Come Seek With Me

In the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem, on the Via Dolorosa, stands a Roman Catholic church bearing the above tiled work of art.   The work is called the 'Mother of Hope' in English and depicts Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  While aesthetically pleasing, I get the distinct feeling that Mary's friends and neighbors in Nazareth would have a hard time recognizing her.  I think in the Christian world, it can be much the same with Jesus.  As a Christian, do I represent Jesus in a way that His friends and neighbors would have recognized Him?   I found myself thinking about that during my time in Israel.   Paul speaks of provoking his Jewish brothers to jealousy for their salvation  in  Romans 11 . But how can that happen, if our Jewish brothers do not recognize the way we represent Jesus...Yeshua? What changes are we willing to make to better represent Jesus...Yeshua to His own kinsmen? What changes am I willing to make in order to more authentically share Him back with the people who f

the desert beyond Be'er Sheva It was a hot June afternoon as I looked out into the desert near Be'er-Sheva.   Though the ruins of the ancient town were before me, I was more inclined to turn my back to them in order to take in the land outside the town walls.   I had something on my mind...   I was thinking of a history from Genesis chapter 21 .  You know the story, I bet.  Isaac is weaned, and Sarah sees Ishmael making fun of Isaac during his celebration.  Sarah demands that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Scripture tells us that, "the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's eyes on account of his son." ( Genesis 21:11 )  --I know many often think of Abraham as having only one son, Isaac, but the truth is that Ishmael was his first born.  Abraham loved Ishmael, and the demand from Sarah to send him away must have cut like a knife to his very core. But we are told that Abraham did send both Hagar and Ishmael away... Why? Because "God said to Abraham, &#

Stock photo used to protect privacy - not an actual location photo The location is only known by word-of-mouth.   The building, nondescript. There is no signage.  But a quiet stream of people find their way to it. And the sound of singing can be heard echoing in the alley... It is a Messianic congregation of believers in Yeshua in modern-day Israel. During my recent visit to Israel, I had the great privilege of visiting a Messianic congregation for a portion of their Sabbath worship service.  Of all the places our team visited in the land, this was by far my favorite experience.   The building was not beautiful.  The context was not historical.  Our time there was incredibly limited.  Yet, it impacted me more than almost any other aspect of the land. If you care to know why, give me a few more lines of your time... The music was authentic...Hebrew worship, straight from the Psalms.