This King of Glory

8-25-15

Psalm 24.8 Who is this King of glory?

     The Lord, strong and mighty,

     the Lord, mighty in battle!

I have a pet theory: God is not who we think He is; we'll get to really know Him someday for sure, but for now He is shrouded in brilliant glory into which we mortals cannot peek. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty...

Also, I have a suspicion that God doesn't look like we want Him to look. Old St. Peter got a lesson in that one night, when Jesus stripped down to His knickers during dinner, wrapped a towel about Himself, and washed the disciples grimy, smelly men-feet (eww!!) Peter indignantly exclaimed, "No frickin' way Jose (Jesus)!! You ain't washing my feet; You must be crazy!" (I'm sure he used a semicolon...)

Peter’s preconceived notions of deity couldn't buy into a God, in His BVD's, wrapped in a towel doing what only the lowest of the lowest servants would do. (I think those with foot fetishes prefer clean, well-kept tootsies.)

And, I think most people prefer a someone who looks presidential (at least they used to; now they prefer one who looks St. Nick-ish, with a bag and lots of goodies...) And most will prefer a god who is a conquering god; a name-taking, butt-kicking God who by-god, gets things done! I think it's why the psalmist sang: Who is this King of Glory!? He ain't who we may think.

A friend of mine postulates Samson of old was some scrawny dude who didn't impress with looks or muscle, but only with awesome displays of unbelievable strength. In his off moments Samson may even have come across puny and maybe even pale. It wasn't his strength but God's... Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty!

God, who doesn't look like God, but really doesn't have to, unbelievably He gets things done; and His mere presence knocks grown men on their butts! Men with heads full of images of power and might and strength, who no comprende a God in a towel.

They don't get a God on a cross, they don't get a God flogged and bleeding; they don't get a towel-draped God who calls himself a servant.

I don't think the devil gets it either. I think the devil much prefers God with an AK47. I don't think the devil likes a God who isn't fluent in lies, and doesn't even have the accent.

Who is this King of Glory?

Who is this One who gave Himself for the likes of you and me? He is the Lord strong and mighty; the Lord mighty in battle (in a suit of armor that looks like it ought to have Hanes printed in the collar). The Lord strong and mighty who reigns His own way, not the way people, or powers, or principalities or rulers think He ought to...

That's this King of Glory!

Perfected

08/23/15

1 John 4.18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. - St. John, the Divine

At this age, one of the necessities (and blessings) of reading the Bible through on an annual basis is being reminded of what is in it. Today, for example, I read through several chapters of Jeremiah (one of my favorite books in all of Scripture) and read again these verses:

“And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.” (Jeremiah 32: 38-41 ESV)

I needed to read that today and hear the message in my mind. I also needed to hear: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” There is a plan and purpose to life and fear has no place in true life. We are not called to fear but to love.

Love isn’t all mushy-gushy; love is the pinnacle of any relationship that is built upon trust and mutual affection. All brothers and sisters in the family of God are called to live in love. And that love is to be honored and sacred, and is to be displayed for all the world to see: that here on earth the things that drive us to argue, fight, and disagree, and war, are not done from the standpoint of love, but from the standpoint of the world and its way of settling matters. Tom Brady, Roger Goodell, work it out!

But Brady and Goodell can’t work it out because they are coming at the matter from a worldly standpoint and not from the love of God. The love of God in His people for each other as valued and precious, is to be on display as the ISIS killers hold the knife to the throat of the believer and begins to saw. It needs to be on display in my church this morning. We are precious to each other and we must recognize that fact!

What are the things I am afraid of? Do you want me to start alphabetically or numerically? The bigger question is: as God’s child, why am I afraid of anything at all!? Perfect love casts out all fear… fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Why am I afraid of anything at all!? Perhaps, I am ignoring perfect love, and missing out on being perfected in love. Plain truth.

Father God, let’s You and I talk about this. Thank You. Amen.

Even As

08.15.15

John 17.11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. – Jesus

Jesus never said or did a thing that was apart from His agenda: the Lord was on mission and never deviated from that agenda. Jesus always said what the Father communicated to Him to say and always did what the Father told Him to do. Jesus and the Father are One. They are one in heart, mind, spirit, and agenda all to save the sorry asses that inhabit this earth.

On the night on which He was going to be arrested, and tried, and subsequently crucified, Jesus prayed the above prayer for the sakes of you and me, and everyone else who has ever named, or will ever name His Name. (You can read His prayer in its entirety in John 17.)

Interestingly to me, Jesus prayed that we believers be one as He and the Father are one. (That’s a tall order for a bunch of sorry asses…) Jesus prayed this because He understood the importance of oneness. Jesus knew then during His earthly days, as He does now in His kingly days, that the mission of the church is to move the message of relationship with God forward in unity…not uniformity. Outwardly, I think a lot of us would agree with that; but inwardly I think a lot of us would say: we can’t move the mission forward unless we do it our way, or, my way.

Jesus wasn’t praying about style. WE think He was, but He wasn’t. Jesus was praying for a bunch of sorry-ass losers for whom He was going to give His life in a very short while. And we continue to argue style, expression, or the color of the carpet in our buildings.

Oneness is the outcome of love and the fruit of growing closer to God. The closer we grow to God together, the closer we grow together because of God. The focus of oneness is Him, but it never excludes the one next to me (or across town) who focuses on God with the same intensity, but a different expression than I do. Who gives a rat’s bohiney what color the carpet is?? I’m to love, no matter the color of anything; color isn’t the issue, love is.

The test for me is to love. The test for me is to ignore the expression but adore the focus. If one has to worship with blue carpet rather than grey carpet-tile so be it. Let’s both focus on the One who prayed: that they may be one, even as we are one. If it was that important for Jesus to pray it, let’s fall on our faces in worship on whatever carpet (or any other preference) and obey it.

Jesus, it starts with a petty sorry-ass like me. I need Your help. Amen.

Penitence

08.04.15

2 Kings 22.19 19 because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. – Huldah, the Prophetess for God

You may be one of those who can forgive and truly forget. Or you may be one of those who can regret, but forget. I am not. There are instances in my life that still come into my mind, decisions I’ve made, actions I’ve taken, words that I’ve spoken, thoughts that I’ve entertained that I wish would just go away and leave me alone. Truly they are things I’ve vowed to never do again.

So, my question this morning is about penitence. What is it that so moved King Josiah that he was penitent over the discovery of the Book that was found (See 2 Kings 19 and 2 Chronicles 34) that he tore his clothes, and wept over his sin, and the sins of his people? And what kept him penitent? His memories?

I think it is one thing to come before God and confess my sin, but I think it’s another to keep coming before Him to confess the same sin over and over and over – unless I keep sinning the same way over and over and over. God is the One who forgives and forgets; I, on the other hand, have this memory issue. I forget that I offend the Almighty is multiple ways: I do the same stupid things over and over, and I keep asking God for forgiveness for what He’s already forgiven. But where does penitence grab ahold and keep me from offending God?

I’d say it’s relationship with Him. King Josiah seemed to have a strong relationship with God. It’s a good thing, too, because God was fixin’ to waste Judea over their abandonment of God and their idolatry. God takes this relationship issue very seriously – should not I?

I think God is looking for those who will do something meaningful in their walk with Him that keeps them from doing the same stupid thing over and over and over. Josiah the king, wept, tore his clothes and was really disturbed that the kingdom he’d inherited was doomed. I don’t think it was a matter of his trying to save his own skin; I think it was a matter of how important God was to him, and how badly the subjects of his kingdom had offended God. It moved him to act decisively and penitently.

How important is God to me? What is it in my life that I need to tear my clothes over so that I stop doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. Maybe rending my garments is a consideration. Something needs to give.

Father, I am not a king, I’m a guy. But I claim to know You and I claim to represent You and I want You to see my heart that I am sorry for the things I have done over and over and over that offend You. Father, I haven’t torn my clothes and I’m not saying I should, but I want You to see my heart and my acts of penitence, and that You mean more to me than the dumb stuff I do… Help me God, amen.