2012 - 12 Miles - 12 Blessings - 12 Encouragements

Out for a run today, thinking about the year past, I was humbled at all of the ways I was blessed in 2012.  So, for every mile I ran today, I thought of a way my life was blessed in 2012.

1. God’s Faithfulness: Although I have called myself a Christian almost my entire life, this year I think I finally began to understand, accept and revel in  the gift God gave to me in His Son, Jesus Christ.  Even though I gave up so many times, God never did.  I encourage you to continue seeking a genuine relationship with Him.  He is closer to you than you think.
2. Greta: My wife, who puts up with all of my crazy ideas, running, work, ministry and half-baked ideas.  She is my perfect partner and one true love.  I am blessed every day to have her in my life.  I encourage you to recognize how much the one closest to you puts up with, but still loves, the hot mess that you are.
3.  Our Daughters: For the beautiful lover of life that Maddy has become; the zestful liver of life that is our Rachel; the gentle learner of a life unfolding who is Eliza.  I encourage you, in a renewed way, to open your eyes, mind and heart to the children in your life and the simple beauty they bring to your world.
4. Grandma Bonnie: Although she left this world in March, we celebrated her life many times over.  Her life taught us all the meaning of what love really means.  She loved us more!  I encourage you to…simply…love more!
5.  Uncle Paul: When you develop a new facet of your relationship with a person you have known and loved your entire life, that is a special thing.  I am thankful for knowing my uncle in a new way as my Christian Brother with a shared passion for serving the “least of these”.  I encourage you to never underestimate the ways God can work to expand and change relationships with those closest to you and to seek out these opportunities for newness in relationship.
6. Family: Moms & Dads, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles,  nieces, nephews, grandparents, in-laws…  I continue to be amazed at the power which exists in having a family who loves, encourages and supports you.  In so many ways this past year, knowing my family was always there for me  kept me focused on the right things.  If you are blessed with a great extended family, I encourage you to lean on them and let them lean on you.  If you don’t have that kind of relationship with your family, I would ask you to consider, are you the one to make it happen?
7. Prison Ministry:  It may sound crazy, but spending time with my Brothers at Pendleton State Prison, Hamilton County Jail and Hamilton Community Corrections were some of the most meaningful and blessed times of my year.  I encourage you to never underestimate who can bless you and to whom you can be a blessing.
8. Leaving APAC: After 8 ½ years of hard work, I was blessed with the opportunity to “move on” and seek out my next adventure, with some cushion and time on my side.  I encourage you to never hold on too tightly to something that seems safe and secure when you may be called into something new.
9. The Journey of Summer and Fall:  Faced with the prospect of “what comes next?”, I set out to tell my story to as many people as would listen.  My vision…what I felt was a calling…to combine my work life and my service life as an employee or owner of a local company.  The process of a couple dozen meetings for breakfast, coffee, lunch or a beer, meeting new people and renewing relationships with old acquaintances, was a ton of fun.  I encourage you to never stop building new relationships or seeking out new ones by telling your story, giving your testimony or listening to others’.
10. DAST Consulting: Meeting my new business partner and Brother in Christ, David Sexauer, and becoming a part owner in the wonderful company he has built over the past 4 years.  Our shared passion in building wealth to fund ministry, while providing excellent service to customers and serving those whom Christ called us to serve, will bring exciting things in 2013 and beyond.  I encourage you to look past what the world defines as success and discern God’s calling to you, allowing Him to bring peace where the world would find none.
11. Holy Family Episcopal Church, Fishers, IN: In my opinion, one of the best community of faithful believers  I have ever experienced.  The best part of my year with these friends and Brothers and Sisters in Christ was spending time with their kids teaching the Bible lesson every day at Vacation Bible School back in June.  I encourage you to experience the faith of children and celebrate with joy its purity, simplicity and abiding love.
12. Running the Pocatello Marathon:  Besides having a fun weekend with Greta in Jackson, WY, one of the more beautiful places in America, the race in Pocatello was an important learning experience.  Running downhill for 13 miles, starting at 6500 feet elevation, then running 13.2 miles of rolling hills at 4500 feet elevation, is not the same as running 26.2 miles in the flatness of Indianapolis.  I encourage you to look at situations you think you have figured out and recognize that without proper consideration, you may be in for a few surprises.

I am excited to see what 2013 will bring and what the 13 miles on Dec 31 next year will mark what I was thankful for!

Humbled and Blessed: A Weekend In Prison

Family and Friends - 

Words cannot begin to express my deep appreciation for each one of you.  My mind and heart are still reeling from the Kairos experience of the past 4 days in Pendleton state prison.

Our team of 42 men had the privilege of spending the weekend with 42 offenders.  As we went around the room Thursday evening and gave introductions, I remember seeing a few of the men and thinking, "that one looks pretty tough...not sure anything is going to happen with him this weekend."  I love it when God proves me wrong!  

Friday was spent talking about choices, understanding that we are not alone and how we can open the door to God.

By the time Saturday came around, learning about tearing down our walls, our daily greeting and departing had moved from hesitant handshakes to hearty hugs!

We loved...we listened...we loved some more.

Saturday night, accepting the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us, acknowledging that we all need forgiveness...and to forgive...the men began to understand what unconditional love really means.  

Sunday at the closing ceremony, by which some of you blessed me by attending in person, we got to see men stand up and tell their stories.  The transformation that we saw in these men from Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon was truly a miracle.  Some of the most hardened and bitter souls at Pendleton, were changed.  

As a team we:

• brought in 2,493 DOZEN chocolate chip cookies (that's 29,916 cookies!!), baked from scratch and prayed over by many of you; the men ate and ate and ate, but we were also able to hand-deliver a dozen cookies to each man at Pendleton, walking into their cells and telling them that God loves them
• prayed all weekend; the prayer chart was filled with so many of your names, many taking multiple spots, which allowed me to point your name out to offenders so they could understand you were real people; "that's my Dad, my uncle and aunt, my friend from high school, my sister, my mom...and it goes on and on
• used hand-colored placemats...over 1000...for each meal with the most beautiful drawings and words from children of all ages; we had extras which were used as wall hangings to decorate the gym where we met each day

All of you were on my mind at one point or another throughout the weekend.  None of this...NONE of it...could have happened without every single one of you.  As I look through your names, I can think of ways that each of you has played an important role in my heeding God's call into this ministry.  You may think, "What did I do?"...next time we talk, just ask me and I'll remind you.

• You cared for me
• You forgave me
• You took care of our family
• You encouraged me
• You connected me to someone
• You listened
• You baked cookies
• You prayed
• You loved someone I love
• You gave up your treasure
• You brought others to support me
• You inspired me
• You were patient with me
• You called me out when I needed a reality check
• You were an example to me
• You were a friend
• You gave me joy when I had none
• You loved me

I am humbled and blessed.

As you consider the role each of us...you and me...played in this weekend, let me share a thought.

Imagine that a friend gives you a beautiful piece of furniture, an amazing work of art that he created out of raw wood.  He built and carved it with care, using his hands and a set of tools.  It is a marvelous work; sanded, polished, stained to a deep tone.  Upon receiving this gift, relishing its beauty and value, to whom would you give honor and thanks?  Would you honor and thank the tools?  No.  You would give honor and thanks to the creator.

The team on which I served this past weekend; all of us are just tools.  Give thanks and honor to God, the Creator for His hand in this mighty work.

Romans 12:1-2   "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Amen and amen!

Another Weekend In Prison: Nov 1-4

Family and Friends -  

Now that I got your attention in the subject line...    :)

As many of you know, I have been on an interesting and wonderful journey over the past two years related to Prison Ministry.  By heeding this call from God, I have been richly blessed by spending time with inmates at Marion County Jail through an organization called "Down But Not Out" as well as Hamilton County Jail and Hamilton County Community Corrections (a.k.a. Work Release) through an organization called "Jehoshua House".  Both of these groups focus on capturing hearts for God, building up men's spirits with love and helping them successfully reenter the "outside word" after serving their sentences.  Lastly, many of you supported me financially, by baking cookies or by praying for me and my team during my first Kairos weekend in October of 2011 at Pendleton Correctional Industrial Facility (PCIF).

For those of you not familiar, Kairos is a weekend-long ministry event where a group of us go into the prison and spend time in prayer, praise and thanksgiving with the inmates.  Our sole goals are to bring the Good News to them and love them; we let the Holy Spirit do the rest.  If you are familiar with programs such as Great Banquet, Cursillo or Walk to Emmaus, it is very similar to these intensive, faith-building weekends.  After my Kairos weekend, over the past year, I have been back at least once every month to PCIF for Prayer and Share on Mondays.  During these sessions, I am able to encourage my new Brothers in Christ as well as be encouraged and blessed by them.  Once again, I have been asked to serve on a Kairos team at PCIF over the weekend of November 1-4.  

I am writing to you today to ask for your support.  Some ways you can help:

Prayer Chart: 

Here is a link ( Prayer Vigil - Prayer Vigil Sign-up Sheet ) where you can sign up to pray at a specific time over the weekend.  Once it is filled, we actually post this chart on the wall in our meeting room at Pendleton.  The men look at this chart all weekend are amazed that so many people would be praying for them and our Kairos team.  It is sometimes the one thing that pushes them over edge and softens their heart to hear the Good News.  Each section of the chart is only 30 mins.  You can sign up for one or for as many as you like.  It was so awesome last year to see your names on the chart and show the offenders that my own friends and family were praying for them!  Sign up quick because the "good times" go fast and you might be stuck praying at 230 a.m.  :-)

Cookies: 

Over the course of the weekend, we feed the men...A LOT...with food from the "outside".  We also walk the halls and take a dozen cookies to each inmate at Pendleton, regardless of whether they are participating in the Kairos weekend or not.  To do this, each member of our Kairos team (about 40 of us) will bring 60 dozen cookies for the weekend.  That is not a typo...yes, 60...6-0...sixty...6 x 10...sesenta.  For those doing the math, that's 720 cookies I am responsible for!  I can forward a recipe that we use which will make 5 dozen cookies.  The recipe must be followed EXACTLY and the cookies must be packaged EXACTLY as described in correct type of zip lock bags.  The specificity of this is important to make sure one inmate does not feel like he got something more or less than another (more chocolate chips...less...bigger cookie...smaller...etc).  The dynamics of the prison setting require us to make sure we don't show favor in any way, hence, the specifc nature of the preparation.  If you are interested in baking a batch and washing them in prayer during the preparation and packaging, let me know.

Placemats:

At all meals over the course of the weekend, we put placemats at each table. The placemats we bring in have been decorated by children with pictures, sayings, Bible verses or just words of love and support.  You can get bulk packages of plain, white placemats at GFS, Sam's or other party stores.  If your family or Sunday School class would like to buy a package of these and color them with pictures, it is another great way to show love to the men at Pendleton.  It is a dark place and anything which brings light and love into the facility is a good thing.  Children who decorate placemats can put their first name (ONLY) and age on the placemat.  Many of the men have children and when they see a name on the placemat which is the same of their own child, it truly touches them. 

Financial Support:

Each weekend costs about $3,500 to host.  I am personally responsible for contributing $250 as a member of the Kairos team.  Last year, I just wrote a check, but many people expressed interest in financial support.  If you feel called in this way, you can send me a check made out to Kairos of Indiana in any amount.  I will also have meal tickets available for $10 each with me at church for the next few Sundays.  The donation is tax deductible as Kairos is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Closing Ceremony: 

From 2p to 5p on Sunday November 4th, we will wrap up the weekend with a ceremony/worship service where the inmates who participated in the weekend will have the opportunity to give testimony to what they have experienced.  This is open to the public.  For anyone on this email, I would welcome you joining me on that day.  If you are interested, let me know (I'll only ask this one time) and I can give you more details as the date approaches. Those who attended with me last year can speak to the power of this event.  The Holy Spirit was moving big time that day!

BUT, if you do not feel called to support with cookies, specifc prayer time or observing the closing ceremony, that is TOTALLY OK as we are all called to serve and use our gifts in different ways and this may not be where your heart is.  I will not be hurt or offended in the least.  If you would like to forward this email along to friends of yours who may want to support, feel free.  

If nothing else, simply, I ask your prayers for me that God will use me as an instrument to do His work.  As you consider supporting this effort, please read and pray on Matthew 25:34-40 and James 2:1-13.  Both of these scriptures have become foundational concepts to me in supporting this path God has laid out for me.

God's blessings and all of my love to each of you!

Scott

Scott D. Wilson

scottdwil@yahoo.com

317.473.0020 mobile

Apr 8 - Easter Sunday - "Undeniable"

John 1:1-18 -- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

1 Peter 1:3-4, 18-21 -- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by divine mercy we have a new birth into a living hope; through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we have an inheritance that is imperishable in heaven. The ransom that was paid to free us was not paid in silver or gold, but in the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb without spot or stain. God raised Jesus from the dead and gave him glory so that we might have faith and hope in God.”

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Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

It is like a breath of fresh air to be able to say these words. The “Alleluias” which have been put away for the past 46 days have gloriously returned to our voices and we shout them out with joy. Alleluia!

The bookend verses we see today from John’s Gospel and 1 Peter tell us the whole story. Jesus was there at the beginning of time, the inception of our life with God, and He is the one who brings it all to a glorious end in the fulfillment of God’s covenant with us.

When I consider all that I see, hear, read and feel when it comes to God and the gift of His Son, how can I not believe? I consider myself a fairly smart person, thanks to the diligence of my parents, the investment of teachers and the continual guidance I receive from my best friend, my wife Greta. I do not think I am easily fooled. Yes, I can get caught up in the emotion of a good book or movie, become inspired by a story on the news or the web, but I pay attention with a skeptical mind and can quickly tell when I am seeing the truth or a lie.

The evidence of God’s work in my life is overwhelming. The miracles I see every day are abundant and wonderful. The Holy Spirit, at work on my heart each time I read The Word is undeniable. It is too perfect to have been created by the mind of man. For those who think that this Faith...Christianity...is all a contrived ploy to suppress the masses, a great plot and farce propagated by some self-serving cult in order to enrich themselves, they are wrong.

Of course, there are all of the worldly trappings of this celebration. Candy, baskets filled with goodies and that fake grass which seems to end up everywhere, decorated eggs and of course “Easter Deals” at the stores; all of these things seem to supersede the true message of Christ’s resurrection. But are they really all that bad? If nothing else, all of these things which have come from that one moment, when the stone was rolled away, glorify God and His gift to us regardless of the intent or direction from which they come. Even if a person ignores the miracle of Easter because of their focus on the material elements of the celebration, are they still not aware of it in some small way? And, when God works on people over time, does He not send little messages which whittle away at hardened hearts? When you see all of this “Easter-ness” today, egg hunts and sales, candy and bunnies, bright dresses and shiny faces, all of this...every little bit...comes from one thing: Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, defeating death once and for all.

It is too perfect. It can be of nothing else but from our glorious Creator: God, Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim, Allah, El, Adonai, El Shaddai, Abba, Emmanuel!!! My heart, my mind, my soul all compel me to believe. The miracle of God sending His Son as a sacrifice is the overwhelming evidence of His Love for us. Man could not have come up with a story this good.

And the greatest and simplest message of all? The undeniable truth? Jesus Christ did not die for US.

He died for YOU!

If you were the only person on earth, the only being ever created, He still would have laid His life down for YOU. Yes, smile with joy as you feel these words wash over you and refresh you.

So, say it again...over and over...it is undeniable. Alleluia, Christ is risen!! The Lord is risen indeed!! Alleluia!!!

Apr 7 - Holy Saturday - "Meaningless?"

Ecclesiastes 7:15 - “ In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness.”

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Today is raw. The sun shines bright, but it is a cruel sun, providing no heat as the biting wind blows and saps your warmth.

Today is desolate. Harsh ringing in your ears from the echoes of the crowds causes your head to pound. Their cruel words mock your spirit.

Today is hopeless. Your Teacher has been killed, His life destroyed. Wickedness rules. The authorities prowl like ravenous lions, searching for His believers.

Today is utter isolation. Friends have scattered and deserted you. Every man for himself.

There is nothing in the Bible, in all of the Gospels, about this day. The day when Christ lies dead in the tomb. We find no comfort, no joy, no consolation. The glory of His triumphant entry into Jerusalem just six days ago is now gone; it was not the entry of a king, but a cruel joke of false honor.

We sit today in question of our faith. Was He just a man, a mere mortal who spoke kindly and brought forth some kind of magic? Certainly the Son of God could not be dead! He would have destroyed His killers, crushed the tomb and returned to health, whole and pure as if no wounds had been placed on Him.

Evil laughs.

Friends are in fear.

A mother mourns the death of her son.

Is all hope lost? Was His life meaningless?

Apr 6 - Good Friday - "The Whole Experience"

John 19:28-30 -- “Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

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Today, we experience the day of Christ’s death. Why must we experience it over and over again in our lifetimes? Is it not sufficient to observe it once and never return? We know the end of the story...why dwell on the painful part of it?

In my own life, I sometimes try to fast-forward through events, believing that the end result is more exciting and the journey along the way, though necessary, is not the best part of the experience. I can remember many times being at a concert, sitting in the movie theater or reading through a book as fast as I could, rushing to get to the end. Being at the end was better, having experienced the event. We humans are funny in the sense that we often take more joy in saying “I did that”, as opposed to “I am doing that.”

Similarly, many of us are already looking forward to Easter Sunday. We will likely be with family or friends. We have experienced the joy of the risen Christ on many occasions and are excited about singing hymns such as “Lift High the Cross” and having the word “Alleluia” return to our liturgical vocabulary, it having been absent since Ash Wednesday. But, let’s not get there yet. There is still much to experience.

Go back 2,000 years. You are in the time of Christ’s life on earth. You have seen Him preach and heal. You believe he is Messiah come; Emmanuel. Even though there are dozens of prophesies throughout the Old Testament about the death and resurrection of Messiah, even though Jesus had intimated it multiple times while with His disciples or in speaking with the crowds, you don’t know for sure whether all of this is true. You can see the events unfolding before you. Why doesn’t He use His power to stop this? You find yourself shouting with the crowd, “Crucify! Crucify!” Where do these words come from? You are standing in the street as He stumbles by and falls. You don’t help Him. They lay Him on the cross, pound the nails through His hands and raise Him up for all to see so they can relish in His humiliation. You stand and watch as you see Him die, taken down and buried in the tomb. What is happening?!?

Wasn’t all of this avoidable? Was the pain really necessary? At the Last Supper, Jesus could have told His friends, “Hey...let’s just party tonight. Don’t worry! Even though tomorrow will be full of pain and torture, even though I will die and be without you for a little while, I’ll be walking out of the grave Sunday morning. Be happy! This is no big deal!”. He could have assured His friends that His resurrection was certain, they need not be afraid. Remember, Jesus has the power of the universe at His disposal; the temporal and locational boundaries of time and space do not apply to Him. He could have whisked them all away, allowing time to fast forward through His crucifixion. He could have placed them in observance over the tomb, watching as the stone rolled away and He walked out, shining and glorious. He could have given them proof, letting them see and experience what was to come, in order that they not lose heart.

But, this losing of heart is important. Seeing Him arrested. Betraying Him. Watching His torture, the crown of thorns burying deep into His brow as He drags the heavy instrument of His death through the crowded streets. We must see the people of Jerusalem mocking Him, tempting Him to use the power of Heaven and Earth to bring Himself down from the cross, destroying it and laying waste to those who are killing Him. We must hear Him cry out to God. We must watch as He takes His last drink of the bitter wine.

We must experience His death, just as His mother Mary did, just as His disciples did.

Just as He did.

So, don’t rush through it. Take in the whole experience. Slow down and allow yourself the time to absorb the Passion of Good Friday. The pain we feel today is a crucial part of our ability to derive meaning from all that we see happening to Jesus on this day. Through our sin we have betrayed Him, we have killed Him. And though He did not have to, He willingly experienced this betrayal, torture and death, giving up His life for us.

Apr 5 - Maundy Thursday - "Washed Clean"

John 13:1-17 -- “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, ‘Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.’ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord,” and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’ ”

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The picture of our Lord Jesus Christ washing the feet of His disciples is, for me, one of the most powerful images of Him presented to us in the Gospels. In these scene, our Savior puts himself lower than all others by kneeling to the ground and serving His friends in the humblest of fashions.

Even in today’s standards of daily showers, moisture-absorbing socks and breathable shoes, washing someone else’s feet is not at appetizing proposition. At the end of a long day, almost none of us has feet which are a pleasant sight...or smell. Now go back two thousand years. Your feet were barely covered in a couple straps of leather, if you were fortunate. Most likely, you went around barefoot all day. The dust, grime and who-knows-what else would become caked and dried on your feet over the course of the day or maybe even days. Washing someone else’s feet was the lowliest of jobs. To do this was seen as the ultimate act of service. Once complete, the person whose feet were now clean felt refreshed and new.

This is why Peter reacted in the way he did. There was no way he was going to let his teacher, the man whom he knew was Messiah, the Son of God, kneel down before him and wash his feet. Once again, we see Peter behaving in the way we all would have. But fortunately, Jesus tells him the lessons to be learned in this act of service. He gives us the perfect example of how we should be with each other. When Christ tells Peter that he must allow this act of humility or he will have no part of a life with Jesus, Peter goes all in. He wants every part of him to be for Christ.

If you are lucky, your church offers foot washing during its Maundy Thursday celebration today. To experience this act of service as well as to give it can have a dramatic impact on all who take part; washing, washed or even just observing. There are very few things we can do in our earthly lives, which Christ also did. We cannot turn a few loaves into a meal for thousands, restore a blind man’s sight with a mere word nor can we bring the dead back to life. But, the big things, the important things, we can do. We can finish the work He started by spreading the Good News to others. We can break the bread and pour the wine of His remembrance, sharing it with each other. We can make ourselves lowly, serving our friends with humble care.

So, today, if you have the opportunity, participate in the worship and celebration of the Last Supper. Consider approaching the altar at the time when called, sitting and accepting the act of service. Then, offer the same gift to another.

Apr 4 - "The Gift of the Journey"

Mark 12:1-8 -- “Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But those tenants said to one another, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.’ ”

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As we come into the middle of Holy Week, nearing the end of our journey through Lent, we are faced with the sobering fact that in spite of all the joy, miracles and wonders we have seen from Jesus, He will be crucified and die. Why did it have to come to this?

Up to this point, God has tried everything. He is like a master tinkerer, throwing everything He’s got, every tool in his kit has been working at the problem of our sin and reconciliation of our relationship with Him.

God established us as His perfect creation in Eden, giving us all that we would need. Yet, the one fruit has asked us not to

eat, we lusted after, consumed and thereby brought sin into the world.

When we had fallen into sin, he wiped the earth clean with The Flood, starting anew with a righteous family.

He created a mighty people through the lines of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and saved us from famine by raising up the son,

Joseph.

When oppressed by Pharaoh, He showed His power through Moses and brought us out of Egypt into the Promised Land,

even though along the way we complained, worshipped idols and questioned His ability to bring us to deliverance.

Although He told us that His lordship over us was sufficient, we begged to be lead by men. He raised up Judges and Kings

over us, He sent us mighty prophets with His Word, but we continually rejected them and Him, returning to our evil ways.

Again He sought to break us from our sin and sent the hoards of Babylon to bring us into captivity. We were given a “time

out”, but then brought again into freedom as he crushed our captors.

When we once again returned to our ways, caught up in rite and ritual, focusing on what was on the outside of us and not on

the inside, He sent us His Son. Instead of continuing to punish and redeem us, He offered up the most precious Gift as a

sacrifice, once and for all. His death for our life.

Why did He do it this way?

Wouldn’t it have been easier for God to send Jesus to Adam and Eve, right at the beginning of our Sin? Might not He have saved Himself centuries...millennia...of rejection and frustration by jumping to the end of the story? The Gift was always there, from the beginning of time, available to be given to us. Why do it the hard way?

As we have often learned, if we are paying attention, it’s not always about the destination itself, but the journey we take along the way to get there.

So, have you taken the time during this season of Lent to experience all that the journey of faith has to offer? Will you choose to be a part of these final days by celebrating with fellow believers the Last Supper of Maundy Thursday and the Passion of Good Friday? Or, will you just skip to the end...the celebration of Easter? Will you enjoy the Gift of the Journey? The good news is that regardless of whether we take the shortcut or the longer winding path with its abundance of mystery and challenge, we all gloriously end up in the same place, saved by the Blood of Christ.

Apr 3 - "Honest Questions. Honest Answers"

Mark 11:27-33 -- “Again Jesus and the disciples came to Jerusalem. As He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.’ They argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” he will say, “Why then did you not believe him?” But shall we say, “Of human origin”?’ – they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’ ”

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Are there times in our lives when we ask questions for which we are not ready to hear the answers? We think we know what we want or need to know, but we can get caught up in the things of the world and our perception becomes skewed. We get confined into thinking that the choices we have, the answers we are given are limited in some way.

The line of dialogue Jesus has with the elders from the temple is a really interesting one. Of course, Jesus knew just the right question to ask which puts the elders into a tough spot. Their question to Him, although likely meaning to trap Him in some way, was an honest one in the sense that they wanted an answer. It is highly likely that in each one of the hardened hearts of these men, they were genuinely searching and yearning to believe.

Imagine this situation, this scene in the temple, with a different outcome. A young priest off to the side steps forward and answers Him honestly; “John’s baptism came from heaven.”

The elders, whispering to each other as they consider their answer, stop suddenly, shocked at the words of their junior member. Jesus turns to face him and says, “Then why did you not believe him?”, already knowing the candid words to follow as they come from this yearning heart.

“What this man John was doing represented a change from our traditions. It was a threat to all that we have set up in our laws and rituals. We could see very clearly that God was blessing John and he was giving people a new way to have a relationship with Him. But he was doing this outside of the rules we have established over the centuries. God must not want us to turn aside from these things he ordained. We could not support John and support our tradition.”

Jesus smiles, gently speaking, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

The elders shout at the young priest, telling him to stop. But he continues, “But how can we set these things aside? They are a part of us...our tradition...our history!”. You can hear the passion and the pain in his voice as he adds, “I have known nothing but the law and the rituals of sacrifice and cleansing my whole life. They are a part of me. I cannot exist without them!”

Christ responds, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Falling to his knees, his heart torn, he pleads, “I want to, but there is so much telling me I cannot follow you. How can I know that you are Messiah?”

Jesus walks to the broken man, kneels down to him, reaches out to his face and turns it to up to His; "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

So, think about your deepest and most honest questions. With what do you struggle on a daily basis? Are you you looking for answers? We are the elders in this story, but also the young priest. Look to the Word. All of the answers we need are there. Jesus speaks to our honest questions and gives us the honest answers, whether in the Bible or when we call to Him from our yearning hearts in prayer.