The Prayer

 Luke 22: 41-46

“41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. 44 In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. 45 When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”

Jesus prayed that God remove the burden of crucifixion from Him.  Here we see the human side of Jesus.  He prayed as we would pray in such circumstances.  God’s plan for the redemption of humanity could only move forward through the sacrifice of Christ.  The weight of this was such that while praying he sweat blood.

But through his anguish, He was able to see that His own will, His own desires, paled in comparison to those of God; that His own good was nothing compared to the good that God desired for all of humanity.

And he arrived at the conclusion that it was not His will that should determine the fate of humanity, but the will of God.

Because of Christ’s sacrifice of his will in prayer and of His body on the cross, all believers are redeemed and have eternal life.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Greatest

 Luke 22:24-27

“24 A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”

Around the table in the upper room, the disciples of Christ argued over who was the greatest.  Their view of greatness, even at this point in their ministry with Christ,  did not include servanthood, or lack of pride, or humility. 

They would soon learn that none of them were great.  They would soon all flee for their lives.  They would soon all desert Christ.

In the light of the cross the disciples realized who they were, who Christ was, and their mission on earth.

The sacrifice on the cross gives all believers these things. 

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Last Meal

 Luke 22:17-23

“17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. 22 For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!” 23 Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.”

Jesus and His disciples shared their last meal, the meal we now observe as Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper.  After sharing the cup, Christ revealed that someone at the table would betray Him.

Even during the most sacred of times, even when we feel the presence of God the most, evil and temptation still reside with us.  We may not recognize it.  We may not admit it.  But it is there, in our hearts, showing us our great need for a savior. 

The new covenant of Christ is a covenant written on our hearts.  But even in our faith we are still weak.  We are still a people in need of forgiveness, of second chances, of unlimited, unconditional, unmerited love.

The sacrifice on the cross gave us those things.

“But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Transfiguration Part 2

 Luke 9:33-36

“33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.”

The transfiguration event was so amazing, that Peter did not know what to say, yet he felt compelled to say something.  Searching for something to say, his mind immediately left the spiritual and went to the everyday, practical, worldly things that he knew best.  He offered to build shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.

In Christianity, there is a time for the spiritual and a time for the very practical. There are some of us who want only the spiritual and those who want only the practical.  After Peter made his offer to build shelters, God spoke and told the disciples who Jesus was, and that they should listen to Him rather than speak.  Peter had clearly interrupted a sacred spiritual moment with worldly ideas.

There are times when we are called only to listen to God; to sit and observe His work; to watch His miracle unfolding.  Without speaking, without thinking about worldly application or logistics or resources, we are to simply watch as God moves among us.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Transfiguration Part 1

Luke 9:28-32

“28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. “

I once knew a man who could not stay awake if he sat down. This problem turned out to be a disease, but until he was treated he slept through a good part of his life, and his wife and his children’s lives that he would never get back.

In several places in the gospels we read about the disciples being overcome by sleep and sleeping through important events that were happening around them.   In the scripture above, even though they were weighed down by sleep, Peter, James and John stayed awake and saw Jesus in a way they had never seen Him.

A lot of the time, we sleepwalk through our spiritual lives.  We do not take advantage of the things offered by the church. We do not read scripture or pray.  We worship with one eye open.  We do not serve others.

For us to see Jesus, we have to be intentional about our faith.  We have to stay awake spiritually.  And if we do…

we will see Him as we have never seen Him before.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Peter’s Confession

Luke 9:18-20

“18 Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” 20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”

Jesus, on his way to the cross, asked two questions of His disciples: Who do others say that I am?  Who do you say that I am?

On our Christian journey, we will find that there are many and varied opinions about who Jesus is, some grounded in scripture and others not so much.  When we hear what others say about Jesus, we often want to set them straight or argue another opinion.   

But, when it is all said and done, the question that mattered most to Jesus was, “But, who do you say that I am?”   This is an important question to answer.  Our salvation rests on that answer.  And it matters not one bit what others are saying.   

What do you believe?  

Who do you say that Christ is?

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Jarius’ Daughter

Luke 8:40-42, 49-50, 53-56

“40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying...  49 While he was still speaking, someone came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.” 50 When Jesus heard this, he replied, “Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved.”…  53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astounded; but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.”

Jarius’ only daughter, maybe his only child, was dying.  She was twelve years old, just old enough to be considered a woman (in those days).  Reaching the age of womanhood was supposed to be a time of celebration, but instead it brought death.

Jarius, a leader in the local synagogue, fell at the feet of Jesus and begged him to come to his home to heal his daughter.  But, people who had just come from Jarius’ home told Christ not to bother, the daughter had died.

For the crowd that had gathered at Jairus’ home, death was a finality, an insurmountable obstacle, a closed door.

For Christ, death was the beginning, the pathway, the gateway to resurrection.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Widow’s Son

Luke 7:11-17

“11 Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12 As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” 17 This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.”

Jesus saw a funeral procession going by and had compassion for the weeping mother.  The Greek word used for compassion means deeply moved, down to one’s very soul; to the depths of one’s heart.

It is not the dead son that triggers such compassion in Jesus’ but the emotions of the mother.  It is also important to note that the woman did not seek Jesus out or ask Jesus for his help.  Her faith or lack of faith is never mentioned by Jesus.

Why did Jesus offer His help?  The woman was a widow.  Her son had just died.  A widow in the time of Jesus had no other means of support other than a husband or a son. A widow in such a situation had to rely on the charity of her neighbors. The son’s death meant a life of uncertainty and suffering for the widow.

The resurrection of the young man from the dead represented healing and life for both the man and his widowed mother.  It also caused a great hope and consciousness of God among the people of the community.

In the same way, the resurrection of Jesus gives Christians today the hope and assurance of eternal life, and fills our current lives with joy and abundance. 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Centurion

Luke 7:1-10

“7 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.”

Centurions were Roman Army officers who generally commanded 100 soldiers.

They occupied their positions not because of family connection, but from military prowess alone.  They were the backbone of the army.  They were steady in action, reliable, and ready at a moment’s notice to fight.  They were men who had earned the respect of their men.

The centurion in the scripture above was unusual in his love for his servant (or slave in some translations).  Servants/slaves were no more than objects or tools in ancient times.  They had no rights and were completely at the mercy of their owners.  Normally when a slave could not work, they were simply replaced.

He was unusual because he was humble, and considered himself unworthy to have someone like Christ in his home.  Needless to say, centurions were not known for their humility.

The centurion was also unusual because his religious beliefs were more than just practical aspects of his position that he used to placate the people that he subjugated. His beliefs affected the way he lived and the way he treated others.

Christ was amazed by the Centurion; not by his achievements, his title, his position, or his authority…

but by his faith, 

by his love, 

by his heart.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

A New Way

Luke 5: 36-39

“36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ‘The old is good.’”

In the life of Jesus, in His teachings, in His actions, in His love, we see that God was making all things new; a new way of understanding Him; a new way of seeing and  relating to others; a new covenant.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees, still very much rooted in the old way, were drinking “the old wine” and saying “the old is good”.  But the new wine that was being offered by God was being poured and people were drinking.

Jesus' message to the religious authorities was that God’s new covenant would not be  a sub paragraph of the old covenant, but would be an entirely different, entirely new way of God.

This way would not be known by ritual but by love; would not be exclusive, but inclusive; would not be written on stone but in the hearts of all believers.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Rituals

Luke 5:33-35

“33 Then they said to him, “John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink.” 34 Jesus said to them, “You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”

The lives of the orthodox Jews were totally ritualized.  Ritual was religion to them.  They fasted on Mondays and Thursdays and whitened their faces so that people would know that they were in fast (the feast with Levi may have been one of thes fast days).  They offered prayers two or three times a day in the morning, at noon and in the evening.  

Jesus fasted and prayed and he taught his disciples these things, but he did not strictly observe the rituals associated with fasting and prayer.  To the Pharisees, this proved that they were not religious.  

Jesus taught that religion was more than rituals and that rituals themselves were useless if performed with a corrupted heart.

For Jesus, the most important aspect of religion was not rituals but the condition of one’s heart.  Praying, fasting, and all the other disciplines and rituals should flow from our love; our love for God, and our neighbor. 

There is a time and place for all disciples to pray, and to fast.  When these are practiced, they should not be done to reveal how holy and obedient we are, but practiced in a spirit of love, and humility.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Tax Collector’s Heart

Luke 5: 27-30

“27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And he got up, left everything, and followed him.

29 Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 

The tax collectors were the most hated people in Roman dominated Palestine.  The tax collector collected the money that the Romans needed to resupply and feed the very armies that oppressed them and because of this the tax collectors were regarded as traitors.

Not only this, but the tax collector was given a lot of leeway by Rome in the collection of taxes.  As long as Rome was given its share, they did not care how much over this amount the tax collector kept for himself.  And so, the tax collectors were also regarded as thieves.

We are not told why Jesus selected Matthew, but it was a decision that raised eyebrows and the concerns of the religious and non-religious alike.  And, in looking upon Matthew, they saw only a sinner who should be shunned.

Jesus, on the other hand, saw Matthew’s heart.

“Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.” 

(Luke 5:31-32)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Forgiveness

Luke 5: 21-26

“21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone? 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus forgave the sins of the man whose friends had lowered him through the ceiling to be healed.  Sin and suffering were closely linked in ancient Israel and Jews thought that suffering was caused by sin.  Often the person suffering felt a keen sense of sin weighing on them.

This may have been the case with this man.  Without the forgiveness of his sins, the man would not have believed he could be healed.  So, Jesus forgave him.

I have met people whose past sins weigh them down in such a way that they cannot move forward in their relationship with God.  They cannot believe that Christ can forgive them.

Christ came that all who believe and confess their sins can be forgiven.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John:1:9)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Friends

Luke 5:17-20

“17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 

Everyone needs a friend.  Nothing is better than knowing that if you needed help at two in the morning there would be someone you could call and count on.  Good friends are a blessing given to us from God.

The paralyzed man in the scripture above had good friends who were willing to go to great lengths for him.  They were willing to carry him on a mat to Jesus to be healed.  Arriving at the house where Christ was staying, they found that the crowds were so great that they could not get near Jesus.  

Instead of giving up, they regrouped and thought of a very unorthodox way of approaching Jesus.  They went up on the roof, moved some of the tiles,  and lowered their friend down inside the house to very the feet of Jesus.

We need friends on our spiritual journey; friends who will be there when we need them; friends we can talk to about our faith; friends who will keep us on the straight and narrow… 

friends who will keep us at the feet of Christ.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Jesus the Leper

Luke 5:12-16

“12 Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” 13 Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he ordered him to tell no one. “Go,” he said, “and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them.” 15 But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. 16 But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.”

Jesus touched the leper and healed him. He could have healed the leper from a distance as he did in other instances, but he chose to touch the leper.

In Jesus’ time, leprosy was a terrible disease for which there was no cure and certain death. It also meant isolation from family, friends and from society in general.  No one dared go near a leper, let alone touch one.

By touching the leper, Jesus was making himself unclean,in effect becoming a leper himself, according to Jewish law, until He was ritually cleaned.  

Through the touch of Christ, the leper was made whole physically, socially, and spiritually.  

May we all experience the touch of Christ’s hand.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Go Into the Deep

Luke 5: 4-11

“4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.”

Peter and his fishing partners, James and John had fished all night long and were cleaning their nets, putting them up when Jesus came along.  After preaching to the crowd on shore, Jesus told Peter to go out into deep water and put down the nets.  

Peter was an experienced fisherman.  He knew when the fish were not biting and when they were.  He knew when to quit and when to go out.  Yet here was a Rabi telling him how and when to fish.

Peter listened to Christ.  Even though he was tired.  Even though he was frustrated.  Even though it did not make sense.  And they caught so many fish they nearly sank the boat.

Christ came to fill our spiritual lives to overflowing.  And, though we may be tired and frustrated, Christ calls us to go into the deep water with Him…

and to put down the nets.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)