"God?s Word Cuts Deep" by John Fitzgerald
"Enough Is Too Much" by C. David McKirachan
God?s Word Cuts Deep
by John Fitzgerald
Hebrews 4:12-16
I ran across a list of biblical themes which if they were books written for modern readers would be sure to sell many volumes. Consider these titles and how they would appeal to contemporary audiences:
How to Live with Violence in the Family by Cain and Abel
Climbing the Ladder of Success by Jacob
Jonah’s Seafood Diet by Jonah the Prophet
Slaying the Giant and Taking Charge of your Life: by King David
The Bible offers a rich supply of stories which 21st Century America can relate to. Although the suggestions I made for biblical material were done partly in jest, it is true that God’s
Word speaks to our generation with the same power as it has for each epoch of time.
Sometimes we forget that God intends the Bible to be living and breathing, an active part of our spiritual life. The Cross and Resurrection of a Living Lord described in Gospel accounts are intended for all of mankind’s benefit. Divine commands found in each section of biblical literature are meant for personal living.
Our Bible passage from Hebrews 4 instructs that scripture cuts to the depth of things. God’s Word is like a sword, penetrating to thoughts and imaginations which lie beneath the surface. True thoughts and inner being is exposed in light of scripture. Nothing can hide from God’s searching examination when tested by the Bible.
It is good we have the Bible as a tool to move beyond superficial events. I am so tired of the shallow and empty discussions which take place in our cultural surroundings. The television, computer, and movies offer material which is worthy of a twelve year old maturity level. Our society longs for depth and meaningful living. There are complicated problems all of us face in our family, workplace, and schools. We need a resource that offers insight and divine light into the array of complex situations which challenge us. The Bible is God’s way of helping us find a way forward.
Hebrews 4 goes on to say that Jesus is with us in each moment. The Lord is our high priest who constantly makes heavenly intercession. Christ Jesus has sympathy for human weakness because he experienced temptation and yet did not give into sin. Mercy and grace flow our way from Jesus especially in times of need.
Mercy and grace are entered into when reading scripture with guidance from the Holy Spirit. I can recall vividly when Bible verses jumped off a printed page and struck me with truth. I want to share some examples of when this took place.
My first encounter with the Lord changing me through study of scripture took place in early days of pastoral ministry. My wife noticed striking changes in my behavior as a husband. Carolyn remarked I no longer acted like a self-absorbed spouse. A new ability to reach out in love to my wife had entered the picture. I don’t know how to account for this new development other than the fact that Christ and His Cross began to mold and shape me as a husband with daily New Testament reading
People in our church began to comment upon my faithfulness to visit nursing home patients. These same folk shared that I had an uncanny ability to arrive for a nursing home visit when great need arose. It had to be more than a coincidence that those nursing home visits often came with my reading the biblical writings of Hebrew prophets. The prophets were sent by God in tending to ministry and needs. The same Spirit who called forth the prophets also sent me.
The community friends who attended funeral sermons I preached testified to a capacity for making scripture come alive. The Jesus of four gospels who lived, died, and became a Risen Lord took on new meaning in my funeral messages. A strong connection grew between my reading of New Testament salvation and preparing to preach at funerals.
Despite the experience of my horizons expanding through contact with sacred writing, Bible reading could be a real chore. I continue reading the Good Book even on days when it becomes a matter of pure will power. Trust me?there are times the biblical record can come across as anything but inspirational. Sometimes the Bible seems to support every good and bad theory known to mankind. A reader of holy scripture can find a verse to support any preconceived notion.
The idea of accepting scripture on faith appeals to me. Once upon a time I questioned every passage from divine writings that did not make any sense to me. I now realize that some things in the Bible shall always remain a mystery.. I recognize also my understanding is incomplete and changes with each new reading. Verses that had formerly been unclear gain clarity as my life circumstances change. Every reading of God’s Word is fresh when accompanied by the Holy Spirit.
Discovery of God in scripture is an ongoing process for each one of us. If we are not reading the Bible, our attitude quickly runs amok. II Timothy 3:16 speaks to this, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” When neglecting God’s Word, we miss out on what the Lord wants to teach us.
When I attended Vacation Bible School as a youth, we sang this popular song: The B I B L E-YES, that’s the book for me. I stand upon the Word of God-the B I B L E.
John Fitzgerald lives in Leesburg, Ohio, with his wife Carolyn and has served as pastor at the Leesburg Friends Meeting for the past 27 years. Cornfield Cathedral (Fairway Press, 2013) is the second book authored by Pastor Fitzgerald. John has earned a Master's of Ministry Degree from the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.
* * *
Enough Is Too Much
by C. David McKirachan
Mark 10: 17-31
Most of the time we go through days that are packed with disconnected events, moments, and situations. Our jobs seem the same. I usually have an agenda when I swoop into the office. I say swoop because the two phone calls I had while I was getting dressed, “The biopsies don’t look good” and “You married us, we just moved into town, would you baptize our baby?” It’s hard to be on time for a confirmation planning meeting when you’re pulled in seven different directions. So much for my agenda.
They’ve done studies about multi-tasking, discovering that human beings can’t. The brain doesn’t work on more than one thing at a time. It switches back and forth between different tasks. Further, if we make a habit of such switching, an enzyme is released that erodes our ability to remember, to focus, to do critical thinking. We need continuity to be intelligent, to make good decisions.
One of the bits of wisdom I’ve discovered recently is that there are threads that run through my hours and my days. In an effort to retain what little intelligence I have left, I’ve made a decision to periodically pause in my daily sprint to seek the threads that connect the bits and pieces of the avalanche. It’s allowed me to realize that there are consistencies there, lessons that run through all of it.
Peter, in his outburst, was reacting not only to the challenge of one specific teaching, but to the avalanche of all these people’s needs and demands. So where did all of that leave him? Jesus seemed not to care about the stress it put on these apostles who had walked away from everything. They were standing on two sides of a fault line, each pulling them in different directions. ENOUGH!
But through all these seemingly disconnected encounters and teachings, there ran a pattern, a presence that showed them and shows us the identity of our Lord. He was ultimately consistent. And his love, tough as it was and is, never failed. Even when we’re frazzled, he loves us.
That’s an agenda I can follow.
C. David McKirachan is pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury in central New Jersey. He also teaches at Monmouth University. Two of his books, I Happened Upon a Miracle and A Year of Wonder, have been published by Westminster John Knox Press. McKirachan was raised in a pastor's home and he is the brother of a pastor, and he has discovered his name indicates that he has druid roots. Storytelling seems to be a congenital disorder. He lives with his 21-year-old son Ben and his dog Sam.
*****************************************
StoryShare, October 11, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
