Memories of Mom!

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and just where we would be without our mothers?  Mine is no longer here on the earth with me but I can still remember her pleasant voice, fragrant perfume and her warm, wonderful smile. It’s funny how even just the slightest stimulus can trigger a memory of mom. For me it’s the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, as air currents carry their inviting smell from cooling rack to the screen door welcoming me home again. It’s also the smell of laundry, freshly pressed, folded and neatly laid on my bed. Our dresser drawers were always full of clean socks paired up and tucked in upon themselves waiting for two young feet to slip in. Moms are really quite amazing and indispensible.

One day a year to celebrate Mom is not a fine enough tribute to the one who brought us into this world under great pain and duress. She never abandoned us for another, forgot our birthday or failed to mail us a card when we got older and moved away. Mom was a fine woman with a lovely knitted sweater that felt as soft as rabbit fur. And even when we stayed out too late in the rain and caught cold, she was always there with a soft Kleenex, ready to wipe our runny noses. It was like our moms could see into the future.  When something unforeseen would happen, there she would be waiting with a dry shirt, shoes and pants and of course a smile. She always traveled with a very large bag which was completely stocked up prepared for anything that life could throw at her. She was a rare cross between Mary Poppins, Chuck Norris and a pit bull.  God help the poor soul who managed to get between her and the little ones!

Twelve red roses arranged in a vase is not a great enough sentiment for the woman who lived to grab our hand and pull us out of harm’s way. Mom would always go to bat for us in a pinch even if it meant a trip to the principals’ office; she always had our backs and never gave up! When tragedy struck our favorite pet and he had to be put to sleep, mom bravely found the leash and carried him to the already running car. Afterwards, we could always cry on her shoulder. She would wipe away the tears and hustle back home in time to prepare dinner for our fathers. She was an incredibly driven soul who kept the house clean even when she should have been in bed from a bad case of the flu. She always clipped coupons before shopping for the groceries and cooked mash potatoes, gravy and fried chicken every Friday night.

There’s no medal of honor that is priceless enough to be pinned on the chests of our mothers who fed us and nourished us in the first few months of life. Her shoulder became our head rest as she paced back and forth night after night when we were sick. Mom barely slept; it was as if she was a watchman always alert and on guard waiting for our enemies. Just the slightest squeak, muffled cry or even a peep from our cribs would bring her up bounding up out of a dead night sleep. She always had an extra identical binky in her purse. Oh yea, moms are great warriors too and I wouldn’t hesitate to fight back to back with any mom at any time. Marines only wish they had the endurance our mothers had.

A cheap, drug store bought card hastily filled out would bring tears to her eyes. Slowly reading every printed word she would cherish them as if we had thoughtfully penned every line ourselves. When falsely accused, it was our moms who became advocates. And when we were not within her reach, our mother’s faithful prayers would continually rise up to God’s throne room. She made sure her faithful petitions for our well being and safety found their way into the Lord’s presence. In fact, not a night would go by when we were not reminded by our mothers to say our prayers before we went to bed. When our first day of school came, it was mom who encouraged us to take a step of faith and get into the huge, bright yellow school bus. And when it turned out to be the worst day of our lives, it was mom who had fresh cookies and milk waiting for us when we came home. Nothing melted our countenance quicker than her homemade cookies and ice cold milk.

 All the gold in the world would not come close to covering the worth of our moms. Later on, mom took on an additional roll as our children’s grandmother and faithfully managed to show our kids the exact same kindness she showed to us. It’s a mystery of the universe how God made moms so sweet, kind and caring and so very full of love. I know for certain there is a special place in heaven for moms, a place where they will be rewarded for all the good they did in their lives and just maybe when their children arrive to be with her, then the family will once again be reunited to sing her praise.

There really are no presents precious enough for our moms. Not enough gold or silver anywhere in the universe, but you know she would be happy just to get a hug from us, to see us smile as we left the house or even just to get a phone call when we moved far away. We were her treasure, the one she so lovingly poured her life into and raised us to adulthood. Thank you God for every mother you created. Happy Mother’s Day!

The Bride of Christ

It’s interesting to see how all 66 books of the bible fit together into a single perfect picture. If studied carefully the bible reveals itself to be a love story of redemption which started in a garden east of Eden and ends on a wooden cross on Calvary. It is a story that was written before the foundations of time were laid. If the bible is a love story then there has to be a bride, bridegroom and a wedding ceremony.  So let’s put some pieces on the table and see what we can put together.   

 In the New Testament letter written to the Ephesians’ church (5:22), Paul explains how a healthy union between married couples is suppose to function. He uses the believer’s relationship with Christ to illustrate this. Paul tells us that just as Christ is the head of the church and the savior of the body so the man must protect and care for his wife. In (5:25) he writes that Christ loved the church enough to give His life for her.   

Let’s take a look back to the point where the church becomes “the bride” of Christ. In Matthew (26:29), we get a glimpse at the  last supper where Jesus takes a cup filled with red wine, gives thanks and  tells His apostles “Drink from it all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Jesus went on to say, “ But I say to you, I will not of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”  

We know from scripture that the apostles didn’t fully understand the events of that night let alone the symbolism that Jesus introduced at the last supper with the bread and wine. They couldn’t see Him literally becoming their Passover Lamb that night. And they were certainly not ready to see their Messiah be brutally treated and put to death on a Roman cross. And it’s probably safe to say, many of us do not fully understand what we are doing when we drink from a communion cup. The first step to a better understanding is to see why the “church” is called “The Bride of Christ”. 

 To see this truth more clearly we need to look at the customs of an ancient Hebrew wedding ceremony around the time of Jesus.  These early Hebrew wedding customs reveal significant truths that will help us to be prepared for our bridegroom’s future return. In ancient times, it was customary for the bridegroom to visit the father of the bride and ask permission to marry his daughter. The conversation would also include the bridegroom’s plans of how he would provide a secure and happy life for his daughter. If both the bride and her father agreed to his terms then the bridegroom would pour a cup of wine and offer it first to the bride, then to the father.  They were making a covenant or contract.  

At this point the bridegroom leaves his bride and returns to his father’s house where he prepares a home for his bride to live in. This process could take anywhere from a few months to several years to complete. Meanwhile, it was customary for the bride to give herself a “mitzvah” or ritual bath and spend her remaining time faithfully waiting for the bridegroom to return for her.  While she waited, she would continue the process of purification which consisted of inward renewal and outward cleansing.  She wanted to look incredibly beautiful for her bridegroom when he returned. 

Then when the Father of the bridegroom saw that everything was ready and in place he would tell his son to go and get his bride. This usually happened in the dark of night clothed in an element of surprise.  It was a very joyous, festive occasion where the entire clan and village got into the act. The bridegroom and his friends with torches in hand would usually be joined with the bridesmaids who had their lamps full of oil as they waited for the bridegroom’s arrival. He was supposed to surprise the bride and find her eagerly waiting for him, cleansed and being faithful.

So when we, as the “bride of Christ”, drink from the cup we are saying to Jesus that we agree with His proposal and we receive His terms. We pledge to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him by not defiling our bodies with the dirt of this world. Let’s look back at the same passage in Ephesians (5:26) “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of the water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

In much the same way Jesus came to our home, the earth, and bought us with a price.  He poured wine at the last supper and invited each of the apostles to share the cup. And each time that we do this we are to remember the new covenant that Jesus was making with us, that His shed blood was for the remission of our sins. Matthew (26:27-29). 

In the gospel of John (14:2-4) Jesus tell us that He is going away to prepare a place for us and that he will return someday for us. So as His bride we are to occupy here on earth eagerly awaiting the surprise return of our bridegroom. Jesus cleanses us by the washing through reading and studying of His word. One day Jesus will return for us and take us back to the home He has been preparing. In the book of John, chapter 14, verse 3 Jesus says “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Keep in mind that Jesus has been preparing this home for you and me for the past 2000 years. 

In closing let’s take a quick look at the book of Revelation (19:7). The passage describes an event yet future where Jesus “The Lamb of God” is the bridegroom at His wedding feast. “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”  It goes on to say in verse 9 “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”  Will you be one of “those’ who will sit at His table on that day or have yet to receive the free gift of salvation that God has provided for you?

Sailing on Faith

There is nothing better or more relaxing then sailing out on the ocean in good weather. With a competent crew aboard, the boat on a straight course downwind with a cool breeze spilling in over the stern can make for some pretty comfortable ocean cruising. But sailing along California’s rocky; kelp strewn coast can also turn into a complete nightmare if your visibility is obscured. Any experienced sailor knows how quickly weather can change as clouds and fog seam to appear out of thin air making it almost impossible to see where you going.  Then what started out as a really enjoyable sunny daytime cruise can suddenly turn into an anxious fight for life in a nightmarish zero visibility blanket of extremely dense fog.  It’s paramount in times like these that the captain  have complete faith in the boat’s design, instruments and training to safely navigate the vessel through dangerous waters.

So let’s reef in the sails, slow the boat down and heave to for awhile as we consider another kind of visibility problem, that of spiritual fog. Many people have trouble believing in things they can’t see or examine for themselves. And I have to admit I can see how this can lead to a lack of faith. But believing in an invisible God requires a measure of childlike faith. The universe is just too vast and wonderful for any one man to catalog its contents and treasures. We must believe in someone larger than ourselves.

 Just as in our sailing analogy we need to have faith in a designer and His guidebook. We can begin our quest for faith by opening up the pages of our instruction manual to see how the disciples grappled with the concept of faith. Our story takes place in the days just after Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified, His body buried and placed inside the tomb of Joseph. Family, friends and followers of Jesus are dismayed at His death and mourning the loss of their Lord. Soon after the garden tomb is found to be empty Jesus suddenly appears inside of a locked room where the apostles are meeting. The gospel of John chapter 20 records that when Jesus suddenly appeared to the apostles they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. The risen Lord says to them “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.” Jesus wants His friends to touch Him and believe.

Unfortunately, the apostle Thomas was not there to witness the Lord’s appearance. When told of the lord’s appearing Thomas says “Unless I see in His hands the prints of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Eight days later Jesus suddenly appears again and invites Thomas to reach his finger into the nail prints and his hand and into the wound in His side. Without any hesitation Thomas replies “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus says to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Here we have the definition of faith spoken from the Lord Jesus himself.

The book of Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1 defines faith for us “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Michael Card, a contemporary Christian artist, put it this way in one of his songs “To hear with my heart, to see with my soul, to be guided by a hand I can not hold, to trust in a way that I can not see, that’s what faith must be!”

Jesus once explained to Nicodemus in the gospel of John chapter 3 that while we can’t see the wind or know where it comes from or where it goes we can however see the influence it has on the leaves as it rushes through the branches on the tree.  Faith in God is just like that. While we can’t touch the nail prints or see God face to face we can see His design in the world around us: the beauty of a rose, the loyalty of a family pet or the endless cycle of water as it evaporates from the sea only to condense and fall as rain on the mountains, creating magnificent rivers and streams which in time find their way back to the ocean. The last three years of Jesus’ ministry were filled with healings, miracles, signs and wonders. And just like the people of Jesus’ day we all would rather see the show. We demand Jesus perform for us when He has already created everything we see around us!  

My prayer for you all is that you have the faith of a small child, where each new moment brings joy, wonder and amazement into your life. Have faith and believe by touching Jesus through His word. Make each day special and dedicated to God. Make sure you know your vessel’s designer and that you have read the instruction manual. Ready your sails by pulling on the lines that set the sail cloth to the top of the mast. Carefully choose and chart a course for your destination that waits ahead of you in eternity and let God fill your sails with faith!