Into Your Hands

 ...darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)

My Lenten discipline has been to write a devotion for each of the 40 days of Lent. My last seven entries are prayers inspired by the seven last sayings Jesus uttered from the cross. Today's prayer is based on the final words he spoke.

"Father, Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit"

From the foot of the cross I can see you, my Lord. You are high and lifted up. And I can hear what you say. Every word.

Darkness has covered us.
Not because it is night, for it is only 3 o'clock.
Darkness has covered us,
  because the sins of the world have covered you.

You cry out,
  "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

In your voice, I don't hear defeat.
I don't hear disappointment.
I don't hear sadness.

In your voice I hear the sweet surrender of trust.
And the tenderness of love.

Your work is done. It is finished.
You came to do your Father's will.
And you have done it.
And now you surrender yourself, body and soul,
  into the hands of the One you trust and love.

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

+ + + + + + +

Lord Jesus, into your hands I commit my spirit.

I have watched you on the cross.
I have seen your determination to forgive me,
  even me.
I have heard your promise of heaven,
  given without conditions.
I have received your gift of a new earthly family,
  the Church.
I have witnessed your experience of abandonment,
  which you went through because of me,
    but also for me.
I have felt the deep thirst of your soul,
  for it is my thirst as well.
I have heard you declare that it has been done,
  that you have done the will of your Father,
  and there is nothing left for you to do.
And I have watched as you entrust yourself
  into the hands of the One you love.

Lord Jesus, into your hands I commit my spirit.
How can I do otherwise?
Your love has captured me.
I give myself to you.

Into your hands I commit my spirit.

I Thirst

 

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."- John 19:28

My Lenten discipline has been to write a devotion for each of the 40 days of Lent. For my last seven entries I am submitting prayers inspired by the seven last sayings of Jesus uttered from the cross. This prayer is based on his fifth saying from the cross.

"I Thirst"

From the foot of the cross, I behold you, Lord:
  high and lifted up.
And I hear what you say from the cross.
  Every word.

Almost inaudibly, the words flow 
  from your cracked, bloodied lips: "I thirst."

Thirst. 
It is the most primal longing a human experiences.
You have joined our struggle, Lord.
You have experienced the most basic need
  any of us will ever experience: thirst.
As you hang on the cross,
  there is no human agony foreign to you.

Thirst.
It speaks to more than our physical longing.
It speaks, even more vividly, perhaps,
  to the longing of our soul:

O God, you are my God, I seek you;  my soul thirsts for you,my flesh faints for you,  as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Forsaken by God,
  you thirst.
You are experiencing the condition that I deserve,
  in order to redeem me. From my own thirst.

But may I be so bold as to consider another thirst, Lord?
Can it be that on the cross 
  you not only experience human thirst for God,
but also, maybe, are you expressing a thirst
  that God has for us?
For you have told us of the father who scans the horizon
  as if thirsting after reconciliation with his lost son;
and you have told us of the shepherd who searches
     high and low
  in deep longing to find the one lost sheep.

Could it be, dear Lord, that your thirst
  is for us to turn to you?

Either way, your thirst draws me to you.
Your thirst arises from your love.
And it makes me thirst for you,
  and for the life only you can give.

And so I thirst, too. Because you thirst.

Today, You Will Be with Me in Paradise

 

Jesus answered [the second criminal crucified alongside him], "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)

My Lenten discipline has been to write a devotion/reflection for each of the 40 days of Lent. For my last seven entries I will share prayers inspired by the seven last sayings Jesus uttered from the cross. Today's prayer is based on the second saying.

"Today You Will Be with Me in Paradise"

From the foot of the cross I can see you, Lord.
And I can hear you. I can hear every word you say.

I heard what you said to the criminal crucified at your side:
"Today you will be with me in paradise."

Are you kidding, Lord?
Don't you know what he did?
Don't you know the evil he did?
There's a reason he's hanging on the cross, you know.
He's bad. Real bad.

Are you really going to forgive him, just because he asked:
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."?
Is that all it takes?

Then I remember that you once said, 

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you."

And you also said, 

"...I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners."

And your most famous words of all:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

So maybe you meant it, after all.
Maybe the criminal's faith was enough for your forgiveness.
Maybe all he needed to do, is ask in faith. 
Maybe your forgiveness even extends
  to the really bad people, too.

Maybe your work on the cross
  covers all sins. 
Every. one. of. them.
Including my sins.

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Love So Amazing

“May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 6:14)

I love to take pictures of crosses. It’s probably because the cross is the central symbol of the Christian faith. I take that back – it’s definitely because the cross is the central symbol of the Christian faith. Crosses are ubiquitous these days – you can see them just about anywhere, and all types. They adorn steeples and sanctuaries. They hang on walls in houses. They arise from the ground in cemeteries. They dangle from ears as earrings. 

I also find crosses in nature. In the spring, when pine branches have new growth, it often looks like a cross. 

One day I was taking a hike in a local park (the same one with the copperhead – see my devotion from April 2), I saw this sapling, and I noticed that the top of it looked just like a cross. 

Last night as I was lying in bed, I looked at the door to the bedroom, and I noticed that the panels of the door form a cross. A beautiful, symmetrical cross.

Like I said, crosses are ubiquitous – they are everywhere. 

I think that the reason I notice crosses so much is because the cross is the expression of God’s love for you and me – for the whole world. It is an enigma, really, because the cross was a gruesome instrument of torture and execution. How can it be a symbol of love? 

Because of the One who died on the cross between two criminals nearly 2000 years ago.

Again, the concept of someone dying a cruel death as an expression of love is an enigma. I get it – it is gross and repulsive to think about what happened on the cross. And yet, that is exactly what we remember and celebrate every time we gather to worship in the church. In the unfathomable mystery of God’s eternal wisdom, an instrument of death was transformed into God’s ultimate expression of love.

"For God so loved the world..."

- John 3:16 

I’m not going to get into all the hows and whys that shed light on the meaning of the cross. Millions pages have been written about the cross over the millennia, I suspect. But no explanation is as clear and concise as the explanation that Jesus gave a couple of years before his death: For God so loved the world that He gave his only-begotten Son…*

We’ve all seen the scenes in the movies or TV shows where a person says to their significant other, “I love you,” for the first time. Then there is that awkward moment in which the other looks bewildered, as if he or she doesn’t know what to say in return. Meanwhile, the one who said “I love you,” is agonizing over whether or not their declaration will be reciprocated by the other. 

The cross isn’t just God’s declaration of love for us. It is also meant to elicit a response from us. God says, “I love you. I always have, and I always will.” What God really wants from us, I believe, is for us to say, “I love you, too. I really do.”

“Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all.”  (Isaac Watts, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross)

Love so amazing, so divine, indeed.

*Nerd alert: Scholars are divided over whether Jesus said those words to Nicodemus, or if John wrote them as an aside to explain what Jesus said to Nicodemus (John, chapter 3). But my red-letter Bible has that verse in red, so I’m taking John 3:16 as Jesus’ words.

The Last Word

 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with God’s people. Amen.” 

(Revelation 22:21, the last words of the Bible)

When we were in North Carolina, the city cemetery was about four blocks away from our house. It was more than the city cemetery – it was also the place where dozens of people took their daily walks every morning. For four years, I walked or jogged all the paved pathways winding through the cemetery. As a small-town cemetery, it had some beautiful natural features, sitting on a hill, a couple of scenic ponds, bordered by towering pine trees. I loved watching the hawk families hunt and nest in the trees, as well as the pileated woodpeckers (think Woody Woodpecker), kingbirds, bluebirds, cardinals, and a host of other birds flitting about. It was a very pleasant place to walk.

It’s an old cemetery, with many graves dating back to the early 19^th century. As time went on, I began to pay attention to the headstones and their designs. Some had inscriptions, some indicated military service, some had religious designs etched into the granite, and – thanks to modern computer-driven imaging – some had modern pictures carved into them. 

Some people will put a lot of thought into the headstone. Maybe a person told their loved ones their wishes regarding what to put on their headstone. Or maybe the headstone was designed by the survivors, as a way of honoring the deceased. Either way, headstones often convey some sort of message.

"Blessed Are the Pure in Heart"

I look at the headstone as an opportunity to speak a last word to any who pass by. Last words tend to be important. When someone knows that they are speaking their last words, they tend to focus on what is important to them. No small talk – just the stuff that really matters. 

I’m reminded that when Jesus was in the upper room with his disciples he knew that he wasn’t going to see them the next day. So he focused on what was really important – sharing the bread and the cup, and saying to them, “Do this in remembrance of me;” washing their feet, and saying, “Love one another as I have loved you;” praying aloud for them, “Father, may they be one, as you and I are one.”

When Jesus knew he only had a few hours left, he made every word matter.

If I have a headstone with my name on it, I want to make sure it conveys something that is important to me. I want my last words to speak of things that have stirred my heart with the goodness and mercy and grace of God. So – and this certainly will be no surprise for any of you who have known me for any period of time or who have been part of the churches I have served – I want my headstone to say something about love. And it has to come from the Bible, not something you found on the internet. 

I will leave the final details to my family, but here are a few suggestions:

Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” – John 15:12 (I figure if it is good enough to be among Jesus’ last words, it’s good enough for me. Besides, it’s also the verse reference that Carol and I have inscribed on our wedding rings).

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” – Ephesians 3:17-19

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” – 1 John 4:7-8

And recognizing that whoever arranges for the headstone may have to pay by the letter, here’s one that is a bit more succinct and to the point: “And now these three remain: Faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13

Any of these scriptures will faithfully capture the last word I wish to speak.

When all is said and done, what will be the last word you speak?

Choose wisely, because it will be carved in stone.

Great Is Their Faithfulness

 “I thank my God every time I remember you…” (Philippians 1:3)

In January I began serving in my new calling as a chaplain in a retirement community founded by the Presbyterian churches of South Carolina. It is a large community, with nearly 300 residents ranging from independent living, to assisted living, to skilled nursing and memory care. When I talk to friends about my new call, one of the things that often comes up in the conversation is, “Oh, you have to deal with a lot of death. That must wear you down.”

It’s true, people pass away in my current setting at a higher rate than they have at any church I have served. But that’s because we have no residents who are under 65 years old. Old people tend to die more often than young people. That’s a basic fact of life. 

And to be sure, there are some moments that the emotional toll of frequent encounters with death weighs heavily on me. But as a person whose hope is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the heaviness of death is short-lived. And it’s okay to experience some measure of sadness, because sadness is often an indication of the love that we have had for the one who has passed away. Ultimately, I consider it a sacred privilege to be able to accompany a person and their loved ones on their journey into the valley of the shadow of death.

At a memorial service, one of the things that I always point out is that the one whose life we are celebrating and remembering wasn’t just a friend or family member. That person was also someone whom God used to bear witness to God’s love, grace, compassion, care, and countless other traits of God that we hold dear. You see, the person whom we are remembering was a child of God who bore the image of God in their being. And as such, many aspects of the person’s life bore witness to God’s goodness and mercy.

A mother who never stopped thinking about the needs of her children bore witness to the never-ending, never-sleeping nature of God’s love for you and me.

A man who never met a stranger bore witness to the gracious hospitality of our Lord.

A person who was a gifted artist bore witness to the creative beauty of God.

The woman who tended the nursery at the church for 50 years showed us what it looks like to obey Jesus’ command to “let the little children come unto me.”

The doctor who spent his or her vacations on medical mission trips gave us glimpses into the mercy and compassion of God for those whom the world considers “the least of these.”

You get the picture, don’t you? The truth is, none of the saints whose lives we celebrate ever said, “Hey, look at me – I’m bearing witness to God’s love.” But they lived their lives in such a way that there can be no denying that God used them to give us glimpses into God’s grace, love, righteousness, justice, and glory.

"Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses..."

- Hebrews 12:1 

The writer of the New Testament letter to the Hebrews speaks at length of the faith of those who have gone before us, and the witness that they have provided to us. And then he told us to let their example embolden and encourage us in our own lives of faith: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1) 

I truly believe that one of the gifts that we receive when loved ones die is the gift of a faithful witness to life in Christ. It is a gift that inspires me to live in such a way that one day when people look back on my life, they will not only talk about me, but they will also talk about the God they saw in me.

Don't Be a Snake

 “You snakes! You brood of vipers!” (Matthew 23:33)

I’m not a fan of snakes. Especially snakes that are within 10 feet of me. I really don’t like those snakes.

“But that’s a good snake,” some will say.

No. It’s not. It’s a snake. It can’t be good.

I do have to admit, though, if I am far enough away and I have the zoom lens on my camera, I like to take pictures of snakes. To be clear, I like the pictures, not the snakes.

About 10 days ago Carol and I decided to take a hike in a local county park. We had hiked in the park before. It has nice trails, and it’s perfect for when we don’t have time to drive a long distance to get to a place to hike. Except on this particular day. Because there was a snake. Not just any snake, but a copperhead. The poisonous kind. 

We were walking along, and I was looking for birds and flowers to photograph, and suddenly Carol stopped me in my tracks. Literally three feet away was this copperhead on the trail. I jumped back – probably about 25 feet – and I said a bad word. Or two. Snakes make me do that.

We let the copperhead finish crossing the trail, and just to be safe we walked about 100 feet around it to pass it. My Fitbit registered a heart rate of about 200 beats per minute that day.

Did I mention that I am not a fan of snakes?

I’m not alone in this. Jesus evidently did not have a high opinion of snakes. Why else would he call the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees “snakes” and “brood of vipers”?

"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?"

Jesus, Matthew 23:33 

Just a few days before he was to be crucified, Jesus sealed his fate by leveling curse after curse at the “teachers of the law and Pharisees.” Jesus called them out for their hypocrisy. They make entry into the kingdom of heaven impossible by imposing all sorts of rules and regulations. They split hairs with the Old Testament law in order to manipulate it to their advantage while oppressing others. They put on good appearances to hide the greed and self-indulgence in their hearts. They pretend to be righteous in order to cover up their own wickedness. 

It’s in the twenty-third chapter of Matthew. You should read that chapter every once in a while. It’s not pretty.

For years, I would read the words of Jesus directed at the Pharisees, and in my heart I would say, “You tell them, Jesus! Preach it! I sure hope so-and-so can hear what you’re saying.” I would puff up in my own self-righteousness and say to myself, “I’m sure glad I’m not like those hypocrites.”

But at some point I began to read those passages differently. As I heard Jesus crying out against the ones who claimed to have it all together, every once in a while I could have sworn that I heard him call my name. Because if I’m honest with myself, I have a bit of Pharisee in me. I suspect we all do.

Yeah, you too.

And so instead of smiling smugly as Jesus lets the hypocrites have it, I now approach these particular verses with a more prayerful attitude. I use these verses to examine the hypocrisy in my own heart, and the ways that I try to hide my own shortcomings while focusing on the shortcomings of others. These verses remind me that I, too, build up walls and barriers that make it impossible for some to enter the kingdom. These verses show me how I manipulate the rules to ensure that I am among the “in” group.

These verses remind me that I don’t want to be this way, and that Jesus doesn’t want me to be this way.

You see, I don’t like snakes, and I don’t want someone to call me a snake. Especially, I don’t want Jesus to call me a snake.

Part of the purpose of the season of Lent is for us to examine our hearts and remember why it is that we need a Savior. That means engaging in a good bit of humility and honesty about our own unrighteousness. It’s hard work, but worth it.

So next time you read about Jesus saying some harsh words to religious people, listen closely, because you might just hear him mention your name.

Remember

 “As I lie in bed I remember you…” (Psalm 63:6)

If you’re on Facebook, you know that the first time you log on every day you are shown some pictures from the same date one or more years ago. It’s Facebook’s way of stirring your memory of something that was important enough to post in the past. They even have a link to your account’s “Memories”, and at the top of the page it says, “We hope you enjoy looking back and sharing your memories on Facebook, from the most recent to long ago.” Here’s my Facebook memory for today, from April 1, 2021 (which was Good Friday):

Photos help me to remember. In the dark gray days of winter, I can look at pictures I have taken of beautiful spring and summer flowers and butterflies. The pictures of past experiences of nature’s beauty assure me that there are more such experiences in my future. 

Remembering the past gives me hope for the future.

Memories are a wonderful way to trigger faith. It is in the act of remembering that we can look back in our lives and see the goodness of God active. Remembering will help us recall all the ways that God has blessed us, as well as ways that God has brought us through difficult times. Remembering how God has provided for us, guided us, watched over us, blessed us, and cared for us in the past will affirm God’s faithfulness and steadfast love for us. 

In the 63^rd psalm David says, 

As I lie in bed, I remember you;
    all night long I think of you,
     because you have always been my help.

(Psalm 63:6-7a)

It is in remembering God that David realizes that God has always been there for David, always helping him along the way, through thick and through thin. Knowing that God has always been his help, David chooses to trust God for the future: 

In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
I cling to you,
    and your hand keeps me safe.

(Psalm 63:7b-8)

When we remember God’s loving and saving actions on our behalf in the past, then we are confident in God’s loving and saving actions on our behalf in the present, and we are filled with hope that God will act similarly in the future. Remembering God from our past gives us hope for the future. To reflect upon God’s amazing providence in our lives in the past will give us confidence as we face an uncertain future.

I’m pretty sure that Jesus knew that memory is a powerful aid to faith when he shared his last meal with his disciples. For in that meal, he said, “Take and eat… Do this in remembrance of me,” and “Drink of this, all of you… Do this in remembrance of me.” Jesus knew, I’m pretty sure, that when we remember what he has done for us, then we will be filled with hope and strength to endure the present and to face the future. Jesus knew, I’m pretty sure, that when we remember the immeasurable depth of the love that he has shown to us, then we can be sure that the same love is being poured out upon us today, and the same love will be poured out upon us every today that we live – all the way into eternity.

I don’t know what the future holds for me. But I remember the ways that God has brought me through life thus far, and so I can face the future with peace and assurance. 

Because God is faithful. 

I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know God. 

And that is enough to get me through today.

Seeking Our Daily Bread

 “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

One of the things that we absolutely had to make sure we brought with us when we moved from North Carolina back to South Carolina was our bluebird house. In fact, the very first load from our storage unit to our new house included the bluebird house, which I promptly set up in our yard.

For the first couple of years when we were in North Carolina, we had no birds use the birdhouse in our backyard. But in 2020 and 2021 we had at least three families nest, hatch, and fledge from the house: two chickadee families, and one bluebird family. We loved watching the birds take up residence, carrying grass clippings and other nesting material. Then we would wait patiently for signs that the eggs had hatched. We would notice much more frequent trips to and fro by the mother bird, as well as more frequent visits from the father bird in the case of the bluebirds. The mother birds would be carrying seeds or bugs in their beaks (or mealworms that Carol had placed on nearby feeders).

Every once in a while we were fortunate enough to see a tiny head from one of the chicks peek out from the birdhouse, obviously waiting for its next meal. On even more rare occasions, I was able to get a picture of the baby bird. In the nest, the baby birds look only to the mother to for nourishment. They depend wholly on their mother to give them what they need to live.

"Bless the Lord... who satisfies your desires with good things."

(Psalm 103:1, 5) 

Where do you turn for what you need to live? On what or Whom do you depend for life itself? In the middle of the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray we find the simple petition, “Give us this day our daily bread.” That simple petition is the acknowledgment that we depend on God. When we pray that petition, we are asking God for the physical and spiritual resources we need in order to live.

That simple petition, “Give us this day our daily bread,” refocuses our heart. It reminds us that we have a good and loving God who provides us with what we need and who nourishes us, body and soul. To pray that petition is to affirm that God is the object of our faith and trust in our pursuit of health and well-being and happiness and satisfaction.

The psalmist urges us, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – ...who satisfies your desires with good things.” (Psalm 103:1-2, 5) To pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” is to recognize that it is God to whom we look to satisfy the desires of our hearts. 

And because God is good and loving and compassionate, then we expect that God will answer us by satisfying our desires with good things.

And that is a good thing.

New and Improved

 “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare…” (Isaiah 42:9)

So, my wife and I are butterfly farmers. Purely amateur, mind you – we don’t have USDA certification or anything like that. But over the past three years we have released over 200 monarch butterflies, and about 75 black swallowtail butterflies. And so we consider ourselves farmers of sorts.

The overall process of attracting the mother butterflies, nurturing the caterpillars, providing them with a space to form their chrysalises, and then releasing the newly-emerged butterflies takes several weeks from start to finish (even longer in the case of some of the black swallowtails, which sometimes remain in their chrysalis through the winter, emerging when the warm weather of spring returns).

Over the years, I have taken countless photos (surprise!), and have even managed to capture the process of the caterpillars pupating into a chrysalis, as well as the moment they emerge. IMO, it’s really cool. You can watch the videos by clicking on this link and this link.

It is an amazing thing to consider the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. Even though the DNA of the caterpillar is identical to the DNA of the butterfly that emerges from the chrysalis, nobody would ever claim that the caterpillar and the butterfly are identical. Indeed, the butterfly is completely new and different from the caterpillar. The butterfly can never go back to being a caterpillar.

When I consider the amazing transformation that results in the creation of a butterfly, I can’t help but being reminded that our God is all about the business of making all things new. God is all about redemption and renewal.

“...new things I declare”

“See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare,” says the Lord (Isaiah 42:9). You and I may be prone to letting the past drag us down. Our failures haunt us. We dwell on the things that have wounded us. We let our regrets weigh us down. It’s understandable that we are like this, because in a sense the past is the only reality that we know – the future hasn’t been defined yet.

Only, we do have a future. God has a wonderful plan for us. God doesn’t dwell on our past like we do. Indeed, God sees not what we have done or been, but what we will become by the transforming power of his grace and love. “I know the plans I have for you,” to quote an overly-quoted verse of the Bible, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (that’s Jeremiah 29:11, but you probably already knew that). 

By the grace of God, you and I do not have to let the past weigh us down. We are no longer defined by the mistakes we have made and the ways that we have fallen short; we are defined by the infinite steadfast love of God which never ceases, a love that declares to us, “whoever is in Christ is a new creation – the old has gone, and the new has come”! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

It might just be me, but I happen to think that, even though the caterpillar looks pretty cool, the butterfly that emerges from the chrysalis is infinitely more amazing and beautiful. 

If God will do that with a caterpillar, just think of what God will do with you and me.