Watching and waiting, if you’re a big game hunter you can relate. You’ve been watching, checking your trail cameras for awhile now, waiting for firearm season to start in just a matter of weeks. The real sportsmen have already been out with their bow since the beginning of September. 

Bow hunters sit for hours in their tree stand watching and waiting for that trophy animal to pop into view. Don’t let your guard down, at least not during those critical dusk and dawn moments. It’s important to always have your bow at the ready, perhaps laying across your lap, so that you can reach it quickly with as little motion as possible. The opportunity is quick and fleeting. One minute the buck is out in the open, broadside and within your effective range. And then, just like that, he takes a 90-degree turn and steps into cover, never to appear again.

Watching and waiting is the posture not just of a hunter, but of the faithful follower of Jesus. Are you ready for his return?

As we continue reading in our salvation story Jesus reveals that his return is imminent. There will be a reward for the one whom he finds faithfully stewarding the master’s resources. However, we also learn that for the one who is found to be unfaithful, Jesus’ imminent return means impending disaster. Because no one knows when he is coming, imminency produces urgency as we watch and wait for Christ’s return.

I remember well the day that I brought home my new car. New to me anyway. It had just 12,000 miles. All our married lives we’d driven clunkers. The most important characteristic had always been that it have at least six seats to fit us and all the kids. But now, since they were mostly out of the house, we could get more for our money. We found a sporty little Peugeot hatchback. Midnight blue. Inside it still had the new car smell. Outside not a scratch on it. Sicilian streets are narrow and traffic tight. So I drove just a bit slower, more carefully. I’d kick the dirt off my shoes before settling inside. The car was immaculate. Until I came out one morning to find that my neighbor, while climbing into her car which was parked next to mine, had dinged the right front fender. A bit of bile began to burn in the upper cavity of my chest. That villainous woman had damaged my new car!

Perhaps you can relate. Whether it be a new car or a new pair of shoes, we worry about protecting our possessions. 

As we continue reading in our salvation story we see what clinical research has confirmed; that materialism is associated with anxiety, depression, and broken relationships. Accumulating more stuff doesn’t make much sense. Jesus teaches his disciples that an eternal perspective changes how we handle our earthly possessions. By redistributing assets you can reduce stress while making your money truly matter. 

Guest Speaker: Jake Loftis, PassageWay-supported missionary with CRU

What is our relationship to our things? We might have to dig deep to answer truthfully on this one.  Most of us would probably all say the right things on the surface. “Relationships are the most important things in life,” “Don’t let the things you own own you,” and “You can’t take it with you” are all things we’ve heard, if not said ourselves. And for good reason…they’re true. But while we may know the right answers, we don’t often put that knowledge into practice. Knowing that something is true is one thing. Responding rightly in light of that knowledge is something else altogether: wisdom. In our next episode in our salvation story, we’ll see Jesus tee up a parable that begins to cut through the surface to get at the heart of the matter, which he’ll dive even deeper into next week. 

What are you afraid of? It’s October and all the Halloween decorations are out. Creepy spiders, bats, zombies, skeletons, headless horsemen. If you want to scream you can spend an evening out at Scary Acres or one of those other haunted attractions in Omaha. 

This is the time of year that horror films are released, characters like Freddy from A Nightmare on Elm Street, Jason from Friday the 13th, or that adorable little doll, Chucky. Maybe you’re not a fan of movies that make your blood curdle. But the Bible can be frightening too. 

In the previous episode of our salvation story we observed that the spiritual disease which infected the Pharisees' hearts was deadly. Now as we continue, Jesus alerts his disciples to the reason why. His warning should terrify us all. The Pharisees’ hypocrisy was deadly because by dishonoring the Triune God they risked eternal damnation.

A number of years ago Amee and I were enjoying dinner in the home of some dear friends. Our host was an avid cyclist. He regularly rode Ragbrai. When he wasn’t on his bike he would go camping and fishing. At home he liked to work in the yard, landscaping and clearing trees. Though nearly 60, my friend appeared to be in excellent physical shape. But that evening as we talked, waiting for steaks to come off the grill, he excused himself to go to the bathroom, suddenly nauseous. It seemed to pass and he rested for a bit on his bed before finally rejoining us out on the patio. Our friend confessed to feeling short of breath and after a few brief moments told his wife, “I think I need to go to the hospital.” Thankfully, they were just minutes away because what he was experiencing was almost complete blockage of the Left Anterior Descending artery, one of the most deadly kinds of heart attacks, called the widowmaker. 

Though our friend looked physically fit, heart disease nearly cost him his life.

As we continue on in our salvation story we read that Jesus was the dinner guest of a Pharisee. Though by all outward appearances the Pharisees were good, moral people, they actually suffered from a deadly spiritual disease. Jesus diagnoses the problem and then describes the symptoms. Rather than heed his warning the scribes and the Pharisees would foolishly resist Jesus even further. Yet, if we’re wise we’ll all take preventative steps to stave off our own pharisaical tendencies.

“God, just give me a sign!” Maybe you’ve cried out those very words or something similar in a season of doubt, wondering if He was even there. Perhaps you've had to make an important decision; like a career change or whether or not to continue a relationship.

Don’t you just wish that God would write out his plan in neon lights across the night sky? That sure would make life a whole lot easier. Like bopping along to that 90’s band Ace of Base, I Saw the Sign. Indeed, life is demanding without understanding.

As we continue reading in our salvation story, Jesus confronts the non committal, those who just can’t make up their mind. They demand a sign. We’ll see that Jesus has already given the greatest sign of all, his resurrection from the dead. This episode contains a warning for those who refuse Jesus and his teaching. But, if you allow him, not only will the light of Jesus illuminate your life, it just might be the sign for someone else too.

On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 others. The worst foreign attack on American soil in our nation’s history.

Nine days later President George W. Bush addressed a joint session of congress, vowing to use every resource available to defeat global terrorism. He issued an ultimatum to Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers: turn over Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the attacks, or face the consequences. The President went on to famously say, “Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.”

And so, the battle lines were clearly drawn.

But does such an unequivocal distinction between good and evil really exist? Isn’t life more about living in the grey? 

As we continue on in our salvation story we read about a different kind of war going on, a spiritual war. Jesus was battling Satan and his demons. We often go about our day ignorant of the danger that exists or even our part in it. Jesus’ teaching reveals the seriousness of the situation as well as its singular solution. No one can remain neutral.

No matter who you are, you've probably prayed. Maybe you have whispered a silent prayer before an important exam or job interview. Perhaps you have read or recited a prayer at the funeral of a deceased loved one. Maybe you’ve cried out to God spontaneously in a moment of desperation. 

Prayer is a universal practice amongst all varieties of religions and peoples as an attempt to communicate with the sacred or holy. Some pray to their god. Others to a particular saint. For many, prayer is more about the mental and emotional benefit to the prayer. It’s a form of meditation and relaxation for the soul.

So what is unique about the prayer of a Christian?

As we continue on in our salvation story we read that Jesus’ disciples ask him to teach them how to pray. Jesus reveals the pattern, purpose, and promise of Christian prayer. Followers of Jesus have a loving relationship with their Heavenly Father who always gives good gifts. Therefore, we can approach Him confidently in our time of need.

Triage originates from the French word "trier," which means to sort or organize. French military surgeon Baron Dominique Jean Larrey, the chief surgeon in Napoleon Bonaparte's imperial guard, developed a system to evaluate and categorize wounded soldiers quickly during battle. Today, health care professionals all around the world utilize triage to prioritize patients based on the severity of their injuries. 

But prioritizing isn’t for emergency rooms only. Our lives are jammed packed with daily demands that scream for attention. So, what’s really important? What should we get to first?

As we continue reading in our salvation story Jesus is drawn into a dispute between two sisters with very different priorities. Jesus gently corrects the one and affirms the other, thus revealing the most important part of any disciple’s day. Mary devotedly sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to his teaching while Martha was distracted with much serving. We’ll discover the advantages of putting a priority on God's word.

Mr. Rogers was the epitome of nice. He spoke in friendly tones and wore conservative sweaters. He even changed his shoes when he came into the house. He was such a pleasant man. 

Is this what it means to be a Christian? Is this what it takes to get into heaven? 

As we continue on in our salvation story we read that Jesus is asked this very question by a highly respectable man, an expert in the Jewish law. Jesus' dialogue with this man reveals the deceitfulness of moralism. He then tells a well known parable whose hero would shock the listeners. We’ll see that a genuine follower of Jesus is not merely a moral person but rather a radically changed person who has a heart full of love that spills over to anyone in need. Won't you be my neighbor?