December 30, 2015

“Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.” John 9:5 – 15

“When I was a child I often had a toothache, and I knew that if I went to my mother she would give me something which would deaden the pain for that night…But I did not go to my mother—at least, not till the pain became very bad. And the reason I did not go was this. I did not doubt she would give me the aspirin; but I knew she would also do something else. I knew she would take me to the dentist the next morning. I could not get what I wanted out of her without getting something more, which I did not want. I wanted immediate relief from pain: but I could not get it without having my teeth set permanently right. And I knew those dentists;I knew they started fiddling about with all sorts of other teeth which had not yet begun to ache. They would not let the sleeping dogs lie…Our Lord is like the dentists. If you give him an inch, He will take an ell (an ell is a former measure of length from the textile industry – about 45 inches). Dozens of people go to him to be cured of some particular sin which they are ashamed of…or which is obviously spoiling daily life…He will cure it all right: but He will not stop there. That may be all you asked; but if once you call Him in, He will give you the full treatment.” (Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) “For All The Saints” volume III, (p. 163 – 164)

I remember, when I was about eight years old, having a visit to the dentist. I went because one of my older brother or sisters could not attend. I went knowing I had a few loose teeth. When I returned home, my mouth was minus eight teeth. Not only did the dentist find loose teeth, he found some that he believed were “in the way” and he removed them with his pliers. I did not allow my mother to send me back to the dentist until I was twenty-three years old, and then I went only because I could not open my mouth because my wisdom teeth were coming in at such a bad angle they were impeding the function of my jaw. I needed to stop seeing the dentist only when there was a problem, and more regularly to avoid problems.

We cannot run to G-d only when our lives have gone bad or we have run into problems, and then wait to return to G-d in similar circumstances. Yet this is how many people treat Jesus. They stay away when everything is fine. But as soon as something happens that severely impairs their life’s functioning, they run to Jesus looking for a fix. Once the fix is in, or not, they run away either complaining about the cost, complaining about the intrusiveness, or complaining about the fix. This is no way to treat your relationship with G-d, or your dentist. Your dentist wants to see you twice a year, and asks you to do certain things daily to avoid seeing him or her more than twice a year. G-d doesn’t want to see us twice a year (like many do) but wants to see each and every one of us every day. G-d doesn’t want to see us only when there is a problem, but gives us daily activities to strengthen our relationship with G-d. And, G-d doesn’t only want to see us twice a year, but asks that we go to G-d daily in prayer, and weekly in bible study, and weekly in worship. We may not be able to avoid problems, but we will have a scheduled appointment daily and weekly to help us with all of our spiritual decay.

Pastor Dave