On my 16th birthday, my grandfather gave me his car.
It was a 1968 Renault (we pronounced it "Ren-ault" in West Virginia...with a hard "t" sound at the end...unlike the rest of the world which said it with a silent "t"... "Ren-oh").
When I first learned to drive that car, I remember how important it was to use BOTH of those little pedals on the floor. There was the "gas" pedal, which made the car go faster.
And there was the "brake" pedal, which made the car go slower.
To pass my driver's exam, I had to show my ride-along state trooper that I knew how, and when, to use them both.
It was an important lesson.
That is how I learned to drive...and today, even after all of these years, I still use both pedals!
But I don't think that is how people are learning to drive today.
It seems that today's drivers are learning how to use only ONE of those pedals on the floor...the GAS pedal!
No one knows how to use the brake anymore. Does anyone even know where it is?
Hardly a day goes by when I don't shake my head in disbelief because EVERYONE around me is driving SO FAST! They love to getthisclosetomybackbumperandpushmetogofasterandfaster andfastereventhoughIamalreadygoingfiveortenmilesperhouroverthespeedlimit!
They go way too fast and get way too close...and there is no margin for error on anyone's part.
This seems to be especially true of Metro bus drivers, little women in big SUV's, and big men in big pickups.
A case in point -- a driver actually passed me the other day on Clough Pike by using the center turn lane (at about 6:00 pm, in the middle of rush hour)! I mean, how much faster could she go once she got in front of me on such a busy road at that time of day?
It is unsafe and unwise. To operate a vehicle safely, you must use BOTH the gas pedal and the brake pedal! Someone needs to start teaching this lesson again to our 16-year-old would-be drivers out there before it is too late (if it is not too late already)!
They need to learn that it is not about how fast you can go. It is not about how fast you can get to your final destination.
It IS about getting there safely and in one piece
In a lot of ways, the way people drive today is like the way they live their lives.
Go...go...go...go!
"I'm going to get there as fast as I can." "I'm going to see how fast I can go."
"Everyone needs to clear out of my way because here I come and my life is more important than yours!"
They know where the gas pedal is and they keep it pressed all the way to the floor all the time.
The problem is, they don't know where the BREAK pedal is...or how to use it. They don't know how to slowwwwww dowwwwwwwn.
They certainly don't know how to stop.
As a result, they never "find the time" to slow down and read the Bible. They don't slow down enough to have a serious and thoughtful prayer life. They don't slow down enough to get really involved in church.
They don't slow down enough to get the know the God who made them...who loves them...and who died for them.
They don't slow down enough to hear Him speak to them.
This is nothing new, of course. Jesus encountered the same "go...go..go...go" mindset back in His day. Remember the story of Mary and Martha?
"As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said.
But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand."
The Master said, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it – it's the main course, and won't be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42, The Message)
It is unsafe and unwise to live life with the gas pedal to the floor all of the time. To live life safely, you must know how to use BOTH the gas pedal and the BREAK pedal.
Give yourself a BREAK today. Slow down. And listen for the voice of Jesus.
Pastor Greg
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
After The Cross
We call it the "Emmaus Road."
Back then, it probably did not have an "official" name at all. It was just the road that ran from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus. It was seven miles of nothing special.
That is, until two of Jesus' followers walked along that road together on the first Easter Sunday. Thanks to them, and to the gospel of Luke, the Emmaus Road has become a parable of encouragement today.
"Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them, but they were kept from recognizing Him." (Luke 24: 13-16)
What was "everything that had happened?"
Jesus had been crucified.
He was dead.
And buried.
There were lots of witnesses.
Now, some of His disciples were making wild claims, saying that Jesus had come back to life, that He had been resurrected.
The tomb was empty, they said.
He was gone!
When the first reports of His resurrection had come from a handful of women who had gone to the tomb early that morning, everyone dismissed it. After all, it was nothing more than the testimony of women who were obviously overcome with grief!
But later, Peter had also gone to the tomb and found it empty. Left behind were the linen strips that had been so carefully applied to Jesus' forehead, covering the wounds of the awful crown of thorns. But His body, put in that same spot by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, was nowhere to be found.
So, as they walked along it that afternoon, a better name for the road might have been "Confusion Road." Or "Pain Avenue." Or "Loss Lane." Or "Anxiety Alley."
Jesus had died? They had expected Him to be the Jewish Messiah who would deliver them from the rule of Rome and establish a new kingdom right then and there that would never end.
But He died instead.
Jesus had risen? They knew the Old Testament stories of people who had gone to heaven without dying first. Enoch was "taken away" by God, and Elijah rode to heaven on a chariot of fire. There was even the testimony of the young boy who was brought back to life through the prayers of Elijah.
But rising from the dead without at least the prayer of a prophet? It had never been done before.
What were they to think? What were they to do? How could it end like this? Or, had it ended at all?
Step by step they walked, the seven miles between Jerusalem and Emmaus seeming like seventy because of their heavy hearts. Suddenly, someone they did not recognize joined them. As He came alongside, He turned and asked, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
Astonished to hear that He was unaware of all that had happened, they poured out their story through broken hearts, wounded spirits and confused minds.
Jesus listened quietly. Then, He gave them a Bible lesson.
By the time they reached Emmaus, Jesus had revealed the Old Testament prophecies which explained everything.
How they loved His teaching! They invited Him to dinner, still not knowing who He really was. As the three of them sat down together, Jesus took a loaf of bread, gave thanks, and broke it and gave it to them. Instantly, they saw Him for who He was! Then, miraculously, He disappeared from their presence.
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. (Luke 24:33-35)
The confusion was gone. The pain was past. The anxiety was history.
Instead, all they felt was pure joy. The joy of an empty grave. The joy of resurrection. The joy of truth.
And something else, I think...the joy of knowing that, as they looked back on it, even as they walked along that Emmaus road in their darkest moments, Jesus was walking with them, even though they did not know it.
After all, Easter isn't Easter without Jesus!
What is the name of the road are you walking down today?
Is it your own Emmaus Road of doubt and despair?
Does it seem like you have been walking down that road forever?
Be patient. Keep going.
Jesus will get you off the Emmaus Road when He is finished teaching you the lesson He wants you to learn. Until then, remember He is there, walking with you every step of the way, even when you don't know it.
The joy of resurrection and new life is coming your way! I promise.
Pastor Greg
Back then, it probably did not have an "official" name at all. It was just the road that ran from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus. It was seven miles of nothing special.
That is, until two of Jesus' followers walked along that road together on the first Easter Sunday. Thanks to them, and to the gospel of Luke, the Emmaus Road has become a parable of encouragement today.
"Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them, but they were kept from recognizing Him." (Luke 24: 13-16)
What was "everything that had happened?"
Jesus had been crucified.
He was dead.
And buried.
There were lots of witnesses.
Now, some of His disciples were making wild claims, saying that Jesus had come back to life, that He had been resurrected.
The tomb was empty, they said.
He was gone!
When the first reports of His resurrection had come from a handful of women who had gone to the tomb early that morning, everyone dismissed it. After all, it was nothing more than the testimony of women who were obviously overcome with grief!
But later, Peter had also gone to the tomb and found it empty. Left behind were the linen strips that had been so carefully applied to Jesus' forehead, covering the wounds of the awful crown of thorns. But His body, put in that same spot by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, was nowhere to be found.
So, as they walked along it that afternoon, a better name for the road might have been "Confusion Road." Or "Pain Avenue." Or "Loss Lane." Or "Anxiety Alley."
Jesus had died? They had expected Him to be the Jewish Messiah who would deliver them from the rule of Rome and establish a new kingdom right then and there that would never end.
But He died instead.
Jesus had risen? They knew the Old Testament stories of people who had gone to heaven without dying first. Enoch was "taken away" by God, and Elijah rode to heaven on a chariot of fire. There was even the testimony of the young boy who was brought back to life through the prayers of Elijah.
But rising from the dead without at least the prayer of a prophet? It had never been done before.
What were they to think? What were they to do? How could it end like this? Or, had it ended at all?
Step by step they walked, the seven miles between Jerusalem and Emmaus seeming like seventy because of their heavy hearts. Suddenly, someone they did not recognize joined them. As He came alongside, He turned and asked, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
Astonished to hear that He was unaware of all that had happened, they poured out their story through broken hearts, wounded spirits and confused minds.
Jesus listened quietly. Then, He gave them a Bible lesson.
By the time they reached Emmaus, Jesus had revealed the Old Testament prophecies which explained everything.
How they loved His teaching! They invited Him to dinner, still not knowing who He really was. As the three of them sat down together, Jesus took a loaf of bread, gave thanks, and broke it and gave it to them. Instantly, they saw Him for who He was! Then, miraculously, He disappeared from their presence.
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. (Luke 24:33-35)
The confusion was gone. The pain was past. The anxiety was history.
Instead, all they felt was pure joy. The joy of an empty grave. The joy of resurrection. The joy of truth.
And something else, I think...the joy of knowing that, as they looked back on it, even as they walked along that Emmaus road in their darkest moments, Jesus was walking with them, even though they did not know it.
After all, Easter isn't Easter without Jesus!
What is the name of the road are you walking down today?
Is it your own Emmaus Road of doubt and despair?
Does it seem like you have been walking down that road forever?
Be patient. Keep going.
Jesus will get you off the Emmaus Road when He is finished teaching you the lesson He wants you to learn. Until then, remember He is there, walking with you every step of the way, even when you don't know it.
The joy of resurrection and new life is coming your way! I promise.
Pastor Greg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)