The Greatest Word Uttered

The three words that Jesus spoke in John 19;30 is a single word in the original Greek text, that has been called "the greatest word which ever broke upon the ear of man." Frequently preachers look for a single word or thought to drive a point home with power to the hearer. The one word that Jesus uttered was "tetelestai." This means "It is finished." It is a declaration of victory. It was said to be an artist's word. When the painter had put the finishing touches to the vivid landscape, he would stand back and admire his masterpiece and murmur, "tetelestai." It is impossible here to exhaust it's depths, but we can make some observations. It was a word that indicated suffering was ended. The physical agony and mental anguish now culminated in his death for us. The word also indicates that revelation was finalized. Early in John's gospel we read that "no man has seen God at any time."
In Jesus, God became visible and tangible. In His humanity He interpreted the Father to us. The word also means that shadows became substance. Centuries of sacrifice revealed their insufficiency, but now the perfect sacrifice was offered. Finally, "tetelestai" means: the Father's will was fulfilled, Satan was defeated, and redemption was accomplished. An unknown author stated, "It is finished was His last voice, the sacred accents over. He bowed His head, gave up the ghost, and suffered pain no more." Truly that one word was the greatest word ever uttered.

On a medical note: The last MRI was clear, and showed no tumor activity. We give praise to God for answered prayer!

Jesus and Children

We read in the gospels that the disciples ran interference against young children trying to prevent them from the time and attention of the Master. Jesus quickly reversed their action and invited the children to come close. After a week of Vacation Bible School some of our disciples were ready to send the children away also! There were over 100 each day, and our three and four-year olds numbered close to 40. There were lighter moments, such as when one lad with a cherub face defined who Jesus healed. He healed the blind, who could not see. He healed the mute who could not speak. When asked about the lame he said they were the "totally uncool!" Children must have strongly appealed to Jesus for their honesty of reply and observation. I'm sure He would smile to hear the way the word lame is used in our culture today. We should do everything we can to bring children to Him at an early and tender age.

On a medical note: There is nothing to report concerning the MRI - we are still awaiting the results. However, the bilirubin count is as low as it's been, at 12.5! We rejoice that some enzymes are lower too. We continue to covet your prayers. Love, Chris

Truth and Love

I am neither chemist nor cook, so verification of the following may be necessary. Sodium is an extremely active element found naturally only in combined form. It always links itself to another element. Chlorine, on the other hand, is the poisonous gas that gives bleach its offensive odor. When sodium and chlorine are combined, the result is sodium chloride - common table salt - the substance we use to preserve meat and bring out it's flavor. Love and truth can be like sodium and chlorine. Love without truth can be blind and sentimental and carries a tendency to soften the sharp edges of truth. On the other hand, truth by itself may be overly offensive, sometimes even brutal. Spoken without love it can turn people away from the gospel. When truth and love are combined in an individual or church, then we have what Jesus wants His church to be - the salt of the earth. It is then we are able to preserve and bring out the beauty of our faith. The church and the individuals in it are the repository and pillar of the truth. The love of Christ has been shed abroad in our hearts and therefore we can love as He loved. I don't always keep these two elements in balance, and I know the result is diminished effectiveness. I can only say that I am a work in progress - Christ is not finished with me yet, and I hope to be saltier as time goes by. I hope you will be also.

On a health note: The bilirubin count now stands at 15.7! Our prayer is that the enzymes and bilirubin will continue to fall. The fourth post-surgery MRI is scheduled for Wednesday. Please pray that there will be what is known as a clear report - no new tumor activity. God bless you.

Noisy Small Town

I am amazed at times how a quiet, sleepy, rural community such as McCook can generate so much noise. Certain nights of the week in the summer permit Nascar-like racing at the fairgrounds. Train whistles and connections continually penetrate the night. Late night motorcyclists seem to be gunning their motors to reach their destination. The occasional ambulance and the chimes of several churches waft through the night air. Dogs bark at the alley cats. Psalm 46:10 instructs us to "Be still and know that I am God." It is significant that the Psalm in which the words "be still" occur is filled with noise and commotion. The earth shakes, the waters roar and are troubled, the mountains threaten to tumble into the midst of the sea. The nations rage, the kingdoms are moved and the sound of war is heard throughout the land. Then a voice is heard out of the silence saying, "Be still and know that I am God." Go back sometime and read I Kings 19, where Elijah stands at the entrance of a cave waiting to hear from the Lord and receive His commissioning. The point that I'd like to make is that today, we must listen until our inner ears hear the words of God. When His voice is heard, it will not be as shouting in a stadium of a nervous world. Rather, the reassuring call of One Who said He shall not always strive or cry or speak loudly in the streets. It will be heard plainly enough in the heart, and in the end that is all that matters.

Medical update: We are praising the Lord that my bilirubin level has dropped to 17.2. Enzymes continue to show downward trends as well, many of them nearing normal. I feel some strength returning, as I was able to get the front lawn mowed this week for the first time!

The Nature of True Worship

The archbishop of the Church of Canterbury once stated, "Worship is the oil of the spiritual life. It is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, it is to purge the imagination with the beauty of God, it is to devote the will to the purpose of God, it is to open the heart to the love of God. All this is gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion which the human nature is capable and the remedy for self-centeredness." There have been occasions as I was leaving the worship service,that I overheard someone say, "I didn't get a lot out of this today." This shows a misunderstanding of what our purpose is in being there, which is to offer up to God "worth-ship" for all that He is and all that He has done. We forget that worship is about God - it is not about us. To worship as the archbishop has suggested and renew our minds with the Word of God would certainly transform us from glory to glory as the apostle Paul noted in one of his letters.

On a medical note, we were glad this week to hear that my bilirubin count went to 19.5, and we would like to see it under 5. All liver enzymes continue to head toward normal. We are giving thanks and praise to God for these lower numbers and we are praying for no tumor activity in the MRI scheduled in early June. Thanks for reading the blog and for your continued prayers.

Absent: A Sense of the Sacred

One of the distinct characteristics and nonetheless disturbing of our age is an absence of the sacred. Many places of worship still have a book in the back of the pew called the sacred hymnal, but few consider the music within "sacred." Paul told Timothy that from a child he had known the sacred scriptures, yet people today treat their Bibles and the reading of it with contemptible casualness. When two young people get married this act was at one time referred to as "sacred matrimony." Now it is considered getting hitched or tying the knot, but is seldom referred to as a sacred and solemn occasion. Worship has become shallow and superficial. God's name is often used in a vain and repetitious way. Kneeling is a posture never taken within the service and that which should command respect is often treated as a triviality. We need today to recapture a sense of that which is sacred. There are subjects and matters that are majestic and we should be "lost in wonder, love, and praise" as the hymnwriter said, instead of having LOST our wonder, love, and praise.

Medical update: the next MRI is scheduled for June 10th. We continue to pray for lower numbers related to bilirubin and liver enzymes. Thank you for all the encouragement you continue to bring our direction.

The Sign That You Follow Christ

In John 13:34-35 Jesus states, "A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." The sign that you followed Abraham was circumcision. The sign that you followed Moses was keeping the Sabbath. The sign that you followed John the Baptist was that you were baptized. The sign that you follow Jesus Christ is that you love one another. A message that I heard some years ago and using the letters as an acronym, defined love as Listening - what the other person has to say is just as important as what you have to say. The O was for Overlooking - everyone has things in their life that we should look past, and simply love them as they are. V was for Value - we demonstrate love when we affirm the other person's value as one for whom Christ died. The E is simply Expression - that love finds tangible ways to meet needs, show concern, convey encouragement. If love is the sign of a true disciple how vivid is this sign currently in your life? Is it plainly visible for others to see? Or is it distant, unclear, and not much of a sign at all?

Medical note: One of my concerns has been loss of weight, and I am glad to report that after a weight loss of 50 pounds, my weight has stabilized, and in fact I have gained 5 pounds back. Blood work is still done weekly, and the last one showed that enzyme levels are continuing to improve. My saliva is greatly improved, for which I give daily thanks and praise! I continue to counsel, teach, and am scheduled to preach May 24th. As chairman of the National Day of Prayer in our community, which is the first Thursday in May, please join us or a group in your area to pray for our nation on May 8th.