Haley, our little stripey cat, watched in fascination as The Lovely Joanne swept the kitchen floor. The motion of the broom against the floor seemed to hold Haley's attention, but I wouldn't bet two cents on her understanding the process. And when the vacuum cleaner started up, she headed for the hills in fear!
Sometimes life seems that way, doesn't it? Things go on around us that are impossible to understand, or that frighten us. We aren't the first ones to see that, though. The writers of the Bible expressed some of the same sense of mystery with God's working. In a fascinating passage about God's offer of grace, Isaiah expressed the thoughts of the LORD in 55:9 by saying "For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." David expressed in Psalm 139 how much greater God's thoughts and power are than humanity's. Our ability to comprehend God's eternal purposes, his absolute wisdom and the intricacy of how he works in human affairs, is narrowed by our own limited perspective.
My life has been like that. My mother died when I was 19, and because she still had two young daughters at home, I was sure God would heal her of cancer and keep her around. He didn't, and I miss her to this day. But life has gone on; my stepmom is a wonderful woman who has been a great life partner for my dad, and I've learned to thank God she is around. Twenty years ago, my denomination started a radical re-thinking of all our teachings, leading to throwing out a large number of un-biblical ideas and embracing what we once called error. It frightened and unsettled me, and many of my friends headed for the hills when it happened -- some I have not been able to contact since. It has taken me all this time to begin to understand the true splendor of the perspective we have now, and that I am privileged to pass on to others. I am awed daily by the beauty of God's grace, whereas 25 years ago, I was sure 'grace' was just an excuse for those who didn't try hard enough to obey God.
It's been a tough journey, and there were some days I didn't want to go on. I still don't know why God allowed some of it to happen the way it did, and at the time I doubted I ever would come out of it at all, let alone have anything to be glad or thankful for. In 1 Peter 1:6-8 we're told, in part, "There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while." I'm learning, gradually, to trust that promise even when the joy isn't clear yet.
Isaiah, in 64:7-9 writes "we are the clay, you are the potter" as a reminder of how much greater God's purpose is than we, mere clay by comparison, could understand. Likewise, Haley has no more chance of understanding The Noisy Vacuum Monster than I do of truly knowing what God is doing. But when these difficult things happen in my life, I pray I can hold on until the pain eases and I can breathe again, and that I will get another glimpse of the love and glory and wisdom of God somewhere along the way.
I pray the same for you.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Macular Degeneration and Clear Vision
My father-in-law suffers from macular degeneration, a condition where the center portion of the retina (the light receptor at the rear of the eyeball) deteriorates. The result is a fuzzy spot at the center of what the person is looking at; so to see someone's face, you have to look to one side and then use peripheral vision instead. It sounds difficult, and it is. The condition often spreads from one eye to the other, and although the progression can be slowed or even halted, the damage cannot be reversed.
In the spiritual context, loss of vision is even more serious; but the good news is it can be completely cured. Paul refers to this as a "veil" in 2 Cor. 3, mixing the metaphor of the veil with the discussion of glory. Paul tells of Moses, who received the Old Covenant law from God, and saw God's glory, with the result that his face became radiant, shining with a reflection of God's own glory (see Exodus 34 for the whole story). Surely, we would think, this was a great experience; surely this law is honorable and great. Yes, it was, says Paul, but that covenant's glory is totally overwhelmed by the glory of what he offers us in Christ (2 Cor. 3:9-10): "If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way."
The Old Covenant brought death as the penalty of breaking its laws, but the New Covenant in Christ brings life (verses 6-8) so the greater glory is in the new. The old way of the written law has been replaced (verse 11) with a much more glorious new way in Christ! And though Moses had to cover his face, shining with the reflection of God's radiance, Paul says that we can be very bold (verse 12) in letting the reflection of God's glory shine from us, and that we should be growing in reflecting his glorious image (verse 18).
Paul goes on to use the veil metaphor in a different way: to refer to those who continued to read the law of Moses instead of facing Christ, in verse 15: "Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand." He insists that "this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ...whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (verses 14 and 16). This last statement is a shout of triumph, of the victory of the gospel of Christ over the Old Covenant that could not bring life, and of the glory of Christ himself who is revealed to anyone who turns to him in faith, trusting him alone for salvation.
Moses and the prophets saw God's grace only vaguely. Our spiritual vision comes into sharp focus as we turn to Christ, and see in him everything the Father has for us, fulfilled and offered freely. In Christ, we see all the metaphors of the Old Covenant teaching fulfilled, expanded and given deeper and more glorious meaning. We focus on Christ because in him we have life; and in him we see the perfect representative of the Father (John 14:9, Hebrews 1:1-3, etc).
There is no medical cure to reverse macular degeneration in the human eye. But the glorious news is, perfect spiritual vision is available to us! A revelation of God's grace, given by God's grace, cures the blindness, as Paul says in verse 18: "all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord." So let us continue to focus on Jesus Christ, and let the glory of God be reflected in us!
In the spiritual context, loss of vision is even more serious; but the good news is it can be completely cured. Paul refers to this as a "veil" in 2 Cor. 3, mixing the metaphor of the veil with the discussion of glory. Paul tells of Moses, who received the Old Covenant law from God, and saw God's glory, with the result that his face became radiant, shining with a reflection of God's own glory (see Exodus 34 for the whole story). Surely, we would think, this was a great experience; surely this law is honorable and great. Yes, it was, says Paul, but that covenant's glory is totally overwhelmed by the glory of what he offers us in Christ (2 Cor. 3:9-10): "If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way."
The Old Covenant brought death as the penalty of breaking its laws, but the New Covenant in Christ brings life (verses 6-8) so the greater glory is in the new. The old way of the written law has been replaced (verse 11) with a much more glorious new way in Christ! And though Moses had to cover his face, shining with the reflection of God's radiance, Paul says that we can be very bold (verse 12) in letting the reflection of God's glory shine from us, and that we should be growing in reflecting his glorious image (verse 18).
Paul goes on to use the veil metaphor in a different way: to refer to those who continued to read the law of Moses instead of facing Christ, in verse 15: "Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand." He insists that "this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ...whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (verses 14 and 16). This last statement is a shout of triumph, of the victory of the gospel of Christ over the Old Covenant that could not bring life, and of the glory of Christ himself who is revealed to anyone who turns to him in faith, trusting him alone for salvation.
Moses and the prophets saw God's grace only vaguely. Our spiritual vision comes into sharp focus as we turn to Christ, and see in him everything the Father has for us, fulfilled and offered freely. In Christ, we see all the metaphors of the Old Covenant teaching fulfilled, expanded and given deeper and more glorious meaning. We focus on Christ because in him we have life; and in him we see the perfect representative of the Father (John 14:9, Hebrews 1:1-3, etc).
There is no medical cure to reverse macular degeneration in the human eye. But the glorious news is, perfect spiritual vision is available to us! A revelation of God's grace, given by God's grace, cures the blindness, as Paul says in verse 18: "all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord." So let us continue to focus on Jesus Christ, and let the glory of God be reflected in us!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Jesus, the Good Samaritan
I'm preparing to speak this week from Luke 10. The story there of the 'Good' Samaritan (the word 'good' is not in the text) keeps amazing me with its depth and breadth of meaning. You'll find the exchange between Jesus and the lawyer, and the parable, in verses 25-37.
One of many interesting points here is Jesus' description of the person who rescued the wounded traveler. This man was a Samaritan, a member of a group hated by all Jews because of their history as foreigners imported by the Assyrians after the deportation of many of the northern Israelite tribes. The Samaritans had more than likely intermarried with Israelites left in the land, and claimed to follow the true religion (see John 4:19-20 for a brief comment on this) which just made things worse of course.
But look at what the man, this half-breed who was rejected by the Jews, was like:
So as a background to everything else going on in this parable, the true character of Jesus is brought out as the outstanding example of 'being a neighbor.' Then he tells the lawyer, "go and do likewise." What a challenge for all of us: to selflessly give, going out of our way to serve others, including pointing them to the One who came to serve us rather than be served. In what way can we "go and do likewise" today? Who will we choose to serve as Jesus served us?
One of many interesting points here is Jesus' description of the person who rescued the wounded traveler. This man was a Samaritan, a member of a group hated by all Jews because of their history as foreigners imported by the Assyrians after the deportation of many of the northern Israelite tribes. The Samaritans had more than likely intermarried with Israelites left in the land, and claimed to follow the true religion (see John 4:19-20 for a brief comment on this) which just made things worse of course.
But look at what the man, this half-breed who was rejected by the Jews, was like:
- He went out of his way to help another human being in trouble
- He risked his own safety due to the bandits in the area
- He used oil and wine to heal the man's wounds
- He paid for the man's care at the inn
- He promised to return and settle accounts
So as a background to everything else going on in this parable, the true character of Jesus is brought out as the outstanding example of 'being a neighbor.' Then he tells the lawyer, "go and do likewise." What a challenge for all of us: to selflessly give, going out of our way to serve others, including pointing them to the One who came to serve us rather than be served. In what way can we "go and do likewise" today? Who will we choose to serve as Jesus served us?
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Two Pieces of Wood
This week, we remember and reflect on the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. As horrible and cruel as Jesus' death was, he took it on himself willingly, to accept death for all of us. But why on a cross? Wasn't that a symbol of shame and punishment for crimes? In our day, that would be like honoring someone who died in the gas chamber or the electric chair. What was the meaning?
Jesus had spoken of being "lifted up" in John 3:14-15 and John 12:31-33 as the means of his death, and the result of his death--salvation for all people. The cross was inevitable. Athanasius observed that the Messiah's death had to occur by acts of others (not just a calm deathbed in old age or illness) in order to gather up and defeat, in his body, even the anger and hatred and cruelty of mankind.
The execution device used by the Romans was designed to inspire fear and horror, as condemned criminals and traitors were punished by what was often an agonizing, multi-day ordeal in an area visible to passers-by, thus encouraging order in the populace who were often conquered people resentful of Roman occupation. It was an upright stake, the base buried in the ground, and a crosspiece, carried by the condemned criminal, attached either at the top or a short distance from the top. Both Matthew and Luke mention the inscription attached above his head, so it appears that was the style used, and it is carried forward in Christian symbolism today*.
So if we look at the symbolism inherent in all these things, what might we see? Not all of these are explicit in scripture, but meditating on these ideas can be useful. And there are probably more meanings we could bring out; God is infinite in his ability to plan and create meaning for us.
Of course, these are not just "interesting meanings" -- our Savior really did die a brutal death on that torture instrument. He suffered pain, humiliation, thirst, embarrassment, fatigue and many other hurts to pay for humanity's sin and rebellion.
And he did it just for you.
* Footnote: there are some who believe this symbol is of pagan origin and so should not be used by Christians. That assertion lacks credible evidence. The cross was a symbol that offended both Jew and Gentile, but paradoxically brought hope and salvation to Christians (see Galatians, especially), and so it has remained the primary symbol of our faith.
Jesus had spoken of being "lifted up" in John 3:14-15 and John 12:31-33 as the means of his death, and the result of his death--salvation for all people. The cross was inevitable. Athanasius observed that the Messiah's death had to occur by acts of others (not just a calm deathbed in old age or illness) in order to gather up and defeat, in his body, even the anger and hatred and cruelty of mankind.
The execution device used by the Romans was designed to inspire fear and horror, as condemned criminals and traitors were punished by what was often an agonizing, multi-day ordeal in an area visible to passers-by, thus encouraging order in the populace who were often conquered people resentful of Roman occupation. It was an upright stake, the base buried in the ground, and a crosspiece, carried by the condemned criminal, attached either at the top or a short distance from the top. Both Matthew and Luke mention the inscription attached above his head, so it appears that was the style used, and it is carried forward in Christian symbolism today*.
So if we look at the symbolism inherent in all these things, what might we see? Not all of these are explicit in scripture, but meditating on these ideas can be useful. And there are probably more meanings we could bring out; God is infinite in his ability to plan and create meaning for us.
- The upright stake united heaven and earth, as the Incarnation had done
- The crosspiece stretches in both directions, and Psalm 103:12 says "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west."
- The crosspiece stretched Jesus' arms out wide, as a symbol of the Father's arms being open to us; and some say, as the measure of the breadth of his love.
- The crosspiece, going in both directions, could also symbolize uniting Jew and Gentile: Galatians 3, especially verses 14 and 28.
- The wood shows he absorbed for us the curse given in Deut. 21:23, "anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse." See also Galatians 3:13.
Of course, these are not just "interesting meanings" -- our Savior really did die a brutal death on that torture instrument. He suffered pain, humiliation, thirst, embarrassment, fatigue and many other hurts to pay for humanity's sin and rebellion.
And he did it just for you.
* Footnote: there are some who believe this symbol is of pagan origin and so should not be used by Christians. That assertion lacks credible evidence. The cross was a symbol that offended both Jew and Gentile, but paradoxically brought hope and salvation to Christians (see Galatians, especially), and so it has remained the primary symbol of our faith.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Grace and Our Reponse
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of grace. I can join with John Newton who said, at the end of his life, "I know only two things: I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great savior!" If life has taught me one thing, it's that my own performance is sadly lacking, and I am in constant need of God's grace. Even when I do something good -- or avoid doing something sinful -- my motives are still not 100% pure. So if my acceptance with God is by performance, and I want to show him my hard work and obedience, then his answer is going to be, "Sure, but what about all the other times?" But if my standing with God is by his grace, then his grace covers all my sins (as well as my utter lack of perfection in my works). And the perfect life of Jesus, the only perfect human, provides full righteousness for me in place of my brokenness.
That's why Paul, the apostle of grace, preached the wonders of grace, in spite of being fully trained in law-keeping in his Jewish upbringing and being obedient to all the details of the law. He tells us in Galatians 2, "We know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law."
Then in verse 20, he says "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." How can we do that along with Paul? First of all, by trusting completely in Christ to be our salvation, not trusting our own efforts. Next, by paying attention to what it means to be "in Christ" -- focusing on letting Jesus Christ do in us what he tells us is important.
With "Christ living in me," I'm responding to God's grace in Jesus Christ, to who he is and who I am now as his new creation. Here are some examples: generosity, the complete opposite of stealing; respecting another person, rather than lusting or following that lust into sexual sin; speaking graciously and generously rather than gossiping or lying; forgiving, rather than being angry over our hurts; and being content, rather than being jealous of what others have. These are all modeled for us in the life of Christ, and repeated in the rest of the New Testament.
So, our response to God's grace is to focus on the person, the actions and words of Jesus Christ himself. Being filled with Christ motivates us to surrender our own human will and be filled with him instead, saying yes to the voice of the Holy Spirit and doing good instead of following evil. It all starts with a person -- Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God become flesh for us -- and it continues in us as we learn to be filled with him instead of with ourselves. May we all learn to focus on him and overflow with his grace.
That's why Paul, the apostle of grace, preached the wonders of grace, in spite of being fully trained in law-keeping in his Jewish upbringing and being obedient to all the details of the law. He tells us in Galatians 2, "We know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law."
Then in verse 20, he says "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." How can we do that along with Paul? First of all, by trusting completely in Christ to be our salvation, not trusting our own efforts. Next, by paying attention to what it means to be "in Christ" -- focusing on letting Jesus Christ do in us what he tells us is important.
With "Christ living in me," I'm responding to God's grace in Jesus Christ, to who he is and who I am now as his new creation. Here are some examples: generosity, the complete opposite of stealing; respecting another person, rather than lusting or following that lust into sexual sin; speaking graciously and generously rather than gossiping or lying; forgiving, rather than being angry over our hurts; and being content, rather than being jealous of what others have. These are all modeled for us in the life of Christ, and repeated in the rest of the New Testament.
So, our response to God's grace is to focus on the person, the actions and words of Jesus Christ himself. Being filled with Christ motivates us to surrender our own human will and be filled with him instead, saying yes to the voice of the Holy Spirit and doing good instead of following evil. It all starts with a person -- Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God become flesh for us -- and it continues in us as we learn to be filled with him instead of with ourselves. May we all learn to focus on him and overflow with his grace.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Jesus' Temptations: Pride
Jesus was the unique Son of God, joined with flesh (John 3:16). Nobody else will ever be in that position. So he was pretty special (he still is, too!). So as Satan tempts Jesus a third time, he tries to convince Jesus that even if he throws himself off the highest point of the Temple, the Father will protect him. After all, Satan's thinking seems to be, how would God fulfill his plan for us without Jesus, who is the plan in flesh?
Jesus turns Satan down, cold. “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ” What's that about, not getting on God's nerves or something? No, it's about recognizing our place and not thinking too highly of ourselves. Jesus is quoting Deut. 6:16, where Moses warns the Israelites not to try stretching the limits of God's patience and mercy. God's patience is infinite -- after all, he controls time and everything else -- but when the Israelites insisted on continuing to do what would harm them, and treated God's generosity with contempt, it was against their own best interests to let them continue. So he stopped them.
What did Jesus have in mind in quoting this scripture? Somewhat the same idea: "God is loving and generous, but don't get your pride inflated about it." When we test the limits of God's generosity, what we're saying is that we are so important that God can't get along without us. Not a very good notion. Not even for the unique Son of God. Absolutely not for us!
Jesus recognized his own limitations and his complete dependence on God. In short, Jesus was humble, not proud. That is our example, which we should follow a lot more often than we do. (Side note: it's a good thing Jesus did this perfectly too, because we never will!) So what kind of trouble do we get ourselves into by being proud? By over-estimating our own importance, pride creates other negative reactions, like:
Jesus turns Satan down, cold. “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ” What's that about, not getting on God's nerves or something? No, it's about recognizing our place and not thinking too highly of ourselves. Jesus is quoting Deut. 6:16, where Moses warns the Israelites not to try stretching the limits of God's patience and mercy. God's patience is infinite -- after all, he controls time and everything else -- but when the Israelites insisted on continuing to do what would harm them, and treated God's generosity with contempt, it was against their own best interests to let them continue. So he stopped them.
What did Jesus have in mind in quoting this scripture? Somewhat the same idea: "God is loving and generous, but don't get your pride inflated about it." When we test the limits of God's generosity, what we're saying is that we are so important that God can't get along without us. Not a very good notion. Not even for the unique Son of God. Absolutely not for us!
Jesus recognized his own limitations and his complete dependence on God. In short, Jesus was humble, not proud. That is our example, which we should follow a lot more often than we do. (Side note: it's a good thing Jesus did this perfectly too, because we never will!) So what kind of trouble do we get ourselves into by being proud? By over-estimating our own importance, pride creates other negative reactions, like:
- Anger ("don't you realize I'm more important than you?")
- Hurt feelings and unforgiveness ("how dare this person treat me like that!")
- Discontent ("that didn't turn out the way I deserve")
- Impatience ("hurry up, you're wasting MY time!")
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Jesus' Temptations: Patience
Continuing to look at the temptations of Jesus in Luke 4, we see the second temptation as Luke recorded it was an offer from Satan for all the kingdoms of the world, if Jesus would worship him. At first, that sounds a little hollow -- didn't Satan know who he was talking to? That would be like trying to offer Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, a chance to throw the ball around a little with the Rockies if he would resign his position. C'mon, are you serious? But apparently the devil was. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”
Jesus didn't dispute Satan's claim to rulership of the world, but he didn't agree either. He didn't try to argue about who was in charge, or even assert his divine authority (as the Son of God) over Satan. He simply bypassed the claim and responded by quoting Deut. 6:16 “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”
Jesus had perfect faith in the Father. His loyalty was not wishy-washy. He kept his focus on his mission, relying completely on the Father's plan. Luke records the risen Lord saying in 24:26 “Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” He knew that his calling required his death, and there was no shortcut. And by rejecting Satan in all these temptations, he responded as the perfect human, the obedient second Adam (Rom. 5:12-19).
So what lessons could we gain from this temptation? First, of course, to have faith in God. (Our faith isn't perfect, of course; it wavers and is stronger some days than others. But Jesus' faith was perfect, and we can trust in the Father through him; we don't have to worry if we will succeed, since we know he succeeded!) Second, to be patient, which means knowing we are with Jesus on a journey of faith leading to maturity -- it can't be hurried but has to be taken one step at a time. And maybe, for the Bonus Round, recognizing that Jesus wasn't worried about being in charge, so maybe we shouldn't either.
Are you being tempted, or feeling impatient? Maybe it's time to stop and reflect on the perfect response of Jesus: to worship and serve only God, and rest secure in the knowledge that God has the future worked out.
Jesus didn't dispute Satan's claim to rulership of the world, but he didn't agree either. He didn't try to argue about who was in charge, or even assert his divine authority (as the Son of God) over Satan. He simply bypassed the claim and responded by quoting Deut. 6:16 “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”
Jesus had perfect faith in the Father. His loyalty was not wishy-washy. He kept his focus on his mission, relying completely on the Father's plan. Luke records the risen Lord saying in 24:26 “Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” He knew that his calling required his death, and there was no shortcut. And by rejecting Satan in all these temptations, he responded as the perfect human, the obedient second Adam (Rom. 5:12-19).
So what lessons could we gain from this temptation? First, of course, to have faith in God. (Our faith isn't perfect, of course; it wavers and is stronger some days than others. But Jesus' faith was perfect, and we can trust in the Father through him; we don't have to worry if we will succeed, since we know he succeeded!) Second, to be patient, which means knowing we are with Jesus on a journey of faith leading to maturity -- it can't be hurried but has to be taken one step at a time. And maybe, for the Bonus Round, recognizing that Jesus wasn't worried about being in charge, so maybe we shouldn't either.
Are you being tempted, or feeling impatient? Maybe it's time to stop and reflect on the perfect response of Jesus: to worship and serve only God, and rest secure in the knowledge that God has the future worked out.
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