Redemption is Coming

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

The book of Ruth starts off with Naomi and Elimelek moving out of Bethlehem to Moab to escape a famine. It’s made to sound like this was a temporary plan, yet we discover they lived there for about ten years--and though they escaped the famine, things didn’t go very well for the family in Moab. First, Elimelek died, then the two sons got married and they both died as well, leaving behind Orpah and Ruth as widows. 

With nothing else to do, Naomi moved back to Bethlehem. The idea of moving back “soon” did not come in the timeframe Naomi expected, nor did it look like she probably thought it would. When she moved to Moab, Naomi likely would not have guessed that her husband and both her sons would die there, and instead of returning to Moab with them, she returned with only her daughter-in-law--a Moabite foreigner. Rather understandably, I think, these events leave her bitter, wondering where God is and whether he even sees her. 

But, as Naomi finds out, her story was not done yet.

Ruth went and gathered in the fields, and Boaz showed her much kindness. Though we don’t know how much, some amount of time passed before Naomi made her plan of how Ruth would be taken care of after Naomi passed. 

When Ruth eventually went to Boaz, he had a choice. He could have refused Ruth’s suggestion of marrying her and therefore redeeming her and Naomi, he could have completely bypassed the closer relative who could have married Ruth and married her right away, or he could have consulted the closer relative and then followed through with his commitment to marry Ruth--which is what he did. It wasn’t the quickest or most convenient way, but the desired outcome was achieved: Ruth and Naomi were redeemed. 

The story ends with the women of the town saying to Naomi, “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer.” 

God was there. He saw Naomi, and he provided just what she needed--a redeemer. 

Which is just what we need, too. 

Ruth and Boaz’s son is Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David...whose descendants became the line of Jesus. Our redeemer. 

This season of Advent, of looking forward to Christmas, is a reminder of our own redemption. The book of Ruth is not the first thing that comes to mind when we think of Christmas, but it’s a beautiful picture of how all the books in the Bible fit together to create the broader story that’s at work. Already in the Old Testament, we see this theme: Redemption is coming. It may take longer than we expect or like, and it may look different than we anticipated. But it is coming. 

That’s the promise of Christmas, of the baby born in a manger--redemption is not only possible, it is coming. For those like Naomi, who find themselves weary and doubting, it is coming. For those who find themselves joyous and hopeful, it is coming. In ways big and small, expected and surprising: Redemption is coming. 

[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She loves Christmas and can be found spreading Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear. You can read more of her musings on her own blog or follow her on Twitter @bwitt722.]

Bethlehem's Gruesome History

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

There are many gruesome stories in the Bible that begin with the simple but devastating line, “In those days Israel had no king.”

And when Israel has no king: look out.

This past Sunday we heard the story told in Judges 19, a terrible story about the ways God’s people succumbed to the darkest evils during a time in which they had no ruler: no king and no judge.

It might seem like a strange passage for the beginning of Advent, but in a lot of ways, it’s actually perfect.

It features a mistress from the town of Bethlehem, and through the events that happen in Bethlehem and in the surrounding land of God’s people, it becomes desperately obvious that God’s people are in need of a righteous ruler and judge. We need a savior, and that savior is coming to the town of Bethlehem, he will be born there, and he will be for all people. Immanuel is imminent, and we await the day of his return when he will complete his work in each of us.

Although it may be popular to sing about the “little town of Bethlehem” and “royal David’s city” and the “little Lord Jesus”, it’s dishonest to overlook the agony and violence of Jesus’ life and the lives of the God’s people in the Bible.

Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation; a time when we should be reminded that we are in need of a savior, that without a king we are helpless and hopeless. Come, Lord Jesus.

[Kristin vanEyk lives in Kentwood, MI where she attends Encounter Church with her husband Dirk, and two kids, Lily and Colin. Kristin teaches high school English and otherwise passes the time reading, writing, running, and enjoying all that Michigan's West Coast has to offer.]

Living for What Matters

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

If I were to make a list of things I think about throughout the day, it would probably look something like this:

-Do I have to get out of bed?
-I’m pretty sure coffee is a sign of how much God loves us.
-Was I supposed to prepare something for this meeting?
-Mmm, lunch.
-This project is going to take longer than I thought.
-What will I have for supper? 
-I wonder how so-and-so is doing?
-Sleep is my favorite.

In other words, pretty mundane, earthly things. The little bits that make up a life. It’s quite infrequent that I think about what kind of picture those little bits are coming together to make—the picture both here on earth, and the picture in eternity. 

If we take a look at Ecclesiastes, it seems as though the Teacher would say that all of the little bits have no value. As Pastor Dirk explained though, it’s more accurate to say that Ecclesiastes is pointing out the fleeting nature of everything we do.  Our actions have value in their own way, but it’s value that matters for today, tomorrow, and maybe a few years, but likely not beyond our lifetimes. It’s a very limited kind of value.

At first glance, Ecclesiastes 10:19 sounds like the recipe for a pretty awesome life. 

“A feast is made for laughter,
    wine makes life merry,
    and money is the answer for everything.”

Food, wine, money—sounds great. Except, when we read it in light of the whole of Ecclesiastes, we find that these are just the same types of everyday things that, while not necessarily bad, have no lasting significance. The thoughts and tasks that fill our days—whether it’s eating, sending emails, loading the dishwasher, reading a book, watching a movie—are often the kind that the Teacher may have labelled temporary and fleeting. 

I wonder, though, if it’s more than our actions that the Teacher would have labelled temporary. As we go about our days, life is happening, with all its messiness and beauty. Problems and frustrations get us down, successes and good things make us happy, and we live our lives. What if we began to view these things as fleeting, too? 

Again, I don’t think it’s about devaluing them—there is so much worth in these lives we build—but about getting the right view of them. So many of the things we worry and stress and get angry about are really quite trivial when we look at them in light of eternity. It doesn’t mean they don’t matter at all, but they matter in a different way. We, and our lives, become smaller, and God and his grand plan become bigger as we learn to see our own problems and struggles in light of eternity. We will still experience hurt and joy, tears and laughter, and everything else, but if we can remember that these too are fleeting, we may be able to focus our lives on what will last--and orient everything we do and say accordingly.


[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She is a passionate supporter of the Oxford comma. You can read more of her musings on her own blog or follow her on Twitter @bwitt722.]

"I'll do it Later"

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are a reflection on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://www.myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media] 


We say it all the time. About saving for the future, investing, changing jobs, going back to school, getting in shape, or having that hard conversation. 

“I’ll do it later.”

We say it all the time.

“I’ll start tithing when I have a better income.”
“I’ll tell my brother that I forgive him when I have a moment to call him.”

“I’ll talk to my neighbor about coming to church later, maybe in the spring, when the weather is better and we’re both outside again.”

“I’ll start devotions with my kids when they’re older and can better understand.”

“I’ll do it later.”

We say it all the time.

We have the best intentions, we really mean to get to it, but we were too busy living for ourselves or anyone else in the meantime. We were too afraid to knock on the neighbor’s door. We were too busy changing diapers to talk about the death of Jesus. We were just barely paying our bills and didn’t have an extra penny to spare.

I sometimes imagine how I would feel if Jesus returned right now. I think I know how I’m supposed to feel, but I don’t think that’s how I would actually feel. I would probably say to myself, “Already? Now? But I’m not ready. I just need a little more time.” Too late.

In the parable of the Ten Virgins, the virgins too were surprised by the arrival of the groom, but of course they had no reason for such surprise. They knew that the groom was on his way; they knew that his arrival was imminent. And still, they were unprepared. To those who were ready they pleaded, “Give us some of your oil” so that they could enter the party, but by then it was too late. It couldn’t be shared.

The truth housed in this parable is something that we tend to shy away from because it makes us uncomfortable. We don’t like the image of the separation of the sheep and the goats. We don’t like the image of people suffering for all of eternity in hell, especially if we decide that they lived “pretty good” lives.

We don’t know how much time we have before Christ returns. But we do know that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. It’s a terrifying thought.

 But we also that Christ has no yet returned. And that means that we have grace for one more second, one more minute, one more hour, one more decade, perhaps even longer, in which to bend our wills to God’s and live in the knowledge of Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

[Kristin vanEyk lives in Kentwood, MI where she attends Encounter Church with her husband Dirk, and two kids, Lily and Colin. Kristin teaches high school English and otherwise passes the time reading, writing, running, and enjoying all that Michigan's West Coast has to offer.]

Of Sin and Baptism

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are a reflection on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://www.myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

This past Sunday at Encounter, we heard a message about the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet, as told in Luke 7. We also witnessed the baptism of baby Jack. While at first glance these are seemingly unrelated events, I think there’s more of a connection here than we may realize.

The “sinful woman,” who was likely a prostitute, was not an invited guest to the gathering Jesus was at. She had come in from the streets, standing along the edges of the room—and then, anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears and with perfume. This, a woman on the margins of society, paid honor to Jesus and treated him as he deserved.

Meanwhile, the owner of the house was a Pharisee, highly regarded in the religious community. This was a guy who had it all together. He knew all the rules, knew how to follow the religious laws and customs to the letter. While the Bible tells us what he said to himself as the woman began to wash Jesus' feet,  it doesn’t tell us how he looked at the woman. Considering his thoughts were, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner," I think we can imagine what his face might have looked like. Disgust and shock that she would dare do such a thing, and perhaps embarrassment that this was occurring at his gathering. Whatever his facial expressions were as this took place, I doubt they were friendly ones.

And yet, the story concludes with Jesus telling the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

For all his good behavior, the woman understood something he did not: Redemption doesn’t start with behavior. It starts with grace.

This sinful woman had done nothing to earn a good word from Jesus, and in fact had done many things that, in the eyes of the religious leaders of that day, should have disqualified her from God’s love. But Jesus shows that all the good deeds in the world would never be enough to save anyone.

At Encounter, most of the time when we have baptisms, they’re for babies. And each time, Pastor Dirk or Pastor Bryan tells us that it is a sign of God having the first word in our lives. When we see babies baptized, it’s a reminder that it is not within our power to earn God’s grace. It’s not a gift to be worked for; it’s a gift that can only be received. I think both the story of the sinful woman and the baptism of baby Jack are reminders that redemption doesn’t start with us or depend on what we can do for God, but on what God has done for us. 

[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She also blogs at http://awritespot.wordpress.com and tweets at @bwitt722.]

The Razor Thin Line Between Grace and Truth

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are a reflection on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://www.myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]


Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

John 8:10-11

You can picture the scene, right? It’s the Sabbath, and it’s also the day after one of the major Jewish festivals, so Jerusalem is packed and Jesus is teaching in the temple to a massive crowd. Suddenly, the Pharisees and the religious leaders break through the crowd right in the middle of Jesus’ teaching and they toss a woman before Jesus, a woman who has just been caught in adultery. The Pharisees want to know: Jesus, under Moses’ Law the woman ought to be stoned to death. What do you say?

Jesus surveyed the crowd for a minute, and then he bent down to write with his finger in the sand. On the Sabbath it was forbidden to write with a tool in a way that would permanently alter the writing surface, but it was permissible to write in the sand with a finger; Jesus is always so clever. What does he write?

Does he write the law from the book of Deuteronomy?

Does he ask where the man is who ought to suffer the same fate?

Does he write, “stone her” or “save her” or some other command for the crowd to follow?

What he says to the crowd is this: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And then he returns to his writing in the sand.

One by one the crowd dissipates, until only Jesus and the woman are left. And then Jesus utters those famous words that walk the line between grace and truth perfectly: “Then neither do I condemn you. Go not and leave your life of sin.”

This is a word that we today are desperate to hear. This morning I attended a Christian Educator’s Convention where Rev. Mary Hulst, chaplain of Calvin College, was the keynote speaker and a sectional speaker. At her sectional she spoke about the three lives that people often live—the public life, the private life, and then the secret life. We like to think that Jesus can see the public and the private lives, but we hope that he can’t actually see the secret life. This is where people do the things that the really believe might be beyond redemption in Christ: the pornography, the affair, the second affair, the embezzlement, that one time that you did that thing you desperately wish you could take back. But Jesus does see it all, and he speaks his perfect grace and truth into out lives. He sees our sins, does not condemn us, and instructs us to go and sin no more.

It’s interesting to note that John does not finish the story. There’s no “10 years later” interview with the woman, nor is there any follow up with the religious leaders who accused the woman or anyone else from the crowd.  This is intentional. John leaves space for us to become the woman in the story. We spend so much of our lives worrying about the sins and public shaming of others. Forget about the woman or the religious leaders or anyone else. We’re always trying to change someone else. It’s time for us to change our own lives first.



[Kristin vanEyk lives in Kentwood, MI where she attends Encounter Church with her husband Dirk, and two kids, Lily and Colin. Kristin teaches high school English and otherwise passes the time reading, writing, running, and enjoying all that Michigan's West Coast has to offer.]

God's Way vs. Our Way

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are a reflection on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://www.myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media] 

If I’m being honest, I don’t really like the story of the Canaanite woman found in Matthew 15.

The first time the woman speaks to Jesus, telling him of her daughter who suffers from demon possession, Jesus doesn’t even answer her. In fact, his disciples come to him and ask him to get rid of her. Instead of rebuking them for their failure to see this woman as a beloved child of God, Jesus replies—but not kindly. He tells her he “was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

Still, she persists, asking again for Jesus to help.

At this point, I almost wish Jesus would have just kept ignoring her, because his reply is downright offensive. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

Ouch.

Now this woman has been outright ignored by Jesus and treated like a nuisance by the disciples, now Jesus calls her a dog.

Which is exactly why I don’t really like this story. This is not the way I expect Jesus to act. It seems to go against his overall message of love, grace, and mercy, as he blatantly ignores this woman’s humble plea for him to have mercy on her. The whole thing seems unJesuslike, and I don’t like it.

Except, as we go on, we find that Jesus does indeed answer the woman—he tells her she has great faith and then heals her daughter.

And this is where I struggle. Most of the story seems unJesuslike, and then, all of a sudden, the guy I thought I knew shows up at the end.

I wonder if my problem with the story is that I think Jesus needs to act the way I want him to.

If I were writing the way Jesus should behave in this story, he would stop and listen to the woman right away. If the disciples tried to ask him to get rid of her, Jesus would tell them to shape up and to recognize this woman’s infinite worth in the eyes of her Father. Then, he would say to the woman, “Sure, absolutely,” and heal her daughter. The end.

Instead, he makes her ask several times, effectively testing her faith and perseverance.

I want Jesus to do things the simple way, when he does things the Jesus way.

I wonder if this is why it’s so difficult to be a Christian sometimes. We want things to go our way, the easy, painless way, and God makes us ask, wait, and persevere while he does things his way.

We don’t know what the woman was thinking as she walked away, though sheer elation over Jesus healing her daughter was likely part of it. She may have wondered over the way Jesus had treated her at first, but ultimately came away marveling at how he saw her great faith and listened to her plea.  Maybe the encounter didn’t go exactly as she had envisioned, but she walked away seeing it was best.

Because the reality is, we don’t serve a God who does things because we want him to. He doesn’t promise to stick to only acting in ways we like. But we can know that he does have our ultimate good in mind through whatever he does, even when he writes the story differently than we would. 

[Brianna DeWitt is a believer in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She also blogs at http://awritespot.wordpress.com and tweets at @bwitt722.]

"You Call Me Out Upon the Waters / The Great Unknown"

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are a reflection on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://www.myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]


Even the people who seem to have it all figured out struggle to figure it all out.

Did you catch that?

Even the people who seem to have it all figured out struggle to figure it all out.

Call it self-doubt; call it insecurity; call it aimlessness; call it restlessness; call it the dynamic property of calling.

I always thought that I was called to be a teacher. And for 9 years, I’ve enjoyed teaching high school English. Does that make teaching my calling? Not necessarily. Does that preclude a career change? Certainly not. Am I called to be a light in whichever circumstances I find myself? Absolutely.

On the outside, I think, I sort of look like I have my act together.  I’m married, my kids appear to be doing adequately (which is the most you can ask of parents of small children some days), I have a reasonably well-respected career, I own a home and take vacations and have friends. And every day I struggle to figure out what in the world I’m supposed to be doing.

When I was younger I had this idea that “calling” was a one-time deal. Static. I also thought that I would be called into one profession for the rest of my life and that would be it. All set. And I thought that calling was largely vocational—that one is either called into a career or to stay home with children and then it’s a done deal.

That view of calling is painfully simplistic, horribly selfish, and possibly even dangerous. Rarely are we called to live in a vacuum, where our influence is limited only to ourselves.

Calling seemed so “high stakes” when I was younger, like I had to somehow magically discern the will of God in my life and then get a college degree to do that thing. Oh, and then land an actual job in that field as well. What happened if I didn’t go to college? Didn’t earn that major? Didn’t get the job? Did I misinterpret the “still, small voice” of God? Would I need to start all over? A limited understanding of calling is burdensome. It breeds fear, anxiety, and self-doubt.  

Now I better understand calling as a mandate to have some effect on the world—to influence the world for the kingdom of God. Even people who don’t have the faintest idea of what they should “do” with their lives have influence, and that’s one of the reasons we have hope. Even in our floundering and aimlessness we still affect change all around us: with our friends, our families, in our dorms or with our housemates, with our teammates and classmates, with our colleagues and in every other facet of our lives. We have the opportunity and the obligation to be gracious and kind and to bring peace and restoration along with the truth of Jesus everywhere we go.

[Kristin vanEyk lives in Kentwood, MI where she attends Encounter Church with her husband Dirk, and two kids, Lily and Colin. Kristin teaches high school English and otherwise passes the time reading, writing, running, and enjoying all that Michigan's West Coast has to offer.]