with his young bride and toddler Son; after some time, bringing his family back to Palestine thinking he should settle them in Bethlehem, birthplace of the Messiah, his Son; instead after his fourth dream, moving his family back to Nazareth.
Now you might think that any of us would be obedient if God gave us directions in a dream. But I have known more than one person who has not - Muslim friends to whom God gave dreams and yet were slow to respond. I wonder if  I would have given unquestioning obedience, had I been in Joseph's sandals
Let's give credit to Joseph and thank God for his example. He did not play as important a role as Mary. He disappeared (died?) from the narrative after Jesus turned twelve.  Yet it is apparent that Joseph was a man of courage, of faith and obedience who took care of his family.
God, please give us more men like Joseph.

GUARD YOUR HEART

The prophet Malachi is quite direct (as were most of Israel's prophets) as he challenges God's people to live up to what they know. On the topic of marriage he gets right to the point. Apparently a number of these men who believed in God and believed the Torah were being unfaithful "to the wife of your youth".
God reminds them (through Malachi) that when they married, they had not simply made a contract that could be torn up when they wished. In God's eyes, marriage was - and is - much more than that. They were sealed with a marriage covenant and God had made them one flesh. 2:14
"I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel." 2:16 We might answer, "Yes, Lord, but in our day, divorce is rampant, common, justified, accepted and for many Christian couples, very tempting." God's view has not changed and neither should ours. Divorce dishonours God and damages all who are involved.
One positive, practical, preventative word is given; helpful for all of us who are married. "So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth." (2:15 NIV) "So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth." (New Living Translation)
Unfaithfulness starts in a person's spirit, heart, mind. Remember the old saying "Sow a thought, reap an action."? I can be certain to remain faithful and loyal if with the power of God's Spirit, my mind and heart remain faithful to God and my marriage partner.
If I expose my mind and spirit to temptation; if I allow my mind to wander into "what if" and enjoy thinking about "wouldn't it be nice if", I am on the road toward unfaithfulness. That is the danger posed by much of the entertainment industry, including romance novels. They place in our minds, hearts and spirits thoughts and feelings of betrayal. If then we begin a friendship with someone who also finds us attractive, if we have not "guarded our heart", we are vulnerable to breaking our marriage covenant.
We need to "spur one another on to love and good works" as the Hebrews author says. One way to do that is to keep reminding each other to run from temptation; that we have a spiritual enemy who is like a hungry lion on the prowl; that the power of sex can bring amazing pleasure; and it can bring terrible heartache if not contained within the covenant of marriage.
May we who follow Christ, guard our mind, heart and spirit, and model godly faithful marriages - which model the marriage of Christ and His Church.

TRUTH CITY

During our years in Edmonton, I did quite a bit of teaching and preaching in Alberta and Saskatchewan towns. I developed relationships with a number of farming families through visits to their churches. Some of those families sent their children to our Bible School. Among the many things that impressed me about farmers: they deal daily with reality. They sniff out pretence, falsehood and deception quite readily. You can't get away with deception for long in rural communities. They live in reality - nothing virtual about it.
The opposite is true of city life, isn't it. Many people pretend to be wealthier than they are, with heavily mortgaged houses or expensive cars they can't really afford. Advertising with its often deceptive practices fits with city life. People dress to impress much more than in the country. Jobs appear important but eat at the souls of many city executives. The party and bar scene on the surface looks so great.
While I have lived most of my life in cities, including several very large cities, I know that truth does not do well, on average, in city life. Deception is packaged and sold; superficial temporary relationships are often the norm.
I thought of all the above when I read one day "Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth." Zechariah 8:3. This descriptive is unusual, possibly unique in Scripture. (About half of our English translations translate Faithful instead of Truth. But I think Truth is the better translation given the context.)
Given what we know and experience in city life, I love to think one day there will be a Truth City. Of course it will be ruled by the One who said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." Can you imagine what life would be like if you could totally trust every salesperson's word, every advertisement. Can you imagine how many lawyers would be free to pursue another career if everyone kept his/her word and what contracts promised was always fulfilled? Imagine if every conversation was faithfully true!
Because God loves truth, He communicates through Zechariah to the people of his day, "Speak the truth to each other and render true and sound judgment in your courts; --- therefore love truth and peace." 8:16, 19 From God's encounter with Adam after the fall through the sad encounter with Adam's murderous son, He has always been calling us back to the truth. One of the great ten commandments prohibits deception : "Do not lie."
We humans find it so easy to lie. No one ever had to teach a two year old to be deceptive, it comes naturally. Yet how much pain and sorrow would be avoided if we obeyed the NT instruction: "speaking the truth in love"; "put off falsehood and speak truthfully". Ephesians 4:15, 25
We are called to follow and to emulate the One "who came 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 So now we practice truth telling and truth living. And sometimes we fail. But one day we will get to live in the safety and security of Truth City! Wow! That is an attractive part of God's great Good News!
  

LITTLE IS MUCH

I confess that I have always been impressed by power and size. Maybe it comes from being one of the smallest on my high school football and basketball teams. (One advantage of living in Vietnam: among the middle aged and older men, I am one of the taller ones.) Often in football, as in much of life, the more size and power, the more advantage. I do know that studies in the USA found that taller executives on average were paid more than those who were shorter.
Large countries and large companies normally are much more impressive than smaller ones. On the international stage, the larger nations, unless very poor, tend to dominate. In business relationships, it is normally larger companies that purchase smaller companies.
God's thoughts and ways are different from ours. He regularly reminds us of this in Scripture. For example, the exiles who returned to Jerusalem failed to rebuild the Lord' House. Their priorities were selfish and they procrastinated for years until God challenged them through the prophet Haggai. They responded with obedience and got to work rebuilding the Temple.
However they were not the powerful and wealthy nation of Solomon's day. Their resources were limited as was their labour pool. In comparison to Solomon's temple what they were constructing was not about to impress anyone. God spoke words of encouragement to them, not only through Haggai but also through his contemporary, the prophet Zechariah. If you are feeling "small" or "powerless", let these timeless words encourage you today.
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." 4:6 And then, "Who despises the day of small things?"4:10
That gathering in Jerusalem of 120 followers of Jesus, led by 11 apparently very average men, did not appear ready to change the world. There was no military power, no power of wealth or position. They were not impressive - until the Spirit came!
God's Spirit still moves, often through "small"people, "small" groups and "small" churches that appear unimpressive; yet in God's power they accomplish great things.
As an old chorus puts it "Little is much, when God is in it."So keep making your "little" available to God.

PAYING BILLS AND OTHER THINGS

We often tell people that life here is easy and we had no trouble adapting. On the other hand of course things are a little different. For example:
I answered the door yesterday and it was the bill collector. He collects for our telephone landline, $1.10 per month (that is not a typo, we use cell phones almost exclusively). He also collects for our internet wifi service and the cable TV bill - $17.50 per month. The internet connection is not quite as good as when we were in Calgary but almost. We get 70 TV channels, but only six are in English.
Obviously these services and some others are wonderfully inexpensive, which is why we can live on a reduced income here. What I enjoyed yesterday: the middle aged bill collector took off his shoes at the door of course, and came into our foyer. I went to get the cash and returned to find him sitting cross-legged on the floor, even though we have a chair in the foyer. So I got down on the floor with him while he sorted out change, stamped paid on our receipts and then went on his way.
We do have to go to our apartment building office to pay our monthly management fee - but they bring the bill to our door. We don't own a car or motorbike here. If we did we would pay a monthly charge for indoor parking space of $3.00 for a motorbike and $50.00 for a car. Oh, and if we needed to park a bicycle, it is $1.00 per month. (We do see a few adults on bicycles (and some teens) on major streets in the midst of dense traffic).
On the other hand, we missed the electricity bill collector while away for a few days. You are only given ten days to pay, so when we returned we had to go to the post office to pay and make sure our electricity was not shut off.
Today two repairmen came to check on our bedroom windows that have been leaking during the heavy rains that come for several hours on most days during rainy season. As we have seen with other repairmen, they don't bring a ladder, they just stand on the window sill and have no hesitation to lean way out of our 19th storey windows to check on things.
Unfortunately due to our very limited Vietnamese, I had no conversation with these men other than to say hello and thank you. Our Vietnamese vocabulary has not expanded to discussing bills and repairs. However, with context, sensitive guessing and some good hand motions, it is amazing how much we can communicate.