Confessions from a Traveling Pilgrim

Merging to a New Location

2008-08-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

I recently had a conversation with my wife about maintaining two blogs. I have tended to keep this blog as the more serious one - the one in which I place the longer posts that I have spent some serious time and reflection on - and have recently started another blog to put some of my more random musings about sports, ministry and life in general.

Well, after this conversation, I have decided to merge my two blogs together. I won't be deleting this blog or its content any time soon, but I will most likely do all of my posting to one blog instead of separating my life into segments. At Random Thoughts in Ministry, you'll see a more wholistic picture of who I am, and perhaps that's a little bit of what blogging is about - putting yourself out there to let people read about some of your thoughts.

Let's be honest anyway... I've gotten lazy. I haven't posted anything original on this blog (apart from a couple of weeks of mild inspiration in April/May) in nearly a year. That being the case, hopefully, I'll get a fire lit under me once again. Hopefully, I can stop long enough in my busy day to day life to reflect seriously on some of the things that God has been saying to me. I'll probably still post my sermons and any other messages that I work on, but hopefully, I can open my ears once again to what God is saying to me on a daily basis.

For those that have been reading the sporadic posts on this blog, I certainly invite you to my new one, and for those that have maybe stumbled on this one... come on over and join the fun.

Just some final musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Fun Blog!!!

2008-07-14T09:58:00.001-07:00

Okay, I have primarily been using this blog to post some of my more serious thoughts on things relating to theology, Scripture and other important things. Lately, I've been feeling the need to branch out a little more. As you can tell from the archive list, I get a serious writing bug every once in a while, but what about the less than serious stuff that I think about - and believe me, there is quite a bit of that! Well, in honor of my newfound writing bug, I've decided to start another blog. It can be found at: http://randomthoughtsinministry.blogspot.com/

I'm going to be using this blog for more of my day-to-day thoughts about a wide range of topics that are important to me - life with my lovely wife, food, St. Louis Cardinals, humor, movies, music and whatever else my pop into my head at the time.

Don't worry, I'll still be posting my serious thoughts on this blog, but as has been the case, the frequency will continue to be rather spotty. I might have something up by the end of the month. I've been reading through Jeremiah lately, and there is a lot of good stuff there. Also, a handful of adults will be going with 14 youth on a mission trip to Carthage, TX this coming Saturday, so I'm sure I'll have plenty to write about at the end of the month.

Running the Race

2008-05-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

The following is the devotion that will be used at Racin' into Summer 2008, an event put on by Emmanuel Student Ministries on May 25th.

Acts 20:22-24

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

In 1984, Derek Redmond from England broke the British record time in the 400m race at the age of 19. During the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea expectations were high; however, 10 minutes before the race, he was forced to withdraw due to an injury to his Achilles tendon. Over the course of the next year, Derek had 5 surgeries to repair the tendon. By the time the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain rolled around, Derek Redmond was a man on a mission. He was one of the best runners in the world and it was finally his time to prove it on an international stage.

In the semifinals, the top four runners advance to the finals. At the beginning of the race, Derek takes the lead, all he needs to do is maintain his pace and cruise right in to the Olympic finals. However, a little more than halfway through the race, he suddenly hears a pop and there is a sharp pain in his leg. Derek slows himself down and falls down onto the track, clutching his right hamstring. As the medical staff is coming onto the track with a stretcher, Derek tells them that there is no way he is getting on that stretcher, and is more determined than ever to finish the race. He slowly gets up and begins to hobble towards the finish line, each step more painful than the one before.

With a little more than 100 meters to go, Derek's father, who had run from the top of the stands all the way down to the track surface, comes alongside his son, wraps his arm around his son's waist, and tells him that they'll finish the race together. Because his father helped him to the finish line, Derek was disqualified from the race, and his name will never be in the record book as one who finished that race. But the image of a father coming alongside his hurting son and helping his boy finish the race will forever be one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history.

Once he heard the pop, Derek knew that his chances of getting an Olympic metal were gone, but he never gave up the hope of finishing the race that he had started. Derek's name was never going to be in the record books, but that did not seem to matter to him. There was something deep within that was driving him to finish the race.

In Acts 20, the Apostle Paul is getting ready to leave the city of Ephesus after living there for three years. Paul knows that his time in that city is done, and he must return to Jerusalem. Now, this was a time when there were a lot of anti-Christian people around, especially in Jerusalem. Everyone, including Paul, knew that this was most likely going to be the last time they saw one another. Paul is certain that this will be the last time he speaks to the brothers and sisters in Ephesus, and he uses it as an opportunity to encourage them to live out their faith, regardless of the consequences.

In verse 22, Paul makes it pretty clear why he is leaving - he is compelled by the Spirit. He has this deep urge to travel to Jerusalem, even though he knows that he will likely be arrested and possibly killed for professing his faith. Have you ever felt compelled to do something? No matter how little sense it made, you felt a deep urge to do something, and you couldn’t explain why. That is what is going on here. Paul just knew that he had to go to Jerusalem, even though things were not going to be easy for him. But that didn’t matter because some things in life are so important that they cannot be ignored.

How many of you have been a part of something that was bigger than yourself? Maybe it is an athletic team, or maybe you’ve been on a mission trip, or maybe you’ve been a part of a musical group - something in which you had to be a part of a larger group, and it was important to you. Now, how many of you were a part of something so big, something that meant so much that you would be willing to face extreme difficulties, even to the point of death? That is what Paul is talking about here. Paul realizes that he is a part of something so much bigger than himself that even his own life pales in comparison.

Paul probably could have stayed in Ephesus and led a decent life. He did not have to continue his journey. He knew how difficult it was going to be; he knew what was waiting for him if he went to Jerusalem. Yet, he could do nothing else but go. He knew that in order to fulfill a call that was placed in his life, he had to go to Jerusalem. In verse 24, he says, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me.” This call was so important to him that not fulfilling it would have made his life incomplete and worthless.

There are two types of calls. The first type of call is the general call. The general call is the call that God has for each person. It is a call to come to God. If you never answer that call, it doesn’t matter what else you do in life. God calls each one of us to a journey, and the first step is towards God. Without taking this first step, we wander around without purpose. You may be alive, but you aren’t really living. There is more to this world than what we see, and until we acknowledge that, we are walking around with blinders on.

The second type of call is the specific call. I can’t tell you what specific call has been placed in your life. But what I can tell you is that this call is out there. You will never really know what this call is until you start your journey with God. And sometimes, you may be on the journey for a long time before you hear the specific call. God’s timing is funny that way. It never happens on our time, but it always happens in time. All I can do is encourage you to be ready to listen. And when you do finally hear God’s quiet voice calling to you, go after it. Nothing else in this life is more important than going after that call. When you start going after the call that God has placed on your life, you will begin to understand why Paul went back to Jerusalem, in spite of the hard times that would undoubtedly be there.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Missionaries in Today's Society

2008-05-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, we wrapped up Missions month at our church. We spent the month talking about local missions, individual calling, corporate calling and we finished off with a speaker who is serving as a missionary at Henderson Settlement in southeastern Kentucky. I think it was a great month. We focused a lot on what it means to be called to missions, but I think we also did a good job of emphasizing the fact that the mission field is no longer "out there," but that it is in our own backyard. This is a significant shift from years past.

I've been reading Postmodern Youth Ministry this month, and one of the key points in this book is that we need to shift from a community chaplain mindset to a missionary mindset. As much as people will claim that America is a Christian nation, it is not. People who are married and buried by the pastor are not necessarily Christians. The fact that 80% (or whatever the percentage may be) say they believe there is a God does not necessitate that we are a Christian nation - there are a lot of false idols and incorrect images of God throughout America, and I'm not speaking of theological differences here either.

The bottom line is this: we are no longer living in a society in which it is taken for granted that people will be in church on Sunday morning. We are living in a society that goes on its whims, and follows the latest trends from the "fashion forward" segments of the country. We are living in a non-Christian society. Don't get me wrong here. I'm not railing against American society. Sure, there's a lot that's wrong with it, but that's not my point right now. This is an honest assessment of the state of America - it is a secular nation. In other words, America is a mission field. That's the reality. Instead of bemoaning the fact that America is losing touch with its "Christian roots" - a fact that is certainly debatable - we should embrace the opportunity that is all around us.

What is it that missionaries do before going into the mission field? They learn the culture; they learn the language; they learn the customs. But do we do this? As Christians living in a secular American society, we have two choices: 1) we can learn the culture, language and customs, or 2) we can choose to isolate ourselves from the "evils of secular society." I think for too long, Christians have decided to do the latter. We have consciously decided to isolate ourselves in order to maintain the "purity" of the Christian faith. We have taken the "higher road" in order to be more holy in an unholy society. We have separated ourselves and failed to connect with our host culture.

Is this the way it has to be? Is there a way for Christians to become missionaries in a secular American society? Yes, but it won't be easy. There needs to be a mindset shift in order to accomplish this. We need to understand our society and we need to connect to it. There are elements that point to the need for a savior; we just need to understand those elements and speak the truth of the gospel into those situations. Shifting a mindset takes time. It takes significant time and a true commitment to do so. It is not easy, but it is possible. In fact, I believe all things are possible if we are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. So the question is: are we ready to come to terms with the fact that America is a secular society? If the answer is yes, then we need to find a way to connect to our host culture. If the answer is no, then we are in for a long, hurtful and unproductive ministry in this mission field.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

To Be Loved...

2008-04-30T16:59:00.001-07:00

I've always been facinated by church signs. In a blog long ago and far, far away, I used to make fun of some of the church signs that I came across in my travels (and by travels, I mean from Wilmore to Lexington on my way to work). The primary target of said blogs was the Unitarian Universalists. Mostly because of their "anything goes" attitude towards theology, but also because their signs were just easy pickens'. Today, I embark on a daring adventure to discuss the theological ramifications of another church sign. However, this blog will be a little different. Instead of being laced (or dripping, as the case may be) with sarcasm regarding the content of this particular church sign, I want to seriously reflect on what this sign says and the implications of this sign.

"To be loved, be lovable." Simple sign. Short, to the point, and theologically skewed. What is so wrong with this sign? First some quick background. I'm the associate pastor of a United Methodist Church. The UMC comes from the Anglican Church (aka the Church of England). It was founded by John and Charles Wesley who noticed that religion was having no real impact in 18th century England. They began open-air preaching and organizing new converts into groups that met regularly to hold one another accountable for spiritual growth and living the Christian life. One of the key emphases of Wesleyan theology is grace.

Grace is appropriated in the lives of people in a variety of ways. All grace is the same in the sense that it is from God, but how that grace is applied in people's lives is what differs. Prevenient grace, the grace that comes before salvation, is what prepares a non-Christian to receive the good news of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When prevenient grace is appropriated in the life of a non-Christian, through the work of the Holy Spirit, he/she comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The key component of prevenient grace is the fact that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is universal in the sense that it is available to all people. What is the key point in this part of the discussion? Prevenient grace is grace that comes before salvation. It is grace at work in the life of somebody that is loved by God in spite of the fact that this person failed to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ.

John 3:16, the often cited and rarely read sign that is found at sporting events, says, "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Notice it says that God loved the world. It does not say that God loved the lovable. Do you see the difference here? If we are supposed to be loved by being lovable, then what does this say about God? We are supposed to love the unlovable, regardless of the fact that they are unlovable. If we are to live out God's prevenient grace in the lives of other people, then we need to love them inspite of themselves, not because they are lovable.

Just some thoughts from a traveling pilgrim.

Playboys and Abandonment Issues...

2008-04-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

A while back, when and where exactly I don't remember, I came across a quote from John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement in the 18th century, which he basically said that not building mature disciples is merely begetting babes for the slaughter. The idea is that if people come to accept Christ, and we fail them by not discipling them into mature disciples, they are defenseless babies in an anti-Christian world. They are ill prepared for the tricks of the Tempter and are easy prey. Did you ever watch one of those nature shows on hyenas? They always go after the littlest wildebeest. Why is that? Because they are a whole lot easier to catch. Did you ever notice what tends to happen when the adults hang around and protect the child? It almost always escapes its fate of being the next filet mignon for the jokers of the animal kingdom.

I'm currently reading Postmodern Youth Ministry by Tony Jones. Now, while the format tends to drive me a little bonkers (it's is the epitome of postmodern literary formats - atypical and slightly weird), the nice thing is that there are occasional quotes from people who clearly read the manuscript and have an opportunity to throw in their thoughts along the way. At one point, Tony talks about going to an evangelism conference and sharing the Four Spiritual Laws with a person at a local mall. The person decided that it made sense and prayed the canned prayer at the end of the booklet. There was a place on the back of the booklet for someone to write down the name and number of a local church. Tony, not being from the area, left that space empty. He did not know of any churches near the mall. He says that he felt guilty for doing that. He has no way of knowing whether or not this person actually went on to live a redeemed Christian life.

Rudy Carrasco has a quote at this point in the book: "In urban ministry, we call this the 'gospel playboy' approach. The gospel playboy makes spiritual babies but then abandons them, leaving them spiritually orphaned. Just as real-life playboys leave children fatherless, gospel playboys also hurt new believers when they fail to connect them to the Body of Christ" (PMYM, 122).

Wow. I mean... wow... What a great analogy though. People are making spiritual babies, then leaving them alone to fend for themselves. We are so driven by the numbers game in today's churches, so obsessed with the idea that everybody has to hear the gospel and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, that we develop these evangelistic tools that eventually do nothing but create spiritual babies, then we abandon them because they are "saved." Even hyenas take care of their young. Sure, they may be scavengers and heartless killers of cute, innocent little wildebeests, but at least they take care of their young. Are we doing that? Are we caring for the spiritual babies that we've produced, or are we leaving them unprotected in a world full of hyenas?

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

I'm Not Sure I Can Eat Six Pieces...

2008-04-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, today I have been reflecting on worldview. So much of what we do is directly affected by our worldview, but we often fail to acknowledge this simple fact, or presume that we exist outside of our worldview, which is a worldview unto itself. But first things first, what is a worldview?

The American Heritage dictionary refers to a "worldview" as " 1) The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. 2) A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group" (according to http://dictionary.reference.com/). If you want a more drawn out, and potentially incorrect, definition of "worldview" check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_view I can't verify the material there, and, quite frankly, don't feel like reading it myself right now. You're going to have to make the call on that one.

Basically, a worldview is a matrix by which we see all the things that we see, and do all the things that we do. It is the cognitive filter that we have unknowingly placed on our lives through a type of cultural learning that all people go through as they live life in a given culture. Whether we recognize it or not, we have a worldview. But sometimes, if we actually take the time to examine our beliefs (which many people do not), we can sometimes step outside of our worldview, if only for a little while, and that is where the fun begins.

I heard a story the other day about a guy who ordered a pizza from the local pizza place. The person behind the counter asked him if he wanted his pizza cut into four pieces or six . The man replied, "I'm not too sure that I could eat six pieces. Better cut it into four." Worldview is a matter of perspective. Six pieces of pizza sound like a lot more than four. It is a matter of perspective. You see, when we can step outside of our own personal biases and begin to see another's point of view, we can offer up a valid critique of the situation. It is only when we have reached the point of seeing beyond the black and white of our own dogmatic positions that we can really step out and grow as people, especially as people of faith.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Looking Ahead...

2008-04-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

I came across a quote this morning while I was working on an article for the church’s newsletter. Here it is: People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby. For those that don’t know, Rogers Hornsby (and, yes, his name is Rogers, with an “s” at the end) was a baseball player in the early 20th century. He still holds the record for single season batting average, hitting .424 in 1924 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

I love the spring. The air just seems fresher, the temperature is finally bearable, and the baseball season is getting into the “swing” of things. It’s a great time of the year. But what about winter? Yeah, I don’t like the winter. It’s cold, it’s dark all the time, it snows, but what do we miss when we “stare out the window and wait for spring”? Life is always happening all around us, whether we are paying attention to it or not. Are we staring out the window waiting for something to happen before we start to enjoy life, or are we living in the midst of less than ideal situations?

I must admit that I’ve spent my fair share of time looking out the window. In fact, that pretty much sums up my college experience. I knew in high school that I was going into vocational ministry. College was never anything more than a stepping stone to seminary for me. I didn’t enjoy it. In fact, I really didn’t like college all that much. Just this morning Katie (my wife) and I were talking about lunches for the South Indiana Annual Conference, and I honestly have no desire to go to the University of Evansville lunch. That is how little I cared about college. That is how much I spent looking out the window, waiting for the spring of my educational career. I think I made a major mistake.

In John 10, Jesus says that he came so that we can have life and have it abundantly. Through Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection, we can live for all eternity in the presence of our Creator, but it doesn’t start with our death. Eternity starts now. Jesus did not come for the sole purpose of getting us out of hell. If we approach our salvation as a form of “fire insurance,” then we have missed the point. Salvation is about eternity, it is about spending an eternity in relationship with the Triune God, but it is also about how we live our lives now.

I spent so much time looking ahead that I never really lived life to the fullest for three entire years of my life. (I say three years not because it took me only three years to get through college, but because Katie and I got married just before my senior year, and life changes when you are married.) So, if you would indulge me, learn from my mistake. Life live to the fullest right now. Don’t always look ahead, anticipating the future at the cost of the present.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim

Priesthood of All Believers?

2008-04-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

The following was preached at Emmanuel UMC on 04/13/08.

Jeremiah 1:4-19
4The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." 6"Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." 7But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.
9Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." 11The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied. 12The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled." 13The word of the LORD came to me again: "What do you see?" "I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north," I answered. 14The LORD said to me, "From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms," declares the LORD. "Their kings will come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah. 16I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made.
17"Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

When I was a senior in high school, I went on a Chrysalis flight in Indianapolis. During one of the talks, the pastor offered us an opportunity to write down any questions that we may have, and he was going to take some time to answer them. At this time I was struggling with whether or not I had been called into full time ministry. So, I wrote down “How do you know if you’ve been called to ministry?” He answered by saying, “Everybody is called to ministry.” As true and insightful as that may be, it was an incredibly unhelpful answer to a very difficult question for a 17 year old. But I can look back at that answer ten years later and really appreciate what it was that he was trying to get across at the time. The focus for the month of April is missions. More specifically, today we are looking at the idea of individual calling. You see, it is not just a select few that are called to ministry, and everybody else goes on with their lives. God calls everyone to ministry, but He doesn’t just call us and leave us on our own. God is with those whom he calls, and God prepares those whom he calls, which brings us to the story of Jeremiah.

The book of Jeremiah was written at the tail end of the 7th century B.C., and into the beginning of the 6th century B.C. This was a difficult time for those living in Judah. Babylon was the big kid on the block now. The time had finally come when the Babylonians were conquering all throughout the Middle East. Jehoiakim was on the throne in Judah, and he was not too concerned with the religious reforms that his father Josiah had implemented, and so Judah was once again falling into a period of idolatry. Jehoiakim was also not too concerned about what the prophet Jeremiah had to say. In fact, in chapter 36, Jehoiakim actually cuts up the scroll of oracles that Jeremiah has written and throws the strips into the fire, then orders the arrest of Jeremiah and Baruch, who is Jeremiah’s scribe. All of this happens because one man was faithful to a call that was placed on his life, and I’d like to spend some time this morning looking at Jeremiah’s call and thinking through what that means for us, as believers in the body of Christ.

Jeremiah jumps right into it in verse 4 and talks about how it was that God called him to his prophetic ministry. “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jer. 1:5). God already had this vocation in mind for Jeremiah before Jeremiah was ever even formed in the womb. Jeremiah’s task was so crucial that he was set apart by God before he was even born. But is Jeremiah alone in this, or does God have a calling for all of us? Paul also writes in Galatians 1:15 that he was set apart from birth for a specific task. In Matthew 28, Jesus’ disciples are called to make disciples, and in obedience to that command, we too are called to share the gospel and make disciples. So, yes, God does have a call for each of us, even if it is the most basic of calls to make disciples. I’m not going to stand here this morning and tell you that God has a roadmap for each one of us to follow, but I will say that God has a calling in each of our lives. We are all gifted for ministry in a particular way. We are all wired for specific tasks that God has prepared for us. Our responsibility is not to wish it away, or ignore it, but to carefully listen to the prompting of the Spirit, and respond out of love and obedience. But all too often, we, like Jeremiah, try to come up with some kind of excuse.

Jeremiah actually gives two excuses, but they are connected. His first excuse is that he does not know how to speak. This is not a new excuse to God. In Exodus 4:10, Moses uses the excuse that he cannot speak eloquently and that he is slow of speech and tongue. Based on Moses’ comments here, most scholars think he had some sort of speech impediment, and he uses it as an excuse to avoid his call. However, I don’t necessarily think that is what Jeremiah is doing. His inability to speak was not a physical limitation, but it was connected to his second excuse - “I am only a child.” The Hebrew word that is translated “child” here is na’ar. Na’ar typically refers to a male of marriageable age who is still single. A Hebrew male was not considered to be a man until the time that he was 30; that is why he refers to himself as a na’ar. Jeremiah was most likely between 17 and 28 when God called him to his task. Jeremiah was a young adult when God called him to his prophetic ministry, but culturally, he wasn’t old enough to speak in such a manner. But God has a way of working things out, even if it goes against the cultural norms of the day. He tells Jeremiah not to use that excuse. Jeremiah is command to simply obey the commands of God and let God take care of the details along the way.

You see, God doesn’t just call Jeremiah to do the work of ministry and check in again in 20 years. In verse 8, God says that He will be with Jeremiah and rescue him. Wait a minute, “rescue him”? What does that mean? What is Jeremiah going to be doing that is going to need him to be rescued? There are two key points that cannot be missed here. First of all, God doesn’t sugarcoat anything. The Lord is pretty blunt with Jeremiah that his task is going to be a difficult one. He is not going to be popular, and people will fight against him. I have some bad news to share today. God does not always call us to sunny days and fields of flowers. Jesus doesn’t say, “Take up your cotton candy and follow me.” He says, “Take up your cross and follow me.” When Jesus said this, a cross wasn’t a piece of silver jewelry that we wear around our necks; a cross was an instrument of death. Jesus tells us from the beginning that this isn’t going to be easy. In the same way, God is not telling Jeremiah that this is going to be easy. He is telling Jeremiah that life is going to be difficult, but he is not alone. That’s the second point. No matter how bleak things may look, we are not alone in our task. Jeremiah is called to bring the message that the time of judgment has come. Judah has been unfaithful. Judah has turned away from God and towards the false gods of the world. The time for judgment has come, and it is Jeremiah’s task to let everyone know. This is no easy task, and not everything that God calls us to will be easy.

In the 2001 movie Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo inherits a magical ring from his uncle Bilbo Baggins. What he does not know at the time is that this ring was forged by Sauron, a Dark Lord, thousands of years before, and the time has come for him to reclaim his ring and conquer all of the land known as Middle Earth. Frodo is asked to take the ring to the home of the elves, where a council has been called to decide what needs to be done with it. There is only one choice: they must take the ring to the place where it was forged in order to destroy it. While the men, elves and dwarves are fighting amongst themselves as to who should take the ring, Frodo stands up and offers to take it. Before long, he is accompanied by eight others, and they set off for the dark land of Mordor. Early in the journey, as they are going through the mine of Moria, Frodo starts to realize just how difficult a task this really is.

[Scene 28 on the DVD; begin following Gandalf’s line, “I have no memory of this place.” End after Gandalf’s line, “Bilbo was meant to find the ring. In which case, you were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.” Approximately 1:49:20 - 1:51:32. This clip can also be found on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYI44izV9iA]

Did you see how Frodo’s demeanor changes in the course of the conversation? At the beginning, the answer was clear. Bilbo should have killed Gollum when he had the chance. By the end of the conversation, Frodo is not so certain of anything anymore. You can almost see the weight of the task fall upon his face in the middle of the conversation. In fact, he wishes that he did not have a part to play at all. He realizes that this is going to be much more difficult than he may have realized.

Sometimes, that is what a call from God is: difficult and dangerous. Here in America, apart from social ostracism in some circles, there is nothing too dangerous about living as a Christian. But in other parts of the world, it is exceedingly dangerous to answer a call from God. According to one site, based on numbers in 2001, more than half of all Christians that have ever been killed for their faith were killed in the 20th century alone. An estimated 45 of the 70 million Christian martyrs since the first century were killed in the 100 years between 1901 and 2001. Answering God’s call is not always easy. But just like the eight others who set out with Frodo, we are not left on our own to fulfill our call. Two times, God says that he will be with Jeremiah and rescue him (vv. 8, 19). God says that he will be watching to ensure that His word is fulfilled.

God does have a calling for each of us. It may be difficult. We may want to run the other way, and we wouldn’t be the first. Do you remember the story of Jonah? Jonah was called to go to Nineveh and preach a message of repentance, and he did run away, but he didn’t get far. God was watching to make sure that his word was fulfilled. It is not very often that God will call us to do something entirely on our own. We do not fulfill our call in a vacuum. We fulfill our call in the company of our brothers and sisters in Christ. I can’t tell you what your specific call to ministry is, nor would I dare to do so. That’s not my place. What I can tell you is that it starts with a servant’s heart. Take just a second and look around you. I firmly believe that God has called each person here today for a reason, and it is only when we individually listen for and obey the call that God has in each of our lives, that we can begin to make a bigger impact alongside those around us. The one thing that I can tell you this morning about the call God has placed on your life is that it is a call to serve - to serve your community, to serve those around you, but above all, to serve Him.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Finding Nourishment in the Vine

2008-04-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

The following was preached at Emmanuel UMC on 3/02/08.

John 15:1-9
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Jesus begins with a bold proclamation, “I am the true vine.” Doesn’t sound very bold does it? I mean, what is the big deal? “I am the true vine.” There’s nothing shocking, or amazing, or controversial about that statement, or is there? What is behind the words that Jesus is saying here that would make it such a bold proclamation?

Here I go again, giving Greek grammar lessons, but a Greek verb includes the subject of that verb. You can look at a Greek verb and know whether it is in the first, second or third person. Now, when a verb is in the first or second person, you pretty well know who the subject is - “I, me, we, us” (first person) or “you, y’all” (second person). And, as a side note, “Y’all” is good Greek grammar. Now, what Jesus does here is include the first person pronoun “I” with the first person verb. In other words, a strict, literal interpretation of what Jesus is saying here would read, “I, I am true vine.” Jesus uses this form in other places in the Gospel of John, perhaps you’ve heard of them - I am the bread of life; I am the light of the world; I am the good shepherd; I am the resurrection and the life; I am the way, the truth and the life; before Abraham was, I am. After that last statement, people picked up rocks and were getting ready to stone Jesus for his blasphemy. What is so controversial about those two little words that people would be ready to stone Jesus?

We are going to have to go back a few pages to Exodus 3, to understand what is going on here. You see, in Exodus 3, Moses meets Yahweh in the burning bush. And Moses is trying to come up with all sorts of ways to get out of going back to Egypt. Moses anticipates the people not believing him and wants to know who he should say sent him. And God responds by telling Moses to say that I AM has sent him. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this is using those same two words that Jesus uses all throughout John. Ego, which means “I” and eimi, which means “I am.” Jesus knew what he was doing when he put those two words together, and so did everyone else. Now, as if that wasn’t enough, Jesus throws on another major word that carries with it all sorts of baggage - “vine.”

You see, in the Old Testament, Israel is described as a vine. Psalm 80:8-11 talks about how God brought a vine out of Egypt, planted it and cared for it. Hosea 10:1 talks about Israel being a spreading vine that was fruitful at first, but was deceitful and turned away from the Lord. Jeremiah 2:21 talks about how the vine has “turned degenerate and became a wild vine.” And if there was any question whatsoever, Isaiah 5:7 explicitly says that “the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.” The vine was a symbol of the nation of Israel. It was on coins during the Maccabean period. There was an expensive wire work vine that was made of gold and silver adorning the entrance of the Temple in the first century. Israel was the vine. Everybody knew that! Yet Jesus says, “I am the true vine.”

Jesus then goes on to say that the Father is the vinedresser, or gardener, or farmer, depending on the version that you’re reading. You see, the Father is the one that takes care of the vine and ensures that the branches are producing fruit. The Father, as the vinedresser, does two important functions. First, he takes away the branches that do not produce fruit. Second, he prunes the ones that do produce, so they can bear more fruit. From what I have picked up on vine dressing in the past week, these are both important functions that serve a similar end. In both instances, the cutting is done to facilitate growth. It is done for the improvement of the overall health of the plant. It helps to channel the nourishment to the places that need it the most. Dead and diseased branches hurt the overall health of the plant and need to be appropriately addressed for the betterment of the whole. This is why it is so important for a branch to stay connected to the vine and to produce the fruit of the vine.

If there was any question about what Jesus was talking about here, he clears it up pretty well in verse 5. “I am the vine; you are the branches.” Those who are disciples of Jesus Christ are the branches. Let’s look at the broader context to see what’s really going on here. Just two chapters ago, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet - all twelve disciples. They have their meal and Jesus says that one of them will betray him on that night. By the time, the conversation in John 15 takes places, Judas is gone. Jesus knew what he was doing. Judas is an example of the branch that is not producing fruit. As you probably well know, later on in this night, Judas betrays Jesus and hands him over to the authorities. Jesus knew about the branch that wasn’t producing fruit, and it was only a matter of time before the other disciples knew about it as well.
Now, it’s important to realize that this is not just a one time event. What Jesus has to say here doesn’t end with the disciples. The principle carries on to all of his disciples, even to those who are to be his disciples today. It is a call to live out the Christian life, to show the fruitfulness of a life in Christ, not just on Sunday mornings, but from Sunday afternoon to Saturday night. Living the Christian life is not about showing up for church service, it’s about what you do between church services. So, how do we do it? How do we live the Christian life in the hours that we aren’t in this building for a worship service?

There’s an important word that is used repeatedly in this chapter that is key to understanding how this is done. That word means “to remain, to abide.” Now, I don’t know if you knew this about me, but I am a huge baseball fan, and as with many huge baseball fans, I’m fascinated by the numbers. So bear with me for a minute. The Greek word that is translated as “to remain, to abide” is used 118 times in the New Testament. 68 of those 118 occurrences are in John’s writings (the gospel; 1, 2, 3 John, and Revelation) (58%). 40 of those 68 are in the Gospel of John (59%). 10 of those 40 occurrences are in John 15:1-10. So, yes, right here in John 15, we see one-quarter of the 59% of the 58% of the times that the word is used. What does that mean? Well, besides the fact that I wasted 5 minutes this week, it means that there is a heavy concentration of “remaining” or “abiding” in these very few verses. When there is a heavy concentration of words being used in one place, it’s generally accepted that the writer is trying to make a very important point. And the point is this, it is only by remaining in Christ that we can produce the fruit of the Christian life.

Jesus is pretty clear about this in verse 4. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” You see, a branch has to draw all of it sustenance from the vine. It has to rely on the vine 100% or else. The branch cannot do it on its own, and neither can we. This is what Jesus is saying here, we can’t do it on our own. The only way to live the Christian life is to rely on the true vine 100%. Once a branch is disconnected from the vine, it is practically worthless; the only thing it is good for is kindling the fire. Once we are disconnected from the true vine, we are practically worthless. That’s what Jesus says in verse 5, “apart from me you can do nothing.” That’s some tough words from Jesus; however, they are not hopeless words.

The bar is set high, but we are not left on our own to do it. In fact, when we do try to do it on our own, we begin to find out that we cannot do it at all. It is only in abiding in the true vine that we can begin to produce the fruit of the Christian life. Yes, there will be times that we are being pruned, and it is going to hurt, but in the end we will find out that the pruning was worth it. Because the fruit that we produce will be better than anything we could have done before. You see, that is what is so awesome about the Christian life. It is a dynamic journey in which we are constantly being challenged to grow. We can never be happy with where we are as Christians. There is always room for growth. That’s what we call discipleship. It doesn’t matter if you are a new Christian or if you have been one for fifty years, discipleship is a journey in the Christian life that we all go on. Some people move faster than other, but the important thing is that people are moving. However, like all journeys, there are times when we just stop. Maybe we’re out of gas, maybe we’re just drained from the long miles of the road, or maybe we just don’t feel like going any further.

Those are the times when we are disconnected from the true vine. There will be times in our lives that, indeed, we have withered. But, do you know what is amazing about God? You see, the Father, the Creator, the vinedresser can bring things back to life. Romans 11 talks about those that are grafted in. Those who were once separate from the root, were grafted back in. Nothing is impossible with God. When our situations look hopeless and we are totally disconnected with the vine, do not fear. There is hope because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that is what we try to do here at Emmanuel – share God’s hope. In sharing the bread and the cup, we remember that hope.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

"Only Fools are Positive..."

2008-04-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

The following was preached at Emmanuel UMC on 02/10/2008.

John 10:22-28
22At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." 25Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

When I was a kid, a movie came out called, “FernGully.” It was a pretty neat movie for an 11 year old. Zak is a human who is working with a logging company. Crysta is a fairy that lives in the rainforest. I forget exactly how it happens, but Crysta ends up accidentally shrinking Zak to her height, about 3 inches. They are joined by Batty Koda, who is voiced by Robin Williams, who is a bat with a radar problem and is a little off his rocker. Zak and Batty are having a conversation at one point in the movie which starts by Batty saying,

Batty Koda: Nobody cares about me.
Zak: I care about you, bat man.
Batty Koda: Really?
Zak: Positive.
Batty Koda: Only fools are positive.
Zak: Are you sure?
Batty Koda: I'm positive...

We live in a time of doubt; a time in which it seems like everything gets called into question. Yet at the same time, one person’s views are just as valid, and just as true, as another’s. It is a bit of a paradox. How, on the one hand, can somebody say that all views are equally valid, yet on the other hand, call into question the views of another? I got a lot of this in some of my classes in college. It’s okay to believe whatever you want, but if you’re a Christian, then your worldview is automatically suspect, and you’re deemed irrational. Be a Christian who is seen as positive about the faith, who is sure of the truth of the gospel message and you’re seen as a fool. This is the world that today’s youth have to deal with, not only once they get to college, but also even now, in high school and middle school.

Perhaps one of the most thought-provoking shows on television when it comes to matters of religion is House. The title character is a strict naturalist, and regards anyone with religious beliefs to be irrational. This past week, there was a woman who had recently converted from a wild lifestyle in the music industry to a very strict form of Judaism. Throughout the entire episode, House said that one of her symptoms was a “change of mental state.” He constantly referred to her onset of “irrationality” throughout the episode as something important to the diagnosis. He firmly believed that people did not change, and to make such a drastic change in lifestyle was a sign of mental instability.

Now, for me, House is not just a character on television. He is the voice of a segment of society that constantly challenges Christians in a negative way. He is so prideful and confident of his own position that he ridicules all others. But what he does do is cause us to take a serious look at our faith. We believe that we can enter into a relationship with God because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. How do we know the truth of the things we believe? Well, believe it or not, this is not a new question. It is a question that has been plaguing the people of God for centuries.

In the 16th century, a young man was caught in a terrible thunderstorm. He was so scared that he promised God that he would become a monk if he could only survive the storm. He kept his promise and entered a monastery. At the time, it was taught that people had to earn their salvation. While at the monastery, this young man was so determined to earn his salvation that he was extremely hard on himself. As if the life of a monk wasn’t difficult enough, he started working harder than the rest. He would often beat himself and go for days without eating. But this brought him no peace, and it brought him no closer to God. One day he was reading through Paul’s letter to the Romans, and Romans 1:17 jumped off the page to him, “The righteous shall live by faith.” At last, he sensed the peace of God. He went on to challenge the view of the Church that one had to earn one’s salvation, and was the spark that started the Protestant Reformation.

A couple hundred years later, there was another man who was sailing home to England after a brief stint as a missionary in the American colony of Georgia. He was raised by an Anglican pastor. He himself taught Greek at a school in England. Yet, he never had peace about his position before God. Somewhere in the Atlantic, his ship was caught in a terrible storm, and he was terribly afraid. But there was a group of German Moravians who were calmly singing hymns throughout the entire storm. He talked to the leader of the group who asked him, “Do you have faith in Christ?” Sometime after this encounter, the man went to a meeting on Aldersgate Street. He later wrote about this experience in his journal,

In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation, and John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, both struggled with their faith. It wasn’t because they did not believe in Christ. It wasn’t because they were not in relationship with God. It was because they were unsure of their salvation. They lacked confidence in their position before the Lord. Yet, Jesus tells us in John 10 that indeed there is reason to have confidence.

Jesus refers to those who follow him as sheep. Now, I don’t know much about sheep. There are not exactly a lot of sheep on the south side of Indianapolis where I grew up. But what I have heard is that sheep are pretty dumb. But, as dense as sheep are, Jesus says that they know the voice of their shepherd, and they follow him. But even more important, their shepherd knows them as well. Our shepherd knows who we are, and no matter how dense others may think we are, we can know the voice of our shepherd and follow him.

To those that are a part of Jesus’ flock, he gives eternal life, and they will never perish. The Greek word that is used for “perish” is actually a very violent word. It can also mean “destroy” or “abolish.” It’s the same word that is used in John 3:16. In fact, Jesus is practically saying the same thing to these people in John 10 that he said to Nicodemus in John 3. There are some key similarities between the two passages:

1) Something is given; not earned, not taken, but given. Just as the only Son of God was given for the world, that same Son gives life.
2) And not just life, but eternal life. Jesus isn’t just about making the world a better place. We already know that we aren’t going to live in this world forever. Yet, eternal life is offered for all who believe in him. For those who are a part of his flock, there is eternal life.
3) And eternal life means that those who believe will not perish. They will not be abolished. They will not be destroyed.

But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes one step further. Those who are in his hand will never be “snatched out” of it. Again, the Greek word that is used is rather violent. The picture that is given is one of something being seized and carried off by force. For those who are a part of the flock, there need not be any fear of being forcibly taken from it. Sheep have to worry about predators. There are always wolves or coyotes, or something worse lurking in the shadows that can seize them and take them off. But this is not the case for the flock of the True Shepherd. While there may be predators lurking in the shadows, there is no fear of being taken. Now, of course, it is important to avoid being lured into the shadows, but perhaps that a message for a different time.

I came across a story of a 3 year old boy who was being held by his father in the middle of a pool. The father started walking towards the deep end of the pool saying, “Deeper and deeper, deeper and deeper.” All the while the water was slowly climbing up the child’s body. He was getting panicked and was holding on tighter to his father, whose feet were still easily touching the bottom of the pool. But if the little boy had taken just a minute to think about the situation, the water at the shallow end would have been over his head, and yet, in the arms of his father, he was not worried. He was just as secure in the deep part of the pool as he was in the shallow part of the pool.

Our story is not much different. No matter how deep the water in the pool of life around us is getting. We are still being held firmly in the arms of our Father. When things are going bad, jobs are terrible, friends are mean, and finances are thin. We are still being held firmly in the arms of our Father, and He will not drop us. None of these things can seize us and take us from Him. Here at Emmanuel, we say that our core vision is to share God’s hope, and there is no greater hope than resting in the arms of the Father.

Is it foolish to be positive? In a world that believes all views are equally valid, how can we say that we are positive about anything? Maybe it is foolish in the eyes of the world to be positive about something, but I’ve never been too concerned about looking like a fool in the eyes of the world. Will there be times of doubt along the road? Of course, but know that our hope is built on much more than anything we could ever accomplish on our own. Our salvation is not dependent upon our feelings. It is not dependent upon the things that we do. It is solely dependent on the work of Jesus Christ, and that is something you can be positive about. Always keep that in your mind and leave here today knowing the truth of Jesus’ words, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (Jn 10:27-28).

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Living in Expectation

2008-04-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

The following was preached at the 12/30/07 combined worship service at Emmanuel UMC. It was also submitted as my sermon for the South Indiana Conference Board of Ordained Ministry interviews, which took place in February of 2008.

At the beginning of Matthew 24, Jesus and the disciples are coming out of the Temple, where Jesus has been teaching. The disciples make a comment marveling about the buildings of the Temple, to which Jesus responds, “Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Mt 24:2). No doubt the disciples were caught off guard by Jesus’ comment. They were simply amazed at the architecture, and Jesus starts talking about the destruction of the Temple. They end up going out of town to the Mount of Olives, which is about 2 miles east of Jerusalem, before the disciples ask for clarification. They want to know when all of this will happen, which sets off 94 verses of teaching and parables. Today’s passage is right in the middle of Jesus’ response.

Matthew 24:36-44
36"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Over the course of history, people have made a lot of bold predictions. There must be something about the future, about the unknown, that causes us some anxiety. We want to be able to get a handle on it, and control it in some way. Or maybe, it is not so much of a control issue, but a pride issue. We are so confident about this unknown future and trust in our abilities so much that we make these predictions. The root issue will vary from person to person, but typically, these predictions fail and leave us wondering and embarrassed. Here are just a few examples from the 20th century:

1. In 1912, one of the most well-known failed predictions took place. An official of the White Star Line declared the Titanic to be unsinkable. Early in the morning of April 15th, the Titanic sunk, killing nearly 1,500 people.
2. In 1939, the New York Times said the problem with TV was that people had to glue their eyes to a screen, and that the average American wouldn’t have time for it. Today, the average American watches around 22 hours of television each week.
3. And one that I was unaware of until recently, “Whatever happens, the U.S. Navy is not going to be caught napping.” Frank Knox, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, December 4, 1941. As you probably know, three days later the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor killing 2,333 and wounding 1,139.

Then there are others who have made predictions of a different sort. They have taken it upon themselves to find out the time when Jesus was going to return. From the Montanists in the second century to present-day groups, every generation seems to have some people who think that they are the last generation before Christ returns, or that they are the ones who know when it will happen. What is wrong with this picture? In Matthew 24, Jesus tells his disciples that no one knows the day or the hour. The exact timing of Jesus’ return is only known by the Father, not by the angels, not even by the Son. Given that Jesus himself admits to not knowing the day and hour of the second coming, isn’t it rather presumptuous to even think that we can try to figure it out? Yet, that is exactly what people have tried to do through the centuries, and time and time again, they have failed. The predicted day has come and gone in every instance. So, here we sit today, waiting for the return of Jesus. What are we to do with this? We just celebrated the birth of Jesus and we believe that one day Jesus will come back, that all creation will be redeemed and that the believers will forever be in the presence of the Almighty God. But what do we do in the meantime? How do we live in the “here and now”? How do we approach each day knowing that Jesus’ return is imminent?

Jesus looks back to the days of Noah to give the disciples an idea of what it will be like when he returns. In the time of Noah, people were going about their daily business. They were “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (Mt 24:38) up until the very day that the rain started to come down. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with eating, drinking and marrying. The point is that life was going on as normal. This is what it will be like when Jesus comes back; life as normal. People will be going to the grocery store, watching the game at BW3’s, sitting in the office at work, and then suddenly, unexpectedly, the Son of Man will return. What will be important is not what we are doing, but what we have done with our lives. It will be important that we are not caught off guard by his coming, but that we are living in expectation.

Now, will you please excuse me while I unleash my inner Greek nerd? When you look at a Greek verb, you will typically see five parts – tense, voice, mood, person and number. In verse 42, for the Greek word that is translated “stay awake,” all I want to focus on right now is the tense and mood. It is a present tense, imperative mood verb. The imperative mood is typically used for commands. This is a command that Jesus is giving. Generally speaking, there are two parts to a Greek tense – time and aspect. The Greek present tense views the action of a verb as continuous, repeated or in progress. It is seen more like a motion picture instead of a snapshot. “Stay awake,” therefore, is not just a one time thing, but an act of continually being alert to what is going on around us. So when Jesus is saying “stay awake” we could easily translate that into “be alert and continue to be alert.” We are commanded to be in a constant state of vigilance.

The people in Noah’s day were not in a state of vigilance. They were so caught up in the daily routine of their own lives, so caught up in the lie that what you see is all there is, that they missed the boat…literally. It was their failure to recognize that there is more to life than what we see that caused them to be swept away in the flood. That is what Jesus was warning the disciples about in this passage. That is what Jesus is warning us about in this passage. That which we do over the course of the week no doubt has some importance, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that what you see is what you get. There is more to this life than the daily routine. Stay awake, be alert, be vigilant, and live in expectation. That’s a pretty strong word from Jesus, but he doesn’t leave the disciples there. He has another strong word for them.

In verse 44, Jesus uses another present imperative. This time it is for the word “to be” and is followed by an adjective meaning “ready.” Now, when I first studied this passage, I must admit that I was a little disappointed that he does not use just one word that means “to be ready.” It seems like it would be cleaner and pack more of a punch if it was only one word. Then I dug a little deeper. There is a word that is very similar to the adjective; in fact, it has the same root. However, it does not mean “to be ready.” It means “to make ready, to prepare.” The difference is subtle, but it’s important. If Jesus had used this verb, he would have been saying, “be getting ready.” However, that is not what he says. He does not say, “Be almost ready.” He does not say, “Be thinking about being ready.” He says, “Be and continue to be ready.”

In Noah’s day, the people had to have seen Noah building the ark. It was a huge boat – 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Noah knew what was coming, but he didn’t know when. When you read Genesis 6, God does not give Noah a timeframe. It’s not until Genesis 7 that God lets Noah know when it is all going to happen, and even then, it was only in seven days. I do not know how long it took Noah to build the ark, but I am pretty sure it took more than seven days. Noah had to have been ready. If he had still been building the ark, if he was still “getting ready” when God gave him that seven day notice, we would probably be reading a different story today.Just like Jesus’ command to “stay awake” reminds us that there is more to life than what we see, his command to “be ready” reminds us that it is not always enough to just be aware of our surroundings. If we lose sight of God in the midst of our busy and crazy daily routine, then we are not awake. If we are not living in expectation of the return of the Son, we are not ready.

In the Church calendar, Advent is a time of preparation and Christmas is a celebration of the incarnated Son of God. So on this day, the first Sunday of Christmas, we remember that the Son has come, but we also cannot lose sight of the fact that the Son will come again. While we celebrate the first coming, we have to live in expectation of the second coming of the Son. So I leave you today with four simple thoughts – nobody knows when the Son will return, therefore, stay awake, be ready and live in expectation.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Come Together

2008-04-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

The following is a message that I gave at the Indy East District Men's Lenten Breakfast on March 8, 2008.

John 17:20-23 - 20"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

When I heard this year’s theme for the Lenten breakfasts, the first thought that came to my mind was Aerosmith’s version of “Come Together.” I know, I know, many of you may be wondering why Aerosmith instead of The Beatles. Well, The Beatles haven’t released a new album since about a decade before I was born. And to make myself seem even younger than you think, when I was in high school, the movie Armageddon came out. Its soundtrack included four Aerosmith songs, one of which was “Come Together.” I actually did not know that “Come Together” was originally recorded by The Beatles until about a month ago. Therefore, every time I think of the song, I can hear Steven Tyler singing it in my head, for better or worse, I’ll let you decide. Now all of this brings me to a key point. I looked at the lyrics the other day, and that song makes no sense whatsoever. In fact, it makes so little sense that there is speculation all over the internet as to its actual meaning. Some say that it is total gibberish; others say that each verse is referring to one of the members of the Beatles; still others say that it was written for a political campaign that never materialized; and of course, there are others who argue that it is about drugs and sex. Through all the confusion concerning these lyrics, one thing is perfectly clear. Nobody really knows what this song means. Thankfully, this is not the case when it comes to Scripture. Yes, there are certainly times when Scripture is confusing and doesn’t seem to make any sense, but Scripture is more than random phrases thrown together, which cannot be said for this song.

There is a very clear and direct reason for Scripture. You see, Scripture is the revelation of who God is and what God has done. The Gospel of John is written with a purpose in mind. In fact, John states his purpose very clearly in John 20:30-31. The apostle writes, “30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John writes so that his audience may come to put their trust in Christ. John’s concern is for people to be unified with Christ. Perhaps this concern is clearest in chapter 17.

John 17 is part of the “high priestly prayer,” and it is the culmination of a dialogue that begins after Jesus washes his disciples’ feet in chapter 13. At the beginning of chapter 18, they go to the garden where Jesus will be betrayed by Judas. In other words, this is one of the last times that the disciples are talking to Jesus before his crucifixion. And what is the primary thing on Jesus’ mind? Unity. But not just unity - unity of the believers. And not just unity of the believers, but unity of the believers for the sake of the world.

You see, there’s a reason why we are called to be one in the body Christ. It’s not so that we can all agree on every issue. Unity for the sake of unity is misguided. There are issues in which the body of Christ should agree, and there will be some that deviate from the witness of Scripture. In these cases, unity can do more damage than good. What good is unity when it comes at the expense of the truth of the gospel? Charles Spurgeon, a British preacher in the 19th century, speaks on this subject.

A chorus of ecumenical voices keep harping the unity tune. What they are saying is, "Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together in one visible organization, regardless... Unite, unite!" Such teaching is false, reckless and dangerous. Truth alone must determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity. Unity without truth is hazardous. Our Lord's prayer in John 17 must be read in its full context. Look at verse 17: "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel.

Strong words. Very strong words from Spurgeon here. We are not called simply to agree on all issues – that is not unity. We are called to be unified through the truth of the Word. The truth of the gospel, sanctification through the Word, is how unity is accomplished. You see, it is only when we give up our desires, our priorities, our agendas that we can truly be sanctified through the Word. It is a matter of submitting our whole life to Christ. Our spiritual life, our physical life, our intellectual life, our relational life, our political life – every aspect of our lives must be submitted to Christ. If this is not the case, then all the unity in the world is for nought. The world can be unified in a lie. The world can be unified in the inconsequential; however, unity in the truth of the gospel is getting exceedingly difficult in today’s world.

We live in a world in which the prevalent thought is “I’m okay, you’re okay. Let’s believe whatever we want.” It’s a world in which people can believe anything as long as it makes them feel better. And there is certainly no shortage of belief systems out there. In fact, I came across a rough estimate that stated some 4,684 different religious groups in the United States alone. This is the world that is around us every day!

John Wesley is often quoted as saying, “Think and let think.” Too often this has been used to lead us down a cushy path of theological relativism; however, the full quote is “we think and let think except in matters that cut to the root of Christianity.” “Except in matters that cut to the root of Christianity.” There are some basics of the faith that we cannot sacrifice for the sake of unity, and one of those basics is the authority of Scripture when it comes to the Christian life. Scripture is not just a historical anthology that merely covers a few thousand years. It is not something that gives us some neat ideas about how to be better people, but otherwise has no bearing on our personal lives. NO! If that is all there is to Scripture, then how is it any more relevant than any book out there written by people such as Dr. Phil? It can’t be. If Scripture is just about self-improvement, then there are other books that we could substitute – books that may be less challenging and make fewer demands on our lives; books that would be much easier to swallow. Scripture is not just a book.

One of the biggest mistakes that has occurred in Methodism in the past forty years was the advent of the term “Wesleyan Quadrilateral.” The Wesleyan Quadrilateral was a term coined by Albert Outler in the mid-1960’s to discuss Wesley’s means of theological reflection. It is a matrix by which one takes into consideration Scripture, tradition, reason and experience in developing a theological foundation. The way that the term has been interpreted over the years has had a profound influence in certain sectors of the United Methodist Church.

What is a quadrilateral? It’s an object with four sides. People have taken this concept to mean that the four sources for doing theology are equally relevant. In other words, tradition is just as important as reason, which is just as important as experience and all three are just as important as Scripture when it comes to developing a theological understanding of the world. But you see, this is a flawed approached. It is not one that John Wesley used. Nor is it the approach that we are to use as United Methodists. Outler himself has said that he regrets using the term “quadrilateral for “contemporary use because it has been so widely misconstrued”. In Wesley, we see somebody for whom Scripture was primary because Scripture, as the revelation of who God is and what God has done, is the final authority for all things regarding the Christian life. For Wesley, and for us today, Scripture is the primary source of our theological understanding. The other aspects – tradition, reason and experience – are all important, but they cannot superceed what has been revealed through Scripture. In John 17, that is what Jesus is talking about – God’s word is truth, and for us today, in 2008, Scripture is a witness of God’s word. There is no room for theological relativism when we see Scripture as authoritative in our lives – our whole life, every aspect of it.

I heard Jeff Greenway, the former president of Asbury Theological Seminary, say on several occasions that the biggest issue facing the United Methodist Church in the next 20 years is not the political hot topics that keep coming up, but the authority of Scripture. Because if Scripture is authoritative in our lives, and we submit to Scripture, then many of these hot button issues are no longer issues, and we can truly be unified as the body of Christ, which brings me to another key point – unity is not for ourselves, but for the world.

The unity of the body of Christ is necessary to serve as a witness to an unbelieving world that is in desperate need of a Savior. One of the primary complaints that I have heard about the Church is that it is full of hypocrites. Of course, I want to say, “Come join us, you’ll fit right in,” but that is often not the best way to approach the subject. But do you see what the problem is here? People within the local congregations are not living out the Christian life Monday through Saturday. Being a Christian is not just a Sunday morning obligation to attend worship service; it is an entire lifestyle. But when we fail to live out our faith, when all we see in the news is Christians bickering back and forth, when we hear about local congregations dividing and fighting over the color of the carpet, why should the world think otherwise?

We do not exist solely as a local congregation. We do not exist solely as the South Indiana Conference. And we do not exist solely as the United Methodist Church. We exist as the body of Christ. Jesus’ prayer is that we can all be united so the world may know who Jesus is and so that the world may know that it is loved by God. Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter if you are United Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, or Pentecostal. Do we have some theological disagreements with some of our non-United Methodist brothers and sisters? Of course we do. Are those disagreements so wide that we cannot come together with them as representatives of the body of Christ to a hurting world? I don’t think so. So I believe that infants can be baptized and that people do not have to be immersed in their baptism. That doesn’t make me a better representative of Christ than my Baptist brothers and sisters. Sure, it makes for a good, light-hearted theological conversation from time to time. But ultimately, if I were to use that as a point of contention, then I am the one that is going directly against what Jesus is praying for in John 17. And I am adding fuel to the fire that stops us from being representatives of Christ to an unbelieving world.

It is important to recognize that our unity is in Christ and Christ alone. It will not be found in theological systems, it will not be found in denominations, and it will not be found in individual ministries. It is only when we are all looking to Christ, submitting ourselves to the Word that we can truly be the body of Christ and show the love of Christ to the world. I want to close today with a quote. It comes from A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God. Tozer was an evangelical pastor, preacher and writer during the first half of the 20th century. Hear now his words,

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.

When we turn our eyes away from Jesus, we start looking elsewhere for what should be right in front of us. Unity in the body of Christ comes when we all are in Christ, even as the Son was in the Father. So let’s come together. Let’s come together and turn our eyes upon Jesus. It is then and only then that we are truly ready to be witnesses of Christ for the world.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Really? It's been that long????

2008-04-19T12:20:00.001-07:00

So, I've gotten into reading some blogs lately. Some from seminary friends and others from people whose ministries I respect. Then I thought to myself, "When was the last time I updated my blog?" Well, apparently it was in October. As a friend of mine in college once said, "Time's fun when you're having flies." It has been nearly six months since I've added anything to my blog. For the two people that actually read it, I apologize. For those that are stumbling on it right now, well... you probably don't care all that much.

Things have been going well now that I am back in Indiana. I certainly miss Wilmore from time to time, and definitely miss my friends... and playing softball.... But perhaps what I miss the most is making the time to study and reflect on the Word. I'm trying to pick back up on this, and I have a handful of books that I'm working on right now. So, hopefully, I'll have some more to add in the near future. What I am going to do in the next couple of days is upload some of the sermons that I have preached in my local congregation. I've been preaching monthly since December, so I have about 5 sermons to put on here. If you do read this regularly, be sure to check back in the next couple of days to read these sermons.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Reflections on Isaiah 40, part 2

2007-10-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 40:3-5
A voice cries, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

You know what I love about Scripture? I love that Scripture consists of 66 books, written by about 50 different authors (give or take a few), over a span of roughly 2000 years. And in spite of the incredibly wide gap, the story is still the same. The opening of this verse is quoted, some 600-700 years later by the writer of the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The writers see these words as being fulfilled in John the Baptist. John is seen as the one who cries out in the wilderness and prepares the way of the Lord.

Of course, there is a long, complex history behind this thought, and I’ll give a brief overview of it before going much further. Isaiah first writes these words to those who will be in exile. After the return from Babylon, it is recognized that the Jewish people, while not physically in a foreign land, are still in a state of spiritual exile. In Malachi, the final book in the Old Testament, there is a promise. The promise is that Elijah, who never died, would return prior to the coming of the Messiah. He would be the one that would turn the hearts of the people before the “great and awesome day of the Lord comes” (Mal 4:5). Mark, in describing the clothing of John the Baptist, is clearly correlating these two biblical giants. Mark is essentially saying, “The time of promise is at hand. Elijah has returned, and the coming of the Lord is not far behind.”

What is going on in the Isaiah passage? The way back to God is being made easier. You see, the exile was over rough terrain. It was a rugged land, a tough road away from the presence of God in Jerusalem (it was believed that God dwelt in the Temple Mount in Jerusalem). The path away from the presence of God is a rocky road. It is difficult. Things aren’t always that different from our geography. The same can be said of us today. When we stray from God, the path is rocky. It is tough, rugged terrain, and the road back can look just as intimidating. In fact, it can be so intimidating that there doesn’t seem to be any way that one can make it back. How many people have felt like this before? How many people think that the things they’ve done don’t deserve to return to the land of promise? How many people believe they are unworthy of making the trip back over the rugged land? But wait, it is not our task to go back over the rocky road. The dangers that lie ahead have been removed.

Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the road has been made smooth. That’s what is going on here. The barriers that can seem to be so overwhelming are easily removed by the Lord. The valleys are raised. The mountains are lowered. The rugged land is made plain. It’s not because we can get a bunch of backhoes and do it ourselves. No, in fact, it is quite the opposite. The harder we try, the worse the terrain gets. We can’t fix it on our own. Perhaps the first thing we need to do is realize this simple fact. I’ll say it again. We can’t fix it on our own. There is work that needs to be done, and it is not through our efforts, but through the power of he who was sent by the Lord. The road back has been made easier, but this was not done easily.

The Lord has been revealed through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it is through these works that the road back has been made easier. It does not have to be filled with the unknown and pain that the journey out was filled with. It has been made level by the Lord. All we have to do is decide to go back. Did you know that some of the exiled Jewish people never returned? Some of them were enjoying the life that they had in Babylon, and decided to stay there. There were successful businessmen. They were popular people in their community. But ultimately, they were a people who had turned their back on their home. They had forgotten their roots and the promises that were made by the one, true God. The decision is there. If we make that first step, I’m not promising that the road will be easy. It is still a long way back to Jerusalem, but it’s not nearly as difficult.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Reflections on Isaiah 40, Part 1 of sorts

2007-10-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

Why am I calling this “Part 1 of sorts”? Because I’m relatively ambitious. At this point, I fully intend on continuing through the rest of Isaiah 40. However, I’m also horribly inconsistent when it comes to writing ideas. I love writing. I really do. I enjoy reading and studying as well. The problem isn’t doing the work – it’s the motivation. I get fairly unmotivated from time to time and months will pass before I continue doing any real work, as can be seen from the gaps in my archive to your left. So, yes, I fully intend on disciplining myself to the point that I can actually work all the way through Isaiah 40, but I am also realistic… or is that pessimistic… about the actuality of it all. But that’s enough rambling on that subject….

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins (Is 40:1-2, ESV)

Given the flow of the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, it is no surprise where the Israelites are going. It continually talks about Israel’s (or, rather Judah – the southern kingdom) unfaithfulness, which climaxes in the word of God spoken through Isaiah to King Hezekiah in chapter 39 – Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon (Is 39:6-7).

Judah is done. They have gone past the point of safe return. Exile at the hands of the Babylonians is inevitable. What’s the big deal about exile? No people group in the ancient world ever returned from exile. Once you were exiled by a dominate country, you were done. It was the end of the line. Your people were intermixed with other races and eventually disappeared altogether as a distinct people group. There was no recovery. But wait a minute – didn’t God promise the land to Abraham? Didn’t he also promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of the sky? Are God’s promises only temporary? This is where Isaiah 39 leaves the reader – anxious, uncertain of the future, in despair. But God is not finished with these people just yet.

What are God’s first words? “Comfort, comfort my people.” What in the world is so comforting about promised exile? The fact that it is not the end of the line. Now, Isaiah writes these words a century before the exile even happens, and the return, historically, was 50 years later (give or take a couple years). Yet, 150+ years ahead of time, Isaiah is so certain of the promises of God that in the same book he writes about exile, he writes about a return. God is so faithful that Isaiah writes in the present tense – not the future tense. The idea is not that the Israelites will return, but that they are returning. It is not a message of hope so much as a message of certainty. Now, I’m getting a little ahead of myself – what is the thrust of the first two verses here?

No matter how big of a mess we have gotten ourselves into, no matter what we have done to separate us from God – God is faithful, but God’s faithfulness does not preclude discipline. Discipline is often confused with punishment. Punishment is not restorative. Punishment merely addresses the symptoms. Discipline has a purpose. Discipline addresses the illness. After the exile, I don’t recall idolatry being a major problem with Israel – at least not in the classical sense of the word. They were not worshipping other gods, as had been the case for the majority of their history before the exile. Of course, by the time we get to the New Testament, there were other issues that needed to be dealt with, but the problem of worshipping idols was not one of them. There were things that replaced the idols which one could consider to be idolatry – money, pride, power, position, etc. – but the Israelites learned from their exile. Their illness was addressed, and Isaiah 40 begins the restorative process.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Now What?

2007-09-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

The focus of this post will be to examine the importance of our theology in our everyday life. Now that we know where to start with theology, perhaps we need to know why it is so important.

In my previous post, I discussed the starting point for theology. Theology – literally, the study of God – needs to begin with what we know about God. Most theologies begin by looking at the attributes of God on an infinite level – i.e., God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, etc. In other words, think of every good thing, take it to the “omni” and that is part of the nature of God. However, what I am going to suggest is that this is not the place to start, and I am not alone in this suggestion. A movement is beginning that suggests starting our theology with what we know of God as revealed by Jesus Christ, but I do not want to go too far down this road in this post. I want to go back to something maybe even a bit more basic – why do we need to study theology?

It is amazing to me when I look through the local bookstores in the religion sections at how much pure crap there is out there. It’s not limited to the bookstores either. I have spent quite a bit of time on Yahoo!Answers (Y!A), and that time is generally split into two sections – the questions located under “Baseball” and under “Religion & Spirituality.” Now perhaps Y!A is not the best place to spend my “free” time, but I find it facinating to read through some of the questions and answers in both of these sections. What strikes me most is the fact that though the topics are very different, the types of questions are the same.

There are typically three types of questions: 1) the questions that just really wants to state a particular position, but is not interested in dialogue, 2) the questions that actually are legitimate, and 3) the question from a person that is just trying to be obnoxious. The first type of question is usually really easy to spot. You see, when someones asks a question on the message board, it automatically puts a question mark in the headline. Often you will see a “question” that is not a grammatical question, or not really a question in the first place. Example: “Why do the Yankees suck?” That’s not a question befitting a forum such as Y!A. It is rhetorical, and the asker has no interest in what responders have to say. The second type of question is sadly rare. Occasionally there are honest people with honest questions and nobody to talk to about these issues, and they put it up on Y!A. Usually they are met with a mixture of responses – both rude and honest. The third type of question is the more common one. I remember a couple weeks back there was a guy posting questions beginning with ridiculous statements and ending with “what should I do?” It was mildly funny at times, but the guy was a total jerk – even to the point that he was mocking serious beliefs. So, what does this have to do with theology?

A forum such as Y!A is a good cross-section of today’s society. There are arrogant jerks, know-it-all’s, honest people, misinformed people, unintelligent people, good people, bad people, people that are just plain stupid. You name it, and they are there. This is the type of society that we are living in today. How do we live an authentic Christian faith in such a society? How can we possibly survive the snares that are set by enemies of Christianity if we do not know our basic theology? Some of the people that write anti-Christian statements on Y!A are just plain jerks that do not believe in religion and want to mock anyone who does, but some of them are people who have honestly searched and have been misguided in the questions that they are asking. In the real world (i.e. the world outside of the Y!A community), we have to deal with both types of people. Some simply need to be ignored because they are trying to do nothing but get people fired up. Others make false claims that need to be addressed appropriately. Some are simply misguided and need to be corrected with genuine Christian love and understanding.

So this bring me back to my original question – why do we need to study theology? We need to study theology because of the world in which we live. We live in a world that is against Christ, against Christians, and sometimes, quite frankly, against religion in general. When we are called to be Christians, we are not called to leave our brains at the door. A Christian is not intended to be some kind of mindless automaton droid that walks around saying, “Praise Jesus! Praise Jesus! Repent! Repent! Repent!” In fact, Jesus, when asked about the greatest commandment, says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Mt 22:37). Heart, soul and mind – the three major components of each person. The heart is our emotional side; the soul, our spiritual; the mind, our intellectual. In other words, Jesus is saying that we need to love God with our whole being.

Perhaps another key reason why we need to know our theology is because of the very nature of being a disciple. In the Greek, the word for “disciple” also means “pupil, student.” The disciples were learning from Jesus every step along the way. Jesus goes out of his way to explain things to the disciples. He uses general conversation for teaching moments. He does miraculous things, not for the “wow” factor, but to reveal something important about the character of God. We cannot be a disciple without some kind of understanding of what it means to be one. We cannot evangelize, share the good news of Christ, unless we actually understand it ourselves.
Is theology important? Yes! Does this mean that every person needs to know the intricacies of theological minutia? NO! There are some things that are better left for the theologians, but this does not mean that Christians do not need some kind of basic comprehension of what it means to be a Christian.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Where Do We Begin?

2007-08-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

The heart of this message is to determine where we begin when it comes to theological reflection. Clearly, Scripture is the priority, but this post assumes Scripture is where we start. The question is – how do we develop our theological framework? Where do we start with our theology?

I am fully aware that it has been a long time since my last post. For the handful of people that check frequently, I apologize. As many of you may know, the past few months have been consumed with transition, and some things have fallen by the wayside – no matter how important I think they should be. One such item has been my wrestling with Scripture and theological matters in a medium where I can pour out my thoughts. Hopefully this will be more of a priority in the coming days/weeks/months/years. That being said, I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about theology.

Theology is often ignored. We develop our belief systems without giving them a thorough perusal when it comes to the consistency of our beliefs. In other words, many people hold to contradicting ideas without realizing that they are contradicting. It is only in the midst of conversation that the inconsistencies come up and by then the whole issue is confusing and we are often left embarrassed. The ironic thing is that even when we do really think about what we believe, we do not often catch the inconsistencies. Do not worry, it is perfectly natural. What I want to try to do is examine where I sit when it comes to theology. This, like most major studying projects I endeavor to complete without deadline or grade, will probably go unfinished. But at least I am trying to get my theological juices flowing once again.

The best place to begin when it comes to theology is the most obvious – the beginning. Now, all theology has to be embedded in Scripture. In fact, there can be no truly Christian theology that is not. Scripture is the means by which God has been revealed throughout the centuries. Does this mean that God is not revealed through our daily experiences, the traditions of the Church or through our natural facility of reason? No, of course not, but it is through Scripture that these other three must be examined.

A couple of decades ago, there was a movement among the Methodists that centered on the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral,” or WQ for the rest of this post. Now whether or not it was intended, the WQ was used to place Scripture, Reason, Experience and Tradition on a level playing field. This is a gross misunderstanding of Wesley, as well as the general direction of Wesleyan theology for most of the past 250 years. Wesley understood Scripture as the ultimate measure of theology. If something in one of the other three did not match up, then there is something wrong with our interpretation of the other three – not with Scripture itself. However, with that all being said, I do not want to go too far down the path of Scripture’s place in theology just yet – the time is not right. The basic assumption throughout the rest of this post is that Scripture is the ultimate means by which God is made known in our day and age. Now, with that assumption in place, where do we begin in developing a theological framework? Where do we start when it comes to theology? We start with where God has been revealed.

I am beginning to read Dennis Kinlaw’s Let’s Start With Jesus, and this is going to have a major impact on the words that will follow, and certainly any of the thoughts in some of the upcoming posts. As we read Scripture, God has been revealed in several ways over the centuries. God was revealed to Abraham in the promises of Genesis. God was revealed to Moses in the burning bush. God was revealed to Isaiah in the Temple. But God has not been more fully revealed than in Jesus Christ. Any understanding of God that is not rooted in the revelation of Jesus Christ is necessarily going to fall short.

The Gospel of John begins by the writer taking the words of the creation story found in Genesis 1:1ff and revisioning them in light of Jesus Christ. Instead of “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). Creation happens in John’s account as well, but it understands this creation as occuring through the eternal Word. This was a revolutionary idea in first century Judaism.

“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God; the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This is known as the Shema, the monotheistic cry of Israel. Israel was alone in its monotheism in ancient times. Even today, one can only find three forms of monotheism – Judaism, Islam and Christianity, but in antiquity, it was relatively unheard of for there to only be one God. But as one continues to read John’s gospel, one begins to see that this monotheism is taking a new turn. It is being reinterpreted in light of Jesus Christ. Kinlaw writes,

The key phrase in Genesis 1 is ‘and God said.’ It is significant that the Hebrew word used for God (Elohim) is plural while the verb for ‘said’ (wayyo’mer) is singular. In there beginning there was one God, but in that oneness there was a richness that a singular noun had difficulty conveying. With God was his Word, and the Word had its own distinctness. Thus, John could amplify the Genesis account and tell us that creation was the work of the Word of God (23).

It is clear by the end of the gospel that there is a unique relationship between the Son and the Father. The monotheistic cry of the Jews does not change (remember, the early Christians still considered themselves to be Jews), but it takes on a new light. No longer is God understood to be a single monad, but rather, God is understood by the end of the first century Christians to be Triune – three-in-one. It is the great mystery of faith.

So, where do we begin with our theology? It only makes sense that our theology begins with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the full representation of the Father, and our understanding of the Father needs to be re-evaluated in light of Jesus. So, as Dr. Kinlaw suggests, let’s start with Jesus.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

The Journey or the Destination: Reflections from Ezekiel 37

2007-05-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I guess getting ready to move after four years of school has a way of doing that to someone. I graduated from seminary not too long ago, and as of the time of this writing, I do not exactly know where I am going. My wife has a job back home, and I will be transferring to a retail store, but no word on a ministry job just yet. It’s a very exciting time, but it is also a very uncertain time. I’m starting to get an idea of what Dickens meant when he wrote, “It was the best of time; it was the worst of times.”

I was reading Ezekiel 37 the other day, and my wife came in and asked me why I was studying. I don’t have classes anymore. I’m not required to read anything now. My response, “I finally have a chance to study what I want.” I’ve been thinking a lot about renewal lately. It is rather appropriate given that I’ve been worn down from studying pretty much since January of ’06. I haven’t taken a break from classes in well over a year. Immediately, my mind shifted to the Valley of the Dry Bones, which is found in Ezekiel 37. I’m still working through the chapter, but for the first time in a while, I felt like writing.

In Eze 37:2, the bones have been described as “very dry,” and we get the idea that this valley is full of these dry bones. To emphasize the fact that the bones are dry (in fact, the Hebrew word can also be translated, exceedingly) is to point out the total lack of life that is involved when it comes to the bones. A dry bone is about as far away from life as one can possibly get. It does not get any worse for a bone than this. This was the state of Israel. Israel was in exile at this time. Ezekiel is writing and doing ministry in Babylon among the Israelite exiles. They had gotten to the point where they were so far from life – so far from Yahweh – that they were nothing more than dry bones in a valley. However, this analogy does not end with Israel. This is also the state of those who are living life apart from Christ. In the gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). If no one comes to the Father without Jesus, and the Father is also described throughout Scripture as the Creator, then there is no life outside of one’s relationship with God. Sure, there’s physical life, there’s psychological life, and there’s emotional life, but that’s not the whole story. There’s more to life than just the physical, psychological and emotional. The most important part of life is our spiritual life. There is no true life without our spiritual life. We cannot live life to the fullest unless we pay attention to the spiritual aspect of our lives, and develop the relationship with our Creator.

So, Ezekiel is taken to this valley that is full of dry bones. The sheer number and the condition of the bones have to be rather disheartening for the prophet, but then he is asked a question. “Can these bones live?” God, the creator and sustainer of all life, is asking Ezekiel if these bones can live. Of all who could possibly asking this question, one would think that God would never ask a question such as this… unless He was trying to make a point. I think Ezekiel got it. His response, “O Lord God, you know” (Eze 37:3), or as the NIV puts it, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” No matter the situation, no matter how bad things may look, there is one who can bring new life – even from the driest of bones. Ezekiel got it – with God all things are possible, and God tells Ezekiel to prophesy. God tells Ezekiel to tell the bones to “hear the word of the Lord” (Eze 37:4). This is how they start to come to life – they hear the Word. In the beginning God speaks and creation happens. Every step along the way is guided by the word of God. So, what happens when Ezekiel shares the word of God with these very dry bones? There is a rattling and the bones come together, then the sinews, then the flesh, and then the skin, but there is not life just yet. Life does not happen for the bones until the breath enters into them. The Hebrew word used for breath is a fantastic word. It is ru’ach, which means breath, or spirit. In other words, the spirit of God is what ultimately brings the bones to life.

The movement from dry bones to new life is a process. There is no reason why God couldn’t have brought them back immediately. As Ezekiel made clear, with God anything is possible. It seems as though there is something important about the process, something about the journey that is key on the path to wholeness. We live in a society now that wants immediate results. We can get fast food when we’re hungry. We have gas stations and Wal-Marts that are open 24 hours a day, so we can get whatever we want whenever we want. Immediate gratification is a value in our society. We also have the other extreme.

There are parts of our society that focus more on the process and totally forget about the results. I pass a certain church on my way to work, and they usually have some banner out front that makes me wonder about the kinds of things that they teach. For a long time, they had one that said, “Real faith is about searching for answers, not presuming to know them.” You see, they place the emphasis on the quest. They emphasize the journey to the extent that it becomes what is important; it becomes the content of faith. This is just as mistaken as placing all the emphasis on the results. God has done a lot of work on me over the years, and very rarely has any big work been done immediately. Often it is a long, drawn out process because of my own stubbornness. So, I guess when the question comes up – the journey or the destination – what are we to say? I think the best answer is, “Yes, and yes.” There is a delicate balance that we have to maintain between emphasizing the journey and emphasizing the destination. We go on a road trip so that we can get somewhere, but we also go on a road trip to enjoy some of the scenery along the way. The path of spiritual renewal is both a process and a destination. The dry bones could have suddenly come to life by the hand of God, but He brought them to life through a process.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

A Perspective on History

2007-03-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

What is so significant about history? When we read Scripture, we often see the phrase, "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." The Israelites had a rich tradition. Their roots went deep. It was significant that the God of their forefathers was their God. Their history was a rich one, and they knew about it. Who they are as Jews is wrapped up in their history.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 follows a key verse known as the Shema (vv. 4-5). The Shema is widely considered to be the greatest commandment. In fact, when Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment, he replies with the Shema. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Dt. 6:4-5; Mk. 12:29-30).

When we read the Shema, often we stop there. I remember my accountability group memorizing vv.4-5 a couple of years ago, and we were challenged to memorize vv.6-9 as well. They go hand in hand. You cannot take vv.4-5 without also reading vv.6-9. So, what is so significant about Dt. 6:6-9? Yes, vv.4-5 are widely considered to be the most important in Judaism, but vv.6-9 demonstrate just how important it is.

Dt. 6:6 - The commandment "shall be in your heart."
The commands given by God are not intended to be rules that we follow out of some kind of formal legalism, but they are guidelines to which we submit as a form of humble obedience to God. As we continue through the Israelite history, it is clear that the former is what ended up taking place. The commandments of God were not seen as freedom to serve God, but came to be a "ball and chain" of sorts. There was the legalistic hedge built around the commands that were followed because they were there, not out of obedience to God. Over time, this heart that was supposed to keep God's commands became a heart of stone. Perhaps this is why the New Covenant refers to the heart. "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Eze. 36:26).

Dt. 6:7 - The Israelites were commanded to "teach them to your children."
The family unit is central to keeping the commands of God. It is through the family that God's commands are learned. The family model of discipleship is brought forth at this point in Scripture.

God's primary characteristic in Scripture is holiness, and God desires the same for His people. "For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44) If we are to be a holy people because God is holy, we need to follow God's expression of holiness, which is found in a perfect balance between love and righteousness. Our response to God's holiness, as a holy people of God, is to be love and obedience. In doing so, we set the example for the next generation. By responding to God's holiness through love and obedience, we set the example for our children - biological or not. By teaching God's commands to our children, we continue the legacy of our forefathers in the faith and we fulfill God's original intention of living in relationship with the one true God.

So, what's so signficant about history? Have you ever been told, "Let's not re-invent the wheel"? It seems like such a silly phrase, but what does it mean? We are not starting fresh. We stand on the shoulders of giants. The history that we read about in Scripture is not a string of stories brouth together for our amusement. It is the story of who we are. It is our story, our heritage. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is our God. Once we have an idea of where we came from we can get a better idea of where we are going.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

The Ministry of a Slave

2006-12-07T07:20:00.000-08:00

The following was a sermon preached in my PR620 class at Asbury Theological Seminary on December 4, 2006. The text below is Romans 1:1-7 and is from my translation of the Greek.

Romans 1:1-7
Paul slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle having been set apart into the gospel of God, which he promised through his prophets in Holy Scriptures concerning His Son who was born out of the seed of David according to the flesh, being declared the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we received grace and apostleship into obedience of faith in all the nations for the sake of his name, among which you are also called of Jesus Christ,
To all being in Rome beloved of God, called to be holy,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you ever written a letter to someone you’ve never met? Maybe it was that pen pal program in the 4th grade, or the Compassion International child in Guatemala, or – for the UM candidates in the room – that letter to your district superintendent to let him/her know that you feel called to ministry. What do you say? It’s awkward; it’s uncomfortable, but sometimes, it’s necessary. What do you write these people that you’ve never met?

When Paul wrote the church in Rome, he faced this same sort of dilemma. This was a church that he did not establish. This was a church that he had never even seen. But this was also a church in the center of the Roman world – it was in the heart of the political, economic and cultural center of the world. It was a church with which Paul wanted to establish a relationship. It was a church that had the potential to reach across the entire Roman Empire. Now, maybe what we had to write to our 4th grade pen pal from the school across town didn’t have this type of magnitude, but nonetheless, the type of information given is similar. So, where do we start? We, like Paul, begin by writing about who we are.

Paul starts his letter with a description of who he is. In some translations, Paul is a servant of Christ, but his language is much stronger than simply “servant.” He describes himself as a douloj, or a slave, of Christ Jesus. While servant is not necessarily an inaccurate translation of the word, it doesn’t really catch all the nuances. When we think of “servants,” we think of someone who is hired labor. There is a certain amount of liberty that comes with being a servant, even though there are some demands placed on the servant by others. However, when we think of “slaves,” we get a very different picture.

We think of the Civil War, Roots, the Underground Railroad. We think of forced servitude in which the slave has no choice but to obey the master. Now while the American system of slavery differed from the Greco-Roman system, those are the same type of connotations that would come across. There really is no individual freedom when it comes to slavery. The slave must be fully obedient to the master.

Later on in the letter, Paul speaks about what it means to be a slave. In 6:15-23, he uses the term six times and the verb form two more times, but it is found nowhere else throughout the letter. In 6:16, Paul tells us that a person is a slave of the one that he/she obeys – we can either be slaves of sin, or slaves of righteousness. For Paul, then, to describe himself as a slave of Christ means that he is pointing to whom he obeys. More importantly, this is the first thing that Paul says about himself.

We all know the story of Paul – we can read the litany of his pre-Christian pedigree in Philippians 3, we can read the story of his call in Acts 9, we can follow his missionary journeys throughout the rest of Acts. There are hundreds of things to which he can point if he wanted to impress somebody with his credentials, but he doesn’t. The first thing Paul says about himself is that he is a douloj of Christ Jesus. You see, Paul’s identity is not wrapped up in who he is, but rather, in whose he is. Being a slave of Christ Jesus frames everything else that Paul has to say about himself, and this is no less applicable to us today.

Perhaps it is appropriate, then, that the next characteristic Paul uses to describe himself is that of apostleship. Conceptually, apostleship and slavery are two very different things, but Paul appears to be linking them here. An apostle was one who had leadership in the early church. Typically, an apostle was one who had seen the risen Lord, and most often we associate the title apostle with the twelve disciples. On the other hand, a slave was one who had nothing in the eyes of the Roman world. Even more, in some circles, they were considered to be nothing more than tools to be used and thrown away.

Nevertheless, Paul seems to think of his apostleship as subservient to being a slave of Christ. Paul’s apostleship comes out of his total submission to Christ. In other words, Paul is saying that to be an apostle, one must be a slave. For one to be an apostle – to be “sent out,” as the Greek word suggests – one must be willing to submit his/her whole life to Christ. We, as future leaders of the Christian church, are not exempt from this mandate either. If we are truly called to be sent out into the world for the sake of the gospel, then we have no choice but to recognize that we are to live our lives of apostleship as slaves of Christ. Apart from Christ, our apostleship is nothing more than a quest for attention.

We live in a society that points to what we do and what we have as the primary identifiers of who we are, but this is a lie. What we do should be in response to the life that we have in Christ, and what we have is nothing compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, as Paul writes in Philippians 3. All that we are and have should be framed by our relationship to Jesus. We are not what we do. Our identity comes from the one who laid down his life for our own. For us, just as it was for Paul, who we are is not as important as whose we are.

But wait a minute! Paul is introducing himself, not speaking in general terms for all Christians, right? Isn’t he just letting the Roman Christians know who he is before going into some deeper theological material? Or is there something more going on here? Notice the shift in language beginning in verse 4. It’s subtle, but important.

Who is the gospel about? Who is the descendant of the line of David, according to the flesh? Who does the Spirit of holiness declare to be the Son of God? Who is it that was resurrected from the dead? Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul doesn’t say, “Jesus Christ my Lord,” but it’s “Jesus Christ our Lord.” And it is through him that “we received grace and apostleship.” Paul has moved away from simply introducing himself to the Roman Christians, and is making the point that they are also called to apostleship. They are called to be sent out to all the nations as well. It is not just Paul who is sent out among the nations; it is all Christians.

When Jesus calls the disciples in Mark 3:14-15, his purposes are twofold: 1) that they may be with him, and 2) that they may be sent out. The call of discipleship still rings out today, and these same purposes still exist. Our first call is to be with Christ. It is only when we are with Christ that we can truly be sent out for the sake of the gospel. And we can only be sent out if we have submitted ourselves to Christ.

Paul’s self-identification as a slave is a recognition of his proper position before the Lord. Not only does it frame Paul’s apostleship, but it is intended to frame our apostleship. You see, Paul’s introduction is more than just personal information for us to gloss over as we get to the meat of the letter. It frames the entire letter – not only so they may know who he is, but that the readers may know who they are.

Paul understood himself as a person redeemed by the grace of God. He understood himself to be free from the sin that permeated his life before he encountered Christ on the road to Damascus. He could look back on his life and see that once he was a slave to sin, but now he is something different. He is no longer enslaved by the power of sin, but has been set free – free to obey a new master, Christ. It is this very same Christ that came as a baby two thousand years ago to set us free so that we can look back at what our lives used to be, and then look forward and kneel before the Lord in total submission, recognizing our proper position before Him.

As we enter the season of Advent – a season of hope and expectation – let us remember that the way to the cross begins with a manger. While Paul offers his call as an example of an appropriate response to grace, we must also remember the example that Paul followed. The example given by God, the Creator of the universe, who came to earth, took on flesh and began the plan of redemption as a baby. The ultimate example of servitude was offered by the one who has no master. It is this example that we must set for those we serve. It is the recognition of who we are in Christ.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

Trusting God in Times of Difficulty

2006-11-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

The following is a sermon that I wrote and preached in PR620, my preaching class at Asbury Theological Seminary. This was actually the second sermon I have ever preached, and I thought I'd throw it out there for y'all to see. Hopefully it will speak a timely word to someone out there as we approach the season of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." 12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." 13 Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. 16 But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. (Isaiah 7:10-16).

We’ve all had difficult times. This time of the year we’re stressed out about papers, presentations, tests and sermons. The weather outside is constantly changing, playing havoc on our sinuses. Some of us here tonight are probably battling some sort of illness. To top it off, we live in uncertain times - wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; reports of nuclear tests in North Korea. There is no doubt that these are troubling times, and our response in the midst of these challenging times is the true mark of our faith. Now, let’s flashback to Palestine 2800 years ago.

Ahaz is the king of Judah, the southern kingdom. The Assyrian Empire is the greatest military force seen since the days of Egypt, having much of the area under its control. Syria, Israel and Judah are among the kingdoms paying tribute to the Assyrians, when Syria and Israel get the outlandish idea to join together and go against Assyria. This plan includes Judah. However, Ahaz is no fool. He wants nothing to do with the situation, and refuses to join them. At this point, the kings of Syria and Israel decide to march against Judah, overthrow Ahaz and replace him with someone who would bring Judah into the alliance. Undoubtedly, these are troubling times, and it is into this context that God speaks.

There are three key elements in the situation surrounding Isaiah’s meeting with Ahaz. First, Isaiah is accompanied by his son, Shear-Jashub, whose name means, “a remnant will return.” Second, Isaiah is to meet Ahaz at the end of an aqueduct. Aqueducts were important structures in the ancient world, especially in the event of a seige by an enemy army. Third, the meeting also takes place on the highway. Highways in the ancient world served two major purposes – as trade routes and as a way to easily move military forces. As you can imagine, Ahaz sees the irony of the situation. He is already worried about the coming armies of Syria and Israel, and now he is meeting with Isaiah surrounded by the symbolism of war. In spite of the symbolism surrounding the meeting and the dark cloud of war hanging over the nation, Isaiah is there to give Ahaz comfort.

Even when all of the signs point to the unthinkable as an immanent reality, God is still present. Remember the story of Joseph? His brothers sold him into slavery. He was eventually thrown into prison, but he ended up as Pharaoh’s second in command and saved the line of Israel in time of famine. And what about Acts 12 when Peter is in prison? Things were not looking good for him. Shortly after Herod had James killed, he arrested Peter, presumably with the same intention. The night before Herod was going to try Peter, a group was praying for Peter’s release. An angel appeared to Peter and helped him escape. No matter how dark the situation looks from our perspective, God is still in charge, and He has a way of turning situations around. The question here is, “Will Ahaz let God turn things around for Judah?”

Isaiah’s message of comfort is found in 7:7-9. He tells Ahaz that the plans made against him by the rulers of Syria and Israel will not come to pass, and this word of comfort also comes with a greater promise. “If you do not stand firm, you will not stand at all” (Is. 7:9b). Isaiah promises that Ahaz will make it through this difficult time, in spite of all that is coming his way, in spite of how bad things look at this time, and to top it off, he will be established by God if he only remains faithful.

The second part of the message is tonight’s Scripture, and it was intended to increase Ahaz’s faith. Isaiah tells him to ask for a sign as proof of the promise just given. Biblically speaking a sign typically has a twofold purpose. First of all, it points to something beyond itself. Secondly, it encourages one’s faith. While it is not unheard of for God to give a sign – He does so in 1 Sam 10 after Saul is anointed as king – it is not very common outside of the ministry of Jesus. So the Lord offering a sign to Ahaz was a pretty big deal. Ahaz’s response in this particular situation is indicative of where his heart is and does not reflect the kind of response that the Lord was wanting from Judah’s king.

On the surface, Ahaz’s response is actually very good. Deuteronomy 6:16 is a specific commandment that says, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” We’ve heard this quoted before, haven’t we? It is the same response that Jesus gives Satan at the pinnacle of the temple in Matthew 4:5-7, when Satan tells Jesus to throw himself down and let the angels catch him. So, for Ahaz to refuse to test the Lord is actually a very pious thing, and an act of obedience to the Mosaic Law. Actually, let me correct myself, it is an act of obedience to the letter of the Mosaic Law. You see, this is Isaiah’s problem with Ahaz’s response. If we read the flow of the narrative, it doesn’t seem to make much sense for Isaiah to be so upset with Ahaz. His reaction does not seem to fit with Ahaz’s response. Isaiah appears to be displeased with Ahaz, but on the surface, all Ahaz does is defer to the commands of the Mosaic Law. So, why would Isaiah react in such a way?

Isaiah’s response comes out of knowing the heart of Ahaz. Ahaz was not considered to be a good king. He may have been politically savvy and able to temporarily save Judah from Israel and Syria, so in the eyes of the world, he may have been a successful king; however the Old Testament reveals a different standard, and it is a standard that we all face – the standard of righteousness. The writer of 2 Chronicles gives the following verdict on Ahaz’s reign, “He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chron 28:1). If we look at 2 Kings 16, we see the same statement. Idolatry and child sacrifice were among the charges brought against him; neither of which were really all that uncommon in his day, nor were they really condemned outside of Scripture. While the annals of history may look favorably upon what Ahaz accomplished in his reign, Scripture gives a different measurement. And let’s think about it, how much do we know now about Ahaz’s reign in Judah? Outside of Scripture, what sources even mention Ahaz and the things he accomplished as king? His legacy is forever linked to his unfaithfulness, not to his worldly success. And let’s not fool ourselves, the same measure stands for us today.

Ahaz’s response to Isaiah’s request to ask for a sign was met with such contempt because it reflected the same unfaithfulness that was seen throughout his life. Ahaz had no intention of trusting in the Lord. Shortly after this meeting, Ahaz would ask the Assyrian king for help. In doing so, he allowed one of the world’s most ruthless armies to camp in his backyard. Sure, it eased the problems he had with Syria and Israel, but it also brought on a whole new set of issues for his country to deal with after his death. Ahaz fell into the trap of thinking that the Lord was just like the other gods of the ancient world. If you say and do the right things, then they would be on your side. But God isn’t like that. God is not satisfied with us simply going through the motions of faith, all the while lacking true faith. God looks deeper, even to the depths of our hearts.

In spite of Ahaz’s response, the Lord gives him a sign. It’s known as the Sign of Immanuel, and throughout Christian history it has been understood to have fulfilled something far beyond what Isaiah was talking about. A young woman who was not yet married would conceive and bear a son, whose name will be Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Before the time when this child would know the difference between good and evil, the enemies of Judah will be no more. In the immediate context, Isaiah was either talking about a young woman who was near, or the prophetess who is mentioned in 8:3. The demise of Syria and Israel was not far off.
However, Matthew 1:23 views the prophecy in a new light. Matthew sees the birth of Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Immanuel, “God with us,” cannot be more fulfilled than it is in Christ Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. And not only does Jesus bring forth the fullness of the prophecy, he shows a completely different response in the midst of troubling times. Where Ahaz fails, Jesus gives the ultimate demonstration. On the eve of his arrest, Jesus is praying in the garden at Gethsemane. He knows what awaits him in the coming day, and yet, he submits himself to God.

In the face of difficult times, Ahaz decided that it was best to rely on the strength of the Assyrian army, rather than on the trustworthiness of God. Now, contrast that attitude with the attitude of Jesus. In the face of all sorts of trials and persecution, Jesus never strayed from obedience to the Father. Was it difficult? I think Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane shows the inner struggle that he was going through, but he obeyed the Father no matter the cost. And ultimately it cost him his life. Jesus humbled himself to the point death, and through this humbleness, he was highly exalted by God. What did Ahaz’s response get him? Until Christ returns, people will learn from Ahaz that there are severe consequences for failing to trust in the Lord. He will always be the example of what NOT to do.

So, the question tonight is, “Who will you rely on in the difficult times?” Will you look for strength within the context of what the world thinks is right? Will you dig down deep, pull yourself up by the bootstraps and plow through the difficult times? Or will you seek a different path? Will you have the courage to rely on God in faith? Will you look away from what the world says is right and towards the refuge that is available by the grace of God through Christ Jesus?

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim

The Call to Discipleship

2006-10-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

As I've been preparing for ministry, one common theme has continually popped up. It is where I believe my primary work in ministry will rest. It is something to which all Christians are called, but very few take the time to equip themselves properly. It is a call to discipleship. What does it mean to be a disciple? Discipleship is much more than simply being a believer. As we read through Mark's gospel, we see two distinct callings for the Twelve.

In Mark 1:16-20, Jesus is walking along the Sea of Galilee and sees Simon (Peter) and Andrew casting their nets into the sea. He calls out to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Mk 1:17). He then goes a little further calls to James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They too drop what they are doing and begin to follow Jesus.

This is the individual call to follow Jesus. Jesus comes to each of us with the call to follow him. Peter, Andrew, James and John immediately stop what they are doing and begin to follow Jesus. Peter and Andrew are in the midst of casting their nets when Jesus calls, and Mark tells us that they left their nets. I'm making a bit of an assumption here, but there is no indication that they brought in their nets before they left to follow Jesus. Mark writes, "They immediately left their nets and followed him" (Mk 1:18). He then goes to James and John, who stop mending their nets and leave their father in the boat with the hired help. The call to discipleship takes precedence over all areas of our lives, even our jobs and our family.

As we continue in Mark's gospel, the writer relates a series of healings. Demons are cast out and silenced, Peter's mother-in-law is healed, the multitudes are also healed. Jesus did not do this without the assistance of the Father either. Right in the middle of this section, Mark writes, "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed" (Mk 1:35). Jesus' power to heal comes from his connection with the Father. Mark then relates the healing of a leper (Mk 1:40-45) and a paralytic (Mk 2:1-12) before something familiar happens.

In Mk 1:16, Jesus is said to be walking by the Sea of Galilee. It is then that he calls Peter and Andrew, and a bit later James and John. In Mk 2:13, Jesus is also said to be walking beside the sea. He comes upon Levi the son of Alphaeus, who was a tax collector. Levi (also known as Matthew, see Mt 9:9), at Jesus' call, leaves his tax office and begins to follow Jesus. Mark seems to bookend the stories of healing and casting out demons with the calling of specific disciples. There is something about Jesus' ability to heal and restore life that is related to discipleship. If Jesus can heal the physical ailments of this life, how much more can he heal the spiritual? The basic condition of humanity is a fallen nature that is in need of restoration and redemption, and through Jesus Christ, this redemption and restoration is possible.

In Mark 2:18, Jesus begins by relating the Parable of Cloth and Wineskins. Jesus' words strike at the very heart of the established religion of his day. "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put in new wineskins" (Mk 2:21-22 NKJV). At first glance, this parable appears to be out of place; however, if one were to look at the wider context of the parable, something else comes to the surface. What follows are three key stories concerning Jesus and his relations with the religious establishment of the day.

In the first one (Mk 2:23-28), the disciples are plucking the heads of the grain in the fields so that they may have something to eat. The Pharisees question whether or not this is breaking the Sabbath. The idea is that the disciples are explicitly doing work on a day in which work was forbidden. Jesus addresses the Pharisees by retelling the story of David found in 1 Samuel 21. Jesus concludes by saying that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. In other words, the Sabbath was intended to be a time of rest, not of strict adherence to the Pharisaic laws of the day, which were more of a burden than a blessing.

The second story has to do with Jesus healing a man who had a "withered" hand. The word used is exeranthe, which points to the idea of something being dried up. It is often used in the Old Testament in reference to rivers, streams, or even the earth (in the case of the flood) being dried up. In Israel, as everywhere else, water is an important commodity; one that symbolizes life. To say that something was "dried up" would imply that there is no life in it. In other words, this man's hand had no life in it. It was useless. The Pharisees watched Jesus to see what he would do in this instance, and he asks them a question, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" (Mk 3:4). They did not respond because they wanted to accuse Jesus of working on the Sabbath. Jesus was grieved by the hardness that they displayed in their reaction to his question, and he healed the man. The Pharisees took the letter of the Law over the heart of the Law. Jesus points out that healing, the restorative physical action, is more important and gets to the heart of the Law.

The third story comes out of the Pharisees' response to Jesus' actions. In Mk 3:6, it is said that they began to plot with the Herodians (a secular political party) on how to kill Jesus. Jesus goes out from that meeting and continues his ministry of healing throughout the region. All the while, he is silencing the evil spirits who know Jesus' true identity as the Son of God.

It is at this point that the reader sees the second call of Jesus. In Mk 3:13-19, Jesus brings around him the Twelve, whose names are listed in vv. 16-19. The purpose for bringing them near is stated in the text, "that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons" (Mk 3:14-15). Before getting to this two-part calling, I would like to take a minute or two to delve into the Greek text.

Mark 3:13 states, "And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him." There is a lot lost in the nuances of the Greek once it is translated into English. In the Greek language there are several tenses. In English, we only really have past, present and future. Greek has six tenses: aorist, imperfect, pluperfect, present, perfect and future. In the Greek, time is not the only thing indicated in the tense. Greek also gives the sense of the action that is in view. For example, the aorist tense looks at an event as a whole. Imagine a parade. The aorist tense would look at the parade from start to finish and see it as though it were a snapshot - example, "I saw a parade." The present tense would see the parade as it is passing by - example, "I am seeing a parade." The imperfect tense would describe the parade as it passed by - example, "I was seeing a parade". The perfect, pluperfect and future tenses are not really relevant to the upcoming information, and so I will not address them at this time. So, why is the information on the present, imperfect and aorist tenses important?

There are four verbs listed in the Mark 3:13 passage. Let me translate it from the Greek and italicize the verbs that are used, as they appear in the Greek text. "And he is going up into the mountain and he is calling to himself those who he was wanting, and they came to him." Notice the verb tenses. The first two verbs are present tense verbs. Scholars have pointed out that there is such a usage of the present tense known as the historical present. Often an author will use the present tense in describing a past event in order to draw the audience in. The next verb is in the imperfect tense. It describes the motion of the verb in past time. Jesus "was wanting" these particular people. The final verb is in the aorist tense - "They came." What I find most facinating about all of this grammatical stuff is that Mark could have easily used the imperfect tense for the first two verbs (in fact, this is what one would expect to see here), but he intentionally chose to use the present tense. Jesus did not just call the Twelve, but he continues to call each of us even in this present time. Jesus' calling of the disciples may begin with the Twelve, but in no way does it end with them. And now the question is, "What does this call look like?"

I mentioned above that there is a two-part calling in vv.14-15. The first part of Jesus' call to his disciples is that they may "be with him." Discipleship requires that we spend time with Jesus. The first call of the disciple is to be with Jesus - that the students be in the presence of the Master. The second part of the calling has to do with the ministry that grows out of the relationship they have with Christ. It is because they are with Jesus that they can preach, heal the sick and cast out the demons. Just like Jesus in Mk 1:35, we have to be aware of the source of our power and stay connected to that source in order for the ministry that we undertake be faithful to the calling of Jesus Christ.

I want to walk just a little further in Mark's gospel before I call it a day on this post. Immediately after Jesus calls the Twelve for the purposes of being with him and being sent into ministry, Mark relates the story of Jesus' own (i.e. his family) coming to "lay hold of Him, for they said, 'He is out of His mind'" (Mk 3:21). What follows is a brief story about how the scribes attributed Jesus' work to the evil one. They claim that it is by the prince of demons that he drives out the demons. Jesus challenges their statement by saying that a house divided against itself does not stand, but comes to an end. He warns them of the blasphemies of which they speak in giving Satan credit for the work of God. At this point, the narrative moves back to his family. Jesus is told that his family is outside waiting on him, but his reply is shocking. "'Who is my mother, or my brothers?' And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother'" (Mk 3:33-35). Jesus redefines the nature of our relationships. Being a disciple of Christ necessitates that Christ is the center of our entire being, even to the point that our traditional relationships become redefined in the light of our relationship to Jesus.

There is so much more going on in Mark's gospel. I hope that the above work has helped to set forth a framework in which to read it in a new light. The call to discipleship is a call of restoration and redemption. It is a call to leave behind everything for the sake of the gospel. It is a call that causes us to not be slaves to the system of the religious establishment, but to be the slaves of Christ. Our primary relationship becomes our relationship with Jesus, and all other relationship have to be seen in the light of Christ Jesus.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.

The Radical Effects of Sin: Observations from Genesis 3

2006-08-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

In beginning to examine the radical effects of sin on humanity, the best place to start is the point at which sin entered into the world, known as the Fall. This is recounted in Genesis 3, but it is important to get the context before diving into the Fall. Genesis 3 comes right after the story of creation. In Genesis 2:15-17, God takes the man and puts him in the Garden of Eden “to till it and keep it.” God gave the man a threefold command. It was both positive, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden,” and negative, “but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,” and a consequential, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” Shortly after this, God created the woman and the chapter ends with the statement, “And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed” (Gen 2:25). This is a significant statement to keep in mind for later in Genesis 3, to which we now turn.

The serpent opens the chapter by asking a question of the woman, and we can see something about how the enemy works. The serpent is “crafty.” He knows what he is doing. He takes God’s words and twists them around. His question is, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (Gen 3:1). Clearly, the serpent is trying to mislead the woman in the conversation from the very beginning. God said nothing of the sort, and this should have been a non-issue from the start, but the woman’s response reveals something unsettling. She says, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die” (Gen 3:2-3). Notice the part in italics. God says nothing of the sort. There has been a hedge placed around the commands of God. She adds to the commands of God. Humanity has a tendency to build protective barriers. Protective barriers are not necessarily a bad thing, but these barriers can also lead to a negative form of legalism, which causes a misconstrued notion of the Word of God. It is the type of legalism that is seen in the Pharisees of the New Testament. The type that is more concerned with the outer appearances than with the inward goal of religion, which, according to John Wesley, is holiness.

There is a second issue that can be observed on this point. The way the serpent twists God’s words. He is intentionally trying to lead the woman astray here by making God out to be overly prohibitive. We see in the temptation of Jesus that Satan knows the Word, but we also see that Satan misuses the Word (cf. esp. Lk 4:9ff). This is no accident either. It’s not as if the serpent has his heart in the right place and is accidentally leading people astray. No, it is an intentional act on his part. This is how the enemy of our souls works. He tests us, hoping to trap us in our own words, which he does very well here with the woman. What he said makes sense, and there is a kernel of truth to it as well. He says, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4-5). Well, in one sense, he was right. Death did not come for the woman – at least not immediately – at least not physical death.

Ultimately death did come to the human race, as well as to all of creation, it happened spiritually right here, and down the road, it happens physically. There is no indication to this point in the biblical text that death was inevitable. How could it be? If creation was “very good” as God declared it, how could death be a part of it? Death is only mentioned in Genesis 2:17 as a consequence of eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Does the man have any concept of what death is? How could he? He had never seen death before? We all know and accept that people die – it’s been happening for millennia, but for the first man death was nothing more than a concept. Sometimes it seems as though it is that way for us now. We still do not understand death. We try to find all sorts of ways to keep people alive (not that there is anything wrong with saving life). We keep people from death as long as we can, but that does not mean we have any clue as to what death is in the first place. We can see here that death is a result of sin, but we are also looking at it from the far side of the resurrection.

The spiritual death that happens in the Fall is the separation of a defiled, unholy creation from a holy God – that is spiritual death. Physical death is merely a side consequence of spiritual death, of this separation from God. However, in Jesus, this separation is bridged. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Who are the lost, but those who are separated from God? Is there any way that one can be lost when one is with God? No, separation from God is the very definition of “lost-ness,” and it is this lost-ness that occurs in Genesis 3.

Ultimately the woman was taken in by what the serpent had to say. She “saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise” (Gen 3:6). She fell for it, but what was the original sin? Was it vanity? Well, in some sense, it was, but I don’t think that fully explains the whole situation. The serpent says that the woman would “be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:5). This may have contributed to her decision. She felt like there was something more out there for her, but maybe the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. John Wesley writes that the original sin was actually unbelief, faithlessness. In his Notes on the Old Testament, Wesley writes that the eating of the fruit implied unbelief of God’s word. At the heart of what is happening in the Fall is unbelief in the Word of God, and trust in the word of the enemy. Yes, I believe that there may have been some vanity (or pride) involved in the original sin, but this comes as a result in not trusting in God’s word.

If we stop to think about it again, the serpent was not totally lying. There was a kernel of truth in what he said – the woman’s eyes were opened. The woman came to know the difference between good and evil because she committed the first transgression. She knew the difference between good and evil, and here is where the serpent’s lie comes to the fore. There was no evil at the creation, remember – it was declared “very good” by God. The only evil that there was in all of the heavens and the earth was right in front of her, represented by the serpent, and she didn’t know it. When it comes to metaphysical concepts, one cannot see that which one does not know. The woman cannot know the difference between two things if she does not know what one is in the first place.

For centuries, women have been blamed for the inception of sin into the world. Now, doesn’t this all seem a little unfair? In some areas and cultures, women are seen as inferior to men, with some deferring to the woman’s “gullibility” as proof. However, what is said in Gen 3:6? “She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” What does this mean – “her husband with her”? At this point you’ll see all sorts of interpretive gymnastics that try to point out how the woman deceived the man into eating the fruit. Wesley’s Notes point out the possibility that the man was certainly not with her when she was deceived, lest he would have prevented her from being so deceived. However, I’ll have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Wesley on this point. The Septuagint, or the LXX (the Greek version of the Old Testament, so called because it is said that seventy different translators worked from Hebrew of the Old Testament to the exact same translation into Greek), uses the Greek word meta,, which is translated as the preposition “with.” This does not simply mean that they were related in some way. I believe this point to a physical “with-ness” between the man and the woman. In other words, I believe that the man was with the woman when she was speaking with the serpent here in Genesis 3. The text is pretty clear that the two were together at the time of the deception. There is also no indication in the text that they ate at different times either. Wouldn’t it have been clear if the woman ate of the fruit, had her eyes opened to sin, and then gave the fruit to the man? I believe it would have been explicitly stated in the text had this been the case. The Greek translation seems to point to the man and the woman eating the fruit simultaneously.

After eating the fruit, the man and the woman both had their eyes opened. They knew what sin was because they had committed it. At this point, we see a dramatic switch from what was said in 2:25 – “they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Instead of them not being ashamed of their nakedness, they covered themselves with fig leaves. Now I’ve done a little digging on exactly what a fig leaf is like, and I must say, this was probably not the best of choices for them to make. The leaves are large (up to 1 ft in length) and hairy (rough on the upper surface, and soft on the underside). The sap of the fig tree is also irritating to human skin. I can’t imagine that the fig leaf was all that comfortable of a covering. It is a striking contrast to what was said earlier in reference to the innocence of the man and the woman. A second major contrast is that the man and the woman hid when they heard the voice of the Lord. Why would they hide? Had they ever hid from the Lord before? This does not appear to be the case. Their shame and guilt led them to this point.

We finally come to the end of this drama. God confronts the man about what has happened, and instead of owning up to his disobedience, the man passes the buck. He says to God, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Gen 3:12). Effectually, the man is blaming the Creator. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad, but isn’t this still going on today? Don’t we live in a world where people fail time and time again to take responsibility for their actions? How often can we see somebody on Dr. Phil blaming every problem that they’ve ever had on their lousy upbringing? It’s a part of our history; it a part of our story. It begins after the beginning; at the point of the Fall, when man blames God for all his troubles. The woman is not any nobler in her response, blaming the serpent for his part in the deception.

Creation begins out of a simple phrase – “let there be light.” It climaxes in another – “it was very good.” Humanity is created to be the steward of this creation. Life in the very presence of God was available. However, as we all know, there was more to the story. Sin also begins out of a simple phrase – “did God really say….” And it climaxes in another, “the woman whom You gave to be with me….” Life of sorts is still available, but the presence of God is not. What was once created in the image of the Creator had fallen from its state of perfection. But perhaps what is most important in all of this, and what must not be overlooked, is the promise that is given. There is the promise that the seed of the woman will be bruised by the serpent, but also that this very seed will crush its head. This is the promise and the hope that is available through the power of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yes, the serpent bruised his heel, but the victory ultimately belongs to Christ, and it is in him that we also have victory.

A Gospel that Offends

2006-05-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

There’s a co-worker of mine with whom I have conversations a lot, mostly because he doesn't really do any work and likes to socialize. He’s an older guy and we tend to talk about semi-serious stuff from time to time. On one particular day, the conversation turned towards televangelists. He said that from time to time he and his wife will watch, “that guy down in Houston.” That guy he was referring to was Joel Osteen, and I told him that I had some issues with some of the things that I’ve heard him say. With a surprised look, he said, “We’ve never really heard him say anything all that controversial.” To which I responded, “Yeah, that’s part of my problem.”

I’m not saying that a person has to be controversial to mix things up and be interesting; however, there was one morning that I was flipping through the stations and he was on so I stopped for a little bit to listen to him. He was talking about joy. That’s a great subject to look at, especially in relation to Paul’s admonitions in Philippians. Joy is not happiness, but a sense of the peace of God that pervades one’s entire life. However, throughout the 5-10 minute segment that I was watching him, I heard him say several times that God wants us to be happy and joyful. He said the words “joy” and “happy” probably somewhere between 15-20 times in this segment, but never really said anything about God, and absolutely nothing about Jesus Christ.

I’m not an overly critical person when it comes to preaching. After all, I haven’t preached all that much myself. However, I have a problem with Osteen’s message because it is not comprehensive. Jesus said, “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me” (Mk 8:34). A cross wasn’t a pretty necklace, like it is today. It was an instrument of death - quite possibly the worst type of death that has ever been invented by man. Osteen’s gospel doesn’t preach this side of the Christian life. Yes, there will be hard times as a follower of Christ. Yes, ultimately, all things will be redeemed, but preaching a gospel that declares we will all be happy and life a good life here on earth is simply misleading.

Will Willimon, Bishop of the Northern Alabama Conference of the UMC, writes, “The story caused offense when it was first preached in places like Nazareth; we should not be surprised that it continues to offend. In fact, we preachers ought to be troubled when our handling of the Bible never offends!” (Shaped by the Bible, 63). He is writing in reference to Luke 4:16-30 in which Jesus begins his public ministry in Nazareth by teaching in the synagogue. Once the people realize what it is that he is really saying, they get seriously ticked off and try to throw him off of a cliff!!! This is Jesus we’re talking about here, not some guy who is on the television just trying to get people fired up for a cause. If the gospel pleases everybody, then is it really the gospel?

Jesus came that we might have life, but life as we define it is not how Jesus has defined it. Life is about being in a relationship with the Creator. This is something that we can’t do on our own, but only through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By the power of the Spirit, through the grace of God, we have life. Anything short of this is lacking.

Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.