Wednesday

What would you do if you knew you were about to be betrayed by a friend; That a loved one would violate your relationship? Confront, avoid, retaliate? How about serve? Jesus knows he will be betrayed in that way and his response is to get down on his knees and wash feet. To take a servants job in humility. We, like Peter, would probably have a hard time allowing Jesus to do this. He shares equality with God and he demonstrates love through humility and service. Mark 10:45 says "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many". So what does Jesus ask in return? That we serve. That we follow his example. That we should do for others as he has done for us. In a status obsessed culture that despises humility this can be quite a challege for us. Let's consider today that if the Son of God can walk in service and humility in the face of betrayal, we just might be able to as well.

Scripture reading: John 13

Tuesday

Matthew 25:1-13 is a teaching that Jesus gave the week of his death and resurrection. As the followers of Jesus still don't fully grasp the immediate future that this week will bring Jesus draws attention to a more distant yet ever approaching reality. Jesus will return! At Easter we celebrate the victory that Christ has over sin and death and what that means for us in the present as well as the future. Christ has promised that he will return for his people. Jesus reminds his disciples of this in John 14:1-4 as he comforts them in the present with the promise of a glorious future. The message of the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25 is that we need to be prepared. We need to be ready. No one can know the mind or timing of God. God alone holds these mysteries. This holy week let's be mindful of the promises of God. Allow his promise of a future in eternity with him to fill you with hope today and everyday. We don't know when he will return but we do know his timing will be perfect. Let's commit to live in readiness and great anticipation!

Monday

Palm Sunday is a reminder for the Christian community that praise can very quickly be replaced by apathy, disappointment and even outright rebellion. What must Monday have been like? There was confusion among the disciples, misguided expectations from the masses and seething hatred from the religious elite. Jesus knew that the crowds would quickly turn on him. He knew that some of his closest friends would betray him. He knew that he would endure great pain at the hands of humanity and he loved anyway. He wept over a misguided city, he conforted troubled disciples and he took time with people in the midst of his own anguish. And he did this because they deserved such grace? Not at all. He did it out of love, sacrifice and humility. Let's reflect today on how the grace of Jesus extends to us in the midst of our confusion, doubt, misguided expectations and on many occassions our betrayal.

Scripture reading: Luke 19:28-44, John 12:37-50

Care-Takers

I'm so excited about our new sermon series "Care-Takers". There are so many things that God entrusts to us as humans, and it can often be overwhelming to consider what this responsibility means in our everyday life. He must think pretty highly of us because He really expects a lot. The question is "Are we taking our responsibilty seriously?". I watched the season opener of the tv show Lost last night (a night I've been anxiously awaiting like a child for Christmas). The plot thickens, and now we are viewing parallel universes! Now what "is" and what "could be" are both reality. Ok, here's the tie in (possibly a stretch, but I don't think so). We often view life in terms of what is, and what could be. The problem is that in a world of skepticism we often pass off what "could be" as idealistic or as a fairy tale. The problem is that God is calling us to live in what "could be". He is calling us to a new reality, a new existence, another way of living. This is what the sermon on the mount is all about in the gospel of Matthew. Let's agree together to begin forming a new existence. What are we doing with the responsibility that God has given us?

The World is Made of Art

One of the perks of living in Hawaii are those drives you take where the ocean is out one window, and the mountains are out the other. A dramatic sight no matter how used to it you are. I was taking one such drive a few months back with my family. My daughter Addy (5 at the time), and my son Kai (4) were going back and forth naming their favorite things. Without any prompting they began to talk about the beauty of the mountains and the ocean that were seemingly within an arms reach. Addy let out a big sigh of wonder and with all the awe of a five year old said, "It's kinda like the world is made of art". When it comes to God's creation, and the beauty that constantly surrounds us I'm not sure it could be said any better than that. Whether you're on the Hawaiian coastline of the north shore, or you're in the desert of Lancaster, Ca, there are moments and opportunities to see the brilliant masterpiece God has created. Don't miss a chance this week to stop and marvel!

Life Unplugged

In 1989 MTV's Unplugged aired its first episode with Squeeze, Syd Straw and Elliot Easton. These aren't exactly household names today, but nevertheless the hit series was born. Not a completely original concept. MTV drew from the popularity of performances over the previous two decades where artists gave a more stripped down, intimate, acoustic look at their music. Artists like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Pete Townshend, Sting, and Phil Collins had big success with this format. MTV went on to showcase acoustic sets of music from popular artists over the last two decades. Apparently you can take away the amps, effects, electronic modification, and high tech production and still have a hit. What MTV ended up with is a more intimate, accessable look at music. Something about stripping away layers upon layers of exterior noise and production created a great connection with viewers and listeners. I'm realizing this week that we often have to "unplug" to really get to this level of honesty and intimacy in our lives. This struck me the other day as I was checking my facebook and two email accounts while texting my wife, listening to music on Pandora, singing outloud and organizing my desk. When is the last time you just unplugged and enjoyed the silence? If you cant remember when, its been too long. God wants us to experience a deep level of intimacy with him, but the question is how many layers of noise and technology does He have to break through? The irony that I'm writing this in a blog is not lost on me. Technology is not the enemy. Sometimes its just a good idea to unplug, and maybe...just maybe it will be quiet enough to hear the whispers of God.

Don't Forget to Party

Do you ever find yourself so busy "doing" life that you realize you've stopped living it? What does your list look like today? Homework, house, bills, appointments, kids, dogs (after the kids of course), gym, drop off, pick up, go to work, clock in, clock out, TB test, call grandma, do laundry, re-do laundry cause it sat for three days without being dried, groceries, and set DVR for So You Think You Can Dance. Sounds like fun right? Responsibilities abound. And let's be honest, the list is not going to start shrinking any time soon. If anything we just add on more. Should we stop doing these things? Probably not. But is there time in the day to party a little? Jesus seems to think so. I love that the first recorded puplic miricle of Jesus is at a wedding party. If we stop to think about it, the timing wasn't really all that great. Just three days earlier Jesus had called his first disciples, and they began to follow him. This would have been the perfect time to get to work. Hit the ground running so to speak. 7:00...find more disciples, 8:00...teach them how to preach, 9:00...go to the temple, 10:00...challenge the thought of the religious leaders, 11:00...study the scriptures, 12:00...explain the scriptures, 1:00...heal the sick and teach the masses, so an and so forth. If Jesus had a strategist this would seem productive. After all time is limited right? So how does Jesus begin His ministry. He parties. And he brings the disciples with him. Why? Because he chooses to live. To love. To celebrate. He chooses people over systems. He performs the miricle of turning water into wine. Not a miricle of bad to good, but of good to better. Jesus lives live. He cares about people. He takes time even though he senses urgency. Life is filled with tasks...and they're important. They need to be done. No argument there. In the midst of the list don't forget to live. Don't forget to love. Don't forget to party.