Of Thrones and Grace

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." --Hebrews 4:16

What do you focus on when you read/hear/quote that verse? I imagine many of us camp out on the word boldly. And with good reason. To be able to approach God in prayer is one of the greatest privileges we have as Christians. We can come with confidence that He hears us. We can know with confidence that He answers.

Or maybe the word that catches us is grace. It is a throne of grace, not of law. Of grace, not of judgement. Of grace, not of wrath. Stuck in our sin, we are under the law, subject to judgement, objects of wrath. But because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we can receive what we do not deserve - God's grace.

A few nights ago at our Wednesday prayer meeting, another word jumped out at me. And until this week, I had glossed right it. And it may be the one word that holds the key to all the others. Throne. It is a throne we approach boldly. It is a throne of grace.

We aren't much for thrones. That's how the whole American experiment got started, by throwing off the power of a throne. A rebellious streak runs through just about everyone of us - it's really only a matter of degree.

But here's the kicker: if it's not a throne, why would I want to come at all, much less boldly? It doesn't make sense to come boldly to a friend's living room; I was invited. Or to come with confidence to a doctor's office; I have to foot the bill. Boldly only means something if I am coming to a place I should approach with caution. A place like a throne.

And if it's not a throne, what value is there in the grace? Grace that doesn't come from a throne is sympathy at best, pity at worst. And that doesn't make much difference. Now give someone a presidential pardon and that changes everything. Because there is some authority to back it up. Even if that authority is only of one of the countries on one of the planets in one of the solar systems in one of the galaxies of the universe. So we can multiply that authority times eternity to begin to get an idea of the kind of power that flows from the throne of the universe.

Now we're onto something!

Memorial Day Memories

For the last 10 years, I have equated Memorial Day with traffic. This is the view we are treated to every Memorial Day Monday, right out our front door, as US 1 turns into a virtual parking lot starting at about 10 in the morning. When we moved to Key Largo just before the holiday in 1999, we had no idea the masses that would descend on our new hometown for the weekend.

So that first year, we drove around looking for a beach. We had this idea that the Keys were miles and miles of sandy beach lining both east and west sides of the island chain. Boy, were we ever wrong! The closest thing to that is Anne's Beach, which does at least have sand. On the beach. But not so much when you get in the water. There it has muck. Which wouldn't be so bad if you could swim. But for the first 100 yards out, it is no more than knee deep. Needless to say, we didn't stick around long.

Our son's birthday coincides with Memorial Day, meaning we usually celebrate over that weekend. So a few years later, we had planned a bowling party. What we forgot to factor in was all the aforementioned traffic. What should have been a 15-20 minute drive to the local bowling alley took us well over an hour. Mostly because of all the people who spend the weekend at the "world famous" Holiday Isle Resort. So we had the added highlight of seeing all the revelry up close as our car crept by. Actually we had the task of trying not to see all the sights as we went by.

This year I had as busy a Memorial Day weekend as I can remember. Three birthday parties, including our son's. A Friday sunset wedding. A Saturday afternoon memorial service. All that and I didn't travel more than 3 miles from home. Guess we have learned a thing or two over the years.

What's In a Name

Here I am finally jumping on the bandwagon. While much of the world has moved on to more trendy things (Twitter, for instance), I will start blogging. Not sure why it took so long to do this -- perhaps I wonder who in the world would want to follow my mundane ramblings on any number of subjects. But my wife assures me that this is a good idea. So here I go!!

Now about the odd looking blog address. "Baqash emeth" is a transliteration of Hebrew for seeking truth. The word for truth - emeth אֱמֶת - is particularly interesting to me. It is called 'the seal of God' in rabbinic writings. The three consonants are the first, middle and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, signifying that in God truth dwells eternally and fully - from A to Z and everywhere in between. It is also described as an acronym for the Hebrew phrase that means "God is King forever," reminding us that truth is founded on the reality of God's lasting rule. All of this finds its fullest expression in the one who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" - in Jesus of Nazareth.

After all that, don't think this is going to be all serious all the time. I imagine I'll slip in some sports, especially during football season. Or a few stories about my family. And who knows what else. I'm really not sure all the places my mind may wander, but I would love to have you along for the journey.