An Update

Well, May is almost over, and I have to say, “Thank God!” IT has been a busy month--some expected—some not so much. Let’s run down the list, shall we:

Carrie finished her school year, and ideally two adults around the house full time would have made my load lighter. Instead, she is figuring out all sorts of new things for me to do.

The youth group summer is about to kick into gear, so I have feverishly been finishing up those details. Already we have made the big trip to Cedar point and back. And by the way, driving 9 hours only to find the Millennium Force broken down all day isn’t cool.

I officiated my first wedding this month. It went pretty well. But during the vows, I said to the woman: “Do you take this man to be your wife?” Stupid cut and paste. Everyone thought it would be fine since it gave them a memory. I was pissed at my stupidity.

I preached two holiday sermons—Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. I don’t particularly like “holiday sermons” since I feel tying stuff in seems forced or can become trite. But, that’s the way it goes.

I prepared and led to “praise services” that we call “Koinonia.” They are great times and I love doing them, but they are draining on me mentally and spiritually, which of course causes physical results.

I have been getting ready for the High school week of camp which will be next week (June 4-10). The theme is “Acoustics” and will tackle our ability and discernment when listening to different voices. My day will be Creation, and will focus on how our wastefulness, pollution, and general disregard for creation is causing it to lament.

Finally, I have been asked to teach 2 sections of OT Survey at Milligan College and 1 section at King College in the fall. I am excited about the opportunity, but those will be long Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

So, all this is to say, May has been skimpy on the posts. But hopefully you can give me some grace, and continue to support the blog. Maybe I will do a daily update from camp next week. They do have wireless.

In Other Words...Glory

“Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence.”
“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out.”
--Exerpts from Exodus 33 and 34

Like many other words describing God, we throw this word “glory” around without really understanding what it means. We may have a general idea, but it is one of those words that is hard to define. This term “glory” often carries with it the idea of brightness and majesty. But the word for “glory” actually comes from the Hebrew word kavod which means “weighty” or “heavy.” You get the idea that God is full almost to the point of bursting. So what is God full of? I think God is full of awesomeness—another word that we have difficulty describing. We know what awesome is when we see it, but we can’t really define it. God is full of being awesome. I think God’s glory is awesomeness in action. When we see a sunrise or sunset, when we see the magnificence of God’s creation, when we see a baby born, when God helps us do something we never thought we could, and we respond with, “That was awesome” we have just seen God’s glory—God’s awesomeness in action.

The world is full of God’s glory. And we give Him glory by giving Him credit. In the theater, when something is important and deserving of your attention, what do they do? They shine a spotlight on it. There is this visual cue that says, you should focus on this actor, or this part of the stage. It is worthy of your attention. And many people like to be in the spotlight don’t they? People in Hollywood complain about the paparazzi, but they continue to put themselves in positions to be photographed and have stories written about them. They love being the topic of conversation and on everyone’s minds. And we give it to them. We give them the spotlight. We give them glory and praise for things they have done. But giving glory to these weak substitutes is idolatry. They aren’t worth it—only God is.

But before we are too hard on them, we should think about ourselves. Most of us have the intense desire to be recognized, seen, or complimented. We don’t necessarily want the full spotlight, but we want people to tell us verbally and through their actions that we are acceptable, that we are good, that we are pretty, that we are worthy. Here’s the problem—we seek validation from other people when we should be seeking it from God. We are seeking to glorify ourselves when we should be seeking to glorify God. Instead of turning the spotlight on ourselves, it is God who deserves and should receive the recognition.

Here’s what happens. We take God’s glory, that should be evident in our lives, and we put a veil over it, just like Moses. The veil was not a good thing. It showed that the people did not really want to experience God’s glory. Moses had come into contact with God of the universe, and they weren’t interested. And when we divert the glory of God onto something or someone else, we are veiling God’s glory. Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 3:13-15:

“We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when the Law of Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.”

It started with a physical veil—hiding the glory of God on Moses’ face. Then it turned into a spiritual one. Just as God’s glory was hidden from their eyes, then even when God’s Word was read He was hidden from their hearts. They couldn’t see him for who he was. And when Jesus came, they couldn’t see that the glory of God was being revealed in a man. But Paul goes on in verses 16-18.

"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

We often become like the things to which we give glory. Think about it. You like a certain athlete, so you start wearing his/her jersey, liking his/her team, using the same equipment. When actors start doing something, a lot of people follow. Scientology and Cabalistic Judaism are big because stars in Hollywood have made them such. Certain singers dress and act a certain way, and so you do too. It doesn’t even have to be someone who is popular or well known. It could be a brother, sister, parent, or friend. The more you give glory to someone, the more you become like them. That is Paul’s point. If you are giving glory to God and focusing on Him, you will become more like him. You will be transformed into His likeness. That is what happened to Moses. He experienced God’s glory and he was physically changed. When we experience God’s glory, I don’t think we become shiny happy people, but we are changed on the inside and our actions changes as a result. We reflect God’s glory through the way we act. Jesus tells us to be the light of the world. Really, we are not a lighthouse, we are a mirror, reflecting God’s glory as it shines upon us. Giving God glory and experiencing God’s glory is not just about singing songs. It is about giving God credit for the things in this world, your talents, abilities, and blessings. God’s glory is all around us. Are we giving him the honor he deserves or are we stealing it, and shining the light onto ourselves or someone else?

Mother's Day Sermon Part 2

I want to look at each of those individually to teach us what it takes both to be a good mother and a faithful Christian.

First, a Spirit of Power. I don’t always think of mothers as powerful, but perhaps I underestimate them. They are a powerful influence on the lives of their kids. My mom has been here a few times and some of you have met her. I doubt any of you would term her powerful. She is of modest size, but I would put her in the category of powerful. She has strength that I wish I could emulate. When I was growing up, my mom would get up at the crack of dawn and go into work at 6:00 in the morning to do a job that she didn’t really enjoy, with people who were often lazy and lacksidasical, and then come home at 5:00, cook dinner, clean the house, take me to various practices, get back and work on some project from making clothes to crocheting, throw in some laundry, and then finally go to bed frustrated that she didn’t get more done. That is some strength, people. But it is not just physical strength and power, it is inner strength. My mom went through a lot. We moved quite a bit. There were some tough times as there always are in families. But she stayed strong. She had a faith that was bolstered on the promises of God so that she could live with the confidence that God was in control.

We all need such a faith. The weakest among us physically can be the strongest in the faith. God says it just takes faith as small as a mustard seed to move mountains. That’s power that comes from God.

The second characteristic is a Spirit of Love. My family is not a very affectionate family. You may have noticed that I am not all that huggy either. But all love is not touch. Love displays itself in a variety of ways, and though we weren’t a touchy feely family I always knew I was loved. My mom’s love reminds me of something I once read from John Killinger:
“I believe in the love of all mothers, and its importance in the lives of the children, they bear. It is stronger than steel, softer than down, and more resilient than a green sapling on the hillside. It closes wounds, melts disappointments, and enables the weakest child to stand tall and straight in the fields of adversity.”

That is the kind of love that kids need. And more and more children are growing up into adults still lacking such love. People will go to great lengths, seeking approval and love and they usually end up disappointed. Oh that we would all love one another as a good mother loves her children—mending wounds, encouraging through failure, standing by one another through our faults, forgiving when people offend us. It’s the kind of love that resembles Jesus, laying down our lives, pride, and selfishness for a friend—for a brother, sister, son or daughter in Christ.

The final characteristic is a Spirit of Self-discipline. And I have to say, fewer and fewer of us resemble this characteristic. We often need external motivation to get things done—a paycheck, a threat of punishment, a reward of some sort. Otherwise, we just don’t see the necessity of getting stuff done when it should be or how it should be. Or maybe we just give up. It’s like the mother of three notoriously unruly youngsters was asked whether or not she'd have children if she had it to do over again. "Yes," she replied. "But not the same ones." Sometimes, we just don’t feel like trying anymore.

I am not always self-disciplined, but my mom sure taught me that I should and could be. A lot of kids these days get rewarded for good grades. Say, $10 for an A, $5 for a B, and $1 for a C. That’s pretty good incentive to work hard. But I was expected to get straight A’s. That’s right, expected. There was no reward for getting an A, just punishment for anything less than that standard. This may seem harsh to some of you, but I learned a valuable lesson. Early on, maybe 5th grade, I got a C+. There were extenuating circumstances, as there always are, and when my mom berated me for this failure I replied to her, “But a C+ is average.” Do you know what she replied to me? “You are not average. You are not living up to your ability.” That stuck with me. She was right. God has blessed me with an acute mind, and not excelling in the academic realm was a direct result of a lack of self-discipline.

Spiritually, our world lacks self-discipline. We don’t resist sin like we should. We don’t cultivate our relationship with God like we should. We don’t glorify Him like we should. Plenty of excuses could be made, but it all comes back to us not living up to our ability. God has put a Spirit within us to do awesome things for His kingdom. The only thing that holds us back is us. God has not made us average. He has made us special. May we all live up to our potential.

A lot of things make a good mom—love, kindness, gentleness, patience. But the most important is a faithful witness. The same is not just for moms, but for all of us. As Christians we have a responsibility and a privilege to be a spark in people’s lives and to help fan into flame their faith. The challenge is there not just for moms, but for all of us to be what Eunice and Paul were to Timothy.

Mother's Day Sermon Part 1

Mothers do so much for us. And they are indeed deserving of recognition. But perhaps the most important responsibility of a mother is not just to change diapers or clean up messes, but to provide a spark that encourages and fosters faith in children. In the passage for today from 2 Timothy, Paul implores Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God.” He wants to see Timothy on fire for Christ, sharing the gospel and glorifying God wherever he goes. But in order to do so, he must first fan that flame. The Greek here means literally to “rekindle.” We get the picture of embers or even the very beginning of a fire in its earliest stages. But we all know that a fire can’t start without a spark. And that spark often times is a faithful, loving mother. It definitely was in Timothy’s case. Look at 2 Timothy 1:5
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

The faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother were passed down to him. Paul says it lived in them and now lives in him. A little background on Timothy’s mother can be found in Acts 16:1:
“Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.”

Timothy’s mother, Eunice, was a Jew who had converted and accepted Christ. But her life was not perfect. First, as a Jew, she probably would have been ostracized for marrying a Greek. Such a thing was forbidden. Then, she believed, but her husband apparently did not. We can only imagine the difficulty this caused her. He probably would not have supported her in her spiritual growth. Her life was not enviable. Ignored by her own people, possibly ridiculed and demoralized by her husband, yet her faith lived on and she passed it down to her son. Bruce talked last week about the role of a godly wife bringing salvation to the unbelieving family. Perhaps Eunice did just that. Obviously she did to Timothy. Her sincere faith lived on in her son. It’s a compelling story and a model for many to follow.

Her example and teaching produced Timothy, Paul’s right hand man; an integral part of many churches and in the spreading of the gospel. No matter how difficult her life may have been, her legacy was invaluable. As Abraham Lincoln says, “No man is poor who has had a godly mother.”

Paul goes on in verse 7 to describe just what sort of faith it was that was passed down by Eunice:
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Paul talks of the same spirit that should be present in the lives of all believers. This spirit is not timid. The word translated here as “timid” is often used in battle contexts to mean “cowardice.” In other words, Christians are not cowards. We do not turn tail and run. We are not afraid of conflict because we have a spirit within us that empowers us to boldly live out our faith. And just what is this faith that Eunice clearly portrayed, sparked and passed down to Timothy, and that Paul encouraged Timothy to rekindle? This faith contains a Spirit of power, love, self-discipline.

I'm a Van Guy

Carrie and I finally did it. We joined the ranks of the millions of others in middle class America and got a mini-van. I suppose 2 parents, 2 kids, a 125 pound dog, and parents hundreds of miles away made us great candidates. So, we got a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, 34,000 miles, stow and go seating. We are all pretty happy with the purchase, especially Shadow. He can actually stretch out now. The pics are below.

Gas

So gas prices are over $3/gallon in most places. Most people just want to talk about how atrocious thus situation is and how something needs to be done soon or we won’t be able to gas up our boats, SUVs, 4-wheelers, and NASCARs. And do you know what I say? GOOD! I am one of the few people who am somewhat pleased about this turn of events. No, I don’t like paying out the crack for gas. But I also don’t like state of the environment which is quickly deteriorating thanks to our exhaust and wastefulness. Hopefully, now that people are being hit where it hurts (their bank accounts), they will stand up and demand that the government does something.

The technology exists for cheaper, more efficient fuels and engines.
The technology exists to reduce emissions and exhaust.

And though I am not a conspiracy theorist, it seems very apparent that the government is delaying such technologies from becoming more prevalent because they have vested interests elsewhere. The environment and fuel technologies will be the big issues in the next election. And I hope that people don’t vote based just on the candidate whom they think will make life cheaper for them. I hope they consider what is best for our world.

I don’t know how soon the effects of global warming will really affect our world (as if hurricanes, mudslides, droughts, and flooding aren’t enough). But hopefully we can stop and even reverse possible consequences of our pollution and wastefulness. I am preaching this summer at camp about the creation groaning and the Christian’s responsibility in caring for the rest of God’s creation. There is so much I want to say, but at the same time I don’t want it to turn into a tree hugging ultra liberal rant. So, any suggestions or resources are welcome.

Enacting Change the "24" Way

I have just begun watching 24 this season. Though entertaining, highly interesting, and action packed, I've noticed an ethical and moral problem. Jack regularly puts people in situations that makes them choose the lesser of 2 evils, and if they don't choose the lesser one, they are going to destroy the world. Then there are other times when he switches reverses morality. The right choice becomes wrong, and vice versa.

For example, last night he expected the pilot of a plane to let him out of captivity so that he could save the world. When the pilot refused, Jack took control of some wires and attempted to try to bring down the plane to force the pilot's hand. The pilot said something to the effect of, "Stop that or you will kill us all." Jack replied with his pet saying, "With all due respect, if these people die it will be on your head." What? Did I miss something? Jack is trying to bring down the plane. Jack is forcing the Pilot to do something that is unacceptable by FAA standards, and it is the pilot's fault? What a manipulator. I know he has the save the world. I know he is doing what he thinks is best for the country. But his methods are devious.

I have regularly engaged some on the GLCC Forum about this issue--is something always a sin. An oft-used example is a man stealing bread for his starving family. I sort of waffle back and forth. In a perfect, non-fallen world, such situations would not come about. But that is not the case. There are poor people who should be taken care of but or not. On the other hand, don't such actions just perpetuate sin? And when I see a real example of this ideology in Jack Bauer's actions, I want no part of it, because those he is trying to stop are using the same logic. Both think they are doing what is best for the country. What about the individual they force into a moral dilemma? What about those they force into a life and death decision? Is that better?

But of course we do live in a fallen world that we are desperately seeking to restore. And I wonder if our little attempts to do what is right are enough? Is the Jack Bauer way the only way to enact real change? Or is being salt and light enough?

In Other Words...Gathering

There are clubs, organizations, societies, and groups of all kinds in the world. Some meet once a year, once a month, once a week, or even every day. There is a group called the Red Hat Society. Their motto reads like this: “The Red Hat Society is a social organization where there is fun after fifty (and before) for women of all walks of life.” Basically they all wear these gaudy red hats and go do fun stuff. Carrie and I went to the Barter Theater last year, and they were there with their purple dresses and big red hats. They just get together to have fun because they share a common trait—they are old and bored.

Like I said, there are groups of all kinds that meet together. And so is the church. We are a gathering. We are like-minded people. But here’s the question that I don’t think we always answer well:
Why do we gather together at church? What purpose does it serve?
Is it because we are bored? Is it because that is all we know?
A few answers spring to mind:
Obligation—God commands it, so we obey. But that doesn’t really answer the “what purpose” question.
Fellowship—we like one another and like to have fun with one another and help each other grow. But that doesn’t really answer the “why” question.
Worship and Proclamation—we give God praise and worship because he deserves it. Granted, but couldn’t we just do that at home?

This leads me to a final possibility—Preparation
The retelling and remembering of who God was and what he had done functioned as the means of transformation more than reminding. When we sing praises we say, “This is who God is, and this is who God wants us to be.” These dramatic encounters with God enhanced their memory and transformed their hearts and lives to be the kind of people God wants them to be. Practice generates reality.

The reason why the temple was so important to the Israelites was not because they thought God existed only there. But they knew that the temple gathering was a special experience that could transform them to be the kind of people God wanted them to be.

What happens next? What is the point of all of this? Other groups just gather to waste time, some to further their agenda, still others to accomplish some goal. So what happens when our meetings are over?
There is something about gathering that brings us into the presence and awareness of God. We celebrate together what God has done in all of us. And something amazing happens—we leave transformed into the temple. As the body of Christ we want to function in a similar way. We are now mobile tabernacles. We become the temple.

Now the temple, the place where people encounter the presence of God is within us. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

There is no separation of church stuff and regular stuff. This goes back to the discussion of holy and sacramental living. If we are a traveling, mobile temple, we have some responsibilities don’t we? As the temple of God, we invite people into our lives. We invite them into our gathering.

We see a problem when the gathering becomes an end in and of itself rather than the proclamation that stems from the gathering. We turn into just another club or society and not a group of people that has had their lives changed and wants to see the world changed. We don’t gather just to hang out. We don’t gather just to meet some time quota. We don’t gather just to listen to and sing some music.

We gather to be changed so that we can change the world. Wherever we go, people should see the presence of God in our lives. If we, the body of Christ are the new temple, we should give people the opportunity to see God’s faithfulness and praise him as a result.