This morning, the moon was bright in the sky, even through the clouds and haze, it was glowing. And for some reason, as I stared at the moon, my mind wandered to lunar eclipses. (I know, not sure why my mind works the way it does at times.) The fact is that the moon has no light of it’s own. When it lights up the sky at night, it is by reflecting the light of the sun. But what is the cause when the moon “goes dark”, when it doesn’t glow. The reason the moon stops glowing in the darkness, is because the earth gets in between it and the sun. It is the same for us. We are called, as Christians to be lights shining in the darkness, we are called to reflect the light of Jesus, to a searching world, but when we allow the world to get between us and the Son, we stop glowing. The difference between us and the moon is that the planets are all on set paths. In fact, I would say that God set them on the paths they are on, so that we can learn lessons like this. The sun, the moon and Earth are on set orbits. Set paths that say that there will be times when the moon will enter into the Earths shadow for a period of time, and then exit that shadow. We on the other hand are not dictated by orbits, we have a choice. We have the choice to live in the shadow of the world, or the light of the Son. Granted, there are times when no matter how much we want to bask in the light of the Son, the world will intrude, and by a sheer force of will, cast it’s shadow on us. But what we learn from the Solar System is that it is only temporary. The danger we face is when we become comfortable in the shadow of the world, when we consistently allow the things of the world, to keep us out of the light of the Lord. When that happens, we quit reflecting the light of Jesus, we stop radiating, and we no longer stand out, becoming a cold lifeless thing that orbits the world. But, Jesus said that even though we may live in the world, we are not to be of the world. We may live here, but we don’t have to look like here. We are not of this world, instead, we are called to shine the light of Jesus in this world! So, I want to challenge you today, to think about where you live. Are you living in the shadow of the world, or are you living in the light of the Son? Are you allowing the world to cast a shadow on you, or are you radiating the light of Jesus to a dark and desperate world?

So, I am driving into the office this morning, and it is raining. Not much, but just enough. And I must admit, my first thought was how big of a mess this was going to make. The dogs will go outside, and since it isn’t spring yet, there isn’t any grass. Which means it will be muddy. Which means they will be muddy, and will have to be cleaned off, everything they come in. And then, I am reminded, we need the moisture. We need it now, and we will need it later. The rain is a good thing, I just wasn’t real excited about the mess, and difficulty it causes for me. But, I think that is how we are with a lot of things, especially when it comes to our faith, and our daily walk with God. At times, it will be messy. At times, Jesus is going to lead us to places that aren’t the most comfortable for us. At times, our journey is going to be messy. And that bothers us. I mean, I have to admit, I love the rain, when the grass in the yard is full and green. It soaks right in, and makes my yard even prettier. That is when I want it to rain. But, if there is no rain now, there won’t be any grass, and well, a yard of dirt is pretty messy in its own right. The truth is that God knows what we need, and when we need it. He knows that without rain in the dry season, there will never be a growing season. He knows that life in itself is messy. He knows that if we don’t go through some difficult times now, we will never experience the beauty later. He knows that the mud puddles of today, turn into flower beds of tomorrow. Which means that maybe we need to quit seeing the mess, and start seeing the promise. Maybe we need to quit spending our time lamenting the inconvenience of our circumstances and worship in the promise of Jesus that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. Maybe when we don’t understand why things are happening, we need to be mindful of the fact that His ways are higher than our ways. Maybe when we question His timing in things, we need to remind ourselves that He is God… and we are not.
I know that is a lot to get out of morning rain and muddy dogs, but, I believe that God speaks to us every day through His Creation, if we will listen. Paul writes in Romans that God’s eternal power, and divine nature, are clearly seen in what God has created, we just need to pay attention. So, today, I will focus my heart on being able worship in the mess, knowing that God is faithful.

What is freedom to you? We all have different definitions. Sometimes we think of freedom as our younger days, when we had less responsibilities and commitments. When we could go somewhere, and not have to worry about when we were coming back, or how long we stayed. Other times, freedom is something we think of when we think of the USA, and how we are free to pursue life, liberty and happiness. For some freedom is realized in the truth that they are no longer incarcerated, or no longer living in addiction. For others, freedom is a diagnosis that the cancer is gone, the disease is cured. Some experience freedom when they are “empty nesters” and have a new ability to do things. Some, feel freedom when they leave a certain job, or move from a particular town. I think that the key in all of this is that in whatever arena of life, freedom is seen as being set free from things that we feel hold us back in some way. (Please no email about me disparaging commitment, or parenthood! Lol) But, there is no greater freedom than the freedom that Jesus gave us on the cross. Galatians 5:1 is one of my favorite passages of the Bible and it reminds us of this, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” I know a lot of folks who see Christianity as a burden, as something that holds them back from enjoying life the way they think they should. But, the truth is that through Jesus we are able to truly be set free from what DOES hold us back. Sin, is weight around our neck that drags us down, and it prevents us from experiencing the life that God wants for us. And for that reason, Jesus came to earth, died on the cross, and rose again on the third day. So that you and I could be free, so that you and I wouldn’t have to be slaves to sin, so that you and I could have life, and have it abundantly. Freedom, true freedom comes from the forgiveness of God, it comes through the promise of Salvation, and the truth that this life is not all there is. True freedom happens when you realize that God knows everything about you, and still loves you unconditionally. True freedom happens when you come to grips with the fact that Christianity isn’t about what you do for God, but about what God, in Jesus, did for you.
True freedom is knowing that “… there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Years ago, my dad quit having “problems” and started experiencing “opportunities”. I have to admit that for a while I though it was kind of silly to think that just exchanging one word for another would have any impact on anything. But over the years, I came to see that the word exchange was more about a mindset, and a reminder of an age old truth. You can only control what you can control, and you can’t be concerned with the rest. Things will happen, mistakes will take place, conflict will arise, issues will surface, and most times, there is not much we can do to stop them. But, we have the opportunity to control how we respond to them. We have the opportunity to control what we can control. But that’s not new age philosophy. It is in fact Biblical theology. Time and time again the Bible tells us not to worry, to not be anxious about anything, to take everything to God in prayer, to let the peace that transcends understanding reign in our hearts. It would appear that the worlds standard, that we should worry, and fret and be anxious about all kinds of things, is not what God wants for us. And the truth is, that isn’t what God wants for us; He wants better for us. He wants us to trust Him, in little things and big things. To take care of ourselves, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, to control what we can control, and leave the rest to Him. I know that is easier said than done, but if we want to break free from the cycle of anxiety and worry, we need to make some changes in our lives, in our attitudes, and in our heart. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”