Confessions of an Olympic Naysayer

So, I have spent a lot of time lately bashing the Olympics. There are certain events that are beyond lame and a waste of everyone’s time. There are some I will never understand. And almost all of them are tweaked to get more out of them then they are worth. And the pinnacle of this waste is figure skating. 15-year girls with bigger thighs and smaller chests than I have and “flamboyant” guys (code word for “homosexual but still in the closet”) flying around the ice while people clap along to the music. It’s not for me.

Which is why I was surprised I actually liked the Ice Dancing Competition. Imagine ballroom dancing on ice. I kind of like ballroom dancing, and this seemed to translate over onto the ice nicely. There are no lutzs, axels, or other weird names. Basically a man and woman (not teenagers) are dancing about and doing many of the same moves found on non-frozen footing. But the ice makes it all the more graceful.

There was also some drama. An Italian couple came out of retirement for the games and they were in first place after the first night. But on the second night the guy fumbled the pass (so to speak) and the fell on each other on the last move of their performance. She glared at him and then stomped off in disgust and did not speak to him at all until 5 seconds before they started their routine—a day later. They performed flawlessly (at least in my eyes) and ended with a teary embrace in the middle of the ice. How precious.

Also on the first night, a girl was getting twirled about and the guy lost hold of her and she went flying, landing squarely on her hip. If you haven’t seen the highlight, you need to. She could not go the next day so her partner went out, touched the Olympic rings, saluted the crowd, and gracefully withdrew. Quality stuff.

As I said, it has been an unexpected treat to watch the ice dancing. I will not watch the figure skating as I think that is still lame. You can call me what you want, but I’ll take ice dancing over Baseball spring training any day.

In Other Words…Covenant

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9

The Old Testament centers around the concept of covenant. The concept of covenant is the overarching theme of the OT. From the beginning God was making covenants with his creation in an effort to relate and interact with them. It shows that God wanted to bond eternally with a people who persistently rejected him.

But for the most part the idea of a “covenant” is foreign to our culture. Mostly we deal in contracts – a selfish agreement often intended to provide us with some benefit. Occasionally we make promises, but don’t worry too much about keeping them because there is usually not a consequence for breaking a promise.

Our culture is not interested in keeping their word or keeping promises. They even try to get out of contracts when they don’t go their way and will file a suit for a breach of contract. Most see it as not a big deal to break a promise or get out of it. This is a far different understanding than what is found in the Bible.
I already talked about the difference between a contract and a covenant. And in order to really understand the Bible you have to understand that in a covenant, both parties are hoping the other succeeds and they do whatever they can for each other. And they are willing to take great consequences upon themselves as an assurance that the covenant is fulfilled.

Let me give you a very clear example from the Bible. Though our translations say, “Make a covenant” the Hebrew says “cut a covenant.” Because when a covenant was made, animals are slaughtered in the ritual. In a covenant ceremony an animal was cut into two. Then, if the parties were equal they would walk between the pieces of the animal and say, “May I become like this animal if I break the covenant.” In other words, they were calling for the death penalty if they failed to keep their end of the covenant. If the two making the covenant were not equal, like a King and a lesser noble, the lesser person would walk through the animal to show that he was in a position of weakness. (See Jeremiah 34:18-20)

With that in mind let me read a story to you from Genesis 15.
After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus? You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”
So the LORD said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half.

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age.
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

So God is reaffirming the covenant that he made to Abraham in chapter 12. That he will be a great, prosperous, and numerous nation. But Abraham doubts, because he has no son – no heir. So God shows him the stars and promises that his descendants will be as numerous as those stars. So Abraham is reassured and believes. But not completely. He also wonders how he is going to take possession of the land. And it is at this point that God engages in the covenant ceremony. He tells Abraham to get a bunch of animals, cut them in half, and separate them. Then God does something unbelievable. He again assures Abraham that he will fulfill his end of the covenant, that his will have a bunch of offspring and will inhabit the land. And to prove how committed God is to the covenant, he comes down and appears in a pot with fire and smoke pouring out of it, and that pot passes through the animals. Do you see what just happened? God took the consequences of breaking the covenant upon himself. When God passes through the animals he bears upon himself the curse of the broken covenant. He is saying, “If I don’t fulfill this covenant, many I die like these animals.” That is unheard of for the person in power (in this case God) to lower himself to take on the curses. But it shows how desperately God wants this covenant fulfilled.

It shows that God was willing to prove his devotion to the relationship by offering his own life. It shows that God not only was willing to offer his own life to keep the covenant, but he also was willing to pay the price for any covenant failure on the part of the human beings with whom he was in relationship. This promise certainly exceeded the limits of human covenant-making practices.

Another amazing thing about this passage is that it begins with a promise, but then Abraham voices his disbelief. But God affirms the covenant by sowing signs of His character. First he says, “Look at the stars. If I can make those, I can give you children.” Then he says, “I care so much about you and this covenant that I will die before I fail to make it happen. And after these signs and reaffirmations, Abraham believes. God never says how he will accomplish these covenants, he just affirms the covenant and displays his power. He gives us signs that remind us that He is working even when we can’t see it. Each covenant has a sign. The Flood was the rainbow. The Abraham was circumcision. The covenant to Moses was the Law.
And I wonder, do we look up when we see a rainbow and think, “Oh good, God isn’t going to flood the earth again.” We should. When we are reminded of God’s faithfulness to the covenant it should inspire faith and faithfulness just as Abraham was.

Covenants have not ended with the Old Testament. In fact, they are fulfilled and expanded in the New Testament. Jesus came to establish a new covenant, using his own blood to confirm it:
“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” Luke 22:19-20

Just as the blood of the sacrifice was used to ratify a covenant, this new covenant was from Jesus himself. Jesus is God’s perfect Son and he also makes a covenant with all believers, promising to give us salvation through his sacrifice. Crucifixion is not God taking out his anger on Jesus, but is a manifestation of Genesis 15—God taking on the curse and the consequences of unfaithfulness to the covenant. Not only does the great sovereign Creator of heaven and earth descend to be in relationship with sinful human beings, but he offers his own life to provide escape for covenant breakers.

The bread and cup today symbolize his broken body and shed blood, reminding Christians that God has faithfully kept the covenant. And now he calls us to enter into that same covenant. We too are entering into the covenant that Jesus fulfilled/continued. Our worship is a rehearsing of the covenant. It is a practical working out of the covenant. And communion is just one aspect of our worship. When we partake of communion, we are committing to the covenant. It reenacts the covenant ceremony. The tearing of the bread is like the tearing of Christ’s body. The pouring of the juice is the spilling of Christ’s blood. And as we partake, we join God’s side and make this covenant with the world.

We need not worry about the penalty of death since God has already taken that upon himself. Instead, we concentrate on blessing the world through our actions.

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26

Olympic Discrimination

I want to hire the NAACP and the ACLU to bring a lawsuit against the Winter Olympics for geographical discrimination. It is not fair to some countries because they have neither cold weather nor the resources to compete in these events. And I am not just talking about those really small countries of which you have never heard (yes I am talking about you San Marino, Liechtenstein, and Kyrgyzstan). Did you know that Mexico has no representatives in the Winter Olympics? While Germany and the United States have 214 a piece. Mexico is a pretty big country, yet no one represents them. And this is where the lawsuit comes in.
The Winter Olympics are biased against those countries located in climates that are not conducive to “winter weather.” Just because most Mexicans have never seen snow, does that mean they shouldn’t be able to compete for country pride? Just because ice is something that keeps their cervaza cold, shouldn’t they be allowed to slide headlong down an icy hill? It just isn’t fair. The events are clearly predisposed to favor those countries that have mountains, snow, ice, and temperatures that drop below 50 degrees. Enough is enough. Too much discrimination exists in the world, and when it comes to national pride, each country should be represented.

If you are interested in contributing to the discrimination lawsuit fund send your contributions via Paypal to OlympicOstracizing@RevJesseJackson.com

PS – Plans are already underway for a suit brought by the people of Antarctica against the Summer Olympics.

Putting the Saint back

Well, today is St. Valentine’s Day. A day that initially had spiritual and religious roots that has been so commercialized that we have lost touch with such roots. One history I found had the following description:

“There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.”

So where are the conservative Christians standing up and complaining about this holiday? I go into Wal-Mart and I don’t see any tribute to St. Valentine. I see candy hearts, overpriced roses, and half naked babies with wings affixed to their backs. But no one is boycotting? No one is afraid that our culture is taking the Valentine out of St. Valentine’s Day. Or perhaps more we have taken the "Saint" out and replaced it with needless fawning and purchasing. It is inconsistent and hypocritical. I have the solution though. Everyone can become as cynical as I am and refuse to celebrate Christmas or Valentine’s Day. Nothing says “Jesus loves you” like apathy.

Baby Illustrations

Last night, Elijah woke up around 4:00am. I was awake, as sometimes happens. And, as he sometimes does, he began to play with a mirror that has buttons and a spinny thing on it. When he presses a button or the spinny thing a song plays for about 15 seconds. Anyway, he played with that for about 30 minutes, and then cried out for mommy to come and feed him. And Carrie, the dutiful wife and mother got up and nursed him.

As I laid there watching the monitor lights rise and fall, and hearing the noise he was making, I was struck by a couple of observations about humanity’s relationship with God, both of which are related to practicing the presence of God.

First, I think that we often approach our relationship with God like I approached Elijah’s playing. I sort of paid attention, but I was watching and listening from afar. I could have gone in and watched him play. I could have gone in and played with him. But I didn’t. Why? Because I was lazy, tired, and hopeful that he would fall back asleep so we could all get rest. And I got to wondering, how often do we treat our relationship with God in the same way? We know he is there and interacting in the world, but we prefer to keep him at a distance (for laziness or whatever other reason). God desires our presence, interacting with Him and delighting in Him (as he also delights in us).

The second observation switches places between God and humanity. As Elijah woke up, I am sure he was aware that we were there somewhere. But he was preoccupied with playing. And as long as he was enjoying himself, he had little concern for us. He didn’t call out for us to come and play. But the second he realized that he was hungry, he started crying out and calling for mommy to come and remedy the situation. And it hit me, that this is a metaphor for how I/we often treat God. When things are going well and we are enjoying life, we tend to leave God out of the picture. Then when things get rough or we have a need/desire for something, we hit God up to come and join us. But God wants to be involved in all of our life—the highs and lows, the joy and pain, the frivolous and the serious. When we relegate God simply to the provider of needs we diminish the divine relationship that should flourish right along with our lives.

In Other Words…

In the beginning was the word…what words were in the beginning? Or what words have shaped faith over the years only to be lost in our modern vernacular? I am starting a new lesson series in youth group called “In Other Words.” Clearly many words have changed or lost their meaning over time. I cite just a few obvious ones: gay, cool, fag, awesome, and of course just about every “swear word” you can think of.

Meanings of words change over time. They are not fixed. The problem is that when we lose track of how words are used in Biblical stories, we miss the meaning. We miss the point of the story. How we understand words we use to talk about God influences our understanding God, and how we understand God influences how we live – so we need to understand words properly. Today, we begin in the beginning.

The ancient people often envisioned creation as a god battling chaos and rebellion, and upon his victory establishing the peaceful world. When we look back to Genesis 1:1-2, we read that God's spirit restlessly going across the earth, hovering over the waters which were often tumultuous. But in the following verses, all the way through the chapter, what does God do? He begins to carry out His will of reconstructing things in preparation for the next step in His purpose. He brings order and peace to a chaotic world. When all of that is complete, He finds rest, peace, in what He accomplishes according to His will. It said that at this point that God rested. The word "rest" is a synonym of the word "peace." God Himself set the example of how peace is produced. God found rest, satisfaction, comfort, and a sense of accomplishment.

In the beginning, when God created the world, everything was perfect. Nature was in perfect harmony. There was no record of global warming, tornadoes, hurricanes, or the like. Humankind watched over and tended the creation—they didn’t destroy it for selfish gain. Humanity was also in harmony with one another—the first fight doesn’t occur until sin comes in and murder is quick to follow. And, humanity is in harmony with God—the had an intimate, close relationship with Him .

God called it good (tov). In fact he called it very good. It was good and ordered, and everything was functioning as it was supposed to in perfect harmony. The word we might use for this state is “peace.” Genesis 1 and 2 paint a picture of how creation was supposed to exist—peaceful with everything is fulfilling its purpose.

Many think “peace” is the absence of war or perhaps just someone who is really laid back and avoids conflict. Eastern Meditation talks about finding peace by emptying ourselves of all thoughts and desires. They say that when we are completely empty we will be peaceful and free.

But as Christians we understand peace much differently. In reality, peace is completeness, wholeness, fulfillment of purpose. Instead of emptying ourselves, we should take our cue from the creation story. We are to be full of godly thoughts, actions, and seek to accomplish God’s will. Just as God was at peace and at rest when he accomplished His will so too are we. And understand something—though creation as we look around seems to reverting back to chaos, through the work of Jesus it is headed back to that Shalom. As Paul states in Ephesians 1:4-10:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”

The story of the Bible is about the goal of God—to return to that Shalom.
Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace.” Princes are named from the place they come and they carry on the tradition and practices of Wales. His goal is to uphold the family name. So when Jesus is called “The Prince of Peace” he is continuing family tradition of bringing peace to the world. Just as God began the process so Jesus continues it.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” -John 14:27

Christ is stating that His peace is a different kind of peace from what is available through the normal channels of the world. The world's peace largely results from having the discontent calmed by means of things, or thinking that one has enough power to have control. Christ's peace is a result of faith, and it is because of a relationship established through faith. The faith of God is in control, that God is working out a purpose in and through us—in fact even in spite of us to a very great degree. It is a faith that we are not merely pawns, but actual participants in the most wonderful process and program that could ever happen to a human being: to be called.

Peace can be found. It is not a state of mind. It is accomplished. It is the fruit of doing God's will. Even God gets peace from doing His will, and His sons and daughters will also find peace in doing His will. Peace is destroyed through pride and the desire to control according to one's own will. Peace is achieved through faith, working through love for God and doing His will. This is where things are/should be headed (telos).

“Blessed are the peacemakers
for they will be called sons and daughters of God.”
In the same what that Jesus is a prince of peace and continues the process, so will be called sons and daughters of God—members of the line of peace.

Why I Liked "Napoleon Dynamite"

I know I am WAY behind the times, but I saw “Napoleon Dynamite” over Christmas and thought I would post my thoughts about this movie that has shaped much of pop culture in the last few years. Let me preface the following by saying, Napoleon Dynamite was one of the dumbest movies ever. At the same time, it was one of the funniest. Did I like it? Sort of. Perhaps I should put it a different way. If I am forced to sit down and watch a “teen movie”, I would pick this one over any of the others. Why? Because it depicted teenage life as it really is, or at least closer than the overwhelming majority of movies in such a genre.

I’ve never heard a teenager speak the sorts of ways that Freddie Price Jr. did in his “teen movies” and I have never seen teenagers act as mature as these “actors”. Granted, most movies “stretch” or even destroy reality, but come on—25 year olds playing 16 year olds just isn’t believable. Which is probably why I enjoyed “Napoleon Dynamite.” That is as close to a “Teen Movie” has there is. It portrayed teenagers just as they are. They may take offense at such a comparison, but if they were to watch videos of themselves, the truth would come out.

Just look at the attempts at wooing
Didn’t buy a guitar or serenade from the stadium top like “10 Things I Hate About You.”
Didn’t take up an interest in a girl just to facilitate some big transformation like “She’s All That.”

It was real. The baking of a cake. The offering of a portrait. It was what they had. I remember my first girlfriend in middle school—Brooke. We had been going out a few weeks and Christmas was rolling around. She got me a huge stick of candy cane. It was the biggest candy cane I had ever seen. Anyway, I felt obligated to return the favor so I went to K-mart to find something (I was in 6^th grade after all) and the best I could come up with was a value pack of Juicy Fruit gum. I thought, “Girls like gum.” Well, it wasn’t too much later that she “moved on.”

That is what teenage life really is like. Failed attempts at relationships. No clue about life. Speech that resembles primitive beasts. These are the things that endear teenagers and also make us shake our heads in disdain.

Shabbat 2

Just saying, “The Sabbath day is a special day and should be observed” does not necessarily correlate into a meaningful and proper celebration. I don’t advocate a certain day, but some day or time during the week should be set aside to allow God to work through our cessation of work. Unfortunately, for most traditional churches, Sunday seems to be busier than other days. For those on staff or in charge of ministries there is the running around to make things ready. Then after church we rush home for lunch and maybe a quick nap before returning to the church for meetings and another service. This is not the picture of rest found in the Old Testament. They finished preparations ahead of time so that they could just enjoy being in one another’s company to celebrate God’s faithfulness.

Rob Bell discusses this concept in his book Velvet Elvis:

“The Christian life is not all about work all of the time. There are moments in our spirituality when we don’t work, but we play, rest, eat, tell stories, and you don’t worry that you aren’t earning your keep. These moments, which are commanded by God, are those times when we remind ourselves that God loves us not because of what we do, but because we are His creation.

Sabbath is taking a day a week to remind myself that I did not make the world and that it will continue to exist without my efforts.
Sabbath is a day when my work is done, even if it isn’t.
Sabbath is a day when my job is to enjoy. Period.
Sabbath is a day when I am fully available to myself and those I love most.
Sabbath is a day when I remember that when God made the world, he saw that it was good.
Sabbath is a day when I produce nothing.
Sabbath is a day when I remind myself that I am not a machine.
Sabbath is a day when at the end I say, ‘I didn’t do anything today,’ and I don’t add, ‘and I feel so guilty.’
Sabbath is a day when my phone is turned off, I don’t check my email, and you can’t get ahold of me.”

As this concept relates to the church, I think that if Sunday is going to be our Sabbath Day, a few things need to take place. First and foremost—NO MEETINGS! Meetings are necessary for planning, casting vision, and running the church. However, the become burdensome when placed on a day when we just want to rest and receive the peace of God. Secondly—no unnecessary activities. Just as meetings are burdensome, extra activities cause the same sort of drain on our spirits. If you are on staff or have responsibilities, get them done ahead of time (i.e. prepare lessons, finish the PowerPoint, get the materials set up, etc.)

Finally, and most importantly, time must be set aside to review God’s continuing presence in our lives. Whether in a worship service, counting our blessings around the table before we eat, taking time to be out in nature, time of meditation, or even just resting in a hammock, it is necessary for our spirits to stop and turn our focus on God. It can be done communally or individually, but it must be done. Though more convenient to do on Sunday, we should not be bound into certain rituals or even days. Remember—the day is supposed to be liberating.

So set aside time every week to simply be in God’s presence to extol His character and His actions in this world. He deserves it. We need it. Shabbat Shalom—Sabbath Peace.

Shabbat

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
Isaiah 58:13-14

I’m not a 7^th Day Adventist, but I think we can learn much from the proper celebration of the Sabbath day. I see the Sabbath day misunderstood regularly. Christians have tried to appropriate it by setting apart a day to meet together. Some also look down upon working. But really, we are missing the nature and intent of the Sabbath day. What follows is my understanding of the day.

The Sabbath is about remembering what God has done by doing away with the distractions, the ceremony, and the things that weigh us down. 6 days are used to prepare for this day so that you are not running around, but you can focus entirely on the celebration. Just as there are songs (of Ascents) for the trip to the temple, so the activities of our life should point us towards this celebration.

The intent for the Sabbath is to free. It is to liberate. It is not to bind people with rules. The Sabbath should be a day of liberation from the things of life that weigh us down. The Sabbath should be a day of refreshment—bodily and spiritually:

“Jesus wants to heal our souls, wants to give us the Shalom of God. And so we have to stop. We have to slow down. We have to sit still and stare out the window and let the engine come to an idle. We have to listen to what our inner voice is saying” (Parker Palmer Let Your Life Speak).

But it is not simply stopping that reenergizes us. There is the aspect of considering God’s grace and love for us. By remembering God’s grace in the past (Ps 145:4ff.), we should be energized to live for the future. A major aspect of celebrating is passing down what God has done in our lives to the next generations. By recalling His faithfulness we are strengthened and encouraged to continue the journey throughout the week.

Tomorrow I will discuss the appropriation of the Sabbath Day into our Christian setting as well as ways to make the Sabbath more meaningful.