On Justifying Ourselves

In his book The Seven Deadly Virtues, Gerald Mann tells the story of a preacher in the south who courageously took a stand on the subject of racism at a time when that was not generally done among white, southern preachers... at least those who remained employed. Following the sermon, he was cornered by one of his members and taken to task for the lesson. The man demanded, “Well, if I ain't better than a (N-word) then who am I better than?”

“Then who am I better than?” That is likely a question that we have asked in some form at some time or another. You see, religion is often based upon the doctrine of “justification.” I’m not talking here about the great Biblical doctrine of justification by faith but the decidedly unbiblical desire justify ourselves. We know we are sinners, and that makes us uncomfortable. So we want to find ways to justify ourselves, and often the easiest way to feel justified is to point to our good points in comparison to the bad points of someone else. We have the right worship, the right doctrine, the right date on our cornerstone… the right rites. And that makes us right… right?

Wrong! That may make us FEEL right. Generally, when we say someone is just trying to “justify themselves,” what we mean is that they are making excuses for their bad behavior so they won’t look or feel so bad. I forgot my anniversary because I was so busy at work. I lost my temper because I didn't get enough sleep. I didn't gossip, I was sharing a prayer concern. All of that may "justify myself" in the sense that it makes me feel better. But I'm not justified.

Sometimes our religion is too much about justifying ourselves. Maybe that why a guy I know who hadn't been to church in years argued so strongly (obnoxiously) with a co-worker over the doctrine of baptism. It made him feel justified. Maybe that's why a guy I heard about put some extra bucks in the collection on Sunday ever time he had a rather rowdy Saturday night. It made him feel better. Maybe that's why some of us point so strongly to our right worship/doctrine/church and point our how others are doing it so wrong. Hey, if I ain’t better than a Baptist/Pentecostal/Catholic, then who am I better than?

But we can’t justify ourselves. No amount of good works can make up for the rebellion against God that the Bible calls sin. No matter how hard I try to do good, be good or worship good, I’m just not going to be able to justify myself. Paul says at the end of our reading today, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Rom 3:20). No amount of doing good, following the rules, and doing the right rites rightly will ever justify us. Only Jesus can do that.

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)

Maybe we need to stop trying to justify ourselves and live as those who justified by faith.

One View From the Pew

Denbigh has for many years now partnered with Denbigh United Christian Outreach (DUCO). This association of churches in the Denbigh area serves as something of a clearinghouse for benevolent work done in the Denbigh and surrounding areas. Maria Cory serves as director of this fine work, and she occasionally visits DUCO’s member churches’ worship services. Maria was here with us Sunday, and she sent the following email to me on Monday morning. This was so encouraging to me that I thought I would share it on my blog. It is always helpful to see yourself through the eyes of other people. It is helpful to hear people who have complaints and criticisms— like the guy who told me once, “I’m from out of town, but I would never come to church here; you’re a lousy preacher.” (Those were his exact words; believe me, I remember!) But it sometimes also helps to hear people who appreciate what you are doing and who are pointed to God by it. Maria is obviously not from our religious tribe, but she is a committed follower of Jesus. Her words warmed my heart; I hope they warm yours--

Where do I begin? My heart is simply exploding with incredible emotion and inspiration after having worshipped with the Denbigh Church of Christ family this morning! While I am not searching for a new church home, it is a pleasure to visit and grow in relationship with our long-time DUCO Covenant Partner.

Today’s experience has been an enormous blessing with so many anointed branches interlacing in one beautiful vine! Glorious music reverberates throughout God’s home at 205 Denbigh Boulevard—and, surprisingly to some, all without instrumental accompaniment. Having had the wonderful opportunity to share in and appreciate a multitude of worship settings and styles, I can honestly say that DCOC’s music ministry is among the most magnificent I have ever heard. What a splendid blend of traditional and contemporary hymns. If I have ever contemplated how the heavenly hosts would sound, it would be the angelic voices that excited my soul today. It truly was “music to my ears.”

Pastorally, the DCOC community is so very fortunate to have the shepherding of Tuck and
Roger (two gentlemen whose voices I still confuse when they answer the phone). The
Christ-passion, energy, skill, wit and humor from the pulpit and through the music leadership are divinely God-given gifts and talents. In our humanness, it is no small feat for pastors to keep one’s congregation alert, attentive and inspired throughout the service and the message. As would be said, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” My eyes did not once blink in fatigue; my mind did not once wander off our purpose this morning. I was so enthralled in the God-moment that I didn’t even notice (until Tuck pointed out) that there were no windows through which light would normally shine in a sanctuary. It did not matter; stained glass was not needed; the Light was clearly present.

In addition to praising the All in All, this morning included reflections of thankfulness for being among brothers and sisters in the faith. It always warms my heart to see Jacob
Peterson, your faithful volunteer who regularly visits DUCO with your gifts to equip our pantry. He is undoubtedly one of the most positive, upbeat people who has graced my life. And Roger…he has faithfully dedicated his time, for so many years, counseling people one-on-one when they come to DUCO for emergency assistance. In addition to his wise counsel, if the ministry’s challenges cause our spirits to lag, rest assured, comedic Roger will reenergize us (at the expense of ribbing Maria). ;-) We, of course, are also grateful for neighbor Lynne Bean who continues to serve as your committed DUCO Liaison.

There were so many other positive points—from the invitational and encouraging prayers lifted up by various members to a great instructional piece in the bulletin guiding guests regarding what to expect during worship.

The Denbigh Church of Christ family is a treasure to the Denbigh community and beyond.
Thank you for our sharing this morning and for your unwavering support of our ministry together through Denbigh United Christian Outreach!

On Quitting Christianity

Yesterday on her Facebook page, author Anne Rice announced that she was quitting Christianity. Rice is best known for her series of books on vampires, the best known being Interview with a Vampire. She returned to her Catholic roots and dedicated her writing to Jesus Christ, beginning a wonder series of historical novels on Jesus (Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana). Rice says that she is still committed to following Jesus, but she is done with following His followers. Here two Facebook posts were short and matter-of-fact--

For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being "Christian" or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to "belong" to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.

As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I'm out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.

These were posted without much context-- between observations on eBook publishing and the dangers of art being destroyed in times of war. There were thousands of replies (I didn't read all of them) which seemed split between people who agreed with her and many who did not. Her latest post seems to emphasize that she remains committed to Christ, but she seems done with the Catholic Church… and any other church for that matter.

My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.

Two thought came to me as I read this. First, I must confess that my first thought was, “Please don’t let this mean that you are quitting the 'Christ the Lord' series." OK, that is a little selfish, but I love those novels. Second, I thought about my post yesterday and how many people want to be spiritual (and Christian) but not really religious (or connected to a church). Anne Rice is a brilliant writer; her appendix to Out of Egypt does a masterful job dismantling Jesus Seminar dismissals of the gospels as reliable literature. The two Christ the Lord novels are obviously written by someone who reveres, respect and loves Jesus Christ. But in seeking Christ, Rice is no longer willing to accept the doctrinal, social, moral baggage of her church. And face it, when you are Catholic, there is a lot of baggage.

What should Anne do (besides finish the Christ the Lord series)? The Christian faith is meant to be lived in relationship with others. Maybe she could find a small group of Christ-followers and truth-seekers who share some of her concerns as well as basic faith in Jesus. Maybe she could meet with this loosely organized group to pray, study and encourage others. What the Bible calls a group like that is “church.” Anne, you didn't quit the church; you quit a church. We have all allowed the church to become a word with organizational, political and social baggage. But those original bands of brothers and sisters who huddled in catacombs to encourage one another to be faithful until Jesus returned had no baggage; they had each other. Anne, you don’t need to leave either Christianity or the church; you need to come back to it in its original form! In fact, maybe we all do!

Spiritual AND Religious

The fastest growing religious group in America is “none.” That doesn’t necessarily mean that people are en masse losing their faith in God. What it means is that people are choosing to become more private in their faith—they believe in God, but not the church. The way that this is most often expressed is someone will say, “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” Of course, being “spiritual” can mean anything from believing in a mystic oneness with the life-force in nature (as in Avatar) or it can mean holding fairly orthodox beliefs about Jesus sans any connection to a church or faith group. Spiritual, but not religious. Kinda catchy, isn’t it?

It is also very postmodern. And very self-centered. One with spiritual beliefs that are uninformed by an external authority (Bible) or spiritual family (the church) is basically free to pick and choose the religious concepts that fit him or her at the moment. There is no obedience or discipline. There is only what makes me feel good right now, a Burger King religion that lets me have it my own way. The “organized religion” that we know as “church” has indeed spent too much time in the past arguing over intramural issues that really don’t amount to much. But at its best, the church encourages and emboldens us to be better than we would be if left free to choose to do what we want. As Jennifer Walters, dean of religious life at Smith College in Massachusetts, puts it--

Hymn-singing, forms of prayer and worship, teachings about social justice and forgiveness-- all these things are valuable elements of religious wisdom. Piecing it together by yourself can be done, but with great difficulty.

We need the church to teach, inform and encourage us. Or as Paul put it, “Reprove, rebuke and exhort.” Has it been true that many Christians in the past have settled for a religiosity of external rituals without a true focus on God or serving others? Sure, they were wrong. But what about the (post)modern spiritual guru who wants picks and choose religious concepts a la carte based on what best seems to fit at the moment? Well, they are wrong too. Amos condemned the Jews who pointed to their external religion without any life commitment. But Malachi condemned the Jews who had no problem at all with hearts mixed with idolatry but who didn’t show proper respect to God in offering their tithes and offerings.

It seems that God wants us to be both spiritual and religious.

Pattern: Breaking Bread and Preaching Until Midnight?

One of the things that is distinctive about worship in my religious tribe is that we eat the Lord’s Supper every Sunday morning (and on Sunday evenings for any who are “providentially hindered” Sunday mornings). Most churches have communion on a more infrequent schedule-- often once a month or once a quarter. Some (even some in my church) suggest that having communion every Sunday makes it less special and more apt to be done by rote or remote control. I’m sure that is true to a point, and we have to make effort not to fall into auto-pilot mode when the trays are passed.

The text to which we normally point to “prove” that communion must be done every Sunday is Acts 20:7 (our reading for today), “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.” Every week has a first day, so if we are to follow the New Testament pattern, we should have communion every first day. We do know there was a collection every first day, at least at Corinth during the time Paul was raising funds for needy saints in Jerusalem (1 Cor 16:2).

But Acts 20:7 doesn’t work too well as a pattern. This text takes place in the middle of the Luke’s travelogue as he describes what Paul and his fellow wanders did on their mission trip. Paul certainly didn’t go through Troas on every first day of the week. On the Sunday that he did go there, the church was meeting together to “break bread.” What we know for sure is that one time when Paul was passing through Troas, the church met to break bread. And we don’t know for sure what exactly Luke means by “breaking bread.” In Acts 2:42, “breaking of bread” seems to imply communion, but in Acts 2:46, they “broke bread” daily, referring to common meals together. In Acts 20:7, the church met on the first day of the week “to break bread” but they didn’t get around to “breaking bread” until after Paul preached to midnight and Eutychus was raised to life after falling out of a window… because Paul preached to midnight. Maybe Luke was using Jewish time here so that the first day of the week began Saturday at sundown. Or maybe the church met to eat communion on Sunday night but didn’t get around to it until early Monday morning? Or were they gathered just to eat a meal together and that’s when Paul met with them? It COULD be a lot of things. That’s why Acts 20:7 doesn’t really make a good pattern. We certainly don’t take it as a pattern for how long sermons must be!

So what about eating communion on every first day of the week? I’m 100% all for it. Why? Not because of Acts 20:7. At the center of Christianity is the cross. Jesus died on the cross for us; he calls us to the cross to die for each other. The church is the community that is shaped by the cross and should be shaped like a cross. If indeed the cross is who we are and what we are called to be, then it should be central to our worship. And what better way to keep the cross at the center of our worship and our corporate life than to remember it and participate in it in precisely the way Jesus teaches us—through the Lord’s Supper?

BTW, there are many Christian groups that have communion one a month, once a quarter, and even once a year. But they take up a collection every week! Does that say something about priorities… or am I just being snippy?

A Debt of Honor

Another year at camp has come and gone for me. Together with 40 wonderful campers and 18 super staffers, I spent the hottest week on record (109 degrees heat index) at Camp Idlewild in Surry County, VA. Camp Idlewild and I go way, way back. My first year was as a 9 year-old in 1966... which was also Idlewild’s first year of operation. Lynn’s first year was also at age 9... and my mother was her first counselor. In fact, camp was such a big part of our lives that I drove us to camp to give Lynn her engagement ring. (OK, we broke the camp rule against kissing that one time). I once turned down the chance to speak in a lectureship in Germany because I had already committed to direct camp. Some of my best friends in ministry have worked with me on the “Idlewild Bible Faculty” during camp. I was at Camp Idlewild for 30 straight years before taking an unplanned hiatus several years ago. Three years ago, Denbigh took charge of the Middle School Week and Idlewild and I renewed our old acquaintance.

As I've gotten older, I look forward to camp with a little less enthusiasm. I don’t have the wheels I used to and the camp hasn't gotten any smaller. There are fewer and fewer churches in our area supporting the camp, so the work is harder for those who are still involved. There is never enough money and never enough volunteers.

But working at camp during the camp week is pure joy when I see the enthusiasm and delight on the faces of these kids. Camp is still the highlight of the year for some of our kids... just like it was for me. Some examples of how some of these kids feel about camp—

• Rachel planned her baptism at the because somehow making the commitment to follow Jesus for the rest of her life seemed more special because she did it at a place and surrounded by the people that were so special to her. (Two other campers were also baptized).
  
  
• Netanya fell off the slide in the pool and gashed her arm and needed 8 stitches. She was very upset… until she found out that she wouldn't have to leave camp early. The stitches were no big deal; she was extremely brave through that whole ordeal. But she wasn't going to leave camp early!
  
  
• Tia asked me on Wednesday not to use the microphone during my devotional talk. She said that the microphone reminded her of me doing the closing ceremony on Saturday and she didn’t want to be reminded that camp was going to end.

The reason I go to camp every year is not because I enjoy it as much as I used to enjoy it… but because our kids enjoy it as much as I used to enjoy it! I have a debt of honor to people like J.E. Thompson, J.L. Thompson, Steve Pugh, Maggie Dossett and a host of people who gave a week of their lives to make camp a sacred place for me. I hope last week was a great week for our kids. I hope it stays an important week of fun and spiritual growth for many generations to come.

728-B

My friend and former fellow member of the Bible faculty at Camp Idlewild has a great blog he calls “Acceptable Offering.” In a recent post, he told about how powerful an impact the song Our God, He Is Alive had on his life. No matter what the number is in our present hymnal, this will always be song # 728-B and, as Bob suggests, the unofficial Church of Christ anthem.

Bob says that his first church home didn't have the right color hymn book and thus 728-B wasn't there, neither the number nor the song. And it was such a great song. I don’t remember whether Bob was on the bus that went from Freed-Hardeman to Denton, Texas to hear Thomas B. Warren debate atheist Anthony Flew on the existence of God. We sang 728-B over and over again after the debate all the way across Texas and Arkansas.

But the song wasn’t in Bob's hymnal, and back then you just didn't sing songs that weren't in the hymnal. Then he learned that you could buy sheet music of Our God, He is Alive the right size to paste inside the cover of the hymnal. He went to the elders to tell them about this wonderful discovery and looked forward to soon singing his favorite in church. The elders told him that they would have to have a meeting to discuss whether or not the song was scriptural (after all, it wasn’t in the book).

I’ll let Bob pick up his story at this point--

And then the next Sunday the minister approached me and said we needed to talk.

“The elders told me you want to paste that new song in the back of our hymnal.”

“Yes, it’s a wonderful song!”

“Well, did you know it was written by somebody in the ‘anti-cooperation’ church of Christ? It would send the wrong message if we sang that song. The answer is ‘no,’ and please do not ask again.”

That day I knew something was wrong. Terribly wrong. That day I began realizing that everything was not 100% perfect at that church. That day the scales fell off my eyes. And as the scales fell, I began a new season of searching.

A lot of people have special memories of “728b.” The catchy tune. The inspiring words. That wonderful bass line. But for me, it was the song that opened my eyes. I will always be grateful.

I had an epiphany story very close to Bob’s story (so close it happened in the same church building, but that is another story for another time). Once you dispense with the dangerous fiction that your church is always right because it is, after all, the one true church, then you are free to move in a whole different direction... even if you stay in the same place.

Risky Business

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. (Acts 9:15)

Jim Woodroof once suggested that had it not been for the apostle Paul, we would still be drinking the blood of our enemies out of their skulls. What he meant was that it was largely the work of Paul who carried the gospel to the pagan world. Without the influence of Christ, we would all still be pagan, and it was Paul who was Christ's messenger to the non-Jewish world. The impact of this one man on history cannot be over-emphasized.

And it almost didn't happen! After the baptism of Saul of Tarsus, the church was hesitant to accept the former persecutor into its midst. Yes, he had debated the Jews in Damascus; yes, he had to flee that city because of persecution. But the Christians were afraid that it was all a ploy to allow him to infiltrate the church so that he could do more harm to Christians. When Saul came to Jerusalem, no one would have anything to do with him. No one, that is, except Barnabas, the "Son of Encouragement."

26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. (Acts 9:26-27)

Without the willingness of Barnabas to take the risk to embrace Saul and make use of his many gifts, Saul of Tarsus may have never become the apostle Paul.

What risks have you taken for Christ and on other people? Chances are you will never have to take a chance on a converted terrorist. But what about reaching out to someone at work, in the neighborhood or even at church who does not seem to have many friends? Are you willing to take a personal risk in associating with someone upon whom you can have a great impact. Sure, pouring yourself into the life of others is always risky business. It was risky for Barnabas to embrace Paul and take him under his wing. But it is possible that Paul would have never been able to go across the world with the gospel had not Barnabas been willing to go across the street with encouragement and acceptance. Think about it.

Crossing the Rubicon

The Rubicon is a river in northern Italy that flows from the Apennine Mountains into the Adriatic Sea. It also once marked the northern border between Cisalpine Gaul and Italy proper. Roman law forbade any general from leading a legion across that border. Following the victories of Julius Caesar in Gaul and his rise to popularity and power among many in Rome, the Senate ordered him to disband his army and return to stand before the Senate. Caesar decided instead to return to Rome with his army and become, well, Caesar. When he took his army across the Rubicon River, it was his point of no return. The expression “crossing the Rubicon” is stilled used as an expression today when someone reaches a point of no return. Actually, Caesar gave us another expression at the crossing of the Rubicon. He is reported to have said, “The die is cast” as he went across the river.

The fledgling church of Jesus crossed a Rubicon of sorts in our reading today from Acts 8:1-3. Stephen was killed by mob violence at the end of Acts 7. The days of “enjoying the favor of all the people” in Acts 2 has passed. Now the unofficial opposition by Jewish people has become an official persecution by Jewish leaders. Christians have reached the point where they must decide HOW MUCH they believe in Jesus.

And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. (Acts 8:1–3, TNIV)

Saul of Tarsus (who I believe is brought up later in Acts) leads the effort to round up and imprison believers in Jesus. There will be no more gathers of thousands in the open to worship God in the name of Jesus. Now that name puts a price on their heads. Christians could give up the name of Jesus and go on with their lives or they could risk their lives for the name. What most decided was to take the name of Jesus on the road, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” (Acts 8:4). The Rubicon was crossed, the decision was made and the church grew throughout the world.

When we accept, confess and act on the name of Jesus, we cross the Rubicon and reach the point of no return. To be honest, we would like to have it both ways—to be have the favor of all the people AND be faithful to Jesus. The world doesn’t let us do that, at least, not for long. We have to decide who is Lord. But then, if we are Christians, we have already decided that!

No Freedom Without Sacrifice

Sunday's service focused on freedom. After all, it isn't all that common for July 4th to fall on a Sunday, and we decided to use that emphasis to our advantage. We sang some patriotic songs (a medley of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "America). We even had a flag up on the podium. I must confess that both of those make me a bit uncomfortable. I think its too easy to entwine God and country to the point where we get the two confused. It's easy to think that "God is on our side" politically and then justify what we do as a country as "God's work." But at the same time, the freedom's that our country afford as gifts from God and it is right and just that we thank Him for those... and occasionally doing that in church is probably a good thing.

Freedom always means responsibility. Freedom is never free. Peter tells us to "live as free men" (1 Pet 2:16). Paul says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Gal 5:1). Christ gave us freedom at the cross, and we are to live that freedom. But we often assume that freedom means that we can do what we want. When we say, "Hey, it's a free country," we often mean, "I can do what I want and I don't have to care what you think." Freedom means that I am free for myself.

Peter and Paul both beg to differ. Peter says, "Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God." Paul says, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." (Gal 5:13-14). Freedom means that we have been set free (from sin) to serve God. And am not free FROM others but free FOR others. Big difference. When we understand the price Jesus paid for our freedom at the cross, that places us under an obligation. We are free, but freedom has an obligation, a responsibility, a price.

The 1998 Steven Spielberg movie Saving Private Ryan is a powerful parable of of this message of grace and freedom. Two Ryan brothers died during D-Day invasion; a third had died earlier; their mother would receive all three death notifications on the same day. The Chief of Staff learned that her fourth son James Ryan (played by Matt Damon) is behind enemy lines. He decides that a fourth Ryan son is not going to die, so he sends Cpt. John Miller (played by Tom Hanks) and either Army rangers to find him and bring him home. One by one, the Rangers lose men until Miller himself is mortally wounded. As he lay dying, Miller pulls Ryan close and says, “Earn this… earn it.” Pvt. Ryan is given the gift of freedom, but freedom is never, ever free. He now has the responsibility to live in wuch a away to respect the sacrifice. Years later, Ryan stands at Miller’s grave and wonders if he has indeed lived up to that sacrifice. It's the most powerful part of the movie.

We owe Jesus everything. OK, Jesus never says it us “Now earn this.” We can’t do that. But Jesus does say, “Follow me.” There is no freedom without sacrifice, and freedom for Jesus meant a cross. And that is exactly what freedom means for all of us. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). There is no freedom without sacrifice— no freedom without a cross.

A Secret Faith is No Faith At All

My sermon yesterday focus on today’s reading from John 19 and the role of Joseph and Nicodemus in the burial of Jesus. Both men were “secret disciples” of Jesus. John tells us that Joseph of Arimathea followed Jesus “secretly because he feared the Jews.” (John 19:38). He identifies Nicodemus as “the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night” (John 19:39). Of course, there are plenty of reasons that Nicodemus may have come at night—maybe he worked during the day or just wanted to avoid the crowds. But it seems possible if not likely that he came to Jesus during at night because he didn’t want to be seen talking with Jesus. In John 7, when Nicodemus did speak up to defend Jesus, he was shouted down with charges of being a disciple, “Are you from Galilee, too?” (John 7:52)

It was these secret disciples who came forward to claim the body of Jesus. They may have stayed incognito during Jesus ministry, but they were willing to risk identifying themselves as the disciples of Jesus by coming forward to ask for the body of Christ and taking charge of his burial. That was a risk in two ways. Romans tended to see the associates of insurrections as enemies of the state; going to Pilate to request the body of Jesus would have painted a target on Joseph and Nicodemus. And they also would have painted a target on themselves in the minds of their Sanhedrin associates who went to so much trouble to have Jesus killed. But they were willing to take the risk in order to serve Jesus in this last (so they thought) way. It would have been a lot easier and safer to keep their faith secret, but then a secret faith is really no faith at all.

I wonder if we too often try to keep our faith secret. We live in a world that is becoming increasingly antagonistic to faith. It is just a lot easier on the job and out in the community to keep quiet about faith. We might not realize that we have become secret disciples, but that is in effect what some of us are. Consider the following questions—

• Do the people you spend time with know about you favorite sport, music or movie, but don’t know anything about your faith? We do tend to talk about things about which we are passionate and interested, right? People know about our kids or grandkids, our favorite music or movies or that we are fans of this team or that. Do the people around you know all these things but not that you are a believer in Jesus? If so, maybe you have a secret faith… which is really no faith at all.
  
  
• Do you get into conversations about political issues and current events, but then you find yourself shying away from issues of faith? Do the people around you know all about what you think on healthcare reform, immigration law, the bank bailouts and the BP oil spill, but they have never heard you talk about faith? I’m not expecting anyone to preach at people from soap box; that kind of thing does more harm than good. But if you tend to avoid faith discussions, then maybe yours is secret faith— which is no faith at all.
  
  
• Are those that you work with or go to school free to sin around you? I have to be careful here, because I’m not suggesting that we should be self-righteous critics who constantly criticize those around us. But if the people we’re around feel free to take God’s name in vain, tell dirty jokes, brag of their latest sexual conquest or how they got wasted over the weekend, then maybe its because they have no inkling that you would disapprove of such. Maybe you’ve never let them see by your example that you believe there is a better way. If any of this gets close, then maybe your faith is a secret faith… which is no faith at all.

The cross served to jolt Joseph and Nicodemus into acting on their secret faith. The cross should give us that very same jolt!

Famous Last Words

Famous last words. If you know you are going to die, then you want to make sure that your last words are something significant. At least you want to make sure that your last words are about something that is important to you

• Thomas à Becket did that when he said, “I am ready to die for my Lord, that in my blood the Church may obtain liberty and peace.”
  
  
• P. T. Barnum didn’t do nearly as well when he said, “How were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden?” I guess that is what was important to him.
  
  
• Beethoven is reported to have said, “Friends applaud, the comedy is finished.”
  
  
• Francisco “Pancho” Villa couldn’t think of anything profound. His last words were reportedly, “Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something”

Most people don't realize that they are about to die, so their last words usually aren't profound. Union General John Sedgwick yelled his last words to his troops as they dove for cover from rebel snipers, “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist…”

Famous last words. Today’s reading from John 17 aren't really Jesus LAST words. His actual last words are a series of seven different sayings spoken from the cross. But John 17 is the last prayer that Jesus prayed on his last night of freedom. The prayer begins, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” Jesus clearly knows that he is about to die. He had lived under the shadow of the cross His entire life, and now that destiny was upon him. Jesus had earlier said to his enemies, “But this is your hour—when darkness reigns” (Luke 22:53).

In effect, John 17 stands as Jesus’ famous last words, the request of the condemned man. It is not surprising that Jesus prays for Himself (John 17:2-5) and for his closest friends (John 17:6-19). What is surprising is that He also prays for you and I, and what he prays for is our unity. Look at John 17:20-23 (NLT)

I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

Jesus final hours of freedom were spent in prayer, and a big part of His prayer was that we would have unity. So you and I have a part in deciding whether or not His last prayer is answered!

There are a lot of things that people have done for Jesus for which He never asked. He never asked for a holiday honoring His birthday. He never asked that all time be measured from His birth. He never asked that great cathedrals be built in His honor. But His dying prayer, His last request, has largely been ignored by His people— the plea for the unity of those who would follow Him. His last request was that we who would wear His name would live together in peace and harmony. Unity must have been important to Our Lord. Is unity important to us?

In This World You Have Trouble

In our reading today, Jesus is preparing the apostles for his coming death. He tells these good men who had left their jobs and families to hitch their wagon to the star of faith in him as Messiah. They thought that this would bring power and prestige when he came into his kingdom. But now he tells them that he is going to a cross. They would suffer great pain and trouble even while the world rejoiced in his death

‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. (John 16:19–20)

He does promise that their grief would be turned to joy, but he also promises that they will experience grief. And they would experience that grief while the world rejoiced around them. He ends this section by re-stressing this dual truth that his disciples would suffer trouble and that their trouble would turn to victory—“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV)

James Watkins tells about the Sunday that he preached from this verse. He encouraged his church to have faith in the victory Jesus gives but warned them that it also comes with struggles and difficulties. The next week, we promised never to preach on that verse again. Why? Because the lesson was illustrated too clearly—

Right after the closing prayer, one family went out into the sub-zero weather to find that they had left the van’s lights on and their battery was dead. Another family discovered their four-year-old had gotten into their van, turned it on, and backed over a parking bumper. The worship leader went home to find her husband gone with a note telling her he wanted a divorce. That night the church’s hot-water heating pipes froze up and the parsonage’s furnace broke down. A parishioner offered to thaw out the church’s pipes with a blowtorch and caught the building’s subflooring on fire. Then things got worse!

Many Christians today are convinced that the life of faith is a means to financial success and physical well-being. Jesus promises us just the opposite. As long as we are in the world, there will be struggles and trials and difficulties. Our faithfulness will eventually be rewarded, both in this world and the world to come. But faithfulness was not for the apostles a guarantee hat they would have no struggles. On the contrary, faith meant that they would go through more struggles—while the world rejoiced, they would mourn. Jesus promise to them and to us is one of eternity. We can face whatever it is that we face with the certainty that Jesus has overcome the world.

Does the World Hate Us?

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. (John 15:18–21)

The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once said, "If everyone is a Christian, then no one is a Christian." The Christianity of the first century was a "counter-culture" that existed as opposed to and opposed by the existing world and its power structures. Jesus disciples were called to be "in the world but not of the world." Christianity in its original form did not fit seamlessly into the culture of the day. Jesus warned the apostles that they would not be treated by the world any better than he had been treated—they opposed Jesus, so they would oppose the disciples of Jesus. We see that coming true in the book of Acts. The same power structures that went after Jesus also went after Peter, Paul and the rest of the church.

Is there a war against Christianity today? Well, there was a story today in the news about a public campaign in Chicago sponsored by "The Freedom from Religion Foundation" that mocks people of faith. The group has taken out ads on the sides of city buses to say things like “Sleep in on Sundays.” Other signs feature quotes from atheist Richard Dawkins (author of The God Myth), "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction.” (I might suggest to Dr. Dawkins, “You don’t want to tick off the God of the New Testament either.”). Would I find it annoying to read signs like that on a city bus? Sure. But that’s not really the persecution that Jesus warns us about here in John 15 or that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 11:22-29.

Have Christians gotten a little spoiled? Do we really believe we have the right to exercise our religion without fear of molestation by our culture or our government? Jesus didn't have that right. Neither did Paul. Neither do we. Maybe the reason we haven’t been really persecuted because of our faith is because we have allowed our faith to fit too snuggly within the culture around us. Maybe the reason the world doesn't hate us is that we seem to belong to the world rather than to Christ.

While Jesus Is Gone

We were greatly blessed when raising our children by the fact that we lived so close to grandparents. Of course, that used to be the way that everyone raised their kids, but the world has gotten bigger and now most people live far away from extended family. But we had reliable and (usually) willing babysitters that allowed us to get away by ourselves and concentrate on being a husband and wife without being a Mommy and Daddy. The first time we left Tressa with my parents to out to dinner wasn't very pleasant… for anyone. We left a couple of bottles with new nipples that we had forgotten to poke holes through. So Mom was trying to feed an increasingly angry baby with a bottle that wasn't helping at all. That evening out didn't last even close to a whole evening!

Fortunately, babies and grandmothers have short memories, and it was a blessing to us all to have two sets of grandparents so close. Anytime we left the girls, whether for a night or for a longer time, we always gave the same two-part speech--

• We told them “We’ll be back soon.” Sometimes there was separation anxiety, especially when the girls were little. We didn't want them to think we were abandoning them so we assured them that we'd be right back and that everything would be OK. They did not have to be afraid because “We’ll be back soon.”
  
  
• We also told them “Be good while we’re gone.” We wanted the time to be pleasant for both their grandparents and for them (because we wan’t to keep this free babysitter deal). We didn't want the fact that we were gone to let them think that all our expectations would also be gone as well. So we insisted that they “be good while we’re away.”

In our reading today from John 14, Jesus gives the same parental speech to his apostles. He was preparing them for his coming departure, and he wants to reassure them. He begins with, “Everything is going to be OK.”

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. (John 14:1–4)

The crucifixion would be a traumatic event, but Jesus wants them to understand that they don’t need to be afraid because he was coming back. But Jesus gives them the second part of the parental speech—they were to behave while he was gone.

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ” (John 14:10–13, NIV)

They were to continue to do the things they did while Jesus was with them. Just because Jesus was gone didn’t mean that His expectations of them would be gone as well. They were to continue to do what Jesus had been doing.

Jesus gives us the same speech—we don’t have to be afraid because He is coming back. But do have to behave; we must continue to do the things that he has left for us to do. Why? Because he is coming back!

When "Hosanna" Is Only a Word

Our reading for today includes John’s version of the “Triumphant Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem (John 12:12-16). This story reminds me of one of our worship services-- people waving their arms, excitedly standing to shout “Hosanna!” and joyfully appropriating praise verbiage from the Psalms, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” OK, so maybe it doesn’t exactly remind me of one of our worship services. But this is a great worship text.

Most of the pictures I have seen depicting the triumphant entry are similar to the one here. The people are all excited and joyful (like the little boy in the foreground) while Jesus looks detached and maybe even sullen. Maybe he looked exactly like that because he knew what was about to happen. The same voices that shouted his praise would be shouting “Crucify him!” in only one week. The worship and praise didn't mean much when the very people doing it would turn around and betray him.

I wonder if Jesus has a flashback (can an omniscient God have a flashback?) during our worship services today. Is there the same detached look on God’s face because he knows the same voices singing his praise on Sunday will be shouting curses, inventing lies, telling off-color stories and spreading gossip during the next week? Does what we say on Sunday conflict with how we live the rest of the week?

Ans what about our witness to the world? I came across the following quotation on Richard Beck’s “Experimental Theology Blog.” The paragraph actually comes from an article by Glenn Greenwald on Salon.

As is so often the case, the Traditional Marriage movement is led by people who discard their wives and get new, younger replacements the way most people change underwear. That's how so many Americans sit on their sofas next to their second and third spouses, with their step-children and half-siblings surrounding them, and explain -- without any recognition of the irony -- that they're against same-sex marriage because they believe the law should only recognize Traditional Marriages. And it's how Rush Limbaugh can hide from his followers that, by demanding state recognition for his fourth "marriage," he himself believes "that traditional marriage should not have privileged status." As usual, all of the actual rules of Traditional Marriage are casually discarded when it comes to the law (all that dreary, annoying stuff about "till death do us part" and "in sickness and in health" and "for as long as we both shall live") and the only one that's maintained is the one that is easy and cost-free for most Traditional Marriage proponents people to fulfill (the one about needing "a man and a woman").

Can the church's talk about "Traditional Marriage" ring rather hollow unless our lives demonstrate that commitment? I’m certainly not advocating homosexual marriage, but the church has certainly compromised its right to stand on the high moral ground when we are weighed down by the millstone of a divorce rate that is as high and higher than that the secular culture. Our talk is drowned out by our walk. Greenwald's article points to the ironic (or maybe moronic) truth that two of the loudest cheerleaders for "Traditional Marriage" (Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich) have seven marriages between them!

If the church is going to point people to God, we are going to have to lead them with our lives before they will listen to our words. We don’t have to be perfect. We do need to be a bit more consistent than we’ve managed up to this point!

That One Man Die

47 “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (John 11:47-50)

This text from our reading today follows Jesus' most dramatic miracle-- raising Lazarus from the dead. The reaction of the Jewish leaders provides us a powerful object lesson in unbelief. The Jewish leaders were so sure that Jesus was not from God that they were willing to ignore this dramatic miracle. They did not deny the power of the miracle itself. They didn't even try to assign it to Satanic power as they had in Matthew 9:34. They simply called together their war council and decided that the only way to silence Jesus was for him to die. One of their own members had earlier told Jesus, "We know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." (John 3:2). But now with the most incontrovertible evidence before them, their only response was to plot his death so that He would not threaten their system or their power.

But they didn't that God was working through their unbelief. The death that they were plotting would be God's instrument to save humankind from their sin. In fact, John says that the very words that Caiaphas uses here to suggest Jesus' death were actually God's prophetic voice--

51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. (John 11:51-52)

Jesus would indeed die, not only for the Jewish nation, but for the whole world. But this was not due to the savvy leadership of Caiaphas. It was not because of the plan the Sanhedrin was hatching in their secret enclave. It was because God was working behind the scenes to accomplish His will, even to the point of using the opposition of these wicked men as part of His holy plan.

So it is with the difficulty, trials and opposition that we must suffer as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Our suffering may be due to the sinfulness of others. Or we may rather be victims of the random chaos of our broken, fallen world. Or perhaps we suffer due to our own bad decisions or sinful choices. But no matter the reason for our suffering, God can use it for His glory and our blessing. Just as God used the wicked plots of evil men to accomplish His will in Christ, so God joins us in our suffering and works in ways that we cannot understand to accomplish his will. The very people that seek to hurt us can be used by God as instruments of his peace and grace. Rather than feel that God has abandoned us when difficult times come, we should look for the finger of God reaching out to touch us!

Stuff Christians Like... and Don't

Jonathan Acuff writes a blog that I read with semi-regularity called “Stuff Christians Like,” some of which has just been published in a book by Zondervan with the clever title “Stuff Christians Like.” He writes “Christian satire” using humor to expose some of the places where Christians tend to take themselves too seriously. Sometimes his “stuff” is mildly amusing; often it is hysterically funny. It usually points to some things that we need to think about.

Today, Jonathan was a guest blogger on the CNN webpage. As Jonathan would point out, I shouldn't be reading CNN’s webpage, but I do. Most evangelical Christians (at least most white evangelical Christians) tend to be Republican and tend to watch Fox. So Jonathan was asked by CNN why many evangelical Christians treat the secular media (and CNN in particular) as if it were “Satan’s newspaper.” Jonathan suggests three things:

1. The loudest Christians get the most attention. [Anderson] Cooper did the disaster story, but often the Christians who make the news are the ones who are doing things like protesting military funerals with signs that scream hate. We understand that sensational Christians create sensational news, but it also makes us weary. You can only see so many reports on snake handlers before you start to feel a little trigger shy about the big news networks approach to Christians.
   
   
2. We’re pretty sure Fox News is baptizing people in their lobby. I’ve never been to their station, but I have to believe that Fox News has a lobby fountain that they dunk people in. And Bill O’Reilly makes each guest take communion. And “Fox” is actually a Hebrew word that means, “Station that cares more about redemption than ratings.” Not really, but in Christian culture, it’s clear which side we tend to side with. And even though I’m a conservative guy who digs Fox, they’re a news station just like CNN. They’re not a ministry. Glenn Beck isn’t a priest and watching "Fox & Friends" isn’t like “tithing your time.”
   
   
3. Being “in” the world, but not “of” the world is tough. I wish there was a verse in Proverbs that said, “It’s OK to watch the show, ‘Sex & the City,’ but only if it is the edited version on TBS.” Or maybe we could get an official ruling on R-rated movies. It appears that if the rating is due to violence, like "Braveheart" or "Gladiator," not only can we watch it, but we can do an entire sermon series on it. If a single nipple makes a cameo in the film however, you’re a sweaty heathen for watching it. Figuring out what it means for us Christians to be “in” the world, but not “of” the world, is quite the challenge.

The last point is the real point. It is tough being in the world and not of the world. We tend to pick out certain things to be holy about (like being for free trade and against gun control and other things stressed on Fox News). And we are shocked when someone suggests that often the things we insist are important aren’t even close to the things God sees as important-- like “justice love” or “social justice” (things that get more air on CNN). Jonathan is right—being in the world and not of the world is hard, and we don’t like to be faced with our inconsistencies. It is a lot easier being against homosexuality (with which most of us will never be tempted) and abortion (which half of us couldn’t do even if it was subsidized by the government). But then there is that materialism thing (“greed, which is as idolatry”) which goes largely unchallenged.

Oh, why do I read CNN rather than FoxNews? Simple. I can type it twice as fast! When you type as slowly as I do, every little bit helps!

How Can You Believe?

Lynn and I go to the gym every day, Monday through Friday. Lynn has been going for 3-4 years; I started last October when a new gym opened near our house with memberships of $10 a month. Apparently, being healthy is important to me… unless it is too inconvenient or expensive. After 45 minutes on the treadmill and 20-30 minutes on weights, I’m pretty much whipped. I asked someone, “So when do you feel energized after working out rather than just spent?” They answered, “When you are 18.”

Our gym uses the slogan, “The Judgment-Free Zone.” You just go and do your thing and don’t worry about how you compare to others. No one is going to judge you if you are doing curls with no weight on the bar or are barely moving on the elliptical. Yeah, right! I’ve seen people sneaking a peak over at my treadmill to see what speed setting I’m running at, “How can he be huffing and puffing going that slow?” The other day I got on a machine after a young lady who could not have been much out of high school… and had to reduce the weight setting! No judgment zone? Right! I looked around to make sure no one was watching!

We do compare ourselves with others. It’s a lot easier to hang around fat people than to get in shape. That way, we look better by comparison! And it is much easier to point to the sin we see in the world and say, “Hey, I'm not perfect, but I am certainly better than most.” Rather than looking at God and seeking his presence and perfection, we just make sure that we are at least a step ahead of the world around us. Paul warns us, “When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise” (2 Cor 10:12).

In our reading today, Jesus makes this statement, “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God" (John 5:44). The Pharisees were pretty good comparing themselves with others and congratulating themselves on how well they were doing. Remember the Pharisee in Luke 18:10, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” He was focused on how good he was in comparison to others. His Pharisees buddies did the same thing. And they congratulated themselves on making it into the “Holy One Club.” Jesus says that they really didn't even have faith when they compared themselves to themselves and accepted praise from one another other RATHER than seeking the praise that comes only from God. John will point to some Jewish leaders who believe in Christ but refused to confess faith because of their fear of the Pharisees (John 12:42). He says, “They loved praise from men more than praise from God.” (John 12:43).

The church is a faith community, a spiritual family, a circle of friends to walk with you and bear your burdens. And yet, there is also a sense in which faith can be a very lonesome and lonely quest. We cannot even believe if we seek the praise of others. We cannot believe if we are content with comparing ourselves with one another. Faith drives us to seek the praise of God even when that is not very popular with the people around us. Who are you trying to please?

A Born-Again Born-Againer

Communication is always difficult, even when using extremely familiar terms. Maybe especially when using extremely familiar terms. Maybe no Bible term is more familiar to us than is “born again." This term is so familiar that our culture applies it to just anything that has been made new. A quick look at Google reveals several different blogs that use "Born Again" in their title...

• Bird watchers (http://www.bornagainbirdwatcher.com)
• Musicians (http://www.bornagainfloozies.com)
• Mormons (http://www.bornagainmormon.com)
• Surfboards (http://www.bornagainboards.com)

There is even a web site enitled “Born Again American” with a catchy little anthem.

OK, I'm not comfortable with the song's linkage of "my Bible and the Bill of Rights" as if the U.S. Constitution were the 67th book of the Bible. Christians did just fine for centuries before there was a Bill of Rights, thank you very much. Maybe we did better when we weren't so focused on our rights!

Of course, the metaphor of new birth is straight from scripture. The new birth is the basis of our hope in Jesus Christ, “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Pet 1:3). Later, Peter assures us that this new birth is based on the living word of God, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Pet 1:23). And the best known verse on new birth is our reading for today-- "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3). Jesus goes on to say, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." (John 3:5-6).

I'm going to preach Sunday on this text... so if you want the last word on John 3, you'll have to show up early and sit on the front row (like wither of those ever happens). This verse has been something of a battlefield text for many through the years. For some, this suggests that unless you have some sort of born-again conversion experience, then you aren't really a Christian. So this divides "Born Again Christians" from other so-called Christians. In my religious tribe, this text divides so-called Christians (including the Born-Againers) from true Christians who are really born again "of water and the Spirit." True Christians are those who have been baptized in the right way (immersion) for the right reason (remission of sins) in the right church (ours).

Evidently, we want to think that Jesus us somehow discussing entrance requirements into the kingdom of God and how we can tell the contenders from the pretenders. And in doing so, we seem to ignore or at least downplay what comes next in Jesus' teaching--

“You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” ” (John 3:7–8)

The new birth is a movement of God's Spirit that we can't define or contain; it is like the wind that blows where it will. I'm not suggesting that baptismal theology isn't important. Let me give you a hint-- our worship songs on Sunday all revolve around the theme of water ("Jesus Flow Like a River," "The River is Here," "Down in the River to Pray," etc). I have written before why I believe that baptism is important, and I certainly haven't changed my mind.

But when we limit the moving of the Spirit of God to someone's formulation of baptismal theology, we do err not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. Surely if imprecision in theological understandings keeps people from the new birth, then none of us will ever be born again. Surely we can't think that the Spirit is stiffled when we don't get wet enough in baptism. And surely we don't think that the Spirit is done with us once we get wet.

May God birth us anew and afresh daily as we seek to live in His Spirit! May we be ever open to the Spirit's leading as we keep step with Him! And may we never quench His influence and His moving in our lives!

Spring Cleaning

Our reading today contains the strange and intriguing story of Jesus clearing out the temple. All four of the gospels tell this story, but there big difference in the context. In John, the cleansing of the temple is the first public act in public ministry of Jesus. In the synoptic gospels (Matt, Mark, Luke), this story takes place in the last week of Jesus’ life. So does John (or the other three) rearrange the chronological order (something that often happens). Or does Jesus clear the Temple twice— both at the beginning and the end of His public ministry! I believe the latter, though I probably would pick a fist fight over the question.

Wasn’t Jesus is supposed to be “meek and gentle?” Wasn't he so easy going that he wouldn't even break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick? (See Matt 12:20). Can we really imagine an indignant Jesus throwing around tables and cracking whips? Well, we’d better imagine it! Phrases like “the fear of the Lord” and “the wrath of God” are pretty common in scripture. A God who can never become angry in the face of injustice is not really God! How would we expect God to act when His house is being misused?

What is going on here that is so bad? Jews traveled to Temple from all over the world to sacrifice to God. If you were traveling from Toledo or Timbuktu, you would need two things-- an animal to sacrifice (you wouldn’t carry one with you) and the correct currency with which to buy it (they don’t tale American Express at the Temple). So a cottage industry was developed to sell sacrifices and exchange money.

So what was the problem? In the Synoptics, the problem seems to be dishonesty (Matt 21:13). What was meant to be a “house of prayer” had been transformed into a “den of robbers.” The “den of robbers” is a quotation of Jeremiah’s temple speech (Jer 7:11). The those who sold sacrifices and exchanged money had a monopoly—only one temple! Why do movie theaters charge $6 for popcorn and coke? Because they can! People were overcharging for animals and then sticking hefty service fees on the currency exchange. But in John, the problem is not their dishonesty, but the temple merchandising itself (John 2:16). “How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” (or “place of business” in NASB). People had come to God’s house for worship, and they got a shopping mall. The sounds of worship were drowned out by money clanging and sheep bleating. The temple had become a merchandise bazaar, and that made worship bizarre! People could not come into the presence of God with all that distraction!

When Jesus challenges this lucrative and distracting system, the people with the golden goose immediately want to know who died and made him God, “What gives you the authority to do this?” Jesus then comments in his authority in John 2:19, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” Jesus goes from clearing the temple to destroying it! The Temple complex of Herod the Great had begun 46 years before—and Jesus will rebuild it in 3 days? Of course, Jesus was talking about his death and resurrection, a point his apostles would not understand until after the fact. They asked for His authority to clear the temple— His authority was the cross! You see, clearing temples was exactly what Jesus came to earth to do! Jesus came to show us God, but first he had to clear away all our distractions. His authority to clear temples is His Temple— the cross and empty tomb! When Jesus cleared the temple, he cleared away caused by two things.

• FIRST, he cleared the distractions of a RELIGIOUS SYSTEM. God designed temple worship to point people to His presence among them. To go to the Temple was to “come before the Lord.” (Lev 15:14). When Temple was dedicated, God’s glory (shekinah) filled it to the point where it had to be evaculated (1 Ki 8:10). How did Temple go from shekinah to a shopping mall with a chapel? They allowed a system to replace God’s presence as goal of religion. Maybe that is a warning for us. We can’t allow ourselves to get so wrapped up in our system we stop seeking God’s presence. That means rethinking what we thought we knew… and even changing things! A friend suggested that this may be why there is such tension in the church these days. We feel pulled to justify ourselves, to demonstrate that we are the (only?) saved ones . We know we can’t be perfect before God in either our character or our obedience. So we want to be part of a perfect church system. We aren’t perfect, but our church is. Any change to that threatens how we see ourselves as part of the saved. But that means that our faith is ultimately in our system and not in our God. Until you allow Jesus to turn over that table, it will distract you from God
  
  
• SECOND, Jesus also cleared the distraction of MATERIALISM. The big distraction at the Temple Jesus cleared was money; God’s house became a marketplace, and people were no longer able to see Him. In the same way, people can be distracted from God today by money. Sometimes, the church itself can wrapped up in money and distort God. Churches can become big business, and big business always needs more and more money. Many are turned off to God because of what they see in a church always in pursuit of money. More to the point, many Christians allow themselves to be lost in pursuing money. Jesus warn that spiritual life is choked out by a desire for money (Mark 4:19). Paul warns many Christians will loose themselves seeking money (2 Tim 6:10). Money is important; we must work to make money to provide for ourselves and to be able help others (Eph 4:28). When we get too focused on money, it becomes a false idol that draws us away from God.

This story forces us to face some very personal and important questions. What exactly is the clutter, chaos or confusion that keeps us from God? Remember, Jews selling sacrifices and changing money was not wrong. In fact, those things were necessary to support Old Testament worship. But Jesus condemned them because they distracted people from God. He turned over the tables, chased out the merchants, and reclaimed God’s house. Good things can become clutter; evil things sheer chaos—both can distract us. And when they become distracting, we need to do some spring cleaning. Any table that gets in the way of God must be turned over and swept away.

Prayer, Physicians and the Great Physician

Sixteen year old Neil Beagley died from complications of a urinary tract blockage, a condition easily treatable and rarely fatal, and his parents, Jeffrey and Marci Beagley, have been charged with criminally-negligent homicide. The family belongs to a religious sect (as in cult?) called “Followers of Christ Church” which believes in the power of prayer and rejects all medical treatment. When Neil got sick, he refused to go to a doctor and the family and their church simply prayed. The toxins that gradually built up in his body caused kidney and heart failure, and Neil eventually died. The state of Oregon believe that Beagley's are responsible for Neil's death.

There are a lot issues surrounding this case. Though a minor, isn't 16 old enough for Neil to have made a somewhat informed decision on his medical issues? If he had killed his parents, there is a good chance that the same authorities would have tried him as an adult. Family members told police that Neil chose not to see a doctor and his parents backed up his decision. The legal questions have not been thoroughly determined; Neil died in June of 2008 and his parents were only recently charged. It is taking some time for the authorities to decide how to respond to this difficult case.

What about people who believe so strongly in prayer that they see all human effort and work as a lack of faith? If we really believe that God answers prayer and heals His people, then what purpose would there be in going to a doctor? Wouldn’t that show a lack of faith? Don’t we expect God to act?

In scripture, there is always a relationship between faith and works. James says that faith without works is dead (Jam 2:26). Trusting God to act should lead us act as if we trust him. The apostles prayed for God to give them boldness to preach-- then they went out to preach (Acts 4:31). Nehemiah prayed that God would soft the heart of the king so that he could help Israel-- then he went and spoke to the king (Neh 1:5-10, 2:4-5). To pray for something with folded hands while refusing to act is not faith in prayer; it is presumption. I’m reminded of the old joke of the guy praying for God to save him from a flood while refusing aid from a truck, boat and helicopter. After he drowned, he asked God why he didn’t answer his prayer. God replied, “I sent you a truck, boat and helicopter… you gotta work with me here.” God provided the Beagley’s with a medical system; they needed to pray and then get to a doctor.

But then frankly, the problem that most of us face is not relying on prayer TOO MUCH. For too many of us, prayer is either a formality we go through because we know we should or a last ditch effort after all effort fails. We pray for God “to work through the hands of the doctor” to heal the sick as if working through modern medicine were the ONLY and BEST means God has to heal people today. We pray to God but, if we are honest with ourselves, maybe we have more faith in man. This seems to me to be the opposite problem from the one illustrated in the Beagley case.

Maybe the Biblical view is somewhere between the two extremes. Or maybe rather the Biblical view is at BOTH extremes. I remember an old saw from when I was a kid, “Pray like everything depends on God; work like everything depends on you.” Maybe we should spend more time, like Nehemiah, praying and waiting on God before we act. But acting certainly doesn't devalue prayer; neither does prayer devalue action. Faith and works co-exist quite nicely together; in fact, they must.

Pretty Good People?

Angelynn and I drove home from Searcy yesterday, getting home at might night. So now with the Pepperdine Lectures and Harding's graduation in my rearview mirror, I can now return to the old grind. I love the old grind! Back to the blog from our daily Bible readings--

For the third time in our daily Bible reading, today we come to the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. And it is excruciating (Latin, “of the cross”) every time we read it. In the greatest, most ultimate act of love and sacrifice that the world has ever known, the perfect Son of God choose to die so that his imperfect and rebellious creation might not die. Our sinfulness, rebellion and insistence on going out own way means that we are the ones who deserve to be on that cross.

Of course, we don’t really believe that except in the most general terms. We basically see ourselves as pretty good people; we’re not perfect, of course, but then again, nobody is perfect. Compared to the great unwashed masses in the world today, we are actually pretty good people. Most of us if we are pushed will admit, “Yes, I am a pretty good person.”

The eyes that saw the cross saw something else entirely. Jesus told the women of Jerusalem, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children…” (Luke 23:28). Jesus’ concern was not pointed at himself but at the people he came to save. Why? Harder times were coming, darker times in the human heart. Jesus says, “For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (23:31). If such evil could be generated in human hearts while the Son of God lived on the earth, then what would happen after Jesus returned to heaven?

When left to our own devices, we really aren’t pretty good people. Maybe sometimes we look pretty good in comparison to others. I look pretty tall when standing next to Roger. But then there was that time I met Julius “Dr. J” Erving and I looked pretty not-so-tall. We can declare ourselves as “pretty good people” only as we compare ourselves to others. But that is only a game we play, right?

Jesus didn’t die for pretty good people. He died to save sinners in full rebellion against the Holy God. He died because the only way that we can ever become good and holy is for his goodness and holiness to be applied to us through faith in what happened that day at the cross.

What would you have done had you been in that crowd watching the crucifixion of Jesus? Probably the same things that all those other pretty good people did. But the real question is, "What are you going to do with Jesus NOW?"

An Attitude of Gratitude

My New Year’s resolution this year was to lose 20 pounds (the same 20 pounds that I needed to loose last year and the year before). While I'm nowhere near my heaviest (a hefty 205 pounds!), I keep creeping up enough where I can see there from here. So I decided to get serious. I joined Weight-Watchers. I started going to the gym 4-5 times a week. I started eating yogurt (Wal-Mart fat-free cherry is the best). I stopped eating fast food and refined sugar… Well OK, I cut way back on fast food and refined sugar. I've watched "The Biggest Loser" on TV a couple of times. And did I mention that I work out 4-5 times a week? And sure enough, I made my Weight-Watcher’s goal, weighing in last night at 161. I remember an old Ray Stevens song about losing weight where he “gave his testimony, went out to celebrate and ate a French-fried Shetland pony.” I didn’t do that, but I did have piece of cheesecake Sunday night at small group.

Here’s a news flash—most people in the world today have never given a thought to needing to lose weight. Oh, a lot of Americans do. Karen, our Weight-Watcher instructor, said last night that 2/3 of Americans are obese and 1/3 are “clinically” or “morbidly obese.” It has become a (ahem) huge problem. But guess what? Most people in the world are more worried about getting ENOUGH to eat, not with eating too much! I keep a big box of Kashi bars in my office just in case I get hungry. (I used to just drive down to Hardees for a biscuit when that happened!) Many people in the world don’t worry about “what if I get hungry” because they know that they will be hungry! We have so much for which to be thankful. Are we? Or do we just so expect our blessings that we aren’t really all that thankful? Do we even stop to realize how blessed we really are?

In our reading today from Luke 17, ten lepers shout to Jesus from a distance (just as lepers were supposed to do), “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" (Lk 17:12). Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priest; they were healed of their leprosy on the way. One of the men didn’t go to the priest but retuned to Jesus—“He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him” (Lk 17:16). This one man, (Luke tells us he was a Samaritan) was so overwhelmed with gratitude that he could not go on with his normal life until he expressed his gratitude and praise to Jesus. Jesus makes note of that fact, “Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Lk 17:17-18). When your life has been so greatly transformed by God, the proper response is gratitude and worship.

Do we just take our blessing for granted? Do we just expect that we will have enough food to eat, a roof over our head and clothes to wear? Don’t we realize that there are so many people who can’t take those things for granted because they often go without them? Should we not be so incredibly grateful for the good things that God gives us that we express our attitude of gratitude to Him in continual praise? Should we not show our praise by sharing what we have with the people around us and around the world that aren’t as blessed as we are?

Excuse me while I have a Kashi bar.

The Forgive Is Divine

There is well known Norman Rockwell painting of Ruby Bridges, the six year old who integrated New Orleans schools in 1960. Her contribution to history was an important one, but it was not an easy one for either her or her family. Every morning, an angry mob shouted threats and ethnic slurs. She was escorted to and from school each day by federal marshals, and she was the only black student in the entire school. Robert Coles, a young psychiatrist, worked with her for that entire school year, and he later wrote a Pulitzer-prize winning book.

Cole found that it was the faith of Ruby and her family that allowed them to deal with this difficult situation. That faith was seen one day when a crowd followed Ruby to school, screaming at her the whole way. She suddenly stopped and said something that so agitated the mob that the marshals had to draw their guns to calm things. Coles said that that Ruby had prayed for those people. She explained that she prayed for them everyday, but she had forgotten on that day. Ruby’s prayer that angered a mob and pleased God was, “Please God, try to forgive these people because they don’t know what they are doing.”

Alexander Pope said, “To err is human, to forgive divine.” When we see forgiveness like that of little Ruby, we can know it is a reflection of divine forgiveness of God. Humans can learn to forgive, but only because God is the God who forgives. In Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories that speak of God’s forgiveness. The Pharisees are shocked that Jesus would welcome sinners. Jesus’ response is simply that welcoming sinners is what God is all about. The point of the parables of the lost sheep, coin and boy (prodigal son) are really the same—God rejoices when the lost are found. God is a God who majors in forgiveness.

Want to be like God? Forgive someone. Forgiveness truly is divine.

Best Seat in the House

A couple of years ago, I took Lynn to a Casting Crowns concert at Norfolk Scope. It was her birthday, and I wanted to do something a little bit special—so I spent $20 a ticket extra for special seating. Where do you think that seating was? Right up front. People pay a lot more extra money (so I’ve been told) and sit in a special place on an airplane. Where is this special “first class” seating? Right up front. When we went to see Kati in the Tabb school play, we made sure she got us tickets in advance. Where? Right down front. So why is it that so many people seem to think that at church, the best seats are always on the BACK row. I don’t get it. It's just wrong!

In our Bible reading from Luke 14, Jesus has some things to say about the seats we choose. No, He doesn’t actually say that we should sit down front in church and save the back for late-comers and people with small children. Or maybe that is exactly what He is saying. The place of honor at banquets was always next to the host. The guest of honor would be seated right next to the host, and the seating for the rest of the guests would fan out from there. When you showed up for a banquet, the seat that you chose said something about how important you think you were. Jesus noticed that the people at the banquet were fighting over all the best seats, and he saw that as a teachable moment—

When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. (Luke 14:8-10)

Jesus says to show deference to others. Take the worst seat, and let the host move you to a better one if that is necessary. Don’t emphasize yourself; don’t dwell on your own importance. Don’t make personal choices based upon inflated views of self-importance. Remember that “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”(Luke 14:11).

Of course, none of this applies to us because we don’t have this silly tradition about ranking people in importance based on seating charts (unless you go to $1000-a-plate political fundraisers). But maybe there are some related “seating” issues that might apply to our choices today—

• But where do you sit at church potlucks—with your friends or with people who seem to need company and encouragement?
  
  
• What church events do you find yourself seated in— only the ones that will benefit you or ones where your presence will encourage and benefit others?
  
  
• Do you always sit in the same seat at church (in the back) or do you move around to fill in where you are needed or to be around new people to meet and greet and make welcome?

Maybe the place where we sit shows more about how hung up we are on ourselves than we think. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”(Luke 14:11).

Are You Ready For That Day to Come?

I remember hearing of a church that had a sign posted in their foyer beside the auditorium doors that read, “No one will be admitted after the service has begun; late-comers will be seated in the nursery.” Evidently it was very important at that church to be on time! We could have the same policy here at Denbigh… as long as the nursery was several times larger than the auditorium! Getting here on time is not a huge priority here. Sometimes I wish people were more punctual, but then there are a lot more things we need to work on more in our lives that getting to church on time!

Being punctual isn’t a big deal in the Bible; being ready is a very big deal. Jesus is constantly telling us that “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt 24:44). We have to “keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matt 24:42). That is then point of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25. And that is the point of our reading today from Luke 12:35–40

Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

This sounds like the parable of the ten virgin in Matthew 25. Instead of bridesmaids ready for their part in a wedding processional that has been delayed, here it is a master coming home late from a banquet. The servants don’t know when he will get there, but they will be blessed if they are awake and alert and ready to let him into the house. He will be in good spirits with plenty of leftovers to serve them if they are ready to serve him. Just like thieves don’t announce their coming in advance, they master won’t announce his coming in advance. So the only way to be ready for the master’s arrival is to be watchful and stay ready all the time.

The apostles don’t get it. We know that because Peter goes all Robert DeNiro here, “You talkin’ to me?” (See Luke 12:41). He wants to know whether the warning Jesus gives about being ready applies to the disciples or is it for the general public. Jesus answers by telling another parable that basically says the same thing—you don’t know when the master is coming so stay ready for him all the time (12:42-46).

We know that we don’t know when Jesus is returning. And we know that we don’t know when we are going to die. The 1000+ victims of the earthquake in China this week shared one thing in common with the 200,000 killed in the Haiti earthquake—they did not expect that they were going to die. We know that the only life we are guaranteed is what we are living right now at the present; that could be taken away at any instant. And then its Hebrews 9:27, “Each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.”

So if we know all that… why do we live like we have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD? We don’t. One day we’ll wake up to our last day, and we’ll likely still think that we have all the time in the world. If we are going to be ready when our master comes, we’d better be ready right now. What would you do if you thought Jesus was coming today? Why not go and do it?

Sons of Thunder

In today’s reading we have the strange little story of the Samaritan opposition to Jesus (Luke 9:51-55). Generally in the gospels, the Samaritans come across as good guys. How much “gooder” can you get than the “Good Samaritan?” But somehow, these Samaritans didn't get the memo and they refuse to roll out the red carpet to Jesus.

The Samaritans and the Jews were enemies. As is often the case, their religious differences blended with their ancient land hostilities to the point where these two groups pf people simply detested each other. And this story reminds us that the hatred ran both ways; all Samaritans were not good Samaritans. Here a Samaritan village refuses to receive Jesus because he has “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (v. 51). They in effect said to Jesus, “If you are going THERE, then you aren’t welcome HERE!” The guy on the road to Jericho was lucky that these weren't the Samaritans who found him beaten up by thieves!

Just to show that they were much more mature spiritually, James and John volunteered to call down fire from heaven to destroy these pertinent Samaritans. Jesus had told thm earlier in the chapter that if people refused to welcome them, they were to “shake the dust off your feet” (v. 4). Evidently, that wasn't dramatic enough, so the “Sons of Thunder” volunteered to go all Elijah on them and call down fire from heaven. Why this response? One has to suspect that their sudden zeal had as much to do with the fact that these were Samaritans (whom they didn't like) that were dissing Jerusalem (which they did like) as much as rejection of Jesus (which they should have been used to by now). They never offered to call down fire on the Pharisees, did they? They hated the Samaritans already, so it was easy to judge their sin.

Here’s a question for you. Why are many (most?) Christians ready to call down fire from heaven to condemn homosexuality as sin and homosexuals as sinners? Is it because the holiness of the Lord burns within us? If so, then why aren't we just as ready to call down fire on other sins? I wonder why we don’t go after sins like greed (which is as idolatry), lying (remember Rev. 21:8) and divorce (which God says he HATES)? Why do Christians seem to hate homosexuality while sometimes giving a free pass to sins that are actually condemned MORE OFTEN in the Bible? Simple. We hate homosexuality anyway. We do. It’s gross. It’s unnatural. It’s a perversion. We harshly condemn it for the same reason James and John were ready to call down fire on the Samaritan village. We hate it anyway!

Please. PLEASE don’t read this as “Gay is OK” article. It’s not. Homosexuality is gross, unnatural and a perversion... just like greed, lying and divorce. All sin is a gross, unnatural perversion of God’s holy will and what He created us to be. My point is not that we should learn to tolerate homosexuality MORE. My point is that we should learn to tolerate greed, lying and divorce LESS. Jesus rebuked James and John and their willingness to judge the Samaritans. He will rebuke us and our inconsistencies over where we demand holiness and where we tolerate unholiness. Maybe we need to spend less time looking at the culture and more time looking in the mirror.