Practicing Service

My oldest daughter started playing basketball this year and they are 3 weeks into the season. This past week there was a total of 10 points scored by both teams during the game. This got me thinking about when I was a kid, how hard I had to work at becoming a better player.

How many of you are parents that have children that are currently, or where at some point, active in writing, acting, music, arts or sports? How about when you were a child, did you participate in any of those activities?  Do you remember the countless hours and trips spent going to and from practice, lessons and games or competitions? I swear that I was always practicing for something.

Let me ask you what the following men have in common: William Shakespeare, Rembrandt, Mozart, Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretsky, David Beckham, Michael Jordan and Walter Payton?  Some will agree that they are the best of the best at what they did, but all will agree that they reached the top of their profession. But how did they become the best? Of course, it was through practice and repetition!

Webster’s defines practice as: to perform or work at repeatedly so as to become proficient or to train by repeated exercises. We know that we become better at something through practice. Just like the old adage, practice makes perfect. So, if we apply this same principle to serving other people, you know what, we will get better at it too!

What does Jesus have in common with those guys that I mentioned earlier? He too is the best at what He did and that was serving others. Jesus was so good at what he did; he realized that the best way to serve all of humankind was to give up his life so that we could spend eternity with our Heavenly Host and Father. What sets Jesus apart from all of those previously mentioned guys? Jesus is the only one that achieved perfection!

Let us pray:

Expectations

Has anyone seen the movie Great Expectations? I haven’t, so I’m not going to bother talking about it! But I will talk about another movie, how about Star Wars? In the early trilogy, there are two epic light saber battles between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. In the first battle, Luke loses his hand and discovers that Darth Vader is his father. This early confrontation builds tension between the two sides and adds a certain expectation to all future encounters between the two. The tension continues to rise through the rest of the movies until it culminates in an all out duel, in which Luke refuses to join the dark side and is therefore attacked by the evil Emperor Palpatine. Against all rational thought of the sides in the battle, Darth Vader has a change of heart and lays down his life to save the life of Luke. Now while we all know that in stories good is always supposed to defeat evil, this sudden change of heart goes against any pre-conceived expectations that I had of this final battle.

Speaking of expectations, the original disciples had the pre-conceived expectation that Jesus was going to physically restore the kingdom of Israel as is evidenced by verses 4-8 of Acts chapter 1. It states:

 ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with^[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit.”

⁶ Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In hindsight, we know that Jesus was referring to His eternal Kingdom, which we are invited to join thanks to the selfless sacrifice that Jesus made when He laid down His life to save our eternal lives. As we prepare our hearts to receive the bread and juice that represent the broken body and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ, focus on the expectations that we, as Christians, are called to live up to.

The giving tree

Good Morning,

Has anyone ever read or heard of the book The Giving Tree?  It is a great book that I grew up with. It’s written by Shel Silverstein and is a tale about a relationship between a young boy and a tree. The tree always provides the boy with what he wants: branches on which to swing, shade in which to sit, and apples to eat. As the boy grows older he requires more and more of the tree and because the tree loves the boy it gives him anything he asks for. As the ultimate sacrifice, the tree lets the boy cut it down so the boy can build a boat in which he can sail. The boy leaves the tree as only a stump. Many years later, the boy, now an old man, returns and the tree has nothing left to give him except a quiet place to sit and rest. The story ends with the old man resting on the stump and the tree being happy.

It is a timeless tale of selfless giving and sharing. As I got older, every time that I heard it, I couldn’t help but to think of Jesus and the sacrifice that He made on our behalf.

In retrospect, as Christ followers, shouldn’t we be the tree and give selflessly to others as Jesus did? Or better yet, should we treat Jesus as the boy and give him access to all facets of our lives so that He can do with us as He pleases?

As we prepare our hearts to receive the bread and juice symbolizing the body and blood of Christ, ask yourself if you are the boy, taking all that Jesus and others have to offer or if you are the tree, giving all of yourself to Jesus and to others?

Let us pray – Heavenly Father, we thank You for this day and for everyday that You bless us with the gift of life. We thank You for the sacrifice that You have made on our behalf. Lord, we ask that You help us to live out of our comfort zone and to be more like the tree in the story so that we too can give selflessly. We thank You for Your continued blessings. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Fire

When I mention fire, what comes to mind? We all know what the word means and that often a picture comes to mind before an actual meaning of the word, but I was curious anyway so I looked it up. Some of Webster’s definitions for fire are the phenomenon of combustion manifested in light, flame, and heat OR one of the four elements of the alchemists OR fuel in a state of combustion AND a destructive burning. So, we can easily see that fire is a destructive force

When we talk about fires, we tend to think of the destruction caused by a house or building fire. Some may even conjure up images of forest fires and the devastation that can be caused by them. But let me ask you this, have you ever started a friendship or even strengthened one with someone while sitting in front of a campfire? Have you ever seen the joy in a child’s eye when the makings of smores are brought out by the fire? What about the sprouting of new plant life within the charred remains of a prairie. Have you ever tasted the wonderful things that can be cooked over a fire?

You see, good things can and do come from the destruction caused by events such as fire. Did you know that God, in His infinite wisdom, created plants such as the shore pine that need the destruction of a fire to spread their seeds so that more trees can grow. What about the power to prosper despite destruction and adversity that God has blessed us with? But there is one of God’s creations that stand out the most as having grown from the ashes of the destruction of hatred, Jesus Christ.

Hatred and fear destroyed the body of Jesus Christ. True grace and unconditional love rose from the grave on the 3^rd day so that our sins could be washed away. As we prepare our hearts for communion, remember the suffering that was endured on our behalf by our Lord and Savior.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for this day and the opportunity to come together to give thanks and worship You today. We ask that You grant us the strength and courage to rise up from our distractions or disasters to bring new life and hope to this world just as Jesus did. We thank You for the Sacrifice that You have given on our behalf. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Father’s Day 2011

Good morning,

This is a photo of my 3 year old son (Name removed to protect the innocent =)). As his father, I have been charged with the task of raising him to be an upstanding citizen. As part of that, I must foster an environment in which he is taught to talk, walk, run, play and ultimately become a man. Throughout his life I will have to protect him from his environment until he can protect himself and as my mother still tells me, “your children are never too old to not worry about”. As his Father, I must reward his achievements and discipline his errors. And as his father, I will have to learn where my choices end and his choices begin.

In the future, if I was to learn that my son Matthew would have to give his life to save the lives of millions of others, would I be able to let him make that decision? I would like to tell you that I could, but I doubt that I would. But I know of a Father that did just that and His Son respected His Father’s decision enough to reply to the request with the following statement “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

We have come to the time in our service this Father’s Day where we remember the sacrifice that our Heavenly Father and His beloved Son made on our behalf. A sacrifice that is so graciously given to those that choose to believe in Them. A sacrifice that believers are commanded to share with those that do not believe, so that all can be saved.

Let us pray, Father, we know that we aren’t worthy of Your grace, so we thank You for the sacrifice that You have made on our behalf. As we come together today to celebrate and remember You, we ask that You bless this gathering and use us to further Your kingdom in our communities. We lift up our hearts to You Lord, Amen.

The purpose of this blog

Hello fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. My name is Les James and I live in a small town close to Joliet, Illinois. I am a member of Crossroads Christian Church in Joliet, IL (www.crossroadsofjoliet.org), where, among other things, I share the messages that our heavenly Father lays on my heart through communion meditations.

It was suggested by a friend that I start a blog where I can share the meditations that I’ve given. So, the purpose of this blog is to enable others to use these to continue to spread the kingdom of God. In the words of Chris Tomlin “Not to us, but to Your Name be the glory”. I will update this ASAP after they are given on my scheduled Sundays.

Thanks for visiting and God bless you!

Les