A Surprisingly Common Name

I decided today to Google my name and was very surprised to find such a great number of entries for 'Maureen Moss', none of which were me. I didn't realize the name was that common. They are scattered in the US and England .... perhaps even elsewhere. Of course, my surname was not originally spelled M-o-s-s. Rather, it was Maas, but when my grandparents arrived in Canada, the agent apparently recorded it as it sounds. Thus it was changed. After marriage and divorce, I returned to my maiden name, because that is who I am, who I was as a child, the name I relate to. My children all have different names, two being married women, and my son having the surname of his father. I am very blessed by my children and my four grandchildren. Now that my first book is soon to be released, it is time to get my name 'out there' beyond Facebook. I have been a fairly private person, so this is new to me, and is both exciting and rather scary. However, my faith in God is deep, and I know He is with me.

It's been awhile ....

I recently completed a book I have been working on for the last couple of years, which is now in the hands of a publisher. This is a whole new experience for me, so it is both exciting and scary; exciting to possibly have it published, and scary to have my heart 'opened up' to public scrutiny.

Of course, a book is written so it can be read. Since it is a non-fiction work it won't be widely read. It is directed to a particular audience, a Christian audience. The title of my book is 'GRAFTED IN to the Jewish Olive Tree', a subject I believe is very important at this time, because the Church has been drawn away from her roots through the teaching of Replacement Theology as well as Dual Covenant Theology.

Replacement Theology basically says that the Church has replaced Israel in God's heart; Dual Covenant Theology teaches that the Jews don't need their Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) in order to get to heaven. Both of these theologies are incorrect. As a result, not only has the Church missed out on blessings, but she doesn't 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem' as we are told to do in God's Word.

My book was written to shed some light on this situation, and to bring believers - both Gentile and Jew - together as the 'one new man' such as Paul spoke of in his letter to the Ephesians.

Looking Back Through the Window of Time

I was going through my bookshelves today, removing those I'll never read again to take them to a secondhand store, when I came across a little booklet I had made years ago of my thoughts and feelings on my journey through life to that point. They reveal a baring of my soul through the aches of coming out of alcoholism and finding a new life in sobriety, and in finding faith in God. I'd like to share those thoughts now .....

I entitled this little booklet 'The River is Wide'

i saw one day a wise man
but knowing, he was
unknowing and detached
from life's frustrations
living in the moment
and aware of what is
a wise man
not pandering
to mortal
agonies and ecstacies
he was withdrawn
to a separate reality
perhaps
the only reality
that which is

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a question often pondered
is
what is reality?

it depends upon perception
but whose?
and of what?

perception:
the cuckolding claw
of consciousness
grabbing you into seeing
what your eyes can see

the outer eye
or the inner eye?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

life -
a small four-letter word
but containing so much

the desire to grow inwardly
now
experience shared openly
now
knowing, enjoying each moment
now

not rigid, but flowing
not static, but growing
encompassing all
that existence has to offer
now

each moment is precious

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

being
now
experiencing each moment
for what it is

searching
the games
but realizing them
for what they are

finding
the Essential Self
and its relation
to the universe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

once
I was born, and came to learn
to protect my inner being
by applying goop and gop
which hardened into layers
of masks

then
I became lost in the world around me
not knowing who I was
or where I was going
scrambling
at every turn

now
I have another chance at life
layer by layer I peel off my masks
to find out who I really am
and what
my purpose is

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I drop my masks

before you I am
naked in my being

free to be me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

life is full of risks
physical and emotional

if I were to be
totally safe

I would have to stay
in my room

but then
I'd starve to death

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

we can't make it on our own
man is a social animal
we need people
in order to survive
to talk to
to lean on sometimes
to share experiences with
to love
to be loved

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can tell you
my thoughts and ideas
but until I tell you
how I feel
about my thoughts and ideas
I tell you little
about me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

to lighten my heart
and unburden my soul
I feel the best thing
would be to see the world
through the eyes of a child -
with wonder and joy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

somehow
in the process of becoming
my own person
my needs are becoming
more simple
less compulsive
it seems that more and more
my needs are less and less

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am the product
of a unique combination
of persons and circumstances
of those who have loved me
and those who refuse
to love me

I am me
and I want to be
the best me
that I can be
and I will be
with God's help

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I try to be honest
with myself
sometimes I'm too confused
to be honest
I don't know
what the honest thing is

if I make a wrong move
I find out in time
with an uncomfortable feeling
deep down inside

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

each day
I talk to my other self'
speaking and listening
listening and speaking

my real self
is reflected

in her eyes
in her heart

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel that I've reached
another stage in my growth

I find I can no longer
rationalize
talk myself into

I have to face
the uncomfortable feeling
inside me

and admit to myself
that this is not right for me

if it were right for me

I would not have
this uncomfortable niggling
inside me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

one day when I was thinking
about all the wrongs I'd done
and taking a good hard look at me
I was afraid

afraid that if I promised
not to be like that anymore
and gave up all my defects
there'd be nothing left

I knew I wanted to be good
but feared that if I tried
to be perfect
I'd fail

then God tapped me on the
shoulder and said, "Hey, that's OK,
you don't have to be perfect,
I love you as you are.
All you have to do it try."

a sense of joy then filled me
I felt released from self
and I knew the most important
thing is to do
the best I can

I learned then that to change
and grow, I had to learn
to accept me and love me
as I am

since then I've been walking
hand in hand with God
He lets me make my mistakes
but He knows I'm trying

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've been so concerned
with what I "should" be
that I lost touch
with what I am

I was so busy trying
to be perfect
trying to measure up
to my ideal self

I became depressed
with my inconsistencies
my failures and me defects
and felt guilty

I'm learning slowly
to accept me as I am
it feels good to know
I don't have to be perfect

I'm learning to like me
to be my own friend
by liking me as I am
I can gradually become

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am ever-changing:
like a meandering river
I flow through life
sometimes my course is slowed
by eddies and whirlpools
and I churn in circles

sometimes rushing
sometimes calm
I flow from my Source

trying to steer clear
of stagnant pools
I continue on my course
searching for the Mouth
where I will intermingle
and become one
in Him

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

one of life's paradoxes
is that if we reach despair
we may find hope

in the depths of our inner hell
we slowly come to the realization
that we must change ourselves

by working slowly, painfully,
we can change our attitudes
and basic perceptions

then, with the dawn of each day
we can thank God
for enabling us

to become
fully human
fully alive

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I rejoice
to awaken to a new day
to face life with eager anticipation

gone is the misery of yesterday
gone is the hurt that tore my heart

now each day begins
with a prayer in my heart
and on my lips

I rejoice
to have been granted
another today

a time to learn
a time to love
a time to laugh
a time to live

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel an inner strength
and peace
that comes from God

although beset
by my human weaknesses
from time to time

I know that if I place
my trust in God
I will continue to grow

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I believe man
to be basically good
because he comes from God

I believe that to be
fully human, fully alive
I must love and be loved

I believe that to love another
I must first
love myself

I believe that God is love
and that genuine love
comes from God

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

thank You, God
for giving me another chance
for showing me how to live

thank You, God
for the people You put in my life
special friends to love

thank You
for my children
whose love runs deep

thank You, God
for touching my soul
for making me whole

For Such a Time as This

More and more often in recent days we hear the phrase ‘for such a time as this’ in Christian circles, as the world continues to spin out of control with the recession, unemployment and natural disasters like the recent fires in BC, California and Greece, and the monsoon floods in Asia. There is no doubt we have much to pray about.

This phrase comes to us from the story of Esther in the book of that name in the Bible. Esther was a young Jewish maiden who was being raised by her relative, Mordecai, after the death of the rest of her family.

Esther became the queen of King Ahasuerus of Persia. At Mordecai’s bidding, she had not revealed her Jewish ancestry to the king. At that time there were still many Jews living in the Persian kingdom who had not returned to Jerusalem at the time of Ezra.

Haman, an Agagite, (Agag had been an Amalekite king) was the king’s right-hand man, and people bowed to him and paid him homage; all, that is, except Mordecai. Haman was furious about this, and wanted to destroy not only Mordecai but all the Jews throughout the whole kingdom. Verse 7 of Chapter 3 tells us: In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, the lots), before Haman to determine the day and the month, until it fell on the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

Thus a date was chosen for the elimination of all Jews in the kingdom, and Haman approached the king with his plan, telling the king that the laws and customs of these people were different, and that they don’t keep the king’s laws. A decree was written that they be destroyed, and was sealed with the king’s signet ring, which he gave to Haman. Letters were sent out all through the kingdom to destroy all the Jews.

When Mordecai heard about this he was greatly distressed, and mourned in sackcloth and ashes, even going in front of the king’s gate. Esther’s maids told her of Mordecai at the gate in sackcloth. She called Hatlach, the eunuch who had been appointed to her, to go to Mordecai and find out what was going on. Mordecai told him of Haman’s plan, and gave him a copy of the written decree so that he could show it to Esther.

Mordecai wanted Esther to go to the king and plead for mercy for her people. Hatlach gave Esther the written decree, and also Mordecai’s request. Esther 4:11 tells us that “any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live.” She also mentioned that she had not been called in to the king for thirty days.

In other words, to go to the king uninvited, she was taking her life in her hands.

In response, Mordecai reminded her that she, too, was Jewish, and not to think that she would escape, any more than any others would. In verse 14 Mordecai says, “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

So Esther called for all the Jews in Shushan to fast from food and drink for three days and three nights, as would her and her maids. Then she would go to the king, adding, “and if I perish, I perish.”

The story has a happy ending. God honoured their prayer and fasting, and saved His people from Haman’s plot. Haman himself was hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. The date became a memorial for the Jewish people to celebrate each year – the Feast of Purim – to be celebrated “yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar” (Esther 9:21). This is usually in early March on our calendar.

So what does this have to do with us today?

Esther, as the bride of the king, is a picture of the Church, the Bride of Christ. Although Esther did not at the outset acknowledge her Jewish heritage, so too the Church, for the most part, does not acknowledge her Jewish roots, due to Replacement Theology.

However, Paul makes it very clear in the 11th chapter of the Book of Romans that the roots of the olive tree are Jewish, and finally more and more Christians are coming to realize the Jewish roots of the Church. As such, we, the Church, have a responsibility, just as Esther had in her day, to pray for the Jewish people.

We need to pray that they come to know their Messiah. Unfortunately, through Replacement Theology, which says that the Church has replaced the Jewish people in God’s heart, we have made the Jewish Messiah into a Gentile ‘Christ’, so that the Jewish people are unable to recognize Him as their Messiah. For that, we need to repent.

We need to pray for the protection of the land of Israel – God’s land. We need to gain an understanding of the situation in the Middle East from God’s perspective.

We need to pray for Jewish people all over the world to make aliyah – to move to Israel. In fact, Gentile believers are supposed to help them do so! Isaiah 49:22 tells us:

This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I will beckon to the Gentiles,
I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
they will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
(NIV)

There are a number of Christian leaders today with the Call of Mordecai on their lives, calling for the Church to pray for Israel and the Jewish people worldwide, just as Mordecai called for Esther to pray for the Jewish people centuries ago.

Just as Esther answered that call in her day, so we, the Church, must answer that call in our day, ‘for such a time as this’ when anti-Semitism is at its highest level since WWII, and Israel’s enemies threaten to ‘wipe Israel off the map’.

The Olive Tree

I can’t help but wonder, when Christians read the 11th chapter of Romans, what they understand from it. Paul makes the message very clear. Unbelieving Jews were cut off from the Jewish Olive Tree; believing Gentiles are grafted in. Jews, if they come to believe, are grafted in again. Yet it is never spoken about, never preached about. In fact, in the more than twenty years since I gave my life to the Lord, I have only heard it preached once, and that was on a half-hour TV program.

Why is this not preached in churches? It’s not as though I have only been part of one denomination in my Christian life. I’ve attended Baptist, Charismatic, Nazarene, Alliance, Evangelical and Pentecostal services throughout the years. But I have never heard this message preached in a church.

It is the ‘unpreached sermon’, and one that needs to be preached. Replacement Theology has done much damage to the Church, and needs to be refuted. The Church has NOT replaced Israel in God’s economy. Rather, we Gentile believers were grafted in to the olive tree, able to partake of the roots and sap of the patriarchs and prophets of the Jewish nation.

Without the Jews, we would have no Savior, no Christ, no salvation. For Jesus (Yeshua) was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died as a Jew, and will return again as the Jewish Messiah. No amount of Replacement Theology can deny that. When He returns to this earth, He will return to Jerusalem, God’s holy city. He is not returning to this earth to New York, or Washington, or London. He is returning to His holy city, the city of David.

Just as Paul mentions in this chapter, Jewish people all over the world are being grafted into their olive tree again, and becoming believers in Yeshua their Messiah, in numbers not seen since the first century! However, this is something that the Church cannot take credit for; rather, it is because of Messianic Jews witnessing to their own people.

Paul said in Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (emphasis mine). How many churches send missionaries to the Jew first? In fact, how many churches send missionaries to Jewish people at all?

Unfortunately, over the centuries, the Church has made Jesus into a Gentile God. Again, unfortunately, the Jewish people have been persecuted and killed, often in the Name of Christ, so that they fear the name! As Christians, we have much to repent of in this regard. Just as Daniel prayed and repented on behalf of his people (Daniel 9:3:19), so the Church, and even individual Christians, need to repent of the sins against the Jewish people on behalf of our forefathers in the faith.

God tells us to ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’ (Psalm 122:6). There is even a promise attached to it – ‘May they prosper who love you.’ In Genesis 12:3, in speaking to Abraham with the promise of making him a great nation, God promises “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”