Honor

Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house  . . . 

 - From Matthew 13

Social Media has been a magnifying glass, on the truth of this statement here, from the Lord. 

People "unfriending" each other like it's the latest craze. Friendships, blood relations, shattered and scattered, thanks to the fake intensity of emotions, on-line. 

For whatever reason - and I have not figured it out, although I think about it a lot - we get a heightened sense of our own identity when we're wandering about on Facebook. We're more sensitive, more defensive, more quick to judge. Our feelings get hurt more easily and deeply. Our lizard brains rule us. We jump all over on people we have known and admired for years, even decades. We can't just stop. We do not know how to re-escalate. It's almost as if it were a form of . . . 

 . . . addiction. 

The same discussions that we have on Facebook, we could have in person, much more productively. In fact that happened once, with me. A friend from high school, that I had not seen in ages, and I got into some severe scrapes on-line. I don't know about him, but I was deeply hurt and frustrated with our exchanges. 

But when I accidentally saw him, in person, one time, it was like the old times. We began laughing, and in that setting were able to explain and understand each other much better, than on Facebook. 

So I'm trying to tie it back to Jesus' statement about prophets, and honor, and their own countries. 

Apparently, real honor cannot exist in online discussions. Evidently, prophets should not attempt communicating on-line - prophesy is an area where careful articulation is required; and on-line discussions get sloppy. And Facebook is it's own little country, or family. Everything is intensified, because you can instantly get a hundred likes from strangers . . . which also instantly creates a wedge between you and your real friends. 

We should come back to a discussion about "honor," because it too is becoming a relic of the past. 

For now, I try to keep the challenge of Pastor Matt Hook, to heart - - - push away from comments, and responses, on-line, that will only stir up anger. 

Pointless anger has no honor, at all. 

Labor

. . . constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 - From I Thessalonians 1

Is "Labor" a good or bad word?

We celebrate "Labor Day" in the US, which is a day to recognize the manual skills and accomplishments of people that "work" for a living. The assumption, is, of course, that a person that studies markets and the performance of the stock market isn't "working," as much as a person swinging a hammer. Formally, we recognize and celebrate the advancements made for the quality of life of Americans, thanks to the union movement. Except, we all get a day off now. 

Labor Day may be one of my favorite holidays, if not my very favorite, in some ways. 

You don't have to get up early for gifts, or to go to Church, or to get a good seat at a parade. You don't spend all morning cooking. In fact, you don't have to be anywhere, necessarily, at all, all day. What few traditions there are, for gathering, always yield fond memories: the final outing at the lake. One last family BBQ. A visit to the park, for a long walk in the waning moments of summer. 

I always loved the Jerry Lewis Telethon, which occurred every year, all day, on Labor Day. Muscular Dystrophy is perhaps my favorite charity, and I will always be grateful for this tradition launched by Mr. Lewis. 

But, what makes Labor Day not the best holiday, in the end, is that you normally have to get up the next morning, early, to go to school. Summer is over.

Labor Day, in this context, refers to manual labor. Labor that requires you to lift, to move, to maneuver and work. Work, itself, is a word with negative connotations. Some people love to work, yes . . . but they are doing what they love. To them it isn't work. We should not look down upon others, that are not motivated to do the same things we are. 

"Labor of love" has a special meaning. It means there are some things you should do, without expecting to get paid. I have done a lot of research on my family history, through the years. I have come to a critical mass, of becoming aware of elders, and children, in my extended family, with distinct needs requiring some financial support. I said something about it to one of my cousins. She said "You should not expect to be paid to do genealogy. It should be a labor of love." She was totally missing the point. 

I think Paul meant something different, when he commended the Thessalonians for their "labor of love." He is very adamant, in many different contexts, that people serving Christ should be paid. If they don't get a little financial support, and even a few motivational rewards ($), they will be forced to leave the ministry (and we're all ministers). Paul is referring to the specific things that they do . . . their jobs, and their vocations, are driven by a godly love for others. They love serving Christ and others. They put a lot of sweat into it. It looks like work to others . . . whatever it is. 

Building homes for the homeless? Treating illnesses for the poor? Tutoring kids with a single parent? 

They were very busy. They are working. But it does not feel like work, because they are motivated by love. 

Talking about helping the needy isn't work. It is not labor. Only by helping . . . with your hands, and your heart, and your presence, is what labor of love is all about. 

Oil

You have anointed my head with oil . . . 

 - From the Twenty-Third Psalm

It's always a treat when Psalm 23 comes up in the Lectionary readings. I guess it should do that only once a year; maybe even only once every three years. 

In my boyhood church, The Penfield Advent Christian Church in New York, the 23rd Psalm was one of the regular congregational responses in the service, every week. Just like The Lord's Prayer, we recited it every week, I believe, immediately after the sermon and before the benediction.  As a kid, I had it memorized. For that reason, I have always thought of it as the Old Testament version of the Lord's Prayer. 

THe Twenty-Third Psalm also references other integral New Testament themes. The anointing of oil . . . this always prefigured baptism, the use of water to wash away sin. Oil, I guess, is a preservative of sorts. It adds flavor, and has a lot of healthy benefits. The Essential Oils movement is connected to this. 

When I was a kid, "Cod Liver Oil" was one of those things you heard about all the time. Some kids were required to take a tablespoon of it every day. You had that, plus your One-a-Day vitamins. 

For three years, I have made a daily habit of putting a drop of Thieves oil in my coffee, every day. This apparently has preventative benefits. I started it because I was going to be teaching in an extended substitute job that, if I didn't miss a day, would get double-pay. But then I continued it to the end of each school year. And then this summer, I kept on doing it, because of the Coronavirus. 

I believe it helps. I have no scientific proof, but as my sister says "If you think it works, does it matter what the science says?"

The Psalmist uses the perfect tense of the verb . . . "You have anointed my head. . . . ". It's as good as done, like with all of God's promises. 

We may face danger. We will have disappointments and sadness in this life. We will suffer loss, and maybe even violence. But God has anointed our heads with oil. The oil covers our heads. It seeps into us and permeates our being. Oil represents holiness. We are covered. 

Notice, too, that unlike a mask, oil is clear. It can be all over you . . . it may cover your entire face . . . but your wonderful God-made face is still visible to everybody. 

God wants us to be seen. Our faces have an important role in communication and connection. Research shows that we rely heavily on seeing other people's faces in order to communicate most effectively.

When God covers us . . . when He protects us . . . He does not hide us. 

Heap

For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin . . .  

 - From Isaiah 25

The entire chapter, Isaiah 25, is a passage full of praise to God . . . for His goodness. God's enemies will be defeated. We will cry no more. Death will be vanquished. 

But it leads off with this scene from an American city, in 2020:

"You have made the city a heap."

Sodom and Gomorrah were thriving cities . . . but when they were overcome with selfish pursuits only, and the brutalizing of each other, God had to end it. He took out two entire cities. Where are they now? God wipes out cities. 

Is it possible, that God is not much into the urban lifestyle? 

When Christ needed time with His Father, He always went off, to be alone. He got away from the crowds. In fact, the very idea of "crowds" in the Bible, is usually not in a good context. 

I remember a conversation with a fifth grader. His family had just moved to the US, from Japan, within the past year. The very next summer, my daughter was planning to go to Japan for an internship. So I asked the fifth grader if he had some advice for my daughter. He said "Get used to living with millions of people piled on top of each other."

This same daughter had a best friend, from Korea. My daughter said that, as she drove her friend out to my sister's for Easter dinner, one year, her friend marveled at the spread of homes . . . each home so far apart, with so much land in between. Her friend had heard about this, about America, but was still amazed when she saw it the first time. 

I used to drive through Michigan's back roads with a friend that had spent her entire life in Detroit. As we drove down farm roads, my friend talked about how everything was so "stretched out". 

We seek a home with lots of land. But some people seek the city, to get away. But people that are restless, running away from something (usually something "provincial"), that are a little angry about this or that . . . when enough of them gather in a city, how does it surprise us when crowds gather and begin acting randomly?

Cities seem permanent. They seem safe. They seem like a place where you are protected from danger, by waves of people surrounding you. 

But none of this is true. God told Abraham to look in every direction. Everything that he can see, will be his.

Land is a big deal. God's Kingdom is a place of sprawling beauty. 

And we should not be surprised when cities collapse. Sometimes . . . this is part of something bigger, something very good. 

Offends

Who can tell how often he offends? cleanse me from my secret faults. 

 - From Psalm 19

On Facebook, I get into discussions hosted by a particular academic from a Christian college. His background is journalism. I first met him when he was the editor of my denomination's weekly magazine. 

He considers himself an "evangelical," but has striven to cultivate an online image of "centrist" and "Clever purveyor of wit."

Of course, the "centrist" part means "liberal," and the "wit" is far too often presented in the form of cutting sarcasm and inflammatory ridicule. Ostensibly, he cares about such issues as the breakdown of morality and the family in western culture; but he has lost that focus, by being caught up in hate-Trump hysteria. 

He cannot be reasoned with. He ignores Scriptures that may challenge him. He does not listen to any dissent. He does not care that he is making himself unapproachable to many. He does not consider the (true) proposition that he may be wrong. 

The Psalmist took care of this contingency. 

He says . . . 

I don't even know how frequently I offend others. But I do not want to offend others. The hurts that I cause, unwittingly, are too numerous to mention. They are sins I commit against others. They are secret sins, for even I do not even know when I commit them.

Tone of voice. Inelegant phrasing. Poor timing. Lack of awareness of what's going on in someone else's life.

We have no idea, the extent to which we are snares in the spiritual growth of others. We not only impede, but we reverse forward movement. We cause others to backslide and lose faith!!

A Facebook friend, just this week, has decided to air out deeply-rooted bitterness against her parents, about things that happened twenty years ago! Her Dad has long since attempted to apologize for some harmful decisions he made, when she was a teenager. He was desperate for ways to address some serious emotional problems within her, that had made life Hell for her parents and siblings. 

Venting is helpful. But this person has chosen to do so in the glare of the lights of social media. As her Dad advances towards his eighth decade, she seems determined to send him to his final years in pain and intense grief. 

Cleanse me from secret faults . . . the horrible things that I do to others, unwittingly, with good intentions. I can't help myself.

We need to start caring, when we offend others. Stop thinking about ourselves so much. 

The world is coming unglued. And it most certainly is due, largely, to offense, and secret sins. 

Dreamed

And he dreamed . . . 

 - From Genesis 28

It seems like so many of the most momentous encounters with God occur at night, in the lonely hours when perhaps our imaginations run wild. They occur while other are sleeping and you are restless, and virtually alone. We see God in our dreams.

For this reason, I have always felt there are more to dreams, than meets the eye. Some people believe there is even a dream realm that is as real as our waking hours. On several occasions in my life, I have had vivid dreams about people - acquaintances, friends, co-workers, students, family members. These dreams may involve conversation or intense interchanges.

If, within the next few days, I come across one of the people in these dreams, there may be a pithy moment of awkwardness; as though we both were aware of having the same strange interaction, in the dream state - - - but both are afraid to bring it up. "No, I don't feel awkward. Maybe it's just you."

Of course, all of the above may be the fanciful reckonings of a lifelong aficionado of literary fantasy. 

Perhaps, while in the dream state, with our mind fully rested and not distracted, we are at our most ready to see, and listen to, God. 

Jacob's dream occurred as he rested upon a rock ("upon this rock I will build my Kingdom") in a location that may have been where Abraham began to sacrifice Isaac. It may be near where the Temple was ultimately built. It may be near Gethsemane, or Golgotha. It is close to Bethlehem. People throughout history have noticed the other-worldly aspects to the land of Palestine, and Israel. 

A lot of things happened there . . . a lot of strange things . . . a lot of events that impact all of human history, from beginning, to end. . . from the first rung, to the top. 

We should not discount the value of dreams, both those that we concoct while awake, and those that seem to enter into our minds, while we sleep. Jacob dreamed, and so do we.

Crowd (Christ)

 . . . we are afraid of the crowd. 

 - From Matthew 21

The Chief Priests and the Elders (formal elders) in the time of Christ, were not particularly courageous. They have put so much stock into their property, and appearance, that they are loathe to do anything to sully themselves. They are into things staying in order. They're like Dr. Smith on the classic TV show, Lost in Space. They are all talk, as long as nothing endangers them directly. And they cover their tracks well, lest they place themselves into a precarious situation. 

Jesus was one Man that threatened the existing order; and this is why He had to go. 

But they feared the crowd. They were not willing to stir the crowd up, unless it was stirred up against Jesus. 

There is never a good reason to stir up an angry crowd. And never a good reason to encourage the angry crowd. 

Some sermons and scriptural lessons are more memorable than others. Over the course of a lifetime, you may be lucky enough to have had a few be so noteworthy, that you remember them in detail. 

So it was in the fall of 1982. I was an MBA student at Texas Christian University; but I did not want to be studying business. I felt that I should be in ministry, and spent every moment that I could, involved in youth work and music at the Pleasant Hill Advent Christian Church in Southlake, Texas. I attended Sunday and Wednesday services, any time I could. The pastor was Donald B. Wrigley. 

One Sunday night, brother Don did a lesson that he called "The Circles of Discipleship." It started with a discussion about the hundreds, even thousands of people that followed Christ around, in His ministry. From there it went down to the hundred or so, that assisted Him in activities like handing out the loaves and fishes. From there, down to the Circle of Twelve, which of course, were the Twelve Apostles. These were there in His private moments. They heard His most profound teachings and had them explained to Him. 

From there, it went down to the Circle of Three. Peter, John, and James . . . the three that were present at the Transfiguration, and that accompanied Him to Gethsemane. 

Finally, The Circle of One - - - John, "the Disciple Jesus Loved." The one that made it to the Cross. The only one that died a natural death. Of course, Simon Peter can make the claim to being "The Circle of One."

This struck me. The closer you get to Christ, the fewer people that are present. 

I've always had a hearty level of distrust against crowds of any kind. Even crowds that are not assembled to do harm: sporting events, music concerts, serve no truly needful purpose. It's entertainment, that's all. 

In our times, we need more people breaking away from the crowds, to go off and pray. To reflect. To fast and experience want from a positive experience. To cultivate dependency on God, and not on human government. 

By the same token . . . beware of leaders that seem too willing to please a crowd. They are no better than Scribes and Pharisees.