The Mystery of God
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he writes, “When I came to you brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the mystery of God in lofty words or wisdom.” Sometimes it is tempting to us, out of exasperation or weariness to fall back on “the mystery of God.” I might say to myself, “Well, I can’t understand any more about this passage in scripture so I am going to stop studying and chalk it up to God’s mysterious ways.” But it turns out even the “mystery of God” does not end there but is a further call to be students of the Bible. In English, the word “disciple” simply means learner. We are “learners” of the Lord, engaged in program of continuing education that lasts way past college; as long as Jesus is our teacher, we’re his learners.
We can see the mystery of God at the very beginning of the Bible. Think of Eve. Were you and I creators of the universe, we probably would have created Adam and Eve at the same time. That’s the “logical” way. Spare Adam loneliness and pain, make Eve and Adam together! Instead, God does it differently, mysteriously. He operates on Adam--takes a rib out. Adam must have been sore when he woke up! God’s way, God’s illogical, foolish ways work out better than our ways. Had it been done our way, Adam would have just accepted Eve as a piece of the furniture of creation; he would have taken her for granted. But God did it his way, and Adam declares, “This at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” It is the closest that Adam has ever come to praising God. As the Bible says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men.”
We see the hiddenness, the mystery of God over and over again in the Bible. We see it in Abraham and Sarah: having a baby at the ages of 99 and 90 respectively. We would have done it differently were we God. We would have given them baby Isaac at the normal time. God’s way is better. Had Abraham and Sarah conceived in their youths, they couldn’t have helped concluding that Isaac was par for the course. In their extreme old age, however, Isaac’s birth can only be seen as a miracle, nothing less than resurrection from the dead (Hebrews 11:12).
We see the mystery of God in the Exodus from Egypt; were I the Lord God, I would have rented fleets of buses and bused the children of Israel direct to the promised land. But it is only through the Red Sea that the children of Israel, “believe in God and in his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31). And it is only after the indirect route, forty years in the wilderness, that the Israelites can fell the walls of Jericho by (of all things) walking round it, shouting and blowing trumpets. Were we in charge we would just used tanks or something and the world would never have seen a living picture of the Spirit of God, “not by might and not by power but by my spirit says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6).
And perhaps most mysterious of all, we see the cross of Jesus Christ: Jews and Gentiles saved from enemies far deadlier than a human army of any nationality. Through the foolishness of the cross we are saved from our own sins, from death and from the devil. Is this the way we would have done it? Would a cross have been in our thoughts and plans? Long ago the prophet Habakkuk prophesied that the “just by faith shall live” (Habakkuk 2:4). In the historical context the meaning is plain. Those who had faith and trusted God and were calm in the face of the Chaldean onslaught would be saved, would survive. But God gives this prophest a new meaning. In Isaiah the “just one” is the man of sorrows whose death with criminals is turned, by God’s faith and mercy (Isaiah 55:3) into a holy offering for the sin and rebellion of Israel and the world (53:8). And by this same power of faith and mercy, the Lord Jesus Jehovah is raised from the dead, “he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days...and divide the spoil of the great” (53:10,12). Is this the way we would have accomplished salvation? No indeed, “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4).
As we look forward to Christmas we see again the mystery of God and we see not just in the Bible but in life how Jesus’ words come true: “I thank thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes, yes Father for such is your gracious will” (Matthew 11:25). And one by one, as children we enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:14).
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thursday, August 06, 2009
The Science of Biblical Intertextuality
Some say that midrash or "intertexuality" is an art rather than a science. If midrash is a science what are its rules? What can we learn from the rabbinical rules of midrash? Need we take rabbinics with a grain (or perhaps a spoonful) of salt?
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Wrath of God and Our Present Controversies (Part I of Series)
In Judges 2:14 we read that because the Israelites turned to other gods, “the anger of the Lord was kindled...he gave them over to plunderers who plundered them; and he sold them into the power of their enemies round about so t hat they could no longer withstand their enemies.” But then, just a verse later, we read that in response to the suffering of Israel, God in his pity “raised up judges who saved them out of the power of those who plundered them” (vs. 16). It is interesting here that instead of withdrawing the Philistines and the other enemies of Israel, to whom God himself had handed them over, he raises up both judges and kings to stand against and defeat the enemies of Israel.
This is what is happening in the encounter between David and Goliath, the story of the young shepherd boy who defeats the giant Goliath and rouses the discouraged army of Israel so that with a great shout they rise up to pursue their oppressors and drive them from the land.
And this is the background to Romans 1, a chapter that in recent days invites much controversy.
In Romans 1:18-2:3, we learn that all society is thankless, we do not count our many blessings, and so, as he did with the Israelites, God hands us over to our enemies, not enemies of flesh and blood like the Philistines, but enemies that are ethereal but even more powerful. “We fight not against flesh and blood but the powers and principalities." Paul lists those enemies in his “vice catalogue” that begins in verse 1:24: “therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts...women exchanged natural relations for unnatural and men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another.” But of course this catalogue of vices does not end there but goes to encompass envy and murder, strife and deceit, malignity and gossiping, slander and hating God, to name a few.
This understanding of Romans 1, helps me as a minister to answer some the questions that have been asked of me, especially as the debate grew heated around Proposition 8 in California.
Many have asked over the years if I thought men and women are “born that way” as ”lesbians or homosexuals.” The answer is is, yes of course that is possible. On the other there are also a large number of people, some known to me personally, who chose sometime in early adulthood to reject the opposite sex. But whether people have a genetic predisposition to it or whether they chose to go a certain way makes no difference to the apostle Paul. God can hands over ALL society even the littlest child in the womb to sins that range from passion for those of their own sex to a predisposition for deceit. Just as the littlest one in Israel was oppressed by the cruel and continual raids on Israel by the Philistines so from the littlest to the oldest we are all harassed and harried by the vices that attack us constantly.
And here I must emphasize that it is ALL society, including you and me, that have been thankless. ALL of us have been handed over to the vices that the Apostle Paul lists in Romans 1. Chief among them to be sure, is the unnatural relations between men and men, women and women. These unnatural relations stand like a Goliath above all the others but we must remember an entire army of giants is behind him! Perhaps we love and admire the opposite sex, we are not perhaps DIRECTLY oppressed by this “Goliath” of a vice, but we necessarily fall prey to one of the other giants on the list. If we are not envious, we are faithless; if we are not disobedient to parents, we are heartless; if we are not liars we are gossips. Not one of us can avoid the cruelties of the enemy that lies within and without.
But is this bad news? No! and no again I say!
When God in his anger against our thanklessness betrays us into the hands our enemies, in his pity he raises up a savior to stand against these enemies and give us the victory! God has raised up such a savior and his name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
He is our victory over all our enemies, including the Goliath of unnatural relations that we meet everywhere and know so intimately. But it is not just Goliath who is felled, but his many brethren. I can testify personally, I was, and am and would be in the power of many of the vices listed EXCEPT for Jesus. Except for Jesus I am bossy and mean to name just a few of my sins (some of which I believe I was born with), but that “except” makes all the difference in the world.
Many among my friends and extended family have told me that they believe there to be “nothing wrong” with so-called “gay marriage.” They say, “why not live and let live? No one is harmed.” I completely understand their point of view because I was once of the same opinion. But the Lord Jesus knows better. The Bible is as the theologian N.T. Wright points out “a love story.” How true that is, not just between Adam and Eve, but also between the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 and “Lady Zion” of Isaiah 54, between Jesus and his bride the church. There is no other book that cares so much about men and women liking and loving one another. In fact, the gospel itself is inseparable from the romance between God and Zion. We cannot proclaim the cross without proclaiming the love a man (God, the suffering servant) for a woman (Zion, the church).
Sometimes our troubles seem and indeed are, overwhelming. Our enemies, Paul’s entire catalogue of vice, poison our lives. But we are no different from the army of Israel standing utterly cowed before Goliath and their powerful enemies... and then comes someone entirely unexpected, a young shepherd going down to the stream to pick out five smooth stones for his slingshot. And suddenly when no expects it the giant falls flat, dead. And we rise up with a shout of victory, driving the cruel armies of the Philistines away. If it was such with Shepherd David, how much more is it with the Shepherd Jesus? The Israelites chased the enemy to their own gates, but with the Lord Jesus, even the “gates of hell shall not prevail.”
This is what is happening in the encounter between David and Goliath, the story of the young shepherd boy who defeats the giant Goliath and rouses the discouraged army of Israel so that with a great shout they rise up to pursue their oppressors and drive them from the land.
And this is the background to Romans 1, a chapter that in recent days invites much controversy.
In Romans 1:18-2:3, we learn that all society is thankless, we do not count our many blessings, and so, as he did with the Israelites, God hands us over to our enemies, not enemies of flesh and blood like the Philistines, but enemies that are ethereal but even more powerful. “We fight not against flesh and blood but the powers and principalities." Paul lists those enemies in his “vice catalogue” that begins in verse 1:24: “therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts...women exchanged natural relations for unnatural and men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another.” But of course this catalogue of vices does not end there but goes to encompass envy and murder, strife and deceit, malignity and gossiping, slander and hating God, to name a few.
This understanding of Romans 1, helps me as a minister to answer some the questions that have been asked of me, especially as the debate grew heated around Proposition 8 in California.
Many have asked over the years if I thought men and women are “born that way” as ”lesbians or homosexuals.” The answer is is, yes of course that is possible. On the other there are also a large number of people, some known to me personally, who chose sometime in early adulthood to reject the opposite sex. But whether people have a genetic predisposition to it or whether they chose to go a certain way makes no difference to the apostle Paul. God can hands over ALL society even the littlest child in the womb to sins that range from passion for those of their own sex to a predisposition for deceit. Just as the littlest one in Israel was oppressed by the cruel and continual raids on Israel by the Philistines so from the littlest to the oldest we are all harassed and harried by the vices that attack us constantly.
And here I must emphasize that it is ALL society, including you and me, that have been thankless. ALL of us have been handed over to the vices that the Apostle Paul lists in Romans 1. Chief among them to be sure, is the unnatural relations between men and men, women and women. These unnatural relations stand like a Goliath above all the others but we must remember an entire army of giants is behind him! Perhaps we love and admire the opposite sex, we are not perhaps DIRECTLY oppressed by this “Goliath” of a vice, but we necessarily fall prey to one of the other giants on the list. If we are not envious, we are faithless; if we are not disobedient to parents, we are heartless; if we are not liars we are gossips. Not one of us can avoid the cruelties of the enemy that lies within and without.
But is this bad news? No! and no again I say!
When God in his anger against our thanklessness betrays us into the hands our enemies, in his pity he raises up a savior to stand against these enemies and give us the victory! God has raised up such a savior and his name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
He is our victory over all our enemies, including the Goliath of unnatural relations that we meet everywhere and know so intimately. But it is not just Goliath who is felled, but his many brethren. I can testify personally, I was, and am and would be in the power of many of the vices listed EXCEPT for Jesus. Except for Jesus I am bossy and mean to name just a few of my sins (some of which I believe I was born with), but that “except” makes all the difference in the world.
Many among my friends and extended family have told me that they believe there to be “nothing wrong” with so-called “gay marriage.” They say, “why not live and let live? No one is harmed.” I completely understand their point of view because I was once of the same opinion. But the Lord Jesus knows better. The Bible is as the theologian N.T. Wright points out “a love story.” How true that is, not just between Adam and Eve, but also between the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 and “Lady Zion” of Isaiah 54, between Jesus and his bride the church. There is no other book that cares so much about men and women liking and loving one another. In fact, the gospel itself is inseparable from the romance between God and Zion. We cannot proclaim the cross without proclaiming the love a man (God, the suffering servant) for a woman (Zion, the church).
Sometimes our troubles seem and indeed are, overwhelming. Our enemies, Paul’s entire catalogue of vice, poison our lives. But we are no different from the army of Israel standing utterly cowed before Goliath and their powerful enemies... and then comes someone entirely unexpected, a young shepherd going down to the stream to pick out five smooth stones for his slingshot. And suddenly when no expects it the giant falls flat, dead. And we rise up with a shout of victory, driving the cruel armies of the Philistines away. If it was such with Shepherd David, how much more is it with the Shepherd Jesus? The Israelites chased the enemy to their own gates, but with the Lord Jesus, even the “gates of hell shall not prevail.”
Monday, February 23, 2009
Verse for Us Today
Put on The Whole Armor of God
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able withstand the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perserverance, making supplication for all the saints.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able withstand the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perserverance, making supplication for all the saints.
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Faith OF His Name
In most, if not all of our Bibles, Acts 3:16 reads something like, “By faith in his name, this man whom you see and know was made strong.” The apostle Peter is here addressing the crowds who have come running. He is talking of the man born lame, for 40 years a beggar at the “Beautiful Gate” who is now walking and leaping and praising God in the temple. How was all this done? Not by the power or piety of the disciples but by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (3:13). How was the man healed? By “faith in the name of Jesus” (NIV). But this is not what the Bible actually says. In Greek, the original language of the New Testament, we read, “by the faith OF his name.” What could this mean? Indeed many times in the Bible we see “faith of...” The King James Version, cleaving to the original language, furnishes some examples of this, as in Romans 3:22, Galatians 2:16 and many other places.
To understand what the “faith of the name of Jesus," we need to tell the story of faith. One of the first times we see the word for “faith” in the Bible is with Abraham. In Hebrew the word for faith is “emunah." We read that Abraham “believed in the Lord” (Genesis 15:6). For me, the word faith gets very confusing. I have found that the word “solid” is a better translation for the emunah/faith word of the Bible. We could then say of Abraham, Abraham was “solid” on God. But with Abraham’s descendants it is not so. In fact, God says specifically that they are not faithful, not “solid” on God, “they are a perverse generation, sons in which there is no faithfulness” (Deut. 32:20). How does God deal with this faithlessness, this lack of solidity? We glimpse the answer in Deuteronomy 7:9. Where we let the banner of faith fall to the ground, God picks it up. The word for faith or solidity is now attached only to God,
“God has caused you to go out with a strong hand, and redeemed you from the house of slaves, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Because of this know that the Lord your God, he is God, the faithful, the 'solid on you' God.”
But the story of faith does not end here. Remember David: how he wanted to build a house for God but God says, “No, I will build a house for you.” And here the word “emunah” is used again, God says that he will be faithful to the house of David, he will be solid on behalf of David’s dynasty (2 Sam. 7:16). And in David’s prayer we begin to know how glorious this promise is. David understands that God being “solid” on the side of his dynasty is going to be as big as the Exodus (vs. 23) The Lord’s being solid behind David and his seed will mean freedom and rest and peace and life for the people.
But the final scene in the story of faith is yet to come. The prophet Isaiah has a vision. He sees that God is indeed going to be solid behind the son of David...and how! In his vision the son of David, this root of Jesse, is a “root out of dry ground,” a suffering servant (this suffering servant is also the Lord God, but more on that in another article!)but in the midst of his suffering, God will be faithful and loving. To paraphrase Isaiah 55:3, God promises his people, I will give you the solid (faithful) love that I give to this root of David. We see the effects of that faithful, “solid” love in Isaiah 53. This Jewish man of sorrows is beaten but “by his stripes we are healed,” he dies a criminal’s death but God turns that death into something holy, an offering given by God that takes away sin. This Davidic messiah goes to the grave but God in his love raises him up and promises that he will see his children. God in his solid
love for the servant declares him to be “in the right” and “making many right.”to paraphrase Isaiah 53:11. God in his solid, faithful love for his “boy” gives him all wealth, many children, victory.
And isn’t this all exactly what happened to Jesus? Jesus the Davidic Messiah is saved in the garden, enabled to give that triumphant shout on the cross, triumphant even in the tomb, raised from the dead, exalted at the right hand of the Father. If this isn’t totally solid love, I don’t know what is!
This is the meaning behind that mysterious phrase in Acts 3. What has made the lame man walk and leap, is the “solidity” of the name of Jesus. God has established, solidified the name of Jesus Anointed of Nazareth. This is clues us in to the meaning whenever we see the mysterious "faith of Jesus," it is the solidity of Jesus, God’s solidly loving up his only begotten son.
Long ago David had prayed, Lord emunah “solidify” or “establish” your name and now God has done it. Why did David pray this prayer? Because he knew that where the name of the Lord is established, there is healing and David wants healing and health and life for his people. In Acts 3 and in our own lives, David’s prayer has been answered.
To understand what the “faith of the name of Jesus," we need to tell the story of faith. One of the first times we see the word for “faith” in the Bible is with Abraham. In Hebrew the word for faith is “emunah." We read that Abraham “believed in the Lord” (Genesis 15:6). For me, the word faith gets very confusing. I have found that the word “solid” is a better translation for the emunah/faith word of the Bible. We could then say of Abraham, Abraham was “solid” on God. But with Abraham’s descendants it is not so. In fact, God says specifically that they are not faithful, not “solid” on God, “they are a perverse generation, sons in which there is no faithfulness” (Deut. 32:20). How does God deal with this faithlessness, this lack of solidity? We glimpse the answer in Deuteronomy 7:9. Where we let the banner of faith fall to the ground, God picks it up. The word for faith or solidity is now attached only to God,
“God has caused you to go out with a strong hand, and redeemed you from the house of slaves, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Because of this know that the Lord your God, he is God, the faithful, the 'solid on you' God.”
But the story of faith does not end here. Remember David: how he wanted to build a house for God but God says, “No, I will build a house for you.” And here the word “emunah” is used again, God says that he will be faithful to the house of David, he will be solid on behalf of David’s dynasty (2 Sam. 7:16). And in David’s prayer we begin to know how glorious this promise is. David understands that God being “solid” on the side of his dynasty is going to be as big as the Exodus (vs. 23) The Lord’s being solid behind David and his seed will mean freedom and rest and peace and life for the people.
But the final scene in the story of faith is yet to come. The prophet Isaiah has a vision. He sees that God is indeed going to be solid behind the son of David...and how! In his vision the son of David, this root of Jesse, is a “root out of dry ground,” a suffering servant (this suffering servant is also the Lord God, but more on that in another article!)but in the midst of his suffering, God will be faithful and loving. To paraphrase Isaiah 55:3, God promises his people, I will give you the solid (faithful) love that I give to this root of David. We see the effects of that faithful, “solid” love in Isaiah 53. This Jewish man of sorrows is beaten but “by his stripes we are healed,” he dies a criminal’s death but God turns that death into something holy, an offering given by God that takes away sin. This Davidic messiah goes to the grave but God in his love raises him up and promises that he will see his children. God in his solid
love for the servant declares him to be “in the right” and “making many right.”to paraphrase Isaiah 53:11. God in his solid, faithful love for his “boy” gives him all wealth, many children, victory.
And isn’t this all exactly what happened to Jesus? Jesus the Davidic Messiah is saved in the garden, enabled to give that triumphant shout on the cross, triumphant even in the tomb, raised from the dead, exalted at the right hand of the Father. If this isn’t totally solid love, I don’t know what is!
This is the meaning behind that mysterious phrase in Acts 3. What has made the lame man walk and leap, is the “solidity” of the name of Jesus. God has established, solidified the name of Jesus Anointed of Nazareth. This is clues us in to the meaning whenever we see the mysterious "faith of Jesus," it is the solidity of Jesus, God’s solidly loving up his only begotten son.
Long ago David had prayed, Lord emunah “solidify” or “establish” your name and now God has done it. Why did David pray this prayer? Because he knew that where the name of the Lord is established, there is healing and David wants healing and health and life for his people. In Acts 3 and in our own lives, David’s prayer has been answered.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Family of God
The Family of God
There's a popular hymn called the “Family of God.” Part of the chorus goes, “I’m so glad that I’m part of the family of God.” Now, we certainly are a part of the family of God, but often we picture this family as simply the people around us in church. And it is true that these are our brothers and sisters in the Lord, but what we might miss is that we brothers and sisters have been joined to the family of Jesus. And this Jesus is not only God but also a Jewish man, whose lineage can be traced back to David, Judah, and Abraham. We have been grafted into this family. We have been adopted into the family of Israel
Reading chapter by chapter through the Old and New Testaments in my churches, we're now in Leviticus. It’s amazing stuff, surprising and very down to earth. Just the other day we were reading about skin diseases: yellow or black hairs growing out of the leprous spot, itching, swelling, all these things and more. Woah! Kind of gross, but certainly down to earth! The subject of mildew or other diseases that can affect cloth or even houses also comes up, and that’s talked about just as frankly and realistically.
All this got me asking the question, what is the law? This talk of diseases, leprosy, mildew and mold, not to mention the intricate details of the making of the tent of meeting (Exodus 25), how exactly to offer the atonement sacrifice (Leviticus 8), what to eat (cows, goats ok) and what not to eat (shrimp, pork, not okay), what does it have to do with me? What does the law mean for me, a shrimp loving, pork eating girl who never even knew what a tent of meeting was before reading the Bible? What does this have to do with us average Gentile believers? There is a simple answer. The law is righteousness. It’s what’s right to do and it’s the way to attain life, even eternal life. As I write, I plan on sitting down to a nice pork chop later in the evening if at all possible, so what gives? Am I going against any hope of eternal life and doing what’s right? On the contrary. You and I, bacon lovers all, have been grafted into the family of
Israel by Jesus. Jesus brings us right back to that wilderness, that honeymoon time between God and his people (Hosea). Through Jesus, I attain that righteousness that the law aimed at. Through Jesus I have that eternal life that was the purpose and goal of the law. Both the Jew and the Gentile are brought to the back to the wilderness where God espoused his people to himself. Both Jew and Gentile are brought back to righteousness, brought back to health, wealth and well-being, grace and truth, but not by our own deeds but by the Lord Jesus who seeks and saves the lost. As other writers have pointed out, "Jesus makes us kosher." I do hope to have that pork chop later on and I will eat with joy and thanks because our beautiful savior Jesus makes me as clean and pure as crystalline water from a mountain river.
What does all this thing called the law have to do with me? It is home, the home of truth, the home of life, and God wants me to be there. I notice as read on in the Torah (the first five books of Genesis) that I am actually interested in this stuff. How come? How would any Gentile possibly become interested in these things that are so foreign to us? There’s only one reason; I have been awakened to it by the Lord, “Wake, O sleeper, rise from he dead and Christ with give you life.” Thinking about the chapters we are on now I can’t help but reflect that had I my own way, I’m sure I’d like to remain in la-la land the realm of ideas where things aren't messy, but God has woken me up to real life, the world where there are diseases and mildew, where you actually have to think about exactly how you are going to make that tent or house or bookcase, the real world where your feet on on the ground and your heart is with your fellow man and with
God, soaring to the heights of glory. All I have to say is that this Gentile, this woman who was sitting in darkness, thanks her Lord who brought her into the light, into the family of God. She is home.
There's a popular hymn called the “Family of God.” Part of the chorus goes, “I’m so glad that I’m part of the family of God.” Now, we certainly are a part of the family of God, but often we picture this family as simply the people around us in church. And it is true that these are our brothers and sisters in the Lord, but what we might miss is that we brothers and sisters have been joined to the family of Jesus. And this Jesus is not only God but also a Jewish man, whose lineage can be traced back to David, Judah, and Abraham. We have been grafted into this family. We have been adopted into the family of Israel
Reading chapter by chapter through the Old and New Testaments in my churches, we're now in Leviticus. It’s amazing stuff, surprising and very down to earth. Just the other day we were reading about skin diseases: yellow or black hairs growing out of the leprous spot, itching, swelling, all these things and more. Woah! Kind of gross, but certainly down to earth! The subject of mildew or other diseases that can affect cloth or even houses also comes up, and that’s talked about just as frankly and realistically.
All this got me asking the question, what is the law? This talk of diseases, leprosy, mildew and mold, not to mention the intricate details of the making of the tent of meeting (Exodus 25), how exactly to offer the atonement sacrifice (Leviticus 8), what to eat (cows, goats ok) and what not to eat (shrimp, pork, not okay), what does it have to do with me? What does the law mean for me, a shrimp loving, pork eating girl who never even knew what a tent of meeting was before reading the Bible? What does this have to do with us average Gentile believers? There is a simple answer. The law is righteousness. It’s what’s right to do and it’s the way to attain life, even eternal life. As I write, I plan on sitting down to a nice pork chop later in the evening if at all possible, so what gives? Am I going against any hope of eternal life and doing what’s right? On the contrary. You and I, bacon lovers all, have been grafted into the family of
Israel by Jesus. Jesus brings us right back to that wilderness, that honeymoon time between God and his people (Hosea). Through Jesus, I attain that righteousness that the law aimed at. Through Jesus I have that eternal life that was the purpose and goal of the law. Both the Jew and the Gentile are brought to the back to the wilderness where God espoused his people to himself. Both Jew and Gentile are brought back to righteousness, brought back to health, wealth and well-being, grace and truth, but not by our own deeds but by the Lord Jesus who seeks and saves the lost. As other writers have pointed out, "Jesus makes us kosher." I do hope to have that pork chop later on and I will eat with joy and thanks because our beautiful savior Jesus makes me as clean and pure as crystalline water from a mountain river.
What does all this thing called the law have to do with me? It is home, the home of truth, the home of life, and God wants me to be there. I notice as read on in the Torah (the first five books of Genesis) that I am actually interested in this stuff. How come? How would any Gentile possibly become interested in these things that are so foreign to us? There’s only one reason; I have been awakened to it by the Lord, “Wake, O sleeper, rise from he dead and Christ with give you life.” Thinking about the chapters we are on now I can’t help but reflect that had I my own way, I’m sure I’d like to remain in la-la land the realm of ideas where things aren't messy, but God has woken me up to real life, the world where there are diseases and mildew, where you actually have to think about exactly how you are going to make that tent or house or bookcase, the real world where your feet on on the ground and your heart is with your fellow man and with
God, soaring to the heights of glory. All I have to say is that this Gentile, this woman who was sitting in darkness, thanks her Lord who brought her into the light, into the family of God. She is home.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Mark 2--Dialogue
A: Why do the scribes say that Jesus is blaspheming when he forgives the paralytic's sins? Why do they say, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
M: It's true, only God can forgive sins. Thinking that we can forgive sins might make us think we were gods ourselves.
A: But at the Beautiful Gate in Acts 3, Peter says, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth stand up and walk." They later say to the crowds, "Men, Israelites, why are gazing as if by our own power or godliness we made him to walk." Jesus says in Mark 2, "which is easier to say to the paralytic, 'your sins are forgiven' or to say, 'stand up and walk."' This implies that both are equally difficult,indeed impossible with man. But with God all things are possible, therefore by God's power we can forgive sins.
M: Okay, but only by God's power. But there is something I still don't like in that formulation. I'm confused.
A: Yeah, me too, let's go back to the original question how come the scribes are saying that only God can forgive sins? Is this because in Torah it is God who gives the sacrifices that cover sin? In Torah the whole thrust seems to be God freeing the children of Israel first from the iron furnace of Egypt and then from their sins. At first as you read Leviticus for instance it seems like these people out in the desert are appeasing God for some reason, then it slowly dawns on you that God is providing for the forgiveness of sins; it's all him. But even in Leviticus it says, "the priest shall make atonement" for so and so's sin.
S: The question still stands then, why do the scribes who know the Bible backwards and forwards say that Jesus shouldn't say, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
A: I'm confused.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
M: It's true, only God can forgive sins. Thinking that we can forgive sins might make us think we were gods ourselves.
A: But at the Beautiful Gate in Acts 3, Peter says, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth stand up and walk." They later say to the crowds, "Men, Israelites, why are gazing as if by our own power or godliness we made him to walk." Jesus says in Mark 2, "which is easier to say to the paralytic, 'your sins are forgiven' or to say, 'stand up and walk."' This implies that both are equally difficult,indeed impossible with man. But with God all things are possible, therefore by God's power we can forgive sins.
M: Okay, but only by God's power. But there is something I still don't like in that formulation. I'm confused.
A: Yeah, me too, let's go back to the original question how come the scribes are saying that only God can forgive sins? Is this because in Torah it is God who gives the sacrifices that cover sin? In Torah the whole thrust seems to be God freeing the children of Israel first from the iron furnace of Egypt and then from their sins. At first as you read Leviticus for instance it seems like these people out in the desert are appeasing God for some reason, then it slowly dawns on you that God is providing for the forgiveness of sins; it's all him. But even in Leviticus it says, "the priest shall make atonement" for so and so's sin.
S: The question still stands then, why do the scribes who know the Bible backwards and forwards say that Jesus shouldn't say, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
A: I'm confused.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Monday, April 14, 2008
Holy Hands
The Godfather
In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he writes, “I want men in every place to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger or quarreling (I Timothy 2:8). This is the same passage where Paul tells women they need not “teach” their men. That is, as both the unusual Greek verb and the entire context suggest, women need not “teach” with a frying pan! Neither by cast-iron nor by an unending stream of yelling and nagging are women to “teach” no matter how bull-headed their husbands. In the same way, men don’t need to use their fists, no matter how foolish or how deserving their opponent.. Instead of lifting up hands to hit, men now lift up holy hands to pray.
The idea of holy hands is not new. In Israel’s battle with the Amalekites when Moses lifted up his arms, the battle would turn to the Israelites. When Moses in weariness let his arms come down, the battle would favor the Amalekites. Eventually Aaron and Hur gave Moses a rock to sit on and themselves held Moses’ hands steady until sunset and the victory of the Israelites. The secret of the story is found by looking carefully at the Hebrew. When Moses would raise his hands up either his left or his right hand would touch the throne of God hovering unseen at Moses’ side. Being in touch with God means victory.
Paul remembers all of this when he writes to Timothy about holy hands. Men and women don’t need to be constantly on the offensive because we go hand in hand with God. When we pray, he’s right there.
In that same passage, Paul says that women don’t need to do their hair for five hours a day (as some of the Roman styles of the time literally required). The women of Timothy’s church can get by on say, an hour of preparation if necessary. Why? Because they are in touch with “Fairest Lord Jesus,” who gives them a beauty far beyond the neck-numbing braids and curls of Roman fashonistas. Jesus gives women a beauty both within and without, shining in all that they do and all that they are.
For both men and women, the secret is that we are in contact with the Lord, as David says “I am continually with thee; thou dost hold me by the right hand.” In other words, God has our back, so we can relax. We are in tight with a real “Godfather,” namely, God the Father. We can afford to be generous. We can afford to be long-suffering. We can afford to have largesse, after all we are soldiers of the king of kings.
In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he writes, “I want men in every place to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger or quarreling (I Timothy 2:8). This is the same passage where Paul tells women they need not “teach” their men. That is, as both the unusual Greek verb and the entire context suggest, women need not “teach” with a frying pan! Neither by cast-iron nor by an unending stream of yelling and nagging are women to “teach” no matter how bull-headed their husbands. In the same way, men don’t need to use their fists, no matter how foolish or how deserving their opponent.. Instead of lifting up hands to hit, men now lift up holy hands to pray.
The idea of holy hands is not new. In Israel’s battle with the Amalekites when Moses lifted up his arms, the battle would turn to the Israelites. When Moses in weariness let his arms come down, the battle would favor the Amalekites. Eventually Aaron and Hur gave Moses a rock to sit on and themselves held Moses’ hands steady until sunset and the victory of the Israelites. The secret of the story is found by looking carefully at the Hebrew. When Moses would raise his hands up either his left or his right hand would touch the throne of God hovering unseen at Moses’ side. Being in touch with God means victory.
Paul remembers all of this when he writes to Timothy about holy hands. Men and women don’t need to be constantly on the offensive because we go hand in hand with God. When we pray, he’s right there.
In that same passage, Paul says that women don’t need to do their hair for five hours a day (as some of the Roman styles of the time literally required). The women of Timothy’s church can get by on say, an hour of preparation if necessary. Why? Because they are in touch with “Fairest Lord Jesus,” who gives them a beauty far beyond the neck-numbing braids and curls of Roman fashonistas. Jesus gives women a beauty both within and without, shining in all that they do and all that they are.
For both men and women, the secret is that we are in contact with the Lord, as David says “I am continually with thee; thou dost hold me by the right hand.” In other words, God has our back, so we can relax. We are in tight with a real “Godfather,” namely, God the Father. We can afford to be generous. We can afford to be long-suffering. We can afford to have largesse, after all we are soldiers of the king of kings.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Beauty Is Truth Article
Did you know that scientists have discovered tiny
chips of paint on the great statues of the ancient
western world? We are inclined to think of Greek and
Roman statues as bone white, unpainted, but it turns
out the statues were definitely done up in glorious
color. And now scientists and scholars have been able
to recreate the way they looked originally. In the
new show at Harvard, we see a copy of the statue of
the goddess Athena. She is dressed in bright green and
yellow. With golden hair and determined eyes she looks
strong, wise and terrifying. A bust of the Emperor
Caligula is also recreated. In color we are able to
see the look of sheer cruelty and perversion on his
petulant yet supremely regal face.
To go into any of the temples and see these statues
must have been overwhelming. The unpainted statues
were beautiful, but painted their beauty is rachetted
up several notches, they become truly awe-inspiring.
It was the Greek belief that in the faces of these
statues one could truly experience the divine. Seeing
the restored versions, I begin to see their point.
It was a painted statue that the cruel Antiochus
Epiphanes(“The Shining One”--215-164 B.C.) put into
the temple at Jerusalem. Let’s look at the situation
for a moment from the Greek point of view. To quote
Keats memorializing this belief in his poem “Ode on a
Grecian Urn”, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty-- that is
all ye know on earth and all ye need to know.”
Antiochus Epiphanes probably really believed that he
was saving the Jewish nation through the sheer
loveliness of the statues of the gods. He believed he
was force for the enlightenment of the whole earth,
bringing truth and glory to benighted Israel. He
despised their lack of imagery, their silly rules for
the Sabbath and their strange belief that pork eating
was forbidden. He would show them what civilization
really meant, and so into the sanctuary he brought the
“abomination of desolation.”
Antiochus Epiphanes did not understand or accept
Israel’s critique of the whole notion of beauty as
something of supreme value. The Greeks and the Romans
believed that beauty was “where it was at.” It was
this belief in beauty that helped to cause so much
confusion in the ancient world. In Sparta for
instance, women were lovers of other women and men
with men, because marriage between a man and a woman
did not matter much. It was a low thing in fact. The
Spartans seemed to have believed that beauty
transcended any relationship between the two genders.
It was beauty alone in either man or woman which was
to be worshipped and adored as the pathway to truth.
We can see the same viewpoint in the great Socratic
dialogue, “The Symposium” and throughout the great
writings of the ancient Western world.
Where does the Bible stand? We find that it has
something very surprising to say on this issue.
Beauty is demoted. In what must have seemed almost
inconceivable to the ancient world, to Israel what is
of prime importance is relationship between men and
women. God puts humble Adam and Eve, Jesus and his
bride the church front and center; it is Jesus who is
“the Way, the Truth and the Life” and his first order
of business is to bring truth and life to “Lady
Jerusalem” . In his suffering and death, he carries
away our sins, and makes a sad and grieving woman
(Zion) happy at last (see Isaiah 53 and 54). The
apostle Paul speaks of Jesus and his bride the church
whom he will one day present to himself “a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any other such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”
(Ephesians 5:27).
God’s critique of the sophisticated Greeks works
itself out into everyday life. We read in Proverbs
31, “charm is a delusion and beauty is vain.” It is
the woman who knows the great goodness of the Lord
that is to be honored, not the Paris Hilton
look-alike. To the pilgrim on his way to visit the
gods and goddesses of Olympus, their images might well
have caused his knees to buckle and his breath to come
short so inspiring were they, but the Bible says these
things are vanity, dust and ashes.
It is the trustworthy woman “who sees that her
business goes well, who buys a field and plants a
vineyard out of her earnings...who reaches out her
hands to the poor” that is truly beautiful. Not to a
statue of Aphrodite does a man sing praises but rather
to his loving wife (Proverbs 31:27).
In the clash between Jerusalem and Athens, and even in
the societal clashes today God is teaching us how to
see. What is truly of value is the woman of Proverbs
31; then as now, it is the not the Playboy bunny
transfixed on glossy magazine pages, but the living
breathing woman who is to be adored and cared for, a
real non-airbrushed woman not a painted image. It is
in the love and liking between men and women that we
see a reflection of God’s glory, not in the beautiful
golden, stoney-hearted Athena.
chips of paint on the great statues of the ancient
western world? We are inclined to think of Greek and
Roman statues as bone white, unpainted, but it turns
out the statues were definitely done up in glorious
color. And now scientists and scholars have been able
to recreate the way they looked originally. In the
new show at Harvard, we see a copy of the statue of
the goddess Athena. She is dressed in bright green and
yellow. With golden hair and determined eyes she looks
strong, wise and terrifying. A bust of the Emperor
Caligula is also recreated. In color we are able to
see the look of sheer cruelty and perversion on his
petulant yet supremely regal face.
To go into any of the temples and see these statues
must have been overwhelming. The unpainted statues
were beautiful, but painted their beauty is rachetted
up several notches, they become truly awe-inspiring.
It was the Greek belief that in the faces of these
statues one could truly experience the divine. Seeing
the restored versions, I begin to see their point.
It was a painted statue that the cruel Antiochus
Epiphanes(“The Shining One”--215-164 B.C.) put into
the temple at Jerusalem. Let’s look at the situation
for a moment from the Greek point of view. To quote
Keats memorializing this belief in his poem “Ode on a
Grecian Urn”, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty-- that is
all ye know on earth and all ye need to know.”
Antiochus Epiphanes probably really believed that he
was saving the Jewish nation through the sheer
loveliness of the statues of the gods. He believed he
was force for the enlightenment of the whole earth,
bringing truth and glory to benighted Israel. He
despised their lack of imagery, their silly rules for
the Sabbath and their strange belief that pork eating
was forbidden. He would show them what civilization
really meant, and so into the sanctuary he brought the
“abomination of desolation.”
Antiochus Epiphanes did not understand or accept
Israel’s critique of the whole notion of beauty as
something of supreme value. The Greeks and the Romans
believed that beauty was “where it was at.” It was
this belief in beauty that helped to cause so much
confusion in the ancient world. In Sparta for
instance, women were lovers of other women and men
with men, because marriage between a man and a woman
did not matter much. It was a low thing in fact. The
Spartans seemed to have believed that beauty
transcended any relationship between the two genders.
It was beauty alone in either man or woman which was
to be worshipped and adored as the pathway to truth.
We can see the same viewpoint in the great Socratic
dialogue, “The Symposium” and throughout the great
writings of the ancient Western world.
Where does the Bible stand? We find that it has
something very surprising to say on this issue.
Beauty is demoted. In what must have seemed almost
inconceivable to the ancient world, to Israel what is
of prime importance is relationship between men and
women. God puts humble Adam and Eve, Jesus and his
bride the church front and center; it is Jesus who is
“the Way, the Truth and the Life” and his first order
of business is to bring truth and life to “Lady
Jerusalem” . In his suffering and death, he carries
away our sins, and makes a sad and grieving woman
(Zion) happy at last (see Isaiah 53 and 54). The
apostle Paul speaks of Jesus and his bride the church
whom he will one day present to himself “a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any other such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”
(Ephesians 5:27).
God’s critique of the sophisticated Greeks works
itself out into everyday life. We read in Proverbs
31, “charm is a delusion and beauty is vain.” It is
the woman who knows the great goodness of the Lord
that is to be honored, not the Paris Hilton
look-alike. To the pilgrim on his way to visit the
gods and goddesses of Olympus, their images might well
have caused his knees to buckle and his breath to come
short so inspiring were they, but the Bible says these
things are vanity, dust and ashes.
It is the trustworthy woman “who sees that her
business goes well, who buys a field and plants a
vineyard out of her earnings...who reaches out her
hands to the poor” that is truly beautiful. Not to a
statue of Aphrodite does a man sing praises but rather
to his loving wife (Proverbs 31:27).
In the clash between Jerusalem and Athens, and even in
the societal clashes today God is teaching us how to
see. What is truly of value is the woman of Proverbs
31; then as now, it is the not the Playboy bunny
transfixed on glossy magazine pages, but the living
breathing woman who is to be adored and cared for, a
real non-airbrushed woman not a painted image. It is
in the love and liking between men and women that we
see a reflection of God’s glory, not in the beautiful
golden, stoney-hearted Athena.
Thoughts on Saturday's Special Presbytery Meeting
I really am praising God; listening to Dr. Capetz'
answers and the comments upstairs helped me
tremendously in understanding this issue Biblically.
I didn't understand before Saturday WHY the apostle
Paul speaks the way he does in Romans 1 and 2. Paul
does not speak the way he does because he is
a)homophobic or b) relying on traditional Jewish
attitudes towards homosexuals but rather, he speaks
the way he does because he has met Jesus on the road
to Damascus!
On the road to Damascus, Paul meets the Lord God,
Jesus who had died on a cross. This fact, effectively
forces Paul to open the Bible to Isaiah 53, where Paul
reads about a suffering servant. But the direct
result of the sorrows of this God and man is 1) the
justification of "many" and 2) (and here's the kicker)
the happiness and freedom of Jerusalem who is pictured
as a woman. Basically we are getting an updated
version of Adam and Eve here. Turns out, Adam and Eve
are not only in Genesis but in 2nd Isaiah!
Where the rubber meets the road in all of this is that
far from being an issue of relative unimportance,
right relationship, indeed, healed relationship
between men and women is at the very heart of the
Bible, hand in hand with the cross itself, not to
mention justice and mercy.
I just have to say how amazing this is; in an earlier
time I was a classics student and you know, there is
simply no other book in the world that centers on
making a woman happy and free and victorious. Oy vey,
that's for sure.
Believe me, Socrates had absolutely no idea of making
any woman happy and Sappho had no idea that a man
could ever possibly do this! There is simply no
precedent in any of the ancient writings for "this
now is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone"
Anyway, I talked to the people at the annual meeting
about all of this and they seemed pretty pleased with
it.
It was only in the car ride home on Saturday that this
all started to sink it...and there's a lot more to go.
I think we've just begun to mine all the treasures.
answers and the comments upstairs helped me
tremendously in understanding this issue Biblically.
I didn't understand before Saturday WHY the apostle
Paul speaks the way he does in Romans 1 and 2. Paul
does not speak the way he does because he is
a)homophobic or b) relying on traditional Jewish
attitudes towards homosexuals but rather, he speaks
the way he does because he has met Jesus on the road
to Damascus!
On the road to Damascus, Paul meets the Lord God,
Jesus who had died on a cross. This fact, effectively
forces Paul to open the Bible to Isaiah 53, where Paul
reads about a suffering servant. But the direct
result of the sorrows of this God and man is 1) the
justification of "many" and 2) (and here's the kicker)
the happiness and freedom of Jerusalem who is pictured
as a woman. Basically we are getting an updated
version of Adam and Eve here. Turns out, Adam and Eve
are not only in Genesis but in 2nd Isaiah!
Where the rubber meets the road in all of this is that
far from being an issue of relative unimportance,
right relationship, indeed, healed relationship
between men and women is at the very heart of the
Bible, hand in hand with the cross itself, not to
mention justice and mercy.
I just have to say how amazing this is; in an earlier
time I was a classics student and you know, there is
simply no other book in the world that centers on
making a woman happy and free and victorious. Oy vey,
that's for sure.
Believe me, Socrates had absolutely no idea of making
any woman happy and Sappho had no idea that a man
could ever possibly do this! There is simply no
precedent in any of the ancient writings for "this
now is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone"
Anyway, I talked to the people at the annual meeting
about all of this and they seemed pretty pleased with
it.
It was only in the car ride home on Saturday that this
all started to sink it...and there's a lot more to go.
I think we've just begun to mine all the treasures.
Letter to the Layman
An Appeal to My Presbytery, the Presbytery of the Twin
Cities Area
On Saturday, Professor Paul Capetz’ asserted that
affirming “chastity in singleness” (Book of Order
G-6.0106b) was tantamount to taking a vow of celibacy.
This assertion at its heart calls into question the
words of the angel Gabriel, “with God nothing will be
impossible” (Luke 1:37, RSV). As Jesus reiterated,
“with men it is impossible, but with God all things
are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
And yet, in restoring Professor Capetz as minister
member in the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, we
say to the church and the world that there is at least
one thing that is impossible with God, namely,
redemption for men who desire men and women who desire
women (see Romans 1:26-27).
That “homosexual orientation” is unchangeable goes
largely unquestioned in Western society today, but God
mercifully calls into question all our
impossibilities. Romans 1 tells us that our savior,
Jesus, “the just who shall live by faith” lives in
order to save us from our enemies. (Romans 1:17). As
King David saved the ancient Israelites from the
Philistines, themselves sent as a manifestation of
God’s wrath (see Judges 2:14, Romans 1:18), so the
clear implication of Romans is that the King of Kings,
Jesus, saves us from enemies far more terrible than
the Philistines, enemies not of flesh and blood, but
the powers and principalities of this world. God’s
mercy does and must abound in his son Jesus.
Romans chapter 1 shows us the glory of just Jesus
against the black background of universal sin (all we
like sheep had gone astray). But the just Jesus is
also the justifying Jesus. Romans 1 begins with the
resurrection of the dead and this is no accident. The
resurrection of the dead is inseparable from
restoration of right relationship between men and
women (R. 1:4,17ff).
Remember the woman of the city who was “forgiven
much” and therefore “loved much” bathing Jesus’ feet
with her tears, anointing him with precious oil (Luke
7:37-50). Somewhere she had heard the word of
forgiveness and in the gospel stories we see a woman
redeemed, transformed. Jesus said of such a one,
“wherever the gospel is preached this will be told in
memory of her” (Mark 14:9). Simon the Pharisee called
this woman a sinner as her tears fell on Jesus’ feet.
One could well guess that in Simon’s view it was
impossible that this woman be anything but what she
was known to be, one whose body and soul were corrupt
But what is inconceivable and well nigh impossible
with men is more than conceivable and do-able by the
word of God. As Luther said, “the word, the word, the
word will do it.” God the father delights, “sings
with joy” over what he has done and is doing in Jesus
(Zephaniah 3:17).
But not only that, it is “these sinners” who go
first into the kingdom and in so doing provide a
shining hope for us all. For when these are saved,
those to whom salvation was accounted by church and
society an “impossibility,” then hope springs up in
our own hearts; perhaps we in the pews and pulpits
and choir lofts too can be saved from our innumerable
miseries, weaknesses, sins and burdens that have grown
to heavy for us to bear. Our heart rejoices in Jesus,
the Anointed One, anointed both by God and by the
sinner who “once was lost but now is found.” Who can
doubt that that unnamed woman is now crowned in light
at the throne of the Lord of hosts?
Beloved brothers and sisters of the Presbytery of the
Twin Cities Area, I appeal to you by the mercies of
God. Let us not be conformed to this age but
transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Amy Flack (Minister Member of the Presbytery of the
Twin Cities Area, Ellsworth and Hager City, Wisconsin)
Cities Area
On Saturday, Professor Paul Capetz’ asserted that
affirming “chastity in singleness” (Book of Order
G-6.0106b) was tantamount to taking a vow of celibacy.
This assertion at its heart calls into question the
words of the angel Gabriel, “with God nothing will be
impossible” (Luke 1:37, RSV). As Jesus reiterated,
“with men it is impossible, but with God all things
are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
And yet, in restoring Professor Capetz as minister
member in the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, we
say to the church and the world that there is at least
one thing that is impossible with God, namely,
redemption for men who desire men and women who desire
women (see Romans 1:26-27).
That “homosexual orientation” is unchangeable goes
largely unquestioned in Western society today, but God
mercifully calls into question all our
impossibilities. Romans 1 tells us that our savior,
Jesus, “the just who shall live by faith” lives in
order to save us from our enemies. (Romans 1:17). As
King David saved the ancient Israelites from the
Philistines, themselves sent as a manifestation of
God’s wrath (see Judges 2:14, Romans 1:18), so the
clear implication of Romans is that the King of Kings,
Jesus, saves us from enemies far more terrible than
the Philistines, enemies not of flesh and blood, but
the powers and principalities of this world. God’s
mercy does and must abound in his son Jesus.
Romans chapter 1 shows us the glory of just Jesus
against the black background of universal sin (all we
like sheep had gone astray). But the just Jesus is
also the justifying Jesus. Romans 1 begins with the
resurrection of the dead and this is no accident. The
resurrection of the dead is inseparable from
restoration of right relationship between men and
women (R. 1:4,17ff).
Remember the woman of the city who was “forgiven
much” and therefore “loved much” bathing Jesus’ feet
with her tears, anointing him with precious oil (Luke
7:37-50). Somewhere she had heard the word of
forgiveness and in the gospel stories we see a woman
redeemed, transformed. Jesus said of such a one,
“wherever the gospel is preached this will be told in
memory of her” (Mark 14:9). Simon the Pharisee called
this woman a sinner as her tears fell on Jesus’ feet.
One could well guess that in Simon’s view it was
impossible that this woman be anything but what she
was known to be, one whose body and soul were corrupt
But what is inconceivable and well nigh impossible
with men is more than conceivable and do-able by the
word of God. As Luther said, “the word, the word, the
word will do it.” God the father delights, “sings
with joy” over what he has done and is doing in Jesus
(Zephaniah 3:17).
But not only that, it is “these sinners” who go
first into the kingdom and in so doing provide a
shining hope for us all. For when these are saved,
those to whom salvation was accounted by church and
society an “impossibility,” then hope springs up in
our own hearts; perhaps we in the pews and pulpits
and choir lofts too can be saved from our innumerable
miseries, weaknesses, sins and burdens that have grown
to heavy for us to bear. Our heart rejoices in Jesus,
the Anointed One, anointed both by God and by the
sinner who “once was lost but now is found.” Who can
doubt that that unnamed woman is now crowned in light
at the throne of the Lord of hosts?
Beloved brothers and sisters of the Presbytery of the
Twin Cities Area, I appeal to you by the mercies of
God. Let us not be conformed to this age but
transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Amy Flack (Minister Member of the Presbytery of the
Twin Cities Area, Ellsworth and Hager City, Wisconsin)
Friday, September 28, 2007
Well, anyway
Prayers
My prayers for instance
poor impoverished
simple things
sometimes that’s how my prayers are
not enough.
But there is a hope that sets all to right
For there is a God who hears
A prayer can be simple or complex
sound or silly
but what unites them all
Is that “amazing grace” our Father in heaven hears
and helps
our inarticulate whispers
our fumblings and mumblings
and our silly, not enough prayers
become in heaven
things of glory
perfume rising before the Lord
Sometimes there is no prayer
we cannot speak a single word
our tears have gone too deep
our hearts are like a frozen sea
black and bleak
but know that it’s those who cannot pray
that Jesus came to save
when silence is a shackle
and despair wells within
the Holy Spirit intercedes for us
with sighs too deep for words
And God hears
God hears the soundless cry
of those whose spirit is broken
“Blessed are the poor in spirit
“Blessed are those who mourn”
Oh yes, yes, my friend, the promise is for you
for you the comfort, the very kingdom of heaven come
down
And when in our pilgrimage
the way seems long
the answer far away
know that in the darkness
our Lord leads the way
and soon the kingdom coming
will dawn a glorious day
“Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death
I shall fear no evil
for thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me...”
My prayers for instance
poor impoverished
simple things
sometimes that’s how my prayers are
not enough.
But there is a hope that sets all to right
For there is a God who hears
A prayer can be simple or complex
sound or silly
but what unites them all
Is that “amazing grace” our Father in heaven hears
and helps
our inarticulate whispers
our fumblings and mumblings
and our silly, not enough prayers
become in heaven
things of glory
perfume rising before the Lord
Sometimes there is no prayer
we cannot speak a single word
our tears have gone too deep
our hearts are like a frozen sea
black and bleak
but know that it’s those who cannot pray
that Jesus came to save
when silence is a shackle
and despair wells within
the Holy Spirit intercedes for us
with sighs too deep for words
And God hears
God hears the soundless cry
of those whose spirit is broken
“Blessed are the poor in spirit
“Blessed are those who mourn”
Oh yes, yes, my friend, the promise is for you
for you the comfort, the very kingdom of heaven come
down
And when in our pilgrimage
the way seems long
the answer far away
know that in the darkness
our Lord leads the way
and soon the kingdom coming
will dawn a glorious day
“Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death
I shall fear no evil
for thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me...”
Friday, August 31, 2007
A Pink Cadillac--Jesus Didn't Have One
In the gospel of Mark, chapter 6, Jesus comes home. For eight years I lived in Avon, South Dakota; the hometown of Senator and presidential candidate George McGovern. In fact, he was born only a few houses down from where I lived. When Avon’s centennial celebration rolled around, I was thrilled to see McGovern leading the parade; sitting in an open convertible he smiled and waved as we cheered him from the sidewalks. It was very much a happy homecoming. Jesus’ homecoming to Nazareth is happy too, but the crowd almost immediately begins to question, “ Where did this man get all this? What might works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not also his sisters here with us?” And we read shortly thereafter, “they took offense at him.” It looks as if Jesus’ triumphant homecoming has gone south. What should have been a cheering section has turned into a disgruntled mob.
Let’s try to see it from the perspective of the Nazarenes, by putting the situation in a modern day context. My hometown is Chicago. The great basketball player Michael Jordan is an abiding presence in that city. He and his friends and family still live in and frequent the area. But what if Michael Jordan’s mother was seen driving 1988 Toyota Camry, frequenting Penney’s and mowing her own grass? What would happen then? People would get suspicious. They would start to whisper, “Couldn’t MJ get his mom something better than a used Camry? Why is she still shopping at the Dollar? Hmmph...I guess MJ can’t be all that,” they would conclude. It’s a reasonable analysis, the same sort of analysis that is going on in Nazareth. “If Jesus is all that, a miracle worker and such, how come Mary his mom is still going to the well every morning with the other women? How can this man be so great since his brothers, James, Joses, Judas and Simon are still just working joes like us? Hmmph...” But the hometown crowd has forgotten one thing. Mary is not driving around in a pink cadillac because Jesus is the suffering servant. You see, God has decided, in his good pleasure and in his mercy to heal the world. How? He will heal death with death, he will heal our burdens by burdening his son, he will heal our wounds from sin by allowing his son to be wounded This is the REAL plan of salvation. Jesus can’t give his mom a pink caddy or the first century equivalent because he is the man of sorrows, meek and lowly. Jesus’ glory is not a gold Rolls Royce or bling for his friends and family but a wooden cross and the death of a criminal. The hometown crowd has the wrong idea and they are hostile toward Jesus, but Jesus’ glory is to take away our wrong ideas and to reconcile us to the Lord, while we are yet grumbling, hostile and hateful to the Lord of love, by whose stripes and in whose humility we are healed and lifted on high.
Let’s try to see it from the perspective of the Nazarenes, by putting the situation in a modern day context. My hometown is Chicago. The great basketball player Michael Jordan is an abiding presence in that city. He and his friends and family still live in and frequent the area. But what if Michael Jordan’s mother was seen driving 1988 Toyota Camry, frequenting Penney’s and mowing her own grass? What would happen then? People would get suspicious. They would start to whisper, “Couldn’t MJ get his mom something better than a used Camry? Why is she still shopping at the Dollar? Hmmph...I guess MJ can’t be all that,” they would conclude. It’s a reasonable analysis, the same sort of analysis that is going on in Nazareth. “If Jesus is all that, a miracle worker and such, how come Mary his mom is still going to the well every morning with the other women? How can this man be so great since his brothers, James, Joses, Judas and Simon are still just working joes like us? Hmmph...” But the hometown crowd has forgotten one thing. Mary is not driving around in a pink cadillac because Jesus is the suffering servant. You see, God has decided, in his good pleasure and in his mercy to heal the world. How? He will heal death with death, he will heal our burdens by burdening his son, he will heal our wounds from sin by allowing his son to be wounded This is the REAL plan of salvation. Jesus can’t give his mom a pink caddy or the first century equivalent because he is the man of sorrows, meek and lowly. Jesus’ glory is not a gold Rolls Royce or bling for his friends and family but a wooden cross and the death of a criminal. The hometown crowd has the wrong idea and they are hostile toward Jesus, but Jesus’ glory is to take away our wrong ideas and to reconcile us to the Lord, while we are yet grumbling, hostile and hateful to the Lord of love, by whose stripes and in whose humility we are healed and lifted on high.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Big Words--"Justification by Grace"
What do we mean by the words, “righteousness” and
“justice?” Sometimes we use these words but what do
they really mean? Their definitions in, say,
Webster’s Dictionary are also hard to understand. But
what if we look for their definitions in the Bible?
Now, certainly we can’t page through it as we would
Webster’s and expect a definition and yet, I think the
true meaning of “righteousness,” “justice,” and
“salvation” are perhaps ONLY found in the Bible.
There the answer to “What is justice?” is simple and
direct. Justice, righteousness, is the Exodus. God
told the children of Israel, “Stand still and you will
see salvation...and those enemies behind you, you’ll
never see them again. Things were bad for Israel at
this point. The Jewish people have faced so many
sorrows and horrors but the Exodus was different.
Israel was not just facing a massacre, not just a war,
but total annihilation. Had the Egyptians in their
chariots been able to overtake them that would have
been the end of Israel forever. All were gathered
together on the banks of the Red Sea, none had been
left behind in Egypt. When the Israelites look behind
them they saw correctly not the death of a portion of
Israel, however large, but the wiping away of Israel
from the face of the earth. At a Passover meal the
family and guests do not say, “Thank you Lord for
saving those other people, way back when” but rather
“Thank you Lord for saving me, for saving us.”
Because quite literally there would be no feast, no
guests were it not for God’s actions at the Red Sea.
And these actions, as we learn from the Bible are
justice, are righteousness, salvation. If we want to
know the definition of that rather long word,
“righteousness” now we know where to look. It’s when
Moses stretched out his hand and the sea parted and
the children of Israel walked through on dry ground.
The chariots followed after but the Lord told Moses to
stretch out his staff again and the waters closed over
those Egyptians. When Israel, standing on the bluffs,
saw the dead bodies of the Egyptians, they believed in
God and in his servant Moses. All of the above,
that’s righteousness.
In this same way we can understand “justification by
grace." When Jesus died on that cross on Golgotha,
he makes a “way out of no way,” an exodus for you and
me, one by one we are being freed, and one by one,
seeing this salvation we believe in God and in his
servant Jesus. All of the above, that’s justification
by grace! Simply put, justification is the Exodus,
the Exodus through Jesus. God makes a way out of no
way by dying and rising for the sake of the world.
The waters have parted and our enemies are kaput.
“Justification by grace” seems like something hard to
understand, and we can’t depend on Webster’s for the
definition, but if we look to the Bible story the
meaning is opened to us. “Justification by
grace”--God carrying out his plan from the beginning,
to bring the world, “the nations that sat in darkness”
to the table of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that all
might be heirs, children of our Father in heaven.
“justice?” Sometimes we use these words but what do
they really mean? Their definitions in, say,
Webster’s Dictionary are also hard to understand. But
what if we look for their definitions in the Bible?
Now, certainly we can’t page through it as we would
Webster’s and expect a definition and yet, I think the
true meaning of “righteousness,” “justice,” and
“salvation” are perhaps ONLY found in the Bible.
There the answer to “What is justice?” is simple and
direct. Justice, righteousness, is the Exodus. God
told the children of Israel, “Stand still and you will
see salvation...and those enemies behind you, you’ll
never see them again. Things were bad for Israel at
this point. The Jewish people have faced so many
sorrows and horrors but the Exodus was different.
Israel was not just facing a massacre, not just a war,
but total annihilation. Had the Egyptians in their
chariots been able to overtake them that would have
been the end of Israel forever. All were gathered
together on the banks of the Red Sea, none had been
left behind in Egypt. When the Israelites look behind
them they saw correctly not the death of a portion of
Israel, however large, but the wiping away of Israel
from the face of the earth. At a Passover meal the
family and guests do not say, “Thank you Lord for
saving those other people, way back when” but rather
“Thank you Lord for saving me, for saving us.”
Because quite literally there would be no feast, no
guests were it not for God’s actions at the Red Sea.
And these actions, as we learn from the Bible are
justice, are righteousness, salvation. If we want to
know the definition of that rather long word,
“righteousness” now we know where to look. It’s when
Moses stretched out his hand and the sea parted and
the children of Israel walked through on dry ground.
The chariots followed after but the Lord told Moses to
stretch out his staff again and the waters closed over
those Egyptians. When Israel, standing on the bluffs,
saw the dead bodies of the Egyptians, they believed in
God and in his servant Moses. All of the above,
that’s righteousness.
In this same way we can understand “justification by
grace." When Jesus died on that cross on Golgotha,
he makes a “way out of no way,” an exodus for you and
me, one by one we are being freed, and one by one,
seeing this salvation we believe in God and in his
servant Jesus. All of the above, that’s justification
by grace! Simply put, justification is the Exodus,
the Exodus through Jesus. God makes a way out of no
way by dying and rising for the sake of the world.
The waters have parted and our enemies are kaput.
“Justification by grace” seems like something hard to
understand, and we can’t depend on Webster’s for the
definition, but if we look to the Bible story the
meaning is opened to us. “Justification by
grace”--God carrying out his plan from the beginning,
to bring the world, “the nations that sat in darkness”
to the table of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that all
might be heirs, children of our Father in heaven.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Lessons from Joseph
A few years ago I got a chance to see a school
production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat. I remember really enjoying it and saying
to myself “How wonderful!” It was also food for
thought. For the first time I asked, “Why did Joseph
pretend not to know his brothers? Why did Joseph
accuse his brothers of being spies? Was it just to be
mean and vindictive? Did Joseph hate his brothers?”
As I returned to the Biblical story, I found the
answer to be a resounding “no.” Joseph loved his
brothers, witness his tears and what he does for them
all in the end. Neither was Joseph cruel and
vindictive. Rather, Joseph was showing his brothers
their sin. When Joseph accuses them of being spies,
not hearing their pleas for mercy or their
protestations of innocence, he is revealing their
transgression against the young Joseph. Just as
Joseph cried and pleaded from the pit into which his
brothers had thrown him, so now his brothers' pleas
are not heard. The eleven realize all of this from the
first, saying to one another as they are being
threatened by the incognito Joseph, “We are truly
guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the
anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would
not hear, therefore this distress has come upon us.”
Even when Joseph threatens to take away Benjamin, this
too serves a purpose. The eleven brothers understand
for the first time what it meant to their father Jacob
when Joseph was taken away, the grief they have loaded
on their papa’s aged head.
This is a good lesson for us. God like Joseph
sometimes brings us to grief in order to show us our
sin. For instance, sometimes in church when I hear
the beautiful music or when I am preparing a sermon, I
realize how good God is and how merciful and at that
moment I feel sorry and grieved. I feel sorry for my
sourness and selfishness and self-pity. This is
because at that moment I know that unlike me, God is
loving and selfless, giving his only begotten son for
our sakes and I want to be better. You see, church is
not just a place to come to feel content about
ourselves. Rather church is a place where God strikes
to the heart, convicting us of our sin. It is true
that the Lord loves us and is faithful to us while we
are yet sinners. God loves sinners, so much so that he
sent his only son. And yet, he does not allow us to
remain in our sin. He is the Great Physician,
sometimes cutting and grieving us to the heart in
order to rid us of the cancer of our iniquity. Thank
God that he does not just let us alone. Rather, Jesus,
like Joseph, is our dear brother and he loves us and
shows us the truth, giving us wholeness and peace.
production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat. I remember really enjoying it and saying
to myself “How wonderful!” It was also food for
thought. For the first time I asked, “Why did Joseph
pretend not to know his brothers? Why did Joseph
accuse his brothers of being spies? Was it just to be
mean and vindictive? Did Joseph hate his brothers?”
As I returned to the Biblical story, I found the
answer to be a resounding “no.” Joseph loved his
brothers, witness his tears and what he does for them
all in the end. Neither was Joseph cruel and
vindictive. Rather, Joseph was showing his brothers
their sin. When Joseph accuses them of being spies,
not hearing their pleas for mercy or their
protestations of innocence, he is revealing their
transgression against the young Joseph. Just as
Joseph cried and pleaded from the pit into which his
brothers had thrown him, so now his brothers' pleas
are not heard. The eleven realize all of this from the
first, saying to one another as they are being
threatened by the incognito Joseph, “We are truly
guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the
anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would
not hear, therefore this distress has come upon us.”
Even when Joseph threatens to take away Benjamin, this
too serves a purpose. The eleven brothers understand
for the first time what it meant to their father Jacob
when Joseph was taken away, the grief they have loaded
on their papa’s aged head.
This is a good lesson for us. God like Joseph
sometimes brings us to grief in order to show us our
sin. For instance, sometimes in church when I hear
the beautiful music or when I am preparing a sermon, I
realize how good God is and how merciful and at that
moment I feel sorry and grieved. I feel sorry for my
sourness and selfishness and self-pity. This is
because at that moment I know that unlike me, God is
loving and selfless, giving his only begotten son for
our sakes and I want to be better. You see, church is
not just a place to come to feel content about
ourselves. Rather church is a place where God strikes
to the heart, convicting us of our sin. It is true
that the Lord loves us and is faithful to us while we
are yet sinners. God loves sinners, so much so that he
sent his only son. And yet, he does not allow us to
remain in our sin. He is the Great Physician,
sometimes cutting and grieving us to the heart in
order to rid us of the cancer of our iniquity. Thank
God that he does not just let us alone. Rather, Jesus,
like Joseph, is our dear brother and he loves us and
shows us the truth, giving us wholeness and peace.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Some Little Poems
The Red Sea
The Lord led Israel out to the Sea
He wanted those slaves to be happy and free.
The Israelites were scared, they thought they were stuck!
But the Egyptians instead, got stuck in the muck.
The Israelites were saved! They stood on the shore!
But the cruel Egyptians were no more!
And then in God and Moses they were believin'
Because of the wonders their eyes were seein'
Jonah
Jonah was mad 'cause God was so kind
"God would forgive those Ninevites?" "Was he blind?!"
So out on the sea Jonah set sail at once
"No! I won't prophesy"
"I'm no dunce!"
But our good Lord had other plans
A storm was brewin' to beat the band
And the prophet Jonah was thrown into the sea!
He sat in the belly of the whale
days, one two and three!
And when he got out,Jonah was sent
To warn the Ninevites, they had to repent.
And the Ninevites did, both great and small.
And Jonah learned something about God's love for us all.
The Call
Fishermen, fishing on the sea
But Jesus said, Follow me!
When they heard his voice, they followed him then
He would make them fishers of men.
Jesus Rules the Sea
The waves of the sea crashed up and down
The great storm made a horrible sound!
The disciples were scared,"We're going to die!"
And to Jesus asleep, they did fly.
And Jesus awoke and heard their plea
They didn't know: God rules the sea!
Then Jesus stilled the storm, made the wind cease.
And all around was perfect peace.
Jesus, Our Friend
Jesus came down to the seaside that night
And helped the disciples in their plight
No fish they had caught, they were lost indeed
Silently they prayed, "Help us, please!"
And Jesus came and stood on the shore
"Cast in your net, you'll find fish galore!"
He gave them breakfast there on the sand
And told them all about his good plans.
That all the world might be happy and free
It all started there, on sea of Galilee
God's Throne
God's throne sits on a crystalline sea
He watches over us all, for he loves you and me.
The Lord led Israel out to the Sea
He wanted those slaves to be happy and free.
The Israelites were scared, they thought they were stuck!
But the Egyptians instead, got stuck in the muck.
The Israelites were saved! They stood on the shore!
But the cruel Egyptians were no more!
And then in God and Moses they were believin'
Because of the wonders their eyes were seein'
Jonah
Jonah was mad 'cause God was so kind
"God would forgive those Ninevites?" "Was he blind?!"
So out on the sea Jonah set sail at once
"No! I won't prophesy"
"I'm no dunce!"
But our good Lord had other plans
A storm was brewin' to beat the band
And the prophet Jonah was thrown into the sea!
He sat in the belly of the whale
days, one two and three!
And when he got out,Jonah was sent
To warn the Ninevites, they had to repent.
And the Ninevites did, both great and small.
And Jonah learned something about God's love for us all.
The Call
Fishermen, fishing on the sea
But Jesus said, Follow me!
When they heard his voice, they followed him then
He would make them fishers of men.
Jesus Rules the Sea
The waves of the sea crashed up and down
The great storm made a horrible sound!
The disciples were scared,"We're going to die!"
And to Jesus asleep, they did fly.
And Jesus awoke and heard their plea
They didn't know: God rules the sea!
Then Jesus stilled the storm, made the wind cease.
And all around was perfect peace.
Jesus, Our Friend
Jesus came down to the seaside that night
And helped the disciples in their plight
No fish they had caught, they were lost indeed
Silently they prayed, "Help us, please!"
And Jesus came and stood on the shore
"Cast in your net, you'll find fish galore!"
He gave them breakfast there on the sand
And told them all about his good plans.
That all the world might be happy and free
It all started there, on sea of Galilee
God's Throne
God's throne sits on a crystalline sea
He watches over us all, for he loves you and me.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Matthew 28: Some Doubted
It is no great concern to us that some of the disciples doubted when they saw the resurrected Jesus on that mountain in Galilee. And yet it is of great concern when people outside the church doubt or disbelieve. That's what's called a double standard, and a damnable one! Somehow it's okay for the "in group" to disbelieve, but those on the outs "will die and go to hell!" No, rather, it's serious, and a great sin, no, the symptom of THE GREATEST sin, when we disbelieve or doubt, whether we are seminary students or people who have never lives darkened a church door. But notice, is the wrath of the Lord on those who disbelieve? Does the ground give way underneath them? No, not because their sins and troubles and diseases are not great, but because God is so good.
When Jacob disbelieved that his son Joseph was alive, what did God do? Did God, rain down fire and brimstone on the despairing, faithless Jacob, Jacob whose life was filled with hard knocks, wanderings and travails, but who was also not a blameless man, but a trader "with false balances," a trickster and in his faithlessness and lack of confidence, even a thief in his youth? The answer is no. Instead, God overwhelms Jacob's despair and faithlessness. When Jacob heard Joseph's message, the words that Joseph meant especially for his longsuffering father, when Jacob saw the rich caravan that Joseph had sent for him, Jacob's spirit revived and he says, "It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive; I will go and see him before I die."
In other words, we must not say, "those who disbelieve or doubt will go to hell." That's like saying in the moment before his spirits revived "Jacob will die in despair not knowing the grace of God who brings his beloved son back to him." It is, at the very least, short-sighted. We CAN say, quoting Revelation 21 that there will be none of the "cowardly, the faithless, the polluted etc.," in the New Jerusalem. But we cannot say, "those who disbelieve will go to hell" Why? because we do not know what the next movement by God will be. God is free to overwhelm the despairing and hopeless with good news. God is both willing and able to overwhelm all faithlessness, just as did with Jacob, just as he did with the doubting disciples. Not even death can limit the power of God. The gates of hell crumple before Jesus. Therefore, let's leave it up to God's mercy and goodness, not presuming to know the mind of the Lord, remembering that his thoughts and plans are very different from our own, giving thanks for the gift of belief, that sure sight, but also remembering that even "when we are faithless God is faithful, for he cannot deny himself."
When Jacob disbelieved that his son Joseph was alive, what did God do? Did God, rain down fire and brimstone on the despairing, faithless Jacob, Jacob whose life was filled with hard knocks, wanderings and travails, but who was also not a blameless man, but a trader "with false balances," a trickster and in his faithlessness and lack of confidence, even a thief in his youth? The answer is no. Instead, God overwhelms Jacob's despair and faithlessness. When Jacob heard Joseph's message, the words that Joseph meant especially for his longsuffering father, when Jacob saw the rich caravan that Joseph had sent for him, Jacob's spirit revived and he says, "It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive; I will go and see him before I die."
In other words, we must not say, "those who disbelieve or doubt will go to hell." That's like saying in the moment before his spirits revived "Jacob will die in despair not knowing the grace of God who brings his beloved son back to him." It is, at the very least, short-sighted. We CAN say, quoting Revelation 21 that there will be none of the "cowardly, the faithless, the polluted etc.," in the New Jerusalem. But we cannot say, "those who disbelieve will go to hell" Why? because we do not know what the next movement by God will be. God is free to overwhelm the despairing and hopeless with good news. God is both willing and able to overwhelm all faithlessness, just as did with Jacob, just as he did with the doubting disciples. Not even death can limit the power of God. The gates of hell crumple before Jesus. Therefore, let's leave it up to God's mercy and goodness, not presuming to know the mind of the Lord, remembering that his thoughts and plans are very different from our own, giving thanks for the gift of belief, that sure sight, but also remembering that even "when we are faithless God is faithful, for he cannot deny himself."
Matthew 9:9 No Puppets
Jesus says to Matthew the tax collector, "Follow me." Is Matthew a sort of puppet? Jesus pulling the strings and Matthew rising and following him? I asked myself about light at the very beginning. Is light a kind of puppet, God flips the switch and voila? My father pointed out to me that this question becomes clearer when we consider the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. We must ask ourselves, is Jesus, as pictured by Isaiah in the above mentioned chapter, a puppet? The answer is no, of course. Isaiah does not want to get across to us that Jesus is a marionette jerked around on strings. Instead the picture we get is one of freedom. Just before Jesus commands Matthew "Follow me," he says to the paralytic, "Rise and walk." The Bible is not presenting a picture of the paralytic as a puppet but rather as a healed man, freed, in fact, from his long infirmity. In the same way, Matthew is now a free man when he rises to follow Jesus. It may be that light is made free when God commands it.
The usual idea about freedom is that free will is the ability to say, yes or no. Bonhoeffer contradicts this when he says that our freedom is only found in obedience to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Our imprisonment and slavery is found in disobedience to God. Like Barth who corrected Rousseau's "I think therefore I am" by saying "I am thought on by God, therefore I am," Bonhoeffer corrects and tempers our philosophy of freedom.
Our ideas about freedom, like every other philosophy, are tempered, guided and turned on their heads by the Bible.
The usual idea about freedom is that free will is the ability to say, yes or no. Bonhoeffer contradicts this when he says that our freedom is only found in obedience to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Our imprisonment and slavery is found in disobedience to God. Like Barth who corrected Rousseau's "I think therefore I am" by saying "I am thought on by God, therefore I am," Bonhoeffer corrects and tempers our philosophy of freedom.
Our ideas about freedom, like every other philosophy, are tempered, guided and turned on their heads by the Bible.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Little Hint on the Parable of the Vineyard
Notice in Matthew's parable of the vineyard that the householder calls one of the grumbling workers "Friend." The Lord of the vineyard is serious about that and it is the key to understanding the whole parable. In other words, the grumbling workers who have borne the heat and the burden of the day have MISUNDERSTOOD their position. They are not merely outsiders, hired workers only concerned about their pay, they are insiders and friends. They have forgotten or missed the fact that the householder has been worker right alongside of them and that his concerns are theirs, his riches, theirs, his soul, one with their own.
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