Washing Feet

In Cambodia, there is a custom during a wedding ceremony where the bride is supposed to wash the husband's feet and then the couple is supposed to wash the parents feet.  It symbolizes that the bride is to serve the groom and that the couple is to serve their families.  The Church in Cambodia, has expanded this ceremony to include the groom washing the bride's feet as well.  It represents that he will be serving his bride and loving her in the same manner that Christ loves him.  I love these customs.

Recently, Coy, one of the young men who used to live at Heritage House, was married.  He asked Kristen and I to be his parents during the ceremony.  Many times during the day I was reminded of Christ's love for His bride.  The imagery was there throughout the ceremony of how much Jesus loves His Church and how He longs to express His love to us.  This was nowhere more apparent than during the foot washing time of the ceremony.

During this part of the ceremony, I was reminded of when Jesus washed the disciples feet (John 13:3-5).  I know that there is much symbolism to this story, but on the most basic level, it shows how the God-man, Jesus Christ, would do something that was desperately needed.  Living in a part of the world where my feet are constantly dirty, I understand how important it is to wash my feet.  When I read this story, I am overwhelmed by how Jesus served in a way that was practical.  He made Himself uncomfortable so that the disciples could be taken care of.  Then, after setting the example, He tells me to do the same for my wife.  To love, cherish, and take care of  her the same way that He does these things for me (Eph.5:25).  That means, many times, to make myself uncomfortable so that she can be taken care of.  

I am glad that the Church in Cambodia is setting the standard for men loving and serving their wives.  I pray that Coy will be a great husband and follow the example set by Jesus.  I pray that for myself as well.

Sick and Thankful for It!

 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Luke 5:27-32

For our family devotions, we are listening to a chapter of Luke each night, then reading Michael Card's (yes, the singer, he is an accomplished author as well) commentary on the gospel of Luke, then listening to the chapter again with a new perspective.  It was an awesome way to get fresh revelations on the Christmas story.  It has been a great journey so far and it has really been a boost for our family prayer times as well.  

A few nights back, we went through chapter five.  I have read this countless times before, I have even preached a few sermons on it through the years, but as the Bible so often does, with this new reading, I was overwhelmed when I re-read the story about the conversion of Matthew.  How in the world could Jesus put together this band of disciples.  How could you have Simon Peter, Simon the Zealot, and Matthew working together (Luke 6:12-16)?  That would be like putting Neut Gingrich, Barack Obama, and Ron Paul on your leadership team.  How in the world would these guys work together?  

Matthew, a tax collector, working with Simon Peter, a hard working fisherman who had to pay taxes to this guy, and Simon the Zealot, a guy who wanted to forcefully remove all Romans and those who worked with them from the land.  Talk about a strange group to bring together to try to build a kingdom with.

What struck me was not the group, or the fact that Jesus called Matthew into the group, but what jumped out at me was Matthew's response to the call.  He immediately followed Jesus, he got up and left behind his old life, then he threw a party to celebrate.  I think we need to celebrate more whenever someone enters the Kingdom and begins to follow Jesus.  Unfortunately, a group of religious guys crashed the party and got upset with Jesus for spending time with "sinners."

I love Jesus' response, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteousness, but sinners, to repentance. (Luke 5:31-32)"  Note that Jesus did not say that Matthew was not a sinner.  He did not try to defend Matthew at all.  I am sure Matthew would have admitted as much as well.  After all, when you have been forgiven and throw a party like he was, it's not hard to admit your faults.  He was celebrating his new life, I am sure he had no problem with recalling where he had come from.  Jesus wanted the "righteous" to remember what it was like to be set free from their former lives.  

I am amazed at how we so often forget what we are being rescued from. Jesus  is not just saving us from hell, he is saving us from the sickness of sin.  The sin that puts a great divide between us and the Father.  Not only that, we can easily forget that there are others who are still in the stink that, by the grace of God, has been washed off of us.  Jesus gave it all away to spend time with a sick man like me.  I want to give my life away to let the sick know that there is a Physician who can heal whatever illness' they have.

I want to spend time with the "sinners" just like Jesus did.  I love the gathering of the saints, but is it possible that we can take that gathering beyond the four walls of an organized meeting and party a little like Matthew, Peter, Simon the Zealot, and our Lord?  Let's get out among the sick and proclaim the love of the Physician.  That is the example that Christ set for us.  Let's be bold and follow Him into those places that make us uncomfortable and trust that He will use us to bring healing to those who are sick and need redemption.     

     

Thanks to my good friend, Ross Jones, for recommending the Michael Card book.  I pass along this recommendation to anyone who reads this -  Michael Card Luke, the Gospel of Amazement.

Wrestling with God

I am reading a book by my favorite worship leader, David Ruis.  The title of the book is The Justice God is Seeking.  David is one of those rare worship leaders who can worship, evangelize, preach, proclaim, and challenge all at the same time.  If you listen to any of his albums, which I highly recommend that you do, you will worshiping and right in the middle of it all, you might hear that still small voice challenging you to a higher way of living.

I love to be challenged by the Lord.  Those of you who know my preaching, know that I also love to pass that challenge along.  There are times when you have to wrestle some things out with God (Gen. 32:23-25) by yourself.  There are no quick answers and no sermons to listen to help you through it.  As I am reading this book, I am in one of those moments; wrestling, sweating it out, trying desperately to get my point across.  Just when I thought that I was winning, Jehovah Tricky (to steal a phrase from my good friend Jim Hill), did one of those MMA leg twists on me.  As I write this, I find myself laying on the mat, knowing that I am whipped, but still trying to find a way to honorably get up without losing face.  

As I wrestle with God's justice on the earth and what that cost is for myself and my family, pray for me.  I will let you know what I learn after I surrender. 

Run to the Father

He sat in the office staring straight ahead.  He looked like he had no emotions at all, but I knew that behind those steady, black, eyes he was scared.  He did not fidget, move, or answer our questions.  When he finally spoke, his voice was steady, only someone familiar with the culture could detect the slight tremble in his voice.

I have been working with orphans in Cambodia since 2002.  I have been the international director of Heritage House for eight years.  I have dealt with many Khmer children and youth and I knew what was going on inside of his mind.  He was afraid that he had disgraced himself and he was afraid of "losing face" with the staff and other children.  So, instead of asking for forgiveness, he was going to save his dignity and be kicked out of the house.

His name is Dyna.  He is 14 years old and he enjoys playing computer video games with his friends at the internet cafe.  He is doing an internship at a local moto repair shop while on summer holiday from school.  His boss had let him off an hour early and he had gone to play games with his friends.  One hour rolled into the next until finally it was 7 pm and he wondering where the time went.

Instead of returning to the house and telling the dorm mothers what had happened, he went to a near-by field and spent the night alone.  During the night, we prayed, searched, and worried about Dyna.  The next morning he awoke and went back to the internet cafe.  Vutha and Srey Oun found him there sometime that day.

So here we sat, trying to decide what to do with Dyna in the Heritage House office.  As I look back over how he arrived here, I am reminded of my own life.  As you hear his story, you might be reminded of yours as well.  It starts with one bad decision.  We do something that seems right in the moment, but it is not long before what felt right is now turning out to be, well, not right.  It is draining our time, our energy, and taking us away from the things that matter - our Father, our family, our real friends, and our focus. The next thing you know, one hour is two, two hours are three and now it is dark.  Its much harder to find your way home in the dark.  Instead of going back to the place that is safe, we find ourselves alone in a field.  We are cold, afraid, and scared while everyone at home is warm, secure, and sleeping peacefully.

Dyna was afraid of what Vutha and I would think of him.  He thought that in his sin, we were going to be harsh with him.  The truth is, we were both teenagers once.  We know what it is like to make unwise decisions and although we would not excuse his transgression, we were more worried about his safety and would surely forgive him if he asked.  The fathers in his life were a safe place.  We love Dyna and see the potential in him.  Where he saw failure, we saw immaturity.  Where he felt hopeless, we felt hopeful.  Where he felt defeat, we felt confident that victory was near.

Like Dyna, we have a Father who is a safe place for us.  When we make mistakes, when we absolutely blow it, when we find ourselves lost, alone, and cold, we can run to our Father and He will receive us.  All we have to do is admit that we sinned and He will be there with open arms to receive us.  Jesus told a pretty good story about lost sons in Luke 15.  If you find yourself lost, pick up a Bible and read it for yourself.  You might be surprised what your Father's response will be if you come back home.

Dyna finally broke down and asked everyone to forgive him.  He was surprised at our reaction and acceptance.  His "friends" had told him that we would be mad and that he would never be forgiven.  He was welcomed not only by us, but also by the other children.  We were all worried about him.  The other children were thrilled that he was back home as well.  If you are away from home, I suspect that you will be shocked at how the "other children" respond to you when you return.  The Father sets the tone for that, and as His children look to Him and see His concern and love, they respond accordingly.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9