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Tag: Jesus (Page 13 of 53)

Pray For Your Pastor

April 6, 2023 / / 1 Comment

I was recently driving home from a small group bible study when something hit me. No it wasn’t a deer! It was a startling reality. Something I knew but kind of washed over me like a brand new feeling. As a pastor of a church, I am called to preach, teach, visit, pray with and for, serve communion, disciple, train, raise up leaders, and provide care for all of the people in the congregation.

That night I received a call that one of our members wasn’t feeling well. It was an older member who was struggling and I was alerted because the situation was very concerning to several people who had been with this member. I left the group and headed out so I could make some calls to better assess the situation and be prepared should an in person immediate visit be needed.

That’s when it hit me. In addition to all of the things on the list for a pastor to do, we truly care for the people around us. The men, women and children. The old ones and the babies. They all are people for whom we care deeply. We care for you by doing the things we’re called to do. We care for you by preaching and all that stuff. But we also care for you by calling out wrong behavior we see. We care for you by getting up in the middle of the night and making our way to the bedside of your dying loved one. We care for you by sitting quietly and listening as your world crumbles and reassure you that even though you feel alone – someone is there.

Pray for your pastor. He needs it. I can guarantee it.

There are so many highs in ministry that it’s hard to explain. The highs of baptisms and weddings. The highs of anniversary celebrations, ministry parties, block parties, fellowship events, game nights, movie nights, hanging out with friends. But there are also some really gut wrenching moments as well.

You know the funeral that we did for your mom or dad? That day we were there for you. That’s not the only funeral we did. And while your parent or spouse that we buried wasn’t our parent or spouse they were someone for whom we cared deeply. And it wasn’t just that person we had to bury either. It was your loved one and the loved ones of several others as well.

I don’t write this for pity or thanks or recognition. That’s not why we do it. If you’re a pastor reading this and you do these things for recognition, then get out of the ministry now. That’s not a pastor’s heart you possess. I write this because we are weak and often weary. We get tired. We carry burdens we don’t and often can’t share with anyone. We put on a smile when our hearts are torn open. When we are broken, we still have to stand by your side to provide comfort and care in your moment of grief, sorrow, or fear.

If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to ask you to just take a few minutes out of your week and pray for your pastor. Whoever he is. Whether you really like him or don’t quite understand his little character quirks. Pray for your pastor. He’s a human. He hurts. He fails. He struggles. But he loves you and would gladly and willingly rearrange his schedule to be by your side in a moment’s notice if the need arose. We aren’t heroes by any means. Just pastors trying to be the shepherds God calls us to be, and we’d truly be honored if you prayed for us.

On A Tuesday

April 4, 2023 / / 0 Comments

The events of this week are powerful for those who live out their Christian faith. From Palm Sunday celebrations to seemingly business as usual until the special services on Thursday and Friday and then the big reveal on Easter morning, this week is filled with power and emotion. But it’s not just the big days that are important. There is something special about each of these days through the week that we call Holy Week.

Yesterday we dealt with having the case of the Mondays. And today we’ll move into that day often called Holy Tuesday. The word holy is a word designated for things set apart or different for a specific purpose. This Tuesday of Holy Week is a special one to be sure.

A few key things happened on this Tuesday of Holy Week that make it stand out from the other Tuesdays in life. First, we see Jesus on a trip which isn’t all that unusual. On the way he discusses what faith really means by killing a fig tree. I know it seems a bit odd to do this but the point was made in a bold fashion. The disciples, kind of like we are today, were a bit on the hard headed side and easily missed the often obvious!

So Jesus kills the fig tree for not bearing fruit and then tells the disciples that if they had faith they too could do similar things. The point wasn’t about killing a tree really. The key was faith. We say we have faith, but when it comes time to actually act on that faith there are often crickets! No action. Faith gives way to fear which gives way to freeze. But Jesus offers an alternative. Believe that the one who called you to do this is able to help you accomplish it.

But there’s more to this Holy Tuesday than a dead fig tree. Jesus makes his way to a mountain called Olivet. And here he gives a sermon that is often referred to as the Olivet Discourse. I know super original naming right?

Well on this mountain, Jesus starts to teach that things are going to change drastically over the next few days. He tells them he’s going to die. Then that he won’t be around anymore. Then that they will be in charge of keeping this movement going in his absence. This is really why he was teaching them about faith through the fig tree. He needed them to believe they were able to do what he was calling them to do.

Nestled in the middle of the Olivet Discourse is a section dealing with the end of the world. Insert ominous music in the background. Well the section dealing with the end is really a lesson on how the world will un-evolve when he’s gone. So Jesus is saying that he’s going to die and rise and ascend. But when he’s gone the world is going to be really hard. And increasingly so as we get further and further from His death and resurrection. The more time lapses between when Jesus was here the harder and more evil the world will become.

But there’s a glimmer of hope buried in that sermon. Not only will things get hard and we’ll really not like it at all while it’s happening, but when it runs its course he will come back. That’s the cool part of this whole week.

Jesus is hailed as King. Paraded through town. Then quickly abandoned for a more convenient prospect. Then killed and tossed outside the city to hopefully be forgotten. But his followers are supposed to carry this message just like he carried his cross. Until one day life will be so full of evil and death and wrong and sin that God will call it over. He’ll send Jesus back and collect what’s rightfully his. The rest will dealt with in what is called judgment.

So this week isn’t really about Jesus dying and rising as much as it is laying the foundation for something that is yet to come in the future for all of us. Holy Week is about Jesus coming back again to close the book on this sinful world and set us up in a place that is far better than anything we could ever imagine. And that’s what happened on a Tuesday.

Today In History

April 3, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This week is a week that Christians around the world celebrate as something we call Holy Week. It’s the week that we attribute to Jesus coming into Jerusalem where he is heralded as King. Then things turn drastically for the worse and by the end of the week he’s dead and buried. Pretty hard shift to say the least. But how did it all happen? And what happened between Sunday and Friday to bring this change in how people saw Jesus?

What exactly is Holy Monday anyway?

The Monday of Holy Week is called Holy Monday. Really not much holy about most Mondays so we’ll take it right! This day is called holy primarily because it falls during this week that in general is considered Jesus’ holy walk to the cross.

But did Jesus do anything special on this Monday to make it special?

The answer is a bit complicated. So we’ll give it a yes and a no. I get it that’s the cheater’s way out but stick with me here for a minute.

On the Monday of this Holy Week time period, Jesus entered the city and went straight to the temple. In the center of the town was a temple. And it was a lot like a small community of its own complete with worship center, tons of people and even the ability to buy and sell certain things.

Well, this particular day Jesus enters the temple area and is upset. He’s upset because the main thing in the temple was supposed to be worship and sacrifices to God. But that’s not the focus that day. The focus was on the buying and selling things.

Ok so Jesus didn’t really have a problem with the buying and selling either. From what many bible scholars and cultural history buffs tell us, you could buy and sell animals for sacrifice in certain parts of the extended temple complex. The issue Jesus had was essentially the currency conversion rate and the mark up placed on these goods.

You see in the temple you couldn’t just walk in with street money and expect to buy things. There was a temple currency of sorts that generally had to be obtained. So they had these currency conversion tables. The issue here however is the temple got to determine the conversion rate. So they could charge some people more for the conversion and others less depending on the person’s overall economic standing.

Then there is the mark up. The issue here is that when people came to buy an animal for the regular sacrifice, the temple sales people were marking up the cost of animals to make a little extra cash. It’s not really known if they were pocketing the money or storing at the temple or sending their families to Disney World. All that is known is that they were selling things are a far higher price than they should have. So Jesus enters the temple and tells them all to get lost until they can have the right heart.

Now when making money is your motivation for doing something. And when someone stops you from making money, you get a bit bent. This is what started to happen to some of the leaders when Jesus came in and turned over the tables and removed them from the temple.

So what we see on this Monday of Holy Week is the beginning of the end for Jesus. This is one reason why things turned so quickly for Jesus and shouts of praises on Palm Sunday turned to kill him by Friday.

When Tragedy Strikes

March 28, 2023 / / 0 Comments

What do we do when tragedy strikes? What do we do when it hits close to home? What about when it impacts our very own family and friends? What about when our community is thrust into chaos because of the actions of someone unruly or evil?

Our tendency in these times is to find the biggest target we can find and throw blame at it. We want to find someone to hold accountable and it’s far easier to blame the biggest person, organization or group in the room. While this may be the easiest in the moment, it’s not generally the most effective method. And it will not bring the results we want.

Yesterday another senseless act of violence took the lives of innocent children and adults. It’s tragic to say the least. I hear of these things and want something to change. I want these to stop. I want children to be able to attend school without fear of something like this happening. I want teachers to be able to walk into schools with smiles on their faces and not a sense of apprehension in their minds about the safety of their room that day.

For some this will be an unpopular opinion, and for those of you who are offended by my thoughts, my intent is not to offend you. You have your thoughts and I have mine. You have the right to hit the little “x” or red dot and close this window and you’re welcome to do that.

Now for the unpopular opinion.

Blaming the wrong entity won’t help. Blaming the system, government, weapon of choice, school system, police force… none of that is going to make a bit of difference. Making more laws unfortunately won’t be of any real help either. How many bad guys read the law books to make sure it’s not going to break a law? Don’t believe me? Look at your own life for a minute.

There these little white rectangular signs on the side of the road. They are laws. Did you know that? Laws that state how fast are allowed to go in a given area. We call them speed limit signs. Now how many of you follow those suckers to the number? Do you push the limits at all? Maybe going 5 over? or 10? Drive the freeway and you’ll see it. Laws don’t stop people from doing what’s wrong. Or look at those red octagons. Ever roll through a stop? Yeah well that’s against the law too. Laws don’t make the problem go away. We just find another way.

I don’t want this to come across as insensitive at all. I am 100% against the violence. I am 100% against the evil actions around us. But I am also of the mindset that laws don’t stop stupid. They don’t stop mean. They don’t stop threats or violent acts. Rapists know it’s wrong but they still do it. Thieves know it’s wrong but they still steal. There are laws against all sorts of things but to prohibit something doesn’t stop someone from doing it.

So then what do we do?

The short answer is we need to change the way we think. Who’s to blame? The perpetrator. The villain. But more than that society is to blame. We all are to blame for the mess we’re in right now. When we can’t find a solid and consistent measure for right and wrong it should be no surprise when people will find their own measuring stick.

We live in a world that has taken right and wrong out of the equation because we don’t want to hurt or offend someone. We don’t want to “shove” our ideology down someone else’s throat so we don’t teach ethics anymore. There are not immovable standards in society. You have your truth and I have mine. That’s a sick and twisted society friends.

What do we do? We hold to some standard of truth. We hold to some form of right and wrong. For a couple of centuries this country had a pretty decent standard of how to function. From the Constitution to the Declaration of Independence to the other documents that were part of the founding of this nation, we had a real and easy to follow set of boundaries. For a time the nation used the essence of the Bible (not teaching the faith of the Bible but the boundaries it set) for a determination of right and wrong.

You may not agree with those documents. You may not like them. You may think they are old and potentially even a bit outdated. But they were foundational to who we are as a people.

How do we fix where we are? Be kind. It’s really that simple. Don’t be a jerk. Raise your kids to be kind. Not tolerant because tolerant doesn’t do anything. Kindness does. Go out of your way to do good to someone. If you’re the praying type spend some time in prayer. Dad’s be present with your families. Quit running away to pursue your own selfish lustful passions and be involved in your kids’ lives.

When tragedy strikes is the time we come together not throw crap at one another like a bunch of mindless monkeys. Stop slinging crap and start being kind and we might just see a change in our communities.

What are we to do?

March 24, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Yesterday we dealt with the uncomfortable question of what’s going on in the world. The trouble we face in the world is not a change in God’s plan rather it’s stuff that happens while God is doing his main work. That work is the work of building his church.

Today we’re going to get to the issue of what then is the church supposed to be doing during these crazy and, for many, challenging times. The short answer is doing what Jesus would do. But what does that look like?

The Bible clearly states that the church, assembly of God’s people, is known as the body of Christ. So if we, when we function together, are actually the body of Christ, then shouldn’t we be functioning like the body of Christ?

What this does not mean…

Let’s set the stage here a little. Functioning as the body of Christ does not mean that we all have to look and act the same. We don’t have to have the same vocabulary and posture either. We do, however, have to possess the same focus and intent. We must be about the same purpose as Jesus.

We do not have to do it the same way in every context. This might be hard for some to hear, but different cultures have different values and ways of expressing themselves. When we function as the body of Christ, we must take into account the cultural makeup of the group we’re reaching. Neither Jesus nor his disciples made the people all adhere to the same rituals and customs. The matter of circumcision is one that comes to mind here. They didn’t force the people of other cultures go through the rite of circumcision in order for them to be saved.

What then should we do?

Look at what Jesus actually did. He got to know the people around him. Before throwing forgiveness bombs into the crowd, he often healed and fed them and provided for their felt needs. What would happen if the church became known for the types of things Jesus was known for in the community in his day?

We spend a lot of time as churchy people acting anything but like Jesus. We become so adamant on the who, what, where, when and how of the things we do that we often neglect the why. Instead of asking who are the people in our churches, we should be asking who are the people not in our churches?

Take an honest look at your community. Do a quick needs assessment. What are the needs that are present in your community? Where are people hurting? Where are they struggling? What are the things they’re trying to accomplish that they just can’t seem to get done?

Then match that up with your passions, skills, resources and people. Where these overlap, you’ll see how you have been uniquely placed in your region as the church Jesus is building.

There is a bit of an art to this process and can be overwhelming at times because it’s not our natural way to look at life. If you’re struggling with this process and would like some help with focusing your efforts, reach out. I’m part of a team that has this process nailed down pretty tight. We’d love to help you to focus your efforts to do the work of the church that Jesus is building in your midst.

What’s going on?

March 23, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I sure hope I’m not the only one who wonders this sometimes. I sure hope that I’m not the only one who hears the news (often by accident) or reads an article on the internet or listens to people around me talking and wonder what’s happening in the world?

Maybe you’ve heard of the fears of economic collapse? Or perhaps the weird things going on in the banking industry around the world? Maybe you’ve grown a tad weary about the lingering conflict in parts of our world? Perhaps you’re getting a tad uneasy about the partnerships being formed between nations that really don’t seem to be up to anything good?

What’s going on?

People who you thought were friends no longer want to talk to you. Institutions that once were focused on helping others have collapsed. Churches have turned inward. And the world around us seems to be spiraling into practices that have historically been deemed unethical, false and evil.

What’s going on?

If you look at sheer numbers, an easy but not effective metric to use, it appears that the church in the world is shrinking rapidly. Small churches are closing and larger ones are showing signs of decline. There are some exceptions but this seems to be more the norm across the country.

What’s going on?

A little word of hope for those of you who are feeling a bit overwhelmed. There is a section in the Bible that we often gloss over as we gravitate to the more well known portion. But it’s often in the seemingly mundane and obscure parts of the bible that we find some really great gems of truth. Take a look here.

Jesus says in the book of Matthew “I will build my church.” Now the context is why we often miss this little gem. This is the section where Peter gets it right. Jesus asks who people say he is. Then Peter without hesitation gives the proper understanding of who Jesus really is. He is the one promised. The Christ who is the Son of God. This is when Jesus replies on this rock I will build my church.

We tend to get hung up on the rock part of this phrase, but what about the promise? What about the section dealing with what God is up to? It’s in this little phrase that we find the answer to our question what’s going on.

So what is going on?

Jesus is building his church. I know that sounds a little weird but in the odd, terrible, threatening, fear-filled, terrifying, uncertain, upside down moments in the world Jesus has not lost his focus. His focus is true. He is building his church.

When the economy is in shambles, Jesus is building his church. When the towers fell in New York, Jesus was still building his church. When illness hits our home and takes our loved one, Jesus is still building his church. When the world is chaotic and just flat messed up, Jesus is still building his church.

Nothing changes the focus of God. Nothing shifts his sights even the slightest. Jesus is still building his church. And that church (the global version, not exactly the local version) will prevail as long as she stays true to his teaching.

The idea that Jesus is building his church doesn’t make the hard days come less often or the pain of the loss of a loved one any less painful. But it does help us see things a little differently. But what do we do with it?

Tomorrow we’ll deal with what the church is supposed to do with this reality. But for now find comfort knowing that the nastiness of life hasn’t changed who God is or what he’s up to. It hasn’t stopped him from doing his work. He’s still building his church and has invited you and me to be a part of this amazing work.

Hope

March 15, 2023 / / 0 Comments

One definition of hope is the confident expectation of what is promised. I think this picture kind of sums that whole idea up with no words. Confident expectation of a promised blessing. What do you hope for today?

I think that all of us who are located in a region that has several seasons can sympathize with the idea of hoping for spring to arrive. When the cold and damp days of winter drone on forever, we are hopeful for the promise of sunshine and warmth that summer brings. Here in Ohio it seems as if we have all four seasons in one day! It’s easy to complain about the weather but we’d be better off hoping for the sunshine of tomorrow.

I took this picture this morning of a small flower starting to emerge from the snow covered ground. At first it seems as if it might be a bit confuse about the season or time of year. I mean things don’t bud, grow or bloom in the winter months. But then a quick reminder that it’s March will tell us that this flower is only doing what it is meant to do. It emerges from the ground in hope of the coming sunshine and warm weather.

I think some days it would be helpful if we acted more like these flowers. Instead of focusing on the cold, damp, snow covered ground look for chances to emerge and grow and eventually bloom into that thing we were created to be.

Ok so you’re not a flower. No matter how much you try you’re never going to be a flower. And you don’t have to emerge from the snow to thrive in this cold environment. But we were placed here in the circumstances in which we’re living for a specific purpose. To do something unique.

Just like the flower was planted for the purpose of growing and budding and blooming you were planted to grow and bloom in your own right. This reminds me of a story in the Bible. There was a woman named Esther in the Old Testament. She was a Jewish woman who ended up becoming queen of Persia. This was largely unusual but was made possible because no one really know her lineage. The king didn’t even know she was of Jewish origin.

After a lot of really awful things had happened, you can read those for yourself if you desire, the time comes for Esther to take a stand and reveal her identity as a Jewish woman. Esther is concerned to say the least! I mean if it doesn’t work out well, she would be killed without question.

A famous line comes out of that section. For such a time as this. The idea is that it is for this moment that you were placed here. It was for this purpose, this moment, this task that she was there. The same can be said for you and me. We’ve been put here for such a time as this, and if that means we have to hope against hope to move forward – then hope! Just like that flower pushing its way up through the snow, you and I were made for this moment. So we too must push up through the cold, darkness of our current circumstances. We have to do the only thing for which we were placed here. It is only then that we will emerge to bloom and thrive in the way we were created.

For now, before the bloom, before the flower can bud – hope. Move forward in the confident exception of what is promised. Live your life for such a time as this and leave the rest to the one who put you here.

Goodness of God

March 6, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This week we bring back another familiar song. It’s been around for a while but it’s a much needed song some days. We need to take time to just stop every once in a while to see how true this really is. Perhaps your day to pause is today.

Have you ever considered where God has shown up in your life? I don’t mean in the lottery winning, job promotion earning, kids always behaving, marriage filled with all five love languages kind of showing up. I mean in the nasty, dark, cold, lonely, depressing moments of life. This is when we really can see the goodness of God the best, if we only look.

For most of my life, I’ve been pretty blind to the goodness of God. If I’m being honest, it never really was a second thought for me. My life has been filled with many blessings and tons of wonderful memories that I reflect on frequently. This is largely why it is so easy to overlook the goodness of God. When things go well, we don’t really need to think about it. We just live in it to the point we don’t even see His hand moving all around us. Kind of like the whole can’t see the forest through the trees way of thinking.

This week I’d encourage you to just pause. Maybe it’s a few minutes at lunch time or sitting on the front porch or maybe a quick walk around the block. Just stop and listen. No AirPods. No mind filling worries. No stress can come with you in this moment. Just disconnect and listen. Hear the birds chirping. Listen to the wind blow through the trees. Or hear the busyness of the cars flying down the interstate. Just pause and hear the world move around you.

Then think about the goodness of God in that moment. Think about the time he sent that special friend when you were lonely to just check in on you. Think about the unexpected gift when you were stressed about your money. Think about the kind gesture from a neighbor when you just felt down. These are goodness of God moments.

Take a few minutes this week, and every week ideally, and ponder how great – how good – how amazing God’s goodness has been toward you.

Come Back

February 23, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This week we celebrate a different kind of holiday in the church. We call it Ash Wednesday. Yeah it’s the day when you see people with those funny little dirt smudges on their foreheads. Some of us pastors are not good at art it seems! But the idea behind ashes on foreheads might seem weird to some people. So what’s it all about?

There’s a section in the bible written by a man named Joel. He’s one of the oldest recorded prophets in the Bible. He wrote super early in the life of the Israelite people. But his writing followed a pretty typical model for the prophets. Illustration and Warning were the two typical themes of the prophets. They’d write to show how a certain thing happening was an illustration of how they’ve wandered from who they were supposed to be. Then it would also serve as a warning that without correction, things were going to get drastically worse.

A quick glimpse into the book of Joel would be helpful. So he’s writing when things aren’t going well for the Israelites. Actually life is pretty crappy. The economy is tanking. Leaders are lying. They can’t trust their politicians. Recession is looming. Division is everywhere. People are hated simply because they look, act or think differently. I know this is a hard situation to even imagine. Sure glad we don’t know anything about this kind of trouble. (Immense sarcasm intended)

So the book starts with a recap of what’s going on. You see while the regular worldly trouble is lurking around there’s another issue sweeping across the land. Locusts. Lots and lots of locusts. ICK! If you know anything about locusts you know that they can be pretty destructive. And you rarely see just one of them. They come in swarms. Thousands. Hundreds of thousands at once. They lay eggs in the ground. The babies emerge and chomp on anything living. When they get strong enough to jump, they reach for food higher up. Then come the wings and soon there’s nothing out of their reach. It’s awful. Nothing is left the way it was.

If the troubles they were facing weren’t bad enough, the locusts would pretty much make the land unlivable. Ok to really understand the importance of the locusts we need to see how God functions in two different, yet similar, ways. I call them his passive and active judgment or anger.

The trouble they were facing with political upheaval and economic mess and division was all part of what is called the passive anger of God. This can be seen as the natural result of the choices we make. Kind of like speeding and getting a ticket, it’s the natural result and you really can’t be mad about it because you knew it could happen.

Now back to the Israelites for a minute. All the mess they were facing was a result of their lack of focus on God. They pulled away from God and then things started to unravel. Instead of drawing near to God again, they blamed him for their trouble and tried to fix it themselves. This only made things worse than before. Enter locusts.

When the passive anger of God is allowed to run its course, the next step is the active anger of God. This is the scary one. You see since the people kept pulling further and further away from God and tried to fix things themselves, God helped them go even further away. He sent the locusts to make their problems that much worse. But the intent wasn’t to kill them or destroy them. It was to wake them up. You see there was mercy in the locusts. The point was that the locusts would make life so hard that they would turn and finally ask God for help.

So what about the ashes you ask? It’s kind of like locusts. The ashes are a reminder that the good and healthy and vibrant parts of life struggle and die. Ashes were a symbol of mourning and death and devastation. Ashes were a reminder that all things living will be pulverized and die. The ashes we use on Ash Wednesday to put the little smudge on your foreheads are actually burned up, pulverized palm branches from last year’s Palm Sunday service.

That means that the ashes are a reminder of God’s mercy. There’s mercy in the ashes. It’s God’s way of saying come back! I want you back with me where life is best for you and where you can thrive like never before.

I have to be honest I would much rather have God put a few ashes on my forehead than send a swarm of locusts to eat my garden! Maybe you missed the service on Ash Wednesday. There’s always next year! But in reality it’s not the ashes or the service it’s what happens in our hearts. You can turn back to God without the ashes and without the locusts and without the calamity. So how about it? Are you ready to come back?

Pass The Wine Please

February 16, 2023 / / 0 Comments

There are some things in life that carry many meanings. They remind us of a variety of things. I know that seeing certain images takes me back to another time and another place. The crystal cookie jar that’s on my shelf at home reminds me of summers spent with my grandparents at their pool. The smell of cinnamon rolls in the oven transports me to Christmas as a child. The loud rumble of a semi truck using its engine as a braking system going down a hill makes me feel the bouncing seat of my Grandpa’s semi truck.

Everything has the ability to remind us of something else. But those special things can have multiple memories attached.

In the life of the church for which I am a pastor, we celebrate something called communion on a weekly basis. Communion is the bread and wine that are linked to and remind us of the amazing gift we receive in Jesus. Our particular identity believes that miraculously and mysteriously the bread is the body and the wine is the blood.

I recently took some time to consider why these particular elements were used. I found something interesting when it came to the wine. I always thought the wine was used partially because it was there as part of the Passover meal that Jesus was eating with his disciples. I thought it was used because it was red and it would be a visual reminder of the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. And while these may be true, I think there’s more to it than just that. Wine has a much bigger, wider and deeper significance.

The use of wine weaves its way through the Old Testament. And throughout it has a wonderful array of overlapping meanings. Wine is more than just a harkening ack to Jesus’ blood on the cross. It was a symbol throughout the Old Testament of prosperity, life, vitality and celebration.

If we look at the uses of wine throughout the Bible, you’ll see that wine was indicative of wealth. It was a symbol of having plenty in life. Genesis reminds us that the blessing of Isaac on his son Jacob would be the blessing of abundant amounts of wine among other things.

But wine was also a marker of celebration. I think this one is most overlooked. Even in the context of the Passover meal, which Jesus was celebrating when he gave communion for the first time to his disciples, the tone wasn’t worship or contemplation. It was celebration. The passover meal was a meal of remembrance of all the God had done. It was the marker of when God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. You better believe there was a party there. Wine was for celebrating!

Jesus’ first miracle is another time wine is used. I think there’s no accident here either. When Jesus first breaks onto the scene and does one of those cool God-things, it wasn’t healing someone or raising a dead person or even casting out a demon. His first miracle was all about wine. It was about provision, partying and participating in life with his people.

When Jesus turned water into wine, he did far more than just help the party manager save face. He elongated their celebration! He gave them a visible and edible reminder that he was able to provide for their needs in a variety of ways.

When we come to communion and take the bread in our hands and drink the wine, it’s far more than a memorial meal. It’s more than just a reminder of the death and resurrection of Jesus. It’s a reminder of the provision of God for his people. It’s a display of God’s blessing and the prosperity that he brings on his people. But it should also be a visible and edible reminder that he wants us to celebrate.

Even in the New Testament the idea of drinking too much wine is correlated to being overcome by the Holy Spirit. When a person has a couple drinks too many they have a tendency to lose themselves in the moment. The same should be true as we gather at the table for communion. We should lose ourselves, not in too much wine but in the abundant provision of God through his Spirit. We should leave joyful and excited, like we just were part of a great celebration!

Wine is a wonderful reminder of God’s provision, blessing, and joy. It’s definitely something worth celebrating! So this Sunday, if you’re one of those church going types, go up to the table for communion. Take the bread. Drink the wine. Then remember. Remember the sacrifice of Jesus. Remember the provision of your Heavenly Father. But remember also to celebrate the full cup of God’s Spirit that he pours out for you at this table.

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