Father of Lights

 Few stories are better known than the Prodigal Son.  Jesus first told it in response to those who criticized him for associating with known sinners. For 2,000 years the story has been repeated: a young man impatiently asks for his inheritance from his father. And, once granted, leaves home in search of adventure, finding it in a “far country.”  For a time, he is surrounded by new friends. As long as the money lasts. Once he has gambled and partied away all of his wealth, he is left penniless, destitute and friendless.  The only job he can find is tending swine in a pigsty.  He is so hungry he considers eating the food he feeds the swine.

 Out of desperation he decides to return home, ashamed, hoping to find a job on his father’s farm. To his surprise his father embraces him, replaces his rags with clean clothes and orders a welcoming feast.  He is stunned.

 The central figure in this story is not the prodigal. The central figure is the father.

The father, out of his generosity, gives his young son his inheritance.  It is the father who also gives him his freedom.  He can choose to go where he wishes and do whatever he desires with the inheritance.  It is the father, who sees his son in the distance, clothed in rags, shoulders slumped, depressed and defeated.  He does not stay where he is, waiting for his son to drag himself to him. He runs, as quickly as his aging feet will carry him, and throws his arms around his son, welcoming him with joy and tears.  He does not require penance.  He does not make him grovel for acceptance.  Instead, he orders a feast of celebration.

 Jesus told this story, not to help us see what we are like. We are, for the most part only too aware that we are sinners.  We have often failed and made mistakes.  He told this story to help us know what God is like.  He is our father!

 Jesus said, “ Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11).

 This changes everything.  The Creator and Sustainer, the Master Designer, the Ground of All Being is for us.  God is our Father.  As we gather this weekend to celebrate fathers, let us celebrate the Father of Lights, our Father who is in Heaven who loves us and gave His Son that we might have life.

Bread of Life

 Bread has become a delicacy.  When my wife sends me to the store for a loaf of bread I stand dumbfounded in front of the shelves.  Which bread to buy?  There’s white bread, whole wheat bread, gluten free 7 grain bread, garlic bread, rye bread, and a dozen others.  Then there are bagels: plain bagels, blueberry bagels and everything bagels.  And what about donuts?  I think donuts are included in the bread family.  Okay, I choose donuts.

 From ancient times “bread” has represented the staple of life.  Even today, in all its various forms, bread is still the most widely consumed food in the world.

 Scholars have found evidence that people started baking bread 30,000 year ago. But the first breads were “flat.”  They lacked leaven. It is the leaven that makes it rise, light and fluffy and sweet. Historians believe that the Egyptians were the first to develop leavened bread, somewhere around 1000 years before the great pyramids were built.  The most famous “unleavened” bread was the Passover bread, cooked up in a hurry by the Israelites to escape Egypt. 

 In 1917 Otto Rohwedder invented the first bread-slicing machine. He set the standard for all other inventors who searched for an idea that would be “better than sliced bread.”  In spite of Rohwedder’s invention, there is nothing quite like pulling apart a fresh steaming loaf of bread and adding butter.  

 Jesus referred to bread to help us understand who He was.  “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst.” John 6:35).  “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, ” (Deut. 8:3; Mat. 4:4).  God nourishes our soul and satisfies our innermost emotional, personal and spiritual needs, a nourishment more important than the nourishment of our bodies.

 Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Just as God provides for us daily the nourishment that is necessary for our bodies, He will provide for us each and every day the nourishment that is necessary to replenish our soul. 

 When Moses led Israel in the wilderness, God provided bread every morning so that “he who gathered much had no excess and he who gathered little had no lack.”(Exodus 16:18).  They could not store and keep the bread. It had to be eaten when God gave it.

 Like the Israelites in the wilderness, our relationship with God is daily and constant.  We cannot put our faith in a religious box to be taken out occasionally.  Just as our bodies need bread in order to live, our souls need a daily and constant conversation with God, the bread and substance of life.

The Anxious Generation

 A couple weeks ago my 15-year-old granddaughter suggested I read Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation.  I was stunned.  Over my lifetime I have experienced several technological revolutions that have transformed the way we live: color TV, the personal computer, internet, email,  mobile phones, smart phones.  In every case I was an early adopter. But I missed the rapid and ubiquitous spread of social media.                                      

According to Haidt, a recognized social psychologist, Gen Z, those born between 1995 – 2010, is the first “phone-based” generation to experience a “rewiring” of the brain through social media.  A professor of psychology at NYU’s Stern School of Business, he says, “I have seen the rising levels of anxiety and device addiction as my students have changed from millennials using flip phones to Gen Z using smartphones.” Access to social media coupled with adolescent mental, social and psychological development has been devastating.

 Haidt writes, “Children born in the late 1990’s were the first generation in history who went through puberty in the virtual world.  It’s as though we sent Gen Z to grow up on Mars when we gave them smartphones in the early 2010’s.” Since the introduction of smartphones and social media, Haidt documents a 145% rise in depression among teenage girls since 2010, and a 161% increase among boys. Along with this, Emergency Room visits related to self-harm increased 188% among girls and 48% among boys since 2010. This is recent and rapid. 

Interestingly, Haidt, who claims to be atheist, finds promising solutions in spiritual terms. He draws on a book by David Steno, a social psychologist, published in 2021, How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion.  He names six practices that can help all of us in our age of anxiety and fragmentation: shared sacredness, embodiment (rituals), stillness-silence and focus (meditation), transcending the self (inspiration), being slow to anger and quick to forgive, and experiencing awe. He leaves out faith however, the key element that makes all of these work.

 These healthy elements are found in the life and teachings of Jesus. He emphasized the importance of community.  “Where two are three are gathered together in my name, there I am, in the midst of them.”  He established the Lord’s Supper when He shared bread and wine with his disciples the night before His death saying, “this do in remembrance of me.” He taught us to transcend self, “If anyone desires to be first he shall be last of all and servant of all,” (Matthew 9:35).   Regarding anger and forgiveness, He said, “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not murder,’ but I say to you he who is angry with his brother without cause is in danger of the judgement.”  “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses,” (Matthew 6:15). As to awe, John wrote, “We beheld His glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth,” John 1:14).

 I am encouraged by reports that many in Gen Z are turning to faith.  The magazine Relevant describes it: “This isn’t the next wave of megachurch Christianity or the rebranded youth group hype of the early 2000s. There are no flashy social media campaigns, no celebrity pastors, no big marketing push. What’s happening is quieter, rawer and—to the surprise of many—far more compelling. Gen Z isn’t leaving faith behind. They’re leading a revolution.” We can pray that the entire world may be revolutionized by faith that is found in Jesus Christ.

Bill Tinsley's Sermon on the Mount Devotional Book is FREE as an eBook on Amazon June 2-4. 

Dealing With Rejection

 Everyone has felt rejection.  For many it is first encountered on the playground.  Children choosing their friends or choosing teams until one remains, unchosen, unwanted, rejected.  We discover life can be like musical chairs.  When the music stops there is no place to sit.  All the included places are taken.

 Sometimes it comes with our first applications for college. For a few, colleges and universities line up with scholarships and offers, but most must deal with rejection.  Most of us have known the uncertainty of a job search.  The series of rejections from interviews can be devastating to our ego.  Forced into a situation where self-confidence is essential, we become anything but.

 Door-to-door salesmen are familiar with rejection.  It is part of the job.  So are politicians and would be writers.  How many ways can we be turned down and rejected?

 Perhaps most devastating of all is a rejection by those who are close to us.  The rejection of a mother or father, son or daughter, or spouse. These can cause wounds that last a lifetime.

 It might help to realize we have company. When we are rejected we are not alone.

 When Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick, his work was turned down by multiple publishers. It was finally accepted by Bently & Son who asked, “Does it have to be a whale?”  Nevertheless they published the classic on the condition that Melville pay for the typesetting and plating himself.  When 25-year-old Hemmingway wrote The Son also Rises one publisher responded, “I find your work both tedious and offensive.” 

 Joseph was rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. Paul was rejected often, stoned and left for dead, driven from city to city and imprisoned.  Jesus’ own brothers refused to believe in Him and  His closest disciples abandoned Him.  He was “despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3).

 But, when we experience rejection by family, friend or the world, we can rest knowing that there is One who will not abandon us.  “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.  Behold I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16).

 Jesus constantly included those who were rejected:  the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, the blind beggar, the woman caught in the act of adultery, lepers and the Gadarene demoniac.  Though others might reject you, Jesus will by no means turn you away.  If we come to Him in simple faith and confession, He will receive us.

 We can say with the Apostle Paul, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved,”   (Ephesians 1:5-6).

Bill Tinsley's book of poems, People Places and Things is Free as an eBook on Amazon May 26-29.  His poetry has won first place honors in the Colorado Open Poetry Contest and the Mississippi Valley poetry contes. 

Authenticity

 I stepped up to the counter and handed the cashier my twenty-dollar bill.  Paying with cash today is rare, but I thought I would try it.  I think the people standing behind me rolled their eyes. The cashier glanced at me, lifted the bill up to the light, squinted and examined it, then laid it on the counter. She whipped out what looked like a felt tip marker and marked it. After a long second, she placed it in the cash register and gave me my change.  It seemed simple enough. But it made me wonder. 

 What made her think my twenty might be fake?  Did I look dishonest? I reminded myself that it was standard procedure.  She had been taught to check every twenty because you never know who might pass a counterfeit.  You can’t recognize honesty or dishonesty by a person’s looks.

 Wouldn’t it be nice if it was just as easy to discern fake people as it is to recognize a fake twenty?  What if we could hold people up to a light, squint and examine them for watermarks, or just swipe them with a pen and watch for discoloration?

 Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple.

 Sometimes the people we trust the most disappoint us. That was the case with Richard Nixon. After winning the presidency by a landslide vote, the Watergate investigations revealed a man far different than the public image. One of our great difficulties today is the widespread doubt that no politician can be trusted. They seem more intent on vilifying their opponents and promoting their own agenda than engaging in sincere dialogue.

 We all know that no one is perfect.  We are all human.  We are all sinners and we all make mistakes. We are not looking for perfection.  But we are desperate for authenticity. We are desperate for authentic parents, teachers, employers, employees, preachers and politicians.

 Jesus ranked authenticity among the highest of virtues. His harshest words were leveled at those who pretended to be what they were not. Speaking to people of his day, Jesus said, “You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds.” (Mt. 23:27-28, The Message).  He warned his disciples, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Luke 12:1).

 What really gets scary and complicated is to examine ourselves. Am I authentic?  Is there any hypocrisy in me?  Are we being open, honest and authentic with one another? Someday, of course, there will be a test. God will hold each of us up to the light. He will examine us for authenticity. Are we people of authentic faith living authentic lives?

Tinsley's book, We Beheld His Glory, A Novel, is FREE as a eBook on Amazon May 19-21. 

Why Go To Church

 Given the secular focus of our culture with sports dominating Sundays, it is easy to conclude that very few people still attend church. But, according to the best research, that is just not the case.  More people attend church than we might think. 

 Estimates of church attendance on a given Sunday vary.  According to Gallup 30% of Americans attend  churches weekly or almost ever week.   The Pew research estimates 33% attend at least once a month and 25% at least once a week. Pew also mentions that the long-term decline in church attendance has slowed or stopped.  62% of Americans identify as Christians. The Barna Group notes that Gen Z and Millennials are driving a resurgence in church attendance.  

 This, it seems to me, is remarkable.  What other voluntary activity could attract this many people on a regular basis?  According to the most conservative estimates, between 50 million and 85 million people attend church every week.  By comparison, the average attendance per week to all MLB games combined totals less than 500,000.  Although the percentage of those attending church has declined over the years, church attendance is still a huge part of our lives. 

 As I have thought about it, I have asked myself the question, “Why do I go to church?”

 

I go to church because, down deep, I believe in Jesus.  I think it is what He would want me to do.  Even though the Jewish authorities turned against Him, it was Jesus’ custom to attend the synagogues.  (Luke 4:16).  And even though churches are seldom what they ought to be, I need to follow Jesus’ example.

 I go because I need to be encouraged in my faith and I want to encourage others.  While I have been disappointed by some pastors and church leaders over the years, I find that going to church lifts my spirits.  Other believers take an interest in me and pray for me.  And I seek to do the same for them. (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25).

 I go to church because churches make the world a better place. All churches, as we know, are flawed. Someone once asked me if I knew of any churches that did not have any problems.  I asked if he knew of churches that didn’t have any people.  Where there are people, there will be problems. But most churches seek ways to feed the hungry, help the poor, comfort the grieving and care for the aging.  Churches pull us outside ourselves and call us to a higher and better world.

 I go because I want my children to go.  Even though my children are grown and gone, I still want to be an example to them, as I sought to be when I was raising them.  Going to church is a discipline. Sometimes I don’t feel like it. But I have learned over the years that the best things in life require effort.  Worship, Christian fellowship and service are disciplines that I believe are worth passing on to the next generation.  

 I am sure there are many other reasons why people attend church.  There are other reasons why I do as well, but these are the ones that stand out the most in my mind.

 If you haven’t been attending church.  I hope you will do so this week. 

Mother's Day

This week husbands, sons and daughters will elbow their way to the greeting card displays in search of the perfect card to celebrate Mother’s Day.  Florists will put on extra staff to handle the demand. Restaurants brace for business.

 Countries around the world set aside a special day for mothers. It is celebrated on the second Sunday in May in the U.S. Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India, Brazil, Germany, Ethiopia and the Philippines. Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day an official holiday starting on May 8, 1914. Still other nations honor mothers on different dates.

 Regardless of our nationality, ethnicity or gender, we were each carried in our mother’s womb, given birth through her labor and, in almost all cases, nursed and nourished to life by her care.  

 No office and no position wields greater power and influence over the future of humanity than the influence of a mother.  The memories and lessons given in infancy at a mother’s hand surpass every other classroom and instruction.  The faith of a mother inspires and instructs more effectively than any pulpit or pen.We see it in history, and we see it in the Bible.

 In a log cabin in Kentucky, Nancy Hanks Lincoln recognized the early gifts in her child.  She not only taught him to read, but instructed him in the principles that would shape his life.  Without Nancy, and Sarah, who became Lincoln’s step mother after Nancy died, it is unlikely that Abraham Lincoln would have ever surfaced to lead our nation in its greatest hour of crisis.

 If it were not for Moses’ mother, the world would have never known the great law-giver who led Israel from captivity and gave us the Ten Commandments.  It was she who hid him in the reeds at the river to save his infant life and it was she who cared for him in Pharaoh’s court. 

 How many mothers have petitioned God for the birth of a child, as Hannah prayed in the presence of Eli, the prophet?  Without her prayer, Samuel would not have been born, and would not have been present to anoint David, the king of Israel.

 In the fullness of time, in an obscure Galilean village, another young woman lifted up her eyes to heaven and sang, “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His handmaiden; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For He that is mighty has done to me great things, and holy is His name.” (Luke 1:46-49).  Without Mary we would never have known Jesus, and the world would remain lost in its sins without a Savior.

 Paul referred to the importance of a mother’s faith when he wrote to his young protégé, Timothy: “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”  (2 Timothy 1:5). 

 This Mother’s Day we honor all mothers who have shaped us and made a better world