Journeys, Jonah, Jesus and Signs

We took the greater part of Monday to return from south Texas to Houston. As we approached Victoria from the south on Hwy. 77, we saw some signs that said there was an accident ahead. Then the whole northbound side was closed with more signs and a barrier. We had no alternative but to detour eight miles out of our way through Victoria. Its strange how signs will direct you to a road you never expected to travel.

So it was with the shepherds of Bethlehem. The gleaming angelic visitor said, "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12).

After the messenger had left they went on a most unexpected journey back into the tiny village where they saw the baby and his mother exactly as they were told. This was a story they had to tell, one I can imagine they retold again and again for the rest of their lives.

What part do signs play in the Bible? This is a large topic.

During His public ministry the Lord Jesus was challenged by the ultra-conservative Pharisees. If he was to be taken seriously they needed a sign from heaven, that is direct from God. Jesus pointed them to the red sky in the morning, the universal sign that a storm is approaching. "You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky," he went on, "but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be give to it except the sign of Jonah" (Matthew 16:3-4).

What in the world did that mean? Jesus explained to his disciples that Jonah was in the belly of of a fish for three days and nights before being vomited onto dry land and sent off to preach a message of repentance to Nineveh (Jonah 1:17).


Shortly before returning to heaven Jesus opened the Scriptures to his disciples and taught them again that it was written that the Son of Man was to suffer, die and rise from the dead on the third day. Then they were to preach a message of repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations beginning in Jerusalem (Luke 24:45-48).


The church, the living body of Christ on earth, with her message of Jesus' cross and resurrection is a sign to all. The promised Christ has come. God's love and mercy is offered and available to anyone who will turn from sin.


More on this another time. 

The Holy Family’s Journey And Ours

When we visited Egypt some years back our tour group was led into a Coptic Church in Cairo. There in the narthex was a map of the Holy Family's journey during the years they stayed in Egypt to avoid the wrath of King Herod. As you will remember, Joseph was told by an angel to take Mary and the Child and flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:23). Being a Christian from the West, I had never known anything about this ancient tradition or anything about the sites held sacred by the Christians living in that ancient land.

Be Thou There: The Holy Family’s Journey in Egypt - The Sacred Geography of the Coptic Church is a summary of those beliefs and traditions.

Whatever I may make of this tradition, I am reminded by it that many families are traveling during this busy Christmas/New Year holiday season. Massive snow storms in many places have made this very difficult. The system dumped 14 inches on Oklahoma City and left even Dallas with a light covering for Christmas. Normally our family would be traveling at this time of the year. I can remember other years when we had perilous journeys either going or coming from Colorado.

In all of this I am grateful for reminders that our Lord Jesus whose birth we celebrate during these days sends His holy angels to watch over and keep us in His care. For instance, consider the words of 120 year old Moses as the Israelites prepared to enter the Holy Land a second time. Powerful enemies and fortified cities blocked their way, but Moses, speaking for the Lord Jesus, said,

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

So what ever storm faces you today or in the new year, find your comfort and strength in the guiding and leading hand of our loving Savior whose coming among us we celebrate and who says now, "I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

In Him we can look forward to a blessed new year whatever our circumstances.

Food for the Journey

I've been reflecting much these days upon the life and work of Moses, especially his reluctance at being drawn back into public life as a leader of God's people. Here's what the Scriptures tell us:

Moses fled Egypt after he had grown up, because he had killed an Egyptian in defense of one of the Israelites. Afraid of retaliation by the Egyptians, he ended up living with the Midianites. These nomadic people lived in the wilderness areas to the east of Egypt. They seem not to have had any boundaries. There Moses spent many years in apparent peace as a shepherd (Exodus 1-2). I can only assume that he thought he would live and die in that pursuit, but it was not to be. At about the age of eighty years, he was called out of his nomadic life and into the very public work of leading the children of Israel out of slavery and on to the land long ago promised to Abraham and his descendants.

The work of leading Israel lasted for the next forty years. Moses finally died at the age of 120, though, as Exodus says, "his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone." That suggests that Moses was 80 when he assumed the momentous task of leader. And that fact leads back to why I have been reflecting much upon Moses' life.

This past year I marked 75 years on my journey to what the Bible calls the land of rest, symbolized by the weekly day of rest, the Sabbath, and the promised land. Some eight years ago I stepped aside from full time pastoral ministry to make room for a younger man. At that time I felt it was God's will and plan. Now, with some caution, I have begun to serve a growing congregation of God's people as counselor and advisor, much like Jethro was to Moses. Some of the leaders of this congregation are asking for my greater involvement, perhaps as one of their pastor-shepherds, until they are led to call another man who will serve them in a full time capacity.

I find myself pulled in two directions by that discussion. On the one hand, I enjoy the freedom of the life Sylvia and I have led these past eight years. I've been my own boss, so to speak, making decisions about how to spend my days without the burden of caring for a flock of God's people. And yet, I have always loved the work of the pastoral ministry. To many I've indicated that I'm among the richest men on earth, primarily because of the hundreds of rich and rewarding relationships I've been privileged to develop.

So what to do? As always, I, like you, must go where the Lord leads. He will provide for the journey. He made that promise to those of his disciples sent out ahead of Him. The same applies to us, regardless of the work to which we are called. So I await His leading, as must we all.

Questions On The Journey

We arrived at our beautiful vacation home in Pagosa Springs, Colorado yesterday. A second grandson arrived during the night. Two grandsons have already hit the slopes. Wolf Creek has a ten foot packed powder base. Other members of our family will soon begin their journeys to arrive here for the Christmas holidays. This is the tenth year we've been celebrating these family times in this house.

During the drive up I had a conversation with grandson Patrick who was along for the ride. Among other things, we talked about education, goals and making money. He has a year to go in college and is naturally concerned about such things. For that matter, aren't we all?

While I was pondering what sage advice this grandfather might give to his maturing grandson, I recalled something about life being a journey, not a destination.



Who first said that? I had no idea so I checked out Think/Exist and found some interesting quotes.

18th century Irish essayist, poet and dramatist Oliver Goldsmith wrote, “Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.”

20th century novelist Don Williams Jr. writes, “The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”

Greg Anderson (American best-selling Author and founder of the American Wellness Project., b.1964), writes, “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

German born American social Philosopher and Psychoanalyst, 1900-1980, Eric Fromm wrote, “Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.”

One of my favorite authors, Ursula K LeGuin wrote, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."

I liked the Japanese proverb: "When you have completed 95 percent of your journey, you are only halfway there.”

Matsuo Bashō (1644 – 1694) the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan, said, “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”

I also discovered a study Bible titled "The Journey: The Study Bible for Spiritual Seekers." I haven't read it, so I cannot vouch for it, but the concept is interesting, because the Bible does have the answer to the most significant questions about life. And we don't know how to ask many of them until we get some distance down that journey.

Here's some questions that I'm dealing with in this my 70th decade of my journey:

+ How long will I continue on this journey?

+ Does it matter to anyone but me?

+ How will my journey end?

+ What's happening to all the people I've met and served on my journey?

+ How many of them will continue the endless journey with me in that country called Heaven?

+ What contributions may I yet make before this part of my journey ends?

Oh yes, I'm certain of arriving one day in Heaven. My Lord has guaranteed that. That's one of the great reasons why I delight to celebrate Christmas.

What about you? What questions are you dealing with as you continue on your journey?