When His Presence Surpasses Presidents. UNITE Linky

I can barely scan Facebook. The wars of him and her, party lines, people and histories, temperaments and issues…filling so many minds with confusion.

And yet, did Jesus live in a similar day?

“Render to Caesar what is Caesars”, (Matt 20:21) he answered those petitioning whether to pay taxes to those competing with modern day ideology.

Still even today, allegiances are fleeting. Party lines are crossed with bickering and wars…

People say today’s presidential choices are God’s judgement, or the consequence we’ve been given…

As if our hope depends on them.

Still, Jesus didn’t alienate or label. He ate and drank with sinners, intentionally reaching the least of these, going to those the church failed to affiliate with.

And yet…

• Even Jesus disciples were caught up with pride and egos.
• They bickered about who was better, who was loved most. (Luke 9:46)
• The mother of Zebedee’s Sons even asked if her sons could sit closest to the Father in Heaven (Matt 20:21)…

And while a world pivots, and petitions, peacocks and personifies images of grandiose-ness…

Jesus gets lower, and makes himself, the humblest of servants. 

He confounds the crowd and does something unheard of.

• Jesus talks to the women most rejected. (John 4:1-42, Luke 8:43-48)
• Jesus gets down and writes in the sand amidst the Pharisees. (John 8:6)
• Jesus reaches for the leper, showing grace and mercy. (Matt 8:3)
• Jesus teaches a misguided people…

Love isn’t bound by party lines or limits. Love isn’t boxed in by human thinking, or by labels “good” and “bad”, humans place subconsciously on other people.

Love flows exponentially and completely un-containable. Love stretches and reaches, passes all nuances, and isn’t justified by circumstances…

I walk into church on Sunday. Find a booth, remembering the Bible Camp days of my childhood…

When His Spirit moved among us. And lives were changed not because we earned it.

Innocence drew the Father like a magnet, and we didn’t even grasp a God who couldn’t touch or heal us.

He came from Africa. A man I met before.

The one my heart buckled over in front one. The one my husband was radically transformed amidst.

And I learn in His presence… 

True worship surrenders all defenses, meets us in our weakness,
and submits willingly to the power of His holiness…

Found behind the veil.

It is there a sweetness fills the room. Grace becomes illuminated. Our smallness gets revealed and unraveled to us…

In the most appealing way.

And it is o.k. the earth is shaking. Presidential candidates are declaring tyranny, and there is scandals, leaks, and disastrous-expectancy…

Because my God still sits upon His throne.

And when you know The One who holds the future, you don’t tremor at the thought of some flawed leader…

You follow simply, The Eternal One…not any earthly person.

Tears start flowing in the congregation with wooden benches and the song rings, “I am redeemed”.

The weight of His presence fills each with His peace and goodness…

Weaving like the wind, around and in us…

And I…

• Long to stay here, blanketed in His presence.
• Yet, long to rise to the difficulty outside the doors of this sanctuary.
• Long to take what’s in these walls and pour it upon the streets of discontentment…

For faith was made to rise, and given to those most needing it.

And yet, we can meet Him, come to where He is, find His goodness, tucked in Scripture…

Sell all we have to buy a field, because we know where His treasures are hidden. (Matt 13:44)

And yet, too often we look for hope in others predicaments, in political arenas, in the state of affairs, or worldly situations…

When, only where He dwells makes any sense.

Simply where He is, holds the fullness of what we need, and His “more than enough” is more than sufficient.

Won’t we look less at Presidents, finding hope solely in His presence?

Nothing else can save us.

God’s love alone can reach past international walls, political lines, and personal limits.

Let’s run to where He meets us…

His presence is greater than any presidency.

Will you read more about how we are going to Chi*a in four months, here?

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