People who have visions

Beginning Scripture: Ezekiel 1:1 and 4

On July 31of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God… As I looked, I saw a great storm coming from the north, driving before it a huge cloud that flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. There was fire inside the cloud, and in the middle of the fire glowed something like gleaming amber. NLB

Ezekiel’s Visions
        This Scripture begins to describe the fascinating vision Ezekiel had and about which so much has been written. Ezekiel was a prophet sent by God to Judah in very dark moments during their Babylonian captivity. They were a rebellious bunch whom God needed to correct, just as he had sent Jeremiah to implore his people to repent. Today in Sunday School we begin to examine the book of the prophet Ezekiel whose people were in denial about the danger they were in, and who were believing in the false hopes given to them by false prophets.

A desire for visions
        As I read the description of Ezekiel’s visions I remembered some of the times I have wanted to have visions. When I was in the seminary on cool, clear evenings I would walk out into the courtyard and look up at the statue of the virgin Mary with the moon shining behind her and I prayed that she would speak to me. I have asked Jesus to appear to me and speak to me as I lay in bed feeling exhausted or unwell. I’ve never had a vision, although I did have an electrifying experience of God one time many years ago as I lay in a relaxed and meditative state in the presence of two of my spiritual teachers at that time who were helping me work through some difficult memories and feelings. I’ll never forget that experience even though it happened probably more than twenty years ago. I am sure it was a visitation from God.

Visions vs Dreams
        A vision is different than a dream in that visions come when you’re awake and dreams when you are asleep. Webster defines visions as:  “that which is seen otherwise than by the ordinary sight, or the rational eye; a supernatural, prophetic, or imaginary sight; an apparition, for example the visions of Isaiah.”  Visions and dreams often have things in common. They can both involve loved ones who have deceased or angels or other spiritual beings. 
        I won’t ask you to raise your hand, but I wonder if any of you have ever had a vision while you were awake? They may not be as unusual as you think.

Scientific Research on Visions
        I did some research on visions that people have. And I discovered some very interesting scientific studies of this phenomenon. One study in particular was of older people who are near death, often in hospice situations. In fact these visions occur far more often than you might imagine. Sometimes they are very vivid waking dreams. The great majority of them are not scary at all, in fact the people who have them find them quite comforting. Some of the interviews with terminal patients reveal visions of their mother or sister or a stillborn infant.
        80% of the visions described by people occur in hospice situations. Researchers believe that these visions seem to represent a sense of continuity between life and death. One man had very difficult visions of soldiers including the dead he had seen during wartime. But in the end a fellow soldier came to him in a vision to lead him into the afterlife and he had a smile on his face describing the soldier and telling those present that he would be leaving now. Then he passed away. Many of these visions seem to be preparations for the further journey, and people speak of a trip they are about to take.
        Dr. Christopher Kerr, the chief researcher in this massive study involving 1500 people was not a man of faith. In fact he was decidedly unspiritual as he started the research. He was not predisposed to find any evidence of spiritual experiences. However, when he had finished the study he had softened in his attitude and spoke of being privileged to accompany these individuals as they proceeded from this life to the next.

Think about these three things:
        Dr. Kerr was giving a talk about his research to a large audience, and at the end of the talk, he asked the audience to sit for a few moments after thinking of each of three things. He asked them to think of

• their greatest loss
• their greatest comfort 
• and their greatest wonder.

        He gave an example of each: - loss of a spouse or a child - a dream, spiritual experience or person that was a comfort - and the wonder of child birth.
      https://www.post-gazette.com/news/aging-edge/2018/07/02/End-of-life-dreams-visions-terminally-ill-hospice-patient-research-kerr/stories/201806280

          I invite you to think of 1) your greatest loss, 2) your greatest comfort, and 3) your greatest wonder.
        And hearkening back to Ezekiel’s visions of the glory of God, envision how you can experience the glory of God in each of these things, your greatest loss, your greatest comfort, and your greatest wonder.

Prayer
        Father, make us more open to experiencing your glory today and during this week. Help us to find you in moments of loss, comfort, and wonder. Give us the courage as you did Ezekiel to make you present even in situations where others reject you, hate you, or doubt you. We are not prophets, Father, but we can show people who you are, a God of love and gentleness of heart.  We can show this by who we are and by what we do. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our precious savior. Amen.

 Delivered  9-6-20

Two Mountains

 Beginning Scripture: Exodus 20: 18

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpets and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” NIV 

Mount Sinai, Fear and Punishment

This passage from Exodus describes the reaction of Moses’ people to the awesome power of God as had been demonstrated on Mount Sinai with flaming fire, dark clouds, thunder and lightning, and trumpets blasting. They were scared and spoke their intention of obeying all that God had commanded of them. There is much fear and punishment spoken of in this part of Exodus and of course there are the ten commandments.

This is the picture and the aura surrounding Mount Sinai and those days. But there is also this that God tells Moses in Exodus 19: 4—6:

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” NIV

So, in these two passages from Exodus we see and hear so much about the beginnings and the future of God’s journey with his people in the Old and New Testaments. You might recall my devotional at the beginning of this month on the continuities and discontinuities in salvation history. Hebrews Chapter 12, the chapter we are studying in Sunday School today really illustrates this theme. The writer reminds his readers of the events at Mount Sinai.

He then moves the readers from the fearful and awesome Sinai to another mountain. There is a massive history and transition presented in this single chapter in Hebrews. For the writer encourages the Hebrew Christians, telling them that they have come up into Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and the church (Hebrews 12: 22-24).

Continuity and Discontinuity

So here again we see the discontinuity between the old and the new. Fearful Sinai – the old - and joyful Zion – the new. Of course, there is always the message that if we want joy, if we want the fulfillment of God’s promises to us of a better place, the end of our journey to his Kingdom, then we must obey, we must do his will. In the words of our pastor last Sunday, we must fulfill our obligations. We must be faithFULL – full of faith and trust in God. This is always our challenge is it not? Are we going to be a people looking forward in faith OR will we be stuck in our pasts, living in the shame of our dark and weak selves?

Still Pilgrims

To me these lessons for us in our pilgrimage are what makes being a Christian so life-giving and hopeful. If I and we follow Christ and his fresh message of love and salvation, then we will remain a redeemed people bound for glory. Mount Zion is not just a hill in Jerusalem beyond the walls of the old city.  Mount Zion is indeed the city of our living God where we are protected, safe, and living a life of light, in God’s light. That is our hope. Zion is the mountain where our faith has been rewarded and our hopes fulfilled.

I think each morning when we get out of bed to begin our day we are in a position to choose the fear and darkness of the Sinai spoken of in Exodus OR we can choose the faith, hope, and joy of mount Zion. We can make the decision to be in faith in our resurrected Christ who lived a life of love, compassion, and victory over pain and suffering.

Questions and Challenges

·         When we get up in the morning let us set our intentions on the light, love, faith, and joy of Jesus Christ.

·         As the day goes on when we are invited by mass media or others around us to enter into smoke and darkness and hopelessness, let us remember that we are people of Mount Zion, the new heavenly Jerusalem.

Prayer

Jesus, you are our hope and our salvation. Help us to avoid the darkness and negativism we are invited into each day. Help us love and care for one another as you did when you were on Earth and as you  continue to do. Lord, we do not want to deny our pain and suffering, it is part of life, but help us to remember that you are always with us, right by our side holding onto us for dear life, for your life with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We pray these things in your name, Jesus Christ, our precious savior. 

8-23-20

Difficult Conversations

Beginning Scripture:  James 3: 5 and 6  “So also the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness, and poisons every part of the body. And the tongue is set on fire by hell itself and can turn our whole lives into a blazing flame of destruction and disaster.”  The Living Bible

This rather sober cautionary message from James sets the stage for a topic and area of great interest to me over the last many years, the subject of conflict and conflict resolution, a subject not often discussed in some churches – and churches where there are many serious conflicts resulting in great harm and division.

 

God: The Great Mystery

The more I study Proverbs, the more admiration I have for Solomon and the other writers. Solomon has so many wise things to say about relationships in Chapter 25.  He begins by pointing out the mystery that surrounds God. God hides aspects of himself from us because he knows we couldn’t take him in in one gulp, or see him all at once. Remember the scene when God passes by Moses, and does not allow him to see his face, only his back. There is a lesson here - for me anyway.  Since I cannot see all or even a big part of God, I must have faith. I can only see God through a glass dimly, as Paul explains to the Corinthians. God will always be mysterious to us in this life. 

Qualities of a Good Leader

Solomon also describes the qualities of a good leader, one of which is to investigate and gather as much information as possible to speak and rule wisely. Solomon himself left his palace and went out into the neighborhoods. He listened to and helped ordinary people deal with their problems and aided them in securing justice.  He was always searching for knowledge of nature and human behavior. I think it is a tribute to Solomon that he mingled with the lowly to get their perspectives and acquire what knowledge they had. I think Jesus understood this path to wisdom-through-humility. He advised this: when someone invites you to a wedding feast – take the lowest place in the room.  In Luke 14:11 Jesus says:

                “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Solomon also counseled those who would be leaders to be godly and selfless.  They also should surround themselves with people of godly character.

Counsel for Relationships

Remember, Solomon was counseling people about what they should do in their relationships. So the thing I want to focus on now is what he said people should do when they have a conflict with each other.  This advice is especially relevant today, in a society prone to self-centeredness, materialism and greed. 

As a prelude to this advice I want to tell you about an incident I was involved in many many years ago when we had neighbors who were renting the house next door to us.  They had the bad habit of parking their cars on the grass, jutting their front-ends into “our” yard.  I really didn’t know the neighbors and my first thought was to report them to the city for legal action. That’s pretty bad isn’t it?  I have to say I was a lot younger and stupider then. But I don’t think I was that different from many people who want to rush to court to settle disputes in our culture full of legalistic drama. 

Having Difficult Conversations

The truth is, most people try to avoid difficult conversations every day - whether dealing with an under-performing employee, disagreeing with a spouse, or negotiating with someone. The Harvard Negotiation Project has much advice about dealing with difficult conversations. In fact a whole book was written about it. These are some of the things they suggest - with some of my own language and ideas added:

• Try to start a conversation about a dispute without defensiveness on your part.
• Listen carefully. Listen for unspoken meanings underneath what is said, try hard to read the person between the lines.
• Don’t let attacks or accusations throw you all out of balance. Stand firm, but listen.
• Don’t deny emotions.  Avoid telling people they “shouldn’t feel this way.” That will just put them off, probably even pretty badly.  Then, after this period of listening, eventually try to move on from emotion, putting an emphasis on helpful problem solving.

Based on: Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, By Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen; November 2, 2010 Sold by Penguin

Now, for just a moment, let me go back to my unfortunate idea of running to the legal system with my neighbor when I could have just gone to their front door, knocked on it, and had a polite, good-humored and respectful conversation.

Solomon counsels against going right into court.  He said that conflict ought to be settled personally and privately if possible by the least invasive means available: He says in Proverbs 25:9 and 10  :

“Don’t be hotheaded and rush to court! You may start something you can’t finish and go down before your neighbor in shameful defeat.” (Living Bible)

Kindness and Tone

Our Sunday School lesson says that care should be exercised with the words and tone one uses in communicating concern. Proverbs 23, verses 11 and 12 say this:

The right word at the right time

    is like a custom-made piece of jewelry,

And a wise friend’s timely reprimand

    is like a gold ring slipped on your finger.   (The Message)

“Words of kindness and wisdom often effectively diffuse tension and make possible a peaceful resolution of difficult situations.”  Words have power for good or bad.  (Sunday School lesson  p. 67)   

Listen to Proverbs 25:15

“Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.” (NIV)

The Free Will Baptist Approach to Conflict

I am so very impressed with the manner in which Free Will Baptists are advised to deal with conflict. Pastor Kevin Williford explained it this way, giving ample Biblical references to support each of these items:

Generally speaking, Free Will Baptists discourage Christians from suing other Christians and come very near to prohibiting church members from suing fellow church members.  In addition, the following are advised or required:  

1.       If possible overlook the wrong.  Show grace and give forgiveness since we ourselves have been the recipients of grace and forgiveness.  Our pastor goes on to say that he has known Free Will Baptists to forgive an unpaid debt when they could have legally taken the person to court over it. 

2.       Where it is not possible to overlook the wrong, go to the person and try to settle it quickly between yourselves.

3.       If the matter cannot be settled between the two members they should get two other church members to act as witnesses or mediators in the dispute. 

4.       If the dispute can’t be solved this way there are numerous other steps to be taken involving such people as church elders, deacons, church advisory boards, etc.

5.       There is no prohibition against suing those outside of the church, but as a general rule we still encourage people to overlook the wrong suffered - whenever possible - by extending grace and forgiveness. 

Again, I am struck by the way people are advised or directed to settle disputes within their relationships by interacting with each other rather than by involving civil authorities.  These are difficult conversations but they are worth it to keep people in relationship and within the church community.

Here are a couple of the Biblical passages that are the basis for this conflict resolution counsel:

Matthew 5: 25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way…”

1 Corinthians 6:1 “If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?”

Morsel of Wisdom: Dealing with a Disagreement

I cannot end this devotional without sharing one more little morsel of wisdom – this time about how to deal with someone with whom you disagree and I think it is well-thought out advice from Blaise Pascal: If you think someone is wrong, first point out where they are right, and then advise them to try to see it from another perspective.  People are usually open to seeing other perspectives while they might not be open to seeing where they are wrong. 

Prayer

Father, thank you for the wisdom of Solomon and our church members and leaders. Help us to gather the courage to face people with whom we have a dispute or a disagreement and to face them with kindness, grace and love.  We ask your continued protection from the Coronavirus for people throughout the world, especially for our health and medical professionals.  In the name of Jesus Christ our precious Savior we pray, Amen. 

Devotional for 5-3-20