Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 24, 2013

The Dawn Breaks

“In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
(Luke 1:78-79)

Thank You, Lord, for coming to us as a little babe born in Bethlehem, uniting our humanity with Your divinity.
Come, Lord, we pray, this very moment, into our hearts, and make us love as You love.
We look forward, Lord, to that day when You come again in glory to wrap up creation, make us all one in You, and present us to Your heavenly Father.

“The Lord is in His Holy house” —
Mysterious habitation!
I feel His presence here within
And offer my oblation.
Keep burning, incense of my soul!
Keep cleansing me, O Laver!
I want to serve and praise my God
Forever and forever!
— Anne Ortlund

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 19, 2013

Hair and Consecration

“As for the son you will conceive and bear, no razor shall touch his head, for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.”
(Judges 13:5a)

In this passage, the angel of the LORD is speaking of Samson who would be under the nazirite vow (consecrated) for life.  In the New Testament, John the Baptist was similarly declared by an angel to be a Nazirite for life.

The subject of hair and consecration to God fascinates me.  Many centuries ago, one of the outward signs of consecration to God was uncut hair (actually, this is still true in the Rastafarian movement).  Yet, among some Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian monastics, one of the outward signs of consecration is a shaved head (see Tonsure).  I really don’t understand why these differences exist, but I find the whole subject fascinating.

In my own spiritual journey, back in 1997-98 (before I knew anything about hair and consecration to God), I had a very strong sudden urge to have all my hair shaved off.  I went immediately to a barber shop and asked to have my head shaved.  The barber looked at me quizzically and said, “Are you sure?”  He asked more than once.  I insisted I was very sure – and so my head was shaved.

During 2000-2003, while I was studying and practicing Buddhism, I made the spiritual connection of the shaved head.  I understood that my head was “supposed” to be shaved for God.  This is a difficult concept to explain to anyone who hasn’t experienced it firsthand.

After my mother’s death in 2004, I felt a very strong urge to join a Catholic religious community.  Years of research and trials with communities led me to believe that I couldn’t fit in anywhere.  Yet the urge to consecration remains – even though I’m now married!

Every few years, I decide to start growing my hair again.  Inevitably, the tension becomes too great after a few months – and I end up getting it shaved again.  I’ve been through this process at least five times over the years.  I still don’t completely understand the whole situation.  But to me, if God is urging me to keep my head shaved as an outward sign of consecration, that’s a very small price to pay for love of Him.  May He be praised forever!

(And now you know why I just can’t seem to grow my hair!)

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 18, 2013

Heavenly Guidance

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her….”
(Matthew 1:18-20)

Don’t you wish that when you’re very confused, troubled, and about to make the wrong decision, an angel would appear to set you straight? Joseph was in a difficult situation, and apparently, he’d worked out a solution to his problem without consulting anyone, not even God. Yet God came to his assistance. (Maybe Joseph HAD prayed: “O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me!” – Psalm 70:1)

After the angel’s dream-visit, Joseph knew without a doubt what he had to do, but surely, carrying out the command was no easy matter. I wonder how he kept the community from stoning Mary to death for adultery. Mary and Joseph had been told the truth through Gabriel’s visit, but the rest of the community had no such assurance. God’s power, alone, kept Mary and Joseph and Jesus safe.

I think one (of the many) lessons for us is that God will not allow us to make catastrophic errors. He will intervene in some way, send us some kind of message, to show us the right path. The questions are: Will we be fully aware to receive the message? Will we have the courage to follow the Lord’s guidance?

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 16, 2013

Answer the Question

When Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they regard John as a prophet.” So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” Jesus said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
(Matthew 21:23-27)

Haha! I love this. My immediate reaction to the story is always something like, “Ha! You sock it to ’em, Jesus! That’s what they get.”

It’s a powerful story because the chief priests and elders are envious of Jesus due to his popularity and authority with the people. THEY want to be the ONLY authorities; they feel very threatened by Jesus and seek to discredit him because he’s not an “official” Jewish teacher. This part of the story reminds me of many current leaders in the church: They see themselves as the official pastors, teachers and ministers to the people – because they’ve gone through the “official” education and formation to be in their positions. This, of course, doesn’t mean the “official” teachers are useless; it simply means God chooses to use other people, too.

Jesus manifests himself as a masterful teacher. I love how he asks a question and they refuse to answer. They are supposed to be so wise, and they won’t even TRY to answer the question! They immediately start spinning around in their own minds, worrying about what Jesus will say if they answer a certain way. Discussing the two options among themselves, they assume they already know what he will say in response. But maybe Jesus would have said something completely different. They also assume there are only two possible answers to the question: heavenly or human. But maybe the answer is “both.” Or “neither.” Or something else entirely. They don’t even consider those options. This alone shows their narrow-mindedness. Perhaps Jesus would have answered their original question if they had simply answered his question to them. Even if they were wrong. Jesus doesn’t say their answer has to be correct; he just says, “answer it for me.”

Ultimately, their antagonistic attitudes and scheming minds stopped them from being truly open in the presence of the Master.  Not even one of them – apparently – was able to pass this test.  I wonder if any of them ever realized what they’d lost.

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 14, 2013

Biblical Reincarnation

“How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?…
You are destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD.”
(Sirach 48:4, 10a)

“The disciples asked Jesus, ‘Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ He said in reply, ‘Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased’…. Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.”
(Matthew 17:10-13)

Now if this isn’t a perfect example of the teaching of reincarnation in the Bible, then I don’t know what is.  Of course, no orthodox, ultra-conservative Christian will admit to this.  But how else can this passage be explained?

Frankly, I don’t see a problem for Christians believing in reincarnation.  What are your thoughts?

 

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 13, 2013

Judge Not

“‘For John [the Baptist] came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon.” The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.’”
(Matthew 11:18-19)

Here Jesus points out the fickleness of superficial human judgements.  Human beings are prone to gossip, envy and anger – so we are quick to assume we know what’s going on with other people based on their outward appearance and actions.  We tend to feel threatened by people who seem different from us because:  1) they might be dangerous and try to harm us; or 2) they might be “better” than us in some way.  So we take the coward’s way – and judge people and talk behind their backs.

What good does all this do?  No good whatsoever.  It’s a pure waste of energy that could be spent on understanding the other person better (by actually spending time with the person and getting to know him/her!) – and understanding our own pre-conceived ideas and fears.

Jesus sums up by saying, “Wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”  This is similar to what he says elsewhere:  “By their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:16).  He reminds us that it’s not a simple matter to judge who is “right or wrong” or “bad or good.”  Although we may be confused by many situations, we will recognize – by the grace of God – true goodness and wisdom when we see them.

And in the end, it’s not our judgements that matter.  God is the One who has the final say, because only God sees the whole picture and knows the intentions hidden in hearts.

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 12, 2013

Silent Worship

“Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!  For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling.”
(Zechariah 2:17)

Some years ago, while immersed in deep prayer, I realized that if everyone on earth simultaneously stopped everything they were doing, became silent, and worshiped the LORD in their hearts, the world (all of creation) would come to an end.  Why?  Because creation would have attained the end for which it was brought into being:  To voluntarily return to the LORD.

However, the Bible says this will not happen.  Human beings will NOT voluntarily return to the LORD.  Well, at least a majority of people will continue to follow their own desires rather than turn sincerely to the LORD.  Therefore, the world, the elements,  will be destroyed in fire (cf. 2 Peter 3:10).  Nuclear war?  Maybe.  An asteroid?  Maybe.  But we can’t claim we didn’t know.

Those who love the LORD have nothing to fear.  Yes, the world will be destroyed by fire.  But the souls of the just will be with God (cf. Wisdom 3:1) because they voluntarily chose the LORD in this life.

So, let us love Him and worship Him in the silence of our hearts – knowing that perfect love casts out all fear (cf. 1 John 4:18).

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 11, 2013

Find Strength and Rest

“They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles’ wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.”
(Isaiah 40:31b)

“Jesus said to the crowds: ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.'”
(Matthew 11:28-30)

This passage from Isaiah was in the back of my mind when I wrote Soaring with God, and from that, chose the name for this blog site. I love the image of soaring, not from my own strength, but from God’s strength – majestic and tireless as an eagle. Those who hope in the LORD (rather than in themselves or in any created thing) find an endless source of strength.

The image Jesus uses in Matthew, that of oxen yoked together to pull a load, may at first glance seem less elegant. Because of that, I think we tend to overlook the image in favor of the Lord’s promise, “I will give you rest.” However, when the Lord promises us rest, He doesn’t mean that He will literally take away the burdens that we carry, but that He will change our perception of them. The Lord is “meek and humble of heart,” so when we willingly choose to be yoked to Him, we learn gentleness and humility; we realize that if we stop fighting our burdens and complaining about them, they automatically become lighter.

The vast majority of the weight of our burdens is self-created due to our focus on personal preferences: ego enhancement, likes/dislikes, attachments/aversions, the quelling of fears. The burdens themselves are relatively light when we simply deal with them in meekness and humility – as the Lord teaches.

Jesus reveals a great paradox: When we trust the Lord, and follow His example, we find strength and rest at the same time.

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 10, 2013

Straying Sheep

“Jesus said to his disciples:  ‘What is your opinion?  If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?. . .  In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.'”
(Matthew 18:12-14)

This is a familiar teaching of Jesus, intended to illustrate God’s mercy.  He seeks the lost; He knows the ninety-nine are safe in the hills, so He is able to go in search of the one who is lost.

Today, though, I found myself wondering about the man Jesus uses as an example.  I mean, would a human shepherd really leave ninety-nine sheep to search for one who is lost?  Wouldn’t the ninety-nine be more valuable than the one?  That’s how human thinking works.

So perhaps Jesus is saying:  Unlike a human shepherd who is forced to think in terms of material and financial value, God our Father is primarily concerned with spiritual value.  The soul of one person (“sheep”) is of infinite value to Him.  His love and mercy will not allow Him to disregard anyone – including people who disregard Him, who choose to wander away.  God never ceases to call out and to search with love.

This teaching should fill us with great hope and peace regarding anyone who we think might be lost – and regarding ourselves, since we might be on the wrong path without realizing it, or we might wander off in the future.  It’s thrilling to know that God is always there calling and searching – and loving.

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | December 9, 2013

Mary’s Journey

“And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”
(Luke 1:36-37)
 
The archangel, Gabriel, has just appeared to Mary and told her that although she is a young unmarried virgin, she will conceive and bear the Messiah by the power of the Holy Spirit.  She is, understandably, a bit confused and uncertain about this.  So Gabriel uses Elizabeth as a concrete example of what God’s power can do.  If an old woman past child-bearing age can conceive, then a virgin can conceive without having sexual intercourse.
 
Elizabeth was barren.  For a Jewish woman in those days, barrenness was the worst curse in life.  If she couldn’t bear children, then her life was useless because she couldn’t produce the only kind of fruit that really mattered to her husband and community.  God blessed Elizabeth abundantly by removing her barrenness.
 
The example of Elizabeth given by Gabriel seems to be enough to convince Mary to trust his message because she responds with, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).  She knows God is good – and His plans are good.
 
However, I find it interesting that Mary immediately set off to “the hill country” to visit Elizabeth.  The usual explanation given for this is that she wanted to assist Elizabeth with the remaining time of her pregnancy and with the birth of her son.  Being a skeptic (one who tends to question most accepted teachings), I wonder if one of the reasons – maybe the main reason! – Mary visited Elizabeth was to see with her own eyes whether Elizabeth was pregnant.  Why not?  Would that take away from Mary’s trust in God?  I don’t think so.  I think it shows her more in her humanity, just like the rest of us.
 
In any case, Mary declared herself to be the handmaid (servant, slave) of the Lord.  She was willing to obey His wishes without fully understanding what was going to happen.  She shows us how to put our faith and love for God first in our decisions. 
 
Nothing is impossible.  God can choose to work miracles through His creatures.

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