fromonedegree

saying Yes! - Week Nine : 29 Nov 2018 - RP

==This message was given in 2018, but is listed here for better chronological presentation==

When it comes to connecting to the person of God, we likely fall into three different beliefs. Some of us feel it is not possible. The cord is severed. God is so “heavenly” so beyond us, so set apart, that He cannot or would not connect to us personally.

 

Some of us may believe that God wants to connect to us personally, but we are afraid that if we allow Him to, there will be a shocking explosion-we will get burned. And some of us know we can be connected to God, we have collided with His life changing power in the past, maybe there have even been a few times we sensed and experienced a connection to God that brought His love and power into our lives in special way, but we don’t believe there can be a sustained, continual life-changing connection to our Father.

But as we look at John 20 and Mary Magdalene’s “yes” to standing at the empty tomb of Jesus Christ, we find that although there may some truth to what we believe, none of these beliefs are the truth.

 

Because Mary said “Yes” to standing at the tomb, she was first to have the truth explained to her: a way has been made to be personally connected to God. It is a powerful connection, but we need not ever fear being burned. And lastly, whatever collision we have had in the past, whatever transforming work God has done in us, is intended to be continual-deepening our intimacy each day! (seasons of slow)

 

As we look at the historical account of the event at the tomb, let’s ask God to help us understand what it means that Jesus has collided into our lives in order to connect us to the Father.

saying Yes! - Week Eight : 07 Nov 2019 - The Well

Over 2,000 years ago there was a collision of LOVE and hate along the side of road where-the Cross of Jesus Christ. And by the cross were a group of women who said “yes” to standing there at Jesus Cross.

Each of the women who stood by the cross, brought her own experiences with Jesus to the Cross –seeing the cross personally, uniquely. Being together, they likely viewed the Cross through each other’s eyes- confirming and expanding the reality of what they were witnessing.

 

When we say “yes” to standing at the Cross of Jesus we bring with us our own experiences that cause us to see the cross uniquely. As we have looked at the Cross in community, I pray it has confirmed and expanded what we see. But to be truly changed by the Cross we need God’s grace to see the Cross from His perspective; we not just a view of the cross but a view from the Cross.

 

If God, by His grace, will give us His view from the cross, there will be a collision in our hearts so profound that whenever we see a cross, be it bejeweled upon a neck or weathered wood on a hill there will be an inner collision of life-changing LOVE.

saying Yes! - Week Seven : 06 Nov 2018 - RP

==This message was given in 2018, but is listed here for better chronological presentation==

As much as summer seems to be a season for weddings, the holidays seem to be a time for

engagements. Being engaged is such an interesting time in any young woman’s life. Ironically, it can

become a time in which women forget all about their groom. They essentially say “no” to the love of

their life as they say “yes” to the dress! In our western culture that makes it all about the bride, it is no

wonder many become “Bridezilla,” expecting everything/everyone to stop and say “yes” to serve them.

Our contemporary western customs of engagement are in stark contrast to the ancient Jewish customs

of Jesus day, where the focus was the groom and his family from beginning to end.

In Biblical times, the first step toward marriage was taken by the man and his family. An arrangement

was made, sealed by the groom and his family giving gifts: a bridal price given to bride’s family. The

bridal price could have been cash, but also could’ve been clothing, jewelry, or some other item of value.

 Important to know that the bride price did not mean the girl was sold to be the young man’s property,

but the “price” was to recognize her economic worth, her value to the young man and his future.

Sometimes the groom and his family gave gifts to the bride too, for her future with their family.

This began the engagement, called a betrothal period, where the groom went to prepare a home for his

Bride -the focus of betrothal. When the home was ready, the groom would go, with his attendants, to

the home of his bride and get his bride and her wedding party (announced, surprisingly, with a horn).

The groom would then escort the whole wedding party to his house to begin the celebration feast.

At the celebration feast, that included music, dancing and lasted up to 2 weeks, the bride and groom’s

attendants were there to serve them. But if it was a royal wedding, the bride gave her attendants to her

groom to add to the glory of his court.

 Even though the bride would adorn herself with jewels and beautiful clothing, her dress was to add to

groom’s beauty; he was the center of attention - his happiness, his beauty, his joy was the focus.

 The most important part of the celebration was the pronouncement of blessing upon the union.

The bride then went to live in her husband’s home and became part of his family. She does not bring

anything into the marriage but herself. She gives herself completely to her groom and fam.

 In our western mindset we might not see her joy, her excitement, her gratitude. But in her culture,

without a groom, she would be without a future. Because a man said “yes” to serving for her,

giving all he owned to her and she had a home and family. So she would spend her engagement saying

“yes” to serving him by being ready for when he came.

 Throughout Scripture God’s people are referred to as a bride. And Jesus called the bridegroom. Our

groom, Jesus, wants us to understand that saying “yes” to serving Him is not about giving to him

what we have, it is about recognizing that we have nothing to give in of ourselves.

It’s about preparing for when He comes for us. And He so wants us to get this that He has given

us an account of two women He came for to illustrate it: Martha and Mary. Introduced to them in Luke

Saying Yes! - Week Six : 23 Oct 2019 - The Well

There has been much interest lately in the fairy tale Snow White with two versions hitting the box office recently. However, the two films that couldn’t be more different from one another. One is a quirky family friendly tale: Mirror, Mirror. The other. Snow White and the huntsman, a dark, sinister retelling- definitely not for children!

But the most fascinating is actually the original, Grimm’s, which is both quirky and disturbing.

Grimm’s Snow White begins much like all the retellings with the vain step mother so threatened by her step daughter’s beauty that she must see her eliminated, dead. There is a huntsman who is ordered by the Queen to take Snow White into the forest, kill her and then bring back evidence that she is dead. And of course, the huntsman cannot harm sweet Snow White and so she comes to live with 7 dwarfs.

But this is where Grimm’s tale becomes even more fascinating. Once the vain step mother discovers Snow White is alive she actually attempts to kill Snow White 3 times. The famous apple is the third attempt. The Queen step-mother, disguised as a farmer’s wife, offers Snow the apple and after one bite Snow falls into a state of suspended animation-no sign of life, barely alive. Assuming she is dead, the dwarfs place her in a glass coffin in the forest. From Grimm brothers, climax of the original story-

“Time passes, and a Prince traveling through the land sees Snow White. He strides to her coffin, and enchanted by her beauty, instantly falls in love with her. The Dwarfs succumb to his entreaties to let him have the coffin, and as his servants carry the coffin away, they stumble on some roots. This causes the piece of poisoned apple to dislodge from Snow White's throat, awakening her. The Prince then declares his love for her, and soon a wedding is planned.”

In Grimm’s tale, Snow’s lifeless body is rescued by the prince. But only after a piece of apple is dislodged from her throat does she come alive and enter into a relationship with the prince- a wedding planned.

By surrendering something deep within her, Snow got more than rescue. Because she got more than a touch, she arose to a whole new life. I was reminded of Grimm’s version of Snow White while studying Mark 5 and the lives of Jairus’ daughter and the bleeding woman..

In these two accounts, intentionally interwoven, we see two individuals whose situations are literally choking the life out of them. As Jesus passes by them, they look to Him for a rescue. They say ‘Yes” to surrendering their life-choking situations to Him. Looking to Jesus’ touch to rescue them.

By coming to Jesus, they were going to get more than a rescue, they were going to be offered a relationship with the living God. But to enter into this relationship, they would have to surrender more than they had planned.

Tim Keller, “Be aware that when you go to Jesus for help, you will both give to and get from him far more than you bargained for.”

This is exactly what we see as we take a deeper look this one account of two life-choking situations.

Saying Yes! - Week Five (Jeff & Pattie): 23 Oct 2018 -RP

==This message was given in 2018, but is listed here for better chronological presentation==

“We are not captivated by Jesus Christ when we are strong and victorious and triumphant in ourselves. We are eager to tell everybody how they can be like us. But when we are shredded with failure, there is nowhere to look but to this Savior. God loves His Son. He loves it when we love and cherish His Son. He loves that more than our sinlessness.” – Barabara DeGuid

At the end of the day Jesusmade clear that law keepers and lawbreakers are sinners, and both need forgiveness, forgiveness he freely offered to all. The woman except it. Simon's response unknown. Simon invited Jesus to test him. A true prophet was one who avoided sinners—particularly female ones. For Jesus, a true prophet involves getting hurt for sinners by confronting their attackers. Simon is being challenged to accept forgiveness, respond with love, and revise his default setting of his outlook on the world. Jesus Reminds her that her faith in him is a force in her life that would lead her in the path of peace. 

Saying Yes! - Week Four : 11 Oct 2012 -TCC

==This message was given in 2012, but is listed here for better chronological presentation==

Can you imagine the frustration of having someone randomly place inappropriate stop signs throughout your city? At each one you would wonder, “Is this one for my safety or is it just keeping me from where I want to go?” We are dependent upon legitimate stops signs to keep us from plowing through dangerous intersections, but senseless ones keep traffic from moving as it should.

What is true for the road is true for the human heart. We are dependent upon legitimate stop signs to keep us from plowing through dangerous intersections.

But within our society, our own minds and even within our churches there are hundreds of stop signs. Places, ideas, activities that claim to be required stops necessary for our good. But in reality they are not all legitimate. Some are keeping us from going where God wants us to go.

It is hard to discern which stops are legitimate, keeping us from dangerous intersections, and which are renegade-keeping us from moving as we should.

We need someone to sort this out for us. And we have someone: Jesus. This is why Jesus came and what He came to do. In order to bring us back to God, Jesus came to identify all the renegade stop signs that are senseless, keeping us from entering into the life He has created us to live. And He has come to be the One stop that if we do observe, will allow us to enter into a life we never thought possible.

We will see this throughout Jesus earthly ministry, but possibly for us as women, no more profoundly then when God sent His Son to a significant well to a specific woman. There He identifies the renegade stop signs she is observing (places, ideas, activities) causing great injury and keeping her from entering into the life for which she was created.

 He has come to her to become the One stop that if she observes will allow her to enter into a life she never thought possible.

 Through her life’s account—beginning with where Jesus stopped—I believe Jesus desires to identify the renegade stops signs in our own lives, the places we are stopped that are keeping us from entering into the life we never thought possible.

saying Yes! - Week Three : 02 Oct 2019 -The Well

OH! THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mardecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… get on your way!

I was reminded of this Dr. Seuss book as I “pondered”, tried to understand the meaning of Luke 2 and Mary’s “yes” to being the mother of Jesus. I was struck by the contrast. Mary, saying “Yes” was not about the places she would go- her head full of brains and her shoes full of feet, but the places Jesus would go the not-so-good streets that she did not want to go down, but went anyway, refusing to head straight out of town.

 Mary’s book would be “Oh, The Places He Goes!” Although Mary brought Jesus into the world, was His caregiver, His protector, His mother, but she didn’t get to name Him, God did. She didn’t get to cast a vision for Jesus, He casted one for her. She didn’t get to take Jesus to her world-to places she wanted to go. He took her to the Father’s world-where God wanted her to go: uncomfortable places, places of inescapable pain and unimaginable possibilities.

 As Mary experienced bang-ups and hang-ups, she didn’t escape to bright places, she kept saying “yes.” And as Mary continued to say “yes” she saw God. Mary saw confirmation that Her Son, Jesus, is the Deliverer. And the ways in which God confirmed it showed Mary the nature of God’s “yes” to His World.

 Just as Mary carried Jesus within her, as believers we have the privilege of having His very presence within us. But sometimes we think this means taking Jesus where we want to take Him and when. Or worse: we look to Him to bring the world to us! This is saying “No” to God and missing seeing God. Saying “yes” to God is letting Him take us to the world, to the places He goes. This is where we see Him.

 As I look at Mary and see what she was able to see, I want to say “yes” to the places He goes. For there, Mary saw LOVE and life collide: in every situation people were changed! I want to let Him take me to His world, that I might see Him. The only way to see LOVE and Lives collide. Means uncomfortable places!

Saying Yes! - Week Two : 26 Sep 2019 - The Well

As I have prayed over Luke 1 with a desire to see afresh what it means that God has given us His Son, God first took me back 20 years and asked me to see that His best gifts to me have been the ones that have revealed my heart to me and have given me the opportunity to say “yes” to being continually changed, to being transformed. 

In sending His Son to born of Mary, God gave Mary, and you and me through her obedience, THE perfect gift. He gave us exactly what we needed to see the nature of our hearts.

But we must not miss what it meant for Mary to accept this gift, to say “yes.” For Mary, receiving the gift of God’s Son would have brought tremendous uncertainty; it would have devastated all her future plans.

Why did Mary say yes to disgrace, yes to destitution, yes to tremendous difficulty? Because as Gabriel described the gift God was giving to her, Mary knew this gift would take away her ultimate disgrace (of sin), rescue her from eternal destruction.

Mary said “Yes” to God, completely yielded as a slave, because she was being given something she knew she desperately needed but thought impossible-to be made perfect in the sight of God.

To say “yes” to God, we, like Mary, need to see clearly what THE perfect gift God has given to us and what this gift reveals about our hearts. Beginning with the sending….

Saying Yes! - Week One : 26 Sep 2018 -RP

==This message was given in 2018, but is listed here for better chronological presentation==

When dreams die they evidence, eventually, the nature of our “Yes” to God. How we handle the barren places of our life, our hopes unfulfilled, our longings not satisfied, help us see whether our “Yes” to God is to Him alone or if it comes with the expectations that our dreams coming true. It is in these painful places of waiting and seeing hope slip away, that the depth of our faith is revealed, shaken and then deepened or forsaken.

Elizabeth waited, for likely over 40yrs, to experience the most profound hope of all women in her day- to become a mother. When we meet her, her dream has died. She is barren and advanced in years. Although her greatest longing had not been satisfied, Elizabeth kept pressing into God, not wavering in her love for or worship of her God, but deepening in it. Amazing!

But what amazes me even more about Elizabeth is how she did not waver when she surprisingly got what she must have always wanted. No. With her dream fulfilled she pressed into God more deeply.

Unfulfilled dreams do impact our faith, but fulfilled dreams do too-maybe more! Once we get what we always wanted our hearts may initially draw near to God in praise, but most of us begin to press into, enjoy the new blessing more than our God—our commitment to the LORD wanes. It is the wonderful places of blessing, when our dreams come true that the depth of our faith is revealed and is either deepened or forsaken.

When we get the career, the title, the husband, the kids, the home, etc, our passion for God, if we are honest cools, until another longing comes our way! If our commitment to our God wanes when we don’t get what we want OR when we do, we are seeing the nature of our “yes” to God.

In Elizabeth we see a real life deeply impacted by a significant dream lost. And then spectacularly and unexpectedly fulfilled! Neither barrenness nor blessing distanced Liz from her God. No both not only evidenced the genuineness of her faith and both deepened it.

Today I want us to look at why, by seeing the real nature of God’s “yes” to Elizabeth. And how we can become more like Elizabeth, by seeing the real nature of her “yes” to God. We’ll see this by first looking at her barrenness and then her blessing.

Saying Yes! - Introduction : 11 Sep 2019 - The Well

Elyse Fitzpatrick, ““The hope we have in the gospel is that the fullness of God condescended to us in Jesus Christ. WE don’t have to wonder about the Father’s disposition toward us; we don’t have to speculate for one moment about our future. We can have a strong and sure hope, because we can see the invisible God by looking at the gospel.”

The women we will be studying are real-not fairy tales, their life-changing encounters are the Gospel. Their accounts of LOVE colliding into life are lights in the night sky drawing us to where we belong, to become who we were created to be.

Elizabeth-picture an older woman steady faithful, good, upright-not perfect, but humbly seeking forgiveness when she sins, committed to a right relationship with her God, her husband, her community. In her eyes a sorrow, a sadness. She is missing the very thing she would have most longed for-a baby. She suffers from disgrace, often subjected to the words or at least looks of those in her community who believe she is being punished by God for some reason. She is barren and her wrinkled face will never look upon her own child, her aged spotted hands never hold her husband’s child.

Mary: By contrast picture a young teen girl in small dusty poor village in Palestine where everyone knows everyone! She is deeply devoted to her God, longing to do what He has asked of her. As her young hands tend to animals, her youthful face tries to smile as her voice greets those in her village. She wonders, “What will happen to me when it is discovered I am pregnant? Will anyone believe that I am still a virgin? How can I tell Joseph, whom I am to marry that I am with child by the Holy Spirit? 

God says yes to stopping for a woman living a complicated and lonely: It’s the heat of the day and a woman is alone gathering water. Her strong arms and hands lifting water jars out of the well. Sweat dripping down her back under her long folds of fabric. Her face shows evidence of hard life, her hollow lifeless eyes expect condemnation. Rejected by five husbands and now living with a man who has not married her, she is shunned and lives an isolated life. 

God says yes to the sacrifices of a “Sinful” woman: A feast is happening in the home of a highly respected religious leader. The smell of roasted meat and simmering spices fill the dusty air. The who’s who of the community are reclining at a table, likely in their best robes made of beautiful fabrics. Conversation is lively and purposeful. And then an awkward almost indignant or angry hush of shock falls upon the party. A woman, who is well known for her immoral behavior, defined by it, enters where she is not welcome, dressed, smelling and behaving scandalously. Her long hair falls beyond her shoulders, an likely unexpected and unwanted sweetness fills the air as she approaches Jesus. Unable to control herself, she wets Jesus’ feet with her tears, gently drying them with her hair

A Woman diseased: Jesus is traveling in the middle of a huge crowd, pressing in on all sides. Imagine a moving wall of hot sweaty bodies all pressing in on Jesus, wanting to be near Him, to hear Him to watch what He will do next. Making her way through the dense, moving, noisy crowd is a woman who has been bleeding for twelve years. Her bank account and her hope is depleted… almost. She grabs for the robes of Jesus. She-takes one last chance, reaching for a man she has heard can heal. A robe made by human hands covers the Son of God and now runs through the fingers of an unclean outcast who health has put her out of society. Immediately Jesus knows He has been touched. Amidst the pushing, the throngs of sweaty bodies all around Him, He feels the touch of the sick woman and he stops the moving crowd. Bodies bump into each other as Jesus asks, “Who touched my clothes?”

 God says ‘Yes” to serving sisters Martha and Mary: Real sisters, real life, real family issues. Clanging of dishes getting louder and louder as one sister is getting exasperated with work while her sister refused to help and instead just sits at this teacher, Jesus’, feet! Anger rises as Martha believes Jesus is allowing her sister to slack-off! Tension rises until Martha cannot hold in her anger and resentment. She lashes out at both the teacher and her sister. One can only imagine Mary’s expression. Was she clueless to Martha so intently listening to Jesus or was she rolling her brown eyes for the hundredth time.

 Women at Cross and Tomb: All that had been done in the very real lives of these very real women was only the beginning.. Jesus, the light of the world, was interested in so much more. And He made His move. As these women continued to watch His real life unfold they began to understand what this light of the world really is.