Playing Moses by Wil Triggs

Our Kindergarten class has been wandering in the wilderness for several weeks, and we are about to enter the promised land. A few weeks back, I dressed up like Moses to tell the story of me/Moses striking the rock to get water for the complaining people.

As I walked from the back of the room to the front in my Bible-costume garb and staff in hand, one of the boys in the class raised his hand, stood up and whispered to me loud enough so most everyone could hear, “I know you aren’t really Moses. You are one of our teachers dressed up like him.”

No fooling him.

A couple weeks later, I walked to the front of class without a costume, just my normal clothes. The same boy, with the same whisper and a smile, said, “I remember when you dressed up like Moses.”

There’s a certain element of fun at play in Kindergarten. Fun for the kids and fun for us teachers. It’s a great age because we can do most anything—puppets, dress up, pretend, flannel graph, picture books, games, video—it’s all good. Lorraine and I joke with each other that we’ve never really grown up anyway, so let’s play as we teach. This week we’re going to cross the Jordan River together. Having fun together makes learning a joy. I've enjoyed playing Moses.

One of the visiting pastors from Ukraine shared a different sort of play he engaged in with his children. After he got home from his time with us at College Church and before he moved them to a safer place, they were together in the basement of their home. When the air raid siren would go off, it was a signal for them to play a game of Hide ‘n Seek.

Watching coverage on various news channels, I heard another person in Kyiv say that every time the air raid sounds, she used it as a signal to play a game with her children. These attempts to preserve children in the midst of terror are moving for a Kindergarten teacher like me.

Anita Deyneka (College Church missionary serving with A Home for Every Orphan/Mission Eurasia) has been updating us this week of work to rescue children in Ukraine. Her upcoming prayer letter adds special perspective on the tragedy of Mariupol:

“Mariupol is one of many Ukrainian cities especially close to my heart, as it was a cradle of the movement that began twenty years ago, and then swept across the country, as Christians reached out to adopt and foster orphans in their country. After the collapse of communism this happened as never before, and thousands of parentless children found caring Christian homes in their own country. And now there are more orphans and children injured and dying, casualties of this brutal war.”

That movement spread from Ukraine to other countries and churches and Christian homes around the world. What a remarkable movement of the church to deliver children and bring them into their homes and now even across war zones, becoming hands and feet of deliverance, playing Moses in modern-day Egypts.

Then, as I work on the persecuted church prayer sheet for this week, the Barnabas Aid prayer calendar for Sunday, March 13, reminds me that such needs are not just in Ukraine. Here is the prayer:

“Lord Jesus, we thank you for your unfailing love for children and how you affirm that the kingdom of God belongs to such as them. We pray especially for Christian children who have suffered much through persecution. We lift up 12-year-old Alina and her family from Iraq as she adjusts to life in the UK. Please bring her comfort following the loss of her mother, who was martyred, and after the months of hardship moving from country to country. Please draw near to Alina and other Christian children and establish them in their faith as they face such challenges. May they grow in resilience and learn to trust you more and more."

The unfailing love of Jesus . . . for children, but also for grown ups like you and me.

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. Mark 10:15-16

It's a blessing for Jesus to use people like you and me to reach and care for children in big and little ways. Somehow, too, in the darkness of this adult world, we receive God’s kingdom like a child and point others of all ages to the profoundly simple gospel, even a child, especially a child, can come and Jesus will take them (us) in his arms.

Let’s give thanks today that we are all children of God. Today we can come to him like children. Our steadfast loving Dad will take us in his arms.

Sleeping Through Kyiv by Lorraine Triggs

I was sound asleep when our overnight train from Moscow to Odesa pulled into the station at Kyiv. My husband woke me up, so I could look out the window into the night at Kyiv. I promptly went back to sleep.

That was twenty-nine years ago this month. I might have missed seeing Kyiv, but I didn’t miss out on the kindness of a Ukrainian father and his daughter who sat across from us in the open car on that train.

Technically, we weren’t supposed to be in that open car. There was debate among our friends about whether or not we should even go. but the tickets had been purchased. We assured our ministry friends that we would be fine. And we were, thanks to the father and daughter. They demonstrated how the wooden seats opened like a trunk, where we could store our luggage and valuables, and if you slept on the top of your seat, “the hooligans” who roamed the open cars at night wouldn’t be able to steal your belongings. The twosome also made sure we had mattresses and quilts to keep us comfortable on the wooden seats.

They were right about the hooligans—loud and drunk they marched through our car, until the father decided he had had enough and stood up to them. These young men were an embarrassment to Ukraine and to themselves. If they had to walk through our car, they were to remain silent and not disturb the Americans. Every time one of us woke, the father was awake through the night guarding us and our stuff, ensuring we had a quiet night. And when my quilt slipped to the floor, he picked it up and put it over me.

Now, hooligans and worse have invaded Ukraine, and I would give anything to stand guard to ensure peace and even one quiet night for my Ukrainian brothers and sisters. Sadly, I can’t do this for them anymore than I can for myself and the hooligans that march through my mind and heart.

Hooligans of worry and fear invade my mind and steal a restful night. Hooligans like discontent loudly remind me of what I don’t have. Hooligans that whisper the ancient lie, “Did God really say?” and work hard to convince me that God isn’t good. After all, Ukraine is imploding; situations almost too difficult to bear remain unresolved; family members deconstruct their faith. Really? God is good?

I am not falling for the ancient lie. God is good, and like the Ukrainian father who watched over us that night on the train, God stays awake and is our keeper according to the ancient truth of Psalm 121—the Lord is my keeper. Back in 2019, Marshall Segal wrote an article for Desiring God called, “The Lord Can and Will Keep You.” In his article, Segal explains that God’s people traveled rough and uncertain roads to Jerusalem for one of the three major feasts. There would be unpredictable threats and dangers, but instead of worry or fear or falling for lies, they sang the song of Psalm 121 with its confident refrain:

• the Lord will keep you

• he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep

• the Lord is your keeper

• the Lord will keep you from all evil

• he will keep your life

• the Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever more

I don't think Segal knew three years ago what we read today in his words “no weapon of man, no weapon of Satan, no danger in nature can keep God from keeping you," or that he would be describing our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who despite the real fears of weapons or Putin are opening their churches as shelters to keep their neighbors safe and point others to Jesus and his Word in the midst of terror and chaos. As for me and my hooligans? They are in serious danger as I trust the One who keeps my going out and coming in to guard my heart and mind.

Global Reflections on Ukraine from Greg and Debby Nichols

It is not a secret that there is a war going on in Ukraine. As most of you remember, Greg and I spent 10 years in Odesa, Ukraine. We have many Ukrainian friends--some who have come through the seminary, and other friends who currently live in Prague. So this has impacted us in a rather personal way. We know the people that are being targeted and pushed out of their homes with the fear for their lives.

Someone in Kyiv wrote the following which is worth pondering:
Do you know Ukraine is the main missionary-sending country for Eastern Europe and Central Asia? One missiologist said, “The church is very strong. As far as Europe is concerned, the Ukrainian church is perhaps the strongest and is doing the most for education, training and sending out workers. A director at Kyiv Theological Seminary said, “Even in the midst of this kind of uncertainty, this kind of ominous threats, (students) are trying to keep their focus on Jesus.”  An invasion by Russia is Satan’s way of disrupting this.

Our hearts and our prayers are continuously with them. 

I have listed some ways you can pray for the people and the situation. But first, I want to encourage you with these words from the Sons of Korah. They give testimony of the great power and might of their God, who is also our God.

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
 though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
 God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

 Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
 He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.
 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46)

Now, how you can pray for Ukraine:

Pray for the Ukrainian believers to be safe from all harm. As a Ukrainian friends said "those bullets do not need to really come out of the guns."  Pray for their hearts to be full of courage and love as they reach out to their fellow Ukrainians and as they interact with any Russians they encounter. Pray that God would supply all their needs.

Pray for the Ukrainians who do not know Jesus yet--that they would find comfort in his redemption of their souls. 

Pray for the missionaries who have chosen to stay in country. Pray for Sasha whose American wife and children are on the west side of Ukraine currently in safety, but he has chosen to stay in Odesa to help people in need. We have ways to getting funds to them if you are interested. 

Pray for the Ukrainians who are working with organizations that are helping others. Pray particularly for Serigey and Dyna who are working with young women at risk. They are in need of financial help. If you are interested in helping them keep afloat during this time, we can put you in touch. 

Pray also for Ukrainians who are being trained to be missionaries in Kyiv. Pray that they would be able to use their training among their own people either in Ukraine or in the neighboring countries. 

Pray for the refugees that will be pouring into the west, Czech Republic included. Pray for us as Greater Europe Mission and Dignity try to understand how to help with that effort. 

Thank you for praying. Your prayers are a huge part of all of this. The prayers we speak to our Father are heard and I believe he is acting already.
To God be all glory and praise.

Thanks to Greg and Deby for helping us pray. 

A Pastor Prays for His People by Dr. Wendell C. Hawley

God of hope, God of mercy,
Faithful God, forgiving God, holy God,
We have your Word, your promise—and we trust in the fact that
the Lord is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
We have been invited to ask, to seek, to knock, with promise of answer,
for we believe you rule over all,
and in your hand is power and might.
So we address our petitions to
the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, worthy to receive honor and glory for ever and ever.

Father God, we would that our moments of trust were with us always,
but events come into our lives and we are filled with questions.
We need the reinforcement that you have the answers.
We stand mute before inexplicable circumstances, but there are no mysteries for you.
There are no facts you do not know;
no problems you cannot solve;
no events you cannot explain;
no hypocrisy through which you do not see;
no secrets of ours unknown to you.

We are truly unmasked before you, and you see us as we really are—
filled with our pride,
our selfishness,
our shallowness
our impatience,
our blatant carnality.
We would despair were it not so that
you, O Lord, are compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness. . . .
You have not dealt with us according to our sins,
for as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is your loving-kindness toward those who fear you.

So we crave today
a clean life,
a quiet spirit,
an honest tongue,
a believing heart,
a redeemed soul.
Thank you, God, that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
Now, may we enjoy you forever!
Amen

Saying Stupid Things by Wil Triggs

When I was around five years old, I spent some days with my sister and her husband, and I remember liking their yard. They had neighbors with kids I could play with. There was some kind of ornamental berry that fell off the bushes onto the ground. The neighbor boys and I would collect the berries and throw them at each other in play war. These berries didn’t stain our clothes or hurt all that much which made them just about perfect.

In the thick of one of our battles, my sister called me in for lunch.

Before we ate that day, my sister opened her Bible and showed me the verses about God and Jesus and sin, how he loves me and died on the cross to make me clean and did I believe and want to pray to make him king of my life.

It all made perfect sense, so I said yes, and I prayed with her help.

Then it was time for lunch and she made my favorite soup.

When my brother-in-law came home, she told him something really exciting had happened that day.

What? he asked.

Go ahead and tell him what you did today, she said to me.

Being a finicky eater, I answered that the big news was that I ate all my soup at lunch. Eating it all was a big deal for me.

He thought that was good, but my sister insisted that, while true, that wasn’t the right answer. I was supposed to tell him about praying to Jesus, saying yes to the God of everything.

All these years later, I still remember that event, but on the day it happened, my mind was on the soup.

I still love a really great soup, but I hope I love God more. It’s not the same, but I do think of that when I teach the Kindergarteners about Jacob and Esau and that other bowl of soup. Esau was fixated on his exhaustion, his hunger, the immediate as he said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” My birthright for a bowl of red stew.

I can relate to Esau. Honestly, most every day I find the dumbest things coming out of my mouth. Sometimes I catch them before they slip out, but not often enough. So, when the gospels record the disciples talking, I take heart at some of the things they say and do.

I’ve heard some people trying to explain away this kind of disciple-talk. They explain the less-than-perfect words away, saying things like Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead yet, so they didn’t really understand, or the Holy Spirit hadn’t come yet. The disciples didn’t know better.

Jesus is raised and ascended. I have the Bible and the Spirit. So, what’s my excuse?

“Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

“You shall never wash my feet.”

“Who are you, Lord?” (not yet a disciple, I know).

“You are out of your mind. …It is his angel!”

We don’t have the exact dialog, but the disciples argue about which of them is the greatest or who will sit closest to Jesus. They say these things right up against Jesus foretelling his death, and “after three days he will rise.” (Mark 10:34). Like my prayer of faith and the bowl of soup, so often our minds go to the finished bowl of soup accomplishment of the moment.

Seemingly clueless like me, I find solace in the disciples, not because of anything in them, but because of God working in and through them anyway.

Honestly, when I look out at the world, I so easily fall into one of my Pharisee moments. I can even sound wise like David’s true but in a sense, stupid words, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die…”

We long to be the judge and with our training and knowledge and position and whatever, we can speak the true words of judgment on someone else. True, but, oops.

Somehow God strengthened the disciples to stand true to the end. Their roads were not smooth and easy. They were no lightweights. And David’s words, and Nathan’s to follow, were not his undoing.

Somehow blessing came through these people in their jars of clay. Weakness over strength.

Somehow, they were also used by God to speak even to speak to us all these years later.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Our words don’t always have to be stupid. David’s weren’t.

So on the heels of the words of unknown self-condemnation, in humbleness and repentance, David turns to God and sings his psalm.

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

From stupid to sage.

God, use our tongues today to speak words of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Power for All by Wil Triggs

I got an e-newsletter this week from the Wheaton Public Library. It was a business-oriented newsletter.

I should add that Lorraine and I love libraries. We get newsletters from and have our cards registered in Wheaton, West Chicago, Winfield and Naperville.

The Wheaton Library is doing a lot of great programming, especially considering the weirdness of the pandemic these last months.

Two book titles listed at the bottom of this week’s newsletter stood out to me:

The first: Power for All: how it really works and why it’s everyone’s business
by Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro
If you don’t have enough power in your job, this book is supposed to help you get more of it. “Discover how to gain (and keep) power in any situation” the sales copy promises.

Second was: Betting on you: how to put yourself first and (finally) take control of your career
By Laurie Ruettimann
The description of this one was more intriguing to me. Find your Tijuana. Be a slacker: work less to accomplish more. Fix your money. The summary promises “hilariously relatable anecdotes and tips for professional growth.”

I should say that I haven’t read either of these books, and they might both be great. What stood out to me, though, as I scanned the newsletter, is how much power is an end goal, something that everyone wants and deserves and maybe can’t be happy without. These books are designed to help people get more of it for themselves. At least, I think that’s what they’re talking about.

What I’m wondering though is if either of these titles talk about humility as a key component to promotion. Or service.

And I’m thinking about the men at my Bible study table on Wednesday night talking about how hard it is in the business world to openly follow Christ. It doesn’t sound like a power grab.

In the upside down kingdom of Jesus, the order of things doesn’t really seem to fit with the modern business world. It might also be true in a different angle of upwardly mobile DuPage County at large. Substitute “status” for “power.” Strange world.

What about personal sacrifice? What about emptying ourselves of power and thinking more about other people’? Or doing what God wants instead of what we want? I mean, how do those things fit in the grasp for personal power? What if we took Paul at face value and did what he instructed in Philippians 2:5-11?

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I’m not betting on Wil to do this. I’m betting on Jesus. I mean, not literally, you know. I’m not a gambling guy. It’s a metaphor.

But the other thing about this is that we don’t do it alone. Yes, we have the Holy Spirit and the Bible.

These library books seem to point to individualistic self-discovery as key. It would be easy to fall into thinking that, armed with a Bible—the sword of the Spirit--I can move forward and conquer whatever is set before me.

But no. I’m not betting on Jesus. We are betting on him. Together. It’s a team sport.

We easily forget that this journey is something we do connected to each other in our church, around the table in Bible study, in the pew on Sunday, with friends in small group or Adult Community, around a breakfast table or sharing the joy of Bible truths with children or STARS. Or caring for each other when we're sick or grieving.

When we face the hardest things of life, we don’t have to do it alone. Down is up, and that's okay.

We aren’t winning the Super Bowl or gold medals. We're running the race to heaven with Jesus and each other.

“A man and his little child are walking down the road and they are walking hand in hand,” Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes, “and the child knows that he is the child of his father, and he knows that his father loves him, and he rejoices in that, and he is happy in it. There is no uncertainty about it all, but suddenly the father, moved by some impulse, takes hold of the child and picks him up, fondles him in his arms, kisses him, embraces him, showers his love upon him, and then he puts him down again and they go on walking together.”

This lovingkindness care that Jesus showers on us is not about power; it’s love that transcends power. This is what we cannot live without. So we go on walking, together, and even when it doesn’t seem like God is even there, we discover oftentimes through one another that we are wrapped up in his arms. We can know the warmth of God's love that calls us to leave our nets and follow him no matter what.

Not my power but the power of Jesus our loving shepherd, our Father who made and owns it all, the Spirit who is always with us and uses all kinds of things to touch and help us move forward in this strange hour.

Note to self: membership class coming up; member nominations due soon.

Blessed Are . . . by Lois Krogh

Lois and her husband, Steve, are College Church missionaries, serving with Training Leaders International. They are also founding members of our most recent church plant, Christ Church South Metro Atlanta (GA).

I have long prayed that God would "break my schemes for earthly joys that I would find my all in Him." (John Newton)

This morning, the Lord showed me cracks in the false earthly joys I have sought after.

Ray Ortlund has written "Beatitudes" from the world's perspective. These beatitudes caught me off guard.

"Blessed are the entitled, for they get their way.
Blessed are the carefree, for they are comfortable.
Blessed are the pushy, for they win.
Blessed are the self righteous, for they need nothing.
Blessed are the vengeful, for they will be feared.
Blessed are those who don't get caught, for they look good.
Blessed are the argumentative, for they get in the last word.
Blessed are the winners, for they get their way."

Now, which of the rewards of these "beatitudes" do you wish you had?

I looked at this list and had to admit I want to be comfortable and need nothing. I also want to look good. These are false idols. They are not connected to spiritual and eternal realities.

There is no lasting comfort in this world. There is no one in this world who can say he has everything that he needs. There is no perfect person in this world. The world has offered rewards that cannot be given.

And then the world audaciously dictates how to earn these false rewards!

And we nod in agreement.

We put our hope in these rewards and run after them - pretending we are carefree, declaring our self-righteousness, working hard not to get caught. But no matter how hard we try at these things, we do not get the rewards because they are not real.

This exercise in looking at contrasting "beatitudes" made the real ones more beautiful. Each reality Christ offered is a spiritual, eternal and obtainable gift of a gracious and powerful Father who gives us a new heart so that we can be poor in spirit and meek.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. (Matthew 5:1-10)

It is better to desire to be comforted than to be comfortable. This acknowledges the truth that there are things in my world that will cause me to mourn. This looks outside of myself for the answer to the sadness in the world.

It is better to know the satisfaction of Christ's righteousness than to strive after the impossible goals of self-righteousness and self-sufficiency. This is in line with the reality that no one is righteous. Again, it causes me to look outside of myself for a righteousness that is not my own but is graciously given to me.

To strive after earthly joys and rewards is to strive after the wind. There is only one true way to blessedness.

A Cleansing Walk by Lorraine Triggs

The Theosophical Society’s electronic sign on Geneva Road is promoting a New Year Forest Bathing Walk today. Where? On their well-manicured grounds? At a forest preserve? Does the bathing involve a water source? What if the pond or river is frozen? Would the walk then evolve into a polar bear plunge?

With more questions than answers, I decided some electronic research was in order. Forest bathing has its roots in Japan and Asia, where nature therapy has long been practiced in stress reduction. One site assured me that no actual bathing was required—it was more an absorption of the forest atmosphere. Or “living fully in the moment while bathing your senses in nature.”

Just as I was getting comfortable with the idea, another site warned of potential dangers in forest bathing walks insects, wild animals and uneven ground. Bring a buddy or let someone know where you’re going and how long you’ll be gone. I wasn’t sure I could fully bathe my senses in nature if I were constantly looking over my shoulder for potential dangers.

Then there's the site that offers a beginner's guide to forest bathing, and boldly declares that "the forest holds answers to questions we have yet to ask."

There are snags, however, in forest bathing walks. A certified guide announces the walk is at an end; the forest gives way to a clearing, the dangers still lurk, and the stress returns until my next scheduled forest bathing walk.

And what about all those questions we actually are asking? What about CAT scans and unemployment and sick children or assisted living. Questions about fractured relationships and guilt over past and present sins. No forest has the answers to these questions and the burdens they create.

The sticking point with these walks isn’t the forest or nature. In the psalms, forests sing for joy, fields exult, hills gird themselves with joy, and the heavens talk day and night about God’s glory and his power. The sticking point is that we want to control the answers to questions and the cleansing process from stress, and ultimately from sin. We want to look to ourselves or the natural world instead of lifting our eyes to the One who made the forests.

Remember Naaman and his wife and their little servant girl, who knew the prophet Elisha. Second Kings 5:1 describes Naaman as “a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.” And oh, did he want to be cured, and oh, did he not like Elisha’s remedy: “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored, and you shall be clean.” Naaman not only was angry about the way he was to be cured, but also about the where—the River of Jordan. There he stood outside of Elisha’s door with his horses and chariots, and the prophet didn’t even come out to pay his respects, or to cure him the way he deserved. It was the servants who urged Naaman to wash and be clean, and he finally did and “his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” (2 Kings 5:14)

As followers of Christ, we might be more like Naaman than we care to admit. We’re successful and important people for whom Jesus died. Without much effort, we absorb self-righteousness, and rely on ourselves for both cure and comfort from sin and stress. We forget for a moment that the cure is the same one Elisha gave Naaman, “Go and wash.”

Like King David did when the prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin with Bathsheba.

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:2, 7)

We cannot find true, life-changing cleansing in a forest. We cannot perform the cleansing ritual ourselves. No bath will do it. It cannot come from within; it cannot come from the wonders of nature.

The cure is pretty clear and direct: don’t say we do not sin, confess our sins, wash in the blood of Jesus who cleanses us from all sin. We don't deserve this. We will never earn it. There is only one tree on which we can depend--the one on which our Savior hung and died in our place. This is the sacrifice that forevermore forgives, the one-tree forest in which we can freely walk and find new life and the strength to live this day.