It's easier for me to picture myself as Jesus in this story - drawing near to others. Or to identify as the tax collector or sinner that got to draw near to Jesus, despite being looked down upon by others in society. I don't want to picture myself as the one of the Pharisees or scribes.
The Pharisees and scribes got their grumble on. And you know what... it's easier to grumble than to change. It's easier to grumble than work to be part of a solution. It's easier to grumble and wait for someone else to pick up the slack on our behalf. What Jesus was doing was not their idea of how they'd like to be spending their time. They grumbled. It would seem as if their own pride/arrogance/fear got in the way of any kind of ministry with sustenance.
What Jesus was doing is precisely what they should have been doing, and it is precisely what we, collectively as the Church, should be doing today.
In light of this passage, how should we "pray it" then, this week, in preparation for this Sunday's message?
Together, let us pray together in humility for the Holy Spirit to lovingly reveal to us any ways in which we are more like a Pharisee in this passage than like Jesus. And then let us pray for immediate heart-change. PoC, I like to mull. And sometimes, mulling has its benefits. But, in this case, I'd like to give us permission to pray with a time-sensitivity. Let us pray with an "expiration date," if you will. Let us pray with an urgency and desperation. Let not our prayers become another way in which we avoid doing the last thing God told us to do.
An effective way to be ineffective for the Kingdom of God is to let our lack of faith trump faithfulness, to let our laziness muffle obedience, to let delayed action masquerade as a desire for "just a bit more knowledge or training", or our lack of love or lack of desirable feelings about people or the work at hand result in avoidance.
PoC, I have been there. No more! Let us consider the possibility that we are as prepared as we need to be today to be the mighty children of God who will do whatever it takes to fully love on people today who need to experience the love Jesus has for them. God will continue to grow, equip, resource, and strengthen all of us as we continue to seek after Him and remain in His presence. But as far as ministry, today, in each of our contexts, we can trust that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are as prepared as He needs us to be for the people who need us and Him today.
A.W. Tozer stated: "Unbelief says: Some other time, but not now; some other place, but not here; some other people, but not us. Faith says: Anything He did anywhere else He will do here; anything He did any other time He is willing to do now; anything He ever did for other people He is willing to do for us!"
Luke 12:34 states that "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (ESV). PoC, let us enter and remain in God's presence. Let us treasure our time with our Heavenly Father. Let us treasure other people. Let us treasure our mission.
PoC|Coverage is tonight at 6pm! Come join us for the first get-together of 2016! I am looking forward to sharing some praises with you all!
Pastor Celia
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