Sunday, December 25, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Make Known His Deeds; Isaiah 12, John 3:1-19
Have you ever been around someone who loves to name drop—someone who mentions all the famous people and “big wigs” that they know or have contact with? Name dropping can be annoying, or it can help you get a job! There’s one name that we are supposed to name drop, and that’s the name of Jesus! Our Isaiah passage today is a poem of thanksgiving and praise, and in it we are encouraged to sing praises to the Lord in all the earth, to give thanks to the Lord in the presence of others, to proclaim the name of the Lord, to shout aloud about what God has done and about God’s presence in our lives.
Church consultant Reggie McNeal says, “God loves it when we let God do God’s job. God loves to show up and show off.” In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby describes how God invites us to join Him in His work and gives us God-sized tasks, so that we know that we cannot accomplish the tasks without God and so that God gets all the credit for the results. The apostle Paul said, “May I never boast except in Christ my Lord.” Ray Ortland says, “As God catches us up into His purpose sweeping through history, what do we contribute? Nothing to be proud of. What does God contribute? Grace greater than all our sin.” Our Isaiah passage today says, “Make known God’s deeds among the peoples.”
We are to make known God’s deeds. It’s not about what we do. It’s not even about what we do for God or in God’s name, because if we are really doing those things in God’s name, it’s not us doing them anyway. We have no place to brag or take any credit at all.
But when God does something in or through our lives, we need to share those things. When God answers prayer, we need to share. When God touches our lives, we need to share. When God uses us as God sees fit, amazing things happen. What is God doing in your life right now? Have any of your prayers been answered lately? How have you seen God at work around you? How have you participated in God’s work? These are the deeds of the Lord, and we can sing and shout about them and make them known.
We do have so much to praise God for. God works in and through our lives all the time. English pastor Charles Simeon said that the key factor in maintaining and growing in his Christian walk was "Constantly meditating on the goodness of God and on our great deliverance from that punishment which our sins deserve. Keeping both of these in mind, we shall find ourselves advancing on our course; we shall feel the presence of God; we shall experience His love; we shall live in the enjoyment of His favor and in the hope of His grace. Meditation is the grand means of growth and grace."
Personalizing God’s grace in our lives, when we meditate as Charles Simeon says, results in us having a confident testimony that God is real, that Jesus Christ does transform lives, that the Holy Spirit is present with us and working through us. And as we access that grace, we find that joy, which is our key word for Advent this morning. Isaiah says, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Jesus described it as living water springing up within us.
But shared meditation on these things not only helps us to grow, but others as well. It is our mission to corporately and publicly proclaim God’s grace. It’s interesting to note that in this text, the “you” in verses 1 and 2 is singular. It is personal to each of us. Individually we give thanks for God’s grace in our lives--for the times God has forgiven us when we deserved punishment, for the times God has comforted us instead of shown anger, for the times God as assuaged our fears, for the times that God has been our strength when we thought we couldn’t endure one more hardship or heartbreak or resist one more temptation, for our salvation! And even our prayers are answered by “No,” and we can’t see the good in that “no,” God is still God, Jesus is still our Lord and Savior, and we still have reason to rejoice. Puritan scholar John Trapp said, “It is no less a sin not to rejoice than not to repent.”
In verses 4-6, the “you” is plural. We each have a story to share, a testimony so to speak, and together we witness to the world. Pastor Lester Agyei McCorn points out that in verse 5 where it says, “sing praises”, “The Hebrew word for praise employed here is yadah, which signifies the stretching out of one’s hands in thanks while singing. It is a confession of utter dependence upon God for the inferred gift, namely God’s deliverance. A people who were once scattered and symbolically disconnected from their God are now reunited, and thus reconnected to the One who has created them. There is an eschatological hope that has been fulfilled “in that day.” Their profound longings for “home” are now met in a glorious family reunion made possible by a God who promised not to forsake them. More importantly, they can bow before their true King without inhibition or recrimination. They can now wave their hands in joyous gratitude, for three essential reasons: God remembers, God redeems and God restores.” It’s also interesting to note that in verse 6, “inhabitant of Zion” is feminine. This symbolizes the church—the one body bride of Christ, we are to shout aloud and sing for joy.
We don’t want spiritual amnesia; we need spiritual anamnesis—the opposite of amnesia, it is the recollection of past events for the purpose of reliving them in the present. It’s remembering who and whose we are.
Last week, we were reminded by the life of John the Baptist to call people to repentance. We saw that if we love people and don’t want them to miss out on the joys of Christ’s kingdom, we will warn them of their need to repent because Christ’s return is soon. Shortly, we will sing “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations.” In this hymn is the refrain of the truth of Advent—that the darkness will turn to the dawning and the dawning to noonday bright. And Christ’s great Kingdom shall come to earth—the kingdom of love and light.” This is the joyous good Advent news that the world needs to hear through us—Christ has come and Christ is coming again.
We often share praises and thanksgivings when we have our prayer time in worship, but today we are going to have the opportunity to share joys, praises, and thanksgivings in this part of our worship time. The Thanksgiving holiday has passed, but the time to be thankful and joyous is still present. How have you seen God remember, redeem, and restore? Your responses may be for something in the distant past or recently. It may be an individual praise or for something God has done corporately for His Church. Let’s make known God’s deeds among the people gathered here...
As much as these praises and thanksgivings are, they will be all the more when Christ does make the invisible kingdom visible. On that day we will sing like we’ve never sung, shout like we’ve never shouted, praise like we’ve never praised, and be joyful more than we have ever, ever known. Until that day, may we continue to testify and witness to the wondrous love of our Lord.
Monday, December 5, 2016
Pointing to Jesus; John 1:6-28
The Second Sunday of Advent is often designated as Prophet Sunday. We have heard from 3 prophets this morning—Hosea, Isaiah, and John the Baptist. John was the final prophet to announce Jesus’s coming and to identify Him as the promised Messiah and fulfiller of all other prophecies. Jesus said that there is no one like John the Baptist and that John had the spirit of Elijah, and John himself is very humble, though he is confident in his role. He takes his job to point to Jesus and to prepare people to receive Jesus very seriously. John’s warning is urgent.
John’s life & words are still important for us today. First, have we heeded the call to repentance? We confessed our sins corporately this morning, hopefully in response to God’s invitation as heard through other prophetic voices and in the prompting conviction of the Holy Spirit. But it can be easy to say a written prayer in church and go through the motion. So have you really surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? John says that if we have, our lives will bear fruit worthy of repentance. We should live differently if we belong to Jesus. We are about to partake of the Lord’s Supper. If we haven’t opened our hearts to Jesus, the sacrament is not merely meaningless, but we eat and drink judgement upon ourselves by taking unworthily if we have not placed our trust in Jesus.
Second, John wanted people to be prepared to receive Jesus. He wasn’t preaching a message of repentance because he was angry and wanted to make people feel unloved. He preached repentance because he was concerned for people’s lives. He did not want them to miss out on experiencing the joys of the kingdom that Messiah was bringing. He wanted them to be ready for Jesus’s coming. We know Jesus is coming back and that His return is soon. Do we love people enough to urge them to repentance? Do we love people enough to want them to surrender their lives to Jesus so they can experience the joys of His presence and His kingdom? Do we really believe the time is short—that next year, next month, next week might be too late? Do we have an urgency to share the good news of Jesus?
And finally, do we take our role as Christ’s ambassadors seriously? Do we live humbly, pointing to Jesus, or are we trying to make a name for ourselves, to draw attention to ourselves and our accomplishments? Do we strive to glorify Christ with all of our lives, with each action and choice so that others are drawn to Him?
Monday, November 28, 2016
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Monday, November 21, 2016
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Praying for the Wicked; Psalm 109
On this International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church, we recognize that evil seeks to destroy the followers of Jesus. As we pray for other brothers and sisters in Christ, we also pray for those who persecute them. Today’s Scripture is the one of the harshest of the imprecatory psalms, those psalms where we pray that God would smite our enemies. It was written by David, who wrote all but two of the psalms of this type. The curses in this psalm are strong. Walter Bruggermann calls verses 6-19 a “psalm of hate”. Some scholars try to downplay these verses by saying that in this particular section, David is quoting what his opponents are saying about him because there is a change in subject and verb tenses. However, in verse 20, we see that even if these curses did originally come from David’s enemies, he prays for no less than that these curses would return to his enemies. On this International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church, how do we pray for the wicked?
We pray by acknowledging the reality of evil. In the opening verses, David tells God what his enemies have done. Thy have borne false witness, fought against him, spoken hatred against him. In verses 4 and 5 we see why David prays curses over his enemies. David didn’t start with asking God’s judgment over his enemies. He started with love. He started with mercy. David says, “In return for my love, they are my accusers. The word “accusers” is Satan. David has loved his enemies. He has done good to them and for them. In return, they act like the devil. They do evil to him and against him. They hate him. He has prayed about it. He has prayed for them. He has remained in touch with God about this.
Some of you have heard me mention before a website, atfp.org—adopt-a-terrorist-for-prayer. You can get updates on terrorism around the world and even the names of specific terrorists. The website has lots of resources on how to pray. Right now they are featuring a 30 day prayer guide for members of ISIS. The guide gives a daily focus for prayer—things like softened hearts, opportunities for members to hear the gospel, for their salvation, for them to recognize the evil they are doing and repent, for them to have dreams and visions of Jesus, etc. To pray against the things that lead people to join ISIS; for example, ISIS is recruiting young adults from all over the world and all different backgrounds because they promise wealth, power, and respect—things that these young folks are not finding where they are. These are youth who have often been victims of bullying, who have been betrayed by institutions and corporations, who have not found peace and hope in their religions or in atheism. God is answering prayers, and yes, there are people leaving ISIS for Jesus every day.
Too often, when wrongs are done to us, we go straight for revenge. It’s so easy for victims to be become bullies. We see this happen again and again. It’s happening in our society every day. But that is not the Jesus way. Jesus told us to love our enemies, to bless those that curse us, to do good to those who harm us. This is what David did. It is natural to desire retribution, but it is the Spirit filled, Spirit led person whose nature is to forgive enemies and pray for persecutors.
However, Jesus did not promise that if we do those things our enemies will stop being evil. That is what we hope for, and it does happen, but not always. How do we resist the temptation to repay evil for evil. Evil must be confronted, but any vengeance must come from God’s hand. David does not say, “I have tried to be nice; now it’s time to play hardball.” Instead, he asks God to intervene and bring justice. It is right to be angry when we are victimized. It is necessary to express it for healing to begin, but it must be done in healthy, not harmful ways. Taking our hurt and anger to the Lord is the right way. According to Walter Bruggermann and J. Clinton McCann Jr. says that praying for God’s vengeance without taking matters into our own hands is an act of non-violence.
But still the evil continues. In this prayer guide against ISIS, you will also find prayers for the power of ISIS to be halted, for perpetrators of evil to be brought to justice, for the destruction of this ideology. We must pray against evil, even as we ask God to change hearts and lives. Evil must be confronted, opposed, and hated because God hates evil. And so we come to this section of curses. In verse 6 the curse is that a wicked man would rule over the enemy. Sometimes the only way for an evil person to see what they have done, is for someone worse to become their boss or superior. Tuesday will be a day of reckoning for this country. Whoever wins, I believe that we will be getting the leader we deserve. The next President is no surprise to God. Sometimes in order to see our own rebellion against God, God will set up a prominent figure as mirror and/or as the agent of God’s punishment.
The curse continues, “Let an accuser stand at his right hand.” The accuser is Satan. This prayer is not so different from Paul’s instructions in I Cor. 5:5, to turn an unrepentant sinner over to Satan and to stop associating with that person. Like David’s enemies, this is a person who has been confronted, who has been prayed for, and who has been shown grace, and yet continues in his/her evil ways. The goal is the destruction of the flesh in order that the person’s soul may be saved. Remember how Satan was allowed to destroy Job’s flesh. In Job’s case it wasn’t about Job’s need for repentance, but to reveal Job’s character, but in the cases of evil people, it is to lead them to a place of repentance.
Verse 7 asks for a guilty verdict. This is the fair and right verdict, because the person is indeed guilty. Prayers for justice are right prayers. The second half, “Let his prayer become sin,” seems particularly harsh. It is that his plea for leniency in sentencing in the court will go unheard. God knows when a person will respond to mercy. This wicked person has already proven himself not to respond to mercy, so justice is needed. When I was leading Celebrate Recovery, one of our participants was an addict and alcoholic who had a son who was also an addict. The son beat his mother and put her in the hospital twice. He stole not only from her, but from others. He had come to our group a couple of times, but was not a regular like his mother. This young man had complete disregard for authority. He had no respect for his mother, no respect for law enforcement. He had been in and out of jail. He had 4 felony charges and because he had never been to prison, thought it was no big deal. He had no fear of the Lord. One night, another leader called to say that the young man had overdosed. My initial reaction was to say that I was relieved for his mom. My coworker was horrified because her first thought was that this man was condemned to eternal destruction. But this man had had many opportunities to respond to the gospel. He had been prayed over. He had been prayed with, and he refused to receive grace and mercy. He had rejected grace and mercy time and again. He was not going to change, but he was wreaking havoc and destruction with his life. His death meant that he could no longer harm or destroy others.
Verse 8 is a pray for a shortened time of influence. Whatever wicked ruler is set up over us, we can pray this prayer. “Let his/her days be few. Let another take his/her office.” This verse is quoted by Peter in Acts 1 in regard to what happened to Judas. His office as apostle was given to Matthias.
Verses 9-15 are particularly harsh. The death penalty—at God’s hand—is prayed over this person. This person has put others to death. He is an enemy of life. His actions lead to death. But then why should the children be made to suffer for the sins of a parent? Extreme caution must be used in invoking this prayer. It is a prayer for complete annihilation of family, posterity, legacy and even history if possible, to be wiped out. But history has shown that there are destructive lineages. In the Bible, we have the line of King Ahab for example. His great grandparents were evil rulers and each generation got successively worse. Finally judgement was pronounced, and Ahab’s son was the last of that lineage. God used Jehu to cut off the house of Ahab. When there have been generations of evil perpetuated, it is right to ask the Lord to cut off that line.
Verse 16ff gives further reason for invoking these curses. The enemy was unmerciful, persecuted the poor and needy and slayed the broken hearted. He did not delight in blessing and loved cursing.
In verse 21, David returns to praying for himself. He asks God’s mercy because he is poor and needy. To stand with the Lord is to stand with the poor, needy, and afflicted. He asks for salvation appealing to the character of God.
In contrast to the wicked, God is the Life Giver and Life Sustainer, bringing life even out of death. God gives blessing instead of cursing. The Lord is merciful and full of loving-kindness. Prayer for the wicked always ends in praise of who God is and thankfulness that justice will be served. This is how David ends the psalm in verses 30-31. The Lord’s prayer, “Thy will be done” is always appropriate. We don’t know what God will do, but we can know that whatever God does is right.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Monday, October 3, 2016
Monday, September 26, 2016
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Monday, September 12, 2016
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Redeeming the Time; Psalm 90, Colossians 4:2-6
To listen, click here.
Moses is not the only one who wrestled with time and mortality. Here is a list of songs that deal with time, our limitations and God's transcendence. There are lots more than this. Do you have favorites?
Stay Forever by 4 Him
Time in a Bottle, Jim Croce
Not As Strong As We Think We Are, Rich Mullins
Slow Down, Nicole Nordeman
Seize the Day, Carolyn Arends
Monday, August 29, 2016
Monday, August 22, 2016
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Monday, August 8, 2016
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Monday, July 11, 2016
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Friday
Finished our work at 10:45 pm! Highlights today were worship with Jerry Andrews preaching and a Jazz quartet doing the music, the election of our new stated clerk. Our business came out well on all the social issues except for the fact that once again, it means were are asking PMA to do more with less. If you care about our world mission work, peacemaking efforts, evangelism and discipleship, disaster assistance, please consider donating to one or more of these specific areas or even individual people or issues, or giving a general donation to the Presbyterian Mission Agency. I have many friends in these offices, but they now a have a new budget that they cannot meet. None of your per capita money goes to PMA. They raise every penny and do some of the best work of all our agencies.
Tomorrow we will end with worship led by Larissa Kwong Abazia. It has been a bittersweet week. Again, I recommend the experience. I have felt the Holy Spirit, and I have sensed spirits of delusion. I have made new friends and strengthened my connections among my colleagues within the Presbytery of Coastal Carolina. I am utterly exhausted!
Friday, June 24, 2016
Thursday
Yesterday was a much better day. We had Alice Ridgill preach for us. I've never heard her give a bad sermon. She is such a dynamic preacher. I wish I could preach like that! Her style is not unlike Dr. Jerry Cannon's. The music we've had all the way around has been great and uplifting.
All the resolutions that passed yesterday are ones I can live with. Some, such as finally taking a strong and comprehensive stand against racism, I truly celebrate. It's about doggone time! I never figured out how LGTBQ "rights" became more important than combating racism. The "apology" became an acceptable "regret." I would have even been happy to make a modified apology because we do need to apologize for elevating same-sex sexual acts as "worse" than other sexual acts outside the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or as worse than any sin, period. We need to apologize for using derogatory language. We do need to apologize for making people feel unwelcomed and unloved in our churches regardless of their background. What we do not need to apologize for is our belief on marriage. In our belief on ordination in that sins do not preclude one from being ordained, but that embracing sin of any type does preclude one from being ordained. We do not need to apologize for believing that celibacy is possible, and indeed, can be a call, and a God-honoring way for one to live.
We commissioned our new international mission co-workers.
I went to a dinner celebrating wonderful Christian work among the Armenian people, both diaspora and within Armenia.
I've met lots of great people and reconnected with many others.
The only regret is that we voted not to renounce our alliance with the RCRC, a great move that the Methodists just did at their General Conference. This was a commissioner's resolution based on the Methodist vote. It was a valiant effort and generated debate, but still failed miserably.
Yesterday was incredibly long, (we did not end until 11:25pm) but overall good.
We are all running low on sleep and have another long day ahead. I hope they cut out some of the blither-blather special reports, so that we can move on with business.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Wednesday Rant
We haven't even started plenary yet, and I'm in foul mood.
I'm angry that there are whole bodies in this denomination that think you have to subscribe to a whole shebang of liberal agenda in order to be socially just. I'm angry that there are those who assume because I'm Evangelical, I can't possibly stand against racism, human trafficking, and violence because I also don't support "transgender rights." I'm angry that there are those who assume that I can't be against gun violence and yet own a gun. I'm angry that there are those who think I can't support environmental injustice (opposing fracking and offshore drilling) and yet not embrace the idea that humans are entirely responsible for global climate change. I'm angry that the commitment to the uniqueness of the gospel is rapidly evaporating outside of the PMA's offices, which could now possibly be radically restructured thanks to the work of my committee, which I have now learned, that for all the blathering we did, we were still missing crucial pieces of information that committee 10 had. I'm angry that people claiming to be so enlightened regarding world politics have 0 idea of what North Korea is really like. It is the #1 oppressive country in the world. I'm sure Kim Jong-un would LOVE to reunite with South Korea!
Part II Plenary
Well, we passed 2 amendments regarding evolution that bind consciences of pastors and congregations. One was barely defeated, but enough folks complained that their votes didn't count that we took two more votes on that same resolution and it passed by 12 votes.
Open table theology is in. It may be more broad than even the Methodists.
We did finally pass a resolution requiring GA's to include a prayer for the persecuted church!
Belhar was finally approved. If nothing else, it was historic.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Tuesday
We worked hard today. I woke up with a sore throat and tired after a short night's sleep. But I went to the Evangelism breakfast this morning. So encouraging. We celebrated the 25th anniversary of the wonderful document "Turn to the Living God." Our Office of Evangelism has such godly people. Committee work was difficult. We passed a new 2020 vision plan, which I think is very good. We shot down all the Foothills amendments, which frankly, needed to be done, but we had heard such an encouraging and biblical rationale for them yesterday. I didn't want to see that get lost, so I offered an alternative motion, but sadly, it did not pass. I knew it was worded somewhat arbitrarily, but I felt the process was good, and I wish someone had had the courage to tweak what I had written hastily during lunch. I missed a mission lunch to write that thing. I only got to go to part of the mission coworker's dinner. Again, our PMA folks in the World Mission Office are also wonderful people doing great work.
Unfortunately, as we know, there has been some dysfunction in PMA operations, which led to an Administrative Commission being established to look into the OGA and PMA. I do hope it helps to ease that dysfunction, but I also hope it does not lead to any more layoffs. Personally, I think what Tony De La Rosa has done has been excellent work, and he is on the right track. Tomorrow at 2:00 pm, we begin plenary sessions. Some hot button things, like the apology resolution, got amended in agreeable ways. It is something to which I can vote "yes." Others will be passed. I was originally planning on speaking to the "Clergy Letter Project," but I really wonder if it is worth it...
Monday, June 20, 2016
Monday
We worked late tonight in our committee, but I'm excited for our work. Don't know that we will do anything revolutionary or not, but we hope to begin to address problems of communication and to further the denomination to help the work of congregations versus mandating to congregations what they should do. We have wonderful people on our committee.
I attended a luncheon today on the plight of refugees. We were able to hear from a refugee who has lived in this country for 8 years and is now helping other refugees. Prior to his coming to the United States, he lived in a refugee camp for 20 YEARS. This is unacceptable. We are treating refugees like criminals. If they turn out to be criminals, then yes, provide the appropriate punishment, but let's not assume refugees are criminals right off the bat.
The Outlook is doing wonderful reporting, so read their articles if you really want to know what is happening.
Again, I am seeing the best of the church at work. I know I will experience the worst in plenary, but I'm so glad to have the opportunity to experience the best. I see people treating one another with respect and love. I see people being willing to listen to one another. It stands in contrast to the tv that was on in the hotel breakfast room this morning. The channel was one of those ESPN ones and two talking heads were literally yelling at each other over two players in a ball game. Really? Yelling? Over a ball game??!!! I got my coffee and went back to my room to drink it, as it wasn't my prerogative to change the channel, and I do not want to listen to talking heads yelling at each other, esp. over something that, in the long run, is not going to make much, if any, difference in the world. I know a lot of this yelling stuff is for show, but this is how we are treating one another in our world today, and it is not helpful. I'm glad that, so far, we are demonstrating a better way.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Initial Impressions
We had a wonderful opening committee meeting for Committee 4. Our worship was authentic and Christ-centered. We have awesome leadership. I'm glad to be a part of this committee. Our work will be challenging, but also exciting.
I think anyone who has the opportunity should attend and/or be a commissioner to a General Assembly. You truly get to see the best of the church. Too often we only focus on the worst of the church, which is also here.
Today's opening worship for the General Assembly was also meaningful and Christ exalting. If you didn't watch online, you missed one of the most awesome prelude pieces, "Variations on 'Kum Ba Yah'" arranged by Joel Raney. The bell and voice choirs were also excellent. I enjoyed singing the responses in the Prayer of Great Thanksgiving. We used a simple, gospel tune found in the "Glory to God" hymnal.
Afternoon worship wasn't so hot. I know what they were trying to do in acknowledging and denouncing recent acts of violence, but I will not stand for nor recite parts of a prayer made to Allah by one of our ecumenical partners. I can respect Muslims, but I will not recite their prayers.
Tonight, we elected our new co-moderators, Jan Edmiston and T. Denise Anderson. I think they are up to the job. Do I agree with them on everything? No, but I didn't with Heath Rada or Bruce Reyes-Chow either, and yet I thought both of them were excellent moderators--fair, good listeners, diplomatic, and good representatives for the church. I think these two ladies will be the same.
Denise sat at our dinner table tonight. This morning I got to sit a table with our outgoing Vice-Moderator Larissa Kwong Abazia. I spoke with our wonderful PMA staff this evening. And I'll give a plug for the annual Evangelism/Discipleship conference at St. Pete Beach, FL the first week of August, Be the Light
I know there is much ugly and disappointment to come, but I am thankful for the good and right.
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Redemption by Reversal; Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-13
Today on Pentecost, Christ fulfills His Easter promise of sending the Holy Spirit. We have been acknowledging throughout the Easter season that our God has always been and continues to be in the redemption business. King Jesus is King of an upside down Kingdom. We see this in the sermon on the Mount every time Jesus says, “You’ve heard it said… but I say to you…” We see it in Jesus’s very life as described by the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15, which we looked at on Easter, and in Romans 5:12 and 17-21. READ Jesus reversed the curse of death because of Adam’s sin through His death, which leads to eternal life. In the Pentecost story, we see God redeeming broken lines of communication, between humans with one another and between humans and God, through the power of the Holy Spirit. In particular, we see how God redeems what happened at the Tower of Babel. God acts similarly in our two Scripture readings with different effects, and we see that God is intentional in how God interacts with us.
Babylon in the Bible is always a symbol of human achievement and materialism. In our Genesis passage, before Babel becomes Babylon, we see human effort trying to reach up into the heavens, and yet the tower, although perhaps impressive, comes nowhere near to reaching heaven. Human attempts at trying to reach God are vain religion. Yet God comes down to meet us. In this Genesis account, God comes down to see what the people had made. God is not impressed nor pleased by what they had done. In the Incarnation, God came down in the person of Jesus to show us what God is like and to dwell among us. At Pentecost, God came down to dwell within us permanently in the person of the Holy Spirit. Our human efforts at trying to reach God fail, but God continues to reach out to us so that we can know God and live with God.
The word “Babel” means God confuses. The people were confused because they could not understand one another. We all know that failure to communicate clearly causes confusion.
At Pentecost people were confused because they could understand! They didn’t know how these disciples could all of a sudden speak their language. The various people heard the 120 disciples (we get this # from Acts 1:15) praising God in their own languages, and they were confused! This reminds me of times I would speak Japanese in the grocery store in Seikiyado, Japan. The person working in the store would say, “I’m sorry; I don’t speak English,” even though I wasn’t speaking English; I was speaking Japanese! There is a great YouTube video of a scenario like this, by the way. It is of a group at a restaurant in Japan! The workers didn’t expect me to be able to speak Japanese, so it confused them, until they saw me frequently enough. Then it became fun to help the “gaijin”. Others gathered at Pentecost didn’t realize that the disciples were speaking real languages and accused them of being drunk. But Peter, in his sermon, will clarify the confusion.
At one point in time, there were a lot less languages than there are today, and at another point in time, there were a lot more languages than there are today. Languages are grouped by family and grammar style. Some languages have gone extinct with people groups; others through assimilation, and languages are constantly evolving. The Holy Spirit didn’t undo the confusion at the Tower of Babel by making only 1 language again. God honors the diversity and allows the gospel to be heard in one’s heart language. We know from the book of every nation that there will be people from every nation, tribe, and language gathering around God’s throne and praising God. And there will be no confusion! The gospel is translatable. This is different from Hinduism or Islam in which the sacred texts are only pure if they are in Sanskrit or Arabic respectively. The gospel is true in any language.
In Babel, the people had neglected the creation mandate to fill the earth. They had gathered together in one place. They wanted to hide out in a fortress. God confused their languages so that they would be forced to go out and to fill the earth. This is still God’s call for us. While the church ought to be a safe place for us, it should not be a fortress. This is a problem I have with mega-churches. They have a school, a daycare, a coffee house, a gym, a bookstore, and an ATM all on the inside of the fortress. I’ve even heard a few folks proudly say that they don’t often have to go anywhere else. But this is not what Jesus called us to be. This is being of the world but not it. Jesus told us to be in the world but not of it. Jesus is our Mighty Fortress, and He is with us wherever we go. The gathered people of God for worship is the church and we can find shelter in one another, but this to give us strength for the mission to which God calls us. We are called to be the Body of Christ in a hurting, needy world. We are called to go and fill the earth, spreading Christ’s love and the good news of salvation in His name. When God grants redemption by reversal, God doesn’t simply undo a thing. God redeems, making something beautiful and better even from our mistakes, failures and sins. God doesn’t erase our pasts, but redeems them for a better future. God even uses the negative consequences of our sins to accomplish God’s will. How have you seen God redeem your failures for God’s glory?
At Pentecost, believers came together to worship God. In various tongues they spoke the “wonderful works of God.” This led to 3000 new believers who were ultimately sent out all over the world carrying the gospel. We come together to worship God—as we worship we are refreshed, strengthened, encouraged, challenged and empowered once again to be dispersed, to share the gospel in word and deed as we interact with others on a day-to-day basis. When God send us out, He sends us out in power. The Holy Spirit is in us to work through us. We don’t have to try to serve God in our own strength, and indeed, we fail when we do, but when God works through, mighty things occur. I wonder if the people of Babel were even aware that God visited them. When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, the Spirit came with the sound of a wind and the sign like a flame. The Holy Spirit came in power, and the Spirit has never left.
At the Tower of Babel, it was pride that led to division. The people of Babel weren’t really trying to reach up for God; rather, our text says they were trying to make a name for themselves. They were self-glorifying. They wanted to be like God. We have to be diligent against the sin of pride, especially when we take on projects and programs. Are we out to make a name for ourselves, so others will give us praise, or are we serving for the glory of God? A test for pride is how obsessed are we about the outcome? If we are really serving, we aim to meet need as God shows us and leave the results up to God. We don’t take credit for results. We don’t get overly concerned when things don’t come out as we planned. Instead we use results as a reason to praise and glorify God and as an opportunity for God to reshape and redirect us.
At Pentecost, submission to the will of God led to unity. Again, there is diversity in unity. Not everyone spoke with the same language. In the Body of Christ, the Holy Spirit gives different gifts for the good of the whole and every member has a gift. We do not all experience God in the same way, and yet God’s work and will are accomplished. In the Experiencing God Bible study, which Sallie and I did last fall, we were reminded that God speaks to each of us in a way that is real and personal. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word, prayer, circumstances and other people. This is why we need the community of other believers. We learn from each other’s experiences, and our understanding of who God is grows. None of us has all the truth, but together, we can know more of it.
At Pentecost, people dedicated their harvest and flocks to the Lord, the Lord gifted people with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads us to the Truth about God. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live a life pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray and prays for us when we cannot find the words. We are called again and again to be filled with the Spirit for the fulfilling of God’s purposes. In contrast to the pride of Babel, when we humble ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives, we will be like Jesus. In contrast to Babel, where the people wanted to make their name great, at Pentecost, the disciples made God’s name great. Like the disciples, the Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses of Jesus Christ for the glory of God. God gave us the Holy Spirit so that we might carry God’s message of redemption and restoration through Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. May we boldly begin by sharing the gospel with people we meet in our community.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Monday, April 25, 2016
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Monday, April 11, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
Friday, March 25, 2016
Sunday, March 20, 2016
The Lord Has Need of It; Luke 19:28-40
We are coming to the end of Lent. We have reached Holy Week and find ourselves entering Jerusalem with Jesus. But in today’s somewhat familiar passage, I want us to identify with someone who lives outside of Jerusalem. We do not know the name of this family. They live in either Bethphage or Bethany. They may have been friends with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, who lived in Bethany. They may have known Simon, a healed leper, and a Pharisee. They may have known Jesus personally or they may have only heard of Him. I’m referring to the owners of the donkey colt that Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Jesus sent His disciples ahead to retrieve this colt and told them to tell the owners, “The Lord has need of it.”
Because the disciples use the word, “Lord” or “Master,” it is likely that this family were disciples of Jesus. Perhaps this agreement had already been prearranged privately between Jesus and this family, or perhaps it was totally unexpected. Regardless, the family responds in obedience and allow the disciples to take the colt. We have a prearranged agreement as well. We call this a covenant relationship. God initiated a covenant relationship with us. We broke the covenant, but Jesus died for us to renew that covenant. When we place our trust in Jesus, we receive Him as our Lord and Savior. Savior means that Christ rescued us from sin, death, and self and sets us apart for service to God. Lord means Master, Ruler, Owner. We become Jesus’s disciples. Jesus tells us to count the cost before we follow Him. He wants us to know what is required. When we receive Jesus, we receive His life in exchange for ours. It belongs to Him and it always did; we were never our own. But now He lives in and through us. We surrender our false illusion of self-control to the reality that God is in control and Jesus is literally Lord and Master. Do we really follow through with obedience to Jesus as our Lord like this family did?
Remember that this colt was unbroken. It had never been ridden. It was something new, like the new toy we talked about in the children’s message. Remember that animals were a vital part of a family’s economy in Bible times. Donkeys were used as transportation. They were used to plow fields. They were used as pack animals to transport goods to market. They were valuable. Animals were investments. It takes resources and costs to feed and care for animals. In this case, the owners hadn’t even had a chance to try it out first. Are we so quick to lend our new things, things that are valuable, things in which we are invested? What do you consider valuable? Are you willing to give them to Jesus?
I don’t know if any of you have been practicing giving up something during the season of Lent, but this discipline can be helpful for us to search out areas where it might be difficult for us to surrender something to the Lord should the Lord have need of it. Lent is a time to test our strongholds, to identify idols in our lives—the things we hold on to, give importance to, and yes, worship, before we worship God. The things we hesitate to surrender should the Lord say, “I have need of it” are idols. If we find it hard to give up certain behaviors, this indicates an area we may not have surrendered to the Lord. If we put other activities ahead of spending time with the Lord, these are idols in our lives.
“Ah, yes,” you say, “but this is Jesus. Jesus would be responsible. Jesus was only going to borrow the donkey. He would return it. Jesus wouldn’t hurt it or damage it.” But this same Jesus has told as that as much as we do for the least of these, we do it to Him. It is still the Lord who has need of it. “Yes,” you say, “but the owners had advance notice that Jesus was going to need their donkey.” We know too in advance. We do not know all the details, but again, to acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and our Savior is to acknowledge His absolute right to our lives and all we have. We have privileges and blessings; God has rights. God gives us only a few rights. One is to be called children of God: John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave power, the right, the authority, to become the children of God, even to those that believe on His name.” From this one right extends privileges, such as being joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. Think about a legal will for example. If you have or had a good relationship with your parents, you will likely be named in their will. Your parents don’t owe you anything. It is not your right to have an inheritance. But it is your privilege as their beloved child. They are probably happy to bless you and entrust you with their legacy. This is what God does for us. God doesn’t owe us anything. We are the ones that owe God everything. But God happily blesses us as beloved children in Christ and entrusts us with carrying forth the gospel, to spread God’s love to the world around us, to care for creation, and to use the gifts that God has given us for God’s glory.
We discover those areas where we have yet to surrender to the Lord when we say we believe one thing and yet act differently. For example, I see people shacking up instead of choosing to get married because they really don’t believe God will provide for their financial needs. I see people stuck in jobs they hate when they feel called and know they would be more personally fulfilled if they were doing something else because they don’t believe God will provide for their needs. Whenever we act out of fear, we show areas we have not surrendered to the Lord. Because perfect love, God’s love, casts out all fear. We should be fearing disobedience to God as our only holy fear. What about if the Lord said I have need of your family, your child, your very life? Last month’s VOM magazine shared the story of Regina Wilson, whose village was attacked by Boko Haram. She knew that an attack was incredibly likely so she had made up her mind in advance that she would not deny Jesus. When Boko Haram came, she witnessed her husband and oldest son killed before her eyes. Her daughter was taken away, most likely married off or taken as a sex slave. Another son was so badly injured, they thought he had died and weren’t reunited with him until days later. Her youngest son lost an eye, and yet, they remained faithful to Jesus. They would not deny Him. Sometimes the things Jesus asks of us seem small in comparison, and yet we cannot let go. Other times, Jesus asks the most difficult things. But it all belongs to Jesus and we can surrender it or without it. What is Jesus worth to you compared to any earthly thing?
Rev. Nathan Decker has written the following thought provoking litany: "The Lord needs it and will send it back." Give up my cup of coffee in the morning to feed an orphan! Absurd! "The Lord needs it and will send it back." Give up ten minutes of my 24 hours to pray! "The Lord needs it and will send it back." "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son..." God gave us our resources. God gave us our time. "The Lord needs it and will send it back." Today, we give! May we not forget what God gave, what Jesus gave for us. How can we withhold anything from Him?
Jesus asks for all of us, all that we, all that we will be, all that we have. We say, “Yes.” We sing, “I Surrender All,” but how often do we live like “I Surrender Some”? We sing, “Take My Life,” and in that song, it not only mentions various body parts, but our money as well—“not a mite would I withhold”. A mite was the smallest coin at one point in time. Do we really mean it? “A Brief Statement of Faith” from our Book of Confessions opens with “In life and in death, we belong to God,” a phrase taken straight from Romans 14:8, “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or whether we die, we belong to the Lord. God has the right to all we are and have and call for it at any time. Are you willing to surrender it? What are you holding on to so tightly that the Lord has need of it? What about when the Lord says, “I have need of you?” Will you respond in obedience? Maybe God is calling you to a new area of service, perhaps volunteer work or vocation. Maybe God is calling you to love someone difficult. Maybe God is calling you to surrender an addiction. Maybe God is calling you to live into a deeper level of holiness. Examine your heart. Have ears to hear God’s voice whether it comes through a messenger like the disciples to the owners of the colt or whether it be that prompting of the Holy Spirit moving through prayer, circumstances, and Scripture. Be ready to obey when it is said to you, “The Lord has need of it.”
Monday, March 14, 2016
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
Monday, February 1, 2016
Leave the Battle to God; Psalm 83, I Chron. 5:18-25
Other important Scriptures for edifying reading: Judges 4-5, 7-8 and II Chronicles 20.
To listen, click here.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Monday, January 4, 2016
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