Day 31: God's Hospitality

Many, many years ago my daughter was dating the nicest young man. One night he came and ate dinner with our family. Perhaps this seemed like torture for him, but we all liked him so much that it was a great treat for us! Our youngest son was a little guy at that time, and he eagerly took the seat next to his new best friend. We made it through the blessing without incident, and then we politely passed the food around the table (the way you serve food when guests are present). All seemed to go according to plan until our youngest, eager to be a big guy, tried to serve himself. You’ve no doubt had a situation like this: you see a disaster developing, and you’re frozen. You can’t move or speak. I watched in horrified fascination as Michael dug deeply into the bowl of rice. It was kind of sticky, and he tried to muscle it out with both hands on the serving spoon. As if in slow motion, I saw the spoon lift from the bowl, and the rice went flying—right onto our guest, landing deftly in his shirt pocket. Does one laugh or cry at times like these? Calm as a cucumber, our guest continued to pass food. I don’t even remember him giving the far-flung rice a moment’s notice. You gotta love a guest like that!

In our family lore, the rice incident represents an attempt by both host and guest to show hospitality. Perhaps it went a little awry, but the intent was clear. In biblical times, it was an act of hospitality to anoint a guest’s head with oil. Today if you try it, you might get in trouble! But back in the day, it would be an act of disrespect not to anoint one’s guest. Anointing literally means to “make fat” or “richly bathed”—all good things in those days. (Again, I do not recommend trying to fatten or bathe guests in modern-day times! I am not sure if rice counts.)

Have you ever considered the fact that you live on a planet on which you are a guest? You are invited by God Himself. Everything you experience in the way of provision is at the hands of the Good Shepherd—the ultimate host with the most. Gravity, temperature, water supply, oxygen levels, food—all is provided for us in exactly the right levels so that we can thrive.

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

James 1: 16-18 NLT

It seems to me that during this season of isolation, maybe there are clumsy ways we can still be hospitable to one another. We can find a way to be gracious. What do you think you could do to contribute to the pool of lovingkindness God so wants us all to swim in?

Day 32: Lead by the Shepherd's Staff..

In yesterday’s blog we discussed the shepherd’s rod and its value to the safety and welfare of the sheep. We considered how God shows us how He uses His rod to assist us, not harm us. If the rod provides for the sheep through power, authority, discipline, and defense, then the staff provides protection through gentle encouragement and comfort.

Usually the staff is a long, slender stick with a hook on one end. Even the shepherd is comforted by the staff, as he uses it to lean on for support and strength. Phillip Keller (author of A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23) reports that one of the most beautiful scenes in the life of a shepherd is when they pick up newborn lambs with the staff to give the lamb to her mother. If the shepherd touches the lamb, there is a risk that the mother will reject the baby because of the odor of the shepherd’s hand. Shy or timid sheep in need of inspection are often drawn to the shepherd by the staff. Most often, the shepherd guides the sheep gently onto a new path, through a treacherous route, or through a narrow gate with his staff. A gentle pressure from the long, slender stick applied to the side of the sheep is usually enough to get them on the right track.

Keller illustrates this principle in his book:

“Being stubborn creatures sheep often get into the most ridiculous and preposterous dilemmas. I have seen my own sheep, greedy for one more mouthful of green grass, climb down steep cliffs where they slipped and fell into the sea. Only my long shepherd’s staff could lift them out of the water back onto solid ground again. One winter day I spent several hours rescuing a ewe that had done this very thing several times before. Her stubbornness was her undoing” (p. 102-103).

Have you ever wondered why, in the midst of a situation, it seems as if you are snatched out of it for no apparent reason? I had a great friend who lost a job she loved. She felt it was snatched out from under her, but she realized a few months later that if she had stayed in that job it would have been detrimental to her well-being. What seemed like cruel fate turned out to be the staff of God.

Faithful is he who is calling you [to himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keep you].

1 Thessalonians 5:15 (Amplified version)

It is my prayer that each of us will come to experience an abundance of comfort—even in the midst of fearful situations—because we appreciate the bigness, the mercy, and the presence of our Good Shepherd. Whether by rod or staff, may we recognize the hand of God in our lives, and trust its intentions for good, not for evil.

Day 33: God, the Good Shepherd

What are we supposed to expect the day after Jesus’ birth? Maybe this is a good question to explore while we wait for his arrival. This is not our first holiday season rodeo. On December 26th people we love, even ourselves may still struggle, suffer, and definitely not end up perpetually perky - even if we love God with all our heart! What’s up with that? Is that normal? Does that mean we didn’t do this Advent thing “right?” How does this very big God respond to our human frailties? Maybe we are not as faithful as we think? Could that be it? Whose to blame here?!?

Scripture is loaded with references to a shepherd’s tools of the trade: the rod and the staff. Maybe thinking about them might shed some light on our lived experience as a child of God.

First, let’s consider the rod. The rod was the power weapon for a shepherd. Custom-fit for his size and shape, the traditional rod was made from a young sapling and carved with great care. The enlarged base remained a rounded head of hardwood. Shepherds might use the rod to bash in the head of a poisonous snake or to fend off a hungry lion. A wayward sheep might even feel the nudge of the rod as a way to get his attention. The rod had another use too. It was sometimes used to inspect the sheep, pulling away the wool to expose the skin. Without this careful inspection, diseases could go undetected—ultimately endangering the entire flock.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalm 139:23, 24 NIV

As a Good Shepherd, God doesn’t wake up every morning for the sole purpose of making us happy. He’s training us for a grand epic adventure (think step twelve). This training requires discipline (remember process not perfection). Sometimes God finds it necessary to whip out His rod too. If we value God’s refining fire of presence, we find comfort under the rod of His discipline. He doesn’t beat us with it. He uses it as a tool for examination purposes. No one likes it when the doctor uses a tongue depressor but we love it when she gives us medicine that cures our strep throat. May you enjoy God’s hand of discipline today, for it signifies His lovingkindness and intent to prepare you for an excellent adventure. When God takes the time to prod us with His rod—with His loving gaze focused solely on us—we are at that moment the object of His love and affection. This is awesome - to have God’s undivided attention!

Day 34: The Vastness of God

Yesterday we pondered the “bigness” of God and how that good news could comfort us when we were counting on Him to rescue us. What if we feel so small, “less than,” and unworthy that we fear the greatness of God? Whether “big” is comforting or terrifying depends upon one’s point of view, right? Yesterday we learned that when Isaiah saw the vastness of God, he became undone. If all Isaiah saw of God was His bigness, he would have stayed undone. Isaiah knew another thing about God: the bigness of His heart.

“ “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and you iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.’ “

Isaiah 6:6-7

When confronted with the bigness of God, we realize our smallness. When granted the mercy, grace, and forgiveness of God, we are comforted.

Forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities…who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things…”

David speaking on the forgiveness of God in Psalm 103:2-5

If you've had a spiritual awakening, you know this stuff already in a profoundly personal way. But perhaps, as we wait for Jesus, we might benefit from remembering back to the days when we were more intimidated by God than intimate with Him. If you’ve got it all together (this must mean you are not living in the year 2020), pray for patience with those who are still running on empty. There is no need to give in to the temptation to make God smaller in a misguided attempt to comfort. Isaiah was undone, and it was the best thing that ever happened to him.

BUT...it was God who did the undoing. And that is significant. As we move toward our holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I pray we will figure out some small way to do a big thing: be a healer, a mender, a repairer of torn things. This is a year that has left most of us fragile. We should all have a sticker in plain sight: FRAGILE HANDLE WITH CARE. It probably wouldn’t hurt to also have a label that reads: THIS SIDE UP. Because - who knows what’s what this year?

Day 35: In His Hand...

Often in December, as a way to prepare, I utilize the 12-steps of AA to guide my quiet time. In particular, I try to make it to the 12th step - Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all our affairs.

A spiritual awakening is a big deal; it seems to me that it requires a big God to wake our sleepy selves up. Isaiah helps us catch a glimpse of the power and glory of God. He should know. No one seems to know exactly how this happened—a dream, a vision, whatever—but Isaiah was given a glimpse of the Lord. When Isaiah shares with us the utter hugeness of God, we need to listen!

Isaiah asks a series of questions in chapter 40, verse 12: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?”

God needs a pretty big hand to hold the water of planet earth. He reports that the palm of God’s hand must be capable of holding 912,500 cubic miles of water. Think about it. That’s 912,500 miles high, 912,500 miles deep, and 912,500 miles wide—all sitting nicely in the palm of God’s hand. No wonder His robe is so gigantic!

Shaquille O’Neal has a pretty big hand. You notice its size if you ever see him grab a basketball and hold it like it was a grape. But Shaq’s hand is nothing compared to the hand of God. God can span the diameter of the earth from the tip of His thumb to the tip of His little finger—25,326 miles in diameter.

When we pray, “Lord, I’m placing this in your hands,” or when we say to our friend, “I’ve just got to put this in God’s hands and leave it there,” don’t think of this as a small thing. Don’t shrug your shoulders. Don’t act like whatever your “thing” is it will be a real stretch for God to hold gently in his palm. This is the guy who can hold 912,500 cubic miles of water in His hand!

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1 NIV