Over this summer, I have had the (Dare I say it?) opportunity to work under David Pacholke at Finley Hospital in Dubuque, IA. To say the least, it may very well have been the hardest form of ministry I have ever encountered. Dealing with frailty on a regular basis gets to even the best of us. We realize it is hard. I can say first hand, it sucks.
This morning I went into a room for a patient that has been at the hospital sometime. She was weak, frail, and ultimately ready to die. But, still unwilling to give up on life. Her family sat around her wiping the tears away, trying to get some handle on why God was taking their mother away. I cannot be sure what they were thinking, but they made it clear that they didn't need me there. They needed to grieve, mourn, and let go.
It has become very clear from the first time I saw this patient that both her and her family didn't have a desire for me to be there with them. In this situation I am aware that the person is Methodist, so I assume they are people of faith. Although it sounds like their pastor has been visiting, it would seem that they would have a desire for the chaplain. Or, maybe they feel like they are covered, as if their is something we can do to feel comfortable about our frailty.
If nothing else, I have come to terms with human frailty. I do not assume to be completely aware of it, but I have come to terms with it. I have found that frailty does not bother me. I know I can break. I know I can die. I know this patient has broke, or is broken. I know she is going to die anytime now.
Here, though, is where being human and being frail becomes significantly important. It is our frailty and sinfulness that keeps us from breaching the chasm between this world and God. Jesus was the only offering that could breach the chasm. In doing so, God met us in our frailty and our sinfulness to give us eternal life through Jesus Christ. My hope for this patient, as is my hope for all humans, is to be aware and have faith in this concept. Because, if the concept is correct and more fact than some sort of religious tradition, it is the difference between human frailty and God gift to, in a sense, be invincible. God's gift through Jesus gives us the opportunity to be infinite. Human frailty then becomes no more than an outside image that we have confused to be weakness. For, through faith, our souls are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. A blood that will never thin, but give our souls a new birth.
In this new birth, we find new life. Frailty then is no more than a false concept put forth by people who have no hope. We though, who are in Christ, have hope. We have life. And we have no reason to fear frailty.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
"A Good Man Down": Reflections
Late yesterday afternoon I finally got my newest Sports Illustrated from the mail. On the cover, one sees Coach Ed Thomas intensely looking back at you. The column: "A Good Man Down: The Murder of a Beloved High School Coach".
Tragedy always strikes when we least expect it. This is a saying that has been amongst us and is said often. Often times, this is very true. For instance, a man in is late twenties in the best shape of his life who shortly will be on his way to a second duty for the service oversees, when suddenly he has a freak accident falling out of the back of a pickup. He lands on his skull, which fractures, and this man will eventually die. This man who served his country and had been shot at dies in a way any one on this earth could.
Often times, tragedy strikes and we should have expected it. The man who students (not just people, these kids were freshman and sophomores in high school) saw kill Ed Thomas had just been let out of psychiatric care four days earlier. This man had lead police on a wild chase after trying to demolish a house. This man's family knew he had troubles for some time, anywhere from drug use to psychiatric problems that may or may not have been a result of the drugs. Man or woman, it doesnt matter, the reality is stories like this are becoming headlines more often than not. Troubled young people with no ability to deal with these ever growing problems finding the ability to blame someone else. Then, with a specific target(s) in mind, he or she will go out with a gun and start shooting. Tragedy strikes. But we should have expected it. We could not have known the target, but we damn well should have known there was going to be a target.
From a theological perspective, the town Thomas lived in could not be handling the situation better. People are supporting this loved coach and they may be asking why, but they are not blaming God. The town is also, for the most part, even forgiving the family of the one who murdered Thomas, which is a prime example of what Jesus meant when he said forgive and love your enemies.
Theologically speaking, God did not intend for Thomas to die. We can debate all we want about whether or not God knew Thomas was going to die, but God did not send the killer. This boy was troubled and did something rash. God sent Jesus to heal, comfort, forgive, and ultimately die for us. Jesus, who now watches from afar is weeping. Jesus weeps. He cries for a life taken unjustly. He cries because one of his own, the allegid killer who had gone to Wartburg, a Lutheran School, has gone astray to vices of this world that will only bring about pain. Jesus weeps for a nation that is unable to control the next person who will go crazy, find a gun, and shoot. So, Jesus weeps.
Ed Thomas, you were an amazing coach who did not deserve to die. You were an example. You are sitting at the right hand of Jesus. You had faith that rebuilt cities and formed football teams. In terms of vocation, you took your faith and affected those around you. We who are left, will take note. We who are left, must do the same. We who are left, must take the initiative to try to show peace and grace to those who are on the verge of going crazy, finding a gun, and shooting. God help us, for we are an ever sinful nation.
Tragedy always strikes when we least expect it. This is a saying that has been amongst us and is said often. Often times, this is very true. For instance, a man in is late twenties in the best shape of his life who shortly will be on his way to a second duty for the service oversees, when suddenly he has a freak accident falling out of the back of a pickup. He lands on his skull, which fractures, and this man will eventually die. This man who served his country and had been shot at dies in a way any one on this earth could.
Often times, tragedy strikes and we should have expected it. The man who students (not just people, these kids were freshman and sophomores in high school) saw kill Ed Thomas had just been let out of psychiatric care four days earlier. This man had lead police on a wild chase after trying to demolish a house. This man's family knew he had troubles for some time, anywhere from drug use to psychiatric problems that may or may not have been a result of the drugs. Man or woman, it doesnt matter, the reality is stories like this are becoming headlines more often than not. Troubled young people with no ability to deal with these ever growing problems finding the ability to blame someone else. Then, with a specific target(s) in mind, he or she will go out with a gun and start shooting. Tragedy strikes. But we should have expected it. We could not have known the target, but we damn well should have known there was going to be a target.
From a theological perspective, the town Thomas lived in could not be handling the situation better. People are supporting this loved coach and they may be asking why, but they are not blaming God. The town is also, for the most part, even forgiving the family of the one who murdered Thomas, which is a prime example of what Jesus meant when he said forgive and love your enemies.
Theologically speaking, God did not intend for Thomas to die. We can debate all we want about whether or not God knew Thomas was going to die, but God did not send the killer. This boy was troubled and did something rash. God sent Jesus to heal, comfort, forgive, and ultimately die for us. Jesus, who now watches from afar is weeping. Jesus weeps. He cries for a life taken unjustly. He cries because one of his own, the allegid killer who had gone to Wartburg, a Lutheran School, has gone astray to vices of this world that will only bring about pain. Jesus weeps for a nation that is unable to control the next person who will go crazy, find a gun, and shoot. So, Jesus weeps.
Ed Thomas, you were an amazing coach who did not deserve to die. You were an example. You are sitting at the right hand of Jesus. You had faith that rebuilt cities and formed football teams. In terms of vocation, you took your faith and affected those around you. We who are left, will take note. We who are left, must do the same. We who are left, must take the initiative to try to show peace and grace to those who are on the verge of going crazy, finding a gun, and shooting. God help us, for we are an ever sinful nation.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Life, Wife, and everything in between.
Please, if you are out there, wake me from this nightmare. I want to think that for a second we can make it on our own, but even then, we would be lying to ourselves. But really, do we think that we are doing it correctly? Or, like most, do we believe that the grass is ever greener on the other side.
Take John and Kate for example. Oh, yes, I will admit that I pay only a little bit of attention to their amazing announcement. Well, not so amazing. When a couple lets the media come into their lives like John and Kate did, anything and everything is bound to happen. I remember when I first started watching it that Kate was so good with the kids. She had so much planned out and spent all of her time with them while John worked. Somehow, somewhere down the line, I suppose she let the excitement of it all deter her. I suppose, somewhere down the line, she lost focus of her children and started to focus on herself. I really can not say though, but when I watched the show just about two weeks ago, I saw a different Kate than the one who had just had six kids in one sitting. John, now, is taking over the kids. John, now, is getting caught on camera without his ring. John and Kate, now, are independently John, and independently Kate. John, eight, and then Kate. They are now going to separate. But doing it apart will be no easier than doing it together. Lord, we lift up the children. For the grass most certainly will not be easier on this side of the fence.
I, on the other hand, find myself in the midst of my CPE. And wow, is it brown pastures. Any living water that I could ever bring seems to dry up as I walk into that hospital. I look to be a spokesman for Jesus Christ, but find that often times I have no chance to speak. I run into closed doors, sleeping patients, and an overall mindset that is without need for a chaplain. I try to think what the greener side of the pasture might look like. It may look like feilds of gold ready to be harvested and brought into the kingdom. It may just be that people want to talk, and are not sleeping, closing their doors, or without need.
Maybe, just maybe though, we need to take an alternate view point. In my situation, what if no chaplain was there to visit? I have spoken to several patients. I may or may not have made a difference, but that really isnt the point. The point is that I was there and they took advantage of it. If I hadnt shown up at all, they never would have been able to take advantage of a chaplain at all.
In John and Kate's situation, I may not have an answer. I know that the grass will not be greener for a show to proceed with the parents who started it all split apart. In the Bible it says that when two are yoked, they are stronger than one. That is why a man shall seek out a wife and leave his family. To form a new one. We have a responsibility to work forward to making a better life for one another in our marriages, and in result, raise up our children in the manner of Christ. I know that John and Kate have two books out, each of which can be found in the Christian section of the book store. I will not judge who is saved, but I know that I will be praying for 8 children growing up in the midst of a divorce. Cameras will watch them closely, and they will ever grow up knowing that every move they make is under a microscope. Greener pastures for them is anythign but the ordinary of bringing up 8 kids in the spotlight. Yet, you asked for this spotlight. Just like I signed up to be a chaplain. This is our dark night of December. This is our valley. The green of the pastur is not in the situation, but is far away on the other side.
Look to the greener pasture. Dream and think that things are better on the other side. They very well may be. But there will always be a greener pasture and we will always look to be better off. Yet, we are not called to be in the greener pastures. We are called to get our hands dirty and persevere as Jesus walks with, sometimes carrying, us. We endure this race that we have been called to. The green pasture is at the end of it all. Jesus wrote that story long ago. We, on the other hand, are called to have faith, persevere, and know that our treasure is not found on this side of the fence.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Take John and Kate for example. Oh, yes, I will admit that I pay only a little bit of attention to their amazing announcement. Well, not so amazing. When a couple lets the media come into their lives like John and Kate did, anything and everything is bound to happen. I remember when I first started watching it that Kate was so good with the kids. She had so much planned out and spent all of her time with them while John worked. Somehow, somewhere down the line, I suppose she let the excitement of it all deter her. I suppose, somewhere down the line, she lost focus of her children and started to focus on herself. I really can not say though, but when I watched the show just about two weeks ago, I saw a different Kate than the one who had just had six kids in one sitting. John, now, is taking over the kids. John, now, is getting caught on camera without his ring. John and Kate, now, are independently John, and independently Kate. John, eight, and then Kate. They are now going to separate. But doing it apart will be no easier than doing it together. Lord, we lift up the children. For the grass most certainly will not be easier on this side of the fence.
I, on the other hand, find myself in the midst of my CPE. And wow, is it brown pastures. Any living water that I could ever bring seems to dry up as I walk into that hospital. I look to be a spokesman for Jesus Christ, but find that often times I have no chance to speak. I run into closed doors, sleeping patients, and an overall mindset that is without need for a chaplain. I try to think what the greener side of the pasture might look like. It may look like feilds of gold ready to be harvested and brought into the kingdom. It may just be that people want to talk, and are not sleeping, closing their doors, or without need.
Maybe, just maybe though, we need to take an alternate view point. In my situation, what if no chaplain was there to visit? I have spoken to several patients. I may or may not have made a difference, but that really isnt the point. The point is that I was there and they took advantage of it. If I hadnt shown up at all, they never would have been able to take advantage of a chaplain at all.
In John and Kate's situation, I may not have an answer. I know that the grass will not be greener for a show to proceed with the parents who started it all split apart. In the Bible it says that when two are yoked, they are stronger than one. That is why a man shall seek out a wife and leave his family. To form a new one. We have a responsibility to work forward to making a better life for one another in our marriages, and in result, raise up our children in the manner of Christ. I know that John and Kate have two books out, each of which can be found in the Christian section of the book store. I will not judge who is saved, but I know that I will be praying for 8 children growing up in the midst of a divorce. Cameras will watch them closely, and they will ever grow up knowing that every move they make is under a microscope. Greener pastures for them is anythign but the ordinary of bringing up 8 kids in the spotlight. Yet, you asked for this spotlight. Just like I signed up to be a chaplain. This is our dark night of December. This is our valley. The green of the pastur is not in the situation, but is far away on the other side.
Look to the greener pasture. Dream and think that things are better on the other side. They very well may be. But there will always be a greener pasture and we will always look to be better off. Yet, we are not called to be in the greener pastures. We are called to get our hands dirty and persevere as Jesus walks with, sometimes carrying, us. We endure this race that we have been called to. The green pasture is at the end of it all. Jesus wrote that story long ago. We, on the other hand, are called to have faith, persevere, and know that our treasure is not found on this side of the fence.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Chasing Justification: Works Righteousness
Work hard. Get paid. Play hard. Repeat.
And so it goes, American culture calls us to be like what we see on tv, find enjoyment in the material, and gives us the overall mentality that we as human beings can make something of ourselves.
My wife, who is an RN, works 12 hour shifts. I have realized lately that I simply havent seen her much, but as a student in an M. Div. program, our lives require that someone make the money so that we can pay the bills. Still, my wife works 36+ hours a week. When she gets home, our house is often dirty, the laundry needs to be done, and the dog needs to be attended to. So much work. We have to plan vacations in order to get any real relaxation. Even when we feel like we need rest, it does not come. In trying to rest we stress about the things we have left undone, and we cna not rest until those things left undone are in fact done.
So we work. So we try. I often times find my prayers opening with: "God, Im trying; I'm trying so hard." I, being a married man without kids, feel compelled to do so much. I feel compelled to get the grades I know I am capable of getting. I feel compelled to watch out for my wife and make sure she is getting the attention she needs. The dog compells me to let him out when he needs to use the restroom. Then my wife and I have extended family that we simply dont see that often. We feel compelled to keep in touch, visit every so often, and then get involved with any current ongoing drama. Now for those who have kids, you add another paragraph to what you feel compelled to do. Oddly enough, this added paragraph is only the tip of the ice berg.
Our responsibilities weigh us down. Often times, sadly enough, much of what weighs us down is imagined. That is, we worry. We worry about the economy, we worry about fighting over seas and the constant possibility of it becoming local, and we worry about how much rain a region is getting. For some, we worry about where our next meal is going to come from. For others, they worry about if there contract will be renewed, what city they might be at next, so on, so forth.
Regardless of who you are and what your worries are; regardless of if your efforts seem to not be sufficient; or regardless if you want to be like the movie or sports star (or even are one)-Regardless, Jesus Christ represents the complete antithesis to our works righteousness. For the rich, we are told that they are not able to follow, or at least those who are unwilling to let go of their riches in order to serve the kingdom. For the poor, we are given the parable that God attends to the birds, who fly around with no worries, they simply know they will be able to find food. How much more so for those in need, how much more for those God loves.
Jesus Christ was sent and redefined social structures. The pharisees lashed Christ for healing and forigiving sins, especially when Jesus did so on the Sabbath. Christ spent time with the sinners, tax collectors, and prostititutes. Jesus said for us to receive a peaceful yoke and a light burden. Yet, we strive. Yet, we work. We idolize idols, and we will let our souls bleed dry because we simply do not understand that salvation comes through faith. Not by works, but by faith.
My conviction, yes, my own personal conviction, is this: I believe that Jesus came to live amongst the sinners, die on a cross, and raise again on the third day. I believe he did this because it was the only way to breach the chasm between people and their God. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice and was a one time and final offering for all those who believe. As a believer, I am reconciled, forgiven, adopted, and justified by faith. Yet, my examples of my wife working, myself striving for certain grades, and American's overall mindset that if we just try a little harder, strike me as simply naive. If, Jesus is who the Bible says, then why are Americans so concerned with works righteousness? Why are we concerned with how the world is turning what others might say, and if we are working hard enough. The reality is this: We are all called to a certain vocation and through that vocation we have one, and only one, responsibility. That is to serve God through faith that Jesus might be known to all the world(or the community we serve). Everything outside of this, is our works righteousness. If we do anything a part from this, it is by our own might. Nothing our might will ever do will ever be considered righteous, Im sorry people, but, in comparison, our efforts will never compare to the Holiness found in God. We ate the apple, and we suffer the consequences. Yet, through Jesus, we are given a different path to God that is seperated from our works. We are given the opportunity for faith. God calls us to repentence and Christ's actions on the cross lead to redemption: to justification.
Not by my will Lord, but by thine will be done.
And so it goes, American culture calls us to be like what we see on tv, find enjoyment in the material, and gives us the overall mentality that we as human beings can make something of ourselves.
My wife, who is an RN, works 12 hour shifts. I have realized lately that I simply havent seen her much, but as a student in an M. Div. program, our lives require that someone make the money so that we can pay the bills. Still, my wife works 36+ hours a week. When she gets home, our house is often dirty, the laundry needs to be done, and the dog needs to be attended to. So much work. We have to plan vacations in order to get any real relaxation. Even when we feel like we need rest, it does not come. In trying to rest we stress about the things we have left undone, and we cna not rest until those things left undone are in fact done.
So we work. So we try. I often times find my prayers opening with: "God, Im trying; I'm trying so hard." I, being a married man without kids, feel compelled to do so much. I feel compelled to get the grades I know I am capable of getting. I feel compelled to watch out for my wife and make sure she is getting the attention she needs. The dog compells me to let him out when he needs to use the restroom. Then my wife and I have extended family that we simply dont see that often. We feel compelled to keep in touch, visit every so often, and then get involved with any current ongoing drama. Now for those who have kids, you add another paragraph to what you feel compelled to do. Oddly enough, this added paragraph is only the tip of the ice berg.
Our responsibilities weigh us down. Often times, sadly enough, much of what weighs us down is imagined. That is, we worry. We worry about the economy, we worry about fighting over seas and the constant possibility of it becoming local, and we worry about how much rain a region is getting. For some, we worry about where our next meal is going to come from. For others, they worry about if there contract will be renewed, what city they might be at next, so on, so forth.
Regardless of who you are and what your worries are; regardless of if your efforts seem to not be sufficient; or regardless if you want to be like the movie or sports star (or even are one)-Regardless, Jesus Christ represents the complete antithesis to our works righteousness. For the rich, we are told that they are not able to follow, or at least those who are unwilling to let go of their riches in order to serve the kingdom. For the poor, we are given the parable that God attends to the birds, who fly around with no worries, they simply know they will be able to find food. How much more so for those in need, how much more for those God loves.
Jesus Christ was sent and redefined social structures. The pharisees lashed Christ for healing and forigiving sins, especially when Jesus did so on the Sabbath. Christ spent time with the sinners, tax collectors, and prostititutes. Jesus said for us to receive a peaceful yoke and a light burden. Yet, we strive. Yet, we work. We idolize idols, and we will let our souls bleed dry because we simply do not understand that salvation comes through faith. Not by works, but by faith.
My conviction, yes, my own personal conviction, is this: I believe that Jesus came to live amongst the sinners, die on a cross, and raise again on the third day. I believe he did this because it was the only way to breach the chasm between people and their God. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice and was a one time and final offering for all those who believe. As a believer, I am reconciled, forgiven, adopted, and justified by faith. Yet, my examples of my wife working, myself striving for certain grades, and American's overall mindset that if we just try a little harder, strike me as simply naive. If, Jesus is who the Bible says, then why are Americans so concerned with works righteousness? Why are we concerned with how the world is turning what others might say, and if we are working hard enough. The reality is this: We are all called to a certain vocation and through that vocation we have one, and only one, responsibility. That is to serve God through faith that Jesus might be known to all the world(or the community we serve). Everything outside of this, is our works righteousness. If we do anything a part from this, it is by our own might. Nothing our might will ever do will ever be considered righteous, Im sorry people, but, in comparison, our efforts will never compare to the Holiness found in God. We ate the apple, and we suffer the consequences. Yet, through Jesus, we are given a different path to God that is seperated from our works. We are given the opportunity for faith. God calls us to repentence and Christ's actions on the cross lead to redemption: to justification.
Not by my will Lord, but by thine will be done.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Lift me up
"Down pour on my soul
Splashing in the ocean I'm losing control
Dark sky all around
I can't feel my feet touching the ground "
So if I cant swim after forty days, and my mind gets crushed by the crashing waves, will the God of all Glory lift us up so high that we will not fall?
Jars of Clay spoke of flooding back in 1995. I dont think they could have ever imagined the endless possibilities that the world was about to face. First we saw Katrine, then not too long after we saw the massive Tsunami, and now, most recently, we see the waters rise to a record setting crest in North Dakota. It is pouring, it continues to pour. We are treading water, splashing all around, yet losing control. We see the dark sky, and our feet no longer touches the ground.
There was a first flood. One that preceeded all of the above mentioned. This flood called for a righteous man to build an arch and an arch he built. So many cubits by so many cubits, they will come two by two, and the rains will come. For Noah and the two by two, the floods did come. The flood washed away the sinful people of the land, and for many moons the arch drifted. Then the bird ceased to come back. Land had been found. Yet, it was at this point, when the waters had receeded and God so promised never to flood the earth again.
Some scholars have debated this original flood to be world wide. Some believe it to be a local pandemic, one which flooded the Middle East. This is a very possible scenario, due to the massive rain seasons this region relies upon. Yet, the world wide flood has been further studied in looking at archeology and the linings in rock over the millions of years. Although this type of study has its flaws, archeologists have seen a interesting connection in different rocks in many regions that may suggest a massive flood.
Either way, we are faced with a serious problem. Regardless of whether it was world wide or simply local, we are flooding. The waves are crashing. Day feels like night and we as the people of this world continue to hold on to hope. Yet for what reason? Are we not all sinful? Can anyone tell me a reason why God would not flood the world again? Biblical answers aside, we need to be aware that this world is continually corrupt, and we are no less deserving of a world wide flood than those who lived back in the time of Noah.
Ted Dekker has a scene in his books from the Circle Series. We see people jump into water and find that what others have said about finding life in the water is dreadfully wrong. They breathe in the water and realize that they can not breathe. They are going to die. But when all fear and terror rush through their minds, and just when they feel like their lungs will explode and their mind will start hallucinating - they find not death, but life.
Maybe we are not suppose to swim. Dont get me wrong, build the levees, raise the dikes. But if your region floods, what will you do? In the US we are obsessed with material things. Throug a flood those things will be washed away. Interesting, we may see that as our death.
God on the other hand, will peer down through the heavens and see us stripped away of all earthly things. What will he find? Will he find us destraught, naked, and revealed of our very souls?
Or, will he find faith. Faith in Jesus Christ, the saviour or the world.
Call on God to lift us up. But pray for faith. For Jesus can walk on water, and he will carry us through the floods.
Splashing in the ocean I'm losing control
Dark sky all around
I can't feel my feet touching the ground "
So if I cant swim after forty days, and my mind gets crushed by the crashing waves, will the God of all Glory lift us up so high that we will not fall?
Jars of Clay spoke of flooding back in 1995. I dont think they could have ever imagined the endless possibilities that the world was about to face. First we saw Katrine, then not too long after we saw the massive Tsunami, and now, most recently, we see the waters rise to a record setting crest in North Dakota. It is pouring, it continues to pour. We are treading water, splashing all around, yet losing control. We see the dark sky, and our feet no longer touches the ground.
There was a first flood. One that preceeded all of the above mentioned. This flood called for a righteous man to build an arch and an arch he built. So many cubits by so many cubits, they will come two by two, and the rains will come. For Noah and the two by two, the floods did come. The flood washed away the sinful people of the land, and for many moons the arch drifted. Then the bird ceased to come back. Land had been found. Yet, it was at this point, when the waters had receeded and God so promised never to flood the earth again.
Some scholars have debated this original flood to be world wide. Some believe it to be a local pandemic, one which flooded the Middle East. This is a very possible scenario, due to the massive rain seasons this region relies upon. Yet, the world wide flood has been further studied in looking at archeology and the linings in rock over the millions of years. Although this type of study has its flaws, archeologists have seen a interesting connection in different rocks in many regions that may suggest a massive flood.
Either way, we are faced with a serious problem. Regardless of whether it was world wide or simply local, we are flooding. The waves are crashing. Day feels like night and we as the people of this world continue to hold on to hope. Yet for what reason? Are we not all sinful? Can anyone tell me a reason why God would not flood the world again? Biblical answers aside, we need to be aware that this world is continually corrupt, and we are no less deserving of a world wide flood than those who lived back in the time of Noah.
Ted Dekker has a scene in his books from the Circle Series. We see people jump into water and find that what others have said about finding life in the water is dreadfully wrong. They breathe in the water and realize that they can not breathe. They are going to die. But when all fear and terror rush through their minds, and just when they feel like their lungs will explode and their mind will start hallucinating - they find not death, but life.
Maybe we are not suppose to swim. Dont get me wrong, build the levees, raise the dikes. But if your region floods, what will you do? In the US we are obsessed with material things. Throug a flood those things will be washed away. Interesting, we may see that as our death.
God on the other hand, will peer down through the heavens and see us stripped away of all earthly things. What will he find? Will he find us destraught, naked, and revealed of our very souls?
Or, will he find faith. Faith in Jesus Christ, the saviour or the world.
Call on God to lift us up. But pray for faith. For Jesus can walk on water, and he will carry us through the floods.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
A Sinful World
I dont have a whole lot of time, thanks to two papers due and a test all on the same day, this is more of a quick reflection.
Apparently, on the Academy Awards, a winner that helped with the movie "Milk" got up and said that God loves gays, and that soon they will have equal rights as everyone else.
The church is inconsistent on the view of homosexuality, some churches vastly against it, others calling it a sin but accepting the person into their community, and others are ordaining them as their pastors. With this unclear understanding of homosexuality, the church has no way of defining a clear Biblical stance on it.
I want to say two things in regards to this sinful world, and especially homosexuality. A Biblical stance on marriage is one between a man and a women, or simply opposite sexs. With that being said, the church is absolutely horrible at being Christ in the world. Jesus, the one we call Christ, hung out with the people that no one would. This is seen even as far as his parables, when it is the Samaritan (a Gentile that was seen as the absolute lowest class of Jewish/Roman citizenship) that helps the man beaten and left to die.
Christianity then, accepts homosexuals as sinners, just like every Jew, every Gentile, every Free, every Slave, every petifile, murderer, slanderer...you name it. Here is the realization: We are all sinners in need of a savior. Our calling is then to see how the disciples lived in light of Jesus's direction for their lives. Where that leads each individual is up for God to decide. All that can be asked is for each individual to use the Bible as our divine authority in our lives, and truly make sense of the texts at hand.
Apparently, on the Academy Awards, a winner that helped with the movie "Milk" got up and said that God loves gays, and that soon they will have equal rights as everyone else.
The church is inconsistent on the view of homosexuality, some churches vastly against it, others calling it a sin but accepting the person into their community, and others are ordaining them as their pastors. With this unclear understanding of homosexuality, the church has no way of defining a clear Biblical stance on it.
I want to say two things in regards to this sinful world, and especially homosexuality. A Biblical stance on marriage is one between a man and a women, or simply opposite sexs. With that being said, the church is absolutely horrible at being Christ in the world. Jesus, the one we call Christ, hung out with the people that no one would. This is seen even as far as his parables, when it is the Samaritan (a Gentile that was seen as the absolute lowest class of Jewish/Roman citizenship) that helps the man beaten and left to die.
Christianity then, accepts homosexuals as sinners, just like every Jew, every Gentile, every Free, every Slave, every petifile, murderer, slanderer...you name it. Here is the realization: We are all sinners in need of a savior. Our calling is then to see how the disciples lived in light of Jesus's direction for their lives. Where that leads each individual is up for God to decide. All that can be asked is for each individual to use the Bible as our divine authority in our lives, and truly make sense of the texts at hand.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
And the Holy Spirit will come to you
So we will speak in tongues. So that fire will role down upon you. Through the rush of winds it will come down from Heaven. And you will go an proclaim what Jesus has done.
The Day of Pentecost. In a few sentences I have described this day, and in a few sentences I have probably lost most of you. Not in a sense that you do not understand, even though you cannot understand, but in a sense that we as the church do not understand. My question is, where did this day go? Why have we lost this sense of speaking in tongues so that every nation might understand what we are saying? Where is the fire that roles down upon us, giving us the will, the energy, and an unexplained sense of victory that will empower us to go? Have the winds of Heaven left our midst? Where has Jesus gone?
In an everyday church the answer certainly does not lie in the church. When we are focused on every day troubles, and whether the floor will get vacuumed or not, we have lost sight of the true work of the Holy Spirit.
Here is the issue, and here is my rant. Prayer is the source in which we interact with the Trinity. It is our dialogue with the most high, who through Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit so that God's name might be shared. People, no awdays, as Philip Yancey points out, pray with hints of what they want in their life as if they were putting together a Christmas list, with subtle hints of how other people should be acting. The Holy Spirit, if it were like a person, would begin to dry heave, then vomit up the prayers that these people are praying. The Holy Spirit would say this is not the Kingdom. It would say that Jesus meant for us so much more than what we are experiencing. Yet, this is what Christianity has become. Not what it is becoming, what it is, right here, right now.
If you, like myself, have experienced this form of Christianity, take heart. This isnt the first time people have became mislead and have wondered away from the promised land. The Pharisees and the Tax Collectors did the same, and Jesus turned tables because of it. But who is turning our tables? Where have we let Jesus desicrate our own desicrations? And when will we let the Holy Spirit flow down like a river of fire...through the rushing winds, and empower us to speak tongues. But if speaking in tongues makes you skeptical, think about it in the way of sharing with different cultures, those who speak in a different language. When has the Holy Spirit lead you to this place? Have we lost the Day of Pentecost so much so that we do not even know how to be a missional church?
I tell you this. The church, especially in American, has lost sight of the Kingdom of God. We are rolling in our own material needs and wants that the simple idea of having our daily bread is all too foriegn. Our relience on the Holy Spirit to reveal God's son Jesus Christ to the world is lost, and evangelism becomes a way of increasing our church's numbers. In doing so, we increase the ability to be paid. There it is again...money tables.
Holy Spirt come. God most high send us. Jesus Christ nuture us. For we are still a people chosen by you and lost in our own disdain.
The Day of Pentecost. In a few sentences I have described this day, and in a few sentences I have probably lost most of you. Not in a sense that you do not understand, even though you cannot understand, but in a sense that we as the church do not understand. My question is, where did this day go? Why have we lost this sense of speaking in tongues so that every nation might understand what we are saying? Where is the fire that roles down upon us, giving us the will, the energy, and an unexplained sense of victory that will empower us to go? Have the winds of Heaven left our midst? Where has Jesus gone?
In an everyday church the answer certainly does not lie in the church. When we are focused on every day troubles, and whether the floor will get vacuumed or not, we have lost sight of the true work of the Holy Spirit.
Here is the issue, and here is my rant. Prayer is the source in which we interact with the Trinity. It is our dialogue with the most high, who through Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit so that God's name might be shared. People, no awdays, as Philip Yancey points out, pray with hints of what they want in their life as if they were putting together a Christmas list, with subtle hints of how other people should be acting. The Holy Spirit, if it were like a person, would begin to dry heave, then vomit up the prayers that these people are praying. The Holy Spirit would say this is not the Kingdom. It would say that Jesus meant for us so much more than what we are experiencing. Yet, this is what Christianity has become. Not what it is becoming, what it is, right here, right now.
If you, like myself, have experienced this form of Christianity, take heart. This isnt the first time people have became mislead and have wondered away from the promised land. The Pharisees and the Tax Collectors did the same, and Jesus turned tables because of it. But who is turning our tables? Where have we let Jesus desicrate our own desicrations? And when will we let the Holy Spirit flow down like a river of fire...through the rushing winds, and empower us to speak tongues. But if speaking in tongues makes you skeptical, think about it in the way of sharing with different cultures, those who speak in a different language. When has the Holy Spirit lead you to this place? Have we lost the Day of Pentecost so much so that we do not even know how to be a missional church?
I tell you this. The church, especially in American, has lost sight of the Kingdom of God. We are rolling in our own material needs and wants that the simple idea of having our daily bread is all too foriegn. Our relience on the Holy Spirit to reveal God's son Jesus Christ to the world is lost, and evangelism becomes a way of increasing our church's numbers. In doing so, we increase the ability to be paid. There it is again...money tables.
Holy Spirt come. God most high send us. Jesus Christ nuture us. For we are still a people chosen by you and lost in our own disdain.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The oddity of Baptism
This past weekend, my nephew Jace was baptized. When Jesus was baptized, John had already come declaring the truth about one who was to come. When Jesus was baptized, he came up from the Jordan, he had a vision of a dove descending from the heavens. The dove, a classic symbol of the Holy Spirit descending upon the son of God. For my nephew, there was no seeable dove, and he was certainly not baptized in the Jordan. For my nephew, he was baptized at an EPC church as an infant. Welcome to the Kingdom.
Jesus then when out into the wilderness to face his temptations. This is an interesting parellelism, for isnt that what we have all do? We are all baptized by water and the Holy Spirit, and then we move into the world of temptation? As a baby, we are innocent, or so it seems. As a baby, Jace is completely atune to where his food will come from, how his teeth are coming in. But, for Jace, his world is completely dependent on his parents, and those who love him. Jesus, was also dependent, he was dependent on His Father, God in Heaven, for everything. Jesus was then dependent on God's Word, Scripture (what would have been the Hebrew Scriptures), to ward of the temptations of Satan. Jace will move forward, and his dependency will lessen, to the point that he will think he no longer needs those who love him. He will be an individual. But, not even the very Son of God believed he could be independent. Why, in any sense, would we be independent.
Yet, baptized by water as an infant, is an in depth event that various people have defined, or rejected, through out history. For some, it is the very salvation that a baby needs in order that they may become children of God most high. For others, and some in the same breath, baptism is what circumcision was in the Old Covenant, and was a sign of the covenant given through Abraham to his descendents of Israel. As the New Covenant comes to us, this new form of circumcision is offered to both Jew and Gentile. The Bible says that it is through faith and water that we are saved. Calvin says that until the infants faith comes forth in fruition, the pedobaptism means no more than that very sign. I tend to assert teh same, seeing some baptized and never come to faith, and others who have not been baptized, but will come to faith. We are but children, God is but the Father, and all who are given faith will come to know the one true God. Salvation is available for all, few will be chosen, and only our Father knows who will come to faith. The church, though, is Christ's agent in the world. Without knowing the will of the Father, we are however called to baptize all nations in the name of Jesus Christ.
Whether Jace's faith comes to fruition in his life, is not up to me, is not up to you or his parents, but is up to God. Our faith lies in the fact that he was baptized into a community of believers. Those believers then have a responsibility to raise him in the way of the Lord, and as the Proverbs says, when he grows old he will not depart from this teaching. Our faith then becomes our childrens, and Christ is further shared. Through faith and baptism we are saved. Thanks be to God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit the Paraclete. Amen.
Jesus then when out into the wilderness to face his temptations. This is an interesting parellelism, for isnt that what we have all do? We are all baptized by water and the Holy Spirit, and then we move into the world of temptation? As a baby, we are innocent, or so it seems. As a baby, Jace is completely atune to where his food will come from, how his teeth are coming in. But, for Jace, his world is completely dependent on his parents, and those who love him. Jesus, was also dependent, he was dependent on His Father, God in Heaven, for everything. Jesus was then dependent on God's Word, Scripture (what would have been the Hebrew Scriptures), to ward of the temptations of Satan. Jace will move forward, and his dependency will lessen, to the point that he will think he no longer needs those who love him. He will be an individual. But, not even the very Son of God believed he could be independent. Why, in any sense, would we be independent.
Yet, baptized by water as an infant, is an in depth event that various people have defined, or rejected, through out history. For some, it is the very salvation that a baby needs in order that they may become children of God most high. For others, and some in the same breath, baptism is what circumcision was in the Old Covenant, and was a sign of the covenant given through Abraham to his descendents of Israel. As the New Covenant comes to us, this new form of circumcision is offered to both Jew and Gentile. The Bible says that it is through faith and water that we are saved. Calvin says that until the infants faith comes forth in fruition, the pedobaptism means no more than that very sign. I tend to assert teh same, seeing some baptized and never come to faith, and others who have not been baptized, but will come to faith. We are but children, God is but the Father, and all who are given faith will come to know the one true God. Salvation is available for all, few will be chosen, and only our Father knows who will come to faith. The church, though, is Christ's agent in the world. Without knowing the will of the Father, we are however called to baptize all nations in the name of Jesus Christ.
Whether Jace's faith comes to fruition in his life, is not up to me, is not up to you or his parents, but is up to God. Our faith lies in the fact that he was baptized into a community of believers. Those believers then have a responsibility to raise him in the way of the Lord, and as the Proverbs says, when he grows old he will not depart from this teaching. Our faith then becomes our childrens, and Christ is further shared. Through faith and baptism we are saved. Thanks be to God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit the Paraclete. Amen.
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