Psalm 127:1 A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat– for he grants sleep to those he loves. 3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. 4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate (NIV).

As our Songs of Ascents continue, we’ve seen that we can:

• Expect Opposition
• Gaze Beyond the Hills
• Seek God’s Presence and Know His Peace
• Cry Out, ‘Have Mercy’
• Remember God’s Ways of Escape
• Have Blessings of Security Coming from Him
• Reap a Harvest of Joy

And today, we come to the eighth Song of Ascents.  Blessings of Security come from God –we’ve seen that already.  Today, we’re seeing the bigger picture that God is the One from Whom All Blessings Flow.

In Psalm 127, we see that it’s not just security that God provides.  He is the giver of everything from the place in which we live…to the food we eat…to the jobs we need… to the roof over our heads…to the sleep we require…to the children we are blessed to have…to the confidence of a right standing with God. 

In God We Trust needs to be a lifestyle lived by a grateful people, not just a slogan printed on our currency and an issue to be tossed about like a political football.

Ultimately when we live as though it’s just a national motto or a political advertising campaign, we risk leaving God completely out of the picture.  It’s as if our life’s blessings arose by our own will.

• Are we grateful to God? 
• Do we believe He exists apart from any benefit we might be able to gain from Him? 
• Have we been living with the humble acknowledgement that He alone is God?  Do we truly depend on Him? 

When we act as though we’ve provided everything for ourselves, in Babel fashion, we will be put to shame.  Shame isn’t the same as being embarrassed.  It’s more like being exposed when what we have built–and been so proud of–falls apart when the storms of life come.  Unless God builds the house, its builders labor in vain.  We need to be careful where we place our trust.

The God of the Bible is the One from Whom All Blessings Flow!  Therefore, “In God We Trust” needs to be our confident and humble doxology, a thankful expression, a lifestyle, and confession of God-fearing believers everywhere.

The story of the prodigal son is a familiar one.  It’s a story of rebellion and envy and of what the Father’s forgiveness and love look like. 

It’s also the third story of Joy in the Lost and Found and an expression of the true spirit of Lent.

Every once in a while, people ask me what I’m giving up for Lent. 

• A meal each day? 
• Chocolate?
• Red meat?
• TV?
• Internet?

None of those.  It may surprise some of you who know me to learn that this year for Lent, I’ve given up self-loathing.  

It’s been my secret sin as I’ve tried to earn love and favor only to find it’s not something I can earn.   Many of my closest friends have probably seen a confident façade, unaware that I’ve been carrying this people-pleasing, sin-recalling, self-flagellating, rejection-wallowing, failure-clinging, and never-measuring-up-self-loathing around for the better part of 50 years.  This year, I came to my senses. 

For me, Lent isn’t about giving up something for a season.  It’s giving something up for life.

In Luke 15, Jesus says that the younger son came to his senses and got up and went to his father (picking up verse 20)  “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. … 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, … 28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

Ironically both the younger and older son learned that the currency of the father’s love wasn’t found in check boxes of duty.   The father’s love couldn’t be earned or lost.  The father’s love for both of his sons was found in relationship.

So, this year, I’ve repented of self-loathing and dutifully trying to earn favor.  Instead, I choose to embrace the true spirit of Lent.  I have come to my senses and given up something that grieves the Father who loves me.  I’m not just giving it up for a season, but a lifetime, embracing the relationship I can never earn and can never lose.  There is a Harvest of Joy as we celebrate how our Father loves us by sending His Son Jesus so that we can experience true forgiveness!

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:8-10, NIV).

A cause for celebration.  Is this how you view your faith in Jesus Christ?

In today’s parable, the second installment of Joy in the Lost and Found, there is a woman who lost a coin and finds it.  She calls her friends and neighbors to share her joy.  I can relate.

I remember a time when I worked at Home Depot and would go home every day for lunch.  One day, I put on my coat and headed home.  When I arrived home and was fixing my lunch, I noticed that the prong on my ring was empty.  The diamond was gone.

Now I didn’t have an engagement ring.  My husband proposed to me over a pay phone from a Munich (West) Germany post office.  He flew home and we got married and for 15 years, I had a wedding ring and I was happy.  For our 15th wedding anniversary, he bought me a ring that had a diamond on it.  By American engagement standards, he felt like something important had been left undone, so fifteen years later, he wanted to celebrate our marriage by giving me a ring.  I’m not a jewelry kind of person by nature, but this ring was special…every bit as special as my wedding ring because it was celebrating something significant.

It meant a lot.  Far beyond its material value, it represented love.

When the diamond was missing, I was brokenhearted.  I was in a panic, frantically searching the kitchen.  No diamond.  I searched the car.  No diamond.  I drove back to Home Depot with my mind fixated on one thing: finding that diamond.  I scoured the parking lot, retracing every step I’d taken.  I looked over every inch of the floor in the store where I’d walked.  I went to the greenhouse where I worked, my heart sinking as I remembered the work I’d done that morning of moving a million plants.  As I shared my sadness with my co-workers who could see that I was worried, we all began to look…and then the most wonderful thing happened.  On the floor near where I’d put on my coat, the sunlight suddenly hit the loose diamond and I saw it.  I’d found something special and valuable that had been lost.  Now every analogy falls apart, but the lesson wasn’t lost on me:

There is a Harvest of Joy in finding something of great value that had been lost. 

I celebrated.  My co-workers celebrated with me.  I confessed it to my husband at dinner and together we celebrated that it was found.

Likewise and more so, God and all the angels celebrate at what was lost being found, what was broken being restored, and what had fallen apart being reclaimed and put back in its setting by its original Owner: the image of God in every human being is very precious in God’s sight and so valuable that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to allow us to be found again, in Him.  We celebrate our being found by worshiping Him and by inviting others to celebrate with us.  Heaven and all the saints on earth reap a Harvest of Joy when one sinner repents.  It is a cause for celebration.

Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  Then Jesus told them this parable:  “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders  and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:1-7, NIV).

I love this Discipleship Lesson: Reap a Harvest of Joy.  As a person who has been through my share of stuff and has daily reminders of my sin nature, passages like today’s always bring me a Harvest of Joy.  For those of you familiar with this Scripture and the two stories that follow it in the Bible, we’re about to see Joy in the Lost and Found three times over.

Jesus is surrounded by tax collectors and “sinners.”  If you stop to think about it, even the Pharisees and the teachers of the law gathered there, they were all sinners.  Jesus was the only sinless one of the bunch.

In Jesus’ midst were those who understood the truth about sin and those who did not. 

Jesus and the tax collectors/sinners understood that all of mankind falls into the sinner camp.  Only Jesus, the Son of God, was sinless.  The Pharisees and the teachers of the law saw themselves as righteous and Jesus as welcoming sinners and therefore being polluted.  It’s why they muttered.  They were grumbling and grouchy and wanted to find fault and take Jesus down a notch, or take Him down, period.

Jesus tells the parable of the Lost Sheep.  This is one of my favorite parables because of the way He speaks of the shepherd’s (indeed the Good Shepherd’s) relentless search for those who are lost.  And when the shepherd finds it, joyfully putting it on his shoulders saying,

Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.”

To know that there was rejoicing in heaven when I repented of my sin, to even think of Jesus’ joy at finding me (though I was lost and totally undeserving of anything) and yet, to be reminded of the magnitude of Jesus’ love for the lost–it is simply amazing!

There aren’t words to say it any better than this parable…

For further thought:

• Have you been found by Him?  If yes—then thank Him and praise Him today.
• Are you still lost in your sin, thinking of yourself as righteous?  See the love of God present in this parable, repent of your sin, and hear the angels sing as you experience the loving touch of the Good Shepherd and Reap a Harvest of Joy as one who was lost and now is found.

Psalm 126:1 A song of ascents. When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. 4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev. 5 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him (NIV).

We’re nearly half way through our Songs of Ascents.  This is Discipleship Lesson #7: Reap a Harvest of Joy.  In a world where we Expect Opposition and Cry Out ‘Have Mercy,’ we can still Seek God’s Presence and Know His Peace.  We Gaze Beyond the Hills and Remember God’s Way of Escape.

He gives us Blessings of Security and we Reap a Harvest of Joy.

How much of your Christian life has felt like sowing in tears, going out weeping?  Suffering is a huge part of the faithful Christian life and yet, it doesn’t have the final say.  As God brings each of us along on this pilgrim’s journey, we may experience difficulties.  But after the suffering we endure, He gives us joy.  He restores us.

So many passages of Scripture speak of this turning weeping into joy!  Consider these words of encouragement:

Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name.  For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning… You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever” (Psalm 30:4-5, 11-12 NIV)

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,  to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,  and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor” (Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV). 

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.   A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy  (John 16:20-22, NIV).

It is no wonder that pilgrims would turn their thoughts to a Harvest of Joy that awaits saints heading to Jerusalem to be in the presence of God.  He has freed the captives and given us life.  There is rejoicing among the saints on earth and rejoicing in heaven.  There is a Harvest of Joy.

Therefore my people will know my name;  therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it.  Yes, it is I.”   How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,  who proclaim peace,  who bring good tidings,  who proclaim salvation,  who say to Zion,  “Your God reigns!”   Listen!  Your watchmen lift up their voices;  together they shout for joy.  When the LORD returns to Zion,  they will see it with their own eyes.   Burst into songs of joy together,  you ruins of Jerusalem,  for the LORD has comforted his people,  he has redeemed Jerusalem.   The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations,  and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.    (Isaiah 52:6-10)

I’m presently in purge-mode.  My husband and I had been window shopping one day and admiring latest styles of furniture.  He thought one item was particularly nice and asked if we had a place to put it.  “No,” I said, “we’re all filled up and if we take on something new, something old has got to go and it’s likely to be one of your favorites.”  That solved that.  I’m purging, down-sizing, and simplifying.

Today’s passage (Luke 12:15-33) shows three vignettes that might not seem connected at first blush and we’ve purposely taken this passage out of the journey’s sequential order of Luke to make a very different point on this long and winding road of discipleship.

Hoarding 101 is Don’t.

When we hoard, we worry about what we’re hoarding.  That’s because hoarding is basically a less offensive term for greed.  Blessings of Security have not been acquired on our own.  They are God’s gift and therefore, cannot be kept secure by hoarding.  They come at the daily cost of complete surrender, knowing that God is faithful to provide each day.

1. In Luke 12:15, Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Hoarding possessions just causes us to worry.
2. In Luke 12:22-23, Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.”  Hoarding food or clothes just causes us to worry.
3. In Luke 12: 29-30, Jesus says, “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.  For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.”  When we hoard food or drink or make it the pursuit of our life, we act as though we don’t have a God who provides.  We look no different than people who have no god.  Hoarding just makes us worry.

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.  Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:31-33).

It isn’t wrong to be good stewards, to enjoy God’s blessings of material goods, or to save for the future.  But, I feel sorry for those who become consumed by their possessions, kind of like the Traveler’s Insurance dog in the commercial, worrying about the security of the bone he values.  He should just trust the hand who feeds him.  Likewise, our key is where our heart is.  If the blessings become what we seek and we worry about how to protect them instead of relying on the God who provides them all, it’s time to purge our lives of the lesser gods.  Seek first the Kingdom…

For further reflection:

1. Are there things in my life that have a hold on me?
2. Am I seeking God who is my treasure in heaven and giving Him to others by sharing His gospel?
3. In what ways am I tempted to hoard?  What do I think hoarding is a protection against?

Luke 14:1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched…

Insert Admiral Ackbar from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi shouting, “It’s a trap!” 

But Jesus’ reaction to the trap was not an evasive maneuver.  He headed straight into their trap, exposing their pious pride by turning the tables. 

Pride is presuming our high position, finding fault with others, judging the One who will someday judge all of us, and thinking we are owed, by our pious actions, the very Blessings of Security given as a gracious gift of God…to those undeserving.

The stage was set for the perfect Pharisaical trap:

Sabbath, check!

Eating, check!

Prominent, check!

Pharisee, check!

Then they carefully watched Jesus as “There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy” (v.2).

Insert Sesame Street… Four of these things belong together… “One of these things is not like the others.” 

Why would a man suffering from dropsy not belong in this Pharisaical picture of table fellowship?  

Because he had dropsy.  Pharisees were careful with associations and Sabbath cleanliness.  Rather than Jesus agreeing what didn’t belong, He pointed out why the other four things were misunderstood.  The proud had gathered to trap and to judge Him.  He served them a three course meal of crow. 

The thing they thought didn’t belong…was the one thing…that did.

• Crow Appetizer (Blessing of Compassion):  “Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”  But they remained silent.  So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away” (verses 3-4).
• Crow Main Course (Blessing of Humility):  “When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:  ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited… For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted'” (verses 7-8, 11).
• Crow Dessert (Blessing of Grace) “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (verses 13-14).

God’s Blessings of Security are His gracious gifts of mercy and love to the undeserving.  They are meant to be humbly shared with and extended to others equally undeserving.

Then right on cue (verse 15): “When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, ‘Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.’”

So proud, this man still didn’t get it after three helpings of crow.  Jesus exposes the trap of pious pride by telling a parable in which the one thing they’d assumed didn’t belong was the one thing that did.

• Blessed are those who understand that Sabbath cleanliness is inward, expressed as compassion toward every person’s need for God’s holy and healing touch on human lives marred by sin.
• Blessed are those who live humbly, seeing ourselves and others through the lens of God’s priorities.
• Blessed are those who understand the meaning of grace, knowing the healing we need…we can never repay to God…even with our most pious lifestyle.

Don’t fall into the Piety Trap, trying to earn God’s blessings.  Blessings of Security come by God’s grace alone.  Our personal piety is a humble response because we know we’re undeserving.

For further thought:  Have your actions ever been under the microscope?  What has been your response?
Have you ever been around people with religious pride?  What does valuing correct doctrine at the cost of compassion say about their piety?

Psalm 125:1 A song of ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore. 3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. 4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. 5 But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.

The journey “Up to Jerusalem” has been a long and winding road of discipleship, with many lessons along the way.  The climb has been steep and the lessons have been necessary and sometimes difficult to accept.  Expect Opposition.  Gaze Beyond the Hills.  Seek God’s Presence and Know His Peace.  Cry out, ‘Have Mercy!’  God’s Way of Escape is a narrow costly one.

If we focus only on the opposition, narrowness, and difficulty, we will miss the beauty of Psalm 125 and Discipleship Lesson #6: Blessings of Security.

In this sixth Song of Ascents, the psalmist speaks of vindication and eternal security that revives the hearts and souls of weary travelers because this hope is as reliable as God Himself.   Looking forward to the temple and the presence of God among His people, the pilgrims enjoy the security of the favor of God upon His people—a security that lasts forever!  It cannot be shaken!  A Mount Zion kind of trust that is rock solid because God is our Rock!

As God’s people, we are secure.  We are protected.  Our journey pauses at a rest area—a place to experience the reviving of our souls, the refreshing of our spirits as Christ’s living water showers us with the love and grace and goodness of God.

Do you need the refreshing presence of God today? 

• Bask in the warmth of His love.
• Feel the Holy Spirit rain down upon you.
• Know the promise of His grace, the unmerited favor of God.
• His love is forever.
• His protection is secure.
• His people are vindicated and cannot be shaken.
• God is eternally unchanging and forever faithful!

These are the Blessings of Security paid for by God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.

 He has become a high priest forever,  in the order of Melchizedek.   (Hebrews 6:19-20)

Today is a perfect day to enjoy the rest area and praise Him,  enjoy Him,  and cherish His being Emmanuel,  God with us…