redemption

Just Breath (Sermon April 7, 2013)

Scripture: John 20: 19-31

Adam loves to know things. He is an armchair scholar. If you were to visit his house and look at the books you would probably find something that covers just about every topic you could imagine. Adam is a very intelligent man. He doesn’t seem to fit into that world because he is religious. On the same hand people in the religious realm look at him with skepticism because he embraces areas of study that some feel threaten their faith.

Adam is caught in that place where many people find themselves. They do not seem to fit. The communities they hope and wish to find comfort reject them, they are asked to compromise with little regard for their thoughts feelings or personalities. Adam like many in his position is tired of the fight, and is close to or has already left the assembly of believers.

We live in an era that is different then the others we have experienced. I have mentioned this several times. We are nearing the end of the age, but I think it is not the end that many of us think. We are nearing the beginning of a new age. An age that is different than the past ages. This frightens some because change is near. The problem with change is we do not have any clear view into the future. This new age is the age that Adam and many like him have already entered, but those around them cannot or will not encourage their growth. They cannot encourage them because they are in a cloud, a cloud of uncertainty.

The church is in this cloud of uncertainty. We unsure and because of that we hold tight to the things we once knew. I am sure that each of us have experience some aspect of this. We may feel threatened by the changing of our culture or we may be enthusiastic about the opportunities presenting themselves but frustrated by feelings of rejection. These clouds of uncertainty cycle through history, it has cycled since the dawn of time.

As we interact with the scripture today we look through a window into history where the world is in one of those clouds of uncertainty. We meet the disciples locked in a room for fear of the Jews. First off I want to mention that John is not being anti-Semitic when he says this, and we are not being anti-Semitic when we read this. The Jewish community is our spiritual heritage. When John says that they are locked in a room for fear of the Jews he is not saying that we should hate the Jewish culture, but that there was a clash between the established religious community and the emerging culture springing forth from that community. Religious establishments hold certain power over people, when that power is threatened those in control of the establishment begin to push back. This push is what causes fear, or uncertainty.

Jesus caused a balance shift in the religious community. He threatened the religious establishment and they pushed back. They pushed so hard that they wanted to totally discredit and eliminate the threat to the establishment.

We often look at the established religious organization of Jesus’ day with disdain but they were a very well organized, efficient religious community. They had programs that really promoted their faith. Not only in Jerusalem but they sent teachers throughout the world. Every major population center of the known world had a Jewish community within it. The largest, outside of Israel, was in Egypt, but there were communities throughout Europe and even deep in the ancient Persian Empire as far east as India. They were not just minding their own business in these communities, but they were ministering to the world. They were being what God commanded them to be, they were being a light to the Gentiles and were bringing people into the Jewish community. When we read the Gospels we can see this. We have Greeks coming to meet Jesus; we have Ethiopians making the pilgrimage to celebrate the Jewish festivals. There are an entire group of people known as the God-fearers who are gentiles who have not been formally initiated into the community as members but who engage in the worship and ministry of the establishment. The first century Jewish community was at the highest point they were the most efficient religion in the world, the only religion that came close to its power and influence over people was the cult of the emperor.

They had this massive religious enterprise that was teaching, training and expanding throughout the world, and suddenly a teacher comes that threatens it. He claims that this establishment that has done so much good was whitewashed tombs of dry bones. A cloud was dropping all around the community. Those that embraced Jesus were hopeful in this emerging community but suddenly the establishment pushed back and threatened them to submit. The disciples of Jesus locked themselves in a room because they agreed with Jesus and Jesus was killed.

But then Mary one of their own, a woman, the established religion did not allow women to rise in prominence but Jesus held them as equal to men, well Mary says that Jesus has risen. John and Peter agree with her and testify that the tomb was empty. But still they are all fearful. If they go out into the community and proclaim this what would happen? They are uncertain of the future. Then suddenly Jesus appears to them and says, “Peace be with you.”

It is a strange statement, but it speaks deep into their heart. They were not at peace their hearts were filled with the exact opposite of peace. Fear dominated their life. Peace cannot exist where fear dominates. Love cannot live in a fear-dominated world. Hope does not grow in an environment of fear. This was not enough for them. Jesus showed them his hands and his sided and then repeated, “Peace be with you.”

He then does a strange thing. He breathes on them. Have you ever really thought about this action? He breathes on them. This action takes them back, it opens a window into the most ancient of history, to the giving of life to the clay formed Adam. Breath is life. When you live in a cloud of uncertainty there is tightness to our breathing. There is tension, to the point we hold our breath. We cling to the air in our lungs like we are grasping at the very life giving power in that air only to be forced to release it and rapidly gather more air quickly. Peace be with you. Jesus is saying relax. Let out the air and breath.

Breathing only gives life if it is regular and consistent. That breath is a symbol of the life given by God in the form of the Holy Spirit. Relax, breath, and be at peace. The air will come the Spirit will be there if we are willing to receive it. Jesus is directing their prayers, he is encouraging them to see through the cloud and let go. To embrace the emerging culture growing out of the established community and they rejoice.

But Thomas was not with them. They unlock the door and they hurry to find their friend. Thomas says to them “unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the marks of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Because of this Thomas inherits the name Doubting Thomas. I believe that Thomas has a reputation that he does not deserve. He expresses nothing more or less than each of the other disciples, but he is singled out. Thomas is different then the others. He is the type of person that observes the situation and once he grasps an understanding, he fully embraces it. Thomas knew that Jesus was walking into certain death when He wanted to head to Jerusalem but he spoke out above all the others saying “let us go and die with him.” He was fully devoted to Jesus and His mission and willing to die for that mission with his lord.

Thomas the skeptic, says let me see for myself, and Jesus honors his request. Have you ever wondered why Thomas received such a special privilege? Jesus told Mary not to touch him, the others were not given permission either, but Thomas was asked to touch the wounds of Jesus and to reach out and put his hand into Jesus’ side. Why was this?

Thomas whom we all mock as the skeptic was very important. Thomas is a voice of reason, if he is convinced the rest will be also. It is Thomas that proclaims, “My Lord and My God.” It is Thomas that made the jump that Jesus was not just a great teacher but also the very incarnate, Emmanuel, and God with us. None of the others made that leap, but it was after this statement that the emerging church was lifted out of fear and into the place where they could embrace the mission that Jesus was giving them.

That mission is something that so often we forget. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Jesus is giving us the power of God. He is giving us the control of the Spirit. We can forgive and release people from bondage or we can hold their sin over them and keep them from experiencing God. Yes that is right Jesus is giving them the keys of the kingdom.

This is where the cloud of uncertainty seems thick. These keys were in the hands of the temple leaders, but Jesus is passing them to the disciples. They now hold the power to forgive or retain sin. Thomas tells them why they hold that power is because Jesus is not just a teacher but God. This turns everything upside down; they know what great power they hold.

We close with a statement of purpose of why the Gospel of John was written. “…These are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” Jesus gave them the power of God so that they could bring life, peace, and forgiveness. It is through Jesus that this can be obtained. The established religion was not good enough because it focused on the retention of sin, to control the population, Jesus came to free people from the bondage of sin to release people from fear, and judgment. He came to remind us to breath.

As we enter this time of open worship, as we experience communion with God in the manner of Friends. I ask again like I did last week, “what will it take for you to believe in the resurrection of Jesus, and what will that belief cause you to do.”  I ask you to take it a step further this week. We are entering into a new age, and age where skepticism is the norm; we are living in an age of uncertainty. As we center down into this time of silence, consider you breathing and what it is telling you. “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you…Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Breath in the spirit and release with each breath the pain, and judgment, exhale the tension and the rejection, inhale the love and peace of God and let us all know the peaceful life with Christ.

He Is Risen! (Sermon March 31, 2013)

Scripture: John 20:1-18

Corcovado jesus (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

This one statement has been the most divisive phrase in all of history. What one believes about this phrase has the potential to affect their lives today and for ages to come. One phrase. This one phrase turned the most powerful empire of all time completely upside down. This one phrase divided a nation with an existence that traced its roots to the beginning of time. One phrase.

Words, phrases, ideas can affect how we observe life. They can inspire us to take action, or they can cause us retreat. Words can hold great power but only when there is something to back up the words. This one phrase “He is Risen!” is three simple words. These three words changed the course of history, not only for a small nearly insignificant costal province on the frontier of the Roman Empire, but it changed the course of history for every nation, race, and person that has ever encountered them. Because behind these three words hold within them the most dreadful or most inspiring truth. What one does with these three words changes everything. They can insight anger, inspire hope, cause confusion, or understanding. Three little words that cause us all to have to come up with an answer to the question, what happened to Jesus?

On the day we now call Good Friday Jesus was hung on a tree. He was put there because what he said threatened to disrupt the balance of power. For the religious leaders his words caused people to turn away from their teachings so they were losing their prestige and influence over others. They were losing the wealth people provided them through offerings and fees, their very livelihoods and status in the community were threatened. For the Romans, Jesus was a nuisance that threatened peace because many that followed him wanted to start a war for independence.  This threatened the governor who was already under scrutiny by the Emperor not only because this province on the far eastern boarder of the empire was rebellious but also because this governor was recommended to the post by a person that was found to be a treasonous traitor. This governor did not want trouble, he wanted order and to keep order he would use whatever means necessary, even death. Even if he knew that the one condemned to die was an innocent man.

On the second day, all of Israel worshiped God as they celebrated their festival. But there were some that were not in a celebratory mood. The darkest day for mankind is Holy Saturday, the day that the hopeful king lay in a tomb. Darkness falls on the earth. The light of God dims and the revelation to man is snuffed out and sealed behind a rock. All hope is lost. They once cheered Jesus as their king yet quickly that celebration turned completely around, and now the king is buried. The religious leaders go on with their rituals; the roman leaders feast over a rebellion thwarted, and the followers of Jesus lock themselves behind closed doors.

This is where we find Mary on the third day; it is not a day of celebration for her. In her mind all is lost. The only thing left is to perform the customary ritual and seal her hope and salvation away. Not that long before she had seen this man walk up to the tomb of her brother and call him back from Abraham’s bosom into the light, yet this man who could heal the blind, cause the lame to walk, this man that could feed the multitude, and raised the dead is now laying on a rock slab wrapped in linen. The dreams of a king and a kingdom wrapped with him. It is truly a dark day.

She approaches the tomb; she approaches to mourn the loss of a dear friend. She approaches to say the customary prayers and rituals, but something is wrong. The stone that sealed the opening was moved. She stops knowing that this is not right and her day got even darker. Someone had opened the tomb. This is a very distressing thing that we often gloss over. The Hebrew culture does not take the desecration of graves lightly. I remember a few years in Wichita, a group of vandals enter the cemetery where the local Jewish population buried their loved ones and began to vandalize the grave markers. The resting place of their loved ones was disturbed and as a result the people of the community re-mourned the passing of each individual. They opened the graves and buried the vandalized stones, and place new markers. They again performed the funeral services for every disturbed grave. To disrupt the dead is painful for the community. There are customs to be upheld even if the person that has passed beyond the veil is seen as a criminal. Something was wrong the body was disturbed. So she runs to find the others.

Imagine the distress of Mary, of Peter, and the other disciple (the one Jesus loved).  What could have possibly happened? Who would have been so disrespectful to disturb the body of their friend, a friend that was executed in a way contrary to their laws? They ran to the tomb, they ran as if their very life depended on getting to it as soon as possible. And they find a mystery. The body is gone but the grave clothes were still there.

This is a mystery because the grave clothes are not exactly easy to remove. When Jesus called out to Lazarus, Mary’s brother, who was dead and buried for four days he was bound hand and foot in the grave clothes. These were strips of cloth soaked in myrrh, aloes, and spices. They were tightly wrapped and stitched up so that the body could be contained for a later ceremony when the bones were moved into bone boxes.

There is another oddity the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. This cloth was Jesus’ Tallit or his prayer shawl. This is a very important piece of cloth; its literal meaning is little tent, it represents the idea that all of Israel cannot enter into the tent of meeting so they each enter their own little tent as they near the tent to worship. It is used to cover their heads when they pray, which forms the prayer closet that Jesus referred too in his teachings. Under this little tent a couple is united in marriage. This Tallit is placed over the body when it is buried because it is where the man’s connection to God happens. This Tallit was placed away from the burial clothes and carefully put to one side.

If you saw this what would be going through your mind? The clothes were empty but undisturbed the stitching still intact. The prayer shawl, Jesus’ prayer shawl, which they had seen every day for the past three years, was carefully and respectfully folded as if used and then laid down. John saw this mystery and believed but what was it that he believed?

He is risen? What would it take for you to believe? The disciples though they heard what Jesus had taught did not fully grasp the meaning of what was happening. It was a mystery. Why was the shawl laying separate? Why was it not taken with the body, if the body was taken? Who would take the body and why would they want to? Nothing made since. Mary stood outside the tomb weeping because in desperation and sorrow that is really the only thing a person can do well. She bent down and looked inside the tomb, and she saw something amazing. She saw two angels and they asked, “Why do you weep?” Imagine that. She just saw the two disciples enter and leave and no one else yet here are two beings just standing there. She told them her sorrows and then she turned away only to see a man standing behind her. He too asks, “Why do you weep?” Mary again tells the same story, explaining why she is so full of sorrow. She had lost everything; her entire life was devoted to Jesus now she cannot even visit the body. She turns away again and Jesus looks at her and calls to her by name. “Mary!”

He is Risen! What would it take for you to believe? What would that belief cause to happen if you truly lived as if you believed?  It took one word for Mary. It took one little tent for John. What would it cause in your life if you truly believed? For Mary in a split second her tears of sorrow were dried up as she screams in sheer joy “Rabbouni!” In a moment John knew that, the relationship between God and man had changed. The tent of meeting, the prayer closet, or the shawl that was representative of the place where God could meet with mankind was laid aside and God was with us.

He is Risen! In a moment the darkness of Saturday has passed into light. Hope has been restored into something beyond our wildest dreams. The bonds of death cannot hold him. And God is with us! What will it take for you to believe in your own life?

For me it took a baby in my arms. That belief continued when I was lead to go to Ukraine. I did not have enough money to go on my own yet in a couple short months I was on a plane heading over the ocean. That belief continued to grow when a guy who stuttered when nervous and would rarely speak in private let alone in public lead classes of a hundred students and spoke freely. It continued to grow as God gave words to speak and began to call me to teach and preach. That belief brought me here to Kansas City and I am seeing that power of the Risen Christ working all around me. Have I experienced a miracle? I do not know, but what I do know is that the love of God took a guy heading into a life of hopelessness and gave him something greater. It began and it grew, it has empowered and it has shown me things I never thought I would see. What would it take for you?

He is Risen! Death could not hold Him in its clothes and the tent could not contain his glory. He came bursting out of tomb moving that stone of separation and he spoke to the sorrowful woman that lost her greatest friend. He inspired the disciple to experience God in a brand new way. He called a sinful, shy, stuttering man to preach His gospel. What will it take for you to seek Him as not only a teacher but also a friend, not only as a far off story of ages past but a current reality?

Jesus took on our humanity in every form: He lived a complete life for us and with us as He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, He grew up experiencing childhood and adolescence, He had a career and he left that career to minister. He lived a life of prayer, worship, and ministry as He withdrew to solitary places, made it His custom to meet at the synagogues, and healed many diseases. He sat down and spoke with the Samaritan women who lived a life of divorce and cohabitation, He did not condemn the one caught in adultery, and He touched the leapers and made them clean. He got angry over injustice and He wept for His friends and his nation. He gave His life for us because we would rather justify our own actions instead of truly living for with God, and He lay in that tomb that place removed from all life and love, dead. But death could not keep Him bound.

He knows our sorrow, our pain, our temptations, and He overcame them for us and through His life, death, burial and resurrection He offers us a new life and restored hope. He is risen! What will it take for us to believe? And what will happen if we lived as if we really believed that He is risen indeed?

What Does it Really Mean? (Sermon March 3, 2013)

Scripture: Luke 13:1-9

Everyone has a theory about how things should be. If we were to spend this afternoon we would have probably fifty different ideas of how best to proceed into the future as a community, church, or nation. Wait did I say fifty…that might be a little low, even though we have less than fifty here. Each of us have so many ideas about how best to do things we are not even in unity in our own minds. It is actually quite humorous if you think about it.

The good thing about most ideologies is that it makes discerning what ideas you agree with easier. You do not have to think about it, and to be honest most of us don’t think about it. We go through life latched onto some ideology that we think suits us best and we hold onto it. It doesn’t really matter to us that at times that ideology and our actions do not actually reflect each other. We like the labels because it is easy. We like the label of Christian, spiritualist, Democrat, Republican, capitalist, or socialist because these labels seem to allow us to sit back and let our lives be defined for us. If I say I’m something then I do not have to prove it.

This is a problem because of the six ideologies I mentioned I strongly doubt there is one person in this room that is one hundred percent any of them. I say this because we each have this independent streak in us that does not want to be fully conformed into a group, yet we want to be accepted by it. Yes I even include Christian in that list.

Today’s passage is a passage about what it means to be a follower of God. Just as a warning you may not like what I have to say. I give this warning because each of us, even in our journey in faith, tends to get in our own way.

“At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.” What a way to begin. This section of scripture is unique to the book written by Luke. It is unique not only in scriptures but in historical documentation as well. No one really knows what specific moment in history Luke is referring to. The do not even know if it is an actual even or just some hypothetical scenario used to test Jesus. I want us to consider it as an actual historical event because it very well could have been. I say this because the northern area of Palestine in the Roman era is similar to the American South. They have a nationalistic fervor that is almost annoying to people outside their culture, and a skewed view of what the nation is supposed to be. Galilee is filled with a bunch of good old boys that think they know what is best for everyone else and they tend to want to push the rest of the nation into their line of thinking. There were several groups among the Galileans that built up enough support amongst themselves that they tried to lead revolts several times. They had a reputation as being rebels, nonconformists, and trouble to the outsider.

Pilate is the Roman appointed Governor over Jerusalem. He is not directly involved with ruling the rowdy Galileans but he does have to deal with them on occasion since everyone must make pilgrimages to Jerusalem to worship in the temple and offer sacrifices. Pilate’s number one concern is to stop any uprising that would attract the attention of Rome, and history has proven that he did this with a firm hand. It was not uncommon for Pilate to send in the troops to settle things quickly, and he was not opposed to killing anyone that stood in the way of restoring order.

So we have a scene of civil war. Rome is stopping an uprising. A tyrant is being opposed. Terrorists are being vanquished. Depending on one’s perspective. There is much that could be said about this event. We could focus on the mingling of blood, which would not only have left their sacrifices ceremonially unfit, but also rendering the temple unclean. We could focus on the rebellion of the Galileans. Jesus takes a different route. It was a common understanding at that time that bad things happen to bad people. If something happened to you it is your fault because you lacked the faith. I say that as if it is a school of thought that passed away in antiquity but it is still present to this very day. It is probably one of the most widely accepted ideas in pretty much every religious culture. If you have a problem its your fault. Jesus asks those he’s talking to “did this happen because these guys were worse sinners?”

It is an odd question. It almost leads us to believe that maybe Jesus was talking to people that supported Roman rule. It could also be that these Galilean men acted independently without unifying the group so they sinned because they acted rashly. What we do know is that Jesus knew the hearts of those in this conversation. They were judging these Galileans. Some may have judged them as heroes to the cause or righteous martyrs. Some may have seen the men as the problem of the world they lived in, and others may have been more concerned with the sacrifices in what ever case Jesus is saying each judgment is wrong.

“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.” Harsh! This is where it gets personal. We judge. We use judgment to try to make sense of the world around us. We judge people to determine their worth to a company, or if they should be a member of committees. It is difficult to keep from judging. The issue with judging is that we often do it from a skewed perspective. We judge based on how something or someone will affect us personally or how they will affect our ideology. This manner of judgment has its place in some areas but not in the kingdom of God.

Jesus is telling them that they need to change their perspective. Repent, or stop and turn the other direction. Everyone talking that day was throwing out their ideas of why this tragedy happened. Jesus tossed in the idea, “what should you be doing.” If we fail to stop and turn the other direction, if we fail to stop and turn to God we run a risk. None of them were focused on what really mattered, not one person in that conversation was focused on what the true Kingdom of God was. Is the kingdom a nation devoted to religious structures, worthy to fight to the death over?

Jesus then shares another tragic event, the falling of a tower in Jerusalem. What causes towers to fall? Structures fall because those put in charge of them neglect them in some way. They fail to maintain the structure, to defend the structure against various attacks, or maybe they failed to build it properly to begin with. We do not know how or why this structure fell, but it did, and in the process it killed eighteen people. Tragic. Who is to blame? The people who died? A tower, in ancient times, was a defensive structure so when it falls it means that there was a break down in the government that failed to maintain something. It very well could have been that those eighteen people were supposed to keep the tower structurally sound but instead used funding for other purposes. They could have also been a victim of inadequate funding or rebellion. The same answer comes from Jesus, they were not worse sinners but if you do not repent then you will perish just as they did. Again the crowd looked to blame someone and again Jesus turns the blame not on one person but on all of them.

Repent! Stop and turn around go the other direction. The problem in our world is that everyone is going around thinking that they know the best way and they want to force everyone else to comply. Repent. That is not the Kingdom of God, no matter how benevolent or righteous it is, but the kingdoms of man. In the kingdoms of man, we want to see results and if the results are lacking we slash and burn and take down anyone and everyone that was associated with it. Repent. The Kingdom of God is not like that. The Kingdom of God does not look to place the blame on whom caused the tower to fall and why people were killed. We already know why that happened. Towers fall because people fail. People are killed because people kill. Repent. Stop focusing on answer those questions and start going a different direction. The Kingdom of God is focused elsewhere.

Jesus finishes this discussion with a cryptic story. “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-9, NRSV)

What does it mean to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God? What does it mean to be a Friend of God, or a disciple of Christ? The answer is right in this story. The full gospel is presented in this short cryptic parable. It actually is not very cryptic. The world is the vineyard. Each of us is a tree or a creature of this earth, the adversary or the accuser has been given charge over the vineyard and it looks at us with judgment. The ruler of the air the kingdoms of man judge the tree as being fruitless and a waste of soil. In comes the gardener, with a very different perspective. Let us nurture and encourage the tree. Dig around it putting fertilizer in the soil to encourage growth. Then look at it.

The people in the conversation with Jesus were not looking to encourage or nurture growth, they offering judgment from a skewed perspective. Jesus says repent. Stop looking to accuse, stop becoming a hindrance, and start encouraging growth. This takes work. Repentance is not just the saying of a few words and magically you become a citizen of Heaven. It is work. It is the turning and the changing of one’s life to focus on the things important to God. The gardener worked with the tree. He dug down around the roots. If you have ever used a shovel you know that digging is work, but like most things if you keep working you will develop skills.

The digging around the roots is like the discipline of prayer. Prayer is not something that comes easy to many people. I would venture to say that a life style of prayer is probably one of the hardest things to develop because it takes time. It is more than speaking our requests to heaven; it is studying scripture, meditating on the scripture, examining our lives against the testimony of scripture, it is crying over our failures, and celebrating our liberation from bondage. Prayer is where we being our relationship with God and where we begin to Love God. Prayer is work but if we develop skills a lifestyle of prayer it opens up our lives for something more.

After the gardener digs, he adds manure or fertilizer. This is a catalyst for growth and change. As we pray we will often find areas of our lives that we cannot overcome. We may resent others, an addiction, a grudge, or something that is holding us from fully turning our lives to God. We may also find a calling to a ministry, or a correction in an attitude we need to make. We need something to encourage growth, because many of these things seem bigger than we can handle. Embracing the Holy Spirit is that catalyst for change; the Spirit is the fertilizer that encourages growth. If you know plants you would know that they grow to nutrients and water. Roots will always grow toward the things they need. Prayer opens our lives so that God can add the Spirit to our lives. As we embrace the Spirit more fully our roots spread, we begin to release more of our live into that realm of God reaching for more and more Spirit. This growth beneath the surface has a mirrored affect above the surface. As the roots grow the branches grow. As the branches grow more leaves emerge. As more leaves emerge more flowers bloom, and as flowers bloom fruit is produced.

This is all provided through the one that stood against the adversary or the accuser. We are not the Gardener. The Gardener is Jesus who provides the way for us to enter into a relationship with God by taking on all of our failures, and all of the judgment from the kingdom of man, and hanging them on a cross of shame. It is through Jesus that the Spirit flows into our lives from the Father. It is Jesus that stands between judgment and us and says give it some time, let me work with them, let me stand between life and death for them, and I take on the responsibility.

Repent or you will perish. Repent stop doing what you are doing and examine your life according to the Kingdom of God. God does not want us to rebel against a tyrant He wants us to love our enemy. God does not want us to let our structures to fall but He wants us to be stewards of the blessings He has given us. God does not want us to judge others according to strict codes, but He wants us to provide an environment where His creation can flourish and be fruitful. Without repentance we are just root bound dying trees. Dying trees are only fit to cut down and tossed in a fire. With repentance with we can turn our lives toward the Light of God and we can grow and His Kingdom can come to Earth just as it is in Heaven. You see it is not about what we can do ourselves but it is about what we can do with the help of our gardener.

We all have ideals and ideologies. We have them for reasons, but as we enter this time of open worship and holy expectancy let us all toss those away, because many of those ideologies are based on the kingdoms of man and not the Kingdom of God. Let us become a people of repentance, a people of turning. Let us become a people of Prayer, Worship, and Ministry. Let our lives be about loving God, embracing the Holy Spirit, and living the love of Christ with others.