Recently I ran across this verse and it spoke to me in a way I had never noticed.

Exodus 13:17 (NIV) When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

God is leading Moses and the Israelites out of their Egyptian captivity to the promise land. There was a short and more direct route through the Philistine country to their destination. And yet, God does not lead them that way. God knew that if the children of Israel had to go to battle immediately they would give up their journey and return discouraged to Egypt.

The rest of this story is even more interesting to me. Instead of going through the Philistine country God leads them to the Red Sea. All the while the Egyptians are coming up fast behind them. God then parts the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to flee and in turn destroying the Egyptians.

So catch this, God leads his people the long way out of captivity to a dead-end street so that he could do a mighty work in their lives. I don’t know about you, but I find this greatly encouraging. Many times I have found my life on a path that was not very direct (maybe all the time). Often I have found myself heading in a direction that seemed like a dead-end. There is no counting how often I have asked, “God, what are you doing?”

The reality is – God often uses indirect paths and dead-ends to accomplish his will in our lives. Sometimes our second chance story is simply God leading us through the desert so that we do not get discouraged in Philistine country.

Today I raise my voice and shout out something that has bothered me for years and years. I hate that the resurrection of Jesus is largely forgotten the day after we celebrate Easter. I hate that the Church stops talking about Jesus’ resurrection until Easter season next year.

Today I have looked at about 50 blog posts so far. The only mention of Easter by any of them was to address how Churches should follow-up with guests that came on Easter Sunday. Most of them are off writing about the next big thing. In fact, several emails came to my inbox today about how my Church can plan or I can preach on Mother’s Day. Easter quickly fades into yesterday and we will talk about it again this time next year. Hope to see you then.

I have tried for years to fight against this type of thinking. I didn’t this year (This year Easter was in the middle of a sermon series on Jesus), but in many previous years I have started a sermon series on Easter. I have preached on “Resurrection Living” and included the topic of resurrection events, friends, meals and hopes. I have preached a series called “Open” and I talked about an open tomb that in turn will open hearts and minds. I have preached on “Resurrection Power” and “The Transformation of the Resurrection.” Usually I preach a two to four week sermon series about the resurrection of Jesus because I want to make it the center of our understanding of Jesus and the Church.

Think about it Biblically. When Jesus resurrected, the disciples did not know about it till late Sunday evening. (I wonder if they slept that night) Thomas will not believe it for another week! It took forty days for Jesus to show himself and to teach before he ascended. Now, we celebrate for an hour or two on Sunday morning before we head off to a family gathering with ham or some other type of pork product.

So today I just want to raise my voice and say, “Don’t let the Resurrection of Jesus fade with the season.” Keep it in the front of your thinking as a believer. It validates the cross, it affirms Jesus’ message, it demonstrates the power of God, it gives us a living hope and it is the defining event of Christianity. Don’t forget. Don’t ever forget.

He is Risen Indeed!!

Today is the day in the Christian calendar and the Holy Week that we call “Good Friday.” This is the day we remember Jesus death on the cross. This is the day we remember the great sacrifice of Jesus for our sin.

My school system takes the day off and I am not going to the office. This might not be true for you, but I hope you set aside a few minutes today to remember the cross.

The good news is “It’s Friday … but Sunday’s coming.”

Today is the time in the Holy Week leading up to Easter/Resurrection Sunday that we celebrate Maundy Thursday. In some traditions it is called Holy Thursday. It commemorates the final night of Jesus life before he goes to the cross. It is the night in which he washes the disciples feet and institutes what we call the Last Supper or the Lord’s Supper.

In some countries today is a public holiday, but not in America. Some Churches have special programs today, but mine does not. I still hope that at some point through this day you will pause and think about Jesus words.

Matthew 26:26-29 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
(27) Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. (28) This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (2)9 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Since moving to Alaska 5 years ago Easter week has been a different experience for me. You see, I grew up in a Church where Easter was a really big deal. People dressed up for Easter (I often got new clothes), we had special programs with special music and attendance that day was the highest of the year.

Later, I would enter the preaching ministry and the Easter experience was much the same. It was still a highlight in the Christian calendar. Then, I moved to Alaska and Easter is not a very big deal at all. In fact, this week I expect attendance to be right on average and I only have a special song and video to enhance the program. Most people will not purchase new clothes for the day and only a couple will dress up. Easter is just like every other Sunday in the year.

I think this is true in Alaska for a couple reasons. First, Easter is still part of winter here. Spring is coming but several families will still be down below where it is warm. Second, some people will travel to see their families who live outside of Alaska for Easter (or somewhere else in the state). Third, the jobs here in Homer are unique. People are off fishing or working up on the north slope or doing one of a dozen things that do not stop for any holiday let alone Easter.

I say all this because over the last few years I have had to adjust my thinking about Easter. At first I was upset, then I was disappointed, next I tried hard to change it and finally I am beginning to accept it. Here is why I have slowly become okay with Easter not being a very big holiday.

1. No where in scripture are we told to have a holiday for the resurrection of Jesus. No where! The early Church decided to meet on the first day of the week, we believe, because that was the day of the week Christ was resurrected. If that is true (and I think it is) then we celebrate the resurrection of Christ every time we meet on Sunday.

2. I am part of a group of Churches that take communion every week. The early Church broke bread when they were together to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross AND that the resurrection demonstrates that God accepted that as payment for my sin. Every week we remember the cross and the resurrection of Jesus at the table.

3. Every week we sing songs about a victorious, risen Lord. Reading through many of the songs we sing (both chorus’ and hymns) I find a line about the cross and often a statement about his resurrection.

Here is my point. I have had to re-learn that EVERY WEEK we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus – not just once a year. For many people Easter is not a special day, but every Sunday is … and I am okay with that.

Preacher Fred Craddock told this story years ago. It still encourages me and I hope it will make you smile.

I remember in an airport in Kansas City years ago, waiting for a plane, I fell into conversation with a fellow from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. He was in this country completing a study on the influence of the conversation between doctors and nurses with the patient in surgery who is under anesthesia.
His view was, in fact, that he had established it beyond all doubt. He found that if the doctors and nurses were negative and gripey and grumpy, then the patient in post-operative conditions was depressed and pessimistic. If the doctors and nurses were upbeat, happy, merry, and cheerful, then the patient in post-operative care was euphoric and optimistic and proceeded to recover quickly.
The time came when I had to catch my plane. I thanked him for the conversation, and he said, “Why, are you a doctor?”
I said, “Oh, no, I’m a preacher.”
“But if it’ll work in surgery, it’ll work in sanctuary.”
So when I go somewhere to speak, and people are asleep, it doesn’t bother me anymore, because I know that several days later they may get a little Christian twitch. They won’t know what caused it, but I’ll know.

Several years ago a pastor friend recommended that I read a book called “The Purple Cow” by a business and advertising writer named Seth Godin. The idea was simple to understand, in a world of ordinary things – your thing needs to stand out. He then gave dozens of examples and illustration of this principle. The idea behind it also could be applied to Church. Each Church needs to be unique in a way that brings glory to God.

Anyway, from then on I began reading other books by Seth Godin along with reading his blog. He is not a Christian but rather a business man and much of his writing only applies to business. On the other hand, several things he writes could apply to Churches (or any non-profit organization) or simply to everyday living. I still read HIS BLOG daily and it greatly influences my writing and often my thinking.

The other day he posted a blog that I thought was worth repeating:

The right moment

You might be waiting for things to settle down. For the kids to be old enough, for work to calm down, for the economy to recover, for the weather to cooperate, for your bad back to let up just a little…

The thing is, people who make a difference never wait for just the right time. They know that it will never arrive.

Instead, they make their ruckus when they are short of sleep, out of money, hungry, in the middle of a domestic mess and during a blizzard. Whenever.

As long as whenever is now.

Over the last week I have heard a similar expression several times repeated in person and on TV. In each case a person was talking about a friend or family member who was deceased. They would talk about the situation they were in and then they would say, “I feel they are here with me right now.” Another version says, “I know they are looking down and smiling.”

This kind of talk reveals two things to me. First, it reveals how little we really know about the after life. Sadly, even many Christians have little clue to what the Bible says about our after life. Most of what I hear is based on subjective feelings and conjecture to make us feel better about our lives. One of the scenario’s that I heard this phrase this week was on TV and a woman was selling off her dad’s possessions. She said as she walked among his possessions and started selling them, “He is here with us.” Honestly, that just made her feel good in the moment and a sense of connection with the past.

The second thing it reveals to me is how little we believe in anything other than heaven. I mean, no one ever says “He is down there looking up at me in pain.” While preparing for the first funeral I ever performed the daughter of the deceased women told me not to mention hell “because we don’t even want to think of that possibility.” None of us ever want to consider that someone we cared about was selfish, mean and ungodly. Jesus considered it a very real possibility when he told the story of a rich man and Lazarus. There he pictures a man in great torment not looking down in love.

Honestly, I do not want to base my eternity on my feelings. I also do not want to base my eternity on my own good efforts. I know how awful of a person I can be some days. And can I take it a step further, if I die and there is a heaven (like I believe) then I do not want to hang around this place watching you live. I want to be off enjoying paradise and all that heaven offers and not here with you.

So today I declare that when I die I hope I am not here. I hope to be enjoying my heavenly eternity with Jesus in paradise. You meet me there because I am not hanging out here with you.

Yesterday I received an email with the heading “We’re giving away one free year of TIME.” I know they meant the magazine, but I did find the title interesting. I guess this especially hit me because of two things that happened yesterday.

First, I opened espn.com to read the sports highlights. Two of headlines listed on the right hand side were about the passing of “Princess Lacy” [See my previous post about “Meaning in Basketball”] and the passing of the “Ultimate Warrior.” I had written a blog about Lacy and knew the story fairly well. The other hit a little closer to home literally. The Ultimate Warrior was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana (where some of my family lives) and went to high school with my cousins at Fountain Central High School.

Second, I had a conversation with my son Logan about the passing of my best friend Paul Shroyer in 1990. I told him about how unexpected his death was and the real pain of never having the possibility of talking to him again. In a world of Facebook you can stay in contact with people miles away, but we still have no contact with those in eternity.

Then I read this headline in my email offering the possibility of one free year of time. How many people would want just a little more time. I am sure people wanted another year with the Ultimate Warrior. I am sure Lacy’s family wants other year. I know I want another year with Paul. Most people would give anything to get one more year of time.

The most interesting thing to me is how much we value time with others after they have gone and how little we value it when we are with them. The real issue is not what would we give for more time, but what did we do with the time we had? I believe God gives us a great gift each new day with 24 hours to use. Are we treating it as a valuable possession or like that email are we just deleting it without thought?