you are SUPPOSED to be a burden
good news weekly 12.7.24
calling all teens! this monday we have a christmas party made just for you. whether a regular or someone new, looking to check it out, come by and hang with us.
you are SUPPOSED to be a burden
‘i don’t want to be a burden.’
this instinct to self-sufficiency is thoroughly suburban, but maybe thoroughly unbiblical too? of course we want to do our best to contribute and not be dead weight in our family or workplace or friend group or church. but, learning to receive is at the heart of our place in the kingdom.
probably my favorite moment of this year at Good News was seeing a few young women we had helped through a challenging time financially, serving at our VBS. the cycle of receiving —> giving —> receiving is part of the healthy humility needed to honor God well.
carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. galatians 6.2
we got to spend thanksgiving with Kristen’s grandmother. she’s 95, lives alone, and still lives fairly self-sufficiently. like many from the depression generation, she lives modestly, but joyfully. while her height is certainly declining, her mind is still sharp. at the table, i asked her if she was going to make it to 100, she replied,
‘i hope not.’
but she said it with a gentle smile. most of her friends are gone. she can’t drive longer distances anymore, she needs her son to pick her up. she can’t understand like 90% of what my internet-raised teenager boys say to her. she can’t hear super well. she has all kinds of needs, yet in her gracious receiving of help, i received a lesson from God.
we aren’t just honoring God when we help others, we are honoring God when we receive help from others.
this quote from john stott says it flawlessly,
“We come into this world totally dependent on the love, care and protection of others. We go through a phase of life when other people depend on us. And most of us will go out of this world totally dependent on the love and care of others. And this is not an evil, destructive reality. It is part of the design, part of the physical nature that God has given us.”
“I sometimes hear old people, including Christian people who should know better, say, ‘I don’t want to be a burden to anyone else. I’m happy to carry on living so long as I can look after myself, but as soon as I become a burden I would rather die.’ But this is wrong. We are all designed to be a burden to others. You are designed to be a burden to me and I am designed to be a burden to you. And the life of the family, including the life of the local church family, should be one of ‘mutual burdensomeness.”
Christmas Playlist
Good Cheer Story, Raquel
There’s a folktale called The Tale of Three Trees. It’s a beautiful story about three trees that dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The three trees dreamed of being a treasure box, a mighty ship and a large tree that when people look at it they think of God. These trees grew tall and one day three woodcutters climbed a mountain to cut them down even though they had no idea of their ‘aspirations.’ The first tree was taken to a carpenter’s shop and was made into a feed box for animals. The second tree was made into a simple fishing boat that was at a little lake and it brought in loads of dead, smelly fish. The third tree was left as strong beams in a lumberyard wondering why it was just sitting there. Many days and nights later, the trees had nearly forgotten their dreams but one night golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feedbox.
Although I have read this story many times before I was struck by this sentence: “I wish I could make a cradle for him,” her husband whispered.
I’ll get to the rest of this beautiful folktale in a minute, but I just want to ponder this for a minute because I think we find ourselves right there in Joseph’s sandals if we are willing to be honest. Here is this man who was engaged to be married who employed himself as a carpenter. He had been visited by an angel, he decided against divorcing Mary even though she was with baby and all through the story you see traces of his obedience to God. And yet we can easily forget the disappointments or limitations of Mary and Joseph as we read about them in the Bible. They were flesh and blood and willing and obedient to God but they weren’t perfect. That sentence, “I wish I could make a cradle for him,’ is a beautiful sentiment because carpentry is what Joseph knew. Sometimes when we are in a season where we are being obedient but it’s hard and somewhat messy we just want to do what we know. And yet God knew every limitation in this story! He knew Mary would travel to Bethlehem 9 months pregnant. He knew there wouldn’t be a place for them to stay other than a cold, stinky barn. And although Joseph would have loved to have made a beautiful cradle for his son, God wanted His obedience more.
The folktale continues: the smelly fishing boat was the one that Jesus was in during His ministry days when He was awakened in the middle of a storm and He stopped it with a word. And at that the second tree knew he was carrying the King of heaven and earth.
The third tree was brought together on a Friday as a cross. It felt ugly, harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning when Jesus had risen, the third tree knew that God’s love had changed everything. Every time people thought of the third tree they really did think of God. What a beautiful folktale, right?!
I think especially during the holidays, we want to be like Joseph in the words of this book. We want to do what we know and carry on in our lane. But what I felt so challenged by is ‘where is God asking obedience of me’ that He wants more than something I can accomplish with my hands, my talents, my gifts. Often our obedience can yield a trajectory that one or two things with our hands could never. Yield to the yes God is putting on your heart and trust Him with the result.
Last Week’s Sermon
i continued ‘happy at home’ by looking at Abraham + Lot’s relationship.
Saturday Morning Book Review
caste: the origins of our discontents
by: isabel wilkerson
this book is a beautifully challenging read. the author claims and then tries to prove that the concept of ‘caste’ most modern people commonly know from India, is the best way to understand modern america. this ‘rigid hierarchy designed to perpetuate,’ invisibly shapes opportunity and outcome for the vast majority of people. i learned a lot and resonate with a lot of the authors conclusions.
if you find yourself uneasy with the occasionally simplistic sounding narratives around race perpetuated on social from both left + right, this might be a good resource for you.
this is good news,
luke + kristen