Whirled Views

The Annunciation and Magnificat (Section 3f of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

The Underdog Song

It might be too crass to dub The Magnificat, the Underdog Song, but it seems to fit. Don’t get me wrong, Mary’s song is beautiful and poetic, but “The Magnificat” sounds so magnificent and majestic. And it is, but the content is unexpected.

Kings and queens are majestic. But God lifts the humble in this song. Royalty is magnificent, but rulers are brought down in this psalm of praise. I guess more than anything else, it highlights that God is the Magnificent One and He proves it by working through the weak, the weary, and the broken. It’s all over Luke – even in this beautiful song of rejoicing from Mary.

We can’t escape the reality that God loves the unlovable, the powerless, the weak. I think it’s because they are the closest to genuine humility – generally speaking. And God does His best work with the humble.

Read Mary’s Song and realize that this is a young girl, a teenager, who is giving up a lot of comfort in life and yet she still manages to praise God. She delights in God’s willingness to use the humble, to use her. Soak in the song. Read it a few times and ask God what He wants to teach you about worship and surrender and humility.

Read Luke 1.46-56

The Annunciation and Magnificat (Section 3e of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

The Bonds of Motherhood

Read Luke 1.39-45

This passage always seems like an odd fit in the flow of the Jesus birth narrative. But when I pause and look at it and do a little studying, the reality of the narrative resurfaces. It’s so surreal a lot of the time – a virgin birth, angels, the silencing of Zechariah. But this is Relationships 101. Mary’s been given a great mission and a great weight. What should she do? Go to someone who is more mature for support. Not only more mature, but also dealing with something similar. She needs support, and does she ever get it!

John is fulfilling his role of pointing others to Jesus before either are born – talk about an overachiever. And Elizabeth interprets the reason for John’s movement. She’s a prophetess and proclaims again that God is on the move.

And her statement that Mary is blessed isn’t a statement without context. It is a powerful statement from the Book of Judges. Mary is equated with the anti-Mary, Jael. She drove a tent peg through the head of a king that warred against Israel. While that doesn’t seem like something Mary would do, they still have something in common. They’re both involved in the deliverance of Israel. Jael fought for Israel to deliver them; Mary will give birth to the Messiah, the ultimate deliverer.

The passage closes with Elizabeth honoring Mary’s faith. How can you live out your faith in a way that people notice? Giving yourself to the deliverance of others by sharing your faith and/or loving people in practical ways? Or maybe you need to be an Elizabeth, bearing the burdens of others by sharing how God has carried you through difficult times? (see 2 Corinthians 1.3-4)

How might God want to use you this Christmas season in light of this passage?

The Annunciation and Magnificat (Section 3d of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-15T09:54:00.000-08:00

NOTE: I set the release time as PM instead of AM when I drafted this post. Sorry it wasn't up this morning. :(

A Simple Girl’s Faith

Read Luke 1.38

This verse is stunning. Its simplicity is unnerving. Powerful. Convicting.

Yesterday we looked at the cost Mary would pay for carrying the Messiah in her womb. At best she’d be looked at suspiciously; at worst killed for being an adulterer. Expected outcome: divorce and eventual destitution because no man would have her.

Now, the mission she’s given is breathtaking, to be sure. She will give birth to the Messiah, the Hope of Israel, the Hope of the World.

But let’s face it. She’s pretty special. She’s been selected for an opportunity above anyone else in all of human history. Good thing she wasn’t a negotiator. Maybe she would have requested some social standing – in her own time and place, not the respect she’s received since. Maybe she could ask for some financial comfort; instead, she’s the wife of a carpenter. At least a change of venue? Maybe God could relocate her to a town that didn’t know the story.

There are perhaps better requests she could have made … but she doesn’t. Her response is simple. Faith-full. Amazing.

“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

She’s giving God a blank check with her life. We like that idea until it comes to actually doing it. Then it’s a bit less romantic. What keeps you from giving God that blank check, from making Mary’s statement your own?

The Annunciation and Magnificat (Section 3c of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-14T09:31:00.001-08:00

Eternal Hope, Temporary Pain

A couple days ago we counted Mary’s blessings, reviewed what a tremendous honor God had given Mary. But there’s a dark side to this blessing. Pain. Not just the pain of childbearing, but the pain of shame. I know there’s been significant scientific advancement in the last 2000 years, but people still knew how babies were made in the ancient world. And it wasn’t through the agency of the Holy Spirit.

Read Luke 1.34-37

There’s a painful side of Christmas that doesn’t make it on the commercials or in the ads. Missing loved ones who have died, estranged relationships. Mary has some questions. She doesn’t doubt it can happen (unlike Zechariah); she is unsure about how it will happen.

It turns out that it will happen through a virgin birth. When you think of pain and hardship during the holidays, think of Mary as she began to show that she was with child. She would be considered and adulterer (she was betrothed to Joseph). He would have been expected to divorce her, which he almost did (see Matthew 1). She would have been marginalized in a small community as an unchaste woman. She would have brought shame on her betrothed and her family. The angel’s message was a high honor, but it also came at a high cost. This would not be easy for Mary.

As we are in the midst of the holiday season, what kind of pain are you bearing? Think about the pain from your past. How has God used that pain to bring blessing? Mary surely felt the sting of rejection by her culture and the weight of others’ opinions, but the blessing outweighed the pain. Is there anywhere you can see this in your own life?

Sunday Services

2009-12-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Just like last week, spend today thinking about how your pastor’s Sunday message can apply to your life. If you’re not at a church, below is our church’s link (Cypress Church) and Imago Dei Community in Portland (one of the churches that spearheaded the Advent Conspiracy). I preached in our church today, but I don’t think the audio will be up for a couple days.

Cypress Church

Imago Dei Community

The Annunciation and Magnificat (Section 3b of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

A Wonderful Life

When you go to a greeting card store, it isn’t uncommon to see some stationery with a naked, chubby baby with wings sprouting out of their backs. Angels. Apart from the freakish nature of having wings growing out of someone’s back, they don’t elicit much awe. They’re cute. Cuddly. In today’s passage, Gabriel announces to Mary that she’ll give birth to the Messiah. She doesn’t say, “Aaaawww, how cute!” when she sees the angel. She’s afraid. God’s messengers are powerful and often say, immediately after their arrival, “Do not fear.” Today’s no exception.

Read 1.26-33

What a message! What a promise! Mary will give birth to Messiah, the Hope of Israel! The angel enumerates some general, but wonderful, blessings in Mary’s life. She has found favor. She will have a son – it is a great cultural blessing to have a son. This son will be great, bringing great honor on the family. He will be called God’s own Son! He will be a king that restores the glory of the Davidic Kingdom. Her life is flooded with blessing. Beyond these, she has a wonderful man to whom she is betrothed to be married.

On Monday we’ll see that there’s a dark side to blessings, but for now it is enough to think about God’s favor on Mary’s life. What about you? How has God blessed you? We’ll think about the challenges of blessings soon enough, but what are the promises ahead and the promises you’ve experienced that reveal the ways God has given you a wonderful life.

The Annunciation and Magnificat (Section 3a of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-11T07:28:00.000-08:00

Surveying the Scene

God is on the move. We’ve seen that the unexpected is to be expected. It moves even the most faithful people to wonder how it could be. What we’ve heard so far is just beginning. Grander things are afoot, if you can believe it. We’ll spend the next few days looking at what happens when Mary hears she’ll give birth to Messiah. Again, let’s survey the scene and jot any notes that catch your attention after one walk through.

Luke 1.26-56

The Silence is Broken (Section 2d of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

Priestly "Faith," God's Grace

The promise has been laid out. John is going to be a great man who will prepare the way for Messiah … and Zechariah has the honor of being his father – even in his old age! Surely a godly man would jump at such an opportunity, this golden ‘temple moment.’

Read Luke 1.18-25

Maybe it’s unfair to say Zechariah didn’t jump at the opportunity, but there’s obviously some doubt. It’s clear that position (being a priest) doesn’t hold the corner on being filled with faith – a point that will be emphasized when Mary’s angelic encounter serves as a contrast.

Nonetheless, he gets the sign he asks for. He can’t speak. It probably isn’t funny for Zechariah, and it probably wasn’t humorous in that culture, but it strikes me as pretty funny today. He asked for a sign from a lack of faith (I’m not assuming I’d do better, by the way!) and he gets it – it’s a sign of gentle rebuke, however, instead of handwriting on the wall or something outstanding. That makes me smile.

One of the possible reasons the rebuke of silence was given was so the message of John’s birth, and of the coming Messiah, would not get out too soon. Jesus often attempted to restrain those He had healed from talking so this is a possibility.

The story turns from being difficult for Zechariah and Elizabeth to beautiful, however. She becomes pregnant. Her cultural shame has lifted. And most importantly, God is at work.

I don’t know that we can blame Zechariah, but we can learn from him. He was caught off-guard when God stepped in and revealed His plan. He didn’t know how to respond. Maybe that’s not right. He knew how to respond; he just didn’t think it possible.

Where’s your faith? How will you respond if God comes in with a change of plans that seems impossible? Will you trust Him or will doubt lead to a missed opportunity? Are you in the middle of a ‘temple moment’? How will you respond?

The Silence is Broken (Section 2c of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-09T06:06:00.000-08:00

The Promise

I don’t know what you imagine angels to be like, but if you imagine they’re the chubby little babies that you see on stationery, you’re wrong. You don’t want to pinch the cheeks of an angel when you encounter them. You want to die a quick, painless death – or worship them. Neither is acceptable.

Zechariah encounters an angel while offering sacrifice and receives a wonderful promise.

Read Luke 1.11-17.

Imagine hearing that promise. Imagine the joy! And it won’t be just joy for John, but for many people. John’s personal happiness is in view here, but the promises also communicate something important to all people.

God is on the move. God is at work in a special way – like He was in the time of Elijah. God’s people are going to flourish in all of this and his son is going to be in the middle of it. (Can you see John swelling with pride? I think I can.)

John actually plays a vital role of liking the OT prophets to the message of Jesus. He is a transitional player in the story of God’s salvation. God is at work and John gets to be part of it.

God has invited each of us to be part of His work. Perhaps none of us are as pivotal to the whole story as John, but God is calling us to be transitional players in the lives of those He is calling all around us.

What can you do this Christmas to point to Jesus – just like John was born to do?

The Silence is Broken (Section 2b of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

Blessings & Curses

Even in the land of the sit-com, context matters. While we specialize in raising issues and resolving them 30 minutes at a time (commercials included!), context makes the experience of the story more meaningful. Even if you can ‘get’ an episode of a show you’ve never seen before, there’s more meaning/humor/enjoyment when you know the characters and get the inside or running jokes.

Luke gets context, too. It seems almost odd that the story of Jesus begins with John’s birth, but look at John’s family. Let’s just take a portion of the text for today.

Read Luke 1.5-10

They are a picture of OT righteousness. Zecharaiah was a priest – and his wife was from the priestly line. They didn’t just have a good family, though. Their faith was real. They were righteous Jews. They lived out their covenant obligations. What’s the point? The Jesus story is not some unhinged event that happened in Israel apart from their vocation as God’s people. The Jesus story grows out of, and is the next step in, the story of God’s people Israel. This isn’t a random way for Luke to begin. It is giving us context. Jesus comes from faithful Jewish roots – as does His forerunner, John.

Zechariah and Elizabeth are the picture of the faithful being blessed. They surely have honor in their community. They are used of God. In fact, Zecharaiah was offering sacrifice during the evening prayers. This was the high point of his priestly career. The honor he was granted to do this would only happen once in a person’s lifetime. They were blessed, indeed.

But not all is perfect. Elizabeth can’t have a baby. Some would consider her cursed. It is likely she was still respected in the community because of their religious standing, but this would certainly hang like a cloud over them. As righteous and faithful and blessed as they were, not all was perfect.

What about you?

In the busyness of the season it is easy to forget how much you’ve been blessed. Take some time to list some specific blessings. I have a sheet of paper I list them on … and add to it periodically. I try to pray through that list and be thankful for everything from my wife and family to banana Slurpees. I need to try harder and pray through them more regularly.

But this passage isn’t all about blessings. There’s a cloud over Christmas for some. It may be a lonely season for some, a painful reminder of loss or alienation. Take some time to wrestle with that as well. Ask God how He wants you to work through whatever this dark side of Christmas might mean for you.

The beauty of this passage, and what might frustrate some of us, is the reality that Zechariah and Elizabeth are like a handful of OT characters. An older woman who shouldn’t be having babies is set up for the miraculous to happen.

Faithfulness and struggle seem to be a convergence zone for something wonderful to happen. (That sounds like it should have something to do with weather. Completely incidental if it does.) I don’t know what it will look like. It might only be a life of faithful struggle to the end, but I encourage you to keep faithful – even as you struggle – and see what God might do in that convergence zone in your life.

The Silence is Broken (Section 2a of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-07T06:11:00.000-08:00

Surveying the Scene

The last book in the Hebrew Scriptures is Malachi … or 2 Chronicles, depending on which version you’re using. Either way, it’s been centuries since God has spoken. But He’s on the move again. As we spend a few days looking at the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth, we’re going to see that God likes doing the unexpected. We’ll break it up as we go through this passage, but today’s assignment is small. Read Luke 1.5-25 and then think about how God likes to work in unexpected ways.

Read Luke 1.5-25.

How has God worked unexpectedly in your life? What difference has it made?

I lied!

2009-12-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

Just kidding about getting started today with the Advent story today. Actually, I’m only working a day or two ahead so I didn’t have everything mapped out yesterday. It will work best for the timing of our passages … and our limited ability to focus … to skip posts on Sundays so you can think on what your pastor shared. If you don’t go to a church, check out one of these links and let their Advent messages help prepare you for the season.

Cypress Church (Cypress, CA) - that's my church.

Imago Dei Community (Portland, OR)

And there are plenty more good ones, but I'm getting sleepy. Just being transparent :)

The Testimony to Incarnation (Section 1d of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

Prayer

Read Luke 1.1-4

Don’t worry. This is our last introductory/context-setting/broad stroke post. We’ll get to the storyline next.

A few years ago I was reading a journal article on how prayer is a key feature of all the turning points in Luke’s gospel. I thought it was an interesting article, but in my general exposure to the gospels at the time, I honestly thought it was a scholar trying to make too much of a pet theme. I saw the point, but didn’t buy the emphasis.

Maybe it’s the holidays getting to me, but I’m in the mood to buy it now. Our small group is going through Luke – I think I’ve mentioned that – and prayer really does subtly connect to key points along the narrative. I pulled that article off the shelf and I need to give it another look because I think I might be sold.

In some ways this doesn’t have direct bearing on the Advent story. It isn’t rich with prayer, but there’s a lot of communicating between heaven and earth. Angels are doing a lot of work in Luke 1-2, but as we think about prayer we realize it is a divine encounter.

We have this amazing privilege in prayer to be part of heaven and earth meeting as we communicate with God in prayer. It sounds beautiful. For some people it is a beautiful and rich experience. Others know it is important, but it is also work. Prayer is labor for some.

I wish I was one for whom prayer came easy. I’m not. It’s labor for me. I’m not always consistent. It sometimes feels like I’m talking to the ceiling – or floor. And yet it isn’t about my feelings. It is about talking with God - and listenting, too.

This Advent season is a reminder that God sent His Son to connect with earth. But we have the opportunity all the time to connect to heaven in prayer.

Don’t let this season go by without spending some good time praying – prayers of thanksgiving for God sending His Son, prayers of gratitude for our abundance, prayers of healing for the pain the holidays bring. Whatever you need, God wants to hear from you.

Don’t forget to give presence to God in prayer this Christmas. He wants to hear from you.

Tomorrow … the story begins!

The Testimony to Incarnation (Section 1c of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-04T06:02:00.000-08:00

The Margins

Read Luke 1.1-4

Yesterday we looked at “…the things that have been accomplished among us” and the gospel – Jesus saving us from the judgment due us. We can’t escape the reality of judgment. It is biblical and important.

But it shouldn’t be our entire motivation for embracing Jesus, either. He didn’t come to scare us into heaven; He came to bring us life and usher us into a new way of living. This is our last introductory look before we get to the texts leading to Jesus’ birth, but it is an important ‘big picture’ item that may not surface prominently in the first couple chapters of Luke. It is, however, an important theme in Luke that touches the hearts of people all over the world during the Christmas season.

God cares for the people on the margins. Bringing people from the edges of society to the center of God’s people is one of “…the things that have been accomplished among us.”

As I’ve read Jesus’ miracles through the years, I’ve been amazed at His power and pointed to His deity. Only God could do such amazing things. But if you think about it, that’s not true. The Bible has examples of people who do almost anything Jesus does – from a bottomless supply of food to raising the dead to healing leprosy.

There’s something more than power at work in Jesus miracles. Don’t get me wrong, power is important, but there’s compassion in them. That leper doesn’t just have a skin disease. He’s cut off from the people of God. He can’t worship at the Temple. But when Jesus heals him, he’s brought from the margins into the mainstream. He’s moved from unclean to clean.

Or that woman. The one who has been bleeding for years. She’s unclean. She can’t touch anyone else – or she’ll make them unclean. She can’t worship in the temple. She’s unclean. But Jesus heals her. Not only is her body made whole, but she is been given new life socially and spiritually. She can hug and be hugged without making others unqualified to worship. She can worship herself at God’s House. For the first time in years.

As we work through these first couple chapters of Luke (coming soon, I promise), it may not be as prominent as it is in the rest of the book, but Luke is known as the gospel most concerned with people on the margins.

Christmas is a time when we think of those on the margins. It is when our hearts hurt for those who can’t afford Christmas gifts – or even a warm meal. I’ve heard (don’t quote me!) that this is a great time for donations to ministries to those in need, but shortly after the holidays donations drop off. People are moved to alleviate need during this season.

If you read Luke and see Jesus’ desire to relieve pain – not just financial, but social and spiritual and physical – you see that this desire to help and heal is something God desires from each of us. How appropriate that, when we celebrate Jesus’ arrival to our world, we act more like He did. Helping the hurting, the needy, the broken.

What are you doing this season to bring hope to those who are hurting?

The Testimony to Incarnation (Section 1b of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

The Larger Story

Read Luke 1.1-4

“…the things that have been accomplished among us” sounds simple enough. It could be as simple as a checked-off To-Do List. Groceries. Check. Bank. Check. Take out the trash. Check. Things accomplished.

I don’t want to kill the momentum of the Advent season by making our eternal dwelling the first four verses of Luke’s gospel. At the same time, we want some context for the stories on the horizon. As we see the detailed brush strokes of Jesus’ arrival, we have to remember there are limits to the canvas. It is a story within a grander story.

Some of these elements will come out as we look at each passage, but over the next couple days I want to hit some big picture features we don’t want to overlook.

As I mentioned, Jesus’ arrival is a story within a story. God had promised a Messiah. This Messiah would save His people. Not just Israel, but He would make a way for the nations to worship God.

This might sound contradictory to what I said a couple days ago, but the culmination of the gospel story is Good Friday and Easter. Advent is the beginning that makes it possible. But Advent isn’t a preliminary. It is essential.

Mankind is broken. We don’t work the way we’re intended to work. You can’t fix yourself when you’re broken, either. We’re in trouble. It isn’t that we’re just stuck as broken that puts us in trouble. Our brokenness is actually rebellion. We want to live for ourselves, fix ourselves, save ourselves instead of finding healing in worshiping God, our Creator. We want to be self-sufficient – or at least choose and/or make our own Saviors. In a word, we’re rebels.

God would have every right (it’s odd to type something as obvious as the Creator having rights) to write us off. But He doesn’t. There are two reasons. First, God is just. While we may overlook injustice (unless we’re the wronged party J), God is perfect and cannot overlook injustice. His character requires that He punish it.

Next, God doesn’t write us off because He is merciful and He loves us and He created us to enjoy Him. He intends to see that it happens.

But there’s this chasm. Our rebellion separates us from Him. We don’t have anything in common. We’re as different as whales and mice (I’m open to a better comparison, by the way). There’s only the remotest similarity. Otherwise, the two just don’t meet.

We can’t cross the chasm. We’re broken. And we don’t want to. We’re rebels. But God does. He sends His Son, the Messiah, in the form of a rebel (a Galilean Jew) and yet who does not live His life as a rebel, but faithfully. More than faithful, He is a model of how to live a God-honoring, God-empowered life.

But Jesus is more than example of how to live. He does what none of us could do on our own. As rebels we deserve a rebel’s punishment. Death.

Before I continue, there’s something fascinating about Jesus. Some people want to check out now because they think I’m talking about them. Far from God and not living how they should. Others are thinking, “He’s talking about someone else because I have this thing wired.” Luke’s gospel seems to indicate Jesus would think both are wrong.

Those who think they’re far from God and are broken, who can smell death, and yet are longing for rescue … Jesus is near you and wants to bring you hope and wholeness.

For those who think they’re close and like to think about how bad everyone else is, Jesus generally has some salty words for you.

Sorry for the rabbit trail. Back to rebels deserving death. We’re all born rebels deserving death … and we continue to choose that way as long as we think we’re running our lives and making the rules. If you haven’t grappled with your rebellious heart, you haven’t grappled with the gospel.

So as rebels deserving death, Jesus, in the form of a rebel – yet without the rebellion – takes the rebel’s punishment for all of us. He was innocent, but dies a criminal’s death.

Rebellion must be punished. God’s justice demands it. But His love bears it. Jesus takes the punishment for all of us.

This is where Christmas is vital. If Jesus of Nazareth is just a Jewish carpenter who had an unlucky day on Good Friday, his death is a tragedy that would only pay for his own sin – if he was perfect. But if Jesus is God incarnate…

… if Christmas was when God put on skin, it changes everything. That death was not only sufficient to pay the debt of one rebel; it is infinitely valuable as the sacrifice of God Himself to pay the debt of every rebel, whose nature He took upon Himself.

Easter’s huge, but it’s nothing without Christmas.

Have you thought of yourself as a rebel? A traitor against God’s leadership?

Have you thought of the punishment due?

Have you accepted the rescue, the ransom offered by Jesus?

If so, take some time and give thanks for Good Friday and Easter.

If not, what keeps you from receiving the gift of life Jesus offers through the cross?

December 4 The Margins

Read Luke 1.1-4

Yesterday we looked at “…the things that have been accomplished among us” and the gospel – Jesus saving us from the judgment due us. We can’t escape the reality of judgment. It is biblical and important.

But it shouldn’t be our entire motivation for embracing Jesus, either. He didn’t come to scare us into heaven; He came to bring us life and usher us into a new way of living. This is our last introductory look before we get to the texts leading to Jesus’ birth, but it is an important ‘big picture’ item that may not surface prominently in the first couple chapters of Luke. It is, however, an important theme in Luke that touches the hearts of people all over the world during the Christmas season.

God cares for the people on the margins. Bringing people from the edges of society to the center of God’s people is one of “…the things that have been accomplished among us.”

The Testimony to Incarnation (Section 1a of the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee)

2009-12-02T06:53:00.000-08:00

Trust Scripture

On Sunday evening I was speaking with a man who blows off the Bible because it is written by men. My two year-old boy was with me so it wasn’t an opportunity for deep conversation, but Luke’s gospel begins with something that can help us walk through this objection.

Read Luke 1.1-4

Before we move on, did you grab your Bible and read it? This daily exercise will be built around Luke 1-2. Be sure to read the Scriptures each day because they are the tool the Holy Spirit uses to help us connect with Jesus.

In fact, this brief passage highlights Luke’s care in assembling an orderly account of Jesus’ story. The good news. Gospel. We’re going to spend a couple days looking at the broad implications of the “good news,” but before we do, Luke’s introduction is a perfect time to be reminded that we can trust God’s Word, the Bible.

An imperfect recollection from one of my seminary classes has proved more helpful to me than simply quoting Scripture, which is more than sufficient if you believe it is inspired. This will hopefully help remind you why you should believe it is inspired.

As we prepare to walk through Luke as God’s Word, I want you to trust His Word. If you struggle with trusting it, let me know if this process helps.

Why should we trust the gospels?
· They were written shortly after the events, particularly by ancient standards & in an oral culture.
· Two gospels were written by close associates (Matthew & John), one was written by a no-name, but had Peter’s backing to it (Mark), and one guy was Paul’s associate (Luke). Remember, Luke said eyewitness and researched accounts.
· Interestingly, there are no “made up” names for the gospel writers that would make it more acceptable.
· There are embarrassing things in the gospels if you’re trying to prove Jesus is the Son of God (e.g., Jesus not knowing the time of His return). You don’t short sell a guy when you’re trying to get everyone to “buy-in.” The authors are honest – even making themselves look foolish at times (Matthew 16.).
· There are things absent from the gospels that would have been helpful in solving early church issues – circumcision, Jew/Gentile – but the authors don’t put those issues in Jesus’ teaching narratives.
· These guys had nothing to gain from their story except death and suffering. And they held to the truth. There was no political gain. Eleven of the twelve were martyred, according to church history.

This is just scratching the surface. From here we would see what Jesus thought of the Scriptures, how Jesus promised further revelation, and how several New Testament Scriptures recognize God speaking through different authors.

But don’t forget. This research is given by Luke so Theophilus might have certainty about the things he’s heard. That’s a challenge in a skeptical world. What keeps you from certainty? In trusting the Scriptures? In trusting Jesus?

I hope there’s more ‘inspirational’ content to come (Who knows? I’m doing this day-to-day!), but this is a crucial starting point. The Bible is written so we can grasp the reality that God has come in the flesh in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth.

Will you trust the testimony of the Scriptures and try to live it?

If you’re not sure, would you at least be open to the possibility that God might speak to you through the Bible and through the Jesus the Bible reveals?

Please share any thoughts, questions, etc… you might have.

Introduction to the Nameless Luke Advent Thingee

2009-12-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

I’m haunted as I write this. OK. Maybe that’s a little over-dramatic, but something’s up. I’ve been a Christian for more than half my life now. I’ve known the Christmas story for longer than that. As a pastor, I’ve taught through the birth narratives – a few times. I’ve gone to seminary. I understand this.

But something different is happening this year. I’m coming to grips with the reality that I may not have the grip on this stuff I thought I had. Last year a friend shared a video from The Advent Conspiracy. It was compelling and it got me to thinking. Then this Christmas our church decided to do it. I’ve been preparing the teaching series and showing the DVD curriculum in a couple smaller groups. There’s a challenge to “remain in the gospel” during this busy season.

Certainly I want to stay focused on Jesus amid the cultural clutter of the season. That’s challenge enough and the Advent Conspiracy is proving a great tool for at least starting to wade through some of the challenges of keeping Christ central during Christmas.

Yet a thought started materializing last night at small group. I take Jesus for granted. Christmas is important for gifts and making Easter possible. Eternity hangs on Good Friday and Easter, but I give limited attention to Christmas.

It’s odd. I’ve taught on it. I’ve emphasized it. But I don’t know that I’ve dwelt in the incarnation. I haven’t soaked in the reality that the Eternal God took on flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. I take it as a given.

It shouldn’t be. I want to dwell in the incarnation, but, to be honest, I don’t know what to do about it. Instead of letting it pass, I’m going to try to wade through the first couple chapters of Luke for the month of December. I can't think of a worse time to do this. The season is crazy and this is going to be a big chunk of work - if I manage to keep up. But if it helps me (and hopefully others) stay focused during the season, it'll be worth it.

I’ve taught through these texts in our small group so it’s familiar territory, but I hope it will be particularly helpful during the Advent season for living in the gospel of Jesus and being formed by the incarnation. That’s my prayer for myself and, hopefully, for others.

If you’re interested in joining in, survey the scene for the next few weeks. Read Luke 1-2.

Please feel free to jot notes and insights on the reading - or questions, too - so we can share this experience together.

Missional Renaissance: Introduction

2009-11-30T06:01:00.000-08:00

I’ll catch up later on all the books I’ve read over the last few months, but failed to blog. I want to start working through the most recent book I’ve completed, Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church by Reggie McNeal. It is a very practical, challenging book. I’ll sketch the intro during this post and lay out the rest of the book over the next couple weeks.

Missional is a buzzword, but it is even more. McNeal believes it is the largest shift in the church since the Reformation. It is difficult to define, but McNeal italicizes: “Missional is a way of living, not an affiliation or activity” (p. xiv). The missional church looks differently at the way the church engages the world. The shifts that we’ll flesh out are a shift from internal to external ministry focus, program development to people development, and church-based to kingdom-based leadership. These are “not destinations; they are compass settings” (p. xvi).

And how we know whether we’re headed the right direction will change how we “keep score” to know if we’re being successful. For instance, right now churches determine success by the number of attendees, the offering, and how many people are serving in the church (or something like these). The missional church has a different scorecard. It will focus on how people are growing, how many hungry children are being fed, or how many inmates are mentored to mainstream back into life. Sometimes this is more difficult to track, but McNeal believes this is the new way.

These three shifts (and how we track success) means church is going to look really different in many cases. There are some key elements that contribute to these changes. First is “The Emergence of the Altruism Economy” – think Bono, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, or TOMS shoes (see picture). People are moved by giving to others and the church needs to move from being a recipient of generosity to a vehicle of generosity. The world is not impressed with “successful” churches. They want organizations that make a positive difference in the world. The church needs to focus externally.

Next, “The Search for Personal Growth.” Rick Warren’s Purpose-Driven Life sold millions because people want their lives to matter. Churches need to take life-change into consideration rather than program development. If going through the programs don’t actually affect life change, so much for the programs. People want to grow themselves and they want to see those less fortunate grow as well. I’m trying to do this in one of my mentoring relationships right now. Asking, “Where do you want to be in six months?” And then we’ll try to figure out how to get him there.

Finally, “The Hunger for Spirituality” is where religion is not clergy-dominated and expressed in sacred time and space, but in all aspects of one’s life. The idea is that the church should be present everywhere (that’s Kingdom-based thinking) rather than the church just being a place. We know this, we say it, but a missional mindset has no substitute for it.

Just reviewing my notes in the margins, I’m re-challenged by this book. I’m looking forward to getting into it again.

Go See The Blind Side

2009-11-29T06:31:00.000-08:00

Suzanne and I went to see The Blind Side last night. Wonderful film. Almost as good as the book. I posted on the book a few years ago. Here's what I thought then. It was a late afternoon showing and the theater was pretty full. I imagine it will be around a little while, but don't let it get away.

Sailing the Wine Dark Sea and St. Augustine

2009-11-27T06:36:00.000-08:00

Awhile back a friend was telling me how much he loved City of God by St. Augustine. History judges it to be great, but 1/3 of the way through, it isn’t making my short list. Much of it is my own shortcomings. I don’t know Roman history well enough to get some of his references and I’m not interested enough in Platonic thought to unravel his arguments where I currently find myself. My fault, not the saint's. Apparently I'm not as smart as my friend. I didn't need Augustine to know that fact.

City of God is a defense against those who blamed Christians for the crumbling of the Roman Empire. His defense of Christianity starts with dismantling the religious and philosophical climate of the day. I may get into Augustine’s work at another time; maybe I won’t. But he spends a good bit of time highlighting the debased morals of the Roman gods. “What does this have to do with Sailing the Wine Dark Sea?,” you ask.

Thomas Cahill has written a series of books he calls the “Hinges of History.” I loved the first, How the Irish Saved Civilization. I wasn’t as fond of The Gifts of the Jews – more liberal outlook on the OT than I’m comfortable with. His third is Desire of the Everlasting Hills, which is about the life of Jesus. I haven’t read that one. This summer I finished Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter. I linked it to Augustine and moral decline because, whether it is a fair picture or not, Cahill paints the ancient Greeks as a bawdy, promiscuous culture. I’m not speaking of nude statues, but the crude poetry he highlights, including men seducing young boys. While much of the high art was a celebration of the human form (specifically male, women were almost always clothed as virginity and chastity were highly honored for women), private art had its share of lewdness. And, perhaps as Augustine laid it out, Cahill denotes the degradation of art as correlating with the fall of Athens from prominence.

But there’s more to this book worth noting – and some of it very good. Cahill talks about Greek warriors and how their style of warfare are honored by influential military strategists and historians of our day. He shares how stories like the Odyssey were hundreds of years ahead of their time in identifying the emotions of one drawn to their home – something possibly dismissed at its time. Ancient Greeks identify the petulant Achilles as more a hero than the honorable Odysseus. He also talks about governance. He opens each chapter with a description of pertinent literature, highlighting key texts. Since I recently read the Oresteia, which he refers to in the book, I’ll save political comments for the post on the Oresteia.

When I think of Ancient Greece, I can’t help but think of philosophers above all else. Cahill surveys Greek philosophy in 50 pages. It is a nice, brief survey that spends a bulk of the time, after a brief discussion on pre-Socratic philosophy, on Socrates and Plato before moving on to Aristotle and some others. Cahill talks about the groundbreaking thinking, but also notes the arrogance, assuming Plato would be, either explicitly or hypothetically, be dismissive of democracy and women adding any value to society. For all the lofty thoughts, there are some pragmatic issues that mar their intellectual heroics.

After reading Sailing the Wine Dark Sea, it made its way to my give away/sell back stack in my office. I’ve now moved it back to my Bible Backgrounds section on my bookshelf. Do I recommend it? Not heartily. There are better books, but it isn’t a total loss, either. Quite a help, aren’t I?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T06:12:00.000-08:00

Be sure to give thanks for the many blessings in your life today.

Enjoy Psalm 111

Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance
of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy;
8 they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Abigail Adams

2009-11-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

Let’s see if I can get this blogging thing rolling again. Forgive the false promises form my last mini-spurt of posts. No promises this time, but I’ll give it another try. OK, to the content.

I love this quote:

“When men know not what do, they ought not to do, they know not what.”

Just started watching John Adams, the HBO mini-series, that my brother-in-law loaned me a few months ago. I don’t know if this is a real quote of Abigail Adams, but, if I understand it correctly, it’s fantastic. My translation: “If you’re too dumb to know what to do, you’re too dumb to know what can't be done, too. And you just may do the impossible.”

I don’t know if this happens to others, but I often feel paralyzed when I’m not sure what to do in a given situation. Sometimes there’s wisdom to waiting, to be sure. But sometimes not knowing what to do doesn’t bind you to boiler plate solutions. Perhaps the lack of pre-established answers (not knowing what to do) opens the door to new possibilities that nobody has ever imagined.

Not knowing, all of a sudden, seems like something to be envied rather than feared. What new horizons might God be opening up in your life. Might it be the very area where you don’t know what to do?

The Tipping Point

2009-10-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

OK. Confession: I didn’t actually read Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point. My wife and I listened to it as we drove up to Seattle and back … with the characters from Cars playing on the DVD player for the kids in the back. I need a hard copy of this book because I couldn’t take notes on my CD. I found it a fascinating study, however, on how cultural phenomena become, well, phenomenal.

I wish I could unpack it all, but it had great insight, particularly on different kinds of people and how they relate to social phenomena. There are people who are passionate about a topic – even as a hobby – that, while they may seem obnoxious, serve as great resources for making those products better. For example (I think I read this in a different book), somebody sends Google emails with a number on it. Nothing else. The folks at Google discovered it was when the word count on their homepage is getting too high. They want to keep things simple so they appreciate the emails to keep them in check. These folks are called Mavens, I believe.

Others are connectors. They may not have the deep knowledge, but they have social networks that get the right people together to make a movement happen.

There’s one more. I can’t remember what it is, but it is those who are influential. It might even be ‘influencers.’ These are the people that move people to doing something. The cool kids in some ways.

Jotting these notes down makes me want to really get a hard copy and mark it up because it has some good insights for leadership. Sometimes, when identifying leaders, I think in singular categories. It could be any one of Gladwell’s categories at a given time, but this book is really a challenge to see the value in the myriad of different people and their giftings and contributions. Sounds almost biblical (see 1 Corinthians 12 or Romans 12).

Back to it again … The Last Nine Innings

2009-10-09T22:43:00.000-07:00

I had the best intentions of keeping up on my blogging by catching up on the books I’ve read lately and not reflected and blogged upon. It’s now been almost a week since I’ve thought about it. But here goes…

I brought The Last Nine Innings by Charles Euchner on our trip to Kenya this summer in the event that I needed a break from all the studying I was doing on the trip. I started it on that trip, but didn’t really get into it. I think I finished it during vacation in Washington in August. It was a book that I was excited to read quite a while. I think I saw it recommended on the USS Mariner Reading List when it was a thread that several people were contributing to.

Over the last few years I’ve enjoyed reading a baseball book or two each year. I’ve enjoyed Out of Left Field, Weaver on Strategy, Cheater’s Guide to Baseball, and Moneyball (my favorite). I don’t know if I’ve reached baseball fatigue, the writing wasn’t that great, or what, but I wasn’t thrilled with this book. I didn’t devour it.

The organization of the book is interesting. Euchner uses Game 7 of the Yankees – Diamondbacks 2001 World Series as an opportunity to speak about different aspects of the game. For instance, he talks about starting pitching in the first inning – unpacking pitching in general with Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens as his examples. Then he talks about fielding in the bottom of the inning, highlighting Derek Jeter and Steve Finley … and so he goes through the nine innings with relief pitching, hitting, managing, etc…

I don’t know why I didn’t love it. It had everything. Randy Johnson winning. Yankees losing. Fascinating discussions on the science of hitting and pitching (the most violent action in all of sports!). An explanation of international scouting. Debates on pitching and fielding. A lot of great stuff, but, like I said, I wouldn’t enthusiastically endorse it like I would Moneyball or Weaver on Strategy. But if you like baseball, you’d probably like it. So … consider it endorsed, just not heartily endorsed.

The Nibelungenlied

2009-10-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

The Nibelungenlied is a German medieval epic. Track the storyline here. To answer the first question, I’m reading it because, while I feel like I had a sufficient education, there seems like a lot of classic stuff I’m missing out on. Also, I’d like to be broadly read rather than have tunnel vision on a particular area. Sometimes it means I read stuff I have little interest in. Other times, I find gems that I never would have thought I’d have any interest in. This is one of them … for the most part.

The Nibelungenlied was too long, but it was a great walk through medieval honor and chivalry – as well as treachery. I don’t know why, but I often expect books like these – even the Odyssey and the Illiad – to be boring because they’re old, but the passion and fury of battle in them is always exciting. Tarantino could get some mileage out of these books – helmets splitting, blood spurting. Epic battles.

Anyway, I come away from these books impressed with the honor and courage of many of these knights and their brotherhood. Something to aspire to and to instill in my boy. The flip side of this honor and brotherhood is sometimes the demeaning of their sisters or wives and the refusal to confront the treachery of their brothers due to their commitment to one another. I only read through one of these “classics” each year (my ‘to read’ categories are pretty long) so I won’t get to King Arthur and his guys for a couple years, but I’m looking forward to see how/if honor and faithfulness develops more thoroughly.

Either way, there was a lot of good stuff. I don’t know if I brought it out in the series of “Just War?” blog posts, but I distinctly remember the author of When God Says War is Right mentions the medieval warriors who were fierce in battle and honorable off the battlefield. The Nibelungenlied does not fit that mold specifically, but there are traces of it.

This wouldn’t be my most recommended book of the year, but if you’re into medieval lit – or curious about it (you’ve probably read it already if you’re into it) – you might like it.