From the youngest to the eldest among us, we share at least one thing in common—we are all aging. I am trying to stay aware of changes in myself that directly affect you, the church family. Yesterday, after reflecting on the sermon effort, (Sunday, August 8, 2010), I realized that I was becoming a bit too historical (or, is it hysterical?). I had attempted to give the congregation details of over 20 years of Jacob’s life in a single sitting (a long “sitting,” at that!).
As I drew toward the conclusion (and realized that several in the congregation had already “concluded”), I thought I was going to have to resuscitate my own wife who was on the front row with her head bowed (I believe that she was praying for me, or maybe just praying for it all to end soon!) I had just spent 20 minutes on my first point, “Some motivations for encountering God.” Like many others, she had failed to find any apparent reason to be motivated. (As I reflect back upon it, I am not sure that my level of “motivation” would too great after that extended investment in “less than rousing” historical data).
God love Nancy; she has had to endure a few thousand messages across these years. Many of you have experienced quite a few of them, as well. She is my best encourager. God bless her, and God bless you for your endurance!
I think that the Lord may be trying to gain my attention and bring me “back to my roots” with a simple message: keep it simple and a little shorter. At age 16, I attempted my first sermon. It lasted 7 minutes. Maybe I need to return to that original “pattern!” Many of you may immediately begin praying, “Lord, do it again, do it again!” By the way, I have a preaching assignment at another venue next week—a total of 18 minutes allocated! Pray for me.
As we all “age together,” your prayers are appreciated. I believe that I have your unanimous support on this “sermon prayer request!”
Monday, August 9, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Humble Service
I was just thinking…
.
Ephesians 4:2 is a statement of the Christian disposition-“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. 3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace." (New Living Translation)
Sometimes we are privileged to see God in action as He demonstrates the truth of this Bible passage through His family members. Nothing is quite so encouraging as to see humility, gentleness, and patience operative in the lives of God’s people. A case in point is one of our members who is a university professor and head of his academic department; a published author; a recent guest on a national radio show; and author of several articles of historical interest related to the Blue Ridge Parkway, etc. (His recent book is titled, REAL NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France).
Remarkable as these accomplishments are, his greatest achievements rest in his role as a Christian husband, father, son (his energetic mother is still living), and sibling. He functions in each of these capacities with a decided commitment and with a quiet and steady disposition.
As a Christian and a churchman, he has served as deacon, committee member, ministry volunteer, and leader of an adult Sunday School class. He and his wife currently find great satisfaction in working with a Preschool Sunday School group. Like some others in our church family, he serves in virtual anonymity.
I would likely have known nothing of the completion of the book and the associated recognition apart from an unrelated third party. It is a book that gives some insightful information regarding the birth and development of what has become the favorite sport for hundreds of thousands of Americans.
I want to commend him for his Christ-like, servant mentality and for his achievements as an author, and feel that others of you in the church family and beyond would appreciate knowing about the recent release of the book written by Dr. Dan Pierce.
Dan’s wife, Lydia, and children, Anna Claire, Taylor, Sullivan (“Sully”), and Coulter are his greatest “cheerleaders.”
I join others in congratulating a man whose demeanor is “humble and gentle,” (NLT) and who in “lowliness and gentleness” (KJV) lives life purposefully and who quietly, willingly, and gladly serves the Lord.
.
Ephesians 4:2 is a statement of the Christian disposition-“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. 3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace." (New Living Translation)
Sometimes we are privileged to see God in action as He demonstrates the truth of this Bible passage through His family members. Nothing is quite so encouraging as to see humility, gentleness, and patience operative in the lives of God’s people. A case in point is one of our members who is a university professor and head of his academic department; a published author; a recent guest on a national radio show; and author of several articles of historical interest related to the Blue Ridge Parkway, etc. (His recent book is titled, REAL NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France).
Remarkable as these accomplishments are, his greatest achievements rest in his role as a Christian husband, father, son (his energetic mother is still living), and sibling. He functions in each of these capacities with a decided commitment and with a quiet and steady disposition.
As a Christian and a churchman, he has served as deacon, committee member, ministry volunteer, and leader of an adult Sunday School class. He and his wife currently find great satisfaction in working with a Preschool Sunday School group. Like some others in our church family, he serves in virtual anonymity.
I would likely have known nothing of the completion of the book and the associated recognition apart from an unrelated third party. It is a book that gives some insightful information regarding the birth and development of what has become the favorite sport for hundreds of thousands of Americans.
I want to commend him for his Christ-like, servant mentality and for his achievements as an author, and feel that others of you in the church family and beyond would appreciate knowing about the recent release of the book written by Dr. Dan Pierce.
Dan’s wife, Lydia, and children, Anna Claire, Taylor, Sullivan (“Sully”), and Coulter are his greatest “cheerleaders.”
I join others in congratulating a man whose demeanor is “humble and gentle,” (NLT) and who in “lowliness and gentleness” (KJV) lives life purposefully and who quietly, willingly, and gladly serves the Lord.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Meyer on Easter
March 24, 2010
I was just thinking…
Out of some reading related to the Easter season, I was struck again with the measure of what Christ’s suffering “in my place,” or “for my sins” really means.
F.B. Meyer, a British preacher and teacher of the 19th and early 20th century wrote the following which powerfully describes what Jesus’ suffering on the cross means for fallen sinners (that’s all of us): “This was not a normal human experience. Only once in the history of the race has all iniquity been laid on one head; only once has the curse of sin of the world been borne by one heart; only once has it been possible, in drinking the cup of death, to taste death for every man. ‘He who knew no sin was made sin for us. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.’ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53:5) On no other hypothesis than that Jesus was the Lamb of God, bearing away the sin of the world can you account for the darkness of that midday midnight which obscured his soul. I cannot tell what transpired; I have no philosophy of the Atonement to offer; I only believe that the whole nature of God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself; and that, in virtue of what was done there, we may apply for forgiveness to the faithfulness and justice of God.” (A Commentary on the Gospel of John, Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1952, p. 351).
What Jesus did at the cross created a “bridge” and made it possible for sinful man to be reconciled with the Holy God. That event enabled an “Atonement,” a theological term that means quite simply that there is now “At-one-ment” between a repentant sinner and a welcoming God. Thank God for what happened on that ugly hill outside the walls of Jerusalem! He did that for you and me—almost beyond our comprehension!!
The truth of what Jesus did would exhaust the vocabularies of all the languages that have ever existed. It is one of those “Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky” kind of things.
Without Christmas, there would have been no Easter; but without Easter, there would be no salvation nor hope in this world for a heaven that is “out of this world!”
I was just thinking…
Out of some reading related to the Easter season, I was struck again with the measure of what Christ’s suffering “in my place,” or “for my sins” really means.
F.B. Meyer, a British preacher and teacher of the 19th and early 20th century wrote the following which powerfully describes what Jesus’ suffering on the cross means for fallen sinners (that’s all of us): “This was not a normal human experience. Only once in the history of the race has all iniquity been laid on one head; only once has the curse of sin of the world been borne by one heart; only once has it been possible, in drinking the cup of death, to taste death for every man. ‘He who knew no sin was made sin for us. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.’ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53:5) On no other hypothesis than that Jesus was the Lamb of God, bearing away the sin of the world can you account for the darkness of that midday midnight which obscured his soul. I cannot tell what transpired; I have no philosophy of the Atonement to offer; I only believe that the whole nature of God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself; and that, in virtue of what was done there, we may apply for forgiveness to the faithfulness and justice of God.” (A Commentary on the Gospel of John, Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1952, p. 351).
What Jesus did at the cross created a “bridge” and made it possible for sinful man to be reconciled with the Holy God. That event enabled an “Atonement,” a theological term that means quite simply that there is now “At-one-ment” between a repentant sinner and a welcoming God. Thank God for what happened on that ugly hill outside the walls of Jerusalem! He did that for you and me—almost beyond our comprehension!!
The truth of what Jesus did would exhaust the vocabularies of all the languages that have ever existed. It is one of those “Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky” kind of things.
Without Christmas, there would have been no Easter; but without Easter, there would be no salvation nor hope in this world for a heaven that is “out of this world!”
Saturday, March 6, 2010
What to do with sin.
I was just thinking…
Sin? What does Jesus’ incarnation have to do with sin? Everything! That’s why He came. Though He was a convincing teacher, a compassionate healer, a concerned humanitarian, and more, that was not His primary mission. There had been those, and more would follow Him. Some would even become founders of well-known religions. None but He could offer a legitimate solution to the problem of human sin. He came to deal with sin. Not His-for He had none, but ours.
His mission? He “came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). That’s all of us. All of humanity has lived in alienation and lostness since the fall into sin by the first of humankind-Adam and Eve. Paul’s summary of Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth is stated in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,.. .”
That’s the gospel. It is life-changing when we accept the Gift, Jesus. We receive full forgiveness, a clean slate, a new beginning; it’s just as if we had never sinned. But,
what does a believer do, following conversion, when he knows that he has again sinned (He will sense conviction and know it, if he is truly a child of God).
A believer may sometimes engage in actions that are not consistent with the Father’s ideals. Nonetheless, such believers do not cease being His children, any more than our less-than-obedient child ceases to be ours. The life process of being born and experiencing growth opens the possibility for sinning. Likewise, being “born again” does not make us immune from sin. (Consider Simon Peter, devoted disciple who made the “rock-solid” confession-“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”-upon which the church would be built” and who, just before our Lord’s crucifixion, cursed and denied that he even knew who Jesus is).
Obviously, we need to come to the Lord asking forgiveness as we are overcome by sin at points in our Christian growth journey. (Consider Paul’s struggle with the sinful nature, as described in Romans 7).
The New Testament makes it clear that Jesus cleanses the repentant believer when he confesses his sins. For many years we took the church youth to the beach for a retreat during the summer. The first night at the beach, we would go to the water’s edge after receiving instructions to spread out and provide some privacy. Each person was requested to write in the sand while the tide was out any sin in their life. Then, we were to claim the promise of 1 John 1:9-10 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Of course, once the tide came back in and covered the area where our confessed sins were previously written, the writing was removed and the area was smooth and the writing removed.
The broader context, in 1 John 1:7-10, reminds us that the Agent of our cleansing is the sacrifice of Christ at the cross. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
What do believers do when they sin? They confess their sins to the Lord. His sacrifice for our sin, proves again and again to be fully adequate to cleanse us. That ancient truth is still “Good News” for all of us!
Sin? What does Jesus’ incarnation have to do with sin? Everything! That’s why He came. Though He was a convincing teacher, a compassionate healer, a concerned humanitarian, and more, that was not His primary mission. There had been those, and more would follow Him. Some would even become founders of well-known religions. None but He could offer a legitimate solution to the problem of human sin. He came to deal with sin. Not His-for He had none, but ours.
His mission? He “came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). That’s all of us. All of humanity has lived in alienation and lostness since the fall into sin by the first of humankind-Adam and Eve. Paul’s summary of Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth is stated in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,.. .”
That’s the gospel. It is life-changing when we accept the Gift, Jesus. We receive full forgiveness, a clean slate, a new beginning; it’s just as if we had never sinned. But,
what does a believer do, following conversion, when he knows that he has again sinned (He will sense conviction and know it, if he is truly a child of God).
A believer may sometimes engage in actions that are not consistent with the Father’s ideals. Nonetheless, such believers do not cease being His children, any more than our less-than-obedient child ceases to be ours. The life process of being born and experiencing growth opens the possibility for sinning. Likewise, being “born again” does not make us immune from sin. (Consider Simon Peter, devoted disciple who made the “rock-solid” confession-“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”-upon which the church would be built” and who, just before our Lord’s crucifixion, cursed and denied that he even knew who Jesus is).
Obviously, we need to come to the Lord asking forgiveness as we are overcome by sin at points in our Christian growth journey. (Consider Paul’s struggle with the sinful nature, as described in Romans 7).
The New Testament makes it clear that Jesus cleanses the repentant believer when he confesses his sins. For many years we took the church youth to the beach for a retreat during the summer. The first night at the beach, we would go to the water’s edge after receiving instructions to spread out and provide some privacy. Each person was requested to write in the sand while the tide was out any sin in their life. Then, we were to claim the promise of 1 John 1:9-10 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Of course, once the tide came back in and covered the area where our confessed sins were previously written, the writing was removed and the area was smooth and the writing removed.
The broader context, in 1 John 1:7-10, reminds us that the Agent of our cleansing is the sacrifice of Christ at the cross. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
What do believers do when they sin? They confess their sins to the Lord. His sacrifice for our sin, proves again and again to be fully adequate to cleanse us. That ancient truth is still “Good News” for all of us!
Dogs and Sows
I was just thinking…
A member of the church family raised the question last Sunday, “What about that passage that speaks about a ‘dog returns to its own vomit’ and a ‘sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire’?” These two commonly known proverbs were used by Peter in his teaching.
The context of the broader passage in 2 Peter 2:18-22 addresses the deceptive practices of false teachers. Some see in the passage the possibility for a person to be a follower of Jesus and, then at some point in his or her life, renounce the faith and revert to living as many unconverted folks live.
The clearest path, I believe, to the likely meaning of the passage is offered in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Volume 12 of that series includes the commentary on 1 and 2 Peter, by Edwin A. Blum. Dr. Blum (page 282) sums up the discussion in convincing fashion:
Verse 20 mentions the possibility of reverting to the old paganism after having ‘escaped the corruptions of the world’ through knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Is it possible, then, for Christians to lose their salvation? Many would answer affirmatively on the basis of this and similar texts (e.g. Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26). But this verse asserts only that false teachers who have for a time escaped from worldly corruption through knowing Christ and then turn away from the light of the Christian faith are worse off than they were before knowing Christ. It uses no terminology affirming that they were Christians in reality (e.g. “sons of God,” “children,” “born again,” “regenerate,” “redeemed”). The New Testament makes a distinction between those who are in the churches and those who are regenerate (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5; 2 Tim 2:18-19; 1 John 3:7-8). “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us….but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” -1 John 2:19. So when Peter says, “They are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning,” the reference is to a lost apostate.
These apostates (“fallen away”) apparently had experienced some superficial attachment to the message of Christ, but had never committed their lives to Him. They were unsaved church members whose spiritual natures were unchanged and who eventually reverted to the ways of the world.
This parallels the truth of Proverbs 26:11-“As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” A second proverb that circulated and was well-known related to a pig, that having been washed, returned to wallowing in the mire. That is what Peter is describing in 2 Peter 2:18-22, where he employs the proverb of a washed and cleaned up dog and pig, to underscore his point. These two animals, by reason of their dog and pig natures (even if washed, powdered, and perfumed), will do what dogs and pigs do—return to the place where they previously vomited, or make their way back to wallow in the mud. They are still unchanged in their nature. So are the natures of those who revert to Godless living—their natures are unchanged. Although they may experience a time of moral improvement, people whose natures are not changed by Jesus, will eventually give evidence of their true, unregenerate nature and continue to live as unsaved individuals.
To the contrary, Simon Peter, in the messages in our New Testaments that bear his name, supports the principle that believers are kept securely in their relationship with Jesus. He speaks in chapter 1, verses 3 through 5 of God who “has begotten us to a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
It would be inconsistent for Peter to make the case that we are “kept by the power of God” in one place in Scripture, and then surface the notion in another that we are not kept by His power, and that we can be separated from His salvation. Either God keeps us, or He doesn’t.
Jesus gives those who trust Him a new nature. (2 Corinthians 5:17-“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”). When they sin, these “new creations” (Christian believers) are unsettled and quickly come under conviction until they return to their Creator and Savior and find forgiveness.
In their new natures, God’s children will demonstrate a “family resemblance.” We will have our Father’s eyes-seeing people with the needs as He sees them; have our Father’s arms-embracing, consoling, and assisting hurting people; have our Father’s hands-compassionately reaching out to meet the needs of others; have our Father’s feet-going to minister to people at places both near and far away.
The early believers were called “Christians-little Christs-imitators of Christ.” They consistently behaved like Him; not like dogs and pigs! His nature was inside them.
A member of the church family raised the question last Sunday, “What about that passage that speaks about a ‘dog returns to its own vomit’ and a ‘sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire’?” These two commonly known proverbs were used by Peter in his teaching.
The context of the broader passage in 2 Peter 2:18-22 addresses the deceptive practices of false teachers. Some see in the passage the possibility for a person to be a follower of Jesus and, then at some point in his or her life, renounce the faith and revert to living as many unconverted folks live.
The clearest path, I believe, to the likely meaning of the passage is offered in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Volume 12 of that series includes the commentary on 1 and 2 Peter, by Edwin A. Blum. Dr. Blum (page 282) sums up the discussion in convincing fashion:
Verse 20 mentions the possibility of reverting to the old paganism after having ‘escaped the corruptions of the world’ through knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Is it possible, then, for Christians to lose their salvation? Many would answer affirmatively on the basis of this and similar texts (e.g. Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26). But this verse asserts only that false teachers who have for a time escaped from worldly corruption through knowing Christ and then turn away from the light of the Christian faith are worse off than they were before knowing Christ. It uses no terminology affirming that they were Christians in reality (e.g. “sons of God,” “children,” “born again,” “regenerate,” “redeemed”). The New Testament makes a distinction between those who are in the churches and those who are regenerate (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5; 2 Tim 2:18-19; 1 John 3:7-8). “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us….but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” -1 John 2:19. So when Peter says, “They are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning,” the reference is to a lost apostate.
These apostates (“fallen away”) apparently had experienced some superficial attachment to the message of Christ, but had never committed their lives to Him. They were unsaved church members whose spiritual natures were unchanged and who eventually reverted to the ways of the world.
This parallels the truth of Proverbs 26:11-“As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” A second proverb that circulated and was well-known related to a pig, that having been washed, returned to wallowing in the mire. That is what Peter is describing in 2 Peter 2:18-22, where he employs the proverb of a washed and cleaned up dog and pig, to underscore his point. These two animals, by reason of their dog and pig natures (even if washed, powdered, and perfumed), will do what dogs and pigs do—return to the place where they previously vomited, or make their way back to wallow in the mud. They are still unchanged in their nature. So are the natures of those who revert to Godless living—their natures are unchanged. Although they may experience a time of moral improvement, people whose natures are not changed by Jesus, will eventually give evidence of their true, unregenerate nature and continue to live as unsaved individuals.
To the contrary, Simon Peter, in the messages in our New Testaments that bear his name, supports the principle that believers are kept securely in their relationship with Jesus. He speaks in chapter 1, verses 3 through 5 of God who “has begotten us to a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
It would be inconsistent for Peter to make the case that we are “kept by the power of God” in one place in Scripture, and then surface the notion in another that we are not kept by His power, and that we can be separated from His salvation. Either God keeps us, or He doesn’t.
Jesus gives those who trust Him a new nature. (2 Corinthians 5:17-“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”). When they sin, these “new creations” (Christian believers) are unsettled and quickly come under conviction until they return to their Creator and Savior and find forgiveness.
In their new natures, God’s children will demonstrate a “family resemblance.” We will have our Father’s eyes-seeing people with the needs as He sees them; have our Father’s arms-embracing, consoling, and assisting hurting people; have our Father’s hands-compassionately reaching out to meet the needs of others; have our Father’s feet-going to minister to people at places both near and far away.
The early believers were called “Christians-little Christs-imitators of Christ.” They consistently behaved like Him; not like dogs and pigs! His nature was inside them.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Job Descriptions
I was just thinking: Job Descriptions
The biblical account in Luke 10 is familiar to most of us. In order of appearance, first, a priest and, then, a Levite came upon a suffering, beaten man, lying at the roadside. The priest and Levite had temple duties that cried out for their attention; half-dead men along roadsides were not in their “job descriptions,” so they moved to the “other side of the road,” in an effort to separate themselves from the needy man. Jesus included in His story another character, a Samaritan, a despised bi-racial man (a son from a Jew-Gentile union). He assisted the beaten man by administering First Aid, transporting him to a place where his medical needs could be met, and picking up the costs of his medical care.
Then, Jesus asked the question, “Who then was neighbor to him?” The Jewish law instructor replied, “He who showed mercy?” Jesus then gave the man a job description —“Go and do likewise.” Showing mercy is a part of every Christian’s assignment. We have freely received mercy, and we should freely give it.
Our television screens lit up with a story of a street corner beating in Seattle. A 15-year old was being kicked in the head repeatedly and her I-pod, purse, and cell phone were taken from her, while two “security officers” within feet of the victim merely looked on.
“The teen told investigators she thought she would be protected since the security guards were there. She says they just watched, saying they had standing orders to ‘avoid confrontations or fights’.” (newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/.../guards-watch-as-seattle-teen-is-beaten/ -)
I believe that God has placed in the wills of His created ones a “job description” that calls for a response of mercy when we see someone else suffering. It is not quite enough to “observe and report” when someone is being beaten. To remain detached in the face of someone’s suffering is not being a “neighbor” and it is not “showing mercy.”
Micah, the biblical prophet, puts it into perspective: “… O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NLT). That is the “job description” that God has given us.
The biblical account in Luke 10 is familiar to most of us. In order of appearance, first, a priest and, then, a Levite came upon a suffering, beaten man, lying at the roadside. The priest and Levite had temple duties that cried out for their attention; half-dead men along roadsides were not in their “job descriptions,” so they moved to the “other side of the road,” in an effort to separate themselves from the needy man. Jesus included in His story another character, a Samaritan, a despised bi-racial man (a son from a Jew-Gentile union). He assisted the beaten man by administering First Aid, transporting him to a place where his medical needs could be met, and picking up the costs of his medical care.
Then, Jesus asked the question, “Who then was neighbor to him?” The Jewish law instructor replied, “He who showed mercy?” Jesus then gave the man a job description —“Go and do likewise.” Showing mercy is a part of every Christian’s assignment. We have freely received mercy, and we should freely give it.
Our television screens lit up with a story of a street corner beating in Seattle. A 15-year old was being kicked in the head repeatedly and her I-pod, purse, and cell phone were taken from her, while two “security officers” within feet of the victim merely looked on.
“The teen told investigators she thought she would be protected since the security guards were there. She says they just watched, saying they had standing orders to ‘avoid confrontations or fights’.” (newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/.../guards-watch-as-seattle-teen-is-beaten/ -)
I believe that God has placed in the wills of His created ones a “job description” that calls for a response of mercy when we see someone else suffering. It is not quite enough to “observe and report” when someone is being beaten. To remain detached in the face of someone’s suffering is not being a “neighbor” and it is not “showing mercy.”
Micah, the biblical prophet, puts it into perspective: “… O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NLT). That is the “job description” that God has given us.
Salute to Sufferers
Some months ago, someone suggested that I might want to share some of what I am pondering or meditating on with others. It is my intent to occasionally post these “mullings” on the website. Thank you to any and all who care to read.
I have a wonderful, caring sister (Jean) who has been diagnosed with cancer and has undergone treatment, as some of you perhaps have. I want to reflect a bit on God’s ministry through His children who suffer and salute those persons. (Note: Most of us have family, neighbors, fellow church members, and other acquaintances who suffer not only from cancer but other ravaging physical or emotional challenges).
“Christian/agnostic” is an oxymoron. It seems impossible that one should be “both/and.” We normally consider that a person is a Christian, or possibly an agnostic (literally, “without knowledge.”) Leslie Weatherhead, a self-professed Christian/agnostic (whatever that is!) in his book, Salute To A Sufferer, wrote, “Some who have served best have suffered most.” My response to that is “Amen!”
Marie Nichols’ body rests in a cemetery in Durham, North Carolina. On her wrist was placed a bracelet with a heart-shaped locket containing a picture of our then less than two year-old daughter, Beverly. During my time as a seminary student at Southeastern, she and her husband lived just down the road a short distance from us in North Raleigh. I first met her at Rex Hospital where she had been diagnosed with cancer. As I came onto the second floor, I could hear an anger-filled voice speaking into a telephone. I lingered several minutes after her phone conversation ended, fearful and quite unsure of how to introduce myself and begin a dialogue with Marie. But from that awkward beginning, there grew a friendship with her and her husband where they became my “teachers” through her suffering.
Faith moves from “textbook and theory” to practical experience and witness in the lives of many faithful sufferers. Marie had bone cancer and any movement or touch of her hospital bed which was in her living room brought to her excruciating pain. She would, nonetheless, insist upon taking “little Beverly” onto the bed long enough for a hug. After a crucial time when she considered taking her life to be rid of the physical pain, she inquired, “Would God forgive me, if I did that.” I must confess that my “Pastoral Care 101” class had not prepared me to respond to that. In my desperation and evident dilemma, it was as if God took control and enabled me to say, “Marie, I don’t have all the answers. However, there is one thing of which I am sure and it is this, you have an opportunity to “practice and preach the gospel from this hospital bed in a more powerful and convincing way than I could ever do it from a pulpit. You can let others know that you are ‘more than conqueror through Christ who has loved us.’ (Romans 8:37)”. Ancient conquerors wore purple to mark their victory, and the language used in “more than conquerors” literally means those who are “super purple wearers.” Marie accepted the challenge and lived her remaining days as a positive witness to the grace and mercy of God.
The lyrics of an old song declare, “And when the battle’s over, we shall wear a crown; yes, we shall wear a crown in the New Jerusalem.” Guess what? We will, but for a moment, and then place them at His feet in the recognition that Jesus, alone, is worthy of heavenly crown-wearing. (My parents used to say, “Take your hat off; you’re in the house.” In a greater sense, we will need to “Take you crown off; you’re in heaven.”) The King is central there and the appropriate place for crowns is “at His feet.”
And I believe that Marie and all those faithful who suffer and trust Christ will wear a “crown of life” (stephanos) and robe (purple???) in the New Jerusalem. Maybe we’ll get to wear these to His Victory Celebration (“Wedding Supper of the Lamb”??). The “Who dat nation”-New Orleans Saints fans-just think they have something to celebrate!!
So, allow me to join the late Dr. Weatherhead in giving a “Salute to Sufferers.”
[Thanks for reading and, if able, join with others in loving Jesus in gathered worship this Valentine’s Day.]
I have a wonderful, caring sister (Jean) who has been diagnosed with cancer and has undergone treatment, as some of you perhaps have. I want to reflect a bit on God’s ministry through His children who suffer and salute those persons. (Note: Most of us have family, neighbors, fellow church members, and other acquaintances who suffer not only from cancer but other ravaging physical or emotional challenges).
“Christian/agnostic” is an oxymoron. It seems impossible that one should be “both/and.” We normally consider that a person is a Christian, or possibly an agnostic (literally, “without knowledge.”) Leslie Weatherhead, a self-professed Christian/agnostic (whatever that is!) in his book, Salute To A Sufferer, wrote, “Some who have served best have suffered most.” My response to that is “Amen!”
Marie Nichols’ body rests in a cemetery in Durham, North Carolina. On her wrist was placed a bracelet with a heart-shaped locket containing a picture of our then less than two year-old daughter, Beverly. During my time as a seminary student at Southeastern, she and her husband lived just down the road a short distance from us in North Raleigh. I first met her at Rex Hospital where she had been diagnosed with cancer. As I came onto the second floor, I could hear an anger-filled voice speaking into a telephone. I lingered several minutes after her phone conversation ended, fearful and quite unsure of how to introduce myself and begin a dialogue with Marie. But from that awkward beginning, there grew a friendship with her and her husband where they became my “teachers” through her suffering.
Faith moves from “textbook and theory” to practical experience and witness in the lives of many faithful sufferers. Marie had bone cancer and any movement or touch of her hospital bed which was in her living room brought to her excruciating pain. She would, nonetheless, insist upon taking “little Beverly” onto the bed long enough for a hug. After a crucial time when she considered taking her life to be rid of the physical pain, she inquired, “Would God forgive me, if I did that.” I must confess that my “Pastoral Care 101” class had not prepared me to respond to that. In my desperation and evident dilemma, it was as if God took control and enabled me to say, “Marie, I don’t have all the answers. However, there is one thing of which I am sure and it is this, you have an opportunity to “practice and preach the gospel from this hospital bed in a more powerful and convincing way than I could ever do it from a pulpit. You can let others know that you are ‘more than conqueror through Christ who has loved us.’ (Romans 8:37)”. Ancient conquerors wore purple to mark their victory, and the language used in “more than conquerors” literally means those who are “super purple wearers.” Marie accepted the challenge and lived her remaining days as a positive witness to the grace and mercy of God.
The lyrics of an old song declare, “And when the battle’s over, we shall wear a crown; yes, we shall wear a crown in the New Jerusalem.” Guess what? We will, but for a moment, and then place them at His feet in the recognition that Jesus, alone, is worthy of heavenly crown-wearing. (My parents used to say, “Take your hat off; you’re in the house.” In a greater sense, we will need to “Take you crown off; you’re in heaven.”) The King is central there and the appropriate place for crowns is “at His feet.”
And I believe that Marie and all those faithful who suffer and trust Christ will wear a “crown of life” (stephanos) and robe (purple???) in the New Jerusalem. Maybe we’ll get to wear these to His Victory Celebration (“Wedding Supper of the Lamb”??). The “Who dat nation”-New Orleans Saints fans-just think they have something to celebrate!!
So, allow me to join the late Dr. Weatherhead in giving a “Salute to Sufferers.”
[Thanks for reading and, if able, join with others in loving Jesus in gathered worship this Valentine’s Day.]
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