This is what I believe..

 

How to love like Jesus...

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." (John 2:1-5 ESV)

What strikes me most about this chapter is the fact that even though Jesus says no to his mother, she still believes that he will still come through for her. Mary had raised this man from birth, and knew him better than anyone, and here we see a beautiful example of her absolute faith in his character. When I have read this passage in the past, it has often bothered me because it seems like such a trivial little story. John records it as the first of Jesus' miracles, but the other Gospels leave it out, and that makes me wonder, perhaps did they thought it was trivial too? Tonight as I was reading and processing this chapter, it occured to me that for Mary, this was not a trivial matter, and Jesus saw that and responed to it. One of the most beautiful demonstrations of love is when someone can see into your soul and value how important something is to you, even when they don't understand why. We don't know Mary's relationship to the couple at this wedding, and we don't know why this wedding was so important to her, because John doesn't tell us. All he tells us is;

a). the success of this wedding was important to her, and in her view, running out of wine would have ruined it; 

b). that Jesus was not really that concerned with the wedding, and if the wine ran out or not; and 

c). even though the wine situation was of no real importance to Jesus, he still acted and performed the miracle of the water turning into wine. 

At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter WHY this was so important to Mary. The message I receive from this passage today is that love means serving someone in their present need, no matter how trivial, or silly it may seem to you. When you love someone, you value what they value, you care about what they care about, and what bothers them bothers you. When you are too busy judging someone's values and worries, you have no time to love them. Jesus loved his mother, and he cared about what she cared about. I also believe that this moment had a huge impact on Mary, and that this simple miracle was to her a treasured gift of love from her son. My reasoning here is that as I mentioned before, this story does not occur in any of the Gospels excpet John. Why? I think the simple answer is that John loved Mary to way Jesus loved her. At the cross, Jesus spoke to John and gave the care and love of his mother over to him. And I believe that as he spent time with Mary, listening to her and serving her, she would have recounted this story to him, and recounted how much it had meant to her. On hearing this story, John could easily have brushed it off as the ramblings of an old woman, and not included it in his account of Jesus life as too trivial and unimpressive next to the miracles of healing and the like. But John loved Mary like Jesus loved Mary, and he valued what Mary valued and when she recounted this story to him, he was listening so closely that he could hear how much this simple act had meant to her. John not only loved Mary, but he respected and honoured her, and I believe that this is evident in the inclusion of this simple tale in his Gospel. Jesus came to earth to show us how to love, and I believe that this is one of the most beautiful examples of that. 

This is the One!

John pointed him out and called, "This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word." (John1:15 MSG)

There was something about Jesus that stopped people in their tracks. John recognise Jesus as the One as soon as he set eyes on him. Men would leave behind their businesses, families and homes to follow him. Women would fall to the ground and wash his feet with their hair. Those afflicted with various diseases and disabilities would reach out to him, assured that if they just touched him, they would be healed. Children would run up to him, and throw their arms around him. Crowds would follow him, walking for days with no food, just to hear what he had to say. Jesus' very presence seemed to affect change in people. No one who met him could walk away and not be affected. When I was a teenager, I couldn't understand what it was about Jesus that had such an impact on people. I didn't understand why a God would send his son to earth just to die. I went to a catholic high school, and so every time we went to Church I would be confronted by this image of a crucified man, this homeless, broke guy who got on the wrong side of the wrong people, and died an excruciating death. I just didn't get it. I wanted to believe, but how can you have faith in something you don't understand?

One night, I was lying bed, thinking this all over in my mind, and I prayed out into the empty room, 'Jesus, I don't get you. What are you all about?' Jesus answered me that night through a vision, and it changed my heart forever. I had an encounter with Jesus, and like the people he met during his three year ministry, I did not walk away unaffected. In my vision, Jesus and I walked side by side through the desert. We didn't talk, just walked together, but as we walked towards Jerusalem, others joined us and eventually we were part of a huge crowd. As I watched Jesus, I noticed how he interacted with the people around him. He would listen to those who were in pain, and comfort them. He would laugh and joke with others. He would settle disputes and give advice to those who were facing major life decisions. Everyone received his care and attention. No one was left out, missed, or treated as if their needs were less important than anyone else. And he managed it with such ease and humility and love, that it astounded me. I had never met anyone like him, and I was overwhelmed by the sense of potential someone like this could have in the world.

By the time we had reached the city of Jerusalem, the crown was enormous. Everyone was singing, cheering and laughing. There was a feeling of excitement and expectation as we crossed through the city gates and entered the city. But once we were inside the city walls, the mood of the crowd changed. It was no longer a joyful crowd, it was more like a riot. I was being pushed from side to side, lifted off my feet and carried by the sheer force of the crowd. There was no more laughing and singing, but shouting and screaming. The people all around me seemed to be shouting ‘Kill him! Kill him!’ but I couldn't understand what was going on. I could see ahead that soldiers were trying to keep the crowd back, and above them, nailed to a cross, I saw Jesus, and realised that the crowd around me was calling for his death. I was in shock. Why could anyone want to kill this man? How could the people he had loved and led now be screaming for his execution? This man who could do so much for so many people was now dying and it seemed incredibly unjust. As I was being pushed about by the crowd and watching the horror of the crucifixion in front of me, I was overwhelmed by my own insignificance. This man, who was capable of so much was dying, and here I was, with nothing to offer, allowed to keep living. As the frenzy of the crowd increased I began screaming to the soldiers to let him go. And as I became more and more distressed, I eventually screamed out to them, 'take me instead'. 

At that moment, Jesus turn his head, and look into my eyes, with such love and pain that it broke my heart. And I realised, that Jesus had already taken my place. He had chosen to die, so I might live. I finally understood why Jesus had to die. It wasn't because of anything he had done. It wasn't just another random act of cruelty and injustice. It was a deliberate choice on his part to take my place, and pay the price for my sins, so that I could escape the punishment I deserved. After my vision ended, then and there I prayed that I would never forget the sacrifice Jesus made for me, and I would dedicate my life to trying to live a life like Jesus, to try and achieve some part of his mission. 

My faith is not built on a set of rules that I can't keep. It is based on the fact that I have been face to face with the man who gave up his life for me. My faith is not about what I have done, or what people who call themselves Christians have done. My faith is based on what JESUS has done. There is nothing in my life that can prove to you that God exists and that he loves you. And neither can I point to the Church as an example of what God wants from us. All I can do is point people towards Jesus, and hope that they will have the courage to look Jesus in the eyes and realise that he died for them too. 

 

Love is the stuff of life...

My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. (1 John 3:18-20 MSG)

Love is not just a four letter word, it is a way of life. Love is active, not passive. We are urged to demonstrate our love for our brothers and sisters through practical means, and not just through good intentions. Love is the stuff of life. God breathed love and life into creation at the beginning of time. It is by love that we have the chance to experience this life. It is by love that God offers us the chance to experience the next life with Him. Love comforts us, and sheilds us from the attacks of the devil. Because we know that God's love for us in unconditional, we can take comfort in His grace when we stuff up. Love allows us to be known by God, and to be open to His comfort and healing. Without love, we close ourselves off to the one person who is able to help us. Love is what brought us to this point, and love is what sustains us in our current trials, and love is what gives us hope for the future. And more astounding, incredible and overwelming that all of this, is that we can love as God loves us. Even though selfishness, weakness, bitterness and foolishness seem to rule our hearts and minds, through the blood of Jesus, we are able to love our brothers and sisters with the same extravagent, over the top, never ceasing, always hopeful love of God. And when we can love others, like God loves us, THAT is when we truly appreciate what it means to be ALIVE in Christ.

Application: 

Which Bible story best demonstrates to you the awesomeness of God's love?

Who is your life needs God to breath life back into their hearts? 

How can you show through your actions and words how powerful the life giving love of God is?

Why are you resistant or hesitant to share the story of God's love with others? 

When are you going to share this story?

You belong...

But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it. I haven't been writing this to tell you something you don't know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that the truth doesn't breed lies. (1 John 2:20, 21 MSG)

Belonging is more than just a warm fuzzy feeling, it is essential for survival. Human newborns are among the most defenceless creatures on the planet, totally dependant on their parents to meet their basic needs for far longer than most mammals. At the int of birth, the 'love' hormone oxytocin floods the mothers body and bonds her to her baby. That bond is so powerful that despite extreme fatigue, frustration and constant disruptions to normal routine, the mother continues to care for this helpless and puts its needs above her own. Studies have now also found that a similar hormonal change occurs in fathers, likewise bonding them to their child, increasing their protectiveness of their family and decreasing risk taking behaviours. Physical touch has also been shown to be as vital to infant development has nourishment. Harlow's classic study showed that orphaned monkeys spent far greater time attached to a soft, warm 'surrogate' contraption with a fleecy blanket wrapped around it that did not provide nourishment to the similar surrogate with out the fleece that did provide norishment. Harlow observed that the monkeys could go to the nourishment sorrow ate when hungry, but consistently returned to the fleecy surrogate for comfort. A babies turn grow into children, their need for belonging is much greater than their need to be 'good' as any parent ha found when they inadvertently pay more attention to 'bad' behaviour than 'good'. Adolescence is marked by a constant battle for belonging, identity, and how to negotiate peer pressure. Even as adults our need to feel included does not fade. In an experiment where three participants are instructed to throw a ball to each other, and then two of the participants are instructed to exclude the third and just throw the ball between each other, the excluded participants consistently reported feelings of loss, and humiliation, even though rationally they know that it is just a silly game that at the end of the day, means nothing! Being part of a group is a powerful thing. Research has found that people who exercise together, study together or work together, consistently perform better on individual tasks than those who do it alone. God created us with a deep set need to belong. It is not a weakness to need others to support you and encourage you, it is how God made you! We're not designed to be independant, we are designed to be in community, needy and needed. This verse in John is so powerful because it speaks to a deep need in our souls. You belong. Don't listen to the lies Satan whispers into your heart that no-one loves you, that you're an outcast, unlovable, a burden, weird, or that people will always let you down so don't let them in. Don't buy into the lies! The truth is that you belong to God's family, and he will never let you go. Hold onto this truth in your heart - you belong.