Their Eyes Were Opened

“While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” (Luke 24:15-16)

Resurrection Sunday: two disciples walk the road to Emmaus. Shocked by word of the empty tomb, confused by Jesus’ death on the cross, they walked, they talked, they tried to process…

A tidal wave of Jewish tradition, culture, and expectation painted a portrait of the role of the Messiah. The anointed one would come to conquer and kick out the Gentile oppressors, restoring what belonged to God’s people.

They had Scripture figured out. They were sure of it! When Jesus started preaching with the authority of God, healing the sick, freeing the demon-possessed, and raising the dead—his disciples started licking their chops. “It’s time! Jesus is going to conquer Rome. The promised land is going to be ours once again!”

But that didn’t happen. What they were left with was unmet expectations, disappointment, and disillusionment. He died, but in their words: “...we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” (vs 21). What does Jesus say to them? “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe…” (vs 25)

He begins to reframe the Scriptures for them in light of God’s true intentions. He had a plan much greater than an earthly kingdom. He had more in store than ending Roman oppression. He had in mind an eternal kingdom that would forever end the oppression of sin and death.

As he spoke, their hearts began to burn within their chests. Same Scriptures—now reframed in the mind of Christ, not in the wisdom of man.

Then, even beyond the revelation of what the Scriptures said about him, he revealed HIMSELF to them in the breaking of bread. Away from all the noise of Jerusalem, on a quiet road, and ultimately, at the communion table: “...their eyes were opened, and they recognized him” (vs. 31).
What situations have you interpreted through the tidal wave of cultural vibes, influencer opinions, or even celebrity Christian leaders? Are your expectations of what Scripture says so rigid that you can’t see Jesus for who he really is? I recommend a walk away from the noise. Get away from it all and make space for him to speak to you. Break bread and commune with him. Who knows how he might open the Scriptures to you if you make yourself available? Who knows how he might reveal HIMSELF?

Spring, Revival, and Hope

Revive: to become active or flourishing again (acc. to the Merriam-Webster dictionary)

It has been beautiful lately in Southwest Michigan.  The sky is a bright blue, the sun is shining happily, and it is unseasonably warm.  These early spring days, the ones when I can feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, do my heart good.  They signal the changing of the season.  Winter is finally giving way to spring.  Winter can be hard with its cold, dark, short, overcast days.  On the other hand, spring is full of life and hope.  Those things that have been sleeping are revived in the springtime.

In addition to the change of the physical season, there is also a change in the church season.  Lent is upon us.  For those unfamiliar with Lent, it is the forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.  It is a time of fasting, simplification, and personal reflection, in preparation to celebrate what Jesus did for us on the cross.  We give God time during Lent to prune back areas that are not producing fruit in order to encourage new life to grow.  Lent allows us to create space in our lives to be revived.  What was once dead is now alive in Christ.  Jesus died so that our sins could be forgiven.  Hebrews 9:12 says, “With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.”  Lent is a season of hope.

This past Sunday (February 12), Pastor Bill mentioned revival being in the air. A season of corporate revival is an opportunity for our spirits to flourish again. Some of us at New Day have been in a difficult winter season. Some may be just entering such a time. Don’t lose heart. Spring is coming! There is new life available to all (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). Revival is within reach for those who want it. There is hope!  

Romans 15:13 (NLT): “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

***If you find yourself in a difficult season and need support, please feel free to reach out to anyone on the pastoral team.  We are here for you.

God Likes Family

Family is God’s idea for how humans should flourish on Earth. God established the first family in Adam and Eve. He made His covenant with the family of Abraham. It’s through families that we find our identity and home. 

Life with God means life as a part of His family. This Sunday, Kathy Spaulding walked us through John 1: “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (vs. 12-17). The kingdom of heaven is a family matter. It’s adoption. It’s belonging.

The Lord meets the needs of His people through families. In a family there is not only loving affection, but provision, protection, and wisdom. Benefits and responsibilities. Things we receive. Things we give.

“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). 

Believing in Christ comes with the responsibility of mothers and fathers to provide for their households. When they sacrifice to meet the needs of their household, parents give their children a picture of the Lord, who provides well for His kids. 

When we safeguard our kids, we’re showing the love of our heavenly Father who takes the safety of His children very seriously. Jesus shows the “papa bear” heart of the Father when He says things like: “Whoever causes one of these little ones to sin, it would be better for a millstone to be thrown around their neck and cast into the sea” (Matthew 18:6). God cares quite a bit for the little ones.

That same heart of fierce protection belongs to parents who protect their children for the sake of the Lord. The opposite attitude is the voice of Cain, who says, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is yes. Families have a responsibility to protect one another. 

And more than that, families have the responsibility, as Paul puts it in Ephesians 6:4, to “bring up children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” The wisdom of the Lord is meant to be passed from father to son, from mother to daughter. The entire book of Proverbs is a parent’s gift of Godly instruction. “Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching” (Proverbs 1:8).

God loves families. If for whatever reason you’re without an earthly family today, you can find family among the household of faith. Psalms 68 says our God “places the lonely in families.” He’s a Father to the fatherless and the protector of widows. You can be a giver and a receiver of provision, protection, and wisdom in the family of God today.

The Father Doesn’t Mind a Mess

Since last fall, I’ve been living with my sister and brother-in-law, and by extension with their two children—my 3-year-old nephew and 1-year-old niece! Both these kids are absolute TREASURES and it’s been beyond amazing to be able to have so much uncle time with them every day. However, in addition to the joy of being greeted with an exuberant “UNCLE LEW'' when I enter the room, I have to admit I also frequently get the experience of returning from a long day of work only to be greeted by hugs from faces covered in peanut butter—peanut butter which in turn quickly gets all over the hoodie I had washed just that morning, mind you. 

Now, my niece and nephew aren’t concerned about their severe case of peanut-butter-face and how they may spread it all over me, and it doesn’t change my love for them, but how many of you have ever felt that in your walk with God that you may be covered in spiritual peanut butter, and the last thing you want is to get it all over God by going to Him as you are? I know I certainly have.

Our worldly culture is one that is constantly putting pressure on us to be perfect and flawless 24/7. Be it Instagram photos that show a highlight reel of life, competing to try to outdo others unnecessarily in the workspace, or even ourselves putting unrealistic expectations on our life to be religiously flawless. The nature of the world says we can’t have a flaw because if we do, we’ll be rejected. The nature of God disagrees.

In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul speaks about the relationship between the believer and God, perfectly summarizing the whole concept in verse 15: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The word “Abba” is an intentional one, translating nowadays to “Dada”—the messy, informal, and purely trusting way that a child would cry out to a parent, unconcerned with perfection and flawlessness. 

This is the gift that God has given to us through Christ that is so strongly juxtaposed against the nature of the world. Rather than needing to run and hide in our imperfection and flawed humanity, we are invited to run towards God as a little child would, and are met with love, not rejection. 

So my encouragement to you, friends, is a simple but powerful one. When you feel tempted to cover up and hide due to struggle and shame, take a cue from my niece and nephew and set aside your concern for perfection. Run to your Abba, because His love is waiting just for you, spiritual peanut butter faces and all.