My five year old son has a problem. He has a serious Star Wars addiction. Now in the interest of full disclosure, I have a great love for Star Wars myself. I love watching him enjoy the movies and the games. I love listening to him talk about the virtues of using a lightsaber over a blaster. I even love the repetitive statements declaring how awesome the Jedi are. Its a blast sharing this thing with my son. It gives us this cool thing that we share in common that serves to build and the father son bonds of affection. Admittedly, I am grateful to have something in my life like this with my son.
I remember when I was a kid I was really into baseball cards for awhile. I collected any card I could get my hands on. Eventually my dad took notice and it became a hobby that we shared. While sometimes I wondered if it wasn’t his hobby more than mine, I still took comfort in the fact that my dad wanted to do something with me. He loved me and wanted to connect with me. I still cherish those times together when we would get a pack of cards and open them with anxious anticipation hoping there would be a rare find in the pack. Most of the time there wasn’t anything special in the pack…it was the time together that meant the most. I am glad that I have that with my son.
Thanks George Lucas. Honestly, I never thought I would utter that sentence after seeing the prequels, but it seems appropriate now. Thanks for creating something both my son and I love.
I have been thinking a great deal about loneliness lately. For the last couple of weeks, I have been away from my wife and kids during the 5 day stretch of the week and then going home on the weekends. Unfortunately, I still have another 2.5 weeks of this to go. It wasn’t so bad at first because I was meeting new people and had a lot going on to distract me from the fact that the ones I love most aren’t with me. As the days continues to pass by, he feelings of loneliness and separation continue dominate.
Dictionary.com defines lonely this way:
–adjective, -li·er, -li·est.
1.
affected with, characterized by, or causing a depressing feeling of being alone; lonesome.
2.
destitute of sympathetic or friendly companionship, intercourse, support, etc.: a lonely exile.
3.
lone; solitary; without company; companionless.
4.
remote from places of human habitation; desolate; unfrequented; bleak: a lonely road.
5.
standing apart; isolated: a lonely tower.
Admittedly, more than a few of those words describe how I feel during the days away from my family. Honestly it sucks. However, I can’t help but think of Jesus. I can’t imagine a person being more lonely than when Jesus was on the cross. He was dying, and he was abandoned by his followers. Those that loved him fled. All of those people he healed and helped were no where to be found. In fact, in an moment shrowded in mystery, Jesus even felt abandoned by God. In Mark 15:34 we read Jesus’ words:
At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, , why have you forsaken me?” (NRSV)
I can’t imagine a more lonely moment in all of history. A moment that was endured on our behalf so that all that was perverted by sin could be made new, so that Shalom could be restored. Jesus intentionally endured the loneliest moment ever experienced by anyone so that we (along with all of creation) might be in right relationship with God. In light of this, my own loneliness doesn’t seem so bad and my heart is actually filled with gratitude to my my savior who endured the pain and suffering of the cross so that we might have life. Thank you Jesus.
I just accepted a new position working in partnership with the CCO and a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Morgantown West Virginia. I will be the Director of College Church where I will be ministering to college students on West Virginia University’s campus. I am super excited for this opportunity…however, I am a little nervous. We are moving to a new place and will have to raise part of our salary. I ask that each of you be praying for my family and I as we make this transition.
As I said I, I am super excited about this opportunity and I can’t wait to get started. It is crazy where God leads. I always pictured myself staying in Western Pa, but God had something different for us. Morgantown is only a few minutes from the Pa border, but it is a new place none the less. We are excited about our new adventure and can’t wait to see what God has in mind for us. I thank you all in advance for your prayers.
P.S. If there is anyone who would consider helping financially, you can email me your address as uberpepe@live.com.
In a few minutes I will be playing Mar Kart with the kids. I’m not really sure why I like Mario Kart, but I think it has to do with winning a race. However, I think lately I have loved playing so much because I get to see it through my kids eyes. My son loves to crash and jump off cliffs. My daughter has no idea what she is doing, but she has fun doing it. Watching and playing with them reminds me that even a game designed as a race to win, can be enjoyed in ways I never thought possible.
I think God is like that. Even when we think we understand Him, He reveals something entirely knew for us to enjoy about Him. I am thankful for a God who is never boring.
I was taking my kids to pre-school this morning and my son Colm suggested we play a game. I asked him what he would like to play and he said we should all take turns saying something about Jesus. He started by saying that Jesus lived in his heart and on my turn, I said that Jesus died on the cross for us. Colm responded by saying, “Jesus died for the bad guys too”. I am amazed at the insight of my kids sometimes. He understands at 4 years of age a concept that most adults never seem to be able to grasp a hold of. I was exceptionally proud in that moment.
Colm understands that Jesus didn’t come so that good people could somehow earn their way to Heaven by doing enough good things to outweigh the bad things that are done. Jesus came because each of us is in need of a Savior. Nobody can ever be good enough to earn their way into Heaven. Jesus died for each one of us…even who the world would deem the worst of us. The truth is, we are all broken and in need of Jesus no matter how bad we think we are…or how bad others think we are. Scripture tells us that we all fall short of God’s glory. It means what it says…all of us fall short. Colm understands something profound…may we all have the same insight that he does…that each of us needs Jesus.
Sorry I have been absent this week, but my family is in morning the loss of my Grandma. She battled the disease for 2 years before she succumbed to it on Wednesday April 14th. Admittedly, it has been a rough couple of months for our family with the sickness of our daughter, the miscarriage of our baby, and the recent loss of Grandma. I appreciate all of you have sent words of sympathy and well wishes…your prayers have been particularly appreciated.
Today I preached on the passage in Mark 4 where Jesus calms the storm. This is one of the days where I really needed to here the “Peace, be still” phrase. These three words have been really meaningful to me over the last month or two. Every time I think the storm that is my life right now is raging beyond what I can handle, I here those words Jesus said in the boat…”Peace, be still”
I think I am going to be spending a lot of time with those words over the coming days and weeks.
May we all find the peace that surpasses all understanding in the middle of storms through Jesus.
P.S. I loved the new Doctor…He was mad and lovable and funny and to quote the previous two Doctors, He was “Fantastic” and “Brilliant”
This is a tough week for Pastors. With all the extra fanfare that this week gets in the church combined with the extra services like Sunrise, Good Friday, and Maundy Thursday…it is very difficult to catch your breath. This has been an especially difficult week for my wife and I. After 10 months of trying to get pregnant, we found out last week that we were pregnant. We were so excited. Less than a week later we were told that we were going to lose the baby. No explanation. It was devastating…and in all honesty still is painful to think about.
So in the middle of all of this…I am supposed to somehow preach Easter. Good Friday I get. Suffering and pain I understand right now, but how do I stand before three congregations on Sunday morning and preach about the Good News that is Jesus when I don’t feel it.
Now with all that being said, I still have no idea what shape my sermons will take on Sunday, but I am sure of this. Despite my pain, God will be there and He will speak to people….even me. He will continue to pour hope into the lives of people as the good news of the Resurrection is proclaimed. By no means can I say that I am o.k. with what has happened, but I can say that if this week teaches us anything, Jesus suffers along with us. He is present in our sorrows and in our grief. He loves us. I may not feel like preaching Easter this year, but I can’t think of a more appropriate time to hear about Jesus’ victory over sin and death. I can think of no more appropriate message than that in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear evil because…in the beginning and the end and everywhere in between…Jesus.
So… as I ponder this Holy Week in terms of its relevance to my life, the life of the congregations I serve and for all those lost people out there who are in need of healing, I turn to Rocky for inspiration:
My daughter Moira has been very sick since late last week. She has had a fever ranging from 101 -104 since that time and late Sunday night her fever spiked 105.7. It was pretty scary because she was shaking as well as hallucinating. She saw bugs, aliens, and even Hello Kitty. At the emergency room they cooled her off but they were unable to break the fever completely. We finally thought progress had been made last night, but when she woke up this morning her fever spike back up to near 105 again. My wife is with her at the hospital again while I wait to hear some news.
Through all of this I have been thinking a great deal about control. As a parents, my wife and I go to great links to make sure that the kids are taken care. We pray for them. We feed them and clothe them. We make sure they learn and play. We discipline when necessary. We love our children and do whatever we can to make sure they are safe. But…life seems to throw moments like these at us from time to time and we realize how little control we have. For all of our good intentions, there are just some things that we have no control over. We can keep her comfortable and make sure she has medicine…we can even hold her so she can fall, asleep and get the rest she needs, but for all the love we have for her, we can’t make her better. Its frustrating to know that we have no control. And I know as she gets older, we will have less control in her life. That is a pretty sobering thought…and I think I would like to add scary to that as well.
I guess in the end, we must all realize whether we are parents or we are struggling with some other issue, there will be moments in life that are completely out of our hands. As much as that sucks, I find comfort in the fact that my faith does not rest in my ability to fix anything, but it rests in the hands of the Creator who knows what is best. In all honesty, that is a pretty difficult thing for me to buy into sometimes, but deep down I know that God is at work and that I can place my trust in Him no matter the circumstance.
My son Colm and I have spent the better part of the week working our way through the original Star Wars trilogy. To this point, we have made it through episodes 4 and 5 and if I can find the DVD will make it through Return of the Jedi by the end of the weekend. I have to admit I am a proud father. It does not get much cooler than getting to share in his excitement as he experiences these movies as I did when I was kid. So far, my favorite observation of his…I guess maybe its more of question…is why did they freeze Han Solo in Chocolate. Admittedly I laughed out loud, but I also began to think about how I could possibly explain the difference between carbonite and chocolate. In his world, he has no experience with carbonite, but he knows exactly what chocolate is. After a few failed explanations, I finally gave up and let him continue to think Han Solo is is being transported to Jabba the Hut in frozen chocolate because carbonite makes no sense to him until I can find a way to explain it to him in a way that he will understand.
As I continued to ponder this, I began to wonder if God has the same problem with us. There is so much in life that we just can’t wrap our minds around and I think its because our frame of reference is so much smaller than God’s. Its question of the infinite (God) verses the finite (us). we do our best with what we have been given but the mystery is beyond us. I know for a lot of people that is an unsettling proposition, but for me it is a comfort. I don’t want to serve a God that i fully understand. I want Him to know infinitely more than me and I want Him to be infinitely more wise than me. I am content to live in the mystery. That doesn’t mean i don’t get frustrated, but it does means that ultimately I trust that God knows better than me and that one day I will understand as I hope one day Colm will know the difference between chocolate and carbonite. Until then…I gotta find Return of the Jedi.
