I spent about an hour reading outside on my back patio this afternoon. It was a little warm, but a lovely day nonetheless. And now I am officially ready for the pool to open so I can trade the street view for a water view!
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
- John 15:4-5 (ESV)
As branches, sometimes abiding in the vine means we experience great joy through the bearing of much fruit.
Other times, abiding means we know deep pain through the pruning and refining process in order to bear even more fruit.
But always, abiding means trusting in, leaning into, and depending on Christ … the One who chooses and appoints us, the One who sustains and loves us through every season, and the One who receives all the glory. For apart from him, we can do nothing.
Are you abiding today?
My current reads:
1) Worship on Earth as it is in Heaven by Rory Noland
The worship ministries team at church (choir, orchestra, and tech) is currently going through this book together on Wednesday nights, and it is awesome! Covering one chapter per week, we just recently finished the first section on private worship, drawing heavily from Psalms and the life of David, and have moved into the second and final section on corporate worship, largely based on Revelation. Although a fairly easy read, it’s convicting and challenging and encouraging all wrapped into one.
2) Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller
This is actually a re-read. I first read this book about 6 years ago during my senior year of college, but started reading it again in anticipation of the movie Blue Like Jazz releasing in theaters on April 13th. I didn’t quite finish before seeing the movie last Thursday evening (good movie and great conversation starter, by the way! I would definitely recommend it!), but I’ve found I have a much deeper appreciation for the book this time around and am enjoying reading through it at a slightly slower pace. Don Miller is a gifted storyteller, and although I’m still not one hundred percent on board with all of his ideas, I am connecting to both his style and dialogue on faith in a whole new way. Love when that happens!
“Make glad the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; and give heed to the voice of my supplications!”
- Psalm 86:4-6
I love words … reading words, speaking words, hearing words, pondering words, singing words, writing words.
But it seems in the past several days (weeks, even) I have had little energy left for words. In the wake of processing much that can’t be penned publicly {at least not yet}, my own words feel hollow and my brain feels like mush.
I have a list of sermons to be listened to, books to be read, Scriptures to be reflected upon, and experiences to be written about.
But I don’t.
Instead, in the midst of commitments that are good and necessary and rich, I find myself meeting an unspoken need to be quiet. To just be. Abandoning my typical routines, I fill my free hours with long and purposeful walks, music that effortlessly leads into pure worship, and a prayerful soul.
Yet beginning to feel guilty at this unexpected inward turn, my thoughts shift slightly, almost hesitatingly, towards others. Lacking significant will-power to do much else, I simply pray.
And as I spend my time walking and praying and worshiping, as these moments of intercession turn from me, to them, to HIM, I receive this beautiful reminder of Grace in the quiet.
The perfectionist and legalistic side of me is quick to judge all that I am doing wrong and all that I am failing to do.
But this Grace reminds me that it’s much less about doing what I should and much more about being who I am called.
Christ isn’t holding me to a checklist. He’s holding me to a relationship. And maybe this just being … this walking and worshiping … is just part of this season of that relationship.
And even when I fail him, when I stray from making Him the priority, this Grace is still there. Because even in the failure, He’s not after my efforts, He’s after my heart … a heart conformed to His likeness.
This Grace … it does so much more than cover each sin (though it does that perfectly). It leads each moment.
Yes, accountability and consistency and routine are all good, but maybe there’s even more in abandoning the routine from time to time in order to experience this grace anew, afresh, again.
Although serving and doing tends to feel more productive, the just being was absolutely necessary for this reminder. I simply couldn’t hear it through all the doing, but I could experience this Grace in the quiet. In His presence. Focused on His heart.
This Grace … and this Grace Giver … is everything.
“All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and they shall glorify Your name.
For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.”
- Psalm 86:9-10
Just because I could…
Friday may have been a day for quiet reflection, but today …
Today we celebrate!
Loudly and with great rejoicing!
Because of Jesus Christ’s glorious resurrection!
We proclaim He is KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS!
We shout with enthusiasm He is alive … forever!
My Redeemer Lives!
HE IS RISEN!
As the day approaches, knowing that I hope to somehow express the weight and the glory of this holiest of days, I find myself humbled by my own emptiness.
As I sit with the Lord, pouring out the thoughts and emotions that run deep, I boldly ask Him to clarify the message that He would have me write in this space. I ask that it would be loud and obvious … yet instantly, I know that’s not right.
Today is not a loud day. It is quiet.
“Easter is for shouting. But Good Friday is for not much talking.” – Jon Bloom (Desiring God Blog)
And as I reflect on Christ’s sacrifice in the quietness, all I have is not enough.
Christ gave all. ALL. On that cross.
And in return, all I have is emptiness and brokenness and not enough. Even all of me seems inadequate.
So as I’ve spent a considerable amount of time listening to Handel’s Messiah this week, reflecting on the beauty of the music, but much more so reflecting on the beauty, the weight, the glory of the message, I urge you to reflect with me on HIS words:
Part One
“Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.” (#3 – Isaiah 40:4)
“And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” (#4 – Isaiah 40:5)
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.” (#8 – Isaiah 7:14)
“His yoke is easy and His burden is light.” (#21 – Matthew 11:30)
Part Two
“Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world.” (#22 – John 1:29)
“He was despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” (#23 – Isaiah 53:3)
“Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.” (#24 – Isaiah 53:4-5)
“And with His stripes we are healed.” (#25 – Isaiah 53:5)
Part Three
“Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (#46 – 1 Corinthians 15:21-22)
Jesus Christ came … Emmanuel, God with us … as a servant and humbled himself to death on a cross. The ultimate sacrifice. For You. For Me. For All.
He knew the cross would be His cup and He chose it anyway. Because He knew it was the only way.
“The Cross did not happen to Jesus: He came on purpose for it. He is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.’ The whole meaning of the Incarnation is the Cross.” – Oswald Chambers
And so although we know that Sunday is near, that the victory has already been won, and that great rejoicing will soon commence, in the quietness of this Good Friday, with a sense of both great hope and deep sorrow, we reflect on The Messiah and on His sacrificial death on the cross … in our place, to cover the sins of this world – our sins – once for all, leaving a veil torn, granting us access to the Father, for our salvation, that through Him we might have life eternal.
