Songs In The Night

2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? – John 14:2

Picture Partners

A few days ago while visiting my father, we were looking through some pictures of my childhood days. As we were reminscing about days gone by, my father pulled out a picture from his childhood days. A picture I had never seen before.

The picture dated back to the early 1940s. In the picture was my father as a young boy in a wagon and his best friend and next door neighbor Jerry, sitting on a tricycle with his gangly legs forcing his knee into the handlebar. With smiles on their faces these juvenile “partners in crime” were proudly displaying their getaway wheels. One would have never imagined from their carefree expressions that a man named Hitler was threatening the world around them.

And why should the innocence of youth concern itself with the likes of Hitler?  After all, in the backgorund of the picture was my father’s childhood house, and next to it was Jerry’s. There may be evil lurking in the shadows of the world “out there”, but in the eyes of a child reared in a loving home; “it can it ever penetrate my father’s house!”  Hence, while their father’s were carrying the world’s burdens on their shoulders, with their trusty wheels, dad and Jerry were busy playing out the games of their imaginations.  Imaginations that had no concept of just how fast the wheels were turning.

Business Buddies

Before they knew it, dad and Jerry would upgrade from wagons and bikes to automobiles.  In time, they would each marry and begin families of their own.  As time matured these boyhood buddies it also forged their friendship.  In fact, they would each run businesses on “bookends” of Main Street and often lunch together at a restaurant between their respective stores.

As fathers, it was now up to them to buy houses of their own and transform them into homes where their wives and children would feel loved and protected. Homes where their children could pull their wagons and ride their bikes immune from the evils “out there”.

Although Hitler would no longer dominate the world scene, each generation has it’s own threats, trials and worries. As fathers striving to provide the safe haven that a home represents, the carefree days of childhood would give way to the responsibilities and wrinkles of adulthood.

Bygone Days

Sadly, with the passage of time the wheels not only go faster but they often take unexpected turns.  The troubles lurking in the shadows will eventually come out.  My father’s gangly childhood buddy was buried much too young.  But it wasn’t just Jerry that succumbed to the shadows.  A couple of years later my father would bury his only sibling. And then just last year he became a widower. Ready or not, the wheels of time pull all of us along with them. Oftentimes over difficult terrain.

Prior to reminiscing over the old pictures with my father, we had been rummaging through “mom’s” rooms in search of some papers.  Now shut off by closed doors since her death, these rooms sometimes feel more like tombs. There is now an aura of “sacredness” attached to her belongings. Accordingly, my father doesn’t sit in mom’s chair or turn on her television. Although she is gone, they are still reserved for her. Which prompted a flash back of my own.

As a young boy, I went on a visit to the grandparents of my own childhood buddy. Behind his grandparent’s house was a shed full of “treasures”.  Like every good treasure chest the shed was securely locked.  Peering through the windows I could see a motorcycle and other “valuable” items covered with dust. When I questioned him, my buddy told me that these possessions were put in the shed when his uncle left for Vietnam. They were locked in there until he returned for them.  The dust covered motorcycle is a reminder to all of us that we should never take our homes for granted.  All too soon death will begin closing and locking doors.

As time passes us by and the death of our loved ones deepen our furrows, a sense of resignation begins to take hold. We begin to lose the strength and stamina to fight off the world’s Hitlers. Korea and Vietnam take a lot of the wind out of our sails.  With each closing door of our homes, there is a corresponding door that closes in our hearts. Never again to be reopened. The memories locked behind them are left to themselves to collect dust, paying a lonely mans’ tribute to the past.

Home Longings

As we stood in my father’s kitchen looking at his dated picture, there was a glimmer in his eyes and a yearning in his voice. And although a generation removed from his memories, I could understand his longing. Much of life has passed him by, and who could blame him for wanting to “go home”? Don’t we all?

In the background of his old picture I could see my father’s childhood house, but that wasn’t his “home”. His home was inside where his parents and brother were. His home was where he was loved and cherished. It was where he was safe and secure. It was where he was relaxed and comfortable.  That home is long gone.

We like to use the expression, “Home is where the heart is.” And this is so true. But we have to remember our homes are not static, but dynamic. As the wheels continue to turn our children mature and move out. Sadly, the day will come when many of us will bury our spouses. With each of these occurrences, our homes change. Before we know it our homes have metamorphosized back into empty houses with closed doors. When the love has moved out and passed on, so many people, perhaps like my father, long to “go home”.

But the wheels never stop, and they never go in reverse.

Home Maker

Although the son of a carpenter, the Bible tells us that Jesus had no place to lay His head. In other words, as an itinerant teacher, He had no house to call His own. Rather, He and His disciples were dependent upon the kindness of others to open their homes to them. If not they were left to fend for themselves, often sleeping outdoors.

It is hard to imagine anyone not offering our Savior a room, but I believe the manger in Bethlehem was more of a sign of things to come than an exception. Joseph and Mary were met with closed doors at the inn because there was no room for them. How often would Jesus face closed doors later in life because of homes (and hearts) that had no room for Him? After all He was a controversial teacher. He was scorned for associating with sinners and tax collectors. Accordingly, the religious leaders of the day saw Him as a threat and associating with Him could be dangerous.

But imagine how the dynamics must have changed in a household that allowed Jesus entrance. The sense of love and security that crossed the threshold with Him must have been overwhelming. This son of a carpenter may not have had a house to call His own but can anyone build a home out of a household like the Son of God? Who besides Jesus can soften a father’s harsh tongue? Who besides Jesus can transform a rebellious “monster” into a submissive son? Certainly no human counselor can mend a strained marriage relationship like Him. The great physician can cure any household ailment.

As long as we grant Him entrance.

Preparing Rooms

Jesus was God in the flesh. He was perfect love with a beating heart. He was omnipotence with hands and feet. He was omniscience with emotions. But He humbly left His home in heaven to reside for a while with us on earth. With one objective. To make a way back home. For us.

Jesus’ heart, like ours, is tethered to home. Jesus can relate to the yearning of my father. In fact he gave it to him. Our Heavenly Father created us to be relational beings capable of loving and being loved. Accordingly, the family unit was His idea. And so was the home. But as powerful as they are, the earthly versions are merely a foretaste, or shadow, of reality to come.

While He walked this earth, Jesus became “life” to His disciples.  Hence when He warned them of His imminent death they were shocked, confused and afraid. They were afraid of life without Him, and rightly so. But Jesus knew how to comfort them.

Jesus would never leave His followers as orphans. He would never leave them nor forsake them. Quite to the contrary, on the other side of the grave He was joining His Father in Heaven to prepare homes for His children.

Going Home

The wheels continue to roll.  The children in the photographs continue to age. As they do, their carefree days are hijacked by years of worry which in turn surrender to indifference. All the while, homes become empty houses with closed doors shutting in dusty reminders of the life and love that we once knew and cherished.

But we do well to heed the words of Christ. This world is not our home. We belong in Heaven with Christ our Savior. That is what His heart longs for, and ultimately so should ours.

Between us and our Heavenly Father an impassible chasm existed. Our sins blocked any hope of return to God. But Christ left His Home in Heaven and died on Calvary’s cross in our place. He took our wrath and with the Cross made a way back home across the chasm that separated us from God. He wants us to return to the Home that our hearts are tethered to.

As Jesus has promised, nothing is more safe or secure than our Heavenly Homes. There will be no evils lurking in any shadows.  Certainly no home could ever be as comfortable or carefree as the one He is preparing for us. Best of all, our Heavenly Father’s home will have no doors to close because there will be no death to close them.

I am thankful for childhood pictures. I am thankful that I can reminisce over them with my father. And certainly I am grateful for the home my parents provided for my siblings and me.

Let the wheels turn. As a child of God these things help me to see more clearly the promise of Jesus.

” Let not your hearts be troubled…I go to prepare a place for you”

³¹ The sons of the other Elam, 1254 – Ezra 2:31

We Are Other

Reading through the list of returning exiles as recorded by Ezra, I was struck by this reference to the sons of the “other” Elam. If these exiles belonged to the “other” Elam then certainly there was the Elam. Out of curiosity I scanned back up the list of exiles and sure enough in verse 7 Ezra records the number of the sons of Elam who returned. These exiles were mentioned twenty four versed before the sons of the “other” Elam.

I am not sure what criteria Ezra used to determine which was “the” Elam and which was the “other” Elam but having lived my entire life in a rural village I think I know how those from the “other” Elam may have felt about the designation.

Outsiders are quick to remind us that our village only has one stop light. I’m not sure if they are insulting our counting ability or observation skills. Likewise, they are all to willing to tell farm jokes and make comments about their appreciation of the scent of manure. Despite the fact that most of them probably eat meat, consume dairy products, and wear leather, their attitudes often beg the question, “Can anything good come out of your village?”.

Unfortunately, those from Elam have always wanted to keep those of us from the “other” Elam in our place. What we need to realize is that although all of us are from the “other” Elam, we act as if we are from the Elam. In our insecurity we like to look down upon those who don’t quite measure up. When we are looked down upon, we search out “others” to look down upon. Nobody is immune from the madness.

Even Jesus himself was looked down upon as being an “other”.

Nathanael & Nazareth

According to Luke’s account, when it was time for Jesus to call His disciples He went into Galilee. There He encountered Philip and gave him the invitation, “Follow Me”.

And Philip followed.

In his excitement Philip then sought out Nathanael and told him that the “One” Moses and the Prophets had written about had arrived on the scene; a carpenter’s son, Jesus of Nazareth. However, Nathanael wasn’t so impressed. Apparently, in his estimation he was from Elam and Jesus was from the “other” Elam.

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  – John 1:46a

In the eyes of Nathanael, Nazareth was insignificant. It was a small village with perhaps less than 150 residents. I am confident it didn’t even have one stop light. It was far from Jerusalem and any so called meaningful activity. What good could possibly come out of such an insignificant village?

I love the response of Philip. He doesn’t debate Nathanael or challenge his stereotype. On the contrary, Philip challenges Nathanael to to let the facts speak for themselves.

Philip said to him, “Come and see.” – John 1:46b

Nathanael & Us

I am not trying to read anything into Ezra’s text, but as stated above, his reference to the “other” Elam struck a chord with me. Because, unfortunately, Nathanael’s attitude resides in all of us to one degree or another. Our problem isn’t the “other” Elam we reside in, but rather the Elam attitude that resides in us.

Like snowflakes, no two humans are alike. Like Nathanael, we seek to define our identity by using those who differ from us as a measuring stick. In our inbred insecurity we use “others” as a straw man that we build only to tear apart. In our naivety we assume that in tearing “others” down we are building ourselves up. This has been referred to as the “problem of Otherness”.

It seems apparent that the enemy of our souls is having a heyday with our straw men. Our sinful pride too often leads us to despise those who differ from us in our attempt to justify ourselves. Like those from Galilee, we want to marginalize those from Nazareth.

Those who are of a different nationality, religion, race, sex, etc., are quickly deemed inferior to us. How we swell with pride when we put them in their proper place! Perhaps today, at least in our culture, there is no “stripe” that divides us more deeply than political affiliation.

I don’t think we need to ask how God feels about the division and alienation we have created. But we would do well to heed Philip’s invitation.

“Come and See.”

Jesus & Pride

Imagine if we could gain access to the Throne of God in eternity past and witness the fellowship of the Trinity. What would this perfect love that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit share “look” like? Unfortunately, we are so depraved that we cannot even begin to imagine such pure intimacy. Yet I believe the exercise is important. After all, it is more valuable to try to comprehend our incomprehensible Creator than to degrade those that were made in His image.

It was in eternity past, before Adam and Eve ever took one bite of the forbidden fruit, that the Holy Trinity determined the price that would be paid for our sins. Before God ever formed Adam from the dust of the earth, Jesus agreed to die for Adam’s descendants. Long before Adam ever took his first breath, Jesus said, “Send Me.”

Accordingly, when the time had fully come, Jesus left Heaven’s throne to be born in a manger in Bethlehem. Born to a poor young couple with livestock as witnesses to His birth and humble shepherds His first visitors. Before He was ever a Nazarene, Jesus was already firmly established as an “other”.

By the grace of God this “other” from Nazareth would go to the cross for us ultimate “others”, Adam’s sinful descendants.

Jesus & Unity

On the night He was betrayed by Judas, Jesus prayed for His disciples. As He concluded His prayer, He prayed for their unity. Although the phrase the “problem of Otherness” was recently coined, Jesus knew the dangers it would present. He saw the threat it represented. He knew what overcoming it would cost Him.

Jesus may have died in Jerusalem, but He died for those from the “other” Elam. When the false Shepherds were fleecing the flock, Jesus died for the lost sheep. As the “healthy” were rolling their eyes in contempt, Jesus died for the sick. While the strong were working for their salvation, Jesus died for the weak.

Don’t deceive yourself. Instead of degrading those who are different from you in your attempt at self affirmation, take a long hard look in the mirror. We need to humbly confess our own deprivation before we can see things as they really are. Whether in ourselves or those around us.

As followers of Jesus, our identity does’t come from any warped games we play in our minds, it comes only from our association with Him. His righteousness has been imputed to you. He left Heaven’s throne to remove the “problem of Otherness” from our souls and conform us to His image.

Only as we allow His Spirit to do so can we hope to witness the unity He prayed for. The unity that will be a witness to all the ends of the earth, including Jerusalem, Nazareth, Elam, and yes, the “other” Elam.

Nahanael Exposed

As he walked with Christ for three years, how often was Nathanael rebuked by his condescending question? As he heard the profound teachings of Christ and witnessed the miracles, what must have gone through his mind? Never before had he witnessed such love and compassion.

Jesus was no respecter of men. He wasn’t impressed by titles or wealth, nor did He discriminate against anyone for any reason. His love was available to Nicodemus as well as the woman at the well.

Some day we will worship around the throne of God with people from every tribe and tongue. Certainly, if we could look into eternity future and witness the Heavenly worship, we too would be convicted and ashamed at our own prejudices.

Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Come and see. The answer hung on a cross in Cavalry. Don’t let your pride and prejudice prevent you from clearly seeing it. Your identity is secure in Him. He has enabled you to embrace the “others” His arms were nailed to the cross for.

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:28

…he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. – John 10:2b

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”- John 20:16

One Year

Yesterday marked the first anniversary of my mother’s passing. It many ways it still doesn’t seem real.

It is often said that the first year after the death of a loved one is the most difficult. Not only are we trying to adjust without their presence in our lives, but each Holiday and special occasion serves as a reminder of the void they have left.

I still catch myself from time to time experiencing something and thinking that I can’t wait to tell mom. How sobering it is to have to remind myself that she is gone and we will no longer share any experiences.

Although the future holds no opportunity for new experiences, I am grateful for the memories of the past that I can share with others and cherish.

A Mother’s Voice

The morning of my mother-in-law’s bike accident that would eventually take her life, she had left a message on our answering machine. Thinking that hearing her deceased mother’s voice would be too painful for my wife I foolishly deleted the message. Later, when I told my wife what I had done she sighed and said she missed her mother’s sweet voice.

Who else loves us like our mothers, and what comforts us like their soothing voice when the world overwhelms us? The security that begins when they rock us and nurture us, tenderly calling us by name, forges a special bond. When they are no longer in our lives, it is only inevitable that their voices are a big part of our memories.

Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, I have saved on my cell phone the last voicemail my mother left me about a month before her death. Although her voice was very weak and her speech was slow and deliberate, it is unmistakably the one that called me by name and quieted my soul countless times. And although it is obviously not the same as having her with us, it is nice to know that at any time I can pick up my phone and hear her voice again.

Love and Death

Like the rest of humanity, Mary Magdalene was not exempt from the pain of separation. While we do not know a lot about her background, we do know that Jesus freed her from the bondage of seven demons (Luke 8:2) and that she became one of His most faithful followers.

How do you repay the “man” who exorcised your demons? How do you repay the Savior who freed your soul? You recognize Him as Lord.

Mary left her home in Magdala to become a disciple of Jesus. As He traversed the countrysides teaching and preaching, Mary was a model student, taking to heart every word Jesus spoke. Her soul that was once tormented by demons now found solace in the loving voice of her Lord.

As Jesus and His disciples incurred expenses, Mary gave from her personal funds to support them. Mary was blessed by Jesus and no cost was too great to facilitate His ministry. Jesus was Mary’s Shepherd, and to her He was worthy of all the honor and allegiance she could give Him.

Mary witnessed the mock trial. She heard the religious leaders thirsting for the blood of Jesus. She followed Him to Calvary and stood at the foot of the cross ministering to Jesus despite the fact that so many of His disciples abandoned Him out of fear.

Mary heard the voice of her beloved Savior cry out, “It is finished”! When He took His last breath, a part of Mary died.

Someone’s Missing

Ever faithful, Mary had to go to the tomb of Jesus on Sunday morning. Even when we know death is real, we have a hard time accepting it. Jesus was gone, so Mary went to the resting place of His body. In her eyes it wasn’t just the “next best thing”. It was the only thing.

It was still dark, Jesus was dead, and His body was resting behind a large stone, but Mary had to be near Him. Death may be a formidable enemy, but it cannot sever the bonds of love. A truth Mary was about to clearly see, despite the darkness that shrouded her.

Upon arriving at the tomb, Mary found it empty. Her sadness gave way to disbelief and confusion as she first ran back to tell the other disciples and later encountered two angels at the side of Jesus’ empty tomb.

Mary could only weep. Jesus was not only dead but now His body was missing and she did not know where they laid Him. Mary’s heart longed to be near her Lord. Even in death.

In life He sought her out, in death she returned the favor.

The Shepherd’s Voice

In her moment of greatest grief, Mary encounters someone she supposes to be the gardener. Like the angels, he too asks why she is weeping. In addition, he asks whom she is seeking.

Mary simply wants the object of her love. She humbly tells the gardener that the only thing she seeks is the body of her Lord.

The lost sheep is looking for the Good Shepherd.

And then the Good Shepherd speaks.

“Mary”

Upon hearing her Savior call her by name, Mary recognized Jesus. Just as He said we would.

By Name

When Mary was a lost sheep, Jesus left the fold to rescue her. Calling her by name as He did so.

May we learn from Mary never to take for granted the intimacy of the Good Shepherd’s love or the joy of hearing Him call us by name.

When she was held in bondage by seven demons, Mary heard the voice of her Lord cast them out.

As He hung on Cavalry’s cross bearing the weight of her sins and absorbing her wrath, Mary heard the voice of the Lamb of God shout, “It is finished!”

When she stood outside His empty tomb weeping, afraid she had forever lost the lover of her soul, she heard the Good Shepherd say, “Mary”!!

No Mary, death can never sever the bonds of love. Nor can it silence the voice of the Good Shepherd.

Like you, there are other lost sheep He must seek and save. In the midst of their deepest despair He will comfort them as He tenderly calls them by name.

What could be more special?