Think-a-Dink

Thomas Jefferson edited the New Testament down to what he believed were the probable events and sayings of Jesus Christ. He removed any claims to divinity and cut any reference to the miraculous. Of course, that necessitates that Jesus be merely Jesus of Nazareth, not Jesus Christ. He becomes just an unlucky itinerate preacher that got on the wrong side of the authorities. Many Christian theologians follow suit. They assume up front that miracle stories are…uhm…less than true. Gospel writers, in the learned opinion of these experts, were stretching the truth, or that some over-zealous scribe enhanced the story to keep pace with the sexier gods of other religions.

I am not going to address the weaknesses in these positions, except to recall what a wise old grandma said, “It’s a pretty thin slice of pie that has only one side.” What I do want to remind you of is this quote from the Nazarene, “Except you become as little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” The realm of power and wisdom of God is unavailable to the stoic intellectual of the world. Jesus goes further in telling Dr. Nicodemus, “Except you be born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” The wonders of God’s life don’t show up on the radar aboard the heavy ship of academia. Passengers will not see Jesus walking on the sea. It is a vision given to the child’s heart.

In this old world, we are children who leave the magic behind as we grow up to be adults. In the Kingdom of God we are adults who embrace a simple faith as we grow up to be children. In trying to understand and explain the mysteries of our faith, we can over think the mark, and explain our way out of abundant blessing.

Like little children spending time with Papa, our Heavenly father wants us to contemplate His word while waiting in His presence. In all probability, He is a stronger authority on these things than most theologians. Though the Scarecrow of Oz was a "Doctor of Thinkology," he was still just made of straw. Though we have so many credentials, we are still but dust.
God wants us to be as little children because, after all, children are famous for their joy, laughter, fun, playfulness, wonder, and…happiness.

The Ogre God

Many believers secretly feel about God, like the slothful servant said of his master, “Thou art a hard man.” Many children of God think their God is a meanie, just looking for another excuse to burn them in hell. Sadly true. Their praise has the desperate feel of flattery to a dictator. “Maybe if I’m nice to Him he won’t destroy me.” Though Christ suffered and died to wash away their sins, they seem to feel something they dare not admit even to themselves: He has something else to hold against them. For them, the cross just makes their predicament worse. The gospel they embrace is most definitely not “good news.”

Is this the fear of God? No, it is the fear of death and hell. The fear of the Lord comes from an encounter with a love that shocks us out of our unbelief. Have you ever stood close to a powerful waterfall and felt the exhilaration of fearful wonder? That is similar. I saw a film of hikers on a mountain near Mt. St. Helens on the day of its eruption. When the mountain exploded, one on the hikers fell backwards in astonishment, overcome by the vision and close proximity of such power. That is similar.

Stand on Mt Calvary where the sin of the world is canceled, death is destroyed, and forgiveness is secured for all mankind, and you may stagger under the trauma of bewilderment. The psalmist said, “There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared.” The fear of God that is the “beginning of wisdom”, “the beginning of understanding,” and indeed “the whole counsel of wisdom,” comes of being loved beyond comprehension. It is a love so great that it overwhelms every neuron and leaves us blinking in the dazzling light of outrageous grace.

He who came to “deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage,” is not about to use the fear of death and hell to draw us to Himself. He boasts, “behold, I have the keys to death and hell,” and also says “fear not little flock, it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”

Praise and thanksgiving are richest when we know that He has saved us forever. When we understand that He means it when he says, “No man shall pluck them out of my hand.” We praise a God who is worthy of all glory because he loved us to His death with all His big heart.

It Is Well With My Soul

In 1871, the Chicago fire ravaged the city killing over 300 and leaving 100,000 homeless. Horatio Gates Spafford, a lawyer heavily invested in the downtown real estate, spent the next two years helping those devastated by the fire. During this time, his only son died. Still, he gave himself and his time to the care of the brokenhearted, the homeless, and the impoverished.

In 1873 the Spafford family were to sail to England, but Horatio, held up by business, sent his family on ahead. He would join them on the other side of the Atlantic. But their ship collided with another and sank within twenty minutes.  Though Horatio's wife survived by clinging to a piece of floating wreckage, their four daughters drowned with hundreds of others. A crushing telegram from Mrs. Spafford had just two words: “Saved alone.” To be near his grieving wife, he boarded the next available ship and sailed for England. As he passed near the place where his daughters died, the words of the famous hymn “It is Well With My Soul” came to him.

“When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

What ever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

In one verse he writes: “For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live.”

Great trouble, deep loss and a sorrow that would crush most of us could not dislodge this man’s happiness. His happiness was not just a state of well being, it was the Supreme Being residing in his heart. It was not a frame of mind, a force of will, or emotional stability; it was a Person. To the world, happiness is elusive because it is as fragile as human nature. But to the child of God, it is The One who says, ”Lo, I am with you always. Even unto the end of the world.” It is a happiness that gives us the strength to grieve well.

Deciding

“People are as happy as they decide to be.” So said Abe Lincoln. The words still twist our ears and squeeze our eyebrows together. We are so accustomed to the internal lift we derive from external circumstances, that we assume our happiness lies there. It’s the sunny day that makes us feel sunny. But the outside-in flow of happiness is an illusion. For the longest time we knew that the sun circled the earth. It was obvious. To some, it still is. So it is with the state of our tranquility: the motion of the world around us does not decide it. Like Mr. Lincoln infers, it is our ability to respond: our responsibility.

Still, for most of us, that seems like an impossible decision to fulfill. For the Christian, the decision to be happy is actually our response to the nudge of the Spirit of God to come aside for a quiet time with Him. The commitment to our fellowship with Christ is a decision to be happy.

A broad stone relief mural graced the front entrance of St Joseph’s Orphanage. It depicted the story of Jesus surrounded by children. Above the sculpture were the words, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” In the spirit of this passage, the nuns upheld a tradition of “chapel visits.” Anyone on the playground could take advantage of the privilege. I’d run up to the nun monitoring our play, and ask, ”Sister, can I make a visit.”

“May you make a visit?” She usually corrected.

“May I make a visit?”

The request was rarely denied. Though I knew God was everywhere, I knew Him to be in that room in a special way. There I sat in silence with the attentive Silent One until the tone of his peace retuned my noisy little heart. Then I scampered back to the playground fully enabled for fun.

 Our days are a lot more fun when He gets the best of our time. When our world rotates around Him, our souls are brighter. In His presence we come into the alignment that makes for peace, joy and contentment, even on the cloudiest of days. 

The Gate to God's Heart

I will enter His Gates with thanksgiving in my heart. 

I will enter his courts with praise.

David was a kid who knew the “courts” of the Lord. God called him “a man after my own heart.” That could mean, “a man who fits my purposes,” and it probably does. It could also mean, “a man who pursues my heart; a man who woos his God: a man chasing after Me,” and it probably does. I fancy that as a boy out in the fields overseeing his father’s flocks, he spent many an hour practicing with his sling shot, (much to the dismay of Goliath), meditating on God’s word and singing songs to his Lord. His legendary sensitivity to the voice of God was due in large part to his familiarity with the gate to His house. Here in this psalm he shows us his normal approach to Yahweh: thanksgiving.

When we leave our communion with our Father to those times of crises and critical need, our confidence in the contact is feeble. All the more reason for thanksgiving. When we begin our supplications with a list of things we are thankful for, we perk up our faith. We think, ”God has helped me before, He will do it again.” When we begin by naming His attributes, we become confident that He is able. When we begin as Christ recommends, by hallowing is name, our love for Him is activated, and as we know: our faith works through love. And the Love we share with Him is the core of our happiness.

Years ago , walking through downtown Seattle, I saw a sandwichboard sign on the sidewalk. It read, "free personality test." Feeling that my personality was due for a good testing, I decided to bring it in and hang around while they looked it over. It didn't pass, but the mind mechanics assured me that they had the parts on hand to effect repairs. In explaining what they intended to do, they told me that the goal was "happiness". 

"And what is happiness?" I asked.

" Why, happiness is getting what you want, no matter what that is". I was skeptical of the definition, but couldn't say why. I gave their system a shot. They sat me down in a chair across from another warped personality, and instructed me to ask him if fish were inclined to swim. If he evaded the question, I was to warn him that I was about to ask again. If he answered, I was to thank him sincerely, and commence to asking about the fish again. This went on for several days. "Do fish swim?" "Do fish swim?" "Do fish..."  Once I had soundly established the slippery habits of fish, I gathered up my personality, and left the shop. I was not happy.
Is happiness getting what you want? What about the proverb, "Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it?" I want to smoke cigarettes. An orderly at a hospital told me of seeing a dying cancer patient holding a cigarette to his trachea tube, and inhaling. I want to drink. My family was shattered by alcohol induced violence. Name the poison served at your particular happy hour; there is a list of side effects to go with it.
The Bible tells us, "The flesh wants things that are against the Spirit and the Spirit desires things the the flesh avoids." Can we assume that the supreme being is supremely qualified to define what happiness is? Of course. If I want what he wants for me will I be "happy"? Mostly. My flesh won't get its way, but the true me, the me who is new in Christ will be forever merry.  I may not get the thrill of smoking through a trachea tube, but I will know an equilibrium and serenity that exists within the heart of God. God wants me for himself and Himself for me. For this reason He became man, took to the cross, and embodied the source of all unhappiness, and suffered its consequences for all humanity. For Him, happiness is eternity with you .Most people really  don't know what they want. They try many things to satisfy a stubborn thirst, unaware that satisfaction awaits them in Jesus Christ.  And here's the big secret that God wants us to shout from the rooftops: "He is your deepest desire and your true happiness."

Thankful Faith

Oh you Little-Faiths

I remember Fr. Frank Niehause, Director of St Joseph’s Orphanage, coming to our classroom one morning. His personality was always so positive, warm and loving that it out-spoke his words. What he said in casual conversation influenced me more than what he said in his Sunday sermons. On that morning we were surprised to see him in our classroom. He began by teasing Sister Mary Alben about her annoyance with left-handers like himself. Perhaps it was his gentle way of telling her to back off. Then he began to talk to us about the amazing stuff we hear about from the Bible and traditional stories of the Church. Then with an honesty that drove deep into my heart, he said, “Sometimes it’s hard to believe that all this stuff is true, isn’t it. It’s hard to believe it really happened.” I don’t recall the rest of his talk, but he gave me the grace to struggle with my faith and doubt.

Jesus teasingly nicknamed his followers “the Little-faiths.” I can relate to that. Often my prayer is, “Lord I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.” The call to thanksgiving is one way He answers that prayer. When we give thanks, we are declaring that God has done something for us. It is an exercise of faith. The proverb goes “Thank God for small favors.” If my faith is small, let me give thanks for the little things in my life. Our days are filled with thousands of “little things”; enough to keep us busy thanking God all the day long. Just like physical exercise, this spiritual exercise will strengthen our faith. Soon it will be no trouble at all “to believe that all this stuff is true.”

God’s First Wish

A psychiatrist’s patient complained to him that her misery was barely improving after many months of therapy. She felt that the treatment was not effective and could not make her happy. “Happy?” he answered. “We’ll be satisfied if we can make you reasonably unhappy.” I believe the greatest part of the human race functions in a reasonable unhappiness. But God wants more for His children; our “quiet desperation” will not satisfy Him.

God’s first wish for us, however, is not our happiness; it is our life. Jesus said, “I come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” He died for our life-choking sin, and arose from the dead to destroy our death. Our everlasting life is His first priority. You don’t just play the fiddle to cheer up a drowning man. Imagine a doctor telling a bloodied and barely conscious trauma patient, “Here now, can we have a smile?”

Though our salvation is paramount with Him, God gave so much for us, He certainly wants us to be happy.  As Paul tells us, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

On our end, how shall we not try to receive all things, seeing that He spared not His own Son.

Thankfulness is an essential element of happiness. If we feel we have nothing to be thankful for, we are mistaken. We can begin by giving thanks for what Jesus did for us on the cross. Let’s give thanks for Christ Himself living in our hearts. He is a gift that can engage our gratitude for all eternity. Giving thanks for anything else is giving thanks for His lesser gifts. And His lesser gifts are unimaginably magnificent.

On Being Happy~1

The book “Power of Positive Thinking” was all the rage for decades in the 20^th century. It proposes the mental discipline of looking on the sunny side. But as you know, sometimes things get so dark that it is nigh impossible to see an optimistic outcome. The song tells us, “Just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street.” On a moonless rainy midnight in the middle of some God-forsaken nowhere, there’s not much sun.

The problem with the Positive Thinking approach is that there is no basis for it. It reminds me of one whistling in the graveyard. Other than my own desire to feel better, the exercise points to no reason to assume the best. This is why a theologian said of the book’s author, “I find Paul quite appealing and Peale quite appalling.”

The apostle Paul, who knew some hard and dark moments, told the persecuted Christians of the first century, “In everything give thanks.” At first quote it appears to be no more than “Positive Thinking,” but let’s open it up and take a closer look.

It is said that the great existential crises for the atheist, is when he feels grateful and there’s no one to thank. The strength of Paul’s teaching is God Himself. When I give thanks I confess that I am not alone on the dark side of the street. My thanksgiving acknowledges the involvement of my loving heavenly Father.

Though Mr. Peale was no doubt a man of faith, his writing left me with a feeling that God was a mere optional thought; an alternative view that was not at all essential to the proposed method. Perhaps the popularity of His book is due to the offer of an escape from fellowship with a God who is not me; a God whose frighteningly unspeakable love relentlessly pursues my heart.

Hope for Lawns

The writer of Hebrews admonishes "Follow peace with all men...Looking diligently lest... any root of bitterness springing up troubles you, and thereby many be defiled." Almost everyone knows what this means. 
I remember a sweet fellowship of college aged Christians. We met every week, crowded into the living room, dining room, entry hall and partway up the stairs. The worship was always intense and refreshing. But you know how people are. Here a barb, there a jab and there a mis-spoken word. Toes get stepped on in a crowded room; especially a room full of post adolescent singles. One day I was warming myself in the glow of the group's devotional fire, the next I found myself grousing about this one and that one as I took my prayer walk through my favorite park. What a surprise. I was not alone in my misery; others quietly slipped away from the gathering to nurse wounds that appeared on their souls. Eventually the fervor of the meeting faded and we all grew up and moved away. 
Weeds happen. One day you're sitting on your lawn chair, sipping a mint julep, and looking out over a plush green lawn, your soul brimming with contentment and a bit of pride. Then, overnight and out of nowhere, there rises a dandelion in full obnoxious glory. It boolms and scatters seeds across the fence into to your neighbor's cherished work of green. Your serinity is dashed and your world defiled. You may even grumble at your neighbor when she melodically calls over the fence,"Good morning, you." Next thing she knows, she's barking at the cat. That's just the way this life is; one mis-rooted weed spreads the seeds of misery all around it.  
But the writer of Hebrews warns us to be on guard against the little irks that sprout up into our friendships. They mess everything up. 
That's what forgiveness is for. It guards our hearts. If animosity takes root, the forgiveness that God has placed within us will pull it out and restore us to song. Jesus spoke of living and dwelling in His love so that our joy may be full. He specifically said to reside in His love. He did not recommend setting up house in our own love. His heart is available to us. We can love from that heart; we can forgive from that heart. His joyous love is a real weed killer.

The Miraculous Made Manifest

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these…”  Does he really expect you to work miracles? You know that doesn’t sound right.

Look at another of His statements: “The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself but the Father that dwells in me, He does the works.” Is God dwelling in you? If you have faith in Christ, the answer is “Yes.” By His Holy Spirit He dwells in you.

Still, are you expecting miracles to materialize at your hands? Probably not. But Christ is expecting miracles from us. The miracle God is looking to work in our lives is love. Given our penchant for contentiousness and division we can see how love could be considered a miracle.

The Father wants to love all of us through all of us. He wants us to allow His kindness to flow between us. This is not a natural tendency. Love, of course, is by its nature connected to others. Love is what we do. Isolation is what I do.

The psalmist laments of God’s people, “They limited the Holy One of Israel.” In the New Testament we see that in one town Jesus “could do no mighty work there.” Why not? It is said that Jesus “marveled because of their unbelief.” To this day He is amazed at our unbelief. Like those folks of old, we lack that faith “which works by LOVE.” More love equals more faith. More faith equals more of Jesus doing what He does. All of us loving all of us brings about the loving works of God among us. God moves in the stream of His love. If we want to see Him do mighty works, we must first let Him work His love in us.

Knowing us, that will require some forgiveness and forbearance.

Common Courtesy

There's a sad little joke passed about between the clergy of certain dignified congregations. They say, "Some of us are paid for being good, the rest are good for nothing." The sick bit of humor betrays an ugly attitude toward the people of God.  This is what makes the church so unattractive to society's beautiful prople: rubbing elbows with the unwashed masses. In the body of Christ all are equal, but none are the same. The humblest barefoot bumpkin is as important, and carries as great a treasure as the slickest and the glibbest. The educated and privileged have nothing more than the unschooled and challenged. God gives the least of us things that the "best" of us cannot do without. If I turn from fellowship with one I consider crude, I turn from something God has for me. If I look down on any member of the church, I look down on myself. If I am repulsed by any, I am repulsed of myself.

Rank and File

As we seek to present the love of our Savior to a love-starved world, we tend to rely on a few great figures to do the job. The big front-runner is the model of that lost world. The bigger the name, the bigger the target. Detractors of our faith act so gleefully shocked when a prominent minister falls in sin. But such failures only go to show what Christians have always said: we are sinners saved by a gracious God. Nothing will stop that grace. While the famous may stumble in the open, the rest of us stumble across the battlefield with the love of God driving us on. We are a multitude of flawed saints storming the gates of hell, and the gates of hell will not prevail against us. The walls of condemnation will fall under a trillion blows of holy kindness. Every single believer is important in the loving efforts of Jesus.
For you Tolkien fans: Mordor is attracted to the powerful king at it's borders, but it is the weak and lonely hobbit who slips through to the cracks of doom with the victory.

The Miracle of You

When asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus answered, "With man, this is impossible. But with God all things are possible." If you have called upon the name of the Lord and simply asked Him to save you, something happened to you that no human can accomplish. You were and are saved. That, according to your Savior, is a miracle. You are something new under the sun: a unique spiritual creation of God. Not a thing to take lightly. Purchased by blood and made eternally alive by the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. You are a marvel and wonder of a proud heavenly Father. Quite the thing, that's what you are.

Bread and Wine

Christ instituted the communion ceremony to keep our focus on the Lamb sacrificed for all. More than focus. He gives us a deeply personal and courageously intimate experience of Himself. At the eucharist. He draws us into the event that is the deepest expression of His Love for us. In that space we can see the hell He suffered for our joy. In that space we also see the punishment He absorbs for those who harm us. In that space we see revenge pounded out with fists and hammered nails, laid bare with whips, and punctuated with thorns and spittle.  Full revenge. There is nothing left for us but to surrender all rights to it. We forgive because we love this man...this God.

Prayer

How Shall We Then Forgive: Chapter Twenty Six~Prayer

An Eastern philosopher said, "You cannot solve the problem by thought because thought is the problem." He was partly right. The problem lies deeper than thought, but still, you cannot solve the problem with thought. What's more, you can't solve the problem by not thinking about it, or by thinking positively. Just thinking about something else will not uproot the hurtful issue. It will continue to grow unseen and take over the garden.

The bitterness we find in our hearts was part of a great stream of evil that flooded the person of Christ on Calvary. He carried it all, felt it all, experienced it all and died for it all. It all dies in Him. All that is bad in us is consumed by the goodness in Him. Our right thoughts, right actions or right attitudes do not conquer unforgiveness. The Right Person does that. Jesus overcomes our sin, and the sins of those who wrong us. It is not the thought of Christ that heals, but the Christ Himself. We free ourselves from the torment of resentment by communing, fellowshipping and resting in Him who sets us free indeed. 

Meanies

Chapter Twenty-FiveBeware of Dogs Philippians 3:2

In my ministerial rookie years, Gayle (my wife) and I chaplined out of the YMCA. We were in our early twenties and as naive as we were enthusiastic. Several con-men attached themselves to our little congregation and took full advantage of everyone's goodwill. After taking all they could, they left town; one left just ahead of the fraud investigators from the police department. It was an eye opener for two green ministers.
We learned over the years how to be on guard, which is the job of a shepherd, without becoming cynical. We are instructed to "put on the armor of God" not as a fashion statement but as a necessity in a cruel world. The wisdom of God guards our hearts, for out of them are the issues of life. Needlessly exposing ourselves to evil, can wound the love required to help those in need.

Dead Lions

Quote from "How Shall We Then Forgive": Chapter Twenty-Four~The Reprimand

Solomon said, "Better is a living dog than a dead lion." Christ is the "lion of Judah," CS Lewis depicts Him for us as "Aslan the Lion." If He is not physically risen from the dead, we have a cruel myth by which we live. If He be not raised from the dead, all perceptions and interpretations of our reality are no more than cruel myths and delusions. And so Paul says, "And if Christ be not raised , your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." I would add: If we have hope in the afterlife only, we make God miserable. The virtues of the resurrected Christ are dispensed to us now by His Holy Spirit. The victory procured on His cross is ours now, in this life, by His resurrection. Because He lives, we may live Him out in this world. Because He lives, the great forgiver acts by His Spirit in our Hearts. He Said, "Because I live, you shall live also." Forgiveness being a critical aspect of His life, we can hear Him say, "Because I forgive, you shall forgive also.

God's Fresh Paint

Our instinct is to resist sin with our own will power so that we will be worthy to walk in the Spirit. But in this faith, everything is topsy turvy, ziggy swurvy. Here is the problem with our will power: it is corrupt.
When I was a handyman, sometimes a customer would ask me to paint something using and old can that had been lying about for many years. The lid would be encrusted with rust and thick with cracked, dry paint.
When I opened the can, no matter how carefully, some of the rust would drop into the can. I'd try to fish it out with a spoon, but some little bit would sink into the pigment. I stirred the paint and applied it only to see rust streaks on the wall, making the job impossible.
Applying our will power to the spiritual walk ends in futility. Our own strength is filled with bits of hidden iniquity that frustrates our efforts with streaks of bad behavior. We must throw out our old can and work from God's fresh paint. First, by simple faith in His grace we step into His Spirit. Then and there, the lust of the flesh not an issue. Abiding in His presence, our walk is not streaked with our sin.

Looking to the Cross

The weakness evident in the Church's message is due to the secondary place that the cross holds in its teaching and preaching. I've met pastors who are actually embarrassed by the sacrifice of Christ. They see it as primitive and base theology.  "Now is my soul troubled ; and what shall I say ? Father, save me from this hour: but for this very reason I came to this hour," said Jesus before He allowed the authorities to take Him. If we bypass the Cross we bypass the purpose of the Christ. Where His cross is not at work in us, He is not at work in us. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." (Galatians 2:20) The whole Christian life springs from this death. From this seed that fell to the ground and died, sprouts the garden of the lord, and we are the flowers. We bear the fruit of loving forgiveness because we are rooted in the ground of Calvary.

Bill Collectors

Jesus said, "Come unto me all you who are heavy ladened, and I will give you rest." He was speaking primarily of our struggles to obey the law of God and live a good life in our own power, but as is often the case with His words, they mean much more than what we first think of them. We carry with us a ledger of wrongs done to us, keeping track of what is owed us with interest. When we see that all these debts are paid on the cross of Christ, we can discard the books and resign the tedious and laborious task of moral accounting. All is paid in full. Nothing goes unpunished. All are crucified with Christ. In stead of laboring to ballance the books, we "labor to enter into that rest"(Hebrews 4:11)