Most of us prefer to drink water that has been found pure. The same can be said about most of our food. Purity is something we consider a serious matter especially when it relates to what we see as most important in life. Perhaps we should be reminded that God takes purity rather seriously as well.
The creation came into existence free from the impurity of sin. Old Testament sacrifices were to be pure, without blemish or scar. The prophets called the people of Israel to practice a pure faith free from the corrupting influence of pagan religions. The God of Israel demanded a pure and holy people that would be his royal priesthood among the nations.
The perfect sacrifice that was pure in every way came in the person of Jesus Christ. He preached purity. He lived in purity. He died in purity. He was raised from the dead in purity to ascend to sit by the throne of glory. Purity is no laughing matter or subject of coarse jokes in the eyes of the Creator of the universe.
Some of my favorite verses for memorization (and thus reminders of how I ought to be living) include the concept of purity. In the New Testament we find in the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart"; in Paul's counsel to Timothy (I Tim. 4:12) he says to set an example for others that includes purity, and in his letter to the Philippian believers he encourages them to keep their thoughts focused on what is pure (4:8); and James says that wisdom from above is known first and foremost by its purity (3:17).
This concept is not just some commercial for getting the stains and residue out of your life. The two more common words used for purity in the New Testament bring together concepts of morality and freedom from corruption, such as an innocent life, clean water, and gold without contamination. There is even the root reference that purity has its foundation in the divine. Being and staying pure is serious stuff.
An individual that responds to the call of Christ is called to be pure, as well as holy, perfect, etc! To be consistent this must be reflected not only in deeds and words but also thoughts. Jesus made it clear that just as sin is a matter of the heart so is purity. Words and actions only follow what has already set up housekeeping in the mind.
Churches are made up of individual believers. Associations and conventions are made of churches that are made up of individual believers. The motives and the actions they prompt in our churches and more extended organizations cannot but help reflect the nature of the individual believers. God calls for us to make sure that nature is pure.
Individual Christians should be motivated out of pure minds. Their words and deeds should reflect that aspect of their transformed nature. Believers should relate to others out of the pure, divine love of their Savior. Believers should see others through purified eyes. They should speak with purified words. They should act in ways that reveal they have been purified by surrender to the Lordship of the Holy Spirit.
Churches should respond to their communities out of a purity of purpose and motivation. The self-sacrificing agape love of our Savior can be the only guide we have. The Church must be pure if it is to be the salt and light its Lord intended. The sins of self-preservation and need for domination have no place in the Church, the Bride of Christ.
Purity in the same way must mark the motivation and actions of the Church in its expanded image of associations and conventions. Self is always subordinated to the divinely recognized needs of humanity. These larger entities must look deep within themselves and find the truth of who they are and why they exist. If purity does not mark what they find, then change is demanded.
Purity demands constant self-evaluation, confession, and repentance. This is no less true of the Church, the association, and conventions than it is of the individual believer.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Practicing Our Religious Freedom
Yes, we Americans do have religious freedom, more than we practice in fact. Last Monday, January 16, carried the designation of "Religious Freedom Day". A little recognized occasion it is often lost in the commemoration of MLK Jr Day. It does exist, however, and began under the presidency of Bill Clinton. It deserves greater recognition and dissemination through a broad based educational effort. A description of the day and suggestions for how to observe it may be found at www.religiousfreedomday.com.
I had not heard of the day before this year. I have never heard it announced in one of my churches. I never heard of it while volunteering in a public school over a period of four years. I have never heard my Baptist state convention promote it. A quick search of Baptist Press articles showed the last one on the subject was an opinion piece written in 2007 indicating to me the subject is not a huge, newsworthy topic even in the conservative press.
Why is it not a major topic? One of the universal complaints I find in the churches I serve is the terrible thing our government did by taking Bible reading and prayer out of our public schools. The government has taken steps to remove state and school administration mandated Bible reading as a devotional exercise and prayer out of the daily routine. I for one have no problem denying our public school children the necessity of having to hear devotional readings from the Quran, the Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha, the Book of Mormon, the Book of the Dead, or the Bhagavad-Gita. If we insist in our free country that our children hear the Bible read each day, those same children will also be required to hear readings from other works considered sacred by their adherents. You cannot have it both ways in a free country!
My suggestion is to make the most of the freedom we have. As the old saying goes, "As long as there are tests in school, there will be prayer in school." I can vouch for that. There is no law anywhere that says a student cannot bring a Bible to school and read it for personal benefit when it does not distract from the classroom efforts of the teacher. A student can read the Bible during lunch, in a study period, or standing in an open hallway. Anyone who tries to interfere can be accused of harassment.
Far more important than having prayer and Bible reading in our schools is having prayer and Bible reading in our homes and in our churches, yes in our churches! Before we condemn the government for taking state-mandated prayer and Bible reading out of the public arena, we need to see how much we do in our private settings. Religious Freedom Day should judge how much time we spend in our homes with the Bible open. The Day should judge how much time we spend in prayer (beyond the cursory "Thanks for the grub, God."). The Day should judge how important it is to us that our children see that prayer and Bible reading are important to their parents. We can do this without fear that someone will break into our homes and arrest us for practicing our faith or be waiting outside our church doors with guns and hand grenades to kill us all.
Think for a moment about the last time you were in a Christian worship service. How much time was spent reading the Bible? How much time was spent in prayer? What was the subject of the prayer? Where are our people when it comes time for small group Bible study? Are all the ones who want our public schools to read the Bible taking advantage of the freedom to study it themselves at home and other places?
Worship for the Christian is a process of personal acknowledgment of who God is and the individual's place before God. That process can take the form of silent waiting, singing, listening to both the reading of the Bible and its explanation/application. It will include prayer that is both personal and guided. Yet with all this, how much comes through our traditional worship services that says the Bible should be the handbook on life for every believer and that prayer is the method of communicating with the most important Person in your life. Better use it!
Religious Freedom Day for the American Christian should be a day on which we celebrate our freedom to read the Bible and not be forced to read someone else's holy book. We should celebrate that we can pray and not worry about someone spying on us to see what we are doing. We should celebrate that we have the freedom to try to convince all those other people who read something else that they are missing out on the Truth, and we don't have to worry about being locked up in jail or beheaded for doing it. We must educate our membership at all levels of our religious organizations about the freedoms and responsibility we have as free American Christians. We just need to be compassionate and live out our freedom the way our Lord taught and practiced it.
I had not heard of the day before this year. I have never heard it announced in one of my churches. I never heard of it while volunteering in a public school over a period of four years. I have never heard my Baptist state convention promote it. A quick search of Baptist Press articles showed the last one on the subject was an opinion piece written in 2007 indicating to me the subject is not a huge, newsworthy topic even in the conservative press.
Why is it not a major topic? One of the universal complaints I find in the churches I serve is the terrible thing our government did by taking Bible reading and prayer out of our public schools. The government has taken steps to remove state and school administration mandated Bible reading as a devotional exercise and prayer out of the daily routine. I for one have no problem denying our public school children the necessity of having to hear devotional readings from the Quran, the Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha, the Book of Mormon, the Book of the Dead, or the Bhagavad-Gita. If we insist in our free country that our children hear the Bible read each day, those same children will also be required to hear readings from other works considered sacred by their adherents. You cannot have it both ways in a free country!
My suggestion is to make the most of the freedom we have. As the old saying goes, "As long as there are tests in school, there will be prayer in school." I can vouch for that. There is no law anywhere that says a student cannot bring a Bible to school and read it for personal benefit when it does not distract from the classroom efforts of the teacher. A student can read the Bible during lunch, in a study period, or standing in an open hallway. Anyone who tries to interfere can be accused of harassment.
Far more important than having prayer and Bible reading in our schools is having prayer and Bible reading in our homes and in our churches, yes in our churches! Before we condemn the government for taking state-mandated prayer and Bible reading out of the public arena, we need to see how much we do in our private settings. Religious Freedom Day should judge how much time we spend in our homes with the Bible open. The Day should judge how much time we spend in prayer (beyond the cursory "Thanks for the grub, God."). The Day should judge how important it is to us that our children see that prayer and Bible reading are important to their parents. We can do this without fear that someone will break into our homes and arrest us for practicing our faith or be waiting outside our church doors with guns and hand grenades to kill us all.
Think for a moment about the last time you were in a Christian worship service. How much time was spent reading the Bible? How much time was spent in prayer? What was the subject of the prayer? Where are our people when it comes time for small group Bible study? Are all the ones who want our public schools to read the Bible taking advantage of the freedom to study it themselves at home and other places?
Worship for the Christian is a process of personal acknowledgment of who God is and the individual's place before God. That process can take the form of silent waiting, singing, listening to both the reading of the Bible and its explanation/application. It will include prayer that is both personal and guided. Yet with all this, how much comes through our traditional worship services that says the Bible should be the handbook on life for every believer and that prayer is the method of communicating with the most important Person in your life. Better use it!
Religious Freedom Day for the American Christian should be a day on which we celebrate our freedom to read the Bible and not be forced to read someone else's holy book. We should celebrate that we can pray and not worry about someone spying on us to see what we are doing. We should celebrate that we have the freedom to try to convince all those other people who read something else that they are missing out on the Truth, and we don't have to worry about being locked up in jail or beheaded for doing it. We must educate our membership at all levels of our religious organizations about the freedoms and responsibility we have as free American Christians. We just need to be compassionate and live out our freedom the way our Lord taught and practiced it.
Friday, January 13, 2012
When the Church Acts Like the Church
Acts 2:47 contains the interesting phrase "and having favor with all the people." The Church was acting like the Church and that was the response from society. Of course the story continues to show that society did not always respond in such positive terms. In later chapters when the Church acted like the Church, adherents were thrown into prison, beaten, cast out of cities, killed, and often faced a less than satisfactory reception from the community.
Things don't seem to have changed much in the 21st century for the Church when it tries to act like the Church. Individuals that seek to be good neighbors often find their actions are reciprocated, this even in countries where Christianity is at least frowned upon if not openly persecuted. One on one, Christians who act like Christ followers often find acceptance when they are rejected by society in general.
Does this mean if you love your neighbor as yourself, life will be just wonderful? Hardly. If that were the case, Jesus would never have had to mention stuff like turning the other cheek. No, often good still gets evil as its reward. It will get its hand slapped for trying to help.
At the same time we cannot escape the lesson that the Church does the most good and has the greatest positive influence on its society when it simply carries out those earliest actions. We treat fellow believers with love, compassion, and respect. We are generous with all that we have believing that it already belongs to God. We focus on our relationship with God through prayer and constant reminders of what he left us in the testimony of those first witnesses. We give of ourselves for in so doing we believe we are giving to Christ.
When the Church acts like the Church, the Body of Christ, it reveals a pattern of life and a standard of relationships that are radically different than what the world exemplifies. When the Church acts like the Church, people take notice and cannot escape its influence on both individuals and society. When the Church acts like the Church, it will not be ignored and a response will come.
Does it make a difference what response the Church gets when it acts like the Church? No, it doesn't. The Church does not answer to the world. It answers only to its Lord, the One who died for it and gave it life. The Church must act like the Church without regard to cost or consequences. Human laws will never replace the power of the Church acting like the Church. Only as the Church acts like the Church will hearts be changed and transformation last longer than a visit from a law enforcement official.
Things don't seem to have changed much in the 21st century for the Church when it tries to act like the Church. Individuals that seek to be good neighbors often find their actions are reciprocated, this even in countries where Christianity is at least frowned upon if not openly persecuted. One on one, Christians who act like Christ followers often find acceptance when they are rejected by society in general.
Does this mean if you love your neighbor as yourself, life will be just wonderful? Hardly. If that were the case, Jesus would never have had to mention stuff like turning the other cheek. No, often good still gets evil as its reward. It will get its hand slapped for trying to help.
At the same time we cannot escape the lesson that the Church does the most good and has the greatest positive influence on its society when it simply carries out those earliest actions. We treat fellow believers with love, compassion, and respect. We are generous with all that we have believing that it already belongs to God. We focus on our relationship with God through prayer and constant reminders of what he left us in the testimony of those first witnesses. We give of ourselves for in so doing we believe we are giving to Christ.
When the Church acts like the Church, the Body of Christ, it reveals a pattern of life and a standard of relationships that are radically different than what the world exemplifies. When the Church acts like the Church, people take notice and cannot escape its influence on both individuals and society. When the Church acts like the Church, it will not be ignored and a response will come.
Does it make a difference what response the Church gets when it acts like the Church? No, it doesn't. The Church does not answer to the world. It answers only to its Lord, the One who died for it and gave it life. The Church must act like the Church without regard to cost or consequences. Human laws will never replace the power of the Church acting like the Church. Only as the Church acts like the Church will hearts be changed and transformation last longer than a visit from a law enforcement official.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Future Stuff
Some thoughts about the future are reassuring. Others can leave you wondering if it wouldn't just be better to stay in bed and avoid the whole idea of facing the new day and the year it brings with it, but you know you cannot do that. That's the thing about the future. You have to face it whether you want to or not no matter what your thoughts may be. Even if you decide you won't wake up tomorrow, you still have to face the future waiting on the other side of the veil. You cannot escape moving into the future. You can only decide your attitude about it as you do.
Consider these thoughts:
1. It's inevitable that the future will get here.
2. You will face the future with what you are whatever that may be.
3. Your attitude as you face the future is under your control.
4. Decisions made today determine future results.
5. You cannot change past decisions, but you can make decisions today that will change short and long range results in the future.
6. Other people's futures will be affected by your decisions in both short and long term impact.
7. God's plan for the future is bigger than yours.
8. God's plan for the future has a guaranteed conclusion.
9. Each person is in God's plan whether they want to be or not.
10. Each person can choose his or her part in God's plan but they cannot avoid it.
11. God's plan is the best whether it feels that way or not.
12. Following God's plan gives the best future most often seen through hindsight.
We are stuck with a future, even those who do not think they have one. We might as well make the best of it. The future has little that is fair about it just like the present. You cannot avoid seeing the innocent get clobbered or the guilty get away with their sins. That is the result of living in a world ruled by sin. It rains on the just and the unjust. The sun shines on the righteous and the unrighteous. That is the result of a Creator-God who is always offering a second chance. The Golden Rule remains one of the best life patterns ever given to man.
Perhaps it is simply that God is watching to see how his children will respond to the future and all that it holds even while he calls them to be like his Son in preparation for an eternal future that is beyond our greatest dreams. Gold and silver are refined by the fire, not destroyed by it.
Consider these thoughts:
1. It's inevitable that the future will get here.
2. You will face the future with what you are whatever that may be.
3. Your attitude as you face the future is under your control.
4. Decisions made today determine future results.
5. You cannot change past decisions, but you can make decisions today that will change short and long range results in the future.
6. Other people's futures will be affected by your decisions in both short and long term impact.
7. God's plan for the future is bigger than yours.
8. God's plan for the future has a guaranteed conclusion.
9. Each person is in God's plan whether they want to be or not.
10. Each person can choose his or her part in God's plan but they cannot avoid it.
11. God's plan is the best whether it feels that way or not.
12. Following God's plan gives the best future most often seen through hindsight.
We are stuck with a future, even those who do not think they have one. We might as well make the best of it. The future has little that is fair about it just like the present. You cannot avoid seeing the innocent get clobbered or the guilty get away with their sins. That is the result of living in a world ruled by sin. It rains on the just and the unjust. The sun shines on the righteous and the unrighteous. That is the result of a Creator-God who is always offering a second chance. The Golden Rule remains one of the best life patterns ever given to man.
Perhaps it is simply that God is watching to see how his children will respond to the future and all that it holds even while he calls them to be like his Son in preparation for an eternal future that is beyond our greatest dreams. Gold and silver are refined by the fire, not destroyed by it.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
How Many Ways
Since the first Sunday of Advent my wife and I have attended thirteen worship services focusing upon the hanging of the greens, children's programs, and musical presentations. No two were alike. None tried to duplicate what some other church was doing. Scenery was different in each church. All age groups were involved. Senior adults participated in most. A four month old baby did quite well, thank you, in the manger in the last one we were able to attend. Each service told the biblical story of Christmas in a beautiful and creative way.
Just how many ways can you tell the story of the birth of the Messiah, the Savior of mankind, the Son of God? The gospels of Matthew and Luke each had its own unique record. Traditions seemed to have blossomed once Christianity became an acceptable religion a couple of centuries later. Since then many cultures have added different expressions of celebration to the occasion of remembering the birth of the Savior of the world.
Trees and wreaths, lights and ornaments, ancient and modern scenes set in miniature have added color and wonder to the season. Music has played an important role from early years. The biblical record has maintained a central part of every presentation of the beginnings of the Story. Yet each year the story of the birth of the Messiah remains rich and magnetic in its power to draw people to the image of a baby lying helpless in a stable manger while people of the lowest social order pay homage.
During the season of Advent leading up to Christmas Day itself, we see part of the Story told and retold in readings, drama, music, and nativity scenes. It is told in churches, in homes, in front yard scenes, and even in some businesses and schools. During these four plus weeks, the beginning of the Story is told over and over again and we never grow tired of it.
When the decorations are taken down, the living tree is not so living any more and has to be left on the roadside, when the presents are no longer new, and the nativity scene that sat on the sideboard is packed away, how do we tell the rest of the Story? What happens to the Story the rest of the year? One of the earliest ideas of Advent was not a celebration of a birth in Bethlehem but a diligent alertness for a second coming. Has that part of the Story taken the place of the first appearance of the Son of God?
It is now approximately 360 days until Christmas. It may only be one day until the Second Coming. The whole Story still needs to be told. I doubt if there are any Christmas cantatas or children's plays currently in rehearsal. I doubt if any church's calendar has a caroling party scheduled in the coming weeks. I doubt if anyone is planning to keep their not-so-living tree in their house for another six months. People have few if any plans to tell the portion of the Story about the Messiah's birth in the near future.
Yet the whole Story must be told! How will we tell the Story between Christmas Day, 2011 and the first Sunday of Advent, 2012? The shepherds without a doubt continued to talk about the experience for months to come. The magi from the east had it in their plans for years. You know Herod lost sleep over it until he died, wondering who this new threat was to his throne and if he had eliminated it.
Ebenezer Scrooge promised to keep Christmas in his heart throughout the year. So he gave Bob Cratchit a raise, helped Tim get healthy, and made a big donation to the benevolence society. When did he tell the Story? Helping others is all well and fine, but if the Story stays in your heart, then you have denied others the greatest Gift of all.
In 2012 we must tell the Story. The Story is all about Emmanuel, God with us. It is not about trees and wreaths and decorations. It is not about presents and gifts or even coins in a red kettle outside a store. It is about Emmanuel, God with us. We have not told the Story until we have told about a manger, hungry crowds being fed, hurting people being healed, a cross, and an empty tomb. Then we will have told the Story. We must give the thirsty a drink of water, but we must be willing to do it in the name of Emmanuel. We must be willing to feed the hungry but in the name of Emmanuel. We must be willing to provide a roof for the homeless but in the name of Emmanuel. We must give hope to the hopeless but in the name of Emmanuel. Then we will have told the Story, and there are lots of ways to do it.
Just how many ways can you tell the story of the birth of the Messiah, the Savior of mankind, the Son of God? The gospels of Matthew and Luke each had its own unique record. Traditions seemed to have blossomed once Christianity became an acceptable religion a couple of centuries later. Since then many cultures have added different expressions of celebration to the occasion of remembering the birth of the Savior of the world.
Trees and wreaths, lights and ornaments, ancient and modern scenes set in miniature have added color and wonder to the season. Music has played an important role from early years. The biblical record has maintained a central part of every presentation of the beginnings of the Story. Yet each year the story of the birth of the Messiah remains rich and magnetic in its power to draw people to the image of a baby lying helpless in a stable manger while people of the lowest social order pay homage.
During the season of Advent leading up to Christmas Day itself, we see part of the Story told and retold in readings, drama, music, and nativity scenes. It is told in churches, in homes, in front yard scenes, and even in some businesses and schools. During these four plus weeks, the beginning of the Story is told over and over again and we never grow tired of it.
When the decorations are taken down, the living tree is not so living any more and has to be left on the roadside, when the presents are no longer new, and the nativity scene that sat on the sideboard is packed away, how do we tell the rest of the Story? What happens to the Story the rest of the year? One of the earliest ideas of Advent was not a celebration of a birth in Bethlehem but a diligent alertness for a second coming. Has that part of the Story taken the place of the first appearance of the Son of God?
It is now approximately 360 days until Christmas. It may only be one day until the Second Coming. The whole Story still needs to be told. I doubt if there are any Christmas cantatas or children's plays currently in rehearsal. I doubt if any church's calendar has a caroling party scheduled in the coming weeks. I doubt if anyone is planning to keep their not-so-living tree in their house for another six months. People have few if any plans to tell the portion of the Story about the Messiah's birth in the near future.
Yet the whole Story must be told! How will we tell the Story between Christmas Day, 2011 and the first Sunday of Advent, 2012? The shepherds without a doubt continued to talk about the experience for months to come. The magi from the east had it in their plans for years. You know Herod lost sleep over it until he died, wondering who this new threat was to his throne and if he had eliminated it.
Ebenezer Scrooge promised to keep Christmas in his heart throughout the year. So he gave Bob Cratchit a raise, helped Tim get healthy, and made a big donation to the benevolence society. When did he tell the Story? Helping others is all well and fine, but if the Story stays in your heart, then you have denied others the greatest Gift of all.
In 2012 we must tell the Story. The Story is all about Emmanuel, God with us. It is not about trees and wreaths and decorations. It is not about presents and gifts or even coins in a red kettle outside a store. It is about Emmanuel, God with us. We have not told the Story until we have told about a manger, hungry crowds being fed, hurting people being healed, a cross, and an empty tomb. Then we will have told the Story. We must give the thirsty a drink of water, but we must be willing to do it in the name of Emmanuel. We must be willing to feed the hungry but in the name of Emmanuel. We must be willing to provide a roof for the homeless but in the name of Emmanuel. We must give hope to the hopeless but in the name of Emmanuel. Then we will have told the Story, and there are lots of ways to do it.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Christmas Was Risky
God became a human being. That human being gave up being equal with God the Father and took on all the weaknesses of a typical mortal including the ability to be tempted by the wiles and ways of this world. God did this to show us how much he loved us. Jesus, the Son of God, became Emmanuel. I call that risky.
Apparently God did not have a Plan B. If Jesus failed to meet the requirements for the job while existing in full human nature, there was no back up plan, at least none that scripture seems to imply. Jesus had to be sinless to finish the plan. I call that risky.
To add to the high stakes that God was seeing, when the job that Jesus had come to accomplish was finished, God created the Church out of a bunch of weak, sinful, and rebellious human beings that said they would follow Jesus anywhere. He put the entire task of spreading the news about what Jesus had done in their hands. He made no provision for any back up plan if they failed or just lost interest. Again there was no Plan B. I call that risky.
Another year is about to begin. The Church has had the same marching orders for 2000 years. Holy Spirit continues to be our one source for strength, wisdom, and boldness essential to carrying out the task received so many years ago. God took a big chance subjecting his Son to the temptations that surround every mortal. He took a big chance giving a world mission responsibility to those first disciples. He continues to take a big chance on the Church's willingness to take a risk as well.
In 2012 the Church must take some big risks. We must do ministry with less money than we will think we need. We must do ministry in a culture that is less interested in what we have to say. We must make sacrifices in ways that we cannot imagine at this time. We must make decisions about what we must maintain and what we will allow to disappear before 2013 arrives. We must start living in a much riskier fashion.
Christians must decide if they will be safe or faithful in 2012. It is terribly difficult to do both in this world. Associations must decide whom they can help, how they can help, and what they must let die in the process. State and national conventions must decide why they exist, eliminate what does not support that purpose, and be honest in their reasoning. In 2012 taking the necessary risks will mean some things must die or disappear. Taking the necessary risks will mean division and realignment of priorities and support.
Taking the necessary risks always follows determining God's will. Simply taking risks does not make a fool any less a fool. The Church God established at Pentecost takes risk because faithfulness to his Plan demands taking risks in this world. You count the cost. You weigh the sacrifice. In the end it is faithfulness to God's Plan that must come out on top.
Christmas was risky, but then God being God, he knew what was involved from the beginning. The Plan it initiated concerned the spiritual eternity of mankind. As we enter 2012, we will find ourselves having to decide if we are willing to take the risks. There will be sacrifices that bring discomfort and loss, but faithfulness demands risk, and we do still believe that the God who started this Plan is still in control. The Church, to be the Church that cost the life of the Son of God, has no other choice but to take the risks. I hope we all enjoy stepping into the dark!
Apparently God did not have a Plan B. If Jesus failed to meet the requirements for the job while existing in full human nature, there was no back up plan, at least none that scripture seems to imply. Jesus had to be sinless to finish the plan. I call that risky.
To add to the high stakes that God was seeing, when the job that Jesus had come to accomplish was finished, God created the Church out of a bunch of weak, sinful, and rebellious human beings that said they would follow Jesus anywhere. He put the entire task of spreading the news about what Jesus had done in their hands. He made no provision for any back up plan if they failed or just lost interest. Again there was no Plan B. I call that risky.
Another year is about to begin. The Church has had the same marching orders for 2000 years. Holy Spirit continues to be our one source for strength, wisdom, and boldness essential to carrying out the task received so many years ago. God took a big chance subjecting his Son to the temptations that surround every mortal. He took a big chance giving a world mission responsibility to those first disciples. He continues to take a big chance on the Church's willingness to take a risk as well.
In 2012 the Church must take some big risks. We must do ministry with less money than we will think we need. We must do ministry in a culture that is less interested in what we have to say. We must make sacrifices in ways that we cannot imagine at this time. We must make decisions about what we must maintain and what we will allow to disappear before 2013 arrives. We must start living in a much riskier fashion.
Christians must decide if they will be safe or faithful in 2012. It is terribly difficult to do both in this world. Associations must decide whom they can help, how they can help, and what they must let die in the process. State and national conventions must decide why they exist, eliminate what does not support that purpose, and be honest in their reasoning. In 2012 taking the necessary risks will mean some things must die or disappear. Taking the necessary risks will mean division and realignment of priorities and support.
Taking the necessary risks always follows determining God's will. Simply taking risks does not make a fool any less a fool. The Church God established at Pentecost takes risk because faithfulness to his Plan demands taking risks in this world. You count the cost. You weigh the sacrifice. In the end it is faithfulness to God's Plan that must come out on top.
Christmas was risky, but then God being God, he knew what was involved from the beginning. The Plan it initiated concerned the spiritual eternity of mankind. As we enter 2012, we will find ourselves having to decide if we are willing to take the risks. There will be sacrifices that bring discomfort and loss, but faithfulness demands risk, and we do still believe that the God who started this Plan is still in control. The Church, to be the Church that cost the life of the Son of God, has no other choice but to take the risks. I hope we all enjoy stepping into the dark!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
I Suggest We Keep the Fourth Candle Burning
The Advent Wreath is almost complete. It lacks only the Christ candle lit on Christmas Eve (or Day if you prefer) and the fourth purple candle on the wreath itself, the love candle. During Advent churches and individuals have moved the emphasis from hope to peace to joy and now to love. All of these lead to a primary focus on the central candle, the Reason for the Season, the Christ candle.
Some time on Christmas Day all of these candles will be extinguished. When all the decorations are boxed up and stored away, the Advent Wreath likewise will find itself placed in tissue or styrofoam peanuts, set in a box, and stored in a closet, the attic, the garage, or wherever until a day or two before Advent begins in 2012. Sad to say much of the spiritual focus of the candles on this wreath will be packed away as well.
I suggest a radical idea. Keep that fourth candle burning all year. Let the love candle stay lit as a reminder that God's love is available on more than a seasonal basis. God's love is just as much present in the rough times as in the party times. God's love endures through more than a season of festivity. It still brings its power to bear when resolutions are made and broken, when human love reveals itself in paper hearts and chocolate candy, and when God's love itself takes the form of a cross.
Somehow we need to be reminded during the rest of the year that divine love is the foundation for self-sacrifice and compassion and random acts of kindness that look beyond simple physical need. We need to see the light of God's love reflected in our conversations with our neighbors, in our business practices, in how we treat our families, and in how we do church. God's love should shine through those dark nights of frustration and despair. One candle can dispel a lot of shadows.
Keeping one candle burning all year might be a bit impractical. That's more than a few pennies worth of wax. An option might be then to decide that you will love others as God loves you which is all the time. You will show that love in attitude, word, and action. You will smile when you don't feel like it. You will say kind words when the person doesn't deserve to hear them. You will do acts of kindness knowing that you will never receive a thank you. That would keep the candle of love burning all year.
Our families would have an easier time getting along with each other and encouraging each other when situations got difficult. Our workplace would lose a lot of its frustration and political tricks. Just think about our churches! We would actually think more of others than of ourselves. We would honor others above ourselves. We would act more like the Savior who loved us enough to die for us. We would work together to build His Kingdom instead of trying to build our own. All because we refused to blow out the love candle.
God is love. Maybe in 2012 we could try to remember that for an entire year.
Some time on Christmas Day all of these candles will be extinguished. When all the decorations are boxed up and stored away, the Advent Wreath likewise will find itself placed in tissue or styrofoam peanuts, set in a box, and stored in a closet, the attic, the garage, or wherever until a day or two before Advent begins in 2012. Sad to say much of the spiritual focus of the candles on this wreath will be packed away as well.
I suggest a radical idea. Keep that fourth candle burning all year. Let the love candle stay lit as a reminder that God's love is available on more than a seasonal basis. God's love is just as much present in the rough times as in the party times. God's love endures through more than a season of festivity. It still brings its power to bear when resolutions are made and broken, when human love reveals itself in paper hearts and chocolate candy, and when God's love itself takes the form of a cross.
Somehow we need to be reminded during the rest of the year that divine love is the foundation for self-sacrifice and compassion and random acts of kindness that look beyond simple physical need. We need to see the light of God's love reflected in our conversations with our neighbors, in our business practices, in how we treat our families, and in how we do church. God's love should shine through those dark nights of frustration and despair. One candle can dispel a lot of shadows.
Keeping one candle burning all year might be a bit impractical. That's more than a few pennies worth of wax. An option might be then to decide that you will love others as God loves you which is all the time. You will show that love in attitude, word, and action. You will smile when you don't feel like it. You will say kind words when the person doesn't deserve to hear them. You will do acts of kindness knowing that you will never receive a thank you. That would keep the candle of love burning all year.
Our families would have an easier time getting along with each other and encouraging each other when situations got difficult. Our workplace would lose a lot of its frustration and political tricks. Just think about our churches! We would actually think more of others than of ourselves. We would honor others above ourselves. We would act more like the Savior who loved us enough to die for us. We would work together to build His Kingdom instead of trying to build our own. All because we refused to blow out the love candle.
God is love. Maybe in 2012 we could try to remember that for an entire year.
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