This past Friday I had the privilege of officiating at the wedding of my daughter’s and now son-in-law’s wedding.  Our daughter Marie and Matt Kraske were united in marriage on Friday July 5th.  A number of friends asked me if I felt nervous in preparing for the event.  I honestly did not feel nervous, rather I felt excitement.  That sentiment grew from getting to know my future son-in-law as well as seeing the joy in our daughter.  I was also anticipating the opportunity to speak to them, and those assembled, about Christian marriage.  How many fathers are given twenty minutes of undivided attention by their future son-in-law?

My thought this week is about letting go.  The emotion of the day did not fully hit me until the close of the wedding ceremony.  It was exhilarating to hear the robust singing and witness the vows spoken by Matt and Marie.  The congregation erupted in applause as I pronounced them husband and wife and they began to recess down the aisle.  I had a unique perspective.  I saw their backs as they walked away and officially began their life as a married couple.  That’s when the significance of what had just happened hit me.  The thought ran through my mind, “It’s time to let them go.”  Gen. 2:24 states, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”  As parents we know that we are only stewards of our children for a season.  We raise them to let them go.  Whether you are a parent or a child, whether you are young or older, whether you are married or single; one of the keys for the spiritual journey is learning the lesson of letting go.  It doesn’t mean we don’t care, nor does it mean we will not be involved in the lives of those we love, but it does mean that we entrust them to God and “LET GO.”

Pastor Mark
 
“All the saints send their greetings” (II Cor. 13:13).  This past Sunday I was reminded that the church is fundamentally a family.  Two families who had formerly been active at Grace were able to visit; one from Kansas and one from Alaska.  One family moved three years ago, the other six years ago.  Obviously, people new to Grace since they left would not have known them, but there were many who have fond memories of these families.  It was especially meaningful to see how children had grown in the intervening years.  It highlights for me a truth that we can undervalue – the church is a family.  God is our Father, Christ is our brother, the Holy Spirit indwells all those who are born again, making us the family of God.  I fear that because of the demands and distractions of life, cultivating relationships within the family of God does not receive the priority it deserves.  It is easy to neglect investing time and energy in the many members of our church family.  If that describes you, resolve to cultivate a few relationships over this summer.  Some of our regular activities (such as small groups), take a break during the summer.  Use the time arrange some opportunities with someone or a family you don’t know that well.  We will have our annual picnic on June 23rd.  Make sure you attend and stay to engaged in conversation.  We will resume monthly hymn sings; the next will take place on June 30th at 6:00 p.m. This will also be a time of saying good-bye to the Shumate family as they move back to St. Louis and prepare for future service.  Consider what you can do to deepen some family ties this summer.

Pastor Mark

 
While it may be difficult to grasp the reality of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart, there is a corresponding clear admonition that we do well to consider.  Read through Ps. 95 and you’ll hear David say this, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did.” It is striking that though David refers to events from hundreds of years earlier, he addresses his hearers, and us, as though we were the ones who rebelled in the wilderness.  In fact, the writer of the Hebrews picks up this passage in Hebrews (see 3:12 – 4:13) and makes the same application.  Even though the wilderness events occurred hundreds of years earlier, he challenges his readers not to harden their hearts like their spiritual ancestors had done.  I conclude the possibility of hardening our hearts is always a matter we must wrestle with.  Will we believe God’s word and trust Him, or lapse into unbelief allowing sin to harden us to the reality of what it means to walk by faith?  From the passage in Hebrews I see two strategies that the writer encourages us to practice to avoid a hardened heart.  First, we are to encourage one another daily.  Sin is deceitful.  We tend to believe the lies and become hard toward God.  But other people can help us reverse the tendency.  That requires being open with others regarding where we struggle with sin and being humble enough to receive the encouragement of others.  Secondly, we are to allow the word of God (see 4:12 – 13) to ruthlessly judge our lives; especially when motives and attitudes need to be corrected.  Only the Word of God has the power to shed that kind of light in our darkness.  I’ve recently begun asking that God would give me the gift of self-awareness.  I don’t want to be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  I know that He will primarily give that gift through careful listening to the Scriptures; often as others speak to me about my life and what it means to be faithfully following God’s word.  So while we ponder the mystery of God’s dealing with Pharaoh, let us not neglect the unambiguous command, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God” (Heb. 3:12).

Pastor Mark

 
While preparing for last Sunday’s sermon, “the Darkness Deepens” on Ex. 10, I was led to a comparison between Pharaoh, king of Egypt and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.  Both were arguably the most powerful men in the world in their day.  Both struggled with pride before God.  Both interacted with God’s messengers who spoke the word of God to them.  One stubbornly resisted God the other humbly repented (see Daniel 4).  Pride is considered the primary sin by many.  One doesn’t have to look too far in the Bible to find statements like this one in Prov. 8:13“To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Or again from Prov.3:34 “He (God) mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.”  That verse is picked up by the apostle Peter in his first letter and he applies it by stating, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (I Peter 5:6).  So, while we may not be as stubborn as old Pharaoh, the question remains, “How much of an issue is pride in your life?”  I wrestle with pride in finding myself making comparisons with others.  It can occur in either of two directions:  Either I feel “better than” others and have an inflated sense of self, or I feel “less than” others and feel inferior.  In neither case am I focusing on God and gratefully accepting who HE has made me to be and finding contentment with my lot in life.  Pride sneaks out in surprising ways:  an unwillingness to admit my faults, a sense of entitlement, a focus on personal comfort instead of service, the list could go on and on.  How much better . . .  to acknowledge my faults to God and others so I can treasure his forgiveness; to accept – with thanksgiving - the parameters of my situation rather than compare with others; to allow others to be who they are rather than who I want them to be.  The list could on and on.  In reflecting on the text I need to sit with Moses’ question to Pharaoh, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?”  Then go on to hear the promise through the prophet Isaiah, “This is what the high and loft One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy:  I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Is. 57:15).  We gain a close and intimate relationship with God when we let go of stubborn resistance and replace it with humble repentance.

Pastor Mark

 
It was not a matter I discussed in last Sunday’s sermon, but I’ve always wondered about it.  I’m referring to the request that Moses presents to Pharaoh, “We must take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, as he commands us.”  This reflects God’s initial revelation to Moses at Mt. Sinai (see Ex. 3:18).  “But wait a minute,” you reply.  “Was God really expecting the Israelites would leave Egypt for just three days and then return after a worship service in the desert?”  This question has been debated for years.  Was God resorting to a ruse to get Pharaoh to release the people and then keep going until they reached the Promised Land? Was God instructing Moses to lie?  Given our current Sunday school discussion regarding Ethics this is a valid question.  In his book, “Hard Sayings of the Old Testament, follows the explanation of Augustine and gives this rationale, “God deliberately graded his requests of Pharaoh by first placing before him a fairly simple pleas that the people of Israel be allowed a three-day journey into the wilderness after which they would return.  True, this first plea would lead to requests increasingly more difficult for Pharaoh to grant; however, they would each prepare Pharaoh to do what he might otherwise be unprepared to do.  Had Pharaoh complied with this request, the Israelites could not have exceeded the bounds of this permission.  After returning to Egypt they would have needed to present a series of such pleas leading to the final request for full release.  Here we can see God’s tender love and concern for Pharaoh.  This king is more than just a pawn in the plan of God.  And Israel was responsible to honor the “powers that be.” (Kaiser pg. 64)  It makes me think that for all of us, obedience and submission to God’s will is a learned skill.  We need to take small steps of compliance as a prelude to larger steps which require more faith.  Also, as we interact with those who have been living in submission to God, we should demonstrate patience.  What may look like incomplete obedience may in fact be a small, but significant step toward obedience.  A three-day journey may be just the right place to start, but not the end of the process.

Pastor Mark

 
One of the helpful ways to get closer to the accounts in Scripture is to try to imagine yourself in the scene.  There are visceral elements that upon careful reflection are nothing short of shocking.  Take for instance the report of the stench recorded in the first two plagues in Ex. 7:14 – 8:15.  In both narratives, there is an emphasis on the smell caused by the dead fish and frogs. (See Ex. 7:18 & 8:14)  God will make use of all our senses to get our attention.  Right now our crabapple tree is in full bloom.  There is a delicate aroma of spring that is exquisite.  I can recall some working experiences around dairy cows that caused the exact opposite effect.  Even after taking a shower and washing my clothes I could still smell the dairy “air.”  Back to Exodus: The Israelites were not protected from the odor caused by the dead fish and frogs.  But it must have instilled a notion of HOPE.  God was work.  The long awaited deliverance was coming to pass.  The Egyptians (along with their idols) were being “defeated” by Yahweh, who Moses had spoken about.  It reminds of a passage from the pen of the apostle Paul, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” (II Cor. 2:16)  Our lives will be received differently according to how people are responding to Christ.

Pastor Mark
 
The little account of Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh (Ex. 7:8-13) is pretty amazing the more you think about it.  At one level it is like a “pre-game” show.  We meet the contestants for the upcoming battle.  You couldn’t envision two more unlikely opponents.  Pharaoh has all the seeming power; he is the leader of the one true world empire of his day.  Pharaoh is accompanied by an entourage of counselors, magicians, and officials.  In the other corner we have a pair of brothers who just stumbled in from the desert.  Moses is a guy who stutters and has just returned from forty years of taking care of goats.  His older brother, Aaron, only speaks when Moses whispers in his ear.  He carries a stick.  The whole scene is almost beyond belief.  Yet despite the disparity between the folks in the two corners, the nobodies turn out to exercise all the power.  The more you think about it, the more you realize that God delights to make foolish those who trust in worldly power.  Those who represent God, though initially appearing as fools, are ultimately victorious.  God acts so as to bring honor to HIS name and reveal HIMSELF as the incomparable GOD.  And He still does it.  Read I Cor. 1:18-32 and reflect on how God continues to nullify the things that are by choosing the things that are not, so that no one may boast before him.

Pastor Mark

 
Psalm 78 spends 72 verses to communicate the importance of learning from the past.  We don’t have to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors.  Yet someone has said, “Those who fail to learn from the past are destined to repeat it.”  How do we learn from our past?  How can we move beyond fear to a faith that expresses itself through obedience to God?  In my life I am learning that it takes time which involves honest reflection.  I need to probe the motives which explain my actions.  A superficial desire for a different outcome will probably not be sufficient.  I need to expose fears and selfish desires that led to behavior that led to defeat.  On the positive side, I need a fresh reminder of God’s grace and power for those who believe.  I don’t feel I gave equal attention to God’s grace in last Sunday’s sermon.  Commentator Derek Kidner concludes his remarks on Ps. 78 with these words, “If Israel’s record is her shame, God’s persistent goodness emerges as her hope (and ours) for the unfinished story.” (Kidner, Psalms, pg. 286)  Israel failed after King David.  I will fail at times.  But God’s persistent goodness undergirds Israel’s story and mine.  So I can honestly look at past failures, because I have been forgiven.  And I can look to the future with hope, because by God’s grace I can learn to trust and obey.

Pastor Mark

 
The reality of Christ’s resurrection should radically change our perspective on life.  Clearly, the disciples and first followers of Jesus were transformed.  Filled with the Spirit, they proclaimed a message (the Gospel) of life and hope that has reached to us. 

This past week I had an experience of changed perspective that has prompted me to think more deeply about the changed perspective that Easter should produce in my life now.  Our family was able to travel to the South Carolina coast for a vacation the last week of March.  Having grown up on the Oregon coast, I am refreshed by the opportunity to be at the beach.  It brings back good memories.  There is something restorative that I gain by walking (or jogging) along the beach.  The first few days, however, I felt disoriented.  Virtually all of my life, the ocean was always – WEST.  Now, I found myself turned around.  The ocean was on the “wrong” side – it was EAST.  No matter how I tried to think about it, I didn’t “get it” until Thursday morning.  I was up early and out on the beach when I saw the sun RISE.  I don’t know if I’d ever see the sun rise at the beach before.  Finally it clicked in my soul – I was looking EAST. 

Paul wrote the Colossians, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1-3).  I think grasping this truth is akin to my beach revelation.  For so long, we’ve defined our lives by ‘earthly things.’  It is hard to grasp the new perspective, the heavenly one.  We know it is true from what we read in Scripture, but for so much of our lives we’ve been oriented to view life one way – from an earthly perspective.  But that has all changed with the death and resurrection of Christ.  Let God change your perspective by viewing life from the perspective of Easter. 

Pastor Mark

 
Most of us remember the phrase “show and tell.”  An object was presented and a story accompanied a presentation.  As I’ve reflected on the message of Romans 11 it reminds of “show and tell.”  In the Old Testament era, God wanted to attract the attention of the world.  Israel was to be his “show and tell.”  On occasion they manifested his wisdom and beauty through their worship and obedience to His laws.  But for most of the time, they misrepresented God.  Eventually, God judges the nation and sends the people into exile.  The chosen people become the rejected people and spiritual life is found people who had no connection to Israel.  Now the tables are reversed. God’s “show and tell” is found in the church (which is predominantly made of Gentiles). God wants his people to demonstrate to the world the wisdom and beauty of a life filled with his Spirit.  Peter writes, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (I Pet. 2:12).  This is what Paul means when he talks about the Gentiles arousing jealousy among the Jews.  As Christians live their lives in the power of the Holy Spirit it will awaken a desire among some to long after the faith, hope and love they see in us – and be drawn to the Savior.  God often gives the “show” before the “tell.”

Pastor Mark