Shine Your Lite So All Can See

I stumbled across (randomly and circuitously) this video on a blog on the Houston Chronicle website. It is a just released music video from the David Crowder Band. No, this isn't some cool  iPad app; it was done entirely, frame-by-frame and peg-by-peg on a Lite-Brite. According to the blog, it took 2,150 man hours, 700,000 colored pegs, 1200 Lite-Brite images, 83 friends and 148 pizzas to complete.

The video tells a touching love story.  The tear thing at the end really got me. The song is "SMS (Shine)" from the David Crowder band’s album Church Music (which has been out for awhile). The lyrics to the song are below the video:



Send me a sign, a hint, O whisper
Fill me with life 'cause I am listening
Come break the quiet, breathe your awakening
Bring me the light 'cause I am fading

Surround me with the rush of angels' wings

Shine Your light so I can see You
Pull me up, I need to be near You
Hold me, I need to feel loved
Can You overcome this heart that's overcome?

You sent a sign, the hint, O whisper
Human, divine, everyone is listening
Death laid low, quiet in the night is stirring

All around the rush of angels
O the wonder of the greatest love has come

Shine Your light so all can see it
Lifted up, 'cause the whole world needs it
Love has come, what joy to hear it
He has overcome, He has overcome

A Moment of Silence

A federal court ruled Friday that it is constitutional to be quiet. Well, what they really ruled is that the “moment of silence” with which Illinois public schools begin their school day does not constitute prayer and is therefore constitutional. A talk show host named Rob Sherman who is an atheist filed a lawsuit challenging the “moment of silence” practice arguing that providing a this "quiet time" of reflection actually encouraged students to pray and is therefore unconstitutional.  Actually, the “moment of silence” does promote prayer in the school— prayers of thanksgiving by teachers for sixty actual seconds of peace and quiet. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit decided that lawmakers were not seeking to establish religion and force religious practices by mandating a moment of silence. Sherman condemned the decision as "judicial activism" and pledged to appeal the decision.

I think that the courts should be applauded for injecting a bit of common sense in our legal system. I also think that Mr. Sherman might have had more of an argument that is apparent at first blush. The Bible says things like, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psa 46:10) and “For God alone my soul waits in silence” (Psa 62:1, ESV) and “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psa 37:7). Being still, quiet, patient, unmoving, silent… this is the necessary condition before we will hear God. As long as we are caught up in the raging currents of the busyness of the day, we won’t have time for God. We need a moment of silence. If we have a moment of silence, then maybe we would be more aware of the God in whom we live and move and have our very being.  So Mr. Sherman is right—a moment of silence encourages prayer. Just hope no one tells the courts!

On an totally unrelated note, Alan Smith sent me this picture, which I think speaks for itself.  It is really sad that God's people are so well-know for division that this picture makes sense.  I guess we might was well laugh at ourselves... unfortunately, the world is laughing at us as well.

On Being Self-Absorbed

The final episode of Seinfeld in 1998 remains one of most watched shows in television history. This show was billed as “a show about nothing,” but this final episode makes a point. The cast witnessed a carjacking, but they did nothing to help the victim. In fact, they make jokes about the victim... until the law shows up.



So Jerry and the gang are convicted and thrown into jail and the series ends. So maybe they are still there. The word that we would use to describe people like the Seinfeld characters is “self-absorbed.” They were so totally focused on themselves and had no compassion or feelings for others.

Surely none of us have any problems being self-absorbed? We don't have any trouble seeing the perspectives, the concerns and the needs of others. While have positions and ideas and preferences, we all are perfectly capable of understanding the people around us who disagree, and we love and respect them anyway.  People who are self-absorbed only show up on TV; they never show up in church!  That's why Paul wrote this part of today's Daily Bible Reading in Philippians 2--

Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:2-4, ESV)

If we are going to be the kind of family God is calling us to be, then we need to learn to be as concerned with the opinions, perspectives, ideas and preferences of others as we all with our own. To see only own own needs and desires is to be self-absorbed!  If we are self-absorbed, we might get in trouble with the Law!

Rescue!

It was one of those events that captured the attention and the hearts of the world. I spent much of yesterday checking news reports and slowly counting 1, 2, 3… all the way up to 33. I had the CNN.com web site open all day and Alt-Tabbed over constantly to check the progress as those 33 trapped miners in Chile were pulled one by one from what should have been their tomb. CNN even had this countdown timer deal going— 00:00:00 minutes since the last rescue (brought to you by Pepsi).   Every single man was pulled safe and sound out of the mine than had been their home for two long months— it really was the feel good story of the year. God bless them! Now, CNN and all their press buddies (2000 strong were camped around the rescue effort) can go home now and leave these poor men alone. Fat chance!

There was a feeling of brotherhood and solidarity as hundreds of people worked around the clock. Thousands of man hours and millions of dollars were spent the rescue effort One of the family members said, “It was worth every peso.” And it was. When you are in the business of saving people, you come together and do what it takes to get the job done.

Why can’t the church get that? Why do we spend so much time and energy fighting among ourselves about things that don’t really matter? Why does such energy go into our intramural tussles and tangles over issues and questions that won’t seem important to us, let alone anyone else, in twenty years? If we really had a sense that we were in the business of saving people, then maybe we could come together as one person. Paul says that would be living in a manner consistent with the message of the gospel. Our reading today is from Philippians 1.

Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together with one accord for the faith of the gospel (1:27, TNIV)

If we really saw ourselves standing on the edge of the abyss helping to pull people out of the pit, maybe we’d get our act together. Maybe we can learn from from the good folks down in Chile.

Wake Up Church

Rich Iott, the “Tea Party” Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Ohio, has some ‘splaining to do. It seems that Iott spends his spare time involved World War II military re-enactments... as a Nazi. He and his buddies dress up in Nazi uniforms and pretend to be Nazi soldiers of the 5th SS Panzerdivision, Wiking. There are pictures of him all over the group’s web site dressed up as his SS Nazi alter-ego. Now he defends this as a harmless hobby and historical exercise to educate people about the life of German soldiers during World War II. His group, of course, disavows any support of Nazi ideology; they don't condone what the Nazis did during World War II.  But they also fail to really mention anything the Nazis did-- like the atrocities and war crimes that historians say were committed by the very Nazi division that Iott and his buddies are portraying.

Harmless fun? Historical curiosity? Or disturbing fascination with one of the darker sides of the dark side of human history? It seems to me that it is incredibly difficult to associate yourself with Nazis and glorify Nazis while completely distancing yourself from what the Nazi’s thought and what the Nazi’s did. The argument seems to go something like, “I don’t believe what these guys believed and I don’t condone what these guys did-- I just like to walk and talk and dress like them.” You can argue that, but I’m not buying it. To a degree, we become partners with the people we emulate. So if you really want to be play the part of a patriot, then dressing up like a Nazi is a bad idea. But hey, that’s just me.

In our reading for today from Ephesians 5, Paul warns Christians against becoming partners in the sinful, pagan world (5:7). We have been rescued from the world of darkness; the last thing we should want to do is live like that world.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Ephesians 5:8-14)

If we are going to be part of Christ, then we can’t emulate the sinful world. If we are going to walk in the light, then we can’t be part of the darkness. So Paul tells us to “be very careful, then, how you live.” (Eph 5:15).

The point of this post isn’t “Nazis are bad.” I would hope that everyone would know that—well, evidently not everyone. The point is, “Once you know what the dark side looks like, then don’t emulate that behavior.”

Wake up, Church! (v. 14)

Living Up to Our Upbringing

I remember Dad giving me “the speech” right before I went off the college. I guess most young men get some version of this speech from their father… or mother… or uncle or some authority figure. It is the speech that says, “Remember who you are.” Come to think of it, Dad may have used those very words in his speech, but he said something about “not bringinging dishonor on your family.” I remember thinking, “Dad, I going off to Freed-Hardeman, not going off in the merchant marine or something; there’s not but so much trouble to get into in Henderson, TN. They close the town and roll up the sidewalks at 8:00 each night.” That wasn’t true… it was at 7:30! But when kids leave home and go off on their own, they need to be reminded that they need to live up to their upbringing.

Paul gives us his version of the speech in our reading for today from Ephesians 4. Up to this point in the book, he has been pointing to what God has done in us and how God has called us. Now he tells us to live upto our upbringing— “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life (literally “walk”) worthy of the calling you have received.” (Eph 4:1). In the first part of the book, he lays the theological groundwork of all that God has done—our calling. Now he gets to the practical side—live up to your calling. It’s not enough to learn the lessons; we have to live the lessons. And Paul is going to get very practical in his practical application—

• Don’t live like the Gentiles in sensuality (4:17).
• Don’t lie to each other (4:25).
• Control your temper and resolve your issues before they lead to resentment (4:26).
• Don’t steal from each other, but work to proved for your needs and to share with others. (4:27-28).

All very practical applications of living worthy of our calling… living up to our upbrining. But it is interesting, isn’t it, where Paul choose to begin. His first application of living up to out upbringing is unity.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Eph 4:2-3)

In some ways, the commands that follow (lying, stealing, anger issues, etc.) are component parts of this first application of living together in unity. We just get along better if we don't steal from others or blow up in anger!  If we live up to our upbringing and walk worthy of our calling, then we’ll find a way to live together in peace and unity. The Holy spirit creates that unity; we don;t have a vote on whether or not we are one.  We just have to decie that we are going to LIVE as one.  All of the things of God are one— “one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.” (4:4-5). If God’s things are one, then God’s people must live as one. If we live up to our upbrings, we will live as one.

Make it so.

What Would You Take a Bullet For?

On September 28, a Christian lawyer and preacher named Edwin Paul, his wife Ruby and their 5 children aged 6 to 17 were shot and killed in Abbotabad, a town in northwestern Pakistan. They were murdered by a group of radical Muslims because they were Christians and because Edwin had been speaking out to defend other Christians in the area. Paul had earlier be warned to give up his Christian faith; he was told “we know how to throw out Christians, we will not allow even a single Christian to live here.” Two days later, the entire Paul family was dead. May God bless their family and friends who grieve for their loss.

What we have done in the place of the Paul family when told to give up their Christian beliefs “or else?” The fact is, we don’t know. Until we are placed in that kind of a situation, we have no idea what we would do. I would like to think that we would all listen to the words of Jesus, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10). Faith in God and commitment to the cross of Christ are things important enough for which to die.

There are hills that are important enough to die on. But then, there are some hills that aren't.  What if the question had been a bit different? What if the group with the rifles that barged into their house to threaten their lives had asked other questions--

• Do you have one or multiple cups in your communion?
• Do you think it’s OK for Christians to drink alcohol?
• Do you believe in a pre, mid or post-tribulation rapture?
• Do you sing praises to God with instrumentals or a cappella?
• Do you preach wearing liturgical robes or in a suit-and-tie?

OK, I definitely WOULD NOT take a bullet for any position on those questions. Don't get me wrong; I have answers for all of those questions. But put a gun to my head and I'll put one of those "In case of rapture, this car will be unoccupied" bumper stickers on my car. Put a gun to my head and demand I sing "The Old Rugged Cross" accompanied by a piano, and I'll ask, "What key would you like?" Put a gun to my head and I’ll wear either a liturgical robes or a suit and tie (which I consider to be the same thing anyway). But put a gun to my head and ask, if I believe in Jesus, then with God as my strength, I'll take that bullet (at least I hope I would).   Some things are worth dying for... and some things aren't!

I have to wonder if the list of things really worth dying for is really all that different from the list of things worth dividing Christian fellowship over? I mean, if you wouldn't take a bullet for your position on an issue, then is that issue really important enough to harm the body of Christ over? I wonder.

As Paul closes Galatians 6 (our reading for today), he says something that we need to hear. He has written to churches torn apart by all manner of issues relating to Jewish tradition and ritual. Paul closes the letter in his own handwriting by says this—

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. (Galatians 6:14–15)

The issues over which the Judaizers were stirring up the church were not part of the gospel. Paul insists that they actually mean nothing at all. Having the right position issues that aren’t worth dying for means nothing. The only thing we can boast in, the only thing worth dying for, is the cross of Jesus and becoming a new creation because of the cross. That’s something worth dying for.

System Failure

I remember an area-wide preacher’s meeting where we were discussing a seminar (really more of a debate) sponsored by one of our schools presenting several different perspectives on the role of women in the church. One of the preacher’s made the statement in his presentation, “It’s not that women can’t preach; I’ve heard several women speakers…” I couldn't resist asking him (in a good natured way, of course), “How do you know that women can preach; have you ever listened to women preach?” He assured me he had—on tape from women’s retreats and such. Someone asked him, “If you can listen to a woman preach on tape; could you listen to her while she was being taped?” (OK, that was me asking that question too; I was a bit testy that day). He thought for a minute and said, “That would be OK if you sat in the cry room and listened over the P.A. system… as long as you pilled the curtain and couldn’t see her.” He said it with such finality that I knew that no further inquiry was welcomed or needed.  The ex cathedra pronouncement had been given.

I think a lot of our church rules and traditions have been arrived at with just about that much thought and every bit as much finality. Church traditions OK— in fact, they are unavoidable. Any time you do the same thing the same way twice, you are creating a tradition. And even if you intentionally did every different every time, then THAT would be your tradition. I like church traditions—old and new, formal and informal. The only problem with our church traditions is when we start attributing them to God and acting like loyalty to the tradition is what saves us.

That was the problem in Galatia. The Judaizing teachers were converted Pharisees who insisted that Gentile Christians proselyte to Judaism and keep the Old Testament Law as a condition of being Christian (See Acts 15:5). They came to these new Gentile church with what they claimed was “The List” of practices and procedures that all real Christians had to follow. To fail to follow the list was to fail to be really Christian. The more credence the Galatians gave to the list, the more freedom and joy they relinquished. By accepting the legalism of these false teachers, they gave up their freedom in Christ for slavery. In our reading for today, Paul lays it out pretty plainly—

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

Paul sums up his point in verses 6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” What is lost if the Galatians give in and follow the Law in order to better follow Christ? Paul thinks they lose quite a bit--

• First, Christ becomes of no value (5:2). Jesus came to save those who could not save themselves. If you can be good on your own by following the rules and keeping the traditions, then you don’t need Christ. The more you value your works the less you value His grace.
  
  
• Second, we are committed pretty much to perfection (5:3). The Judaizers handled the Old Testament like an all you can eat smorgasbord— they liked the part about circumcision, Sabbath observance, and kosher foods. But the part about animal sacrifices and yearly pilgrimages was a bit messy (and maybe the part about tithing too?). But if you want to be justified by the law, then you have to keep the whole law (See James 2:10). If we’re to make it to heaven through the right rites, then you have to be right all the time! Yikes!
  
  
• Third, we fall away from grace (5:4). The ultimate result of seeking salvation through law-keeping is that you will be lost! You can’t save yourself; ig you try to do so, that is the ultimate FAIL! A stress your works takes the focus off of God’s grace.

The problem of the Judaizers' system of salvation by works wasn’t really the works. Paul didn’t care about circumcision. In fact, he had Timothy (who was Jewish) circumcised so that he could have full access to ministry in the synagogues where Paul often preached. Paul himself did Jewish stuff when the situation called for it (see Acts 21:20ff). The problem wasn’t the works—it was the system. It was the idea that keeping the right system of works somehow ingratiated us more to God than just believing in Jesus, loving Him and seeking to obey Him.

The Judaizers weren’t heretics because of all their Jewish stuff. They were heretics because of their insistence that the Galatians needed a system to add to the gospel in order to be saved.

Of course, there is no lesson here for us today.  Forget I brought it up.

Getting It All Right

In our reading for today from Galatians 4, Paul is perplexed with his converts at Galatia and their willingness accept the legalistic requirements placed upon them by the Judaizing teachers. He asks them, “What has happened to all your joy?” (v. 15). They had traded their freedom in Christ for a slavish legalism with its complex system of rules and regulations as the necessary key to pleasing God. The initiation rite of circumcision was only the beginning; it was quickly following by “observing special days and months and seasons and years” (v. 10). They had come to believe that they were righteous by being right and that they were right because of their rite. Paul wonders if he had wasted his time in taking the gospel to them (v. 11).

What happened to all your joy? Legalism insists that salvation depends on getting all of your I’s dotted and your T’s crossed. You have to understand every doctrine exactly correctly. You have to get every rite exactly right. Any deviation from the pattern will cause you to lose your soul. Loving the Lord isn’t enough. Seeking to please Him isn’t enough.

How much fun is it to have someone watching you over your shoulder while you are doing something? You’ve had that happen, haven’t you? I’m not sure of all the psychological reasons why, but I do know that it is really hard to do what you are doing when someone is watching you that closely—

• You’re reading the paper, and feel someone reading over your shoulder.
• You’re playing solitaire and someone says, “Play the red six...”
• You’re typing while someone is watching and waiting for you to finish.

Is that as annoying for you as it is for me? We just don’t do our best work when someone is watching us, especially if they are just waiting for us to fail. In the legalistic system that the Galatians had bought into, someone was always watching over their shoulder.

In the movie “Remember the Titans,” there is this scene where a black football coach played by Denzel Washington has been brought in to coach a recently integrated high school in Alexandria Virginia and the racial tensions were off the charts. Right before their first game, a school board member came to the coach and said, “You know if you mess up, they will fire you.” Washington’s character said, “What do you mean mess up?” The board member paused and said, “Loose a game.” That really adds to the joy of athletic competition! Loose one game and you are gone!



That’s the message of legalism. There is a list of rules that one has to follow in order to really be a real Christian. Leave one item off the list, and you are off God’s list! Get a little mixed up on your doctrine.  Get a little off on your worship.  Organize your church in just the wrong way.  One mistake is all it takes and you cease to be a real church or a real Christian.  Loose one game and you are gone!

Well, we’re going to lose a lot games, you and I. The best batters in baseball (OK, so I’m switching sports metaphors here) fail to get on base 6-7 times out of ten. The most holy Christians fall short of the holiness of God by a mile. The most faithful churches get their doctrine wrapped around axle every now and again. Nothing will steal our joy as Christians faster than the mistaken notion that we can get it all right.

• If we think that we must get it all right and we HAVE gotten it right, the result will PRIDE and a disdain for all those who are right like you.
  
• If we think we must get it all right and HAVE NOT, the result will be DESPAIR and we'll likely give up trying to please God. 

Either way, what happens to our joy?  What Paul is doing in Galatians is reminding these baby believers that they were saved by God’s grace, not by their religious or moral performance. God calls them to obedience, but they will not and cannot win God’s love because they get all the rules right. They couldn’t and neither can we. We can make up our lists of rules and regulations. We can even get pretty good at keeping our list (as long as we leave ourselves a few loopholes now and again). What we can’t do is impress God in the process.

Taking Inventory

For more than twenty years, Dad ran his own business-- Tucker Office Equipment, Inc. This was a true family business: Mom ran the office, my Aunt Audi ran the office supply department, and both my sister and I worked at “the shop” (short for "sweat shop") at various times in our lives. I drove the delivery truck all through my high school years; at one point I wrecked it 3 times in 2 months (never my fault, of course). I once asked Dad why I made only $1 an hour while everyone else made at least minimum wage. He told me, “Because everyone else can be fired!” Made sense to me.

One of the things that I helped Dad each year (even before I was old enough to officially be on the payroll making that $1 an hour) with was his yearly inventory. Every ever, every single typewriter, adding machines, dictating machines, mimeograph machines (if you don’t know what these ancient devices are, just Google them) and every other machine in stock had to be documented and accounted for. My job was to put my hand on every one of those machines and call out the model and serial number for Dad to write down in a ledger. That required me to climb up stacks of teetering boxes or scaling up old, rickety shelves back in the somewhat inadequate warehouse. I think there was some kind of law that required the top boxes in the stack of machines to always be turned so that the serial number was on the back and bottom of the box! Taking inventory was both uncomfortable and even a little bit dangerous.

And it still is today. Paul ends 2 Corinthians with a warning for his readers to take inventory. As I re-read 2 Corinthians 12-13 this morning (our daily reading), I was reminded again of how personal a letter was 2 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians often sounds academic as Paul answers questions and polemic as he encourages them to change. 2 Corinthians sounds like Paul has a tear in his eye as he writes. As he closes 2 Corinthians, Paul is preparing for a third visit to Corinth. The last visit did not go well (2 Cor. 2:1), and he fears he will have to deal with some people who have still refused to repent of the rebellious attitudes that have threatened the church. So he tells his readers that they needed to take inventory of themselves to see where they are spiritually--

5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 6 And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. (2 Corinthians 13:5-6)

Were they still in the faith? Were they making spiritual progress? Were they some of the ones with whom Paul would have to deal when he got to town? They wouldn’t know unless they examined themselves—unless they took spiritual inventory.

We need to do the same thing. Where have we been and where are we going? Sometimes we fool ourselves by simply comparing ourselves around us are doing. Paul had already warned the Corinthians about this comparison game-- "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." (2 Cor 10:12)

It’s hard to take a realistic spiritual inventory, to look deep into your own heart and see where you are and where you are going. You may find yourself on top of a stack of shaky boxes teetering back and forth; you may even find yourself falling… or that you have already fallen. But if you don’t take time to examine yourself, how will you ever know where you are?

Don't Know Much About Nothing at All

The people at The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released the results of a survey they conducted entitled “Religious Knowledge Survey.” You can take what I assume is a shorted version of the test on their website; feel free to respond with how well you did. I missed one—there was a question on “nirvana” and I got mixed up and answered “Kurt Cobain.” Anyway, I am usually thrilled to get a 93% on any test… and usually quite surprised.

The headlines you see on various news outlets reporting on this survey usually say “Survey: Atheists Know More About Religion Than Believers” (Time) or “Atheists, Agnostics Most Knowledgeable About Religion” (L.A. Times). And sure enough, atheists and agnostics scored higher on the test than did many believers. Catholics didn’t do very well on the test at all, many not even recognizing the doctrine of transubstantiation (which is uniquely their own). Of course, there were many Protestants who didn’t seem to know that Martin Luther was pretty big in that Reformation thing. There really weren't that many Bible questions on the survey; most of the questions had to do with specific religious practices and beliefs. Maybe that is why atheists did so well—they have to keep up with that the stuff they don’t believe in.

The good news is that 80% of the people surveyed knew that Mother Teresa was Catholic. The bad news is that 4% of those surveyed thought that Stephen King wrote Moby Dick. Maybe so many don’t know much about religion because, as Art Garfunkel used to sing, we "don't know much about nothing at all."

The Grace of Giving

The topic that Paul brings up in our daily reading today from 2 Corinthians 8 is my least favorite topic in the Bible, At least, it's my least favorite topic on which to preach and teach-- GIVING. The internal problems experienced by the church in Corinth had caused them to stop their giving. That is always the way it works right; get mad at how things are going at church, and you start leaving the ol’ checkbook at home. Paul encourages them to get back to this business of giving, something in which they had once been strong:

And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. (8:10-12)

Paul is collecting a gift from the Gentile churches to relieve the suffering of the Jewish church in Jerusalem. This is important not just because of the great need that exists; this is also a chance for Gentiles and Jews to declare solidarity in the gospel. So Paul encourages the church to give, “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” (2 Cor 8:7).

Every time I preach on money, I get this vision of some televangelist in a white suit with slicked back hair and a painted on grin. I hear Ray Stevens singing, "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex on His Television Show?" I think of Jim and Tammy Fay’s air conditioned doghouse and Christian amusement park. And I hear people grumbling that “All this church is interested in is in getting my money?” I make my living (and a pretty good one) because people at my church give liberally. And every time I mention giving, I worry that people might think I have ulterior motives. (“Tuck must be getting that iPad and needs more money”). Yep, money is my least favorite topic on which to teach.

But was Jesus’ favorite topic! According to one writer's count, one of every six verses in Jesus teaching (you know, the stuff written in red letters) is something about money and material things. Sixteen of Jesus’ parables deal with use of money. Jesus probably spoke about money and material things more than any topic other than the kingdom of God.

This emphasis is carried over in the rest of the New Testament as well. There is more said about money than is said about heaven and hell combined! Five times more is said about money than about prayer. (Really? Really). By one preacher’s count (granted, you always must look with suspicion at the preacher’s count), something like two thousand verses deal with money, possessions and material things. The only thing mentioned in the New Testament more is love. Caveat: Most of the verses and teaching about money and material things are warnings against loving it and the encouragement to share it with others. Like love (the other favorite Bible topic), money only works when you give it away!

OK, why am I so reluctant to teach on money and giving? Paul encouraged the Corinthians to “be strong also in the grace of giving” (2 Cor 8:7, NCV). We do want to be strong in grace, right? So maybe I should get a white suit and slick back my hair? Maybe not.

How Can It Be?

My sermon this Sunday will come from our reading today from 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. That is a littler surprising because the end of the chapter has my favorite verse and preaching text in all the Bible--

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

That captures the miracle of the cross and the great exchange of grace in one short verse. Jesus took upon Himself our sin so that we could take upon ourselves His righteousness. The One who was sinless became sin so that the sinful could become “the righteousness of God.” That is the gospel! The God who created us left heaven’s throne to suffer the pain, humiliation, and rejection for the cross in order to save us from ourselves. In some way somewhere between metaphor and reality, God took on Himself our sinfulness so that we could become His righteousness. We will never, ever doubt how much God loves us if we will just keep our eyes on the cross.

John Wesley’s preaching was the theological force behind the Reformation in England, but it was his brother’s hymns that drove its worship renewal. Charles Wesley began to write his first of 6500 hymns the day after his conversion. He read Psalm 40:3, “He has put a new song in my mouth…” He yearned for God to give him a new song, and he began to write. His journal contains this entry for May 23, 1738—

At noon I began a hymn on my conversation but was persuaded to break off for fear of pride.... I prayed Christ to stand by me and finish the hymn.

That song was finished and published under the title “Free Grace” but would come to be known as “And Can It Be.” It’s had several different tunes and different arrangements. This a cappella arrangement (which we sing often) is my absolute favorite song to sing before or during communion to remind me of God’s amazing love--

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in my Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, scorned his perfect love.

You left Your Father's throne above,
So free, so infinite Your grace;
Emptied Yourself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race;

Boldly I come before your throne
To claim Your mercy immense and free
No greater love will e’re be known,
For O my God it found out me

Amazing love! How can it be
That You, my God, should die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
That You, my God, should die for me?

God Needs More Cracked Pots

It appears that Terry Jones’ 15 minutes of fame has thankfully come to an end. Jones is the Florida preacher who announced that he and his Dove World Outreach Center would burn a big pile of Korans on September 11. This is, by the way, the same church that sent elementary kids to school on the first day of classes last year wearing “Islam is of the Devil” T-shirts. That got a little attention, but this threat to burn the Koran got Mr. Jones all kind of media face time and even drew comments (negative ones) from Gen. Petraeus and President Obama. For a time, Terry Jones replaced Fred Phelps as the top religious crackpot in the country. That's just what the church needs-- more crackpots like these clowns to cause our culture to take the Christian faith even less seriously than it does already!

But in our reading for today, Paul seems to think that what the church needs are more "cracked pots." No text captures Paul’s vision of himself as a servant of Christ better than does this—

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (2 Corinthians 4:4-12)

Paul saw himself as a "jar of clay." The treasure Paul promoted was not worldly wealth or political clout—it was rather “the gospel of the glory of Christ” (v. 4). Paul saw himself as simply the flawed clay jar than contained and carried that blessed treasure. Paul did not promote himself in the way we see crackpots like Terry Jones doing today. Paul was just a jar of clay that contained the gospel.

We may have a bit of a problem understanding his point. Why? We see clay jars as pretty neat things. I brought back a clay crock pot as a souvenir from my first trip to Ukraine; it still sits in an honored place in my office (if you can find it beneath all the clutter). Wacky tourists used to come from all over the country to visit the Williamsburg Pottery Factory. We think jars of clay are valuable in themselves. But to Paul, a clay jar was just a common and disposable article that often contained something of value. He saw jars of clay much as we would view a disposable 2-liter plastic jugs. But unlike 2-liter bottles, clay jars were brittle and breakable. There was no value or strength in a jar of clay, and that was Paul’s point. The precious “gospel of glory” comes in very plain and very breakable clay pots! That is how Paul saw himself; and that is who we are. We are broken jars of clay who are blessed to carry the precious gospel of the glory of Christ.

What God needs today is a few more cracked-pots, broken jars of clay willing to give him their weakness. He doesn’t just need people who know all about Bible; He doesn’t require people who are right on all the issues. God is not looking today for “practically perfect people.” He is looking for flawed jars of clay willing to hold His treasure and carry that treasure to others. Strength and beauty aren’t in the clay pot; they reside only in that which the clay pot contains. The jar of clay may be ordinary and broken, but it can be used by God.

A Key Tradition Is Changed

The picture at right was taken at camp year before last. We had just completed our all-camp relay race that ended with the battle of the canoes at the lake. We had just cheered on the winners and then everyone raced back to the dining hall for supper… and left little Micheala at the lake. Fortunately, the ever-vigilant camp director was on the ball and stayed behind to walk with her back to the dining hall. Actually, I was limping back to the dining hall and she was taking it show to keep me company. Anyway, we were best buds… until she found someone more fun to play with.

Let me share with you what my little buddy did yesterday. I always leave my keys hanging in my office door during church. For years, that has been my tradition-- I don’t want keys rattling around in my pocket while I preach. And if I leave them in my office, someone will invariably lock the office before I'm ready and my keys are locked inside. So every Sunday morning, I get to the building way early and just leave my keys in my office door. It has never been a problem… until yesterday.

Yesterday, Mickey decided to remove my keys from the door and play with them. Her Mom saw her playing with the keys and naturally assumed they were her keys and told Mickey to put the keys back in her purse. Being the obedient child she is, Micheala put the keys (my keys) in Becky’s purse and they all went home. Of course, I couldn’t go home because I had no keys! I knew my keys were NOWHERE in the building because I looked everywhere for them (including inside the refrigerator). They were gone. Fortunately, Roger was still around and gave me a ride home. Later Becky called the house and asked, “Are you by any chance missing some keys?”

So what is the point of all this? Next time, leave the kid at the lake? No, no, no, that’s not it! I guess the point is “Don’t leave your keys in the door.” I know that is the lesson, because when I called home to tell Lynn that I was stranded at the building, she said, “I told you not to leave the keys in your door.” And she had. But then, she knew I have a problem with keys; I left the hotel key in the hotel door on our wedding night!

Traditions are so hard to change. Particularly traditions that have to do with the way you do things at church. But I have to change my tradition. Sometimes you have to change church traditions because of the children. Thanks Mickey, for reminding me of that!

Small Group Pointers

Our 2010-2011 small Group season has officially begun at Denbigh. Well, except for the “improve your marriage” marriage small group that will begin on September 30 (we wanted to give folks a little extra time to get their marriages in line before we start talking about them. We had a great “first group” experience over at the Tanner’s Sunday night. I don’t know how large a small group can become before it is no longer “small,” but we may end up having to come up with a definition before we’re done.

Have you not joined one of our Body Life small groups? Maybe you are waiting to find our which group had the best deserts before you commit to picking a group. I thought I’d give you a little help in making your small group decision by sharing some of Jon Acuff’s (from his Stuff Christians Like blog) pointers about “Things to keep in mind as you join a new small group.”

• The first night you go to a new small group is like a first date. Try not to openly sob on that night. Imagine how great a first date would go if you started sobbing before they even brought out the blooming onion at Outback.
  
  
• You have an 87% chance that there will be a couple in your group who has been married for about 15 minutes.
  
  
• You have an 89% chance that couple will attempt to give you marriage advice they have culled from their 15 minutes of marriage.
  
  
• Be upfront about your age when finding a group. Age, parenthood and location are usually the three main criteria groups are built on. We failed to mention our age early on, prompting one guy to say when we did, “Yeah, but you don’t look that old.”
  
  
• Nothing brings a group together like an arch nemesis. Feel free to find a shared enemy small group that you can prank.
  
  
• Be the person that has the best small group dessert, but don’t overdo it. We once went to a small group that had a four course meal of the most elaborate finger food I’ve ever had. If at any point you find yourself wrapping food in bacon in preparation for small group, pull back a little.
  
  
• Try to make your personal introduction shorter than an average sermon. No one needs to know about that time you got bit by a rat on the foot in the seventh grade. Unless you lost the foot or kept the rat and have it with you.
  
  
• Don’t tweet or blog stuff about the group without their permission. No one likes to read about themselves unexpectedly on Twitter.
  
  
• Every group has certain people in it. (The person who cries, the Theologian, the “but is that really so bad?” crazy person, etc.”) Make sure you know where you fit in.

Well, I’m sure that was very helpful for all of us. Now-- go out and find a small group to join! If you can’t find one, create one. Roger will be happy to teach it.

Speaking About Speaking in Tongues

Years ago, a van load of teenagers with their youth minister stopped by our church for a Sunday night service. There is a church near us that that was called at the time “Denbigh Church of God.” The similarity in our names and locations caused some confusion, and even now after they changed their name to “World Outreach Center” we still occasionally get calls and mail meant for them. It was obvious that this van load of teens thought they were going to that other church. We were just a little more low-key than the “Spirit-filled” worship they were expecting (our praise band was one guy with a pitch pipe).

I talked for a while with the youth minister after church, and what he wanted to talk about was the view of my church on speaking in tongues. Of course, I felt duty bound to convince him that he couldn't really speak in tongues because the "age of miracles" (good Biblical term) had passed. Of course, he was completely convinced that he could speak in tongues and had witnessed plenty of miracles. I talked about the “that which is perfect” from 1 Corinthians 13 and how tongues would cease after we got the completed Bible (an argument I would no longer make, by the way). He talked about Mark 16 and tongues as the sign that would follow those who believe (leaving out the part about handling snakes and drinking poison). We never really argued, but people could probably tell that we each thought the other guy was an idiot. I cringe when I look back on that conversation. I wish we would have talked more about youth ministry and how to get kids to fall in love with Jesus.

If I was to have a do-over with that conversation on tongues, I would probably want to find out exactly HOW they used tongues in their church. My faith tradition has always acted as if the New Testament clearly regulates how church SINGING is to be done (though nothing very specific mentioned). But Paul regulates speaking in TONGUES about as specifically as the Old Testament regulates the offering of sacrifices. Notice just a portion of our reading today from 1 Corinthians 14—

6 Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

It is obvious from 1 Corinthians 14 that Paul expected everything that was done in church to encourage and build-up the whole church. Because tongues (whatever they were) were by their very nature unintelligible to others, they were not to be used in church. Five words people could understand were better than ten thousand words in a tongue (v. 19). Tongues were flashy and could attract people's attention, but they could not teach. Tongues could encourage the heart of the one who was speaking, but they only confused other people who could not understand, especially those who were new to the church (v. 23). As far as the church was concerned, speaking in tongues was like speaking to the air (v. 9).

If someone today wants to speak in tongues (whatever that is) in their own private devotions at home, they get no argument from me. I no longer feel compelled to argue them out of the notion that God can still do that sort of thing today. As far as I’m concerned, God can do anything He wants to do. Paul accepts tongues (he spoke in tongues more than anyone), but he really did discourage their use in church. And if they are to be used in church at all, then Paul gives some very specific regulations on how they are to be used-- only 2 or 3 tongue-speakers were to soeak at any one service, they were to speak only one at a time, and they were to speak only if someone interpreted what they had said. That is very different from the way that I've seen tongues used in modern churches.

But after all, if you are going to do "Bible things," should you do them in "Bible ways?"

In a Family...

In Romans 12, Paul makes an argument for a unity based on a diversity of our gifts. We all have different functions in the body, and we must use our different gifts to build up the body. But we must be very careful not to make Paul say more than what he really said. Paul does argue for a diversity of function, but he doesn’t suggest that our function makes us valuable to God or his kingdom. After making a similar argument on the diversity of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 (our daily Bible reading tomorrow), Paul includes this disclaimer—

22 Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

Some parts of the body seem more prominent and important, but we treat the less prominent parts with special modesty and care. In the same way, “more prominent” parts of the body of Christ (whoever they may be) must go out of their way to take care of the less prominent parts (whoever they may be).

Here is the difference between an organization and a family. In an organization, there is often a hierarchy of importance. Those who contribute the most to the organization are valued the most. Well, the church isn’t an organization; it is a family. In a family, everyone is valuable just because they are part of the family. They may not perform as vital a function in the family as another person, but they are valuable simply because they are family. Daddy may be the breadwinner and the entire family depends directly upon him. Baby doesn't contribute a single function to the family... except providing constant chaos. But who is the most important to the family? All are family! Pragmatically, by virtue of a greater need, Baby may get the lion’s share of the family's attention. In a family, sometimes it is the one who needs the most attention that gets the most attention.

We must make the church the kind of family where there are no prominent members or non-prominent members. We are family, and we must not allow ourselves to order ourselves based upon the hierarchy of an organization. We are God's family. And thus we are of equal value to God and to one another.

Family Disagreements

In 1 Corinthians 8-10, Paul is dealing with the issue of meats offered to idols. In today’s reading (see Tuesday’s blog). In today’s reading, Paul warns the Corinthians not to make concessions to idolatry (10:14-22) , assures them that any food from God is from God (10:25-27) and reminds them not to flaunt their freedom in front of believers who have differing opinions (10:28-30). Boy, dealing with foods offered to idols was really complicated; I glad we don’t have any hard issues today!

Don’t miss an obvious point here—Paul assumes that there will be differences among believers. We can’t have freedom in Christ without disagreeing on exactly what that freedom entails. Most of our disagreements are over trivial points of procedure and opinion… though we’ll never admit for a second that our opinion is anything trivial! All families have disagreements. We have to work through family disagreements all the time? How? What are some things healthy families do when there is disagreement?

• We take turns (“You had your way last time, so now it’s my turn.”)
• We talk and come to consensus (we work to come to agreement)
• We give in to the strongest opinion (they'll get spoiled if we do it too much)
• We compromise on a solution (so everyone gets something)
• We go with the majority (life isn’t fair, but we can be sometimes)

Good families use all of these techniques at times. What good families don’t do is have family members get mad when they don’t get their way and run off and jon other families!

The church family will have to deal with disagreements, and a good church family will use all the above options (except to run and to find a new family). Paul reminds us here that there are things that are more important than being right. Sure, there are some things that are non-negotiable, part-n-parcel of the gospel issues. But these are generally not the things that divide us. It was less important for the Corinthians to be right than to be loving. In fact, they could speak with the tongues of men and angels, have the gift of prophecy and fathom all mystery, and if they didn’t have love… But then, that’s another days reading, isn’t it?

On Ice Cream and Manure

Tony Campolo once said, Mixing politics and religion is like mixing ice cream and manure; it really doesn't affect the manure much, but it really messes up the ice cream." The problem is that it is so easy to mix up the two. I just got another reminder this week.

Jon Cash, the longtime weatherman at WAVY TV-10 was fired last week after 21 years on the job. He was the early morning weather guy and early morning news is the only news I watch. So I've spent a lot his Jon's career watching him and his nice-guy, easy-going, slightly-goofy approach to early morning TV. Two more things draw me to the guy-- he is a Redskin fan and he is a preacher. While he talks about the Redskins all the time, I’ve never heard him talk about his faith or his weekend ministry speaking at churches on the air. I am very bummed out that Jon lost his job (though not nearly as bummed out as Jon and his family must be).

So why was he fired? No one is saying. WAVY isn't interested in eyewitness news about itself. But then, being a Redskin fan generally won’t get you fired in this area (though it will does lead to chronic depression). Cash initially said on his website that said “People of faith will be disappointed” when they learn of the reasons. Frankly, I had already decided that I was not watching WAVY TV-10 news... or anything else on the local NBC-affiliate(except Sunday night football of; no need to be a radical extremist about this).

But the message posted on Cash’s website yesterday disappointed me. There is still no word about the reason for his firing, thought he does promise “future statements detailing the events surrounding my brutal firing must be and will be told to the nation in a live broadcast in October.” (So... is Jon already booked on Fox News?) I guess Jon isn’t going “gentle into that good night” but will “rage, rage against the dying of the light.” What follows on his site is heartfelt to be sure; his heart is broken and he feels betrayed right now... and has every right to be. But what he says comes across (to me) as a political rant of Limbaugh-esque proportions.

We are watching citizens lose their homes because of the failure and greed of our system. We are watching the middle class destroyed, mimicking a system that has failed as I myself have witnessed walking the streets of Moscow. We are watching as people try to drive God from every aspect of public life. We are watching fellow brothers and sisters get fired for their faith in our God, or for our founding principles…

So was his disagreement with WAVY about politics or religion, manure or ice cream? Nobody is saying, but his web rant (to me) seems to blend the two. Jon may have been treated unfairly because of his faith... or maybe because of his politics. We have all known Christians that are personally annoying and who do everything they can to hang a “kick-me” sign on their back. And there is a tone in Jon’s rant that makes me wonder. And if I wonder that (and I'm still not watching WAVY in the a.m.), I wonder how non-Christians will view this whole fiasco?

Tertullian said, “The blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church.” There was something about the quiet and dignified way that Christians faced persecution and death that reinforced the truthfulness of their message. Peter wrote to the very people soon to die with him under Nero

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (1 Pet 4:12-14)

Peter is writing to Christians who are suffering the persecutions of a world that has turned against them. 1 Peter was likely written before the official persecutions of Rome began; that will come later to these readers. Peter is writing to believers who are suffering the unofficial opposition of a world that does not understand nor accept their faith.

What Peter tells them is to live holy lives (1 Pt 1:13ff) as “aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Pt 2:11) who submit to the rulers of the world (1 Pt 2:13) and thus silence the foolish accusations of others (1 Pt 2:15) and show proper respect to everyone (1 Pt 2:17). And if they do suffer for doing good, they were remember that Jesus suffered for them (1 Pt 2:21). They were not to repay insult for insult (1 Pt 3:9) as they suffer for doing right (1 Pt 3:14) and they were to be prepared to give answer to those who ask about their hope (1 Pt 3:15).

Peter thought that how Christians handled opposition was critical to how their faith would be seen by non-believers. And it still is.