Behind Closed Doors

I recently wrote about concealing the things we don't want others to know (Shutting the Door, January 5, 2023). Interestingly enough, the "door thing" seems to be lingering around my studies right now. This time, however, doors are being closed to reveal, not conceal.

In 2 Kings 4:1-37, God's prophet, Elisha, works miracles for a couple of women. The first, a widow, is not only about to lose her home, but her sons to indentured servitude, as well. She pleads for Elisha's help. He tells her to borrow pots, jars, vessels --anything to hold liquid-- from her neighbors. She is to take the small jar of oil --the only thing she has left in her home-- and begin pouring it out into the containers. But, Elisha's instructions are very specific: she is to shut the door. She and her boys are to conduct this operation behind closed doors, not out on the front porch, enjoying the last of the day's beautiful warmth; not in the driveway, lining the Tupperware up in row after row --behind closed doors. She obeys, and the oil begins to flow, never stopping until they've filled the last thimble, all debts are paid, and she and the boys have enough to live on.

The second woman is better off financially, but her husband is old and she has no son to help her when she is widowed. Elisha promises her a son. A year later, she is holding a screaming infant and dealing with late night feedings. But she is joyous! Some time later, however, her son collapses in the field and dies in her arms. She goes to find Elisha. After giving him a bit of a what-for, she accompanies him to her home where --behind closed doors-- Elisha prays and the boy is raised to life. 

Children are taught the proper posture of prayer is to close our eyes and fold our hands. What's taught in Scripture is for us to go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place (Matthew 6:6). Closed eyes, folded hands, closed doors-- all reduce distraction. Imagine what might have happened if the woman pouring oil stopped to talk with a neighbor. Not only would her labor ceased, but perhaps, her miracle as well. And how would that conversation have gone? Oh, me? Nah, nothing much, just making some oil. Yeah, who knew I had it in me! Oh, you need some, too? Well, grab that coffee mug over there and I'll hook you up. Ooops! Seems we're all out! Guess God just chose me. We are such vain, finite creatures. How long would her focus have remained on the Lord? How long would tears of gratitude streamed down her face before she noticed her neighbor hadn't mowed his lawn in four weeks and it was looking disgraceful? How long would she have been singing and praising the Lord before she started worrying the neighbors were comparing her to CeCe Winans?

And the woman whose son had passed --what if, the minute Elisha laid eyes on the boy, he'd simply lifted his hands and begun praying? Maybe there'd be a different outcome; maybe not. But Elisha felt the need to close the door, to remove all distraction, to be alone with God and the situation he was looking to have transformed.

If you've ever turned off your phone, sat in silence, maybe even turned off the lights, and just poured your heart out to the Lord, or let Him pour His out to you, you know that is the place where transformation lives. Where thoughts and words bubble up from within that you know are not your own; where you begin to pray for relationships or peace or finances, and suddenly find yourself longing to reconcile with others, or for them to know the peace of God or His provision; where you come to Him wanting answers to your deepest hurts and realize instead, He is the Answer; where all your lack becomes blessing and praise. Miracles happen and truth is revealed when we give all of ourselves to the Lord behind closed doors.

BIG!

Most days, my life is pretty basic. Get up, quiet time with Jesus, get Mom ready for the day, see Scott off to work, walk the dog... You get the picture. There is little in my life at the moment that would land me on the front page of the New York Times. Thank God. But what if I have been put here --in this quiet neighborhood, in this quiet season of my life, with these people that I call family-- for a purpose. Spoiler alert: I totally believe that I have, but I think we sometimes believe the purpose of our life has to appear BIG!! (See Esther 4:14)

If you know the biblical account of Esther, you know she was a young Jewish girl, kidnapped and forced to "try out" for the position of queen in the land of Judah's exile. One of the more nefarious characters in the Persian court devised a plan to eradicate the Jewish people. Mordecai, Esther's uncle, convinced Esther to use her influence as queen to "out-scheme" Haman, enemy of the Jews, and save her people from annihilation. Esther knew that to enter the king's presence unsummoned could mean death. Her uncle gently reminded her that she, as a Jew, was on the "hitlist" as well; she shouldn't think she will be spared. He uttered the words that have become the inspiration of many sermons on purpose and courage:

Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Well, this is not a sermon, and it's not necessarily about purpose or courage except to say, it may not be what you think. Easy to see in Esther's case, the stakes were high. She was a queen in an opulent palace, home of a powerful and eminent ruler. Her entire race was being threatened; her obedience could be the only deterrent to utter genocide. She was putting her life on the line. BIG!! It's obvious, right?

But what about my life? What about yours? Nothing big going on here; in fact, life right now seems pretty small. Wash, rinse, repeat. But what if the days you spend volunteering at the library or working your "dead-end" job at the grocery store are important to your co-workers or the customers who need a pleasant interaction and a smile? What if, by doing something as simple as inviting a friend's family to church, you opened the door to a teen choosing to be a missionary? What if the encouraging word you spoke to your neighbor about his first attempts at landscaping were exactly what he needed to hear to keep him from spending day after day locked behind closed doors? What if your prayers for your children will be the light that keeps them off the rocks for years to come? What if someone else is inspired by your example to be plain and reliable and faithful and behind-the-scenes and maybe even a little small? What if you have come to the place you are in life to simply serve God and be a blessing to others in the everyday?

That could be HUGE!!

January 6th

The big news in our neck of the woods just before Christmas, was an emergency bridge closure on a heavily traveled road. The bridge, which was in terrible disrepair, would be "closed indefinitely," it was announced. For two weeks people were losing their minds over the detour. They didn't suddenly get over it-- no pun intended --the bridge reopened as quickly as it was shut down. Business as usual. No more detour.

For those of us in the United States, the significance of January 6th has taken a detour from the Christian calendar. Rather than observances of Three Kings Day, we are inundated with updates on subpoenas and rulings and insurrection. Just for a moment, I'd ask you to hop back on the main road, and look with me at the events that have been celebrated on that date for centuries. Matthew records them in his Gospel (Matthew 2:1-12).

Most scholars believe Jesus was about two years old when the star brought wise men (magi) from the East to Bethlehem. These magi, or kings as some traditions state, began asking around until word of their search reached Herod the king. Verse 3 says he was "troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." I guess if Herod ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. So, the king sent for his advisors and wise men, then secretly summoned the visiting magi to see if their stories lined up. All the evidence was there: this Child that was born in Bethlehem was the King, the Ruler and Shepherd of Israel. Herod made a request of the magi:

Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.

Verse 9 records their response: 

When they heard the king, they departed;

They heard him. There doesn't seem to be any further discussion or agreement. I realize the absence of a record doesn't mean the absence of a commitment, but The Complete Jewish Bible says, "After they had listened to the king;" almost as though they listened politely, but weren't very interested in him. The Amplified Bible says, "they went their way;" as though they would not be rerouted from their purpose. When they reached the place where the star stood still, they were filled with joy. They went into the house, found Jesus with His mother, Mary, fell on their faces, and worshipped, presenting the Christ child with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

You know, you can learn a lot from a wise man (or three). Single-minded and undeterred from their search, they made the long journey to find their one true King. They rejoiced at finding Him. They humbled themselves and worshipped Him. They gave Him precious gifts. How often do the things of this life distract us from keeping our hearts and minds focused on our one true King? How often do those things take His place in our schedules or our giving? How often do we take the time to just rejoice at the presence of Christ in our world today (or do we spend way too much time lamenting the way "today's generation" conducts itself)? When presented with the choice of doing something for ourselves or sacrificing that others might know the King of kings, what do we choose? Have we given Him the most precious gift we can give: a heart surrendered, fixated on His will for this world, willing to do whatever He calls us to do?

The magi were warned by an angel not to return to Herod. They obeyed, and this time chose the detour towards home. Tomorrow, I hope you spend a few moments thinking about the lessons that can be gained from January 6th-- the one recorded in Matthew. And I pray nothing would distract you from your journey to worship the King with all you have.

Worthy!

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Juliet argues the folly of judging her lover simply by his family's last name: Does his name alter his character?

In Hebrew tradition, naming could be a very big deal. Throughout the Bible, we see occasions in which God named or changed the names of people in order to reflect a transformation in their character or a revelation of God's plan for their life. A name was an expression of essence; to know a person's name was to know their virtue. Even today, many Jewish parents choose to name their children after a deceased relative, keeping the deceased's essence "alive" and, hopefully, inspiring their child to emulate their namesake's best qualities. 

Over the past month or so we've probably heard some portion of "the Christmas story" read from Luke 2. The census, the inn, the shepherds. But in the book of Luke, the account begins with an angel appearing to a priest named Zacharias. The angel tells him that his aging, barren wife would have a son and his name would be John. According to custom, his name was formally given to him eight days after his birth. Those gathered were a bit taken aback: there was no one in the family who bore the name John. Why had Zacharias and Elizabeth chosen that name? Well, because the angel had instructed them and they obeyed. Because God had set him apart even before he was born; because God had a plan; because he was to be "John the Baptist," the herald to Christ, eating locusts and wild honey, hanging out in the wilderness. But here is where I'd like to draw your attention: 

But they said to her, ~ Luke 1:61

They? They who? Well, going back to verse 58, it says Elizabeth's neighbors and relatives rejoiced with her over the birth of John the Baptist. I think it's safe to assume the they referred to in verse 61, are neighbors and relatives who were gathered for the naming and the circumcision.

With all of that being said, now take a look at Luke 2:21:

And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

That's it. This Christ child born into obscurity is eight days later, circumcised and named with, apparently, no fanfare, no neighbors and relatives standing by. There is one single verse that records the event of His bris (circumcision) and naming. Joseph and Mary aren't even given a single line in this script. Even Luke's account of John the Baptist's naming leaves the town all abuzz (v. 66). But the birth of the King of kings, the long-awaited Messiah...

Here we are, eight days after Christmas, the day Joseph and Mary would have, according to Jewish law, had Jesus circumcised; His name would have been formally given. And it was. In a ceremony that is not immortalized with crowds or caterers or even more than a single verse. No doubt, in our homes, Christmas 2022 has already been or is in the process of being relegated to ancient history. Plastic mistletoe and jingle bells have been stowed away; the ceramic baby Jesus has been carefully swaddled, preserving Him for His reappearance next December. The gaiety and buzz of our holiday has been exchanged for the routine and prosaic. May it leave room for greater celebration in our hearts. Each day, every day. Yeshua (Jesus), our salvation! Shiloh, our peace! Immanuel, God with us! Our King may have made Himself lowly for our sakes, but the circumstances of His birth and the modesty of His naming do not negate the mightiness and honor of His character. He is worthy! And His name is above every other name! May His name be praised!