Devotionals @ The Mount Church

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:8

Today’s playlist song is “The Company You Keep”, by the Waiting, from the album “Unfazed”. And the way Jesus chooses to hob-knob with sinners is the point of the song. What great love that Jesus would come for us, when we were still entrenched in sin. What greater love that the Spirit remains with us and Jesus continues to plead our case before the throne.

So while my dinner get done / I’m reading your history /You’ve got a reputation and all the people you see / Are a dangerous crowd they’re an unsavory sort / Though I can’t say it too loud I heard an evil report

That you call me your own / Never leave me alone / I think I should warn you / You’re getting in deep / With the company you keep

Lepers. Harlots. Tax-collectors. Samaritans. You. And Me. Are you astounded by the fact that Jesus would rub shoulders with you? That he would consider you a friend, even part of the family? I find that I can easily become accustomed to taking the relationship for granted - failing to realize that it is only the great love of God that could account for my standing before God.

Jesus hung out with sinners, the rejected, the diseased and hurting - but he didn’t do it to make them feel bad. Though he was direct about the seriousness of sin, he was accepting, forgiving and willing to offer his attention. When we fall short, the answer is not to sulk in our shame. It is to take hold of this great love and get back up again. Not “lifting ourselves up by our own bootstraps” - just trusting God’s promise to be with us and help us endure.

application

Do you have anyone that needs forgiveness from you? Not deserves it  - needs it. Jesus said that if we would not forgive, we would not be forgiven. Have you done somethng recently that requires forgiveness? What will you do to make it right?

My great grandmother, whom I called “Nana” gave me my very first hymnal when I was just a young aspiring musician.  She was a pianist and I used to sit and watch her play and sing the songs of her faith for hours.  As I grew and blossomed into a lover of music myself, eventually Nana’s instrument became my own, both figuratively and literally, and in just a short matter of time thereafter, her faith became mine as well.  I developed a love for the God my Nana worshiped and the hymns she used to express that love.

As I prepared to write today’s devotion, I reached for the shelf and pulled several hymnals out, looking for one that contained the score I needed.  Only one hymnal had the song I was looking for; you guessed it, Nana’s.  And on page 60 I read once again the indelible words penned by Frederick Lehman way back in 1917:

The love of God is greater far, than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell.

That is the Love my grandmother sang about, and the Love that I still proclaim as part of her legacy today.  The Bible says that God IS love  (I John 4:8) and that love exceeds our ability to comprehend.  It defies adequate definition as my favorite verse of the hymn expresses:

Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made, Were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill, and ev’ry man a scribe by trade, To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whole, tho’ stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!  It shall forevermore endure-The saints’ and angels’ song.

My Nana passed away when I was a teenager, but even still, I knew her to be a saint.  I know she’s in heaven right now joining the angels in their eternal song of God’s love.  I’m singing it here on earth until I join them in heaven, and I hope you’ll be singing it with us forevermore too!

O love of God, how rich and pure!  How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure- The saints’ and angels’ song…

Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing) Song Story

Perhaps you can relate to how today’s song came into existence. It’s co-composers, Brian Doerksen and Brenton Brown, still chuckle at how God gives inspiration even amidst the ordinary and routine trappings of our lives, and how simple beginnings can be transformed into global impacts when placed in God’s hands! Read below the true and humorous story in Brian Doerksen’s own words as found on his MySpace blog.

My co-writer Brenton Brown is originally from South Africa, and I met him as one of the emerging worship leaders I mentored in the late 90s while we lived in England.

In the early part of 2000, shortly after we moved back to Canada, Brenton came to visit us and do some co-writing. On this particular day, things were not going well on the home front. Isaiah, our ‘Made in England’ souvenir, was not a happy baby! My wife, Joyce, was in the kitchen trying to make the family dinner, and Brenton and I were trying to be creative and write songs in my home office. Finally, in exasperation, Joyce brought crying Isaiah to me, put him in my arms and said, ‘You look after him for a while!’ So I headed to the living room to try and calm Isaiah down by sitting in the rocking chair. I rocked him for a while, trying to calm him down, but he was still very fussy and crying. A short while later, Brenton burst into the living room with another idea. Now, being the slightly clueless single that he was at the time, he didn’t get the direct and indirect messages that our songwriting session was over for the day! Isaiah is crying on my lap - and not very impressed with this noisy singing going on - and I am looking at Brenton, thinking, ‘Perhaps now is not a good time?’ and he launches into his idea anyway.

‘I have this idea for a song that I haven’t played for you yet - I have a strong start to a verse but I have no chorus.’ (All songwriters out there can relate to this situation!)

Your love is amazing steady and unchanging. Your love is a mountain firm beneath my feet.

‘And that’s all I have!’

And so with Isaiah squirming and fussing I call out, ‘Why don’t you do this for the chorus?’ and I literally sing out the melody as you know it.

Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Your love makes me sing

‘And then sing it again!’

Brenton looks at me and says, ‘No way!’ and I say, ‘Yes way!’

Well, I am still singing this song…and Brenton is too, along with other recording artists and worship leaders! Its been so fun to see the joy and celebration this song has released around the world - a very special gift for me, because my songs have tended to land more on the intense and intimate side.

My wife sometimes blesses me to go away for a couple of days to retreat and write. But sometimes, if I ask her, she looks at me with a twinkle in her eye and just says, ‘Hallelujah!’ I know what she is saying - that even in the middle of crazy family life God can give good creative gifts!

What good creative gift may God be trying to bless you with today? Are you so busy that you’re in jeopardy of overlooking it? Remember, God is in the business of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Look for His hand at work in your life today.

My God, my God / Why hast thou accepted me / You took my sin and wrapped me in / You robe and your ring / My God, my God / Why hast thou accepted me / It’s a mystery of mercy / And the song I sing

Today’s song bridges us from peace (last week’s topic) to love. This song is Andrew Peterson’s, from his album, “The Far Country”. It is moved along by Jesus word’s on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” - Matthew 27:45. It is wed with an understanding of forgiveness motivated by the story of the prodigal son. The verses of the song repeatedly remind us of Jesus’ actions of love and acceptance; the woman at the well, the judgemental religious leaders and the adulterous woman, the harlot, the lepers healed.

All of these speak of Jesus’ love. Jesus’ love allows us the chance to start anew. It puts us in right relationship with him so that we can live in a new way. It is not ignorant or silly, overlooking the seriousness of sin. Instead, it is powerful and directed, helping the sinner move from their sin and shame to godly action. The love and mercy God provides are not the fruits of our labor, something we worked to receive. They are something we did not deserve, but rather, something that we experience because Jesus has stood in our place.

So Jesus used this illustration: “If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine others to go search for the lost one until you found it? And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders. When you arrived, you would call to your friends and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found. In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”

Luke 15:3-7

Luke spends a great amount of time expressing the joy of heaven at even a single sinner saved. It is the proof of God’s saving activity! But for us personally, it is the experience of his love. It is how we know that he really does love us. We get to experience the guilt removed, though sometimes the consequences remain. We get a whole new relationship with God, not just  new start at living up to God’s perfect standard.

Mercy and forgiveness are the outpouring of love. They  are something we must receive first. But it is not supposed to end there. Jesus demonstrates love so that we might explore its depths. We are now called to turn around and offer love to everyone we come into contact with. And that means showing forgiveness and mercy - sometimes when we least want to. But the more we follow Jesus in this way, the more our hearts will become like his.

prayer

Peace, mercy, love. Take some time today to simply thank God for sending Jesus. For loving us enough to bridge the gap we could not on our own. Then think of someone in your life who is hard to love, or maybe even hard to forgive: a parent, a coworker, a one-time friend? Pray for God to work in your heart. Then pray that this person would experience God’s mercy, love and presence. It’s hard to be cold to another person made in God’s image when we are praying that they would experience God’s love and presence!

Though we’re strangers, still I love you / I love you more than your mask / and you know you have to trust this to be true / and I know that’s much to ask / but lay down your fears, com and join this feast / He has called us here, you and me

Communion is a shared celebration. It reminds us that we are all brought together into one body, regardless of our background. Jesus has made peace between the nations! It is a feast that centers on him, and keeps us from focusing on ourselves. Yes, we are led to consider our faithfulness as we take the bread and the wine. But The focus need not be on our failing, but instead can be on Jesus’ provision of Himself.

So may peace rain down from Heaven / like little pieces of the sky / like those little keepers of the promise / falling on these souls this drought has dried / In His Blood and in His Body / In this Bread and in this Wine / Peace to you, Peace of Christ to you

Now, you may be asking yourself. What does communion have to do with my Christian faith? How does it help me in my daily walk? In our church, it is not something that is practiced as frequently as in some other Christian settings. But hopefully that makes our celebrations of communion more special in that they are more poignant reminders, times that stand out as we worship the lamb who was sacrificed for us. But we can remember the things that communion signifies each day. We can be reminded that Jesus’ body was broken for our peace. We can remember that his blood was enough to cover every sin that afflicts us. And we can also remember that God sent his son to save the whole world. To redeem people who hitherto were at odds with each other, people who would not be seen together, people who simply do not like each other. To make a new people united in him.

What would this do to our lives? What words might describe the life that understands the broken body, the spilled blood, the new nation? Love. Patience. Depth. Compassion. Unity. Peace. I love the play on words in this song, between peace and piece. The idea of peace coming down like the rain, drenching us, reminding us in our times of hardness and dryness that God is still there, he still unites us and teaches us how to love. It is a form of beauty, being able to see God’s provision and concern in everything - miraculous to mundane.

And though I love you still we’re strangers / prisoners in these lonely hearts / and though our blindness separates us / still His light shines in the dark / and His outstretched arms / are still strong enough to reach / behind these prison bars to set us free

For the second time in this song we are reminded of our isolation. Often, we can feel like strangers, even in the middle of a crowd. Even as we greet the congregation on Sunday morning our hearts might be distant. It could be the result of pain inflicted by another. Or it could just be dissatisfaction within our own hearts. Or it may be a result of barriers we have built up to protect ourselves from being hurt, or being challenged beyond our comfort level. The song encourages us to set these barriers to the side. Or rather, it pictures God himself reaching through the prison walls, the ones we have built up, to rescue us from ourselves.

Rich Mullins (on the album “A Liturgy, A Legacy and a Ragamuffin Band”) shares in this song a blessing. It is the hope that we would be more than strangers, that through Christ’s love we could recognize each other - see each other face to face. The result would be love! It would be shared meals and intertwined lives. It would be more like life, less like the day-to-day grind we so often experience. It would be harmony and joy. Read these words from the book of Colossians:

Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:12-17

So we end today with the blessing  of the chorus:

So may peace rain down from Heaven / like little pieces of the sky / like those little keepers of the promise / falling on these souls this drought has dried / In His Blood and in His Body / In this Bread and in this Wine / Peace to you, Peace of Christ to you