yet they remained.

"the history of abraham's people is, of course, one of unfaithfulness as well as faithfulness, yet they remained faithful enough so that they might be truthful about their unfaithfulness."

-hauerwas.

----

sometimes i feel the only good and valuable thing i have to offer is my honesty, my vulnerability, my truth.

and perhaps that is enough.

perhaps.

Arise, Shine.

"In your lifetime, what you need to know is this:

God has chosen you. God has called you. God has taken you by your right hand. He has strengthened you. DO NOT BE AFRAID - I AM is at your side. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED, looking away in fear - I AM will take hold of your right hand.

You do not need to worry about the outcome. God will control the outcome.

He needs us to be faithful in our day, and church: this is our day. None other.

This is our day.

ARISE, SHINE on the world.”

– steve deneff.

—–

“ARISE, SHINE, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

– isaiah 60.

—–

do not be afraid.

the LORD has chosen you.

Arise.

Shine.

for the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

-----

the Faithful.

LORD.

I pray you make me one of the faithful.

Allow me to be a part of the remnant.

Make me into one of the few.

Teach me how to speak against the gods of this age.

Show me how to embrace ALL of You.

Give me roots that are deep.

Unite me with others who desire the same.

RAISE US UP, LORD, send us out.

Grant me courage, strength, truth, and zeal for You, Your Word, and Your people.

Keep me RAW.

Break me, refine me, humble me - anything to help me always remember my need for You.

Make me into a true servant.

I pray you make me one of the faithful.

I beg.

Father God.

Make me, whatever it takes, into one of the faithful.

Intention.

In his letter to the scattered tribes of Israel, James refers to the tongue as "a restless evil."

So what's the best way to cure something of its restlessness?

Give it something to do.

"Pray continuously. - 1 thess. 517.

Give thanks without ceasing." - 1 thess. 518.

"Talk about them (these commands God has given us) when you sit at home and when you walk along the road." - deut. 67.

-----

prayer. praise. Biblical discussion.

intentional talk.

let's be disciplined with our words today, that they may benefit those who listen. - eph. 429.

-----

Blessed be the NAME.

Priesthood.

"As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him -you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood." -- 1 peter 2.

-----

"The description of Israel as "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" alludes to the consequences that flow or should flow from that special relationship with God. The priests are set apart from the rest of the people by dedication to the service of God, by their consecration to a distinctive way of life that gives expression to this intimate involvement with the divine through special duties and restrictions, and by the obligation to serve the people. This concept of priesthood provides the model for Israel's self-image and for it's role among the nations of the world." -- nahum m. sarna, exploring exodus.

-----

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. -- 1 peter 2.

-----

unified. set apart. declarers of light.

that is who we, the church, are meant to be.

-----

baruch Ha-Shem.

The Rock from which you were cut.

Jesus was a tekton.

In English, we have chosen to translate the word tekton as "carpenter," but tekton can mean other things as well.

It can also mean "stonecutter."

Most likely, when the Bible calls Jesus a tekton, it is referring to Him as the latter, a stonecutter.

You see, back in Jesus' day, people didn't usually work with wood, and if you take a walk through the Biblical ruins of Israel, all you see is stone stone stone.

Why is this important?

In the grand scheme of things, I guess it doesn't matter either way. Jesus built things as a trade, and that's all we really need to know...

BUT.

There is richness to be found in the picture of Jesus being a stonecutter, because there are countless references to stone and masonry and building processes that are scattered all throughout the Bible.

For instance, take this verse:

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and seek the LORD:
Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were hewn.
Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him, he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many." - Isaiah 51.

***

Look to the rock from which you were cut.

It's a stonecutters job to cut and shape the rock from the quarries.

Which, yes, is a cool reference in light of Jesus being a tekton, but there's so much more than that going on here too. Dig a little deeper with me into the meaning of the verse:

Look to the rock from which you were cut...

Well, in order to look to it, we first need to know what rock Isaiah is referring to. Our answer to that question comes from the very next verse:

"Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth."

Abraham and Sarah are the mother and father of the Israelites. God blessed them "and made them many." He made them into the Israelites - the Jewish people.

The rock from which we were cut is the nation of Israel.

The rock from which we were cut is the chosen people of God.

Do you know what that means?

It means that

Abraham is our father.
Sarah is our mother.
Elijah is our prophet.
Moses is our guide.
Samuel is our priest.
Paul is our teacher.
Peter is our brother.
Ruth is our sister.

and on and on and on.

These stories that God has passed down to us, these people of faith, are a part of our legacy. They are the heritage that we bear.

And even better?

We are cut from the same rock.
We are made of the same material.
We have the same abilities.

We. Are. the. Same.

Why?

Because we serve the same God. The same God we read about in all those stories.

And do you know what that means?

It means that
we serve
the God
who

created the world.
called Abraham and made an everlasting covenant with him.
parted the Sea of Reeds.
sent the 10 plagues.
provided the promised land.
empowered Elijah to run faster than chariots.
sent down fire on the altar.
enabled a young boy to kill a giant.
won battles.
spoke through prophets.
healed the sick.
raised the dead.

That God
is our God.

And because
that God is our God,
we have the ability to live lives like the ones who went before us.

Because their God is our God.

We have that ability because Jesus, our tekton, cuts us from the same rock as the rest of them. He, with His infinite power, crafts all of us from the same stuff.

And if we would get to a place where we
truly believed and understood that...
do you know what we could do?

We could

go, with the faith of Abraham, to new and distant lands.
lead, with the strength of Moses, the people of God from their bondage.
run, with the swiftness of Elijah, past the evil of this world and its fears.
prepare, with the passion of John the Baptizer, a people ready for the Lord.
encourage, with the understanding of Paul, fellow believers.
rejoice, with the perseverance of Peter, in the sufferings of our circumstances.
praise, with the heart of Hannah, the amazing things that God has done.
love, with the purity of Jesus, our great God and the people of His world.

This story, God's story - it's our story.
This Bible, God's Word - it's our history and our guide.
This people, God's nation - it's our ancestry.

And whether we like it or not, we are called to be a part of the story.

God's story..

We pick it up, we partake in it, and we pass it on.

It's ours.

...

So own it.

...

Step one in owning it?

Knowing it.


Let's study. learn. know. the stories that God passed down to us.

Let's
look to the rock
from which
we were cut.

Let's
remember
that
God has blessed us
and
that
we are capable
and
that
we are many.

Let's
Pick it up.
Partake in it.
so we can
Pass on it on.

And

more than anything...

more.
than.
anything.

...

LET'S NOT TAKE IT LIGHTLY.

New Story.

(Sha'aryim Gate, overlooking the Valley of Elah. Israel, 2009).

"When Yeshua at a symbolic moment was establishing His great society, He chose for its cornerstone neither the brilliant Paul nor the mystic John, but a shuffler, a snob, a coward-- in a word, a man. And upon this rock He has built His Church, and the gates of Hell have not prevailed against it. All the empires and the kingdoms have failed, because of this inherent and continued weakness, that they were founded by strong men and upon strong men. But this one thing, the historic Christian Church, was founded on a weak man, and for that reason it is indestructible. For no chain is stronger than its weakest link."

- G.K. Chesterton, Heretics.

...

I am weak.

This I am reminded of each and every day.

In my feeble attempts to do right, to love, to offer myself, to understand others.

I am constantly missing the mark and failing to be good, to walk with purpose, and to love people well.

But despite all that, I do know this: I serve a God who uses the broken.

A God who not only heals, but who also lifts up.

A God who manages not only to love this weak and bumbling person I am, but also to find purpose in me.

He has a way to use me for His good.

This broken, chaotic story of mine has the power to bring shalom to others.

Peace.

Because we are all weak.

Each and every one of us.

Especially me.

And all I can do is recognize that frailty in myself, look up to my Provider, and ask for strength from above.

And then tell my story.

Because my story is His story.

And where I am weak...He is strong.

And the world needs to see that. To know it. To experience it.

And maybe they can, in a small way, if I am just willing to be honest. vulnerable. true.

My story is broken. And so am I.

And that is powerful.

Because within me, God is creating a new story.

And it ends with redemption.