Friday, November 30, 2012

Another




Today is Advent Eve. I’m sure there is some cultural importance to this but maybe not. Advent is the Season of the Celebration of our Lord’s Birth – the beginning of His earthly pilgrimage.

“Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.” For more on this see: http://www.cresourcei.org/cyadvent.html

This year, I’m going to approach my Bible reading and blogging during this Christmas season a bit differently: I’m going to read through as many of the portions of the Old Testament that have to do with the coming (The Advent) of the Messiah… and maybe blog accordingly.

For me, the Christmas season begins by remembering the birth of Seth in Genesis 4; because it is from Seth that the lineage of Abraham comes and the subsequent lineage of David. Seth means: appointed. When Adam and Eve sinned God’s rescue plan kicked in and Seth was born and the lineage of Jesus Christ points all the way back to him (See Luke 3.23-38).

When Cain murdered Abel, Eve’s next son born, was Seth: God has appointed me another son… to take the place of a murdered Abel.

Our family has a similar story (but without murder) – our oldest son was born on September 24, 1984. He was born with severe mental and physical disabilities and was given about two hours to live. Through the skill of modern medicine our boy, Marshall, survived the two hours and lived 14 years. On November 16,1998, he died of pneumonia.

My wife and I committed to this child’s life and did what was necessary to care for him and provide for him during his brief life. We decided that we would take care of him in our home as long as we were physically able to do so. We expected that to be a long, long time. In 1997, my wife became pregnant with our third son, Parker. I knew with that pregnancy we were going to have to do something else with Marshall.

God granted us Another. Not to take the place of Marshall, but to help us to prepare for what would be the last year of Marshall’s life. Marshall transitioned out of our home on September 7th 1997, when we placed him in Providence Children’s Nursing Center in Portland, Oregon; about 5 hours from our home. He died in November of the following year.

Life changed for us, as a family, when God appointed us another. Life changed for the human race when God appointed another for Eve. And from another came Another – Another One who would reintroduce the race to God, and re-open the door for us to have friendship with Him. Advent is about the coming of Another who would do for us what no one else could ever do. And He did, and we celebrate His coming on Christmas Day.

Have you another in your story? Think about that this Christmas season as you celebrate the coming of Another who offers you the greatest gift ever: eternal life in the presence of Almighty God forever! Amen!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Cold Shoulder



11.29.12

2 Thessalonians 3.14-15 14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. 15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. NASB

I wonder what would happen in the local church if this actually happened: putting someone to shame for leading a disobedient life. I wonder. I wonder if any outside the church would see the necessity of this and support the effort to admonish this person to: “get your act together man!” This is pretty cold stuff.

In church today – at least in America as far as I have seen in 30+ years of church life – we don’t seem to pay much attention to what others do. I think we assume we all live obedient lives and walk faithfully, and obediently. I think we want to believe that. But I’m not sure we really know. I’m not sure we really care. I think our attitude is more: don’t ask, don’t tell. I don’t think the apostle would be comfortable in our culture and in our churches. I think he’d give us the cold shoulder.

As I read the Bible, one of the places I get back to in my mind and heart – over and over – is the place of expectation: what is expected of me as a believer in Jesus Christ and as a child of God? I can think of a few – like:
·         I am expected to love: God and my fellow man. God, with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength; and my fellow man as myself.
·         I am expected to be Holy: as my Father in Heaven is holy.
·         I am expected to participate: in the Kingdom of God as an active participant and to support the mission of the Kingdom: redeeming mankind into fellowship and friendship with God.
·         I am expected to walk (live): as Jesus walked and lived. Walking is the motion of ones life and Jesus walked in perfect motion with God by the Holy Spirit. Jesus walked in submission to the will of the Father and only did what He was instructed to do, and only said what He was permitted to say. (Wow!)
·         I am expected to: hold my fellow believers to the same standard I am held to – it will be a lonely endeavor. I am expected to hold myself to the same standard I hold others to…
·         I am expected to walk in the highest standards of love and devotion, and represent God as His ambassador in all that I do.
·         I am expected to urge, correct, suffer, admonish, teach, heal, give, respect, chide, encourage, comfort, pray, rejoice, hope, love, and have faith, and be God’s man.

I haven’t even scratched the surface, but this is a pretty good start. And these are the expectations that I’m aware of right off the top of my head. And these are the expectations that God Himself has placed on us and expects us to live by.

Father, the place of expectation begins in my heart when I say yes to You. Help me to live, not in my own strength but in Yours, as I live out this life You’ve ordained…amen.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Sexually Pure Eternally Grateful



11.28.12

1 Thessalonians 5.18 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. NASB

In two places in my reading today (1 Thessalonians 1-5) Paul told the Thessalonian Church: this is God’s will for you… First he said, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality...” (1 Thess. 4.1-3 NASB)

Now, I don’t think for a minute that Paul was saying “stay away from sexual immorality, but murder is okay.” No, Paul was saying that God’s will for us is to be sanctified, that is our being set apart for His use and being holy (like Him and unlike the world). Sexual immorality was a big deal back then. The more I read the more I understand that sexual immorality is not a modern blight – we moderns have just come up with more creative ways to do it.

Second, Paul said it is God’s will for [us] to be thankful in every circumstance. If there is one way to pull the plug on grumbling, complaining, whining, and crying, it’s to be thankful. God, thank You, that my boss is an idiot. Thank You, that You are working in me to get rid of my own idiocy by showing me how a pro does it. Thank You, that of all the places in the world I could work, and of all the people I could work for, You’ve ordained that I should work for this idiot. Help me to learn, help me to submit, and help me to be a reflection of Your goodness and grace as I put up with this clown, day in and day out. (I think if we pray that prayer enough times we’ll quit calling our boss an idiot – just sayin’).Thankfulness stops negativity.

Sexual purity honors men and women – when we are sexually pure, people don’t become objects. When we are sexually impure objects don’t become people. The gifts of relationships, and of sex, and of intimacy, are sacred gifts. It was never God’s intention for any person to live like a dog: a creature of instinct, driven and breeding when the wind blows the right direction. We’ve all seen the damage sexual immorality has done (and is doing) to our society.

Gratefulness honors God – it is a means of expressing to God that not only are we grateful for the things we have, but we also acknowledge God as our Source and Supply. It’s God will for us to be thankful in what we consider good things, but also in what we consider bad things. One mode of thanksgiving is definitely harder than the other. Being thankful for a dread disease or the senseless loss of a loved one or friend is tough thanksgiving. There is in those situations a weird blend of God’s will and love and our emotions and affections. Only God can make beauty out of ashes.

God’s will is that we all come to know Him in all of His weirdness (to them) and mysteriousness (to us). Sexual purity and gratefulness are just a couple components of His will for us. But we’ll go a long, long way in our relationship with Him, and with others, if we’ll remain steadfastly pure sexually, and grateful to Him for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g (always) in our lives.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

That Smell



11.27.12

Matthew 26.12 12 For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. NASB

Right before Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, He was at the house of Simon who was a leper. (We’re not sure if Simon had been a leper or if he still was.) Regardless, it was typical for Jesus to be at the home of someone that society regarded as an outcast, either for sin, sickness, or whatever had befallen them. Jesus was always right at home with outcasts and sinners and those who really needed God.

And while the Lord was at dinner, a woman came in and poured costly perfume on Him as a sacrifice. Well, His disciples were flabbergasted at such a waste of resources and spoke up “indignantly”. Jesus looked them in the eye (I believe) and told them, “[that] when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare me for burial.” How d’ya like them apples, boys?

It is the tale of two perspectives. One saw the perfume as the smell of ordinary life and the Other saw it as the smell of extraordinary death. One saw it as a means of contributing a cup of water into an endless desert of need, and the Other saw it as putting a necktie on a corpse. One saw it as potential, the Other saw it as necessity. It’s all in how one sees it…

We all must come to that place where we’ll accept what lies before us: the end of our physical days. It’s coming. Regardless of who we are, and how we live, death is part of the equation for all of us. What is important is what the earthers will say when we’ve departed. Will they say, “Good riddance”? Or will they say, “Wow, the sun got just a little dimmer today because he’s gone”? Will the absence of the fragrance of our presence be missed or will it be celebrated?

One thing that separates the Lord from every other spiritual leader in all of history in all of the earth is this: Jesus knew Who He was. He knew why perfume was poured upon Him. He knew what effect the absence of that fragrance would have. I think the fragrance of that perfume wafted through the crowd at His arrest, interrogation, trial, beating, and crucifixion. I think it lingered in His burial. I think it hung around in the empty tomb – just sayin’. I think it did for a reason: consider what has happened!?

And when He was resurrected several days later, I think the lingering smell of that perfume was one of the first things that touched the senses of His confused and frightened followers. One thing about expensive perfume, the smell lasts. The cheap stuff is watered down and the odor dissipates rather quickly – even we know that.

Jesus smelled that smell throughout what He experienced in those hours and days, and to Him, though it represented the smell of death, it reminded Him of the magnitude of what He was accomplishing: providing a way for all of mankind to be freed from sin and found acceptable to God. It reminded Him of life. Wow! How d’ya like them apples? Oooo that smell!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Of Bridegrooms and Virgins



11.26.12

Matthew 25.13 13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. NASB

The Disciple’s Sermon is the last recorded teaching of Jesus in Matthew. Jesus shared as much as He could with His men and the others who followed Him. He knew His time was limited so He made the most of His time with them. But one thing Jesus always hinted at: there’s more.

There’s more to this life than what meets the eye. There is a depth of life that escapes the shallow glance of the casual observer. In this particular instance Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God being comparable to 10 virgins who awaited a bridegroom. The issue of the comparison wasn’t virgins, it was preparedness. Are you and I prepared for the Kingdom of God? Jesus said, Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. The problem with at least half of the virgins was they weren’t, according to the story, prepared.

What does it mean to be alert? What does it mean to be prepared? What are we to be doing now until the Second Advent of our Lord? These are questions that ought to arise in our minds as we read the words of Jesus.

I’m not sure about the cultural implications of the virgins – to me, a twenty-first century disciple, I don’t understand first century bridegrooms and virgins, but I do understand preparedness. I do understand what it means to be alert and pay attention…I think. I do know that the expectation of my Lord is that I am called to be about His business; and that business, until He comes, is to be telling people about Him and living the kind of life He describes.

There were ten virgins – the quantity is not important to me – the problem was that five of them were unprepared and when their time came to do whatever it was they were supposed to do the weren’t able to do so. And the consequence was they was they were barred from the Bridegroom’s party. Permanently.

So, today as I muse bridegrooms and virgins, and preparedness, I ask, Paul, how prepared are you? If the Groom was to show up tonight, would I be ready, or would I be scrambling to get there? Every day is a day of getting ready for what’s coming. Every day ought to be just another opportunity to expect the unexpected. It’s coming. There is much in life that is unexpected – that means I need to live with that understanding and with that expectation.

To live any other way is foolish and only fools get turned away from the Party…