Green Pastures and Still Waters
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Okay, confession time. There must be something wrong with me. It’s the Super Bowl of Christian Days and I am struggling. One of the hardest sermons for me to prepare each year is the “Easter One.” I don’t know what it is, I have some suspicions but it doesn’t make it any easier. Sometimes I think the enemy is involved; he must hate it that two-thirds of the world population celebrates the day he was defeated. Sometimes I wonder if I am “called” given the difficulty I experience; one would think this would be the easiest Sunday of the year. Sometimes I wonder if it is the expectation—or perceived expectation. If I lay an egg on Easter Day, well, you know… A few years ago I actually had an epiphany that has helped; I realized that the resurrection is a pretty good story and it doesn’t need to be embellished. How can the historical narrative of “God made flesh—killed, buried and raised from the dead—for our justification” get any better?! Considering the drama and the outcomes, it is a story that we could stand to hear again and again. So, I’m going with that this week. No zip-line entrance, no light show, no smoke, no magic tricks, no angels popping up through the stage for effect. The story for Sunday is the hinge-point of all personal and world histories. The Lamb of God was slain for the sins of the world. He really died. He was really buried and He really rose from the dead. Wow, what a message. 
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Diane and I have been married over 35 years. Looking back I find some of our conflict a bit comical. We still struggle silently over whether tooth-paste should be stored cap side up or down. We still wonder occasionally who will be doing the dishes—while they sit there. Sometimes junk mail sits around for a while because she thought I wanted it and I thought she wanted it. We did have pre-marital counseling but so many of the things married people deal with are faced after the wedding. We never talked about tooth-paste prior to the big day! Expectations are a major part of any relationship married or not. There are expectations of churches, of friends, of stores, of banks and certainly of parents and children. Perhaps one of the scariest places for expectations is in our relationship with God. I wonder if we could articulate His expectations of us. We sure can articulate our expectations of Him! If a doctor or dentist has people making unrealistic expectations, God must have more than a few of those as well. I know I have had them, “But God, I thought You would give me all the money I needed when I needed it.” “I thought You would heal my gall-bladder in time for Easter Sunday.” “I thought You would spare that ABWE doctor’s life, he is so needed in Togo.” I could go on and on. You probably have a few too. Our expectations are rooted in all sorts of misunderstandings. I am learning that my disappointments with God are incredible teaching points. My unmet expectations are opportunities to clarify what I really want. I’m learning more about His character, His sufficiency, my selfishness and His grace. I’m reading His Word to see what He is really like rather than to find a “proof-text” for my argument. I’m still disappointed quite often. I’m sad about something almost daily. This is not God’s fault, I am not blaming Him or giving Him advice. I’m the broken one, not Him. He is the Sovereign Lord, His goodness transcends our circumstances and emotions and while His ways are not our ways, they are still motivated by His goodness. I am too myopic. I forget that I am looking for a city whose builder and maker is the Lord God Almighty. I’m stuck in the Middle-School years right now and while I know the best is yet to come, it is really hard to see beyond the love-notes and zits. This week is Palm Sunday—talk about expectations! Imagine what those folks were thinking on that day when Jesus rode into town. Things can sure turn around quickly. The best way to deal with expectations is through communication. Let’s have ears to hear.