Honor Mother and Father (post one-hundo!)

This is a rather unorganized reflection....

I listened to Thursday's sermon 3 times because it's just a fascinating subject that I know very little about. I easily become jaded toward by sole parent, my mother, and tend to view her parenting as everything that happened that I remember. This then dismisses the vastly large amount of events that I do not remember. Also, I have an unfortunate tendency to remember disappointment more easily than I would remember when she was present for me and those positive moments. Slowly, I am learning what it looks like to be a son; a son who pursues a relationship with his parent.

On another note, bazinga with me back to the Shameless Father sermon. Jesus loves his Father. His Father is shameless because he will not be put to shame. I am reading N.T. Wright's "Paul: In Fresh Perspective" for a class and I am fascinated by what he is saying with relation to the Shameless Father:

"God will keep to his plan, to save the whole world through Israel, even though the chosen people are now bound up in the problem instead of being the bringers of the solution." - N.T. Wright

But, God will not go against His word which promises Abraham descendants, lots of them! His word promises that Israel will be the solution to the Fall. His word cannot be wrong. His word is true, therefore Christ is the Word. God's final Word. Logos - logic, thought, sense. As weird as it sounds (since it's so obvious, but I am talking infinite sense... it's literally perfect), Jesus makes sense as Messiah, "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man" 1 Corinth 15:21. I wish there were an adjective to describe "how faithful" God is. But hopefully the awe-inspiring beauty with which he stays true to his word and remains shameless will suffice. Once again for me, the transcendence and immanence of God inspires worship; my heart rejoices because I see His goodness.

Right now the most prominent way that the commandment hits me is through the relationship of Jesus to the shameless Father. In contemplation, my heart cries out that my family would love and honor the Father and I would honor my mother in the context of honor Jesus.

Spirit of the Living God, I thank you for your goodness. My heart's desire is that my family would see it. It's an understatement to say how capable you are of revealing yourself in substantial and beautiful ways. Lord, when we pray we receive more of you. I pray my family realize their need in you and that they submit to prayer to the God of the universe. I pray that I don't stop praying for them and that I don't stop praying period. Hallow your name in my life, that by your Grace I would reflect your Son and they would see your goodness. Continue to bring my family closer to each other and hopefully closer to you. Jesus, for the first time ever, I see how they need you; it's just a matter of them seeing it and no longer choosing that which is not you. Remove these idols so that you would be King in their lives. I love you, Lord, and I pray that someday that my family will love you, too. Amen.