PALM SUNDAY 2018 A MESSAGE FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields, Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is thecoming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!' (Mark 11:8-10).

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14 King James Version).

It's an interesting exercise to look at history from the vantage point of experience. Very often hindsight proves foresight to be absolutely wrong. Consider the evacuation of Dunkirk during the Second World War. It is generally agreed by experts that Hitler could have conquered Britain -and perhaps won the war - if he had ordered his planes to bomb the British ships evacuating the allied forces. Instead, he had the German forces concentrate on bombing and strafing the beaches, and casualties were comparatively light.

You can't accurately judge an event on the day it occurs. This certainly was true of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday.

Look with me at the event described in Mark's Gospel, chapter 11.

For the disciples, this truly was day of triumph. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, his followers had seer their Master rebuked, opposed. despised, thwarted, discredited More recently, the religious lea of the day had sought to kill him.

But now the populace were acknowledging him as the Messiah. They were strewing palm branches in the way, as would befit the Son of David. They were shouting; `Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' (v 9).

Surely, the Twelve saw this as the beginning of a political administration in which Jesus would be king and in which they would hold cabinet positions.This was a foretaste of the Glory they would share with their Lord.

But if the disciples viewed the entry into Jerusalem as a great victory, we can safely assume that Jesus saw it quite differently.

To begin with, he already was the King of Glory. At his birth, all the angels had worshipped him. Of his own volition, and because of his great love for mankind, he Left the heavenly realms. For their sakes he had become poor. The acclamation of the crowd, or the Lack thereof, would not make Jesus king nor take away his royalty.

The entry was not what it seemed to be. The disciples saw the palm branches, but Jesus saw the cross. The disciples heard the joyful shouting, but Jesus read the hearts of the people. The disciples saw the present, but Jesus saw the future.

So what does this story say to us today?

It may say to us that some of the seemingly victorious experiences that come to us are really poverty stricken. Like the church in Laodicea, we may discover that our riches are really worthless (see Revelation 3:17).

There is a temptation for officers (pastor), having preached what they consider to be an excellent sermon, to leave the worship service elated. There is a temptation, having done a good deed, to feel proud and self-righteous. There is a temptation to mistake a rousing gathering for success. We must always be careful not to equate a victory celebration with a victory.

Triumphs are not achieved in ticker-tape parades. Victories are won only in battle. Flag-waving and cheering and enthusiasm do not constitute defeat of the enemy.

In our Salvation Army life we like to take part in great meetings where there are big crowds, happy music, excitement and inspiration. But there is a danger that such meetings may be palm branches and cloaks strewn in the way, while the real victories are won in a small Sunday holiness meeting or in a midweek prayer meeting or in a Sunday school class.

And what is true of the corps (local church) is true also for the individual. Spiritual victory comes not in celebration but in combat. Spiritual victory comes not in fanfare but in fighting.

If it is true that some of our seemingly victorious experiences are not victories at all, it is equally true that some experiences that appear to be defeat are preludes to victory. Salvation Army literature is full of stories of brave men and women who snatched victories from the jaws of defeat.

Every officer knows Gethsemane experiences; every officer may at some time feel betrayed; every officer faces his or her own Catvarys. But it is in just such experiences as these that we find strength and grace to conquer.

Let us, then, go from victory to victory in the strength of him who thanks be unto God ... always causeth us to triumph in Christ' (2 Corinthians 2:14 King James Version).

COMMISSIONER ROBERT E. THOMSON LIVES IN RETIREMENT IN PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA USA 

COMMISSIONER ROBERT E. THOMSON 
A CAUSE TO TRIUMPH

LENT March 15

He lasted longer than I did at the Conference for Christian Leaders “Using Your Influence”.

He sat through several speakers and nodded politely here and there whilst fiddling with the knots on his long string belt that symbolized his sacred vows. Mostly he kept his eyes shut and just peeked out at the thousands of people seated around him occasionally and then wisely shut them again. Sometimes it is just better to gaze at the inside of your own eyelids. The lights were bright and hot, and the air felt strange in the huge auditorium, full of a pumped up testosteronic excitement that had pulses and egos racing.

After a while though, he did what I did and wandered out to the corridors where the drinks and vending machines were, and ran the water fountain, cupping his bleeding hands in the stream with clear delight, and lifting the coolness to his tired face. He drank long of the sweetness, and sploshed his face. I had done the same, and then tried to steel myself to go back in, but I just couldn’t do it.

“Hello,” I said and he smiled, a little warily, in case I was one of them. I even think he looked round for the exits, just in case, and I can’t say I blame him.  I didn’t know what to say, really. But words have a habit of forming anyway, and there was certainly a torrent of loud ones being amplified behind us in the main room.  “Isn’t it awful?” was what I came up with. He smiled wider then. Did he even speak English? My Italian was not up to much. Poco barely covered it.

For the purposes of my dream or my story, whatever you want to call it, he did understand me. “I don’t know what they are talking about,” he shrugged. “I don’t know what is this productivity, in a church, in God’s house? What is that?”

“I don’t know,” I said. I suspected it meant bums on seats, but I wasn’t going to sully this conversation with that thought.  “More followers?” I hazarded.

“For them or for Christ?” he asked, bluntly. I loved him even more right then.  I laughed.

“Who is counting?”

“Not God!”  We both smiled.  

“I will leave now. I don’t know why they asked me,” he said, looking small and fragile in the clinical surroundings and artificial light.

“Are you not a speaker?” He shook his head.

“What could I say to this,” he shrugged his shoulders and flung his arms out in a typically latinate gesture, encompassing the whole conference, “to whatever this is? This is no place for God’s fools. We do not belong. We are bleeding and small and unworthy.”

“I know. They asked you for kudos, to make it look like you approved.”  That smile again. I knew he could not know what I meant, but he understood the longing in my heart.

“We will leave now. Will you join us?”

“Most gladly.” I did not care where he was going. But, “We?” I asked. He frowned a little, and lowered his voice, though no-one was listening.

“Have you seen a small, odd friar with a far too joyful face anywhere?” I wanted to say, “You mean apart from the one standing in front of me now?” and then realised I could, and did. He laughed. “Si, si, another one!”  Behind him I saw a pair of burly security guards carrying out another raggedy Franciscan friar, his brown tunic hanging loosely on his gangly body, his eyes rather wild but full of joy.

“This one belong to you?” the guards asked Francis roughly. The saint nodded, unruffled, but concerned for his brother. “We found him stealing things from the conference booths. He says he was going to give them to the poor.  Didn’t even try to hide them. Is he dangerous?”

“Dangerous? Juniper?” Francis sighed, “Only to himself.”  

“Will you vouch for him? I don’t think arresting a monk would look that great with the conference on and all. Especially if he’s with you.”

“We vouch for him,” I said, “And we’re leaving now in any case.” Francis nodded, and Juniper followed suit, nodding a little too much and too hard, as expected.  They let go of him, seemed glad to deliver the problem to someone else, and he slumped down onto the shiny tiled floor. “We ought to make him empty his pockets first,” said one to the other.

“Man, he aint got no pockets, look at him!” said the other, and they sauntered back inside the foyer.

“Oh Juniper, what have I taught you about stealing?” said the great man, puddles of blood now pooling below him from his stigmata. Juniper looked shame faced for just one moment before shedding it in a heartbeat and an exclamation.

“But, my brother, they have so much! Always we have the poor with us. These people will not miss a thing.”

“I know, I know,” and with that we all ambled out of the building for good, the saint, the idiot and the failure, three holy fools arm in arm, knowing that there was no place like home, and that it was definitely not to be found in a place like this.

When we were safely three blocks away and standing waiting for the train, Brother Juniper giggled to himself and produced from within his stinking tunic a stack of books. Francis rolled his eyes as his fellow friar gave the books to a homeless veteran sitting on the platform.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with these?” she wisely asked. I explained she might sell them to those conference attendees passing through, and gave her a few dollars to use as change, or for whatever she needed. She shrugged, and set up a book stall on the ground. “These stolen?” she asked with a scowl.

“Taken,” said Juniper, “from the Lord’s followers. So they won’t mind.” I rolled my eyes, something Francis had long ceased bothering to do.

“They might mind,” I said, just to warn her.

“Good,” she said warmly. “If I get arrested I will be in the warm and dry. Looks like rain.” Francis, long-practiced, reached out an arm to stop Juniper lifting off his tunic to give to the woman.

“She has clothing, Juniper, and the sight of your scrawny hide is unlikely to give our sister any comfort.” Juniper acquiesced to his teacher, and the train came, and we got on, not knowing where we were headed, not having any fare, with no plan for how to grow the potential of our churches, just glad to be away from the cold harsh lights and the business mantras and the stench of success.

The Game of Life by Keren Dibbens-Wyatt

March 12, 2015

In "Lent 2015"

Lenten Season, 2018: 4th Sunday (March 11th /18): Refresh/Refreshing

New Beginnings: See? I Am Doing a New Thing!—God

Various dictionaries include the following definitions of the word, “refresh”. For example, to refresh encompasses the concepts of giving new strength, providing new energy and vitality via rest, food, etc., to reinvigorate, to fortify, to freshen in appearance and to stimulate one’s memory. Of course, a familiar usage in our age of technology refers to computer-centered language, such as accessing the most updated edition of a web page. Thus, although we may not use the words ‘refresh’ or ‘refreshing’ frequently in our daily communication, the concept is one that we clearly understand and engage in. For instance, if our produce begins to wilt, we can cut the items up (e.g., carrots or celery), put them in ice water, and place them in the fridge to refresh them via rehydrating them. As we consider scenarios in which have observed the process of refreshing in our lives, it becomes clear that this experience is part of our everyday lives—from the barista at our favourite coffee shop offering to refresh our coffee to feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep.



But what role does being refreshed play in our daily lives? Is this refreshing limited to our spirituality? What does the Bible say on this subject? Throughout the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments there are numerous accounts of God providing both spiritual and practical, physical help to His people. For example, in Exodus 31: 1-11, God advised Moses that he would have Spirit-filled, skilled artisans to help him with all the items that needed to be crafted for the tabernacle. In 1Kings 17, following evil Ahab becoming king of Israel (1 Kings 16: 29ff), Elijah delivered God’s dire message to the king—there would be a drought in the land for the next few years. God also had a plan for Elijah’s safety and survival, as well as his physical provisions of bread and meet, delivered by ravens. As the drought continued, God sent Elijah to a widow at Zarepath whose limited amount of oil and flour was multiplied so that she, her son, and Elijah had plenty to eat (1 Kings 17:7-16). We also read about God’s care of Elijah in 1 Kings 19: 1-9 when he was fleeing from Jezebel. Tired from his long-distance marathon, he fell asleep under a tree, but he was soon wakened by an angel and told to eat and drink. This happened a second time. Refreshed by sleep and nourishment and strengthened for the journey ahead, Elijah travelled 40 days and 40 nights until he reached the Mountain of God (i.e., Horeb). If God cared for His servants in the Bible, and He’s the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8), then we can depend on Him to refresh our lives, too—in any and every area that needs to be renewed.

We are complex people, like multi-faceted diamonds-in-the-rough, and our lives are filled with commitments, responsibilities, and unexpected circumstances. As a result, studies have shown that we are not getting enough sleep, eating too much junk- and fast food, and find ourselves lacking energy and motivation. By the time we have arrived at this point, we may need to slow down, re-evaluate our lives, and ask for help. What areas do we need to address, to bring balance to—mind, body, heart, or soul, possibly all of them? In Matthew 6: 25-34 we are reminded not to worry about our life, what food we will have or what clothes we may wear; because God knows all our needs, and He has promised to take care of us. So, we can ask God to refresh us in every area of need in our lives, because He is gracious and longs to meet our needs, “My God shall supply all your need…,” (Phil. 4:19).




Suggested Daily Scripture Readings


Sunday Exodus 31: 12-18
Monday Psalm 23
Tuesday Philemon vv. 1-7
Wednesday Acts 3:19-21
Thursday Romans 15: 14-32
Friday Isaiah 40: 25-3
Saturday Psalm 19: 7-9

Blessings & Peace

Elizabeth Hogan Hayduk
Former Salvation Army Officer (pastor) Canada

Lenten Season, 2018: 4th Sunday (March 11th /18): Refresh/Refreshing

New Beginnings: See?  I Am Doing a New Thing!—God

Various dictionaries include the following definitions of the word, “refresh”. For example, to refresh encompasses the concepts of giving new strength, providing new energy and vitality via rest, food, etc., to reinvigorate, to fortify, to freshen in appearance and to stimulate one’s memory. Of course, a familiar usage in our age of technology refers to computer-centered language, such as accessing the most updated edition of a web page. Thus, although we may not use the words ‘refresh’ or ‘refreshing’ frequently in our daily communication, the concept is one that we clearly understand and engage in. For instance, if our produce begins to wilt, we can cut the items up (e.g., carrots or celery), put them in ice water, and place them in the fridge to refresh them via rehydrating them. As we consider scenarios in which have observed the process of refreshing in our lives, it becomes clear that this experience is part of our everyday lives—from the barista at our favourite coffee shop offering to refresh our coffee to feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep.

But what role does being refreshed play in our daily lives? Is this refreshing limited to our spirituality? What does the Bible say on this subject? Throughout the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments there are numerous accounts of God providing both spiritual and practical, physical help to His people. For example, in Exodus 31: 1-11, God advised Moses that he would have Spirit-filled, skilled artisans to help him with all the items that needed to be crafted for the tabernacle. In 1Kings 17, following evil Ahab becoming king of Israel (1 Kings 16: 29ff), Elijah delivered God’s dire message to the king—there would be a drought in the land for the next few years. God also had a plan for Elijah’s safety and survival, as well as his physical provisions of bread and meet, delivered by ravens. As the drought continued, God sent Elijah to a widow at Zarepath whose limited amount of oil and flour was multiplied so that she, her son, and Elijah had plenty to eat (1 Kings 17:7-16). We also read about God’s care of Elijah in 1 Kings 19: 1-9 when he was fleeing from Jezebel. Tired from his long-distance marathon, he fell asleep under a tree, but he was soon wakened by an angel and told to eat and drink. This happened a second time. Refreshed by sleep and nourishment and strengthened for the journey ahead, Elijah travelled 40 days and 40 nights until he reached the Mountain of God (i.e., Horeb). If God cared for His servants in the Bible, and He’s the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8), then we can depend on Him to refresh our lives, too—in any and every area that needs to be renewed.

We are complex people, like multi-faceted diamonds-in-the-rough, and our lives are filled with commitments, responsibilities, and unexpected circumstances. As a result, studies have shown that we are not getting enough sleep, eating too much junk- and fast food, and find ourselves lacking energy and motivation. By the time we have arrived at this point, we may need to slow down, re-evaluate our lives, and ask for help. What areas do we need to address, to bring balance to—mind, body, heart, or soul, possibly all of them? In Matthew 6: 25-34 we are reminded not to worry about our life, what food we will have or what clothes we may wear; because God knows all our needs, and He has promised to take care of us. So, we can ask God to refresh us in every area of need in our lives, because He is gracious and longs to meet our needs, “My God shall supply all your need…,” (Phil. 4:19).

Suggested Daily Scripture Readings

Sunday Exodus 31: 12-18

Monday Psalm 23

Tuesday Philemon vv. 1-7

Wednesday Acts 3:19-21

Thursday Romans 15: 14-32

Friday Isaiah 40: 25-3

Saturday Psalm 19: 7-9




Blessings & Peace





Elizabeth Hogan Hayduk

Lenten Season, 2018: 3rd Sunday (March 4th/18): Rebirth

New Beginnings: See?  I Am Doing a New Thing!—

God

Here in the Upstate of South Carolina we have been having some unseasonably warm temperatures, which were preceded by many weather fluctuations. These climate changes have had an effect on vegetation, causing spring grasses to emerge, trees to bud and flower, and flowers to emerge a little earlier than usual, (e.g., . daffodils, grape hyacinths, and miniature daffodils in our yard). Certainly, as the weather warms up, we look forward to the season that turns our focus to newness, to rebirth. We long for the days to warm up, the winter clothing to be put away, the return of the birds that migrated south, and the opportunity to create new things—we are just like our Father in that way.  And the Lenten season is the perfect time to see the new thing that God is doing in our lives, the rebirth that comes with His mercies that are new every morning!!

It is no surprise then that the Scriptures are filled with images of rebirth, of new beginnings, that encompass both physical (e.g., the rebirth of nature that we enjoy every spring, Songs of Solomon 2:11-12, or Lazarus being raised from the dead, John 11: 1-44, and spiritual rebirth, John 3:5-6). Spiritual rebirth is the most essential for those whom desire to be members of Jesus’ Kingdom. However, it’s more than just asking Him to forgive our sins, our wrongdoings, so that we can be assured of eternal life (John 3:16). Christ came to show us how to live our lives in a manner that is pleasing and honouring to the Father with the promise of one day living in His presence. But our focus is not to be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. In fact, Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly,” (John 10:10). And this truth forms part of the Good News message that we share with others. Furthermore, we need to understand that spiritual rebirth is more than a onetime event. In other words, we do not receive salvation and then think that we have arrived at our destination. The apostle Paul spoke on this issue when he stated, ^”Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day,”  (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Jesus became like us so that He could make us like Him. This is a life-long process as we learn to emulate Christ. As Paul also admonished, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect”, (Romans 12:2). This reminds me of the song from, “Spirit”—a Salvation Army musical of Generals John Larsson (Retired) and John Gowans (Promoted to Glory):  

“To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me.

In every thought and deed this is my aim, my creed.

To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me.

His Spirit helping me, like Him I’ll be.”   Amen.

Suggested Daily Scripture Readings

Sunday John 3: 3-8
Monday Ezekiel 36:26
Tuesday Isaiah 65: 17-19
Wednesday Lamentations 3:23-24
Thursday Ezekiel 11: 18-19
Friday 1 Peter 2: 1-25
Saturday Ephesians 4: 1-5; 22-32

Blessings & Peace

Elizabeth Hogan Hayduk

Former Salvation Army Officer (pastor) Canada