Father's Day

My father and Grandfather William Wolfe and William Wolfe II .

      Another Father's Day has rolled up on us. The next thing you know it will be Christmas. The year is half gone and I'm remembering some of my dad's words. He once told me the older you get the faster time goes by. I didn't want to admit it at the time but I think he may have been right.  If your dad is still with us on this "dad's day"let him know what he means to you. Hopefully most of your dad memories are positive. All of us dads need grace and forgiveness. 

      I'm thinking today of our heavenly father and the relationship that we have with Him through His son Jesus. In the gospel of John the word father is used 109 times. Jesus himself uses the word extensively in John also. It's not  my intention to dig them all out here for you. The Father and Son and the Holy Spirit are one. To be sure it is difficult for us to understand fully the trinity.  As believers we must come to grips with the realization that there are some things we're not going to figure out this side of heaven. In the words of Arthur Burt, a brother from Wales who has since passed on, "We are not meant to know, we're meant to believe." We have to rely on our faith to move us on to the fullness available in Christ. 

      Let's look at a few examples of Jesus speaking about His father in John's gospel. In John 2:16 " Take these things away, do not make my Father's house a house of trade."In Matthew 21:13 He says it was to be a house of prayer. I'm struck with the image of Jesus defending His father's house and what was suppose to go on there. His father's house was intended for worship and prayer not profit taking from those coming to offer their sacrifices. Moving on to John 5 vs. 19-29 the word father occurs eight times and in v.30 the NKJV has it a ninth time. When we read this section of John 5 we notice what has been called "the passport to heaven," or "my passport to heaven." This includes the "life grant" that the father has given the son, which the son passes on to those who believe in him. Notice with me the words in v.25b" but has passed from death to life! " When you finish reading these verses in chapter 5 pop on over to chapter 6. Please read vs. 27-40 you will read the words "the father" or" my father" about four more times, with a couple of" the one who sent me" in there, too. 

      As I put a wrap on this post notice that up to this point every reference was either "the father" or "my father". However, after the resurrection the phrase changes. Look now at John 20: 17 b. "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God!" Because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection, the Father is now our Father and Jesus is our elder brother and our savior for evermore. This is true on the basis of our faith in a crucified and now risen Lord Jesus Christ.

      Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! 
(all scripture reference E S V, except where noted.)

The True Vine ... The True Locale

       As the sun sets on another week, and as we prepare for the dawn of another, I'm thinking about how Jesus redirects our focus. I think it's an ongoing process. He redirects our focus and our thoughts so He can open us up the next revelation. As we go deeper with Him I think we can expect to sense His presence working on our thought, in order to prepare us for the next nugget of His life and love and mission. I am not talking about the individual mission He has for us, His children. I think we all have a fairly good handle on that. Simply put it is to reflect His glory to a lost and dying world and to witness to them  that there is a way back to God and a right and reconciled position they can have. It is all wrapped up and ready for them in the Nazarene! All of us will readily confess that we can't do it. Jesus tells us that without Him we can do nothing. It is only as we allow His life to become our life will His life flow to those around us. 

      On a trip to Israel/Palestine earlier this year, I began to get a fuller sense of Jesus' mission. His main purpose of course was to bring a saving gospel and to reveal to mankind the Father, the Creator, through His words and works. No need to rehearse all the features of the "good news" here. If you are reading this I assume you are aware of the basic facts of why Jesus came. From the incarnation to His death and resurrection,and the new birth in Him by faith. All of which I trust is settled in our hearts. So let me move on to this other mission that is not so obvious . I believe it has to do with shifting the focus of those Jesus was ministering to while he was here. I must give a nod here to our guide, David who planted a few seeds that have spawned some thoughts. Thank you, David. When Christ was here most of the people He ministered to were observant Jews. These people already had well defined beliefs, given by Moses, the prophets, the Torah, and the rabbis . Their whole life was focused on their religion. They gave full attention to Torah observance and fulfilling what was required of them. Jerusalem and the Temple was the focus of their spiritual lives. It is where they met with God through the priests, thereby  receiving forgiveness and blessing and hope for the future. Included was the promise of the coming Messiah,but when He came they were unable to abide the New Covenant in His blood. Part of His desire for the people was for them to shift their focus away from geography. That is away from Jerusalem, the Temple, and Judea as the place where God is met. He was trying to teach and show them that now that the Messiah was here, the place of worship and all things spiritual, and the meeting place with God was in himself - Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith. 

      I think there are some clues to this desired focus change in the Bible. Israel is referred to in the O.T. as the "vine"for instance in Isaiah:5:1, 3-7and  Psalm: 80;1, 12-16. The imagery of Israel as the "vine " was well know to the Israelites . Jesus in John 15:1 tells the disciples the He is the True "vine". It's no longer about geography and place. True worship and fellowship with God is now found in Jesus, whose Father is the vine dresser! In John 10:9 Jesus tells them and us "I am the door. If any one enters by me ,he will be saved and go in and out and find pasture". Again in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, ans the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The temple, the meeting place with God is in Jesus . He is trying teach them that He is the true vine now, that Israel pictured for them till He came. He not only is the True Vine, He is also the True Locale. I was also able to go to Jacob's well in Samaria, In the present day city of Nablus . Which is between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. While there the words of John 4 were present in my heart. The interview that Jesus had with the woman at the well shook me as I remembered His words. After she had said in John 4:2 "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,( I could see her pointing up to Mt. Gerazim just over my shoulder) but you say Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. Jesus said to her in v.21"Woman believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.  v.23" But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him". I think we have trouble realizing the impact of those words. Here Jesus is trying to shift her ideas about locale. It is no longer about a place or a spot on a map. Christ is the sum of all things spiritual. He is where we meet God and receive His fullness! 

Jesus is our calling, our location, and our destination.( All scripture reference from the ESV)


Grace & Peace.