Worship, Again

In the book of Malachi are described issues that the Lord has with His people. In Malachi 1, for instance, we learn that:
1. The people doubt that the Lord loves them (v.2);
2. The people do not honor Him as a Father should be honored (v.6);
3. The priests show contempt for His name (v.6);
4. They do this by allowing or even encouraging unacceptable offerings in the act of worship. That which is corrupted is offered instead of the first and the best that the Lord requires (vv.7-8);
5. The priests do not have their hearts in the right place for service to God (v.10);
6. The people show contempt for their offerings to God (vv.12-13);
7. The people offer corrupt sacrifices even though they have acceptable ones (vv.13b-14).

We see in all of this that all of the Lord's people have fallen into seeming apathy. The people have little interest in worshipping with hearts bursting with gratitude and love. The priests are little different. They do not guide themselves or the people into repentance.

In Malachi 2:1-9, the priests are again admonished. They need to listen to the Lord better. They are to re-set their hearts on the holy work of honoring Him (vv.1-2). In fact, the work of the priests is honoring, reverencing, and standing in awe of the Lord and teaching the people to do the same (vv.5-6).

The duration of Malachi 2 recognizes that idol worship and frivolous divorce within the community of believers causes the Lord to be slow to receive the worship of that community. We might say that sinful behavior amongst the Lord's people corrupted even the sacrifice of praise.

The time of Malachi reminds me of our day. Many of us have a really difficult time giving ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord in our worship. Because of this, our offerings are corrupt.

Likewise, priests like me have been too slow to call us to account as a community. I have tiptoed around the issue of worship just hoping that the matter will take care of itself. I reckon I need to start with my own repentance so that I have a clear conscience. But then I need to lead the people of my congregation to contrition and confession as well. I must honor, reverence, and stand in awe of the Lord and teach others to do the same.

Finally, we must all continue to root out sin in our own lives. We cannot continue to believe that our attitudes toward the Lord are untainted when we constantly strive for worldly things and partake of worldly activities.

It is time for us all to get down on our knees and ask for forgiveness. The Lord will restore us when we do, give us hearts of flesh, and our cups will overflow with joy that will become spasms of praise to Him.

Amen.

Worship

A Mennonite scholar recently wrote in regard to the American Church, "We are both in the world and of it." He meant that we are no longer just in the world out of necessity, to minister and to work, while maintaining a palpable identity as the people of God. Instead in our engagement with the world, the ideas of the world have become our ideas, the behaviors of the world have become our behaviors, and the values of the world have become our values. And now we have transported what we have learned into our homes and churches.

If this is indeed the case, we as churches have some serious reckoning to do. If we are truly taking our cues from what we learn and absorb in our culture, what we believe to be true is certainly skewed and inaccurate.

One example of this, in my estimation, is our attitude toward worship. Worship is by definition abandoning our souls, bodies, minds, and voices to the praise of God. It is freely and actively offering whatever we have to the Lord. It is necessarily (other) God-centered.

Unfortunately, we have learned from our culture that life is to be me-centered. Life is about a headlong pursuit of personal happiness, pleasure, and fulfillment. We find vestiges of this throughout worship.

Relatedly, our culture has taught us that we deserve to be entertained. So when we show up somewhere as a group (like a concert or movie), someone else is responsible for running the program and we simply sit back and watch. In this we have been taught to be passive observers and active only in either applauding what we like or criticizing what we do not. Our culture expects this response because things like concerts and movies are a product to be consumed and consumers who pay money have a right to be distinguishing about the products they purchase.

And now we take this approach with worship. We have so long taken this approach to our worship, in fact, that I do not believe we readily see it as being culturally formed instead of Spirit breathed or even incongruent with God's desires for us.

There are enormous and myriad problems with this consumer approach to worship:

1. It assumes that worship is a product that has been created to be consumed by people. We come to worship to get something.
2. Very simply, it makes our being pleased the focus of our gathering. This is a violation of commandment numero uno, "You shall have no other gods before me."
3. It assumes that we are doing God a favor by showing up at worship, giving a whole hour or two of our precious time. We might even pay attention...for a minute.
4. It assumes that worship should conform to cultural standards in regard to entertainment (sitcom length, action, technology, movement, concert-strength music, comedy, etc.).
5. It assumes that worship has something to do with personal preferences and, really, that is what matters. I can even get a new worship experience elsewhere if I am not pleased with the one currently being served me.

I wonder what worship would be like if we were to strip it bare of anything that reeked of our culture? I wonder what worship would be like if we only did those things that had biblical precedent? I wonder what worship would be like if it was centered on God instead of us? I wonder what worship would be like if we showed up for a single purpose: to proclaim our love for the One who has saved us.

Dreaming...

Jeff

Memory

Before Kathy and I got married I required (this word may be a bit strong!) her to memorize the entire starting lineup for the 1987 Denver Broncos. She did. I thought this was a small price for her to pay in order to experience a lifetime of joy in my presence! Yeah.

I can still recall the everyday lineup for the Cincinnati Reds during the days of the Big Red Machine: 1st base- Tony Perez; 2nd base - Joe Morgan; shortstop - Dave Concepcion; 3rd base - Pete Rose; catcher - Johnny Bench; outfielders - George Foster, Cesar Geronimo, Ken Griffey, Sr.

Some of us can recall the circumstances of May 7, 1945. Some of us can remember the middle names of all the US presidents. Some of us know 50 Cent's three top hits. Yes, we are good at trivia.

And, yet, many of us know little or no scripture by heart.

Proverbs 7:1-3 reads:
"My son, keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
Keep my commands and you will live;
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart."

I cannot get into the head of the author here but it seems to me that an implication of writing something on the tablet of one's heart is manifold. First, it means to remember what has been taught. Second, it means to embrace what has been taught. Third, it means to remember by virtue of intentional memorization.

We would do well to resurrect that practice of memorizing various scriptures. When we do, we locate the Word of God in a place where we can always find it. It is available to us, then, when we want to meditate or find comfort or wish to teach and exhort.

To know trivia is okay. To know scripture by heart is divine. May we all commit to the greater good.

Prophecy

We read these words in the latter part Isaiah 52:
"See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness— so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand."

It is commonly understood that this passage describes a holy servant of God that is to come. This servant will "act wisely." As a result, this servant will be "raised", "lifted up," and "highly exalted." Even though this servant is wise, he is rejected because of his appearance.

This rejection does not stop the servant from both blessing and taming the world. Salvation and truth will come through him.

It is also commonly understood amongst Christians that this passage specifically prophesies about Jesus of Nazareth. This allows us to interpret the Isaiah text as such: Jesus acted wisely by living a sinless life and dealing with his enemies in ethical ways. Ironically, he was crucified - lifted up into the air for the purpose of both killing and humiliating him.

The torture and means of execution that Jesus endured left him physically disfigured and marred. But this crucifixion which led to his death did not lead to permanent death nor humiliation. On the contrary, it led to his being exalted; raised to life by the Father, installed at the right hand of the Father, and worshiped by his followers.

Jesus' death and exaltation "sprinkle" the nations with the means for salvation. Though Jesus was a Jew from the insignificant land of Israel, the world and its leaders has now gained access to story of the one true God and His plan for rescuing all people.

Of course, these words flow easily from a Christian pastor and one who is thoroughly convinced of who Jesus was and is. Not so for everyone. Biblical prophecy has many contemporary naysayers who rely on in-depth scholarship for their opinions. Some of these naysayers would say that the Isaiah text should stand on its own and that making it christological is an exegetical error. Some would even say that they have no less faith in God than I.

What does it mean to interpret Jewish prophecy of the OT through the lenses of Christ Jesus? What does it mean for our faith if we do not?

~ Jeff

The Word

The Bible has endured a good bit of critique in our post-modern society. Many scholars reject the notion that prophetic utterances actually foretold the future, but were actually written in a time after whatever had been foretold finally came to pass. Some scholars think that many of the words of Jesus that we find recorded in the gospels he actually never said. Some people hold that the Bible is bound to the past and does not have much to say that is relevant for modern people. A few even say that Paul's writings are not faithful at times to Jesus' message.

This suspicion of the Bible and its authenticity make us vulnerable. If we are like seeds planted on rocky soil in our faith, we may start losing ground in faith. We may actually fall away.

I do not expect biblical criticism to go away any time soon. I do wonder what we can take from it, however, and what we can do to maintain our firm grounding in Scripture at all once.

What is helpful about biblical critique? What is it that we must be wary of?

Needs

Today is Maundy Thursday and I am thinking about needs. Jesus recognized needs in the crowds to whom He was ministering. He wanted to bless them in their feeling overburdened by the demands of the Pharisees and by the circumstances of life.

He said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." The Lord offers rest.

It is funny then how we contemporaries are not all that interested in rest. We are suspicious that rest is superfluous and for lazy people. We may even recognize our need for rest but choose to put it off until the kids are grown, the mortgage is paid, the grandkids are grown, or the wheels fall off of our car. We may forgo rest because we do not want to be labeled as lazy.

After the Lord made the world, He rested. Kind of an absurd notion, isn't it? God, who spoke the whole universe into being, needed to rest. Does that mean that He needed to replenish expended energy? Probably not. It is more likely that He just needed to stop and reflect and enjoy what He had done.

Maybe this is part of the Lord's desire for us as well - that we would stop long enough to notice what He has done and to just be in His presence. In this we will be rejuvenated body, mind, and soul. Our needs will be met - needs we were not even aware we had! The Lord desires this; it is why He commanded that Sabbath be established.

And yet it is not easy to pull off. We have work to do after all. We have children to care for. We have books to read and vacations to take and yards to landscape. We have ministry to do. We have films to watch and concerts to enjoy and TV to dig and ballgames to attend. Is there really time to rest? Is it reasonable? Won't we miss out on something?

Rest in Jesus' arms is what we need. How do we discipline ourselves to receive it?

Scarcity or Abundance?

Just heard Dan Wiens from Mennonite Central Committee talk this evening on the myth of scarcity and its dreadful impact on those impoverished in our world.

The myth of scarcity is believing that there is not enough money nor resources to go around, and this is why there are people who are poor. Believing the myth leads to great fear within the individual. Such fear causes thoughts such as these to take root, "I am going to run out. I'm not going to have enough. I must protect what I have." This kind of thinking, in turn, leads to tightfistedness instead of generosity.

Ironically, the myth of scarcity is lodged in the ethos of American culture which, as we know, is exceptionally well-to-do. We who are rich are the ones who worry most about losing what we have! This is in contrast to the abjectly poor in Mozambique who insist on sharing the little they have to eat - greens and native tubers discovered here and there in the countryside - with a group of Americans who have come to visit them. They will have nothing for themselves and their children tomorrow but they share extravagantly and with joy anyway. Most of us could do this for weeks on end without a single trip to a supermarket.

I suppose we lay under the syndrome of the farmer who built bigger barns to keep what he had and to store up more for himself (Lk. 12:13-21). God called this fellow a name, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" Jesus finishes up his lesson by noting, "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

A key for us who follow Jesus is to discard our belief in scarcity and instead embrace a new and biblical belief in abundance. Check this out:

• "See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance" ~ Job 36:31-32
• "How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights" ~ Psalm 36:7-8
• "You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance" ~ Psalm 65:9-11
• "You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing" ~ Psalm 145:16

Our God is about providing whatever is required for His Creation. He does not run out of gold and silver. He does not come up short on food or water or clothing. From thin air He can provide necessities for His children (Mk. 6:30-44). I think we believe this with our heads. I do not think we believe this with our hearts.

When we come to believe with our hearts that God is exceedingly generous, it frees us to be generous without worry. We can give and then we can give some more to those in need. And the Lord will replenish for us just what we need.

There is enough food in the world to feed the world. Distribution of food is the problem. Let us do our part in proclaiming the Lord's generosity by redistributing with joy, without fear, and with new confidence.

Evil III

I'm back already. I've been thinking more about this concept of evil being all about control. For instance, in biblical stories demons possess people against their will. The spiritual forces have control over behaviors.

The converse of this in the bible is the message that the Holy Spirit inhabits us when we are in relationship with Jesus. We become the temples of the Lord. If we give the Spirit permission and do not thwart His work, we are transformed over the course of years into Jesus' image and our behaviors become more like His. On the other hand, the Spirit does not work against our will. He will not control us. We can therefore choose disobedience.

God will not control us. What are the implications of this reality if indeed evil is about controlling human behavior and Good is not?

Evil II

I surveyed the New Testament in its use of the word, "evil." Granted, this was not an exhaustive search. However, I think I can make a few accurate observations about the nature of the word.

First, evil describes certain human actions. For instance, in James 4.13-17 we read, "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." Knowing that it is wrong to boast and to not rely on God's purpose for our lives and doing it anyway is an act of evil.

Second, evil describes spiritual entities that inhabit and subdue human beings. They wrestle personal control from people, cause them to be less than the Lord has created them to be, and incite actions that bring harm to the possessed and to others around them. We might say that these entities are all about control. (Is that the very nature of evil?) "When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones" ~ Mk. 5.2-5.

Third, evil characterizes the essence of the adversary. Jesus euphemizes thusly, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" ~ Mt. 6.13.

Fourth, evil describes behaviors that find their genesis in rejecting Christ and/or in embracing that which is of the evil one. Jesus says in Mt. 15.19, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." A heart out of step with the Lord produces actions that are outside of the will of the Lord.

Fifth, and somewhat more obscure, is evil that is personality-driven and intent on sabotage. Take a look below:

Mt. 13.18-19, "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart." The evil one recognizes vulnerability in a person who is on the verge of faith. He does what he can to keep that person from choosing the Lord.

Listen to Jesus' prayer for His disciples, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one" ~ Jn. 17.15. We can see in this that Jesus is concerned that His disciples will be hurt or misled by Satan and so He asks the Father to help them.

Romans 7.21-23, "So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members." Conscious wickedness is here appearing to keep Paul from doing God's will. It is unclear whether this is in the form of temptation, battling wills, or, most likely, that part of Paul that awaits sanctification.

Ephesians 6.16, "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." This reminds believers that life in the Lord is not without very real dangers. Trust in the Lord, however, is an antidote.

2 Thess. 3.3, "But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." This final text seems to be frosting on the cake in regard to the idea that evil is real, intentional, and even bent on derailing us in faith.

Do you buy it?

My next question is about the reality of evil spirits - demons. Matthew through Acts are filled with stories of people being harassed or possessed by untoward spirits. The 21st century mind is relatively closed to this possibility. Have we really come to our senses in this regard?

Evil

I have been thinking a lot lately about evil. As I look at the condition of our world and our lives, even the Church, I am more convinced that evil is a hyperactive, conscious and intentional force at work against us. There are times when I wonder if our enemy has been so effective in its work of deceiving us that we find ourselves all the way back in pre-flood Genesis: "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time" (Gen. 6.5). We really do struggle to resist the temptations sends our way.

As a younger man, I believed that evil was real but more the absence of good than a volitional power. I believed that when we choose not to do God's will the result will most often be problematic because we have ignored the Perfect Truth that aids us in escaping disasters. In my mind, evil was dependent on humans to make errors in order to cause problems. I thought it was kind of like water only getting into your basement if it was not sealed properly not because the water wanted to get into your basement.

Though I certainly believe that evil takes advantage of our moments of disobedience, I also now believe that evil charts its own course and plans its own plans and does not require the assistance of human fallibility in order to be destructive.

For instance, is it too far-fetched to believe that the devastating spread of malaria by mosquitoes is the result of a demonic plan? Humans are not responsible for malaria and yet it destroys gladly. Or how about the proliferation of depression in our nation? Often this malady is not the result of ungodly human choices but instead brain circuitry gone haywire and/or chemical imbalances. This seems like a wicked scheme to me or at the very least the culmination of our souls being pressed upon by evil for millenia.

Or how about personality disorders, especially those of the egotistic variety? A pathology such as a narcissism is destructive to sufferer and bystanders alike. Yet it is very resistant to any form of treatment or behavior modification. Further, it is clearly not simply the result of faulty nurture but involves other vague factors that are difficult to pinpoint. What would evil like more than to corrupt humans in such a way that they become a corrupting, disruptive influences on their own? A clever scheme indeed.

Ephesians 6 reads in part like this, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Seems evident to me from a scriptural perspective that evil is an intelligent, active force that is seeking to bring chaos out of God's order and for all people to perpetually dwell in fear in the valley of the shadow of death to their own detriment.

So what do you think? Is evil a real force or is it just the absence of good? Does it plot and plan or does it simply creep into the void when we disobey the Lord?

I will look forward to your wisdom!


Jeff

The Unpreached Sermon

In light of the cancellation of our worship service this morning due to a water-line break, I am posting what my sermon might have sounded like.

“The American Reality”
Sermon – “Let Justice Roll” series #2 - Racism
Text: Galatians 3:26-29

Take a moment and answer "true" or "false" to the questions in this short quiz:

1. I am afraid if I am in a neighborhood that is predominantly a race other than my own.
2. I am suspicious and tempted to call the police if I see an African-American walking in my neighborhood.
3. I believe that racial separation is best for everyone.
4. I occasionally use racial slurs like nigger or spic.
5. I would be upset if a Chinese family moved in next door to me.

If you answered “true” to any of these questions, it is time to address prejudices lurking in your heart. This does not mean you are ready to join the KKK, but it may mean that there are areas of racial woundedness within you that require the Lord's healing touch. Keep this in mind as we move forward.

In writing to the church at Galatia, Paul is attempting to correct a false belief that has been introduced to it following his departure. The belief that was introduced by Judaizers was this: if non-Jewish believers really want to be saved, they must be circumcised and follow the whole Law of Moses. If they want to be saved they must become Jews.

Paul, a Jewish man himself, argues throughout this letter that being saved does not come from circumcision nor from becoming Jewish (Gal. 3:1-14). Instead, it comes from entering into a relationship with Christ Jesus, the messiah. We read in 3.26-29 how this relationship changes everything for the believer:

• Faith in Christ makes one a child of God (v.26).
• True faith in Christ leads to a change in character (v.27).
• Faith in Christ destroys barriers between people (v.28).
• A relationship with Christ Jesus leads to becoming a recipient of all of God’s promises (v.29).

We can see in this passage that our relationship with Christ gives us a new identity and new character. We are changed and take on the character of Christ.

The character of Christ, amongst other things, is love (Gal. 5:22), "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness..;" acceptance (Jn.4:9), "The Samaritan woman said to him, 'You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?' (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.);" forgiveness (Acts 5:31), "God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel;" and proximity (Phil. 4:5), "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." When we are in relationship with Christ, these are some of the fruits we bear.

In contrast, there is the character of evil. Galatians 5.19-21 reads, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” When we bear fruits such as hatred, discord, fits of rage, and dissensions, something other than the character of Christ is shining through.

This comes into play even as we consider our treatment of people of other races. If we treat them with contempt and hate and separation, we are not exhibiting Christ-likeness. And if we are not Christ-like in regard to race, the very authenticity of our faith in Jesus is brought into question.

I confess today that I am a recovering racist. In years past, I said and thought nasty and ignorant things about African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, Arabs; anyone who was not Anglo. I uttered hateful things like, “Speak English or die,” “They are taking over” and “Why can’t they stay in their own country?”

At some point, the Lord convicted me of this sinful behavior, and I repented of my wicked attitudes and asked God to restore my soul that had a gaping, pus-filled wound as a result of this untreated hatred I was harboring. I know that I have been forgiven of this evil and am more Christ-like as a result.

Many of us are indeed recovering racists though some of us persist in racist tendencies. To be clear, racism is prejudice against people of other races or belief that one race is superior to another. It should be noted, however, that racism has its greatest impact when the racist is a part of the dominant race in any particular culture. The combination of hate and power is lethal. This is what has made Anglo racism in America so destructive.

Early in American history, Anglos looked down upon Native Americans and treated them abominably, nearly wiping them from the face of the planet. At the same time, Anglos were enslavingAfricans and transporting them to this nation where they had no freedom and no rights whatsoever. When slavery was abolished, the attitudes left over from slavery did not change and separation and contempt ruled the day.

Fortunately, race relations have improved. And yet there remains percolating hatred that manifests itself amongst races. We see this in Anglo suspicion of anyone who is Middle Eastern. We see this in broad American negative attitudes toward Spanish-speaking immigrants. We see this in ugly prejudice toward those who are Jewish. We see this in our snobbery toward Pakistanis and Indians who have made their mark in commerce and other professions in this country.

It is time for we who are the church to close the door on racism. We can do this by refusing to give into hatred and by throwing ourselves headlong into an intimate relationship with Jesus. Our being in the arms of the Lord more fully cannot help but change the essence of our character and heal the wounds of hatred that we have harbored.

Practically speaking, we can engage in these behaviors:

1. Repent of hatred that lingers or has been expressed openly in the past.
2. Root out prejudices that emerge in our daily behaviors and attitudes.
3. Intentionally seek out a relationship with someone of another race.
4. Refuse to tell or listen to racial jokes, slurs, or stereotyping.
5. Immerse yourself in another culture.

I agree with MLK that this country at its core provides an awesome opportunity for all people to thrive and to live in right relationships. What a shame, then, that Satan has enticed us to reject so often that very opportunity. Instead of being willing to share the blessing we have been granted with those around us, we snatch it away and try to keep it for ourselves as if there was not enough to go around. It is not too late. We can now shut the door on our hate-filled past and live out more fully in our hearts and actions the Kingdom values that our Lord has called us to.