03/18/2024
One more thing about Pastor Jessica's message:
To Be Jesus’ BFF
There are Bible scholars who have come to believe that Lazarus was probably the best friend Jesus had—outside his family and disciples. He is often in the home of Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. When there, it feels like Jesus is in a place where he can let his hair down among friends.
What an incredible compliment: to be the place at which Jesus feels most welcome and at home. To be a friend who doesn’t want something or need something or expect something from this extraordinary man. To be able to enjoy Jesus for who he is without an agenda other than to appreciate all the things that made him unique—wow—how fantastic would that be?
One of the undersold aspects of prayer is a kind of Listening Prayer in which we simply invite ourselves to come into the presence of Jesus on his terms, with no expectation of getting anything other than the gift of his presence. There is great satisfaction in simply ‘being’ in a kind of reverent companionship with our Master. In fact, Jesus goes out of his way in John’s gospel to say that he doesn’t regard us only as his disciples, or servants, or heralds—but that he welcomes us as friends.
As we get closer and closer to Easter, I’d encourage to try and find new and creative ways to appreciate and enjoy the friendship Jesus is offering you. Take a short ten minutes every day to come into the presence of this amazing man and let him set the agenda. Just be in the presence of he who is in so many ways “the ground of our being.”
What a friend we have in Jesus, the great, old hymn proclaims. It’s time to step into the shoes of Lazarus and learn once again what it means to move through life with that kind of companionship and friendship.
Archived Posts
Prayer Changes Things
Here is a transcript of the prayer I prayed at the end of yesterday’s sermon.
Optimism, Faith, and Hope:
Practical Steps For Increasing All Three
Here are some practical, spiritual, and relational ways to grow faith, hope and optimism:
Listening Heart
It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. Wisdom in the Bible is all about listening. Of course it makes sense that wisdom would start with listening to God, to God’s law and commandments, as well as the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Here are some quotes that
didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon.
(But it doesn’t mean that they don’t offer real insight into the power of risk over the fear of failure...)
Such A Rich Passage (Luke 19:1-10)
I reflected a lot on the passage about Zacchaeus because it has been written off as “been there, read that, little guy in a tree.” But it is so rich in getting to the heart of what it means to be saved by grace through faith—to live our lives out of gratitude rather than obligation.
The Power of Presence
This last Sunday I had so much more to share than time to share it. The last Emotional Management Technique was to stay present in the process. Just as Jesus stayed with the woman who was judged and found guilty by the angry crowd, we stay by our children and our friends, especially when they need us the most. Here a couple of examples...
What’s In A Benediction?
Last Sunday I used one of my favorite benedictions.
It was inspired by a saying from about ten years ago: