. . . he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him.
- John 9
We are so focused on fault. As much as we idealize the innocence of children, it is my lifelong observation that we are born fault-finders. It is very easy to criticize, which is one of the first behaviors manifested by children. Adults that do not mature continue to be good at it. The skill and virtue that is learned, is to note the good in others . . . all others.
Or to put it another way: we are born with an instinct to establish a legal code. We are comfortable with rules that say "do that, don't do that." "No" seems much more accessible than "yes." "No" is clear, but "yes" may involve multiple possibilities.
So it is with these pharisees that questioned Jesus: "Who sinned, so that this man was born blind." (Well, we all sin, which is why anything is wrong in our lives). But the point was, stop focusing on what was wrong with things. Christ brought us back to a connection with God's plan. In the end, we should not concern ourselves with whatever we did (I did, you did), but on what God is doing. God makes a point to everything. And it is to remind us that He is in charge.
The blind-man-given-sight is an under-sung hero of Scripture. He handles the Pharisees to perfection. All he does is answer their questions, plainly and simply. He makes no claim other than what he experienced. And that's all we need to do. Just state the facts and let God's grace handle the rest.
Sin is a reality. The result of it is death at worst, hardship and grief at best. We have our problems not directly because of some sin, or because of some sin of our parents. But because it's all tied together and we all share in the effects of sin, together.
So we don't need to point our fingers at one another, unless one of us is immortal (evidence that we have not sinned). But now that Christ has come and grace is in the world, every bad thing is transformed into an opportunity for God's power and love to be revealed.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Shut Up and Love
For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly . . .
- Ephesians 5
Paul gives us great advice today, on how to deal with the rampant sin in the world. We all know what I'm talking about. From the Left to the Right, we hear valid and convicting words of great sin (always committed by someone other than the speaker): From sexual immorality, to mistreatment of the environment, to failure to care for the poor, to mismanagement of personal and public wealth, to the idolization of celebrities, tax-collectors and other government officials, to lying, cheating, wasting, hoarding, self-loving . . . . It goes on and on.
Paul says, don't even talk about the evil deeds of others (which is one reason why the Christian Right, at least, will always lose the morality debate - they aren't allowed to talk about the details!)
The rest of today's passage gives priority to being the light of the world. If our marriages are strong and healthy, if our parents raise their children with holiness and love. If our businesses are managed ethically. If our funds are used charitably. Do all of these things, and light will abound. What is truly evil will be revealed, and we won't have to say anything.
So basically we just all need to shut up and go about doing the right things. And we know what they are.
- Ephesians 5
Paul gives us great advice today, on how to deal with the rampant sin in the world. We all know what I'm talking about. From the Left to the Right, we hear valid and convicting words of great sin (always committed by someone other than the speaker): From sexual immorality, to mistreatment of the environment, to failure to care for the poor, to mismanagement of personal and public wealth, to the idolization of celebrities, tax-collectors and other government officials, to lying, cheating, wasting, hoarding, self-loving . . . . It goes on and on.
Paul says, don't even talk about the evil deeds of others (which is one reason why the Christian Right, at least, will always lose the morality debate - they aren't allowed to talk about the details!)
The rest of today's passage gives priority to being the light of the world. If our marriages are strong and healthy, if our parents raise their children with holiness and love. If our businesses are managed ethically. If our funds are used charitably. Do all of these things, and light will abound. What is truly evil will be revealed, and we won't have to say anything.
So basically we just all need to shut up and go about doing the right things. And we know what they are.
Our Shepherd
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
- 23rd Psalm
How do you take one excerpt from this masterpiece of Scriptural prose? How do you reference anything but the King James version?
This most famous of Scriptural references, from the pen of King David himself, is called for in this week's Lectionary.
We have decided to let it speak for itself without comment. To the one or two people that will actually read this, we invite you to repeat it over and over again today.
In God's Eyes
Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
- 1 Samuel 1:16
I've been around for 54 years, and we still don't get it.
Sunday School teachers, pastors, teachers, civic leaders, elected officials, parents, friends, family . . .
Oh, we've commented on it. We nod our heads in approval. We point it out. We understand that when this aspect of the King David story is referenced (that he was not as impressive as any of his brothers, yet he is the one God chose to be king), that it is a very important truth. We like it, or pretend to.
But then we'll go look at our young people and select the brightest, most handsome, most athletic, most popular, as the future pastors. And in the US today, it's particularly pronounced: our Presidents and other elected officials are elected based on how well they play on camera. Do they look "cool"? That's about all that counts.
I have engaged down a path in life . . . one that is decidedly, deliberately, not towards wealth or fame. Call it weird. When I was in high school and college I decided that I was not going to have friends, or girlfriends, or wives, based on how much money I had. I would find my friends first, then go get the money.
I measured my success on my own terms. If you turn away from money, you should then turn towards God. I did the first, but not the second. And so I found myself stuck in a money-making career that I didn't belong. I got some wealth, and found that suddenly women were in fact more interested in me. I took it a step further and began acting more like the young men that I observed had the least trouble finding attractive women. It worked. I embraced what the world values, and the world rewarded me.
But the eternal side suffered. The godly part, the compassionate, the holy, the happy and contented part, withered away. I wound up with almost nothing, on almost every front. And today I am still in a sort of wilderness of waiting for things to open back up, or for me finally to just say "yes" to the Lord and let His wealth, His prestige, inform me.
I have been active in church for 15 years, quite high profile in the music ministry. With an MBA and an MA with teacher certification, as well as years of experience as a local elected official, I wondered why I never got asked to serve on any other committees. Finally one day, a pastor told me.
He said that I had no outward evidence of being successful at anything (meaning, I did not appear monetarily rich). This floored me. My circumstances are decidedly humble. The ways in which I privately use the funds I do have, are not available for public consumption. But that did not matter. A "man of the cloth" told me I needed money if I was to be taken more seriously in the Church.
So we have a long way to go.
Say something nice and encouraging today, to someone whose situation is not as good s yours; to someone that is not as good-looking as you, or as popular. For in God's eyes, they are at least as valuable as you.
- 1 Samuel 1:16
I've been around for 54 years, and we still don't get it.
Sunday School teachers, pastors, teachers, civic leaders, elected officials, parents, friends, family . . .
Oh, we've commented on it. We nod our heads in approval. We point it out. We understand that when this aspect of the King David story is referenced (that he was not as impressive as any of his brothers, yet he is the one God chose to be king), that it is a very important truth. We like it, or pretend to.
But then we'll go look at our young people and select the brightest, most handsome, most athletic, most popular, as the future pastors. And in the US today, it's particularly pronounced: our Presidents and other elected officials are elected based on how well they play on camera. Do they look "cool"? That's about all that counts.
I have engaged down a path in life . . . one that is decidedly, deliberately, not towards wealth or fame. Call it weird. When I was in high school and college I decided that I was not going to have friends, or girlfriends, or wives, based on how much money I had. I would find my friends first, then go get the money.
I measured my success on my own terms. If you turn away from money, you should then turn towards God. I did the first, but not the second. And so I found myself stuck in a money-making career that I didn't belong. I got some wealth, and found that suddenly women were in fact more interested in me. I took it a step further and began acting more like the young men that I observed had the least trouble finding attractive women. It worked. I embraced what the world values, and the world rewarded me.
But the eternal side suffered. The godly part, the compassionate, the holy, the happy and contented part, withered away. I wound up with almost nothing, on almost every front. And today I am still in a sort of wilderness of waiting for things to open back up, or for me finally to just say "yes" to the Lord and let His wealth, His prestige, inform me.
I have been active in church for 15 years, quite high profile in the music ministry. With an MBA and an MA with teacher certification, as well as years of experience as a local elected official, I wondered why I never got asked to serve on any other committees. Finally one day, a pastor told me.
He said that I had no outward evidence of being successful at anything (meaning, I did not appear monetarily rich). This floored me. My circumstances are decidedly humble. The ways in which I privately use the funds I do have, are not available for public consumption. But that did not matter. A "man of the cloth" told me I needed money if I was to be taken more seriously in the Church.
So we have a long way to go.
Say something nice and encouraging today, to someone whose situation is not as good s yours; to someone that is not as good-looking as you, or as popular. For in God's eyes, they are at least as valuable as you.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Water Sucks!
Our first Guest Blogger, Archie Woods, joins us this week with some reflections from the Fourth Chapter of the Gospel According to John.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Picture this with me as we set the stage, a desert with barren ground far as the eye can see. A well-worn path leading into a small town, a stopping point for travelers heading from Judea north into Galilee. The reason to stop, some old stones piled in a circle, placed by Jacob. You remember Jacob, son of Isaac father of Joseph, the same guy who stole the birthright from his brother Esau. Jacob was ever the trickster, but he knew how to build a well, it had survived over a thousand years. Here at a Jacob’s well, one of few water sources around, Jesus chooses to have a juicy conversation. A small piece of home-turf in a land of foreigners, the land of Samaria. The time is roughly 6AM, Jesus is leaning on the well considering his early morning cup of Joe… or the equivalent in those days: fresh water.
Enter stage left, a Samaritan woman. Now this is awkward. Did I mention awkward? You see the Jews don’t speak to or deal with Samaritans. That’s the nice way of saying, the Jews despise Samaritans. The Samaritans used to be Jews, before the Samaritans adopted an Oprah Winfrey view of God. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, as Paul later says. The religion of Samaria became every road leads to salvation, and they merged all things with Judaism. You know Samaritans, they drive around with their “co-exist” and “tolerance” bumper stickers spelled in religious icons. All the while not realizing that those are offensive to each religion represented.
The tension builds.
Generations of animosity, cultural barricades. The Samaritan woman decides to just ignore the Jew, which would be the easy way. Just keep your head down and whatever you do don’t make eye contact.
Not an option, Jesus breaks the silence and asks the Samaritan for water. She fires back with the elephant-in-room tactic and asks, “Wait, what? How are you a Jew, talking to me I am obviously a Samaritan.”
Jesus cuts to the chase, as usual with, “If you knew what God offers and who I am, you would have asked and He would have given you living water.”
She responds, “Didn’t you see the sign that says BYOB, bring your own bucket? This is a deep well how are you going to get to that living water, none the less give me some? And no way are you greater than OUR father Jacob who gave us this well.”
Jesus answers, “If you drink this water, you will be thirsty again. If you drink the water I give, you will never thirst. In you will be a well, overflowing with eternal life.”
She doesn't catch what Jesus means and says, “I want what you’re having. Then I won’t have to take this long walk every morning.”
Knowing that she still doesn't hear him Jesus says to her, “Go get your husband and come back.”
She says, “I don’t have one.”
Jesus with a softer voice replies, “That is true, you have had five husbands and the guy you live with now is not your husband.”
So what? What does it matter that Jesus talked to this Samaritan woman? What is all this talk about living water, and wells?
Well, I am glad you asked. You see, Jesus was speaking directly to the gap between the Samaritans and the Jews. He knew that their spirituality had been so watered down (sorry I can’t resist a pun) that it was empty and meaningless. He presents Himself as the exclusive supplier of life to ALL mankind. This isn't just about living, it’s about living with Him. He offered a well inside of her, that springs up to eternal life. A poetic way of saying the Holy Spirit is coming, and He will be Christ in you. Jesus has complete disregard for human built cultural barriers, also known as being politically correct. After all he came to save ALL mankind. He is our water in the barren land, the one true way to God, the narrow path. He didn't save us just to prevent us from suffering death and thirst. He gives us the ability to be suppliers of water and life to those we meet, all who are thirsty. We become dealers of life, we share in the ministry,
and we get a place in the divine romance.
Jesus quenches.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Archie lives with his wife Etta, and two children, in Dexter, Michigan, to which they recently returned following a two-year adventure in Nashville. We are glad to have them home! Archie is a skilled and talented songwriter and worship leader. You can read more by Archie at his blog:
www.worshipnt.blogspot.com
We want to thank Archie for accepting our invitation to be our first guest blogger!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Picture this with me as we set the stage, a desert with barren ground far as the eye can see. A well-worn path leading into a small town, a stopping point for travelers heading from Judea north into Galilee. The reason to stop, some old stones piled in a circle, placed by Jacob. You remember Jacob, son of Isaac father of Joseph, the same guy who stole the birthright from his brother Esau. Jacob was ever the trickster, but he knew how to build a well, it had survived over a thousand years. Here at a Jacob’s well, one of few water sources around, Jesus chooses to have a juicy conversation. A small piece of home-turf in a land of foreigners, the land of Samaria. The time is roughly 6AM, Jesus is leaning on the well considering his early morning cup of Joe… or the equivalent in those days: fresh water.
Enter stage left, a Samaritan woman. Now this is awkward. Did I mention awkward? You see the Jews don’t speak to or deal with Samaritans. That’s the nice way of saying, the Jews despise Samaritans. The Samaritans used to be Jews, before the Samaritans adopted an Oprah Winfrey view of God. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, as Paul later says. The religion of Samaria became every road leads to salvation, and they merged all things with Judaism. You know Samaritans, they drive around with their “co-exist” and “tolerance” bumper stickers spelled in religious icons. All the while not realizing that those are offensive to each religion represented.
The tension builds.
Generations of animosity, cultural barricades. The Samaritan woman decides to just ignore the Jew, which would be the easy way. Just keep your head down and whatever you do don’t make eye contact.
Not an option, Jesus breaks the silence and asks the Samaritan for water. She fires back with the elephant-in-room tactic and asks, “Wait, what? How are you a Jew, talking to me I am obviously a Samaritan.”
Jesus cuts to the chase, as usual with, “If you knew what God offers and who I am, you would have asked and He would have given you living water.”
She responds, “Didn’t you see the sign that says BYOB, bring your own bucket? This is a deep well how are you going to get to that living water, none the less give me some? And no way are you greater than OUR father Jacob who gave us this well.”
Jesus answers, “If you drink this water, you will be thirsty again. If you drink the water I give, you will never thirst. In you will be a well, overflowing with eternal life.”
She doesn't catch what Jesus means and says, “I want what you’re having. Then I won’t have to take this long walk every morning.”
Knowing that she still doesn't hear him Jesus says to her, “Go get your husband and come back.”
She says, “I don’t have one.”
Jesus with a softer voice replies, “That is true, you have had five husbands and the guy you live with now is not your husband.”
So what? What does it matter that Jesus talked to this Samaritan woman? What is all this talk about living water, and wells?
Well, I am glad you asked. You see, Jesus was speaking directly to the gap between the Samaritans and the Jews. He knew that their spirituality had been so watered down (sorry I can’t resist a pun) that it was empty and meaningless. He presents Himself as the exclusive supplier of life to ALL mankind. This isn't just about living, it’s about living with Him. He offered a well inside of her, that springs up to eternal life. A poetic way of saying the Holy Spirit is coming, and He will be Christ in you. Jesus has complete disregard for human built cultural barriers, also known as being politically correct. After all he came to save ALL mankind. He is our water in the barren land, the one true way to God, the narrow path. He didn't save us just to prevent us from suffering death and thirst. He gives us the ability to be suppliers of water and life to those we meet, all who are thirsty. We become dealers of life, we share in the ministry,
and we get a place in the divine romance.
Jesus quenches.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Archie lives with his wife Etta, and two children, in Dexter, Michigan, to which they recently returned following a two-year adventure in Nashville. We are glad to have them home! Archie is a skilled and talented songwriter and worship leader. You can read more by Archie at his blog:
www.worshipnt.blogspot.com
We want to thank Archie for accepting our invitation to be our first guest blogger!
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
God in the Little Things
Is the Lord among us or not?
- Exodus 17
This interesting account has the people pressuring Moses, to get them some water. We don't know how thirsty they were. Has it only been a day since they had water? A week? Were they being babies, or did they actually have a point?
But we find Moses becoming quite irritated at all of it. When he goes to the Lord, to complain about it, you wonder if God is going to say "You poor thing. They shouldn't be so mean to you." Or God might have said "Why don't you grow up and lead like a man."
But instead, God just simply solves the problem, and it involves taking the Lord's staff, and striking it against a stone. Now - - - there is plenty within that one little event, to talk about. Water of life coming from a rock, etc. But we do not dwell on that today.
God deals with our basic need. We do need water. It is perhaps the most basic human need, one that impacts on our very survival. So God doesn't bemoan the people's complaints! He treats all of them, including Moses, with tenderness here. He solves the problem, but He does so by giving Moses a task.
And the giving of a task implies that we had the power to solve the problem all along.
Interesting . . .
- Exodus 17
This interesting account has the people pressuring Moses, to get them some water. We don't know how thirsty they were. Has it only been a day since they had water? A week? Were they being babies, or did they actually have a point?
But we find Moses becoming quite irritated at all of it. When he goes to the Lord, to complain about it, you wonder if God is going to say "You poor thing. They shouldn't be so mean to you." Or God might have said "Why don't you grow up and lead like a man."
But instead, God just simply solves the problem, and it involves taking the Lord's staff, and striking it against a stone. Now - - - there is plenty within that one little event, to talk about. Water of life coming from a rock, etc. But we do not dwell on that today.
God deals with our basic need. We do need water. It is perhaps the most basic human need, one that impacts on our very survival. So God doesn't bemoan the people's complaints! He treats all of them, including Moses, with tenderness here. He solves the problem, but He does so by giving Moses a task.
And the giving of a task implies that we had the power to solve the problem all along.
Interesting . . .
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Letting Go
...he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
- Psalm 121
This is a comforting thought.
A preacher once said that our attitude should be, when we have fretful, sleepless nights: "Lord, this is your problem now. I'm going to bed."
The statement is Scriptural., and is found right here in the referenced passage.
We really should cast all our cares on Him. The time to do this is at bedtime. If your faith is strong, you should be able to relax and go to sleep.
But now, our trust and our faith - our letting go - often requires some action on our part. You can't let go without loosening your grip. You have to move your hands to let go. You have to move.
And getting into God's work, letting Him go to work, means we have to do something, usually let go of something, so that He can move us.
Lent is about giving up and letting go. Deny things to ourselves. Sacrifice. And this is what faith is all about. It's okay. He never sleeps.
- Psalm 121
This is a comforting thought.
A preacher once said that our attitude should be, when we have fretful, sleepless nights: "Lord, this is your problem now. I'm going to bed."
The statement is Scriptural., and is found right here in the referenced passage.
We really should cast all our cares on Him. The time to do this is at bedtime. If your faith is strong, you should be able to relax and go to sleep.
But now, our trust and our faith - our letting go - often requires some action on our part. You can't let go without loosening your grip. You have to move your hands to let go. You have to move.
And getting into God's work, letting Him go to work, means we have to do something, usually let go of something, so that He can move us.
Lent is about giving up and letting go. Deny things to ourselves. Sacrifice. And this is what faith is all about. It's okay. He never sleeps.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Getting from A to B
So Abram went . . .
- Genesis 12
I have dwelt a lot lately, on the topic of following God's will.
God's plan for us is a short, straight line. That is, to get where He ultimately wants us, is not a great distance, and is not fraught with obstacles.
Does that sound naive? Well, I may be wrong. But I think that the final goal is actually very simple indeed. But God's plan involves a growth plan, in which we still go off on our own way. We may even see the final outcome that God wants, and we may even be desiring to attain it. But we want to do it our way, like children.
Rather than going from Point A to Point B (God's perfect will for us), we choose to get to Point B, via Points C, D, E, F, . . . and Z. We make it harder on ourselves. When all we need to do in the first place, is just . . . go.
It happened that way for me. I am finally ending up where God wanted me in the first place: in full-time ministry. But it's taking so long to get there. And it's my fault.
- Genesis 12
I have dwelt a lot lately, on the topic of following God's will.
God's plan for us is a short, straight line. That is, to get where He ultimately wants us, is not a great distance, and is not fraught with obstacles.
Does that sound naive? Well, I may be wrong. But I think that the final goal is actually very simple indeed. But God's plan involves a growth plan, in which we still go off on our own way. We may even see the final outcome that God wants, and we may even be desiring to attain it. But we want to do it our way, like children.
Rather than going from Point A to Point B (God's perfect will for us), we choose to get to Point B, via Points C, D, E, F, . . . and Z. We make it harder on ourselves. When all we need to do in the first place, is just . . . go.
It happened that way for me. I am finally ending up where God wanted me in the first place: in full-time ministry. But it's taking so long to get there. And it's my fault.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
A to B
After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
- Matthew 4
Our big tests always occur immediately following our moments of victory. You reach a goal, and then rest . . . which is the same as letting down your guard.
Not only had Jesus just been baptized, but he next goes to a wilderness place, near mountains. I can imagine it was a place of natural beauty; a retreat setting. But it was there, separated from others, fasting for forty days and forty nights, that He was at His physically weakest.
God has a plan for us. And getting to His will, I have come to believe, could be a short, straight-line process. In God's perfect will, we can go from Point A to Point B. Easy; and then it's done.
But we choose our own way. And therein comes the testing, the disappointments, the discouragements. We give up. But we lose heart at exactly the moment when we should veer back to the easy task of collecting God's prize for us. And we know we're being disobedient. Yet we persist in doing it our way.
Instead of going from Point A to Point B, we end up going to Point C, and then D, and all the way to Z, before getting to B, which is where we should have gone in the first place.
How does this tie in to Christ's temptation in the wilderness? This didn't seem easy for Him! Well, it wasn't. But between his baptism and the launch of His ministry, he came to a crossroad where he could have chosen C, D, or E; and these were what the devil offered Him. Choosing the right path does indeed give us tests, and trials. And we may become discouraged. But the discouragement (illness, financial loss, etc.) need not defeat us.
A to B is the shortest way. It may require us to go through swamps, brambles, snares. But we get to the end sooner, and we end up not hurting others along the way.
God gets us where He wants us. We just tend to make it harder than it needs to be.
- Matthew 4
Our big tests always occur immediately following our moments of victory. You reach a goal, and then rest . . . which is the same as letting down your guard.
Not only had Jesus just been baptized, but he next goes to a wilderness place, near mountains. I can imagine it was a place of natural beauty; a retreat setting. But it was there, separated from others, fasting for forty days and forty nights, that He was at His physically weakest.
God has a plan for us. And getting to His will, I have come to believe, could be a short, straight-line process. In God's perfect will, we can go from Point A to Point B. Easy; and then it's done.
But we choose our own way. And therein comes the testing, the disappointments, the discouragements. We give up. But we lose heart at exactly the moment when we should veer back to the easy task of collecting God's prize for us. And we know we're being disobedient. Yet we persist in doing it our way.
Instead of going from Point A to Point B, we end up going to Point C, and then D, and all the way to Z, before getting to B, which is where we should have gone in the first place.
How does this tie in to Christ's temptation in the wilderness? This didn't seem easy for Him! Well, it wasn't. But between his baptism and the launch of His ministry, he came to a crossroad where he could have chosen C, D, or E; and these were what the devil offered Him. Choosing the right path does indeed give us tests, and trials. And we may become discouraged. But the discouragement (illness, financial loss, etc.) need not defeat us.
A to B is the shortest way. It may require us to go through swamps, brambles, snares. But we get to the end sooner, and we end up not hurting others along the way.
God gets us where He wants us. We just tend to make it harder than it needs to be.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Christ, Even as Adam
...but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification.
- Romans 5
Imagine the chaos if each one of us had to act for ourselves, and make our own case, as to whether or not we should have our sins forgiven and our lives made eternal!
The disobedience of Adam, representing all of us (for we all are present in his genetic makeup), lead to his death, and his death was then passed on to, or inherited by, all of us. We are born mortal. Why? Because we are sinners. Before there was death, there was sin. There is evil and wickedness in the world, because of sin, and we all sin.
But the obedience of Christ brought forgiveness and life to all of us. The entire passage of Romans 5 repeats the concept that sin and death started with one man, and passed on to all of us. But likewise, the concept of justification and life started with one man, and passed on to us. The statements are structured accordingly: "Even as in one man death reigned, even so in one man eternal life was passed to all of humanity."
If our DNA is in Adam, then it must be in Christ as well, since Christ was our representative, even as Adam was. And Adam was ours, because our DNA is in him.
So it came down to one man, for each situation. This is simplicity. We know that we act an awful lot like Adam . . . but we also know that we are capable of acting like Christ.
And so Christ, The Second Adam, must have been born, in the fullness of time, as a complete DNA match to Adam. And so, this is how it works.
One man's obedience. We are in Him and He in us (and I think this is the greatest symbolism of Communion). And when he obeyed, it was enough to make pure and holy . . . all of us.
- Romans 5
Imagine the chaos if each one of us had to act for ourselves, and make our own case, as to whether or not we should have our sins forgiven and our lives made eternal!
The disobedience of Adam, representing all of us (for we all are present in his genetic makeup), lead to his death, and his death was then passed on to, or inherited by, all of us. We are born mortal. Why? Because we are sinners. Before there was death, there was sin. There is evil and wickedness in the world, because of sin, and we all sin.
But the obedience of Christ brought forgiveness and life to all of us. The entire passage of Romans 5 repeats the concept that sin and death started with one man, and passed on to all of us. But likewise, the concept of justification and life started with one man, and passed on to us. The statements are structured accordingly: "Even as in one man death reigned, even so in one man eternal life was passed to all of humanity."
If our DNA is in Adam, then it must be in Christ as well, since Christ was our representative, even as Adam was. And Adam was ours, because our DNA is in him.
So it came down to one man, for each situation. This is simplicity. We know that we act an awful lot like Adam . . . but we also know that we are capable of acting like Christ.
And so Christ, The Second Adam, must have been born, in the fullness of time, as a complete DNA match to Adam. And so, this is how it works.
One man's obedience. We are in Him and He in us (and I think this is the greatest symbolism of Communion). And when he obeyed, it was enough to make pure and holy . . . all of us.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
But Then . . .
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
- Psalm 32
I know a young person that is stressing about college and career choices. She has endured several years of developing her skills, building her talents, preparing for the application process into a college program of her choice.
She gets close to the goal. She can see it and even begins to imagine the relief when she is finally accepted into a program she has set her heart on.
But almost every time, she gets pushed back down again, by forces outside her control.
I have noticed that this person has left God out of the equation. I wonder about her choices in her private life. Church is not a habit now. She does not seem happy, as she was just a few years ago when she was very active in Church. God has given her talents. He planted the vision in her mind and heart. Yet as she gets closer and closer to making it a reality, she relies less and less on God to get her there. And then it slips through her grasp.
But, what do you expect?
It reminds me of me. So many times in my life, I have failed in some objective, even a good one . . . only to realize that I was leaving God out of it. But if God is the giver of gifts, how can I hope to make progress without Him? How can I fully prepare myself, without at least acknowledging God?
The Psalmist gives us the starting point: "Then I acknowledged my sin to you . . . " He is talking about being in a very low part of life. He felt like his life was fading away, like death was overtaking him. And then at once the Psalmist realizes, and admits his sinfulness to God. Instantly, things got better.
And then in my own life, and in the life of this young woman, there is always a side door out of the situation. You see that the vision was correct, it was there all along. You were just refusing to focus on it, and let it become more clear in your eyes, like seeing a 3D image materialize from an image of complex patterns.
You must always make things right with God, before embarking on any great thing.
- Psalm 32
I know a young person that is stressing about college and career choices. She has endured several years of developing her skills, building her talents, preparing for the application process into a college program of her choice.
She gets close to the goal. She can see it and even begins to imagine the relief when she is finally accepted into a program she has set her heart on.
But almost every time, she gets pushed back down again, by forces outside her control.
I have noticed that this person has left God out of the equation. I wonder about her choices in her private life. Church is not a habit now. She does not seem happy, as she was just a few years ago when she was very active in Church. God has given her talents. He planted the vision in her mind and heart. Yet as she gets closer and closer to making it a reality, she relies less and less on God to get her there. And then it slips through her grasp.
But, what do you expect?
It reminds me of me. So many times in my life, I have failed in some objective, even a good one . . . only to realize that I was leaving God out of it. But if God is the giver of gifts, how can I hope to make progress without Him? How can I fully prepare myself, without at least acknowledging God?
The Psalmist gives us the starting point: "Then I acknowledged my sin to you . . . " He is talking about being in a very low part of life. He felt like his life was fading away, like death was overtaking him. And then at once the Psalmist realizes, and admits his sinfulness to God. Instantly, things got better.
And then in my own life, and in the life of this young woman, there is always a side door out of the situation. You see that the vision was correct, it was there all along. You were just refusing to focus on it, and let it become more clear in your eyes, like seeing a 3D image materialize from an image of complex patterns.
You must always make things right with God, before embarking on any great thing.
Monday, March 3, 2014
The Root of Sin
...but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.
- Genesis 2
We enter Lent.
And the first reading of the season goes straight to the root of the origin of sin. Unfortunately I cannot adequately address this topic in one short reflection.
The concept of sin is deceptively simple, yet it has layers of complexity. God took thousands of years, and 66 books of The Bible, to demonstrate and define it; it's motivations, it's manifestations, it's consequences. It is still being tested, studied, and mocked even today.
I believe there is a sexual component to basic sin. The sex act is a decidedly selfish one. There likely has never been the person born, with any kind of interest in sex, that would be willing to give another person sexual pleasure indefinitely, without getting any mutual stimulation in return. People engage in it, not because they really, truly love the other person; but because they want what it can get for them. Sound ludicrous? Think about it. If there was nothing in it for us, we absolutely would not engage in it totally for the benefit of another person. Absent some climactic animal response, the whole thing comes across as quite silly.
As Jack Miles suggests in his superb work Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God, sex is integrally linked with death. We know the being is mortal, because the being is sexual. Interesting . . .
And so we could go on now, with all of the symbolism in Genesis, linking sex and the Tree of Knowledge. But that would take too long. But let that presumption color how we look at the rest of Scripture. We shall see if God actually does treat sex and its misuse as a serious thing. And well might we wonder why God would establish such an expectation for his human children, and in what way the proper attention to sex actually ennobles and immortalizes us (for we all want to live forever).
And maybe that's it: You can have your sex, but you will die. If you want to live forever, the price is giving up sex. Perhaps one channel of discovery open to us . . .
- Genesis 2
We enter Lent.
And the first reading of the season goes straight to the root of the origin of sin. Unfortunately I cannot adequately address this topic in one short reflection.
The concept of sin is deceptively simple, yet it has layers of complexity. God took thousands of years, and 66 books of The Bible, to demonstrate and define it; it's motivations, it's manifestations, it's consequences. It is still being tested, studied, and mocked even today.
I believe there is a sexual component to basic sin. The sex act is a decidedly selfish one. There likely has never been the person born, with any kind of interest in sex, that would be willing to give another person sexual pleasure indefinitely, without getting any mutual stimulation in return. People engage in it, not because they really, truly love the other person; but because they want what it can get for them. Sound ludicrous? Think about it. If there was nothing in it for us, we absolutely would not engage in it totally for the benefit of another person. Absent some climactic animal response, the whole thing comes across as quite silly.
As Jack Miles suggests in his superb work Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God, sex is integrally linked with death. We know the being is mortal, because the being is sexual. Interesting . . .
And so we could go on now, with all of the symbolism in Genesis, linking sex and the Tree of Knowledge. But that would take too long. But let that presumption color how we look at the rest of Scripture. We shall see if God actually does treat sex and its misuse as a serious thing. And well might we wonder why God would establish such an expectation for his human children, and in what way the proper attention to sex actually ennobles and immortalizes us (for we all want to live forever).
And maybe that's it: You can have your sex, but you will die. If you want to live forever, the price is giving up sex. Perhaps one channel of discovery open to us . . .
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Jesus Alone
And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
- Matthew 17
This is the last week of Epiphany. We move into Lent, next. Lent is the preparation for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. In Lent, we look ahead to the Cross. But in Epiphany, we have been learning about the "coming out," if you will, of Christ. He launched His ministry, He made Himself known. He established Himself as the Promised One.
And so in this last reference, from the book of Matthew, we read of the Transfiguration, which I believe was the experience of Christ's Second Coming, for the eyes of Peter, John, and James. They were the ones that "would not see death," without seeing the Son of Man coming in the clouds, with Angels. (Moses and Elijah are God's servants and messengers, they count as angels.).
And Christ ordered them not to tell anybody about what they have seen, until after He would be raised from the dead. This is another topic for discussion, which we will have to do another time!
We want our denominations and sects. We create labels that define us as "good," and others as "bad." We all want to belong to something. It is natural for us to belong to loving families that accept us. Barring that, we turn to worldly systems that may include us: clubs, fraternities, political parties, churches, denominations . . .
But Christ says, forget about all that. In the end the Three Disciples saw only Jesus. This should be our only identifier.
Would you turn over your life for the sake of Christ? Then you are my brother and sister.
- Matthew 17
This is the last week of Epiphany. We move into Lent, next. Lent is the preparation for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. In Lent, we look ahead to the Cross. But in Epiphany, we have been learning about the "coming out," if you will, of Christ. He launched His ministry, He made Himself known. He established Himself as the Promised One.
And so in this last reference, from the book of Matthew, we read of the Transfiguration, which I believe was the experience of Christ's Second Coming, for the eyes of Peter, John, and James. They were the ones that "would not see death," without seeing the Son of Man coming in the clouds, with Angels. (Moses and Elijah are God's servants and messengers, they count as angels.).
And Christ ordered them not to tell anybody about what they have seen, until after He would be raised from the dead. This is another topic for discussion, which we will have to do another time!
We want our denominations and sects. We create labels that define us as "good," and others as "bad." We all want to belong to something. It is natural for us to belong to loving families that accept us. Barring that, we turn to worldly systems that may include us: clubs, fraternities, political parties, churches, denominations . . .
But Christ says, forget about all that. In the end the Three Disciples saw only Jesus. This should be our only identifier.
Would you turn over your life for the sake of Christ? Then you are my brother and sister.
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