Image Bearings

Stretching

2012-02-17T18:53:00.002-05:00

I subscribe to a daily email from the Harvard Business Review to read blogs about leadership. I recently read an article by consultant John Beeson, which noted “that companies need to be stretched and challenged periodically to avoid complacency.”

The quote immediately resonated with what we need individually as Christians. When we are stretched and challenged in our relationship with God, a stronger faith is often the result. This is one thing I have heard members of my congregation say repeatedly. Whether it was unemployment, health issues, or even the death of a loved one, the difficult times of stretching led to a stronger faith in God.

But there are also times when God calls us to take a leap of faith where we actively choose to place ourselves in a situation or experience which will stretch us. And let’s not romanticize it. It’s painful to be stretched. We know that going in. And when God gives us that nudge to be stretched, we would rather take a step back into what is comfortable. But without that leap, nothing will change and complacency sets in. Without stretching, faith becomes a brittle artifact one’s past.

Taking the leap that stretches our faith forces us to look for God in unlikely places. Can God truly be found in this unholy workplace? In this rundown neighborhood? In this unlovable person? In this trial? In the death of my loved one?

Jesus voice calls down to us through the ages: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20b) This promise makes the stretching into an act of living faith, a stretching which we can give thanks to God for in all circumstances.

Painting the Post White

2012-01-03T20:59:00.003-05:00

“Conservatism is based upon the idea that if you leavethings alone you leave them as they are. But you do not. If you leave a thingalone you leave it to a torrent of changes. If you leave a white post alone itwill soon be a black post. If you particularly want it to be white you must bealways painting it again... Briefly, if you want the old white post you musthave a new white post.”
-G.K. Chestertonin Orthodoxy

To many people in the church I would probably be deservingof the label “liberal.” I am married to a female pastor (who preaches, noless!). I am indifferent to musical styles in worship (even though I amconvinced I know more classical music than most if not all of the parishionersin my congregation). And with many of the things that come up for debate by ourchurch assemblies, I find myself often (not always!) aligning with the “liberals.”

But on many things I would be considered “conservative.” Istill think church members should know the confessions of the church. I thinkchildren belong in the worship service, even if they don’t understand everything.While I don’t care about what music happens during a worship service, I can bea stickler about the words spoken and am always wishing we actually used thewords of scripture more in worship.

But the one of the biggest thing about me that isconservative is that I am a Christian who believes in the institutional church,one of the oldest organizations in the world.

Many “Christians” however have abandoned the institutionalchurch for either a solitary faith (which is barely practiced at all) or for aflimsy sense of community with a few free-wheeling Christians (which is proneto losing perspective and orthodoxy). For these folks, the institutionalchurch, like denominations, has become a crusty, worthless organization that nolonger knows its reason for being. In other words, the institutional church hasbecome a black post.

In some senses, they are right. Many members of denominations,including the Christian Reformed Church, my denomination, have become obsessedwith the past such that we have lost sight of our mission in God’s world. Wespend our energy attempting to conserve the past, not to make a future. Thereis this nagging sense that we need a good repainting in a nice, clean white.

The answer is, however, a paradox. What is it that we do toregain our reason for being? How do we find our path forward to a future? Welook backwards to our original inspiration. We look to our history, our heroes,our greatest writings and our greatest actions. The question is whether we useour tradition to cement our feet in one place or use our tradition to launch us on to thegreater journey which God is calling us to.

How is your past affecting your future?

Christmas Trees in Sackcloth

2011-12-17T09:21:00.002-05:00

Our church has a handful of beautiful evergreen trees. Eachis between 15 to 20 feet tall, just the right height for outdoor Christmastrees. I know it might be a little tacky for a church to decorate its outdoortrees with lights, but I can’t help but think about the possibility. My wifeand I don’t go overboard with Christmas decorations and lights. But the onething we don’t skimp on is a good Christmas tree with colourful lights. I can’thelp look at the trees at our church and want to do the same.

But this is what actually happens to the trees. Around thistime of year they are prepped for the long cold winter by being wrapped insackcloth. The sackcloth helps insulate the trees and keep them healthy. Theirlively green, of which there is so little at this time of year, gets covered ina pale tan and tied down with string. Christmas decorations it is not.

So while many are decorating their trees, our church wrapsthe evergreens in sackcloth. What are we conveying by this? Is this what wewant to convey? I know the reason is purely practical. It keeps the treeshealthy and growing. But I wonder what people think, if anything. But I doubtthat they are thinking, “I bet that church has wonderful and lively Christmascelebrations!”

At the same time, I’m glad our trees are wearing sackcloth.With all the ‘joy’ that the advertisements and media outlets peddle, our treescommunicate a gravitas that is often missing. We await the Day of the Lord. Itwill be a great day worth infinite celebration. But it also will be a terribleday, a day of weeping and gnashing of teeth. It will be a time for sackcloth.

There is, I think, a gut feeling that many of us have,Christian or not, that Christmas holds sadness and mourning that no otherseason holds. The stores and media outlets encourage us to drive this sadnessinto the background. It is my hope that our church is one of the few placeswhere sadness and mourning can be expressed. And then true joy may be found.

Dear trees, wear your sackcloth with dignity. Your God shallcome to you.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

           because the Lord has anointedme to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
          to proclaim freedom for thecaptives
          and release from the darknessfor the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
          and the day of vengeance ofour God,
to comfort all who mourn,
         and provide for those who grievein Zion-
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
          the oil of joy instead ofmourning,
         and a garment of praiseinstead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:1-3b)

Ambassadors for Christ

2011-11-27T20:24:00.001-05:00

First off, thanks for everyone’s patience. I haven’t beenable to keep up writing as of late. The Fall is a busier time of year for me,and last weeks have been particularly busy. But things have lightened up alittle such that I am able to write as well as read a little more.

On book I am reading is entitled Certain Trumpets.This book is about leadership styles, but does so through biographies of variousindividuals and their callings in life. In one of the last chapters I read, itwas highlighting the challenge of leadership in the role of ambassador. Itsexemplary was Andrew Young, the civil rights leader and Martin Luther King, Jr.right hand man. Young had had a privileged back ground with Native American andAfrican forefathers. He didn’t fit in with the average Southern black. Yet heworked to negotiate agreements throughout the civil rights while MLK lednon-violent protests and occasionally jailed. MLK sometimes purposefully gotjailed so that Young could negotiate for the movement. Young, as an ambassador,had to walk the tight rope of being faithful to the civil rights movement whiletrying to honestly understand those with whom he was negotiating with. He hadto have the trust of both sides.

This is true of any ambassador. For instance, a Canadianambassador to the US must have the trust of the Prime Minister, knowing theambassador will act for the benefit of Canada. But at the same time, theambassador must have the trust of US. The US State Department must trust thatthe ambassador will fairly represent its positions back to Ottawa. But if theambassador swings to far either way, the ambassador will either be recalled byOttawa for not representing its interests or for being ineffective innegotiating with the US. Being an ambassador means walking a tightrope.

“[God] has committed to us the message of reconciliation. Weare therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appealthrough us.” (2 Cor. 5:19-20, NIV)

From time to time, I am very aware of this dynamic in myrole as a pastor. I am called to be God’s representative. This is most obviousduring worship services when I take God’s words on my mouth, such as God’sgreeting (Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ), readingthe scripture passages and preaching on them, and the Benediction. But I do mybest to be God’s presence wherever I am. Admittedly I am very mediocre at thisand often others do not see me in that light unless it is a crisis situation(which is fine. It would be far too much pressure if I was always seen as beingGod’s voice in every word I said.)

What caught me when reading Certain Trumpets was thatas Christ’s ambassador, I am called to also have a trust with and, to a certainextent, represent those to whom I have been sent. It would be tempting to thinkas a Christian I just need to be like Jesus. But it is more than that. As anambassador, I have to be Christ sent out. I have to go into the world. Ineed to know what’s out there. I have to make relationship outside of thechurch. I have to gain trust with those who are not followers of Christ. That’sthe only way to be a good ambassador for Christ. Otherwise I fail to beeffective in being Christ’s ambassador.

I pray that as we enter into the Advent season and Christmas,we will remember that the Son of God perfectly represented the Father while “beingmade in human likeness.”

Numbering Our Days

2011-10-23T20:04:00.003-04:00

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain aheart of wisdom.” - Psalm 90:12

Each week I join a group of fellow pastors, active andretired, for coffee and discussion of whatever is on our minds and hearts. Thispast week we were sharing news about a handful of people who are strugglingwith serious illnesses when it was mentioned that a person had only a few weeksto live. One of our esteemed group spoke up, “Do you think doctors should do that?It’s so awful to tell someone you only have this long to live.”

It is awful, terrible to have to be told such news. I amstill fairly young. Death is probably not going to come knocking anytime soon.And I have never been with someone when they have received earth-shattering newsas this. But just imagining receiving such news sets my mind turning. Whatwould my wife do? What about my children? And my gut gets that funny, twistedfeeling when you think about your own existence not existing (as I’ve known it,anyways).

Yet as we were discussing this in our group, I couldn’tshake these words from Psalm 90: “Teach us to number our days...” It seemsthere is a virtue in numbering our days. And the Psalm doesn’t seem torecommend it as means to planning ahead. Psalm 90 seems to remind us to numberour days so that we remember God’s wrath, remember that we are dust, rememberthat we are sinful creatures who have no right to life, and that knowing allthis will give us a heart of wisdom.

That doesn’t give me a whole lot of optimism orencouragement. It doesn’t give me much of an option on what I can do to makethings right. It doesn’t clear my mind so I can understand God or the worldbetter. The only honest response is to throw myself on God, to pray the sinner’sprayer, “Lord have mercy.”

“Relent, O Lord! How long will it be?

Have compassion on your servants.

Satisfy us in themorning with your unfailing love,

Thatwe may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”

-Psalm90:13-14

Grace in Relationship

2011-10-13T10:04:00.003-04:00

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the newcreation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave usthe ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God wasreconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins againstthem. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians5:17-19, TNIV)

Grace is a big deal. Without it, I don’t have eternal life.Without grace, I have no forgiveness of sins. Without grace, I have no hope. Sothere is little wonder that I with Christians around the world worship God bythanking God for the gift of grace in the death and resurrection of JesusChrist.

But grace isn’t just about me and God. It is about ourrelationships with each other.

I have always loved this passage by Apostle Paul. It is sostriking to me because of the ramifications of God’s love in Christ. The good newsis more than my sins forgiven, more than I am a new creation in Christ, morethan I can be in relationship with God without fear. The good news is that Ican be reconciled to others through Christ’s work.

Now everything I’ve written here is pretty theological, Momand apple pie talk that most Christians would agree with it (even those whogive the Belhar Confession a bad reception). But what Paul teaches us eminentlypractical.

Take marriage as an example. My wife is a wonderful woman.But she also does some really annoying things. For instance, she has a tendencyto leave her clothes lying around. As her husband, I have a choice in how Ireact to this. One option is to not be gracious. I could ‘count her sinsagainst her.’ In the process I withhold my love and kindness. She would ofcourse notice this. She would withdraw too. Then the relationship is in deeppain and conflict.

But I could also react with grace. I could not count itagainst her (and, yes, I could do this and still ask her to pick them up). Icould still give her my love and kindness. And she would return love with love.The relationship would be strong, mended.

With grace, relationships can be reconciled. Without grace,there is no reconciliation. This is a great challenge for me to examine whichrelationships I have been ungracious about and enter into “the ministry ofreconciliation.”

A Challenge for Parents

2011-09-27T15:58:00.003-04:00

Parenting isn’t easy. Some daysthey can be so cute and wonderful that you just want to eat them up. Otherdays, well, let’s just say that they are not so cute. For instance, my daughtercan be sweet, helpful, and kind. And other days she can be belligerent as allget out, unwilling to do a single thing her mom or dad ask her to do. And thenthere are the really vexing days when she is blatantly disobedient while tryingto give us puppy dog eyes.

In any case, I try to do my best.I fail often, of course, but I do try. And as a parent I from time to timewonder if I am doing right by my kids. Should I be doing something different?Am I teaching them the faith as I’m supposed to? Will they grow up into adultswho love the Lord?

These are, in a way, goodquestions. They keep parents thinking about what’s important and challengesthem to be faithful in Godly parenting.

But they are dangerous questions.These questions can linger and haunt parents as we grow older. Could I have donesomething different? Did I fail to teach them the faith? Why don’t they lovethe Lord? The questions are riddled with guilt, the kind of guilt that eats atour souls.

The challenge for parents is tobe faithful while entrusting our children to God’s hands. I bless my daughterevery night at bedtime. It’s good for her, I think, to receive a blessing. Butit’s good for me too. It’s a reminder that she is in God’s hands. My hands areonly assistants for her journey. Hopefully, I will be able to bless her and herbrother in the years to come, trusting God to hold them in his hands.

I wonder if there are otherpractices parents are doing remind ourselves that our children are in God’shands. What are they? Why are they meaningful to you (or someone you know)?

Desiring the Kingdom

2011-09-19T14:38:00.001-04:00

I recently finished reading Desiringthe Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation by James K. A.Smith. It’s a good read, though it might be a little challenging for those whodon’t read academic books often. (Smith does have a winsome writing-style,though.) Smith’s thesis, without doing it justice, is that humans relate to theworld (and God) by love/desire. Our desires are formed by habits and practices(or “liturgies” as Smith calls them). Many of these habits are unconscious andcovert in changing our desires. For instance, a shopping mall doesn’t have religiousgoals in mind. But malls are set up to put shoppers through a particular set ofexperiences and habits which will increase our desire to purchase its products.Thus our desires become “I need product X” rather than “My soul finds rest inGod alone” (Psalm 60) and my vision of the good life is the accumulation ofproducts instead of Kingdom of God. Smith points out that what many of us wouldconsider secular and indifferent to Christian life are actually habits whichare competing with a holy desire for God.

Although I have issues with someof what he suggests, Smith does a wonderful job of reminding Christians thatfaith is more than what we believe, it is also how we believe. Inother words, what we do matters, including the seemingly little things.This really gives me pause about how much TV I watch!

This book has really challengedme. I have always considered what we do important. And a large part of theChristian life is making changes in how we live (i.e. repenting). What Smith haschallenged me on is how large and comprehensive these changes may need to be.So often we repent by making a small change or tweak to our usual patterns in life.But the daily patterns themselves may very well be forming us to desire God andHis kingdom (or not!)

Followers and Leaders

2011-08-25T09:29:00.002-04:00

The recent death of Jack Layton has got me thinking a little about leadership. (For those in the US and have no idea who Jack Layton was, he was the official leader of the opposition. Essentially, he was running for Prime Minister only a few months ago, and had a better showing than anyone expected.) There have been many good things said about him, especially about his work with the less fortunate in Toronto. There is a part of me that wants to be a leader like that, one who cares for the poor and neglected, has a winsome personality, and rallies others to ‘the cause.’

The issue is that, by definition, not everyone can be leaders. If a person is a leader, a significant number of people need to be followers. If a person has no one following them, they aren’t a leader. They might have the personality and potential to be a leader. But without followers, there is no leader.

So what am I called to be? A leader or follower? In a way the answer is simple – we are followers of Jesus Christ. I am called to be a follower. This is part of my fundamental identity as a child of God.

But I am also called to be a leader. I will admit this is more defined for me than most Christians. I am a Pastor, a shepherd whose identity and work is to lead the flock. The church has made me a leader. And I am leader whether I like it or not. (By the way, I do like it most of the time.) But there are times when I need to set aside what I think is important to deal with the realities and opinions of others. And I’m one pastor on staff with other pastors, which adds another layer to this.

But for all Christians, we have to discern when we are being called to be leaders and when we are being called to be followers. Do I speak up about a political issue or not? Does the church need me to take on a leadership role in one its ministries? Do I have a vision of a new way to serve in the Name of Christ? OR should I support someone who has a vision of what to do? Should I encourage someone else who has taken a leadership role? Should I follow where someone else is leading me?

All of this requires wisdom and discernment. But the biggest factor in discerning is that I am fundamentally a follower of Jesus. Whether I am following or I am leading, I should always be following Christ.

Guilt Trips

2011-08-04T14:41:00.002-04:00

I have the joy and pleasure of being the Pastor of Discipleship at CrossPoint CRC. And I enjoy and am blessed to serve this way. But there is one major downside. It is basicly my job to get church members to do something. It’s my job to call the church to greater discipleship.

In other words, I’m supposed to be the guy who guilt trips others. “You should join a small group.” “What are you doing to form faith in your children?” And the list goes on from there.

Now I have tried to be aware of where people are at and not guilt trip them, but it still happens. I try to be extra aware of other peoples’ schedules or life situations. But I also think it very important to ask if folks are happy where they are at in their faith walk. Should priorities be changed? Are you actually living out the priorities that you claim to have?

So that’s the struggle I have as a Pastor of Discipleship: To challenge or not to challenge.

What do you think? Do you wish you were challenged more? Or less?

The Sunday Special

2011-07-09T08:01:00.002-04:00

During my family’s recent vacation time, we had the privilege to worship in a very small congregation. It was very different from the usual hubbub of Sunday worship in a large congregation. In a way, it was nice to be removed from some of the hoopla. But there was also some stress there too (‘Only this many came to hear the good news?’).

No matter the size of the congregation, Sunday worship for Christians is very special. We break from our daily patterns and gather as a community of believers. God knows we could sleep in, read a book, or go for a hike. But instead we form our Sunday schedule around going to worship. And this is because our time together on Sunday is special.

For me, Sundays can be special for different reasons. Some Sundays I have the privilege of preaching and proclaiming the good news of God. On other Sundays a song or a prayer might find the words for a groan that has been building up in my heart. On other Sundays we celebrate a special rite regarding a marker in the church’s life, like a baptism or profession of faith. And on most Sundays I am particularly thankful for time together with fellow believers. Being in each other’ presence builds up a real energy for my heart and soul. It might well be said that I am blessed by “the Spirit that is at work within us” when we gather for worship. And there are other ways that Sunday worship can be special.

But there is a danger. I think it is the danger when we want to try to make Sunday worship special. We listen to the subtle lie that we make worship special.

This has been, and will continue to be, a struggle for me. I have an inner critic that can rip apart any part of worship service. “The tempo was too slow on that song.” “The congregational prayer was too long... again.” “The sermon didn’t have any examples.” “The sermon didn’t proclaim any good news.” “Why are we singing these two songs in a row?” In the process, I burden those planning and leading the worship services (including myself) with making the worship service special. But this is something they/we are incapable of doing.

Our corporate worship is special because our God is special. We gather to worship God. We don’t gather for music appreciation, perfect oratory, family celebrations, or the like. We gather to lay ourselves before God. As others have written before, our worship has an audience of one, God. What makes it special is that God chooses to be in attendance.

“”Father, glorify your Name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (John 12:28)

Needing Church

2011-06-30T14:26:00.000-04:00

“Consumerism is a narcotic that dulls the awareness that we are in need. By buying what we need, we assume control of our lives. We replace a sense of need with a sense of ownership, and our sense of neediness recedes.” -Eugene Peterson, Tell It Slant

I came across this quote from Eugene Peterson, best known for The Message. The context is The Lord’s Prayer and the repeated prayers for needs... “give us,” “forgive us,” “deliver us.” But as what often happens my mind went elsewhere.

In this case, the word ‘ownership’ got me thinking about church membership and how we raise children to be church members. There has been much said and written about the need to increase our youth’s ownership of the church. We want them to increasingly participate in church life and worship. Some congregations are even able to incorporate youth into various church committees and even council. One of the reasons for this is that we want our youth to take ownership of the church. We hope that the youth will say “this is MY church” and really mean it.

But Peterson got me thinking about whether this tactic is really what we want to do. Is ownership really the way to go? Or should we be teaching our youth (and ourselves) that we NEED the church?

Cellular Sabbath

2011-06-11T14:33:00.000-04:00

I had the joy of exchanging my beat up and grossly out-dated cell phone this week (with the help of CrossPoint’s Office Administrator, Janet). As always, the transaction took a while during which we witness one of those moments of where you realize that as a Christian you’re values are a different than the rest of the world.

A young woman had come in with a non-functioning phone. But it was clear she had bought it in another store where this issue needed to be resolved. The clerk was being as factual as possible about the issue, but the young lady was getting flustered with her arms crossed on the counter and head down. She half-exasperated something among the lines of “but my phone hasn’t worked in two weeks! No one has been able to get in contact with me. I have no social life!”

I hope that technological communication devices never get the best of me like that (though my wife often accuses me of such, and she may be right). Don’t get me wrong. I greatly appreciate the flexibility of email, the availability of mobile phones, and the increased intimacy of Skyping over great distances. But these are all tools that help people communicate and build their relationship. They aren’t the relationship itself. But often enough we seem to have a relationship with the technology instead of the person(s) at the other end. It is like the silliness of texting a person who is in the same room. Go talk to each other! Get the technology out from in-between and make a relationship!

I think that this might be part of the point why God commands us to take a Sabbath day’s rest. Sabbath is not about placing ourselves before God for a day. We live every moment of our lives before God. Sabbath takes away the work (and play?) so that we just are. For a time the human technology is gone. The human bargaining chips in our relationship with God are out of play. For a time we are forced to just BE before God. No crutches. No defining ourselves by externals. We are. God is. And our relationship can have the fear and wonder that so often is absent.

“Righteous Father, thought the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (Jesus prayer for believers in John 17:25-26)

Bin Laden, Hatred, and Psalm 139

2011-05-16T15:16:00.000-04:00

I haven’t posted for a couple of weeks. Part of the reason is that I wanted to share some thoughts about the death of Usama Bin Laden. But I have also been hesitant to do so. His death at the hands of US Special Forces raises many varying reactions, both emotionally and intellectually.

The varying reactions were already apparent on my friends’ Facebook the morning after Bin Laden’s death was announced. Some had harsh (and profane) words for Bin Laden, like “burn in hell, you #$^@^!” Others had regret and sadness in their comments. One mother who had lost her soldier son in Afghanistan mentioned how it took her years to forgive Bin Laden for her son’s death. But now that his death had come she was sad that other people will not be able to forgive him while he was still alive. Other posts had righteous indignation at the US for killing Bin Laden, seeing it as a failure of justice. Others had posts rebuking those who celebrated his death in the streets. One post included a quote from the Bible: “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice” (Prov. 24:17, NIV).

When I heard the news Bin Laden was dead, my reaction was “well, they finally got him.” I doubted that the US would ever find him. But on the other hand, I felt that the inevitable had finally happened. If he would ever be found, he was going to die (and violently).

While I didn’t respond with the anger and hatred that others showed, I certainly had a level of satisfaction that Bin Laden was dead. But this is where his death becomes very complex, especially morally. Was it right of me to feel that way? Or was this satisfaction that he had been killed a sin?

In the days following his death, my mind went to some of the more challenging sections of scripture. These are the passages that “Love Wins” folks have an especially hard time understanding, much less the rest of us, like the books of Joshua, Judges, and the imprecatory Psalms. One of these Psalms is one of the most known and loved Psalms, Psalm 139.

The Psalm begins with God’s thorough knowledge of us, both the good and the bad. Verses 13-18 are the most well known section of the Psalm and a favorite of Reformed folks: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…” The passage drips with the wonder of the Creator God and the comfort of our heavenly Father.

Verses 19-22 however are a cry that seems out of context.

“If only you would slay the wicked, O God!

                   Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
              They speak of you with evil intent;
                   your adversaries misuse your name.
             DO I NOT HATE THOSE WHO HATE YOU, O LORD,
                  AND ABHOR THOSE YOU RISE UP AGAINST YOU?
             I HAVE NOTHING BUT HATRED FOR THEM;
                  I COUNT THEM MY ENEMIES.” (NIV, emphasis mine)

So what are we supposed to do with this?

What is good about Psalm 139 and others like it is that they are honest that we all hate (something many of the pietistic posts after Bin Laden’s death missed). I hate. My parents hate and my grandparents and great-grandparents hated before them. Hatred is part of the human condition. And it is not necessarily a bad thing. Hatred is the appropriate response towards evil and sin. I hate that there are murders. I hate that there are poor among us. I hate that there is racism. I hate, and this is the hard part, that people do such things. As the psalmist puts it, “I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.”

But isn’t this sin, all this hatred? Here’s my answer as a theologian: I don’t know. What I do know is that it is part of my life and who I am. And it is this reason that it is appropriate for sharing with God, just like the psalmist does repeatedly. Our piety, our self-righteousness (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing even though we often talk that way), shouldn’t get in the way of honestly expressing our hatred to God. This is appropriate, seeing that God knows our thoughts from afar.

But the thing about hatred is that it can’t stay there. We can’t only hate sin and evil. We can’t only hate what the devil has done. And we can’t only hate those who have chosen to do evil. Hatred needs to be examined in our own hearts. It needs to come out of the closet and face the light. Our hatred must be transformed into thoughts and acts of compassion (the “with-suffering” kind). It is not enough to hate what Islamic extremists do. We must ask ourselves what is the righteous way that we need to walk in our response to them. If Afghanistan or Pakistan are hot beds of terrorism, and I hate terrorism, what is the righteous response and what will lead them into righteousness? What is the way everlasting?

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

                                Test me and know my anxious thoughts.
                See if there is any offensive way in me,
                                And lead me in the way everlasting.”   (Ps. 139:23-24, NIV)

And God rested...

2011-04-26T16:01:00.000-04:00

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating he had done.” (Genesis 2:2-3, NIV)

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30, NIV)

I was struck this past Passion Week by the fact that Holy Saturday is the Sabbath. I know. It’s obvious. But we forget because we have made Sundays our day of Sabbath rest.

But it gets me wondering what God was doing on Holy Saturday. Jesus work was finished. But what were the Father and the Holy Spirit doing? Perhaps they were mourning with the disciples, second guessing whether this whole death and resurrection thing was the way to go. Perhaps they were just being patient with a grin on their faces, knowing that a surprise was in store. Or perhaps they were just merely resting.

I suspect that God may have been resting on Holy Saturday in order to mark a new time, a new age. God brings a new age into being, a new existence, a new creation that was not there before. God rests to set the new creation aside as holy and declare it “very good.” Yet, Holy Saturday is hardly a day of celebration, but it is certainly holy and “very good.” Holy Saturday is a day that looks backward and sees the work of Christ completed and “very good.” Yet Holy Saturday is also a day that looks forward and anticipates a new reality is coming in the resurrection.

After this Passion Week, I find that I don’t live a Good Friday reality full of darkness and tears. Nor do I live an Easter reality that is full of celebration and full voiced singing. Holy Saturday seems to be the more accurate description of my life. There is constant comfort and rest in knowing my sins are paid. Yet there is a yearning for the resurrection life. There is waiting for the new creation to come... and resting that this in-between time will be made holy and “very good.”

“He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21:6-7, NIV)

God is love, and... (part 2)

2011-04-19T15:52:00.000-04:00

Last week I wrote about a concern that we can begin to look at God too one-dimensionally, namely that “God is love.” God is so much more than what we can imagine. Yet there is still that tendency to pigeon hole God into his attribute of love and in the process dispose of God’s personhood. We need to remember that God is a personal being, not just an attribute.

But understanding God as only love has another problem. We need more than love to save us. The Beatles got it wrong. Love is not all we need. We need more than love.

For example, let’s say there is a judge in a rural town. He is the only judge in this place. But his son commits a murder and is convicted of this murder by a jury. Now the judge/father must hand down the sentence. Who must the judge be? What should he do? He is a father and has an obligation and a heartfelt desire to love his son. Yet he is also the judge. He is charged to do what is just. And he wants to do what is right by the family whose member was murdered and by society at large. So what can he do? Clearly, love is not all that is needed. Justice is necessary as well. Humanly speaking, the father/judge cannot live fully into his desires to love his son and do justice for the victims.

The situation our sin has put God in is far more complex than this illustration. The good news is that God is far more than the one attribute of love. God is just. God is compassion. God is holy. God is almighty. And the list goes on. And we need it to for our salvation.

But perhaps the better route is for us to look to Jesus Christ, the person who died, who was raised, and sits at the Father’s right hand. In Christ we meet God face-to-face. And that beats an attribute any day.

“At the cross, all the attributes of God win.” – Tim Keller

God is love, and... (part 1)

2011-04-11T09:36:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I started reading a book of essays by a well-known theologian. In the prologue, he is aware of the diversity of what he writes about, but suggests that if there is a unifying theme, it is this: God is love. This is good, and he certainly is far from the only person thinking in this way. In fact, “God is love” is the predominant view of God in the western world, whether one is a practicing Christian or not.

My concern is that we can slip into this one-dimensional view of God and thus lose sight of the multi-faceted work of God in redeeming us and the creation.

There are two important correctives here. The first is that God is a personal being, not an attribute. When we limit God to one of his attributes (i.e. God is love, God is just, etc.), we are often attempting to box God into a category. It makes God manageable. Then we can understand God and we can even predict what God will do. As Christians, we often end up doing this when we impiously attempt to figure out who is saved and who is not.

We ought not limit God based on one attribute (or many of them for that matter). This doesn’t work with people. It won’t work with God. For instance, my daughter is a very social person. However, if a person comes up to her and wants to talk to her, I still have no idea beforehand how she is going to react. Sometimes she will be social and talk right back. Other times, she has grunted or tried to hide behind her mother. This however doesn’t change her social attribute. The reality is that if a person wants to talk to her, they need to get to know her and she needs to get to know them. It is then that they will get to know her as a person, including how social she really is. God is no different. We can’t limit what God will or will not do based on what we reportedly know. Instead, we are invited into relationship with him where we get to know God as a person beyond our understanding and worthy of praise.

I will post the second point later...

Good enough

2011-03-28T11:27:00.000-04:00

I had the question put to me Saturday about what to do, as a church leader, with people who confess Jesus as their Lord but don’t live the Christian life. It’s a good question and complex when we personally get involved.

But when this question gets asked, what then becomes good enough? What is the standard that every Christian must meet? Obviously, I expect my brothers and sisters in Christ to not murder, commit adultery, steal, and so on. And I expect that we should be kind, generous, and compassionate. The problem is that I expect this of everyone, Christian or not. And I suspect that any person on the street would say the same. Good morals are not what make me a certified, card-carrying Christian. Jesus Christ makes me a Christian.

Perhaps one of the biggest dangers Christians face today is the diluting of the Christian faith into morals, a list of do’s and don’ts. This is the measuring stick that the general public puts on the church. I remember some years ago, I was working in my front yard when I was hit up for money by a pan handler. I said that I don’t give money to people off the street. His response was to ask me if I was a Christian, which I of course answered in the affirmative. He then proceeded to berate me for not being a good Christian and that I should know what the Bible says about giving to the poor, and therefore I should give him $20 on the spot. As far as he was concerned, I wasn’t really a Christian because I didn’t meet his moral expectations.

It isn’t that morals don’t matter, they do. (I’m not even sure I did right by that man that day.) But good morals are not the standard of the Christian faith. I do not pin my hope in my goodness. I pin my hope on God’s goodness which I know in Christ.

And somehow I expect God’s goodness will change me, and that will be good enough.

“…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12b-13)

March Madness

2011-03-17T18:04:00.002-04:00

It’s March Madness time! The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament began this week and it is one of my favourite sporting events. And even better, it’s my wife’s favourite! We have a little competition going between the two of us. Our brackets are taped up in our kitchen. We are still deciding on what the winner gets. But whatever it is, I want to win. (But the way the first day of the tourney is going, I’m in trouble.)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

The author of Hebrews wants fellow believers to win too, but in what matters. He encourages us to “throw off everything that hinders,” not a popular request as I like my ‘stuff.’ But even more remarkable is what he parallels with running our race: “Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus.” Look at Jesus. That’s how we run the race. That’s how we win. Look at Jesus.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. –Helen H. Lemmel