I was deeply moved a few weeks ago when I visited with a man who was undergoing a siege of difficulty.   Family members around the country were dealing with extraordinary challenges from health issues to finances.  Joblessness, transportation issues all compounded the immense pain that was being endured.
What moved me was not the enormity of the suffering but the response to it.  It was matched only by the passion of those recorded here in scripture.   As I listened to the long litany of need the man said, “We are trusting the Lord to bring us through this!  We are praying every day for his answer to our need!”

What do you say to that, but Amen!  May I join you in that prayer for God to work things out in ways we can not even begin to imagine.   I share that with you in the same way this passage says I can’t help but tell you of the things of God.

This is what the apostles said, “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”  What is sad is when we have seen nothing and heard nothing!   When bold things are not attempted and the gates of Hell are not rattled, then life is uneventful. What a sad state of affairs is that?  The Christ followers here were in need of prayer because they were giving testimony to the life changing experiences and events that occurred as a result of the resurrection of Jesus.   Life was not normal!  Life was not routine!  Life was exciting!  Life had huge altering elements that would make people stand in opposition to the leadership of the nation. It was so important that people were willing to face death to tell the truth of God’s act in Jesus.

Perhaps it is not unlike the spring of revolution we see across the world.  When you come up against death and oppression you stand for what you believe in knowing you are going to die either way. So the real choice is to stand for what is right and good.  Patrick Henry once said, “Give me liberty or give me death!”  Death was not the worst outcome. Living without a greater liberty was worse than death for him.

These Christ followers were saying something similar.  “We can not stop speaking of what we know to be true.  Kill us if you will but we stand for Christ!”  Jesus himself said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
What does a group of leaders do once they hear a response like this from those who are committed to Jesus?  The scripture says, “After further threats they let them go.  They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.”

What had happened? A man was miraculously healed! He was over forty years old.  Just so you know that was considered old in that period.  Most did not live to be 30.  The leaders thought they were past this Jesus thing.  Now they find out he is still healing and working as if he had never been hung on a cross!

So what was the normal practice of Christ followers when facing challenge? The Believers Prayed! Once released for witnessing to the Resurrection of Jesus, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.  Can you image what our Board Meeting or Elders meeting would be like if we had the Board officers come report that the city officials said we could no longer bear witness to Christ!

This is a double edged sword isn’t it?  On the one hand we still have to imagine it.   In many parts of the world it is common.  Many Christians are dying, being dismembered and jailed around the world. Just a week ago a teacher in Yemen was killed for allegedly giving a Gospel presentation.

The other side of the sword is that it may not be that long before we face that challenge.  I want to be thoughtful and not hate mongering or to be an alarmist, but several of us in this church have had the discussion (including in our Elders meetings) about religious persecution and potential Shari law proponents in our country.  In this political cycle there has much being said about religious freedom, hate speech, and attacks on traditional religious expressions particularly Christian.

What is my point?  My point is that it is not new!  My point is that it may be easy to achieve if we don’t have anything to report.  I once heard this statement.   “If I were on trial for my faith would there be enough evidence to convict me?  Would there even be enough for a grand jury investigation”?  What would we do if we had the Elders report a challenge to our faith and practice?  This is what happened in the first century.  When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God rather than cower behind closed doors as they had only weeks before.

Prayer was not the last resort but the first point of the agenda!  Hear the prayer.  The very first words are hard for us.  It says, “Sovereign Lord!”  The Sovereignty of God is hard for us to accept!  It means that God is the last word on everything.  We want God to make sense to us!  We want God to be accountable to our world view and sensibilities.   We want God to answer to our rules of engagement.  To say Sovereign God is to admit from the get go that we have no say in it!  We are truly seeking higher power to get a divine resolution to an incredible challenge.

Human insight is not enough!  Recently a report came out concerning the prayer life of Presidents.   It said no matter what the faith experience was going in to office, one soon learns that the demands of the office needs a Godly perspective.  Prayer becomes a necessity!

While these exact words do not need to be repeated as a mantra; they express the concept or perspective of Sovereignty.  They said the following in their petition, “You made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.  You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David.”

What is going on here psychologically?  They are recalling the history of their people where God demonstrated sovereignty and victory for those who stayed close to God’s heart.  It is like saying, ‘Lord I am recalling how you helped me when mom was sick!   I remember how you brought us through a hard economic time in years gone by.  I am counting on you again just like I did when I lost my job and the mortgage was paid.    You have always found a way when we could not!

That is the nature of these faithful people.  They call out to a God who opened an eternal window of hope when all seemed lost.  When they thought Jesus was dead and in the grave, God worked powerfully to raise him from the dead.  When they thought he had abandoned them as he ascended into heaven, the Gift of Pentecost came.   The Holy Spirit came as promised!

Are we not at the same place?  In our uncertainty and great need, don’t we also need to cry out for grace, power, and sense of unifying mission?   We don’t need more people to do more work!  We need for more people to know of God’s work!   The rest will follow.

Jesus says, “The heavenly Father knows what you need. So seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So, don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  Yes, seek first the Kingdom of God, not programs or projects that justify or validate ourselves.

When we don’t understand what is going on, we don’t tend to ask questions, even universal ones?  When we hear about Iran, Israel, oil prices and the rest, don’t we ask these very words from their prayer?  “‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.”

Perhaps because many of us have grown up in the church we are even more confounded by the attacks against Christ.  We can become almost milk toast followers who lop along unconcerned about much other than if our pet project will be funded!   It does not occur to us that a great deal is at stake.

That is what many Christians in Europe in the 1920’s found out.  It is what is being discovered now in the west.   Governments and anti- Christian movements are attempting to marginalize Christ followers.   We are to become a sect at worst and one of many at best, with muffled voices that no longer proclaim a life altering Gospel.

When churches around the world are becoming museums, antique stores, and coffee shops what is the hope of the world?   We still have a story to tell to the nations.  We have a person, Jesus Christ, who has come, is here and is coming more powerfully to save the world!  That remains our unchanged mission.  Conspiracy and hatred still rage but so does the solution need to be presented today!

Hear the word of God, “Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.  They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”  Hear again their understanding of God’s providence!  “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”  Notice they did not retreat!  They did not move back as they had in the days following the crucifixion!  They took it to them!  They did not pray for protection!  Instead they prayed for Boldness!  I could use a healthy measure of that!   How about you?

When I see the state of the mainline church I am sickened!  I don’t want to be a reformer or religious bureaucrat. So I tend not to spend much energy here.  I see church after church in decline.  I see resources dwindling.  I see concern for institution more than a passion to boldly tell the story of Jesus and his love.

Just so you know I have said often and repeat now the best thing I believe I can do in these days is to help you build the strongest local church I can!  From that will come compassionate mission and focus.  I want to help you build a sustainable light house of hope that is a beacon of Christ into this part of the world.

On my desk pad are these words.  What does the Lord want?  That is the nature of this prayer!  What does the church need? What can I do to help the Church achieve it! How may I best serve her?  I hope you get the order of things.  God first, Church second, me last.

So doesn’t it make sense that we go to God first.  They ask God to do what he has already been doing.  “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”  That is what I desire also!  Do in our time Lord what you have always done. Let us see firsthand what people through the generations saw.

Like singer Bonnie Raitt says, “Let’s give them something to talk about!”  Change something or someone, not for our sake, but so the world may believe!  Do your work in us to bolster us and give us confidence when persecution comes as it inevitably will.

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”  Pentecost was revisited upon them.  What I would not give, for that to happen here!   Fill us with the Holy Spirit and shake us to our roots Lord so we might be bold in these days and the days to come!

Interestingly one of the most intriguing people who ever lived remains a curiosity to many.  People want to know what Jesus was about.  What did he really think in his heart of hearts?  The good news is that no one needs hack anything to find out.  Jesus was very transparent and open about his life.  He was publicly vulnerable and privately consistent.

There is an ongoing debate among clergy about self disclosure.  Some say that one should never tell a personal struggle in a sermon.  Others say it makes the struggle of living more meaningful to those who journey with us.  Appropriate self disclosure is telling your story without giving too many details! It is a way to model authenticity.   It helps us to connect as real humans.  It also is the example of Jesus.

I recently heard a local pastor preach.   Everything was said with eloquence.  It even had a dramatic flair.  It also included singing.  I hate singing preachers.  I get so Jealous!  I could see why the congrega-
tion loves the preacher.  Having said that, I left feeling like I had seen a show rather than knowing the heart of the preacher.  Not one personal struggle or point of identification was shared.  That is okay but it did not feel very incarnational to me.

You see the incarnation is what Jesus was all about.  The embodiment of God on earth is what this message is all about.   No hacking is needed because the scriptures reveal God to us.  In this case we have full disclosure of Jesus’ dialogue with God.  In that conversation we see the heart of Jesus being poured out to God in passionate rivulets of concern and hope.  In these prayers we hear the heartbeat of the Son of man!

Prayer number #1 – Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
Now what does that mean?  Let’s hear the prayer again and then talk about that.  “Father, the hour has come.  Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”  Jesus is saying I have arrived at the point where my job here is complete.  Glorifying is giving honor, praise, and admiration for a job well done.
In a way this is like an exit interview where Jesus is telling God what he has achieved to make the organization better.  He is saying I am asking for your blessing.

An element of glory here also has a supernatural or spiritual undertone.  It means to be raised into a celestial or eternal realm.  The time has come to return to heaven to live with the Father in perfect triune unity.   His job is complete!  From his own lips he says, Father you granted me authority over all people that I might give eternal life to all those you have given me.   Now that is celestial Glory!  It has all of the fanfare of incarnation.  It closes the parenthesis of God’s plan of salvation for his creation.

Remember these words when Jesus entered the world opening the parenthesis:  “There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’”  This is the incarnation!  It is God becoming vulnerable for us!  It is a demonstration of God’s far reaching compassion for a suffering world!  “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’”

Jesus says, “Now this is eternal life!  This is what glory is all about!  Let me lay it out for both of us father.  I guess I want to get it straight in my own head before I go the cross.  Eternal life is that everyone will know you as the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. By obedience and faithfulness I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

Prayer #2 – Jesus Prays for His Disciples
Here Jesus turns a corner.  His focus is now on his followers.  While yet facing his own suffering we get to hear his heart for those who have been faithful to him as he has been to God.

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.”  It is as if he is giving God a list of names for whom he has great passion.  In truth he is saying, “They were yours first! Then you gave or entrusted them to me! Please don’t forget they have obeyed your word.  Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.  I pray for them. I am not praying for the world at this time, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.  It is not that you are not concerned for those who in the world.  But for the world to know you and worship you, they will need your power! They will need to be bolstered to be obedient as I have been.  All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.  I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.  While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.  I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for it! They are not of the world any more than I am of the world. Their world has changed.”

So Jesus says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Purify them by the truth of your word.  As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. They are now the incarnation or embodiment of your presence here.  For them I sanctify myself, that they, too, may be truly sanctified.”

Prayer # 3  Jesus Prays for All Believers
In baseball terms, Jesus is rounding third and heading for home when he makes another prayer shift here.  Now he prays more broadly.  He says, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message!  Here is what I want from all of this!  I want all of them; those who followed me first to the one who follows me last to be one! I want them to be more than united as in a cause but to become intertwined or enmeshed completely in every form and realm.”  We are to become again one essence!

So, “Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”  This is important in terms of what I said about Jesus’ second prayer.  He did not pray to the exclusion of the world, but rather that the world would be saved because of the unity of believers with the Father!

He continues, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”  That is about as plain as you can get.  No hidden agendas.

From that tenderhearted place he prays, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”

Maybe you have been where Jesus is!  I know I have.  Maybe it was at the end of camp or retreat.  Maybe it is the end of great family reunion or vacation with really good friends.  The time has come to get in the car and head home.

You tell one more story!  You hug and kiss as tears flow down your eyes.  Grief over takes the moment.  The intensity of being together is overcome by the separation that is about to take place.  No one wants it to come to an end. One by one people turn and leave and then you are all alone with your thoughts and memories.  You wish this good feeling would never end.

You know what is awaiting you when you get home.  There are calls to make and bills to pay.  There is food to prepare and chores to be done.  Why does it all have to end!  With a deep sigh of resolution we face what is coming while clinging to that which has already forged us into one.

In that vein Jesus prays, “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”   Does it get any better than that!

Do you know what!  You don’t need the National Enquirer!  All you need is a bestselling book to know the heart and mind of Jesus. It is called The Bible.   You don’t need to hack into it.  You just need to read it!  In that text you will know love that is too deep for words, but touches the human heart.   May we Glorify the King of Kings.  May we Glorify the Song of God!

When you order just tell them you want the receipt to go to First Christian Church and 15% of your purchase will be donated to support our trip! Tell your friends, family, and co-workers. Take big groups to eat. Order platters of food (the higher priced the item, the more we receive). You can also order reheatable platters for Sunday lunch or some other time during the week! What an easy and delicious way to help out!

The young boy was a very keen observer.  He noticed those who were older than 50 knelt to the empty wall and crossed themselves but the younger did not.  On the way home he shared his observation with his grandparents, who just smiled at him.  Then he asked, “Why do the older ones kneel to an empty wall.”  “Oh,” grandmother said, “The wall is where the ‘Real Altar’ is!  The other one is in the new building!”

It is important to know why you are saying and doing these practices.  The new “Young Disciples Class” and our students are now going through lessons that teach the basics of faith and worship.  The Lord’s Prayer is one piece of worship that will be discussed.  We should not just say it, sing it or recite it without knowing what Jesus was really saying to us.

The Lord’s Prayer, as I am unpacking it here, is one of the practices that for many, is like singing the national anthem.  It gives us great comfort and anchors our faith.  It ramps us up emotionally.  But if we don’t know what we are really saying, we will not unlock its intended power.  Oh yes — it has emotive power even now.  If you want to see how much stop saying it in the order of service.  But, Jesus is saying there is so, so much more power for us if we get what the prayer teaches us about prayer itself and the way we are to relate to God.

Now picture this – “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.”  Notice it did not say a special place.  It did not say he was facing any particular direction as say east.  It did not say that it was at his customary place or even his favorite place.  It was simply a place that became holy because he stopped there to commune with God.  Now something intriguing happens.  When Jesus said “Amen”, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Now what is so intriguing about that?  Do you suppose there was anyone in the Middle East then or even today who does not know about prayer?  Calls to prayer ring out regularly all across the land.  It was not that the disciples were unfamiliar with prayer.  It was that they noticed something different about how both John the Baptist and Jesus prayed!  They noticed an authenticity, intimacy, confidence and authority.  They took the prayer to a new level never seen before.  Actual results occurred like people being healed, being fed.  People were being restored to life.

“He said to them, ‘If you want to get results when you pray, say…!’”  He was not saying recite these words even though we often gain strength in tough times when we do!  He was saying become deeply engaged with God.  Speak directly and forcefully the clear intentions of your heart.  Or, lay your heart out before God.  Become vulnerable to a God who loves you and wants to hear from you.  Today it might sound more like this:
1. Father you alone are holy as your name indicates. (Affirm God’s qualities which deserve honor and praise.  List them until you understand his grandiose nature.)
a.     Majestic
b.     All Powerful
c.    All knowing
d.    Giving
e.    Gracious

2.  As we call out to you, let your kingdom come.
Don’t wait until we get this all correct.  Don’t hold back your love, provision, protection until we are perfect.   Let you kingdom’s essence flood over us even as we now pray.

3.    Give us each day our daily bread.
There is so much more to this than just eating.  Of course it has to do with daily survival and intake requirements.  But remember Jesus also quotes Deut. 8 -  “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  So it is good and right that we thank God for all that is given so we can survive each day.  But that thanks comes as a result of a deeper need.   That need is to know and experience the Living Word that comes from God in heaven!  We are to know Jesus who meets us at a deeper place.

I had a conversation the other day with a man who is trying to give leadership to his church.  I have heard that he is really trying to do all of the right ritualistic things, but it is stiff and unnatural.  It became apparent that he is spiritually empty, bankrupt.  He knows the forms of church life, but admits he has no spiritual core.  I asked him about his experience of Jesus.  He has known church, but admits he has no experience of Jesus beyond history and study.  So, his prayers come back void.  There is no God encounter even though religious practice is stellar.

It is deeper and more serious than a dark night of the soul.  Dark nights happen when you begin to doubt and question your faith.  They can last a short time or very long periods.  But in the inquisition of the spiritual self you remain faithful or full of faith while still in a quandary.

That is a much different place than to have no experience—no encounter.  I fear for the church that has many who have no experience or exposure to the power that comes in the Holy Spirit of God who also know as teacher and comforter.  How can the church and her people be powerful without this kind of foundational praying?

4.    Forgive us our sins so we may also forgive everyone who sins against!
Has anyone noticed any animosity in the Middle East?  Is there anywhere on earth that forgiveness is needed more but remains unlikely?  The culture itself is toxic and seething.  Like sulfur you smell the stench of hatred without ever stepping foot there.  Is there a more powerful “word” Jesus could have spoken into the world than forgiveness?  Who among us does not conjure mental images of throwing dust in the air, throwing rocks, or spitting on someone?  Vile anger resides below the surface of many.  It is like a volcano of human emotion is about to erupt over any provocation.

Are they feeling just in each expression!  From any perspective one might simply say — yes!  Into the boiling caldron of broken covenants and cultural upheaval Jesus comes with a word of reconciliation and peace.   He comes to forgive and help people prepare to receive forgiveness.

So intent was he to break this dysfunctional cycle that he says, “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them! If they repent, forgive them.  Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”  His purpose in coming!  His purpose in hanging on a cross!  His purpose in the resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit was forgiveness!

Hatred is not working out so well for humanity.  Never has and never will.   Jesus came to dump goodness and mercy down into the formula for a high quality life.  Praying for forgiveness is like pouring cooking oil in a boiling pot.  It holds the bubbles quite down and for a moment all is tranquil.  It takes a lot energy to hate and withhold love.  Pray that we cooperate with God in implementing a better life plan.

5.    Lead us away from temptation.
I had a young man call me on the phone the other day.  He found us on the web so he called for help.   He said he had grown up in a church but had intentionally left it behind to make a series of bad choices.  He knew what he was choosing and did it anyway.  He was tempted and followed his misdirected heart.  Now he wanted to turn it around.  I asked him who he was hanging out with.  He said those who led him astray.  It was a titan struggle with temptation.  He was in the vice grip of repentance or turning away from temptation while acknowledging the tempters allure.

We talked about how important it is to cut the strings to the temptation and surround yourself with influences that reinforce the quality of kingdom life.  Many these days feel this pinch.  We want what God wants but the temptations overcome us.  The good news is that the prayer life Jesus is teaching is powerful enough to overcome it.  It has something to do with consistent and persistent prayer.

Hear Jesus on this matter:  “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’  And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’  I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.  If you won’t do it for him, then do it for God!  So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Understand, everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

In this fundamental and rudimentary form of prayer we discover the generosity of God.  God is not fooling around or playing mean tricks.  Jesus says, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Powerful prayer comes from the nexus of God’s heart meeting our fundamental need.  Prayer that ushers us to a divine encounter is earth shattering and sin breaking.   Prayer that honest and heart felt brings reconciliation to brokenhearted.   Prayer that begins and ends with God is the most powerful force on earth.  We simply must desire to learn it!  We must pray as Jesus teaches.

Dr. Paul Cho has done this in his church in South Korea.  Knowing that the peninsula is volatile he has built a church that can withstand persecution and brutal attack.   It is one of those “pray for the best but expect the worst” scenarios. Maybe some of us can relate to that!  Maybe the Lord has given you a prophetic word about what is coming in your life, the life of the church, or even the culture.   If so, you need encouragement to prepare for it’s unfolding and development.

Perhaps you have been given a glimpse of either a difficulty or a blessing that is just ahead, and you know you must go through hard testing and struggle before it comes.  Then you need encouragement, too! Maybe, just maybe, you have been privy to that kind of foresight and you don’t know whether to trust it! You, too, need a clarifying word from the Lord to abate fear and help you stand firm. I think most of you know the idea of “pray for the best but prepare for the worst.”  That in itself can be an action prayer.

When the Lord says it and we don’t speculate about it, you can take it to the bank.   The problem comes when we only perceive or think the Lord has spoken.   In a debate commentary recently, Jay Leno said that several of the candidates said they heard God say run for President.  None are left in the race.  They had not learned to Tebow or bow in Prayer.  The suggestion is that it was not from God. Well, in this Lenten Series we will be looking at 6 prayers of the Bible.  It will inform us about situations and circumstances in which prayer was used.   We will assess together how these may inform our prayer life.  Maybe we can find a Holy boldness that comes from talking with God about his plans for us.

Knowing what was coming, this is what Daniel did!  “I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.” There is an earnestness and raw emotion that comes here. There is an authenticity of spirit that engages God.   He turned, meaning he stopped looking to his own understanding.  Instead he looked to God to give insight and direction.   So he pleaded!

Pleading is far more than a quickie 30 second prayer.   It is a wrangling, intense, pouring out of oneself before God.  Some call it praying though a situation until we are saturated with God’s insight.
I remember facing one of the most difficult challenges in my family life.   I could not sleep.  My gut was in a knot.  My son was in a tough spot.  I did not know how to counsel him or help him.  So I got up in the middle of the night.  I got dressed and went to a walking path near my house.  I walked and prayed and I walked and prayed until I had worked through my challenge.   Then I surrendered it to God. In fact, a prayer I have shared with you before has often been my mantra.   “Lord, I surrender this day into your hands so that I might receive your best for my life, not as I perceive it but as you elect to give it.  Help me accept that.  Amen.”

Now some have found profound insight through the spiritual discipline of fasting.   I confess I have done this through the years but have not found it all that satisfying or clarifying.  But, it is an entering into an earnest search for God’s truth.   It is not something to take lightly.   Jesus himself did this for 40 days.
Sack cloth and ashes is an act of humility.  I suppose the best current understanding of this would be monastic life.   It is a putting off of the trappings of the world and prideful positions of rank to be humble before God!   Does it require ashes and sack cloth today?  No — that is not the point.   But yielding our pride and position before God can only prepare us to receive his word more fully.

Get this!  Daniel prayed to the LORD and confessed!  Confession is part of the purging process!  We empty ourselves of the need to tell God what ought to be done.   Confession allows us to grasp for a brief time at least that God alone is in charge and we must be subordinate to him! Confession brings with it  recognition of our ability to get it wrong from time to time and own up to it.   Hear his confession: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong.”

Hear the elevation of God in his words.  God is great!  God is awesome.  He is expressing his adoration and respect for who God is.  He affirms that God keeps the covenant of Love.  But it is we who have committed spiritual adultery.   Without holding back he just says it,   “We have sinned and done wrong.
Remember the TV show Happy Days.  Fonzie could never get the words out of his mouth.   ‘I am wro….  g.  It sticks in our throats too sometimes.   It feels good to be right. I heard someone once say, “It must be hard to be you! (not me)You are right all of the time.  What pressure you must be under to be as perfect as you.   How true.  The pressure is abated as we confess our sins before God.

Daniel uses some old-fashioned words that maybe are more powerful because we don’t use them this way much any more.  He says, “We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.”

Today many young people say something is wicked, but they mean that something is extraordinary.   It is really a cool thing.  Wicked here means incredibly evil!  What I am about to say is not motivated by current political discussions, but rather my own wrestling with issues.  I don’t expect you to be where I am.  Have we/I been evil in our actions and thought.  When I face the Lord some day, I worry about that personally as I consider social issues in our time.  Do I get involved enough in consideration of the unborn, the starvation of people and particularly children, human trafficking etc.?  To ignore these issues I believe is wicked!

However, the reason I don’t is the church can be split down the middle.  Also the methods being used to address them are a scant better, if at all.  And to be honest, I am overwhelmed by the needs.  I don’t know that I have all of the issues sorted out in my head and heart.   But that gives me no reason to shelve the issues.   They will not go away or be resolved on their own.  So I am simply confessing my need to be forgiven and my need for God’s insight!

“Lord, you are righteous,” he says, “but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.”

Is it possible for this to be our prayer, too!  Can we admit that only God is righteous and we are not?  Maybe the specifics of our situation are different, but the condition is the same for all of us!  Turning away from that which is painful and difficult is being unfaithful!  But, that awareness does not give us permission to be judgmental or self-righteous.   It is simply an admission that we are in need of a deep cleansing as people and as a people.

A praise song we sing is “Refiners Fire.”  It says, “Purify my heart Let me be as gold and precious silver Purify my heart Let me be as gold, pure gold Refiners fire My heart’s one desire Is to be holy Set apart for You, Lord I choose to be holy Set apart for You, my Master Ready to do Your will Purify my heart Cleanse me from within And make me holy Purify my heart Cleanse me from my sin Deep within.”  Now that is what I am talking about!

But it is more than a personal deal.  It is a corporate one as well. Daniel models that for us when he says, “We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, LORD, because we have sinned against you.”

From falling on our knees confessing comes the ability to get perspective where we can echo: “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.”  The goodness and character of God is lifted up and beyond our failure.  In the light of grace we continue to pour ourselves out in confession that “we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.  All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.”

What is fair and right!  Consequences!  Daniel says, “Therefore judgments written in the Law of Moses have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster.”  We, too, plead “Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from us.” “Now, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, not ours, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation the world over as you did when Jerusalem was destroyed.”

Here is the point! We do not make requests of the Lord because we are righteous, but because of His great mercy.  “Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name is our prayer, too!”

What is critical for us to get is that we now know that we can do what is expected!  That for which we pray and seek God is fulfilled in Jesus who fills the gap between our confession and our aspiration.  He is the one who makes things right between us and God.  Only in him can we find righteousness and holiness.

We don’t have time to go into detail with the rest of this section, but be encouraged! If you read further God answers Daniel’s prayer favorably.  Even while speaking the prayer the answer came!  The angel Gabriel came to him saying. “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.  As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand!”

If we want understanding, then we must become humble, fall on our knees pouring ourselves out in earnest before God.  In such an act we prepare ourselves to hear from heaven.   When we have become empty, then we can be filled with understanding!   In this season lets prayerfully prepare to hear and act on the charge of God for us!   Amen

That means we want to be free from unnecessary regulation.  That’s why we say we are locally autonomous.  We’re not obligated to follow any creed or restricted theological prescript other than that which is recorded in Scripture. We require no authority to validate our ministry and mission.
It’s a freedom that comes with responsibility of Biblical proportions!   In fact, it’s mandate that we share the biblical story liberally and often!

The reason I begin this way is that we, as a biblical people, have been given a freeing covenant.  Too much constriction, regulation, and monitoring kills the desire to excel in doing good.  It causes us to focus more on methods than message; where freedom allows for us to try things, to attempt bold things, and to pursue the goodness of God in Christ.

The author of Hebrews is sharing the liberating freedom that comes in Christ.  The old constraining methods have been blown away with explosive resurrection power!   What used to define life is over!  A new way to measure life has come in Christ!  What could not be achieved can now be achieved.
If the old methods of the law could achieve the desire of God to give salvation, it would have by now.  If the old covenant had power, then a new covenant would not be needed.

So an explanation is rendered here to explain that Christ has come to set up a new priestly order.  It is to replace the old order that issued practices that didn’t achieve a holy nation.  That covenant was based on what we, as humans, could do. Now we have a covenant based solely on what God is doing in Jesus.

Verse 11 begins. “If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people who established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?”  If we are not familiar with the Old Testament some explanation is needed.  The priesthood of the Old Testament or covenant was established in the Tribe of Levi.  The commandments and the law were established to become a gold bar standard for the people of God.

What actually happened was it became a measure of failure. It became apparent through the years that we can’t live up to the standard. It had a deflating effect rather than an encouraging one. That is why Paul says, “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s Glory. And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

The purpose of the Priests in the tradition of Levi was to atone for the sins of the people by virtue of blood sacrifice on the Altar in the Temple.  The priests were to be purified because they, too, were human.  Once the ritual of purification was complete they became mediators or intercessors for the atoning work of God.

Here’s the pragmatic problem for the Levites.  They were human and had nothing in themselves that had the power to save.  They also died!  Since they died they had no eternal power to atone. When they died their work was done.  It wasn’t eternal.   They did what was expected for a period of time and that’s it.  So in themselves they proved neither eternal hope nor supernatural power.  So the priest order was changed into the Line of not the Levites but of Melchizedek.   Melchizedek was a friend of Abraham, the man of Faith.   The covenant with God in his view was maintained not in the law or of blood sacrifice, but rather living a life of faith.  The messiah was to be one who came from the line of faith keepers with personal sacrifice extended for the freedom we have in God to become holy.

As Paul again affirms in Romans—“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, (not one that is dead and burnt.) But one that is holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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.”

The sacrifice is service, mission, and ministry.  He says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you instead of giving yourselves honor as the priests do.”

The author of Hebrews tells us the whole approach hasn’t been changed.  The process is different for believers in Christ who is now our High Priest by way of faith, not bloodline.  He says, “For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.”  It’s now recorded in two commands.  Love God and Love others!  Not a bad tee shirt motto is it?   It’s easy to grasp and communicate.

It’s clear that Jesus is the one to whom this author is pointing.  Melchizedek was the one seen as the first prototype of the messiah.  He was a man of faith, as was Abraham and King David after him. David is the one who was known as the man after God’s own heart!  So, he of whom these things are said is Jesus who belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.  This is a very important piece!  Peter says of us as “ones who are to live Godly lives in a pagan or ungodly society.”  Notice words like “living” and “sacrifice of life.”

As you come to Jesus, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who don’t believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” (That would be the old order of the priesthood and the law. The old covenant became a stumbling block to righteous living.)  They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for because the old system did not work. But:  (Get this clearly in your mind and being) “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

“Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God! Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. It is clear that our Lord descended from Judah.”  Perhaps you have heard the reference of Jesus as the Lion of Judah!   It is another way of saying, Jesus did not come by the obsolete line of Levi, but comes by life experience and obedience through the line of David and Melchizedek.

Hebrews continues, “Now in regard to that tribe– Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared:  ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’”

Here is what Jesus brings to the table for our consideration.  He is the new priest because of his sacrifice on the Cross. A new order of priests is established in those who both believe and in fact follow his example for holy living.  He becomes our high priest not by genetics but by faithfulness to God.
More over because of the resurrection he will never die.  He intercedes for us.  We who believe will never die either.   Both bring us hope.  Both empower salvation for those who remain.   Romans 8 says, “He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Therefore, former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’  Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.”

Now in practical terms what does that mean?  The guarantor is one who bears the risk of an others debt.  It may be on a co-signature.   If the person who takes on debt cannot pay it, then the other party assumes full responsibility for the debt. Or it may be a person who assumes the debt of another.  It is like taking over the payments on a home or car.  The first person is now debt free and the second party is obligated to pay the balance.

In Spiritual terms we once again pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”  Some say forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”.  Both, in part, get what Jesus does in full.
By virtue of the cross; Jesus as High Priest has assumed our debt.  He is our guarantor!  Because of him our sins are forgiven. Because we are forgiven we too can forgive!  That is function of a priest.

James 5: 16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  That is the definition of priest! The argument that the weakness of the old order is death this is stated. “There have been many priests who because of death have been prevented from continuing in office! But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

We say in a Free Church that we do not need to go to Priest or confession booth as those in a more liturgical church do.  We know as the scripture says, “Such a high priest as Jesus truly meets our need. He only is the one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.”

Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. The old priests and their law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Amen and Amen!

As we discussed in Advent the darkness can be all pervading.  If it’s out of lack of information, that’s unfortunate but that can be easily rectified.  If it’s by choice, that too can be changed but it may be more difficult to turn.

James 5:19-20 says, “If one of you should wander from the truth (meaning salvation in Christ) and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”  That’s the whole objective!  So while difficult, it remains our responsibility! The image of darkness, like a funeral pall, keeps coming to me as I think through the power and hope of John’s words.

What better time of the year to tell the story than this.  Even unbelievers are aware of, if not open to, the moods and emotions peak in the dead of winter. When we don’t self-righteously blast people, there’s a sensitivity that there’s something more available.  It may be medication, therapy and certainly the care of Christ followers to help negotiate this season.  If your depressed, get help!  It’s okay.  Many of us need help.  We would not say to a diabetic don’t use insulin.

For many this season is a time of desperation, loneliness, and sadness. Our emotions are accentuated when we’re away from family or are struggling with finances or even sorting out what we  believe about Christ?  How does our witness support those who are struggling and need our help? How does our behavior support a belief that Jesus has a message for the world that’s realized in practical ways?

I think that John is grasping the heart of Christ here.  There’s a pleading, a begging to have us walk out of darkness.  We’re to leave the darkness behind and walk into the light by faith and knowledge.  I recently had my eyes dilated! At first I could not see because the light was so bright.  It took time to adjust.  Darkness had in those moments become more comfortable.

Darkness and light can have that impact on us. When Jesus steps into our world it’s like stepping out of a dark room.  We squint as the brightness is all consuming.  We may need to shield our eyes like Peter did.  Our first tendency is to ask the light to go away! It requires something of us.  While we’re in need of it and will be for it, we’ve been in the dark so long that it’s become normal.

Mary and I once visited an Amish community in northern Indiana.  We had an idea of what we thought we would see.  Obviously old style clothes, simple foods, and, of course, carriages would be among them.  What we didn’t expect was that many were physically disabled.  Many wore glasses.  Many homes had counter tops that were wheelchair accessible.

The reason was that so much inbreeding increased the rate for Muscular Dystrophy.  Because this group of people was kept in the dark about the health concerns raised by their faith and practice they had become a community of disabled people.

That speaks to me on several levels.  When we isolate ourselves from a broader pool of knowledge we run the risk of depleting the resources needed to grow and develop.   We can remain ignorant of that which we need most by remaining in the dark and having no illumination.  Only that which is brought out into the light can stand the scrutiny of full disclosure.

Churches and people are both in need of the exposure to the light of Christ.  Who can deny the scandals in the church, sport and political worlds in recent years?  Cover-ups or an attempt to keep people in the dark always ends up making things worse.

In this regard Matthew Chapter 10: “Do not be afraid for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known.” ” What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.”  “The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.”  “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

The Hebrew people probably understood this better than the Greeks in that the word Glory and Shekinah were familiar to them. In John’s gospel, Jesus is the very glory or cloud of illumination.  Hebrews would automatically scroll back to the fiery cloud that led them in the desert and brought them deliverance from the dark days of slavery.

Now John is saying that this one we call Jesus is the very Shekinah promised in the Messiah who has now come into the world.  John says in his opening words Jesus was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  Judgment doesn’t then begin after death, but from the moment Jesus entered our world.  He became the gold bar standard by which everything else is gauged.

Do you realize how much one match can illumine!  All we need is one match worth of light to change the world.  The birth of Christ is the match that illumines the dark domain and transforms it into kingdom of light!  We’re being asked to step away from the darkness and move into the light of a new Christ-filled Day!  The cross and resurrection are seals of eternal light that shines as an eternal flame of hope!

We’re being asked to be the match, the small penetrating light that illumines a vast dark age.   We get to be light bearers that shed insight into a culture that desperately needs hope and encouragement.    Let’s be the good news that helps turn nations!

-Taylor Colwell

Director of Student Ministries