One question that came up as people began to think about Jesus and interpret His life is: "If Jesus is divine, where has He been this whole time?" So where was He?
Hebrews is one of my favorite books of the New Testament because it takes the life of Jesus and the story of God (from the Old Testament) and adds a ton of depth to it all. This is also why Hebrews can be a difficult book to read- it presumes a pretty deep knowledge of the Old Testament.
In the opening verses, the author of Hebrews lays it all out on the table- the Son has existed since eternity past. The Son was there at creation (vs 2), and the Son has sustained the entire world through His word (vs 3). In other words, long before Jesus was born, the Son of God has been at God's work, preparing this world for the completion of God's plan.
I can apply this not only to the cosmos, but also to my personal life. I don't always acknowledge Jesus and the presence of Jesus in my life. I try, especially in joyful times, to celebrate what Jesus has been up to. But when I don't see Jesus walking the halls and I don't see His face directly, it requires more intentionality. But even when I don't acknowledge Jesus, He is always at work and is bringing heaven and earth together.
How has Jesus been at work in your life recently?
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Jesus is the Perfect Image of God: The Gospel Itself
So you're walking around in the year 14 AD in Jerusalem. It's a normal day. Caesar Augustus is king over all of the Roman Empire, which includes Israel. Suddenly, trumpets blast and everyone is called to attention. A royal announcement is about to be made. The messenger stands in a high place and shouts "The Gospel (Good News) According to Rome! There is a new Caesar, Tiberiuus Augustus! Long life to Caesar, and to Rome!" You have just heard a gospel message. Gospel, in the days of Jesus, was a technical term meaning that either a new heir was born or a new king was crowned. I think the Gospel writers were very particular when they chose the term "Gospel" to describe Jesus. The Gospel itself is a coronation story. Hebrews 1:1-3, our passage from Sunday, describes Jesus in a coronation process. He was not born a king, He did not live a king, but was raised to kingship because of the cross and resurrection (making purification for sins).
That's not the Gospel I so often hear, frankly, and that's a little disturbing. The themes are familiar, forgiveness and purification for sin. But the kingdom part is usually used as a synonym for Church-related stuff. Usually, the Gospel message is that of an evacuation from a disaster area. That is, things are so bad that we need to escape to a "heaven above" to get out of this irredeemable creation. So we get our forgiveness, which is our ticket of entrance, and we get out of Dodge before the real disaster begins.
That's not good news. At least it isn't Gospel good news. That's bad news. If we are waiting for the eradication of the material universe for an eternal existence in heaven, we are looking at the failure of the Creator to sustain material creation. That doesn't sit well with me.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, however, is that there is a new king in this world. A conquering king, if you will, although his "weapons" are love, compassion and service. There is a man in heaven, who sits on the throne, and His name is Jesus. It is this moment of Jesus' coronation that Isaiah gets so excited about in chapter 9 (click Isaiah for the passage I'm talking about).
This Gospel screams good news. This Gospel is hope, this Gospel is motivation and energy. This Gospel rings true, and I hope it rings true for you as well.
That's not the Gospel I so often hear, frankly, and that's a little disturbing. The themes are familiar, forgiveness and purification for sin. But the kingdom part is usually used as a synonym for Church-related stuff. Usually, the Gospel message is that of an evacuation from a disaster area. That is, things are so bad that we need to escape to a "heaven above" to get out of this irredeemable creation. So we get our forgiveness, which is our ticket of entrance, and we get out of Dodge before the real disaster begins.
That's not good news. At least it isn't Gospel good news. That's bad news. If we are waiting for the eradication of the material universe for an eternal existence in heaven, we are looking at the failure of the Creator to sustain material creation. That doesn't sit well with me.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, however, is that there is a new king in this world. A conquering king, if you will, although his "weapons" are love, compassion and service. There is a man in heaven, who sits on the throne, and His name is Jesus. It is this moment of Jesus' coronation that Isaiah gets so excited about in chapter 9 (click Isaiah for the passage I'm talking about).
This Gospel screams good news. This Gospel is hope, this Gospel is motivation and energy. This Gospel rings true, and I hope it rings true for you as well.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Never Give Up: I need your voice
One of my favorite thinkers, Cornel West, was speaking and a phrase stuck out to me: "I need your voice." Sometimes, as a pastor and a frequent public speaker, I treat the space I inhabit as though it were in need of more of my voice. It is one thing to walk into a situation and believe that my voice is the one that will bring healing, it is another to walk into a situation and believe healing will occur when I can hear your voice.
The truth is, we need each others' voices. One thing that strikes me about Luke 18 is that the widow's voice goes so unheard until the twist ending to the parable. She is on the margins of her society, and her pleas have fallen on deaf ears. She is unheard in a community that is supposed to be oriented toward helping the powerless (Exodus 22:22). Yet, the judge hears her because of her incessant begging.
The parable is one of prayer. If an unjust judge would hear a powerless widow, whose only strength is her persistence and voice, then won't God hear us in our prayers? But we can't pray alone. We need each others' voices. We need voices that will pray when we lack the words, when we lack the ideas, when we lack the faith. We need people to pray for us, not just in the simple platitudes of "I'll pray for you," but in the real moments of our brokenness when we tremble to lift a single word.
I need your voice. We all do. There is no way we can go about the work of God without needing the prayers of one another. Sometime in churches we give out the message (intentionally or otherwise) that there are two kinds of people: people who do God's work and people who pray for people who do God's work. This is not the case. We are all called to be both kinds of people. How could we pray for God's work without wanting to get involved? How could we be involved and never pray? Indeed, prayer calls us to action; action calls us to prayer. And we need to do both together.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. May it be a time of togetherness for you.
The truth is, we need each others' voices. One thing that strikes me about Luke 18 is that the widow's voice goes so unheard until the twist ending to the parable. She is on the margins of her society, and her pleas have fallen on deaf ears. She is unheard in a community that is supposed to be oriented toward helping the powerless (Exodus 22:22). Yet, the judge hears her because of her incessant begging.
The parable is one of prayer. If an unjust judge would hear a powerless widow, whose only strength is her persistence and voice, then won't God hear us in our prayers? But we can't pray alone. We need each others' voices. We need voices that will pray when we lack the words, when we lack the ideas, when we lack the faith. We need people to pray for us, not just in the simple platitudes of "I'll pray for you," but in the real moments of our brokenness when we tremble to lift a single word.
I need your voice. We all do. There is no way we can go about the work of God without needing the prayers of one another. Sometime in churches we give out the message (intentionally or otherwise) that there are two kinds of people: people who do God's work and people who pray for people who do God's work. This is not the case. We are all called to be both kinds of people. How could we pray for God's work without wanting to get involved? How could we be involved and never pray? Indeed, prayer calls us to action; action calls us to prayer. And we need to do both together.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. May it be a time of togetherness for you.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
God is Holy and Merciful: The pointof it all
I was traveling on Saturday and was unable to post, but I don't feel like I can simply walk away without talking about the third aspect to confession- transformation and re-commitment. After all, this may be the point of confession.
I have viewed, in the past, confession (to God) as repairing a broken relationship. But the more I think about it, my former view of confession can lead in a pretty scary direction; that is, that my relationship with God is ultimately on me. In this view, the death of Jesus is the key that I need to open the door. It is of no surprise, then, that confession became a source of power for religious authority and fear in the hearts of Christians everywhere. But is that what confession is about?
I lean heavily on last week's post about identity. If my identity is truly that I am claimed and united to God through Jesus, and if I believe Paul that nothing can sever that connection, then is it possible that our confession is what is necessary to set our relationship with God right again? I believe so. I believe that our unity with Christ doesn't change, despite our actions.
So confession, then, is something different. I believe that confession is about transformation and becoming more like Christ. If we don't go back and get honest about our pains and afflictions, our disobedience and our "junk," it won't get healed.
Imagine going to the dentist. I know, it's painful for me too. But imagine going and having the dentist ask you "Have you been brushing and flossing?" You lie and say "All the time." The dentist turns and says "Okay, see you next year." Would that be effective? No, the dentist would take a look anyway and catch your dishonesty. And then will come the cleaning. The same thing works with confession. God knows our junk, and remains united to us anyway. Our honesty opens us to healing.
Healing is our eventual transformation. At the dentist, our teeth are cleaned and we are given a lesson on the importance of oral hygiene. Before God, we are forgiven and God (though the Holy Spirit) begins to shape and teach us a new and better way of being. May we all seek that way as we go about our lives.
I have viewed, in the past, confession (to God) as repairing a broken relationship. But the more I think about it, my former view of confession can lead in a pretty scary direction; that is, that my relationship with God is ultimately on me. In this view, the death of Jesus is the key that I need to open the door. It is of no surprise, then, that confession became a source of power for religious authority and fear in the hearts of Christians everywhere. But is that what confession is about?
I lean heavily on last week's post about identity. If my identity is truly that I am claimed and united to God through Jesus, and if I believe Paul that nothing can sever that connection, then is it possible that our confession is what is necessary to set our relationship with God right again? I believe so. I believe that our unity with Christ doesn't change, despite our actions.
So confession, then, is something different. I believe that confession is about transformation and becoming more like Christ. If we don't go back and get honest about our pains and afflictions, our disobedience and our "junk," it won't get healed.
Imagine going to the dentist. I know, it's painful for me too. But imagine going and having the dentist ask you "Have you been brushing and flossing?" You lie and say "All the time." The dentist turns and says "Okay, see you next year." Would that be effective? No, the dentist would take a look anyway and catch your dishonesty. And then will come the cleaning. The same thing works with confession. God knows our junk, and remains united to us anyway. Our honesty opens us to healing.
Healing is our eventual transformation. At the dentist, our teeth are cleaned and we are given a lesson on the importance of oral hygiene. Before God, we are forgiven and God (though the Holy Spirit) begins to shape and teach us a new and better way of being. May we all seek that way as we go about our lives.
Friday, November 18, 2011
God is Holy and Merciful (2 Chronicles 6): Hearing Who I Am... Again
It is amazing to me how often the Bible repeats itself. Kings and Chronicles are two perspectives on the same stories, the crucifixion shows up in four books of the Bible, and the 10 Commandments show up in two places. It seems as though we human beings need a constant reminder of some things. One of the things we need constant reminder of is our identity.
Most of our learned identity is through two words: "Good" and "Bad." No matter what the identity is, you can be "good" or "bad" at it. I'm a good student, a bad auto mechanic, a pretty good kayaker, a pretty bad basketball player. We can be good citizens, bad consumers, I think we all get the point. Our identity is wrapped up in good and bad. That includes Christian. We think of ourselves as good Christians and bad Christians, and develop a set of criteria to judge whether or not we (or others) are good Christians or not.
Take a moment and do a Bible search for the phrase "Good Christian." Don't worry, I'll wait. If you want to speed up the process, just click this link for the results of a Bible Gateway search for "Good Christian."
Fascinating, eh? Something we worry about so much is not at all on the Bible's radar. In fact, when Jesus is called "good," His response is that only God is good (Mark 10:18). So why are we so fired up about good and bad?
God has other words to describe us: "God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved" (Colossians 3:12), "A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" (1 Peter 2:9), and others fit into a similar vein. Take this opportunity to reread 2 Chronicles 6. Over and over again, Solomon refers to Israel as "Your people;" that is, God's people. You are God's. You are not defined by your actions, you are defined by God. So when we get honest and declare before God the comfortable and uncomfortable truth, we are not forgiven because of how sorry we feel or how earnestly we want to "do better." We are forgiven because we are God's. And in that, I rest today.
Most of our learned identity is through two words: "Good" and "Bad." No matter what the identity is, you can be "good" or "bad" at it. I'm a good student, a bad auto mechanic, a pretty good kayaker, a pretty bad basketball player. We can be good citizens, bad consumers, I think we all get the point. Our identity is wrapped up in good and bad. That includes Christian. We think of ourselves as good Christians and bad Christians, and develop a set of criteria to judge whether or not we (or others) are good Christians or not.
Take a moment and do a Bible search for the phrase "Good Christian." Don't worry, I'll wait. If you want to speed up the process, just click this link for the results of a Bible Gateway search for "Good Christian."
Fascinating, eh? Something we worry about so much is not at all on the Bible's radar. In fact, when Jesus is called "good," His response is that only God is good (Mark 10:18). So why are we so fired up about good and bad?
God has other words to describe us: "God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved" (Colossians 3:12), "A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" (1 Peter 2:9), and others fit into a similar vein. Take this opportunity to reread 2 Chronicles 6. Over and over again, Solomon refers to Israel as "Your people;" that is, God's people. You are God's. You are not defined by your actions, you are defined by God. So when we get honest and declare before God the comfortable and uncomfortable truth, we are not forgiven because of how sorry we feel or how earnestly we want to "do better." We are forgiven because we are God's. And in that, I rest today.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
God is Holy and Merciful: The Importance of Being Honest
Being honest is hard. Well, sometimes. I am a mostly honest person, I think. I tell the truth to a reasonable degree. But the kind of honesty involved in confession is not just about giving a truthful answer when asked a question, it's about digging deeper and asking the real questions. In 2 Chronicles 6:29, Solomon describes this deep truth-telling: "each one aware of his afflictions and pains, and spreading out his hands toward this temple."
That kind of truth-telling is so hard. I could blame the dog-eat-dog world out there, or the society gluttonous on private information, or a myriad of things. But the truth is, I'm just scared sometimes. I shudder at the idea that I wouldn't look good, and tremble to think that my swirling mass of doubts and insecurities could possibly be known to the world.
And those things keep me trapped exactly where I am today. I can feel it in every aspect of my life that is changing. I can feel it when I have a conversation about HelpLink and poverty reduction in our county (Come on, Andy, you aren't qualified to be doing this). I can feel it in the midst of trying to become a better leader, pastor, husband, friend (Think of how many times you have screwed up already). And to be honest, sometimes knowledge is incriminating. When I learn that my way of being is harmful to others, I secretly wish that I could go back to before I knew anything. At least then I wouldn't be faced with the harsh prospect of change. I don't want to be aware of my afflictions and pains, sometimes. I mean, I do, but the ramifications are recognizing the impact of what I do and then trying to change.
If being honest is hard, change is even harder, but that's for another day. For today, I want to just note that when I say "be honest," this is not coming from a place of mastery. I don't come as a confession expert. I have taken some risks, yes, but I am also on the journey of becoming more and more honest myself. And it seems like every time I find a place of affliction, another one crops up. But I also believe that God is near and that I can walk this path, relying not on my strength but God's.
That kind of truth-telling is so hard. I could blame the dog-eat-dog world out there, or the society gluttonous on private information, or a myriad of things. But the truth is, I'm just scared sometimes. I shudder at the idea that I wouldn't look good, and tremble to think that my swirling mass of doubts and insecurities could possibly be known to the world.
And those things keep me trapped exactly where I am today. I can feel it in every aspect of my life that is changing. I can feel it when I have a conversation about HelpLink and poverty reduction in our county (Come on, Andy, you aren't qualified to be doing this). I can feel it in the midst of trying to become a better leader, pastor, husband, friend (Think of how many times you have screwed up already). And to be honest, sometimes knowledge is incriminating. When I learn that my way of being is harmful to others, I secretly wish that I could go back to before I knew anything. At least then I wouldn't be faced with the harsh prospect of change. I don't want to be aware of my afflictions and pains, sometimes. I mean, I do, but the ramifications are recognizing the impact of what I do and then trying to change.
If being honest is hard, change is even harder, but that's for another day. For today, I want to just note that when I say "be honest," this is not coming from a place of mastery. I don't come as a confession expert. I have taken some risks, yes, but I am also on the journey of becoming more and more honest myself. And it seems like every time I find a place of affliction, another one crops up. But I also believe that God is near and that I can walk this path, relying not on my strength but God's.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
God is Holy and Merciful: Kneeling Up Front
2 Chronicles 6 details the dedication of the Temple, a proud and glorious moment for Israel, who has struggled with obedience and is short on proud and glorious moments. Yet, even in this great moment, there are things that Solomon does which just baffle the mind. In proud moments, we like to think of ourselves as standing strong. You never see a State of the Union address delivered kneeling down. In fact, our current president continues to take criticism for bowing to other world leaders (years ago). Kneeling is not a good sign, now or ever. Yet this is the posture Solomon chooses.
If I believe that Solomon was the wisest man to ever live (behind Jesus), then he must have had his reasons. And indeed, I believe that a lot of leadership comes from the posture of kneeling, even kneeling up front. Leaders are supposed to be strong and impenetrable. In the movie U-571, when a new submarine captain admits he doesn't know the right answer, only to be chided by his second-in-command for looking weak. We always need the right answer, and we need to always stand on our own two feet. This is to our detriment, I think. Solomon isn't afraid to kneel up front.
Leaders are people who have influence over others, whether that influence be in the context of family, church, community or business. If you have such influence, I would invite you to kneel more often. Remember that we are not kings and queens with our own little monarchies, but stewards of a great gift God has given us. And let that be known, let it be known that you are seeking after Christ and His Kingdom, let it be known that you are seeking to align your life in God's ways, and let it be known through your humility. Dictators use God's will as a hammer to their opponents, servants seek God's will as a corrective to their own. May we all find ways to humbly kneel up front this day.
If I believe that Solomon was the wisest man to ever live (behind Jesus), then he must have had his reasons. And indeed, I believe that a lot of leadership comes from the posture of kneeling, even kneeling up front. Leaders are supposed to be strong and impenetrable. In the movie U-571, when a new submarine captain admits he doesn't know the right answer, only to be chided by his second-in-command for looking weak. We always need the right answer, and we need to always stand on our own two feet. This is to our detriment, I think. Solomon isn't afraid to kneel up front.
Leaders are people who have influence over others, whether that influence be in the context of family, church, community or business. If you have such influence, I would invite you to kneel more often. Remember that we are not kings and queens with our own little monarchies, but stewards of a great gift God has given us. And let that be known, let it be known that you are seeking after Christ and His Kingdom, let it be known that you are seeking to align your life in God's ways, and let it be known through your humility. Dictators use God's will as a hammer to their opponents, servants seek God's will as a corrective to their own. May we all find ways to humbly kneel up front this day.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
God is Holy and Merciful: Does God really dwell with us?
One of the central features of Biblical spirituality is that God would dare to dwell with us. If we don't have God-with-us, we don't have much of a faith story to tell. In fact, all we would have is a set of morals and virtues to compete with other sets of morals and virtues. But we have far more than a moral guideline for right living; we have the audacity to claim a God who is close.
The Bible begins with God walking with the people in the Garden of Eden. It transitions next into the people fleeing from the Garden and the dance begins. God draws near at different times. Enoch, a character in early Genesis, is said to have walked with God. Noah walked with God. But God does not seek to walk one-on-one with us, God seeks to walk with us in community.
And so Abraham is called and his family walks with God to the Promised Land. They get detoured, and time turns the family into a nation in bondage. God calls Israel out of Egypt to walk with a pillar of fire and a cloud of smoke to the Promised Land. During that forty-year walk, they build a tent for God as a resting place. When they cross into the Promised Land, they build a permanent building in the Temple. And when it was completed, the people of Israel couldn't imagine it getting any better than that. A Temple where the nearness of God could be experienced was quite amazing. How could you get better than that?
God was not finished, though. Soon, God would dwell not in a beyond-belief building, but in a manger. Advent is only a couple weeks away, the time where we celebrate that the God of the universe would be fully present in Jesus Christ. If Solomon found it hard to believe that God could be confined to a building, imagine how he would respond if he knew that God would walk around as a person!
But that's enough from me, how about you- what does it mean to you that God would dwell with us?
The Bible begins with God walking with the people in the Garden of Eden. It transitions next into the people fleeing from the Garden and the dance begins. God draws near at different times. Enoch, a character in early Genesis, is said to have walked with God. Noah walked with God. But God does not seek to walk one-on-one with us, God seeks to walk with us in community.
And so Abraham is called and his family walks with God to the Promised Land. They get detoured, and time turns the family into a nation in bondage. God calls Israel out of Egypt to walk with a pillar of fire and a cloud of smoke to the Promised Land. During that forty-year walk, they build a tent for God as a resting place. When they cross into the Promised Land, they build a permanent building in the Temple. And when it was completed, the people of Israel couldn't imagine it getting any better than that. A Temple where the nearness of God could be experienced was quite amazing. How could you get better than that?
God was not finished, though. Soon, God would dwell not in a beyond-belief building, but in a manger. Advent is only a couple weeks away, the time where we celebrate that the God of the universe would be fully present in Jesus Christ. If Solomon found it hard to believe that God could be confined to a building, imagine how he would respond if he knew that God would walk around as a person!
But that's enough from me, how about you- what does it mean to you that God would dwell with us?
Friday, November 11, 2011
God is Generous: Eat and Have Left Over
In 2 Kings 4:38-44, the passage ends with incredible hope. What started in famine, ends in abundance. It is a great pair of stories. And then there is the mysterious end where there is leftover food. Leftovers are common in the Bossardet home, especially as we approach Thanksgiving. We have tons of food leftover, which promptly goes into the refrigerator and feeds us for the next week and a half.
But what do you do with leftovers in the desert? What do you do when you don't really have food storage? Bread can last a little while, but the prophets were constantly on the move- where would they store it?
The reality that in the ancient world, as well as the developing world, only the wealthy can afford to store food. Jesus tells a parable about a man who builds huge barns for himself to save for the future (only to find that he is going to die that night in a tragic irony). The rest can only take enough for the journey. The prophets' meeting was almost over, and they had a ton of leftover food. What to make of this leftover food?
It's for the journey. God's people are always to be equipped for a journey. Beyond comfort zones and corner offices (I have both), the Christian path is a process that will take us to our real-life neighbors and to the ends of the earth. The leftover bread was walkin' food, and a sign that the promise of Jesus is true: that He will be with us, even to the end of the earth.
But what do you do with leftovers in the desert? What do you do when you don't really have food storage? Bread can last a little while, but the prophets were constantly on the move- where would they store it?
The reality that in the ancient world, as well as the developing world, only the wealthy can afford to store food. Jesus tells a parable about a man who builds huge barns for himself to save for the future (only to find that he is going to die that night in a tragic irony). The rest can only take enough for the journey. The prophets' meeting was almost over, and they had a ton of leftover food. What to make of this leftover food?
It's for the journey. God's people are always to be equipped for a journey. Beyond comfort zones and corner offices (I have both), the Christian path is a process that will take us to our real-life neighbors and to the ends of the earth. The leftover bread was walkin' food, and a sign that the promise of Jesus is true: that He will be with us, even to the end of the earth.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
God is Generous: "Give it to the people"
In 2 Kings 4:38-44, there is famine and scarcity in the land. Famine and scarcity lead in one direction -> despair, which is the ultimate collapse of being and overpowering helplessness. The answer to despair is to build a sense of normalcy, in whatever way possible. Despair is powerful because it is kept in the dark. People are uncomfortable with despair. It is depressing, and scary, and sometimes we treat despair like it is contagious. And so the depressed are sometimes isolated by friends and family alike, which is only exacerbated by the isolation caused by depression/despair. Indeed, despair leaves us in the most vulnerable place- alone.
To counteract despair, societies develop values within cultural framework. Some cultures develop rituals to deal with despair, and some cultures try to hide despair. Sadly, the culture of middle-class America is in the latter camp, and it is the culture in which I live and move and have my being. We compensate for despair by promoting safety and security. If you can afford it, your house can be isolated from your neighbors and their messes. You can install attached garages and door openers so that you can move successfully from your car to your home without the risk of talking to someone else. If you are in a hurry, you can check yourself out at Meijer so that you won't have to deal with the person behind the counter. We can sanitize almost anything, and we can find dozens of products to enhance our safety and security.
Here's the problem. Safety and security don't exist. They are perceptions, but nothing more. They are impossible dreams, illusions that break down to the harsh scrutiny of reality. Chasing the dream of being fully safe and fully secure is meaningless because it will never happen. Isaiah 55:1-3 says this:
1 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live."
"Why spend... your labor on what does not satisfy?" asks the prophet. In 2 Kings 4:38-44, Elisha offers one solution to the idol of safety and security: "Give it to the people." Generosity is a deep part of the Christian tradition, an act that reflects the creative and sustaining power of God. And so I would invite you to consider generosity as part of your spiritual life- being generous with our time, our money, our home and our energy.
To counteract despair, societies develop values within cultural framework. Some cultures develop rituals to deal with despair, and some cultures try to hide despair. Sadly, the culture of middle-class America is in the latter camp, and it is the culture in which I live and move and have my being. We compensate for despair by promoting safety and security. If you can afford it, your house can be isolated from your neighbors and their messes. You can install attached garages and door openers so that you can move successfully from your car to your home without the risk of talking to someone else. If you are in a hurry, you can check yourself out at Meijer so that you won't have to deal with the person behind the counter. We can sanitize almost anything, and we can find dozens of products to enhance our safety and security.
Here's the problem. Safety and security don't exist. They are perceptions, but nothing more. They are impossible dreams, illusions that break down to the harsh scrutiny of reality. Chasing the dream of being fully safe and fully secure is meaningless because it will never happen. Isaiah 55:1-3 says this:
1 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live."
"Why spend... your labor on what does not satisfy?" asks the prophet. In 2 Kings 4:38-44, Elisha offers one solution to the idol of safety and security: "Give it to the people." Generosity is a deep part of the Christian tradition, an act that reflects the creative and sustaining power of God. And so I would invite you to consider generosity as part of your spiritual life- being generous with our time, our money, our home and our energy.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
God is Generous: On Being a Prophet
The two stories found in 2 Kings 4:38-44 center on the prophets as main characters, with servants of the prophets acting in as characters as well. Prophets are some of the main characters of the Old Testament, people filled with the Holy Spirit who lived radically different from the culture (even the God-following culture). Today, people use the term "prophet" to gain power or credibility (especially in cult circles) or as a way to denote that the speaker is saying a fundamental and unpopular truth. Mostly, the prophet is considered a special role in the Church, and one that only a few select people are called to.
And this is partially true, but only partially. Jesus embodied the three great offices of Israel (prophet, priest and king) completely. And we, as Christians, now share in the royal, priestly and prophetic call of Jesus Christ. I refer you to the Heidelberg Catechism's definition of a Christian:
Question 32. But why are you called a Christian?
Answer. Because by faith I am a member of Christ and so I share in his anointing. I am anointed to
confess his name, to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks, to strive with a good conscience
against sin and the devil in this life, and afterward to reign with Christ over all creation for all eternity.
I share in the anointing of Jesus- which means that I am meant to be a prophet as well. But what is a prophet?
A prophet is someone who speaks and lives the truth, which is the character, heart and purpose of God. It goes beyond being honest, it goes into living out God's character and power in your world. In a world of famine, we speak of plenty, for example. Human nature, however, defies truth and prefers lies. We deceive ourselves and others, putting on masks (look to the sections on "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There") and taking the world at face value. God, however, looks beneath face value and embraces the world at the deepest levels.
To be a prophet is to be deep; not just deep in yourself, but deep in who God is and what God wants for your life. What do you think God wants for your life?
And this is partially true, but only partially. Jesus embodied the three great offices of Israel (prophet, priest and king) completely. And we, as Christians, now share in the royal, priestly and prophetic call of Jesus Christ. I refer you to the Heidelberg Catechism's definition of a Christian:
Question 32. But why are you called a Christian?
Answer. Because by faith I am a member of Christ and so I share in his anointing. I am anointed to
confess his name, to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks, to strive with a good conscience
against sin and the devil in this life, and afterward to reign with Christ over all creation for all eternity.
I share in the anointing of Jesus- which means that I am meant to be a prophet as well. But what is a prophet?
A prophet is someone who speaks and lives the truth, which is the character, heart and purpose of God. It goes beyond being honest, it goes into living out God's character and power in your world. In a world of famine, we speak of plenty, for example. Human nature, however, defies truth and prefers lies. We deceive ourselves and others, putting on masks (look to the sections on "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There") and taking the world at face value. God, however, looks beneath face value and embraces the world at the deepest levels.
To be a prophet is to be deep; not just deep in yourself, but deep in who God is and what God wants for your life. What do you think God wants for your life?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
God is Generous: Famine
On Sunday, we explored the way we view the world- famine and scarcity or abundance (in God's view). I want to explore abundance through God's eyes, breaking away from the middle class view of abundance that equals safety and security for me and mine, but I will save that for later. Our passage opens us with famine, and so that is where we ought to begin.
Famine is a complicated subject in the Bible, because many famines (including probably this one) were the result of the people's disobedience to God. Nowadays, internet personalities and pundits claim that every major natural disaster is a result of some specific group or another. Interestingly, no one ever stands up and says about a hurricane, "Yep, that was me, sorry everyone." It's usually the others' sins that produce disaster. My sins produce nothing more than an interesting story to tell later. And so we have shrunk back from the connection between God and natural events. However, that shrinking back will inevitably remove from our minds the Biblical witness.
We are co-creators with God. When God created people, we were given stewardship over the land. It was our job to tend to the garden and tame the wilderness, to care for the animal species on the planet. When we messed up that stewardship, God did not take back that responsibility and power. What God did, in Genesis 3, was to say that it would get harder for us to do that which we were created to do- take care of creation. Famine usually happened when God's people turned away from the source and tried to "do it on their own." And so they created a world without God- a world of famine. Interestingly, our heavily commercialized world is seeing a dramatic increase in famine. The Sahara Desert, for example, is growing about 30 miles per year to the south. This is unprecedented growth. Desert growth contributes to poverty, mass migrations (into slums) and even wars. Many people believe that the liquid which will begin WW3 will not be oil, but water. We are living in a world of increasing famine, and we as the people of God have to stand up and say "we're sorry, we did this." It is the people of God who are given first responsibility to the land.
Think of this on a small scale- our own family lives. How many of us live in a land of famine? Not enough time, not enough energy, not enough intimacy in our relationships? And how often do we contribute to the famine by adjusting to it rather than taking our God-given power to change it?
So let me ask you- what would it take to reverse a famine? Are we ready and willing to do what it takes?
Famine is a complicated subject in the Bible, because many famines (including probably this one) were the result of the people's disobedience to God. Nowadays, internet personalities and pundits claim that every major natural disaster is a result of some specific group or another. Interestingly, no one ever stands up and says about a hurricane, "Yep, that was me, sorry everyone." It's usually the others' sins that produce disaster. My sins produce nothing more than an interesting story to tell later. And so we have shrunk back from the connection between God and natural events. However, that shrinking back will inevitably remove from our minds the Biblical witness.
We are co-creators with God. When God created people, we were given stewardship over the land. It was our job to tend to the garden and tame the wilderness, to care for the animal species on the planet. When we messed up that stewardship, God did not take back that responsibility and power. What God did, in Genesis 3, was to say that it would get harder for us to do that which we were created to do- take care of creation. Famine usually happened when God's people turned away from the source and tried to "do it on their own." And so they created a world without God- a world of famine. Interestingly, our heavily commercialized world is seeing a dramatic increase in famine. The Sahara Desert, for example, is growing about 30 miles per year to the south. This is unprecedented growth. Desert growth contributes to poverty, mass migrations (into slums) and even wars. Many people believe that the liquid which will begin WW3 will not be oil, but water. We are living in a world of increasing famine, and we as the people of God have to stand up and say "we're sorry, we did this." It is the people of God who are given first responsibility to the land.
Think of this on a small scale- our own family lives. How many of us live in a land of famine? Not enough time, not enough energy, not enough intimacy in our relationships? And how often do we contribute to the famine by adjusting to it rather than taking our God-given power to change it?
So let me ask you- what would it take to reverse a famine? Are we ready and willing to do what it takes?
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Meeting with God: Your Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven
Here's a great story I once heard/read from Peter Rollins:
A novice passes through a town on his way to prayer. He meets a couple and they beg him to bring their barrenness before God. The novice asks God to give them a child, but God tells him this is not their destiny.
A few years later, the novice stops by the couple’s house. They introduce him to their three children. They explain that after he left, another devout man stopped by and prayed for them. Shortly thereafter, they conceived their firstborn.
The novice brings his confusion to God, who remembers and laughs.
“That sounds like the work of a saint,” God says, “because they have the power to change destiny.”
When I first heard this story, my Reformed theology alarm went up and I thought, "Change destiny? Are you serious?" But as I thought more and more about this story, and it worked its way through my delicate filters and into my heart, it began to work some changes. I think about this story in the light of "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," and it reminds me that there is a gap between the way God intends for the world to be and the way the world currently is. That gap is where injustice and emotional scars live, where disobedience meets insecurity, that gap is sin. And, left unchecked, what would the end of the world look like? What would your life look like if nothing changed from here to eternity? I don't know about you, but a destiny where nothing changes is worrisome. Transformation is where I find life and celebration, stagnation is where I find frustration and cynicism. But God changes destiny. God enters into the world, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and creates a brand new future.
So, as one of my favorite teachers would ask, what is your destiny?
A novice passes through a town on his way to prayer. He meets a couple and they beg him to bring their barrenness before God. The novice asks God to give them a child, but God tells him this is not their destiny.
A few years later, the novice stops by the couple’s house. They introduce him to their three children. They explain that after he left, another devout man stopped by and prayed for them. Shortly thereafter, they conceived their firstborn.
The novice brings his confusion to God, who remembers and laughs.
“That sounds like the work of a saint,” God says, “because they have the power to change destiny.”
When I first heard this story, my Reformed theology alarm went up and I thought, "Change destiny? Are you serious?" But as I thought more and more about this story, and it worked its way through my delicate filters and into my heart, it began to work some changes. I think about this story in the light of "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," and it reminds me that there is a gap between the way God intends for the world to be and the way the world currently is. That gap is where injustice and emotional scars live, where disobedience meets insecurity, that gap is sin. And, left unchecked, what would the end of the world look like? What would your life look like if nothing changed from here to eternity? I don't know about you, but a destiny where nothing changes is worrisome. Transformation is where I find life and celebration, stagnation is where I find frustration and cynicism. But God changes destiny. God enters into the world, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and creates a brand new future.
So, as one of my favorite teachers would ask, what is your destiny?
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Meeting With God: Your Kingdom Come
Why did Jesus come to earth? If you are a good Protestant like me, you answer the question something like this: "Jesus came so that He would die on a cross to forgive our sins." True. If we read the Gospels carefully, we find that the Gospels really focus on the crucifixion. Paul can't escape the importance of the cross in his letters. I will not diminish the importance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, nor will I minimize the importance of forgiveness. What I would like to do is frame forgiveness in a greater context- the Kingdom.
Mark 1:35-45 gives us a framework of what Jesus came to do. Jesus is healing tons of people, but tells His disciples that He has come to preach. The content of Jesus' preaching was, at the core, a declaration that the Kingdom of God has come (Mark 1:14). The desired response- repentance, which opens a pathway to transformation. Forgiveness is key in the Kingdom and in repentance, for it is the promise of forgiveness that acts as the siren song to a broken heart. But "me and Jesus" forgiveness shrinks the Kingdom to a one-on-one transaction. What is interesting about the Mark passage is that Jesus leaves from saying that and is face-to-face with a leper. Jesus touches the leper and is declared unclean- meaning He can't go into the villages to preach for a week. Jesus' ministry is more than spoken word, it is spoken word matched with action.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
This passage is Jesus' introduction in Luke, and is a fitting description for the Kingdom. Good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoner, recovery of sight for the blind, release of the oppressed, and the year of the Lord's favor are all elements of the Kingdom. Jesus repeats this way of thinking in a discourse right before the crucifixion (Matthew 25:31-46).
In my former way of thinking, salvation was that I was saved "from" something and the rest of my life was convincing others to join the path. But as I am increasingly confronted with Jesus, I am realizing more and more that I have been saved "from" something and "to" something- the good works prepared for God's people (Ephesians 2:8-10). What have you been saved from? What have you been saved to?
Mark 1:35-45 gives us a framework of what Jesus came to do. Jesus is healing tons of people, but tells His disciples that He has come to preach. The content of Jesus' preaching was, at the core, a declaration that the Kingdom of God has come (Mark 1:14). The desired response- repentance, which opens a pathway to transformation. Forgiveness is key in the Kingdom and in repentance, for it is the promise of forgiveness that acts as the siren song to a broken heart. But "me and Jesus" forgiveness shrinks the Kingdom to a one-on-one transaction. What is interesting about the Mark passage is that Jesus leaves from saying that and is face-to-face with a leper. Jesus touches the leper and is declared unclean- meaning He can't go into the villages to preach for a week. Jesus' ministry is more than spoken word, it is spoken word matched with action.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
This passage is Jesus' introduction in Luke, and is a fitting description for the Kingdom. Good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoner, recovery of sight for the blind, release of the oppressed, and the year of the Lord's favor are all elements of the Kingdom. Jesus repeats this way of thinking in a discourse right before the crucifixion (Matthew 25:31-46).
In my former way of thinking, salvation was that I was saved "from" something and the rest of my life was convincing others to join the path. But as I am increasingly confronted with Jesus, I am realizing more and more that I have been saved "from" something and "to" something- the good works prepared for God's people (Ephesians 2:8-10). What have you been saved from? What have you been saved to?
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Meeting with God: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name
Question 120. Why has Christ commanded us to address God: "Our Father"?
Answer. That at the very beginning of our prayer he may awaken in us the childlike reverence and trust
toward God which should be basic to our prayer, which is that God has become our Father through Christ
and will much less deny us what we ask in faith than our human fathers and mothers will refuse us earthly
things.
- Heidelberg Catechism
I like the word basic in that question and answer. Basic can sometimes mean simple or easy. Other times, basic can mean foundational. I think this use of basic might be the latter. After all, our adoption into the family of God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is mysterious and complex, defying simple explanation and metaphor. It is also true that our adoption into the family of God is foundational to our relationship with God.
Family is inescapable. As I sit and write this, people are talking in the coffee shop about their associations and business relationships, which appear and dissolve all the time. Contracts are made and contracts expire. Friendships grow distant and cutoff. But there's something about family that leaves a permanent impact and remains despite the challenges.
Family is vulnerable. Nobody knows you like family. Nothing is as nerve-wracking as the first time one brings a boyfriend/girlfriend to meet the family. Family has all the embarrassing photos and the awkward stories. Family knows all of our growing pains and temper tantrums. And yet, when done right, family has the grace to embrace all of the ups and downs and holds together.
Family is human. There is something fundamentally human about families, a mix of love and brokenness. People emerge from families with tremendous strength and scars as well. That's why the Lord's Prayer includes the "in Heaven" clause. God does family differently. God, as the Divine Parent, nurtures and cares in ways both similar and dissimilar to human parents. Radically different is that God does not mess up. God does not abuse. God does not neglect. God does care. Radically similar (yet higher) is that God does instruct. God does earnestly seek our growth and maturity. God wants the best for the family.
Today I celebrate not only the family I emerged from but also the family of God that I have been emerging into as well. May our prayers enter into the embrace of the Father in heaven, hallowed be God's name.
Answer. That at the very beginning of our prayer he may awaken in us the childlike reverence and trust
toward God which should be basic to our prayer, which is that God has become our Father through Christ
and will much less deny us what we ask in faith than our human fathers and mothers will refuse us earthly
things.
- Heidelberg Catechism
I like the word basic in that question and answer. Basic can sometimes mean simple or easy. Other times, basic can mean foundational. I think this use of basic might be the latter. After all, our adoption into the family of God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is mysterious and complex, defying simple explanation and metaphor. It is also true that our adoption into the family of God is foundational to our relationship with God.
Family is inescapable. As I sit and write this, people are talking in the coffee shop about their associations and business relationships, which appear and dissolve all the time. Contracts are made and contracts expire. Friendships grow distant and cutoff. But there's something about family that leaves a permanent impact and remains despite the challenges.
Family is vulnerable. Nobody knows you like family. Nothing is as nerve-wracking as the first time one brings a boyfriend/girlfriend to meet the family. Family has all the embarrassing photos and the awkward stories. Family knows all of our growing pains and temper tantrums. And yet, when done right, family has the grace to embrace all of the ups and downs and holds together.
Family is human. There is something fundamentally human about families, a mix of love and brokenness. People emerge from families with tremendous strength and scars as well. That's why the Lord's Prayer includes the "in Heaven" clause. God does family differently. God, as the Divine Parent, nurtures and cares in ways both similar and dissimilar to human parents. Radically different is that God does not mess up. God does not abuse. God does not neglect. God does care. Radically similar (yet higher) is that God does instruct. God does earnestly seek our growth and maturity. God wants the best for the family.
Today I celebrate not only the family I emerged from but also the family of God that I have been emerging into as well. May our prayers enter into the embrace of the Father in heaven, hallowed be God's name.
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