God Uses the Streams

Psalm 46:4a  (ESV)

“There is a river whose STREAMS make glad the city of God…”

Last week I shared with you some thoughts about the national youth gathering.  I would like to continue along that strain with some thoughts generated in my mind by the second morning Bible study at the Gathering.  We were looking at the middle four verses of Psalm 46 – talking about the river that makes glad the city of God.  As I listened, the realization struck me that it’s the streams of the river that “make glad the city of God.”  At first I got this image all wrong – thinking about how the river (perhaps Jesus or God’s Word or God’s grace) flows into the streams – all of us who are his people.  The problem with that is - rivers don’t flow into streams.  Streams flow into rivers.  So, I sat there during this Bible study searching on google for information about streams and wondering – what is the Psalmist telling us?

Well think about how this works in nature.  The water comes down in snow and rain. The snow melts and the rain flows into the streams. The streams carry the water to the rivers.  The rivers carry the water to the oceans.  Apply that metaphor to us.   God gives His “rain” – His grace to us in Jesus Christ, in word and sacrament.  That grace creates faith in our hearts.  We as God’s newly created streams carry that grace into all the world – the places where we live and work and play.  Along the way God works through the word of grace we share with the world… the water of life – He

works to created faith in more and more hearts… until the stream becomes and river… the river of life and carries us into the vast ocean of God’s kingdom.

Now I don’t know about you, but that works for me.  We are God’s streams grace, reaching into many lives with His love, bringing with us more and more people to Jesus, the river of life and into His kingdom.  That’s our calling… that’s the mission we have been given.  We are God’s streams and God uses us to “make glad the city of God.’

But then I started to think about all the times we have driven through the pan handle of Texas on our way to Colorado.  There are all sorts of streams out there. Most years they are bone dry because most years there just isn’t enough rain.  This year those streams were all full – because there has been plenty of rain. 

The thought struck me – Am I a dry stream?  Sometimes.   But it’s not because God is not supplying enough water.  IN His word, at church, in youth group at worship God is constantly pouring down the living water of His grace into our lives.  If I am a dry stream, it’s because I am neglecting God’s means of grace in my daily life.  How much better it is when God is filling you and me up daily with His grace and forgiveness through word and sacrament.  Then He is able to use us to bring that water of life to all around us… That’s how we become, in the Spirit’s hands, the streams that make glad the city of God.  Amen.

Even Youths Get Tired

Isaiah 40:30–31a

“Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength…”

Well, as many of you know, I just returned from the National Youth Gathering.   I had the privilege of spending 7 days with 21 students and 8 adults from our church in Sugar Land, as we joined in worship, praise and service with 21,000 from around the world.  Today people have been asking me how I am doing.  My answer is basically the same – good but tired.  It was a great week that didn’t involve a lot of sleep – going to bed after midnight each night and up (for me at least) by about 6am each morning (earlier some mornings).  All the volunteers, the planners, our two DCE’s – Richard and Kelly – are amazing. I don’t know where they get all the energy.  I am exhausted.

I would like to let you in on a little secret. Our students are all exhausted too.  Yesterday morning, when we met down in the hotel lobby at 5am to go to the airport – they were having a hard time waking up.  When I walked down the aisle on the plane, so many of them were asleep in those uncomfortable chairs.  In the car on the ride back to Fishers from the airport – the three young men in the back fell asleep almost immediately. They were tired.  I imagine they still are today, but that they will recover quicker than I will.  There is truth to these words from Isaiah 40 – “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted.”

Of course, there are other kinds of weariness, not just physical weariness.  While at the Gathering I spent some time reflecting on what had and had not changed since the last time I attended one of these 15 years ago.   You can find my musings posted on my Facebook page, for what they are worth.   Among those musings was a list of many of the struggle’s students face.  In many ways – they are the same and they are different from 15 years ago… from my days as a teen – depression, gender issues, identity issues, sexual challenges, discouragement, bullying (in person and on the internet), self-harm, suicide, addiction, family struggles, self-image…  The list goes on and on.  These things, more than physical weariness, is what Isaiah was referring to – the weariness that come from living in a sin-sick world.  Yes, even young people experience such weariness…. just as we older adults also do.

That’s why I wish every adult in our church had a chance to go to one of our youth gatherings.  It would give them a chance to get to know our students – their joys, their sorrows, their weariness and their energy.  I love being with students as they worship.  Why?  Because I am a sinner too.  As an adult I, like many of you experience that weariness of sin in my life.  You and I need the same message of the Gospel that they do.

 

This week there really was a great message of hope for them and for us.  Based on Psalm 46 the central message was that we have a REAL.PRESENT.GOD!  We have a God who in Christ is very real.  We have one who has Himself walked in our weariness all the way to the cross, carried their burdens and ours to His own death and then triumphed in His resurrection.  This Real God is Really present with us. He speaks through His word. He reaches out to us through the love of our fellow believers. (I think that is what I love most about being with youth on these trips – They live out what it means to be church.  On any number of occasions they took care of one another, loved once another, forgave one another). He is really present in the Lord’s Supper – giving His body and blood with the bread and wine to strengthen us.

It was cool to watch at Bible Study in the morning and in the mass events at night – how the presence of the Lord in word and song, brought new energy to youth and adults who just moments before were so exhausted.  It brought to life for me and in me the promise of God held out here in Isaiah 40.  Yes at times we all feel worn out and weary with life, but then “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength…”  After all, ours is the savior who invites us, “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”  Amen! 

Real Freedom

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

A happy and blessed Independence to Day to all of my fellow Americans and greetings to my friends around the world on America’s 243^rd birthday.  Here in the USA this is a day for 5k runs, for parades in each town, for back yard family picnics, for cooking on the grill, for concerts at the park, for fireworks in each town – as we celebrate the blessings of freedom. 

I thought for a moment I would stop and ask the question – “What is this thing called freedom?’  In the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson wrote that we have all been endowed by God with the rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  As Americans and in much of the Western world we talk about freedom of worship, freedom of the press, freedom of speech and more.  Those are all very precious freedoms – freedoms that men and women have fought and died to preserve for us.  So the 4^th of July in America is a time of treasuring those freedoms, for remembering those who gave so much to preserve those freedoms and for thanking God for those freedoms.

Still though, what is this thing called freedom?  Does freedom mean that we are free to do whatever we want, to say whatever we want, to do whatever we please?  In one sense those are freedoms.  However, in a deeper, spiritual sense those aren’t really freedom at all.  In a deeper spiritual sense, that kind of freedom is exactly what Paul was warning the Galatians about. For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Doing what we please is exactly what led man into slavery to sin.  When Adam and Eve took freely of the forbidden fruit they became slaves of sin, of selfishness, of pride and death. Indeed, at that moment, in our first parents, we all became such slaves.  God did not create us to be our own Masters.  He created us to be His servants. True freedom is thus the freedom to be what God created us to be.  So when we set out to be our own master, to do as we please we give up freedom.  We become enslaved to our lusts and selfishness and pride… doomed to death. 

That’s why Christ came.  God’s Son, Jesus, is the greatest freedom fighter of all time.  He gave up His freedom to secure ours.  He humbled Himself, lived our lives, allowed Himself to be arrested, and unjustly put to death for us.  He became the slave led out to die on the cross so that by His resurrection on Easter morning He might set us free…free to be what God intended us to be – free to serve Him by serving and loving one another. 

That’s what Paul means – “For freedom Christ has set us free…”  Then he warns us – “do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”  Do not then use your freedom in Christ as an excuse to do as you please… to sin freely because God will forgive you anyway.  That’s trampling God’s grace.  That’s submitting again to a yoke of slavery.  It’s not freedom!

Real freedom is found at the cross… is found on your knees in repentance, forgiven of your sins in Christ.  Real freedom is living not as you please- but as He pleases… living for Him who died for you and rose again… living in love and service for your friends, your family, even your enemies.  That’s the freedom Jesus fought for and won for you.  “And if the son shall make you free you shall be free indeed.”