Wilderness Wanderings

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and you shall love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40).

Jesus famously summed up the law with these simple words. He had the gall to say that not just the law, but the message of all the prophets was contained in them. The Heidelberg Catechism agrees. Many have summed up the entire Christian life this way. And they are not wrong.

We must be sure that we understand what the Catechism is teaching here. To know the comfort of God, we must first know our misery. We humans are often obtuse. The frog swimming in the proverbial pot on the stove is an apt analogy for us. Because the frog entered the pot when the water was cold, it doesn't realize that it is slowly warming up, and with the water the frog's blood will eventually begin to boil, killing it.

Likewise, we can be so immersed in our lives that we don't realize we are killing ourselves. Someone needs to shout out a warning. That is one of the roles of God's law – to show us what human life should look like, that it can be beautiful rather than the ugliness we experience, that our trajectory leads to destruction.

In Hebrews, we read, "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (3:13). Sometimes, we can become callous to God's Word; its just words on a page, white noise in the cacophony on the streets. Other times, we can get so fixated on what other people are doing wrong that we become oblivious to our own failures. That's why Jesus warns us to first pay attention to our own sinfulness (Matthew 7:3-5).

In Canada, today is Remembrance Day – a day when we give thanks for our freedom and remember those who paid for it with their lives. But it is also a reminder how far we have strayed and continue to stray from the world God intended. And how blind to it we are. Whether it is the wars between counties like Russia and Ukraine, the civil wars like in Sudan, the treatment of Indigenous people in Canada, or the civil wars around our dinner tables—sometimes we get so used to these things that we don't see the road of disaster we are racing down.

The law cuts through the chaos, showing us how far we have strayed. We need to listen. We need to see. We need to acknowledge that we live much of life on the wrong road.

It is important to point out rather strongly that this is the Catechism's shortest section. The authors have no intention of having us linger over our misery. They are in a hurry to get to the grace of God which ushers us into the comfort that is at the heart of the Catechism. But we can only appreciate the comfort when we know our misery.

The heart and goal of human life is to be in a loving relationship with God; out of that relationship we draw the strength to love our neighbours and ourselves. But why is loving so difficult for us? We will explore that next week.

As you journey on, receive Jesus' invitation:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Peter tells us to be prepared, suggesting we ought to expect to have spiritual conversations with people we interact with. Today, some more reflections on preparing ourselves for such conversations which often begin spontaneously.

We do well to train ourselves to see each person as an image bearer of God. This is difficult because sin distorts our perceptions of each other. It distorts in either of two directions: we either approach people from a perspective of superiority or of inferiority. Approaching people with an attitude of superiority means we generally pity them and want to give them a helping hand up the ladder of success. When we feel inferior to some one feelings of jealous often rise in us and we secretly hope they will give us a hand up the ladder of success.

Our culture trains us to see people through a variety of social lenses. We evaluate people according to their jobs, their possessions, their families, their friends, their skin colour, their income capacity, their sexual orientation, their mental wellbeing and the list goes on and on. As Christians, we may also evaluate people according to our standards of righteousness and theological orthodoxy.

It's easiest to associate with people who are like us. Discerning how to interact with people who are significantly different takes effort and curiosity. It is much easier to live with prejudice in our hearts allowing it to overflow into our words and behaviour towards others. We are to resist this, as Paul wrote, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24).

To embrace this way of life will require times of mediation. Meditating on the Word of God includes reflection on how the Scripture is changing us and recognizing the places where we are resisting the Holy Spirit's work. As you reflect on the day's interactions be willing to name those encounters where inferiority or superiority were at work in your heart. How did we treat people in ways that undermined either their value or ours?

Everyone we meet bears the image of their creator. It is true, that each one of us is a poor image, cracked and mud splattered. Some people are so broken it is difficult to see below the mess. But we must learn. Study how Jesus engaged honourably with people.

Finally, if we begin our preparation with prayer, then we can expect the Holy Spirit to be our guide. He will prompt us and lead the way. Walking with the Spirit is like dancing, for some it comes more naturally than for others. We will stumble along the way, making mistakes. But the Spirit will teach us as "in our hearts we revere Christ as Lord."

As you journey on, go with his blessing:

Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister (1 John 4:19-21).

Love is God's instrument for binding the world together. There are other attempts to accomplish this task. Some will try hate to unite people. Some will use fear. Both will work for a season or two. So will suffering and need. But love has enduring power. Sooner or later hate becomes self-destructive. And the causes of fear, suffering, and need eventually resolve themselves or fragment into self-interest. But love never ends.

The ranch lands in Australia are so arid that it takes many acres to supply each cow with enough food to survive. In that far flung environment, fences are impractical. So how does the rancher keep track of the cows? The answer is water wells. As long as fresh water keeps rising from the wells, they do not worry about where the cows are. Sooner or later, they'll come back to the well because the well gives life.

In this little letter, John returns repeatedly to the subject of God's love to us and our response to love as we have been loved. This love wells up from God's inexhaustible core. Sometimes we reduce God to the character of a ranch hand whose main interest is setting and maintaining fences that determine who's right and who's wrong, good and bad, in or out.

But in John's letter, God's activities are not fence-tending. Rather, John shows us how God's love draws us together. God's love is the agent that gives us life, pays for our rebellion, intimately abides within us, perfects us, stirs up a spirit of boldness within us, releases us from fear, and sends us out as missionaries of love. The more we love as God loves, the more tightly we are bound to each other.

Binding agents hold things together: eggs in cooking, cement and rebar in concrete, wax in paint, straw in clay bricks, and many binding agents in pills. But the greatest of these is love.

Love is God's supreme binding agent. Love in any quantity counts. Even if we can't love a lot, at least love a little, and little by little God will free us from fear and hatred and even death.

When fear and hatred rise in our hearts, we should turn to God asking to be set free. When selfishness impedes our capacity to love, we need to recall God's love for us. Daily, we must drink deeply from the well of God's love. As Jesus said, "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34).

So, as you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it! The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you! (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24,28 The Message).

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is 2 Samuel 9. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Dive In

1. 2 Samuel 8:15 give us two words that describe how David reigns. What are they?

2. What does David do now that he is secure as king?

3. One of the large questions being asked in the books of Samuel is: Who can ________ as ___________ of Israel?

4. Jonathan's son is introduced as ______________, ____________ from __________.

5. David is demonstrating the ______________ kindness.

6. David shows us some of the colours of God's kindness. He calls Mephibosheth by ___________. Then he says, "Do not be ___________." Then he makes two promises:

1. What are some of the English words used to translate "HESED":

2. How does HESED use power?

3. Name some of the ways that this story illustrates God's relationship (covenant) with us.

I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law (Romans 7:7).

Someone once said, "The trouble is that we do not know the trouble that we are in. Therefore, the solutions do not work."

When we have trouble with our car we take it to the mechanic, we tell her what the symptoms are, and we expect her to tell us what the problem is and how to fix it; she's the expert. The same process happens when we go to our doctor. We describe the symptoms and the doctor checks us out. Hopefully, he makes a diagnosis and offers a course of treatment that will restore our health.

If the diagnosis and prescription are correct things look good for our car and for ourselves. But if the wrong assessment is made, the trouble multiplies.

In the early 1900s, there was hope that humanity would overcome disease and war and poverty. We have learned to heal some diseases but are far less capable in reducing war and poverty. Many fear we are in deep trouble. But what is the problem?

Prescribing a cure before the illness has been diagnosed is the height of foolishness. Yet this is what we humans often do. But who can make a diagnosis? How do we know what is wrong with us? Or, as the Heidelberg Catechism asks, "How do we come to know our misery?"

Oh, we can describe our misery. Writers and filmmakers frequently and eloquently depict our misery. The daily news and real-life TV shows give us haunting stories of human bondage. But we, of ourselves, cannot find the source of our misery.

The Catechism says simply, "the law of God tells me." We do not realize our problem comes from hearts rebellious towards God. Unless the Holy Spirit convicts us of our waywardness, we will keep looking for our own solutions and keep failing.

Why? Mostly because, sin almost always tastes and feels great in the moment. But it later settles and poisons us. We all know this: food, alcohol and sex are all enjoyed by many. But in the wrong places and in the wrong amounts then begin to control us and destroy us. God puts it this way, "But am I the one they are provoking? Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?" (Jeremiah 7:19).

Sin is certainly against God. It is often against others. And even against creation. But, very often, sin is best understood as us doing self-harm, undermining our own flourishing, and doing great damage to the image that God has given to us. Above all, sin is self-subversion.

It takes create humility to admit our failure. Only when the law of God is accepted do we come to understand our problem. It shows us how much help we need. And when we begin to look for help, we discover that the law giver is right here, ready to help. The law induces guilt, true. But then it urges us on to Jesus, who is the solution to the human problem.

As you journey on, receive Jesus' invitation:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Peter tells us to be prepared, suggesting we ought to expect having spiritual conversations with people who interact with us. These happen because people observe how we live, not so much because we initiate them.

Last Monday, I began to reflect on "getting prepared" for such conversations. The key is in the opening sentence, "in your hearts revere Christ as Lord." I mentioned two ways to prepare: prayer and knowing that we belong to God's kingdom and deliberately, under the power of the Holy Spirit, aligning our lives with the values of this kingdom as we abandon the values of the world.

This leads to a third way we can prepare: listening and hearing. Many people around us do not feel heard. Deep problems arise when people do not feel as though anyone is listening to them. It has stirred up anger in many which some politicians are rather adroit at manipulating. Many of us love listening to ourselves talk, enamored as we are by our own ideas. We often approach people as if we know the answer to their problem. However, not having listened we do not even know what the issue is.

We all do well to learn the art of "active listening". This is the practice of giving our full attention to someone talking. Only after we are sure that we know what they have said do we formulate a response. Many of us only hear half of what is told us because we begin to compose a response before the speaker has finished.

Listening well, honours people as image bearers of God. Everyone is worthy of being paid attention to.

Along with listening, we 'don't need to fix the problem.' When people come to us with a difficulty our default is to find a solution. The Bible does not demand that we have all the answers or remedy every problem. Having no answer does not mean that we have failed.

Often, we miss opportunities to love our neighbours because we are fixated on fixing and solving. There is much to be said about walking along someone in their distress when that is all we can do. Admitting our limitations is truthful, but it also puts us on equal footing with our neighbour. We help each other simply by holding each other up under the strain of life.

Many people really do walk alone in our society. Find out how many in your neighbourhood live along. Having someone to lean on can be very significant and attractive. It can open doors to good conversations, especially if we allow time for God to do his work.

As you journey on, go with his blessing:

Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Psalm 91. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Dive In!

1. The first Sunday of November is:
2. What 4 titles for God are used in the opening verses of this Psalm:
3. Where is this Psalm quoted in the New Testament:
4. What question is this Psalm answering?
5. Romans 8:37-39 also speaks of dangers. What can these dangers not do?
6. On what occasion does the Eastern Church use this Psalm?
7. Why did the early Christians pray this Psalm at noon?
8. Why did Jesus respond to the devil with Deuteronomy 6?
9. How does Psalm 91 shape your faith in God?

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9).

As the story goes, Walt Disney went to an amusement park he didn't like. It was a mess - litter all over the ground, dirty bathrooms. Disgusting. He made up his mind that when he built his park, it would never be a mess. I'm told that is what he got, never having been there myself. There is a simple strategy that makes Disney parks clean places. Take care of a mess right away. They stay clean because they just won't let a mess get started.

This plan is a good one for keeping a life clean - don't let a mess get started. When we mess up, clean it up fast. All of us have things we wish we hadn't done or things we wish we had done. We've got things that make us feel dirty, ashamed, guilty, or unworthy. It's the stuff God calls sin.

Too often when we mess up, we give up, so we just keep giving in to more mistakes; and the darkness grows. The garbage starts piling up. But God has given us the recovery plan in clear, simple terms. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Heartfelt confession. That's the way to keep mess from accumulating. When we've sinned, we should not run from God. Run to him. Confess it to Him. Confession is more than just feeling guilty or even feeling sorry for what you did. It's agreeing with God about it. We see it for how ugly and wrong it is. It's seeing the agony of the Son of God, dying for our sin.

Confession is followed by forgiveness and cleansing. A spiritual shower washing away the dirt. As the Bible says, "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:23-24). Imagine a clean start each new day. We don't need to carry yesterday's garbage into today. And the beauty of the thing is that we don't do the garbage removal. God does. We don't have to clean our mess; Jesus does it for us.

Our text is followed by these words, "If anyone does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins." Confession means looking to the cross of Jesus, he carries our sin, he crucified it to the cross. It has no more control over us.

He carries the guilt and the shame of things we've done, so that we are clean. We can stand up tall. We can dance. We can delight in the grace of God. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

So, as you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it! The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you! (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24,28 The Message).

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord (Ephesians 5:8-10).

The Heidelberg Catechism is concerned with comfort. The sort of comfort that reaches deep into our hearts offering us the peace of God which guards are hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7).

Having introduced this comfort, the Catechism then asks, "What must we know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?" (Q 2). The authors then offer a three-part answer. These three serve as the table of contents for the catechism: the depths of our sin, the even deeper depth of God's grace and our joyful response of thanksgiving to him. Each can be found in our text.

This is not the knowledge of how to become a Christian. Rather, it's about how to fully benefit from the blessings of God through Christ. It might be helpful to use an analogy. Many of us can enjoy watching a sporting team win the trophy. We can be impressed with the skill of the athletes and marvel at the chemistry between the players. There is a very different sort of joy that belongs to the players who win the trophy. They have spent months, even years honing their skills and working through tensions between each other to build a winning team. Theirs is the joy of hard work having paid the greatest dividends.

God's grace to us in Christ is free. There is nothing we can do to earn it. But to enjoy that grace fully does take effort. We need to take hold of that grace and study it like a jeweler studies a diamond, like a musician studies a new piece of music and learns to play it, like a teacher studies their students to determine how best to educate them.

This is not the knowledge that can be accumulated by books alone. Books can be helpful and the Book of God is essential. This is the knowledge that the Spirit of God gives as we walk in step with him. It is the knowledge that comes through both the head and the heart, it includes both thinking and feeling. Only experience can gain us this kind of knowledge. Both the Biblical testimony and Christian history reveal that it often comes as we wrestle with God through the hardships of life.

These are not three steps to personal fulfillment nor three destinations on a journey. In this life, we never leave one behind. Our knowledge of sin, salvation and service grow fuller as we walk along. This is not bad news. It is good news. Our increased knowledge of our sinfulness should not lead self-depreciating thoughts, rather to a deeper wonder of the riches of God's grace and an increasing desire to live for God's glory.

So, join me, as we explore the fullness of the Christian comfort offered us in Christ.

As you journey on, receive Jesus' invitation:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Peter tells us to be prepared. This suggests that we ought to expect to have spiritual conversations with people who interact with us. These happen because people observe how we live, not so much because we initiate them.

Today and next Monday, I want to reflect with you on 'being prepared". How do we prepare ourselves for these kinds of conversations? The key, really, is in the opening sentence, "in your hearts revere Christ as Lord."

Such reverence will naturally lead us to prayer. This must be near the top of the list in getting prepared. In this context, there are at least two things that we would pray for. We will ask Jesus to help us live lives that reflect his Lordship. If he is our Lord, we want to honour him in all that we do, as Paul writes, 'whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God' (1 Corinthians 10:31).

We would also ask the Holy Spirit to lead the way. If we are not the main initiators of spiritual conversations, then the Spirit must nudge people around us to ask questions. This is good news for all of us who tend towards shyness or hesitancy of self-disclosure. When such conversations happen, we can engage with the confidence that God himself is at work. Further, we may recall that the outcome or fruitfulness is not up to us. God is the harvester; we are workers in his field.

A second way of being prepared is to meditate on our citizenship. Christians are citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Here too, there are two things worth mentioning. On the one hand, the resurrection of Jesus brought the kingdom of God into this present world. Not fully, of course, but through the Holy Spirit, we are already brought into this kingdom which will be the only kingdom that remains when Jesus returns.

On the other hand, if we believe that this is true, that the kingdom of Jesus will survive all the kingdoms of this world, then we will desire to shape our lives according to this kingdom. Who wants to be aligned with a kingdom that is disintegrating? We want to know the ways of this new kingdom. How do citizens of Jesus' kingdom behave? What do they believe? What are their motivations? What do they desire? By the power of the Holy Spirit we change, behaving like Jesus and desiring the things that motivate him.

Being prepared does not begin when we interact with others. It begins with our hearts, in our hearts. It starts by revering Christ as Lord and desiring to do everything we do for his glory

As you journey on, go with his blessing:

Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.