Monthly Archives: October 2016
Don’t Know it All? What an Incredible Blessing!
Devotional Thought of the Day:
8 *Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. 9 For we know partially and we prophesy partially, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. 12 At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.g 13 *So faith, hope, love remain, these three;h but the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor. 13:8-13 New American Bible. Revised Edition.
152 Don’t you sense that more peace and more union await you when you have corresponded to that extraordinary grace that requires complete detachment? Struggle for him to please him, but strengthen your hope.
As our Wednesday Night Bible Study has been meandering through the Acts of the Apostles, the last two weeks have encountered people with partial knowledge. Apollos and the 12 Ephesian disciples. In both cases, they were missing significant, I would even say critical knowledge about Jesus, about His death and resurrection, and about what it means to depend on Him in life.
Yet they were still called believers, disciples, knowledgeable.
They had people lovingly correct them, Priscilla and Aquilla, and Paul. Things were corrected, and God was revealed to them, so much more graceful, so much more loving.
But it, and today’s readings. got me thinking about how easy it is to idolize knowledge, especially theological and spiritual knowledge.We expect that it will protect us against heresy and heterodoxy, that it will cause us to mature, to grow in our ability to enter into discussions and win them (the discussions/debates – not necessarily the people) for Christ. I’ve been there, done that,offended people, been condescending and arrogant, as I’ve strived to know it all. I’ve had to repent, and on more than one occasion apologize and confess and pray for forgiveness.
Yet scripture is clear, and we need to understand we can’t know it all. I can’t learn it all, nor keep tomes and tomes in my brain. I won’t be the next Augustine or Pascal or Melancthon.
To realize this, is a blessing that is incredible.
To realize that I won’t have every answer, that I will continue to grow, that my sight will always be indistinct, that my knowledge will always be partial is so freeing!
It frees me from an idol, one called knowledge. It stops me from becoming thinking that knowledge is the highest of virtues, and reminds me of something I need- to depend on Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith.
Coming face to face with my own inadequacies leads me to search out for Jesus Christ more than to search out for another theological guru, another academic tome. For His grace is communicated through His word and sacraments, through the Lord’s supper, and in the promises poured out with water in baptism, as the burdens of sin and unrighteousness are relieved as I hear the words,”Your sins are forgiven!”.(2)
It is Christ that protects us, it is the Holy Spirit that lifts us up, whether we can adequately diagram the text, or explain the communication of magisterial attributes. (these are actually helpful – but they ain’t God, nor do they automatically make us more godly!)
Knowing we don’t know it all, that we can’t, drives us to the cross, brings us to walk humbly next to Him, depending on His as a disciple, and this is good.
It is a great blessing – for as we lean on Him, as we trust our Lord, this is where we find peace, and the greatest knowledge of all.
That is this:
“The Lord is with you!”
AMEN!
(1) Escriva, Josemaria. The Way (Kindle Locations 488-490). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) I would recommend reading the Apology of the Augsburg Confession for a partial list of other sacraments, such as prayer, and helping the poor.
Parts aren’t just Parts, They are the Church
Devotional Thought of The Day:
18 But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” 22 Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, 23 and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, 24 whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. 26 If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. NABRE – 1 Cor 12:18-26
Our faith is not for ourselves alone; it is also for others. Faith wants to be shared. Consequently, it always involves a going out to others, going with the steps of a heart enlightened by the name of Jesus. (1)
I can’t help but think of the the old catch-phrase. “parts is parts” when I come across this section of the 1 Corinthians. So I looked it up, and it comes from an old fast food commercial, mocking another food chains description of their chicken product. The basic idea that the 2nd chain’s employees tossed every part of the bird into the grinders – saying the description is “parts” and therefore any part meets the description.
We’ve come to the point in the church where I think we take the same attitude. Toss anyone into any role, it doesn’t matter what their vocation, or their training. After all – we are all believers; we are all priests and children of the king. So we are like legos – and we can fit in anywhere. Just plug them in, and keep building. Don’t worry if they do or don’t fit there, don’t be concerned whether they burn out. Don’t treat them as an individual. Cause parts are parts
The result of such is a generation of people who don’t value the church, because the church didn’t value them. The church didn’t take the time, invest in them, provided what they need, to be the part of the God designed them to be.
The problem with this attitude is that it doesn’t value the person, or the work God is doing through them. It assigns to each person a generic value, and may even put them and others in spiritual danger. Sometimes, this is simply because the frustration leads them to give up on being “part” and they walk away. Other times, their inaction leads a part of the body to get overlooked, and sometimes they drive others away because they don’t function well where we put them.
Each “part” has its place. A vocation where that person can share the grace and mercy, the peace and love that God has blessed them with. Sometimes that is very surprising, both to them and to us. For all the interests and surveys ever written cannot adequately understand the plans of God. As they find their “part,” they do what they are called to do, and it is natural as they flourish, as all benefit of their talents, their gifts, and the knowledge and wisdom God gives them.
This takes faith, a trust in God that calls for discernment, as those who care and serve the church watch the “parts” come together, and shepherd them into places. It takes patience, and understanding that we can only do what we have parts to do, and yet that work in and of itself is beautiful. )too often we force people into parts that aren’t their vocation and calling because we “have” to have that ministry, or offer this or that)
Each person has their place; each person has their vocation, their part. When we allow them, and guide them to finding it, what we see is amazing. It is nothing less than the Body of Jesus Christ.
(1) Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Ed. Irene Grassl. Trans. Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992. Print.
The Maintenance Man: A Modern Parable
Devotional Thought of the Day:
Very rarely will I post another person’s work on my blog, but this parable reflects a real life event in their life. And perhaps, as good parables do….. our lives as well. As you read it, consider who you might be, and as needed, approach God’s throne of grace…and maybe bring a friend, a pastor, a professor, a maintenance man, and find the stone who the builders rejected. To the one who wrote this, thank you my friend, for helping us see.
The Maintenance Man
Well, the stones were all square. That’s what they had in common. And they all
(or at least some of them) got walked on. And yes, they were different sizes, to form a
pattern, but each one had its place, fitting neatly into the matrix of the walkway. Anne
liked how they all fit together, and so she felt a little guilty when she accidentally kicked
one loose. Locomotion required some serious willpower these days, and she hauled
her hesitant feet behind her into the building. Muttering, a maintenance man shook his
head in annoyance at all the cementing he’d have to do to replace that chipped stone.
Unaware of his displeasure, the young lady continued toward the building. She
wasn’t convinced this whole thing was a good idea, but in the face of her obvious
incompetence, she would obey the wishes of friends and administrators. They had
noticed the permanently blank look on her face, her listlessness, and her habit of
assuming failure, and they had particularly urged her to do this. Her response had been
one of apathy and resignation. “I suppose I’ll go, but I don’t know what good it’ll do.”
Mentally she had added, “or why they bother now.”
She knew right where the Pastor’s office was, and she followed the familiar path
there. As Anne walked in, the church secretary forced the corners of her mouth up just
a little bit. With as much work as the Pastor had given her, it was the best she could do.
Anne smiled back to encourage the older woman.
“The Pastor is with someone right now. Do you have an appointment?” His
calendar lay open on her desk.
“No.”
The secretary hated this part of her job. So many people were turned away. “He
is very busy today. Would you like to make an appointment for another day? I think we
could probably fit you in sometime next week, even though things are pretty hectic
around here.”
“No, thank you. I think I’ll just wait, if you don’t mind.”
“He probably won’t have time for you.”
“I shouldn’t be long.”
“OK. Whatever you’d like to do.” The secretary turned back to her typing. Better
not to think about it.
Presently, the study door opened and the pastor emerged from his office with the
new organist. They were chuckling to themselves, and joking about the old, worn organ
the church had.
“Thanks, Pastor. We’ll have a go at these. If the choir can learn them well, I
think they can lead the congregation on Sunday.”
“I’d appreciate that. Oh, and also, the elders think the services are too long, so
let’s try to pick up the tempo a bit on Sunday.”
“We’re already moving at a good clip, but if there’s no other way …”
“Thanks! Have a good day!”
“You too. Bye.”
Anne shook her head to clear the cobwebs.
“Excuse me, Pastor?”
“I’m really pressed for time right now. What do you need?”
Anne followed him into the study. The pastor gave a mental groan as she closed
the study door behind her. Anne noticed. Some things never change.
“What can I do for you?” His office seemed smaller. Perhaps it was the mounds
of paper that had accumulated on his desk and on the floor next to his desk.
“Well, I’ve been having some trouble concentrating – my grades are getting lower
and lower – my advisor told me to come and see you before I flunk out.”
“Why? Did the Professor seem to think there was something I could help you
with?” His brain silently translated, “Couldn’t it have waited till after Easter?”
Anne didn’t really believe he could help her at all, unless he happened to be
carrying something sharp. She was always in somebody’s way. But she answered him
politely. “He thought you might be able to get a handle on why my act isn’t together. I
wasn’t so sure, but I promised him I’d come see you.”
“Anne, we’ve talked about this before, and I’m afraid I just don’t have anything
else to say. Until you do something about your attitudes, things are never going to
change. It’s that simple. You come to church in jeans, you never smile, and all you
seem to care about is home – whether your mom called, your dad’s new girlfriend, or
how much he’s been drinking. You’d think you were the only person jin the world who’s
lived through their parents’ divorce. Take some advice, OK? Go back to the dorm,
have some dinner, and crack the books. Let your brothers and sisters worry about your
parents. The best thing you can do for your grades is buckle down and study.”
Anne didn’t have any brothers or sisters, but somehow she didn’t think that would
matter to him. “Well, I won’t take up any more of your time. Please tell the professor I
came to see you.”
“OK. I’ve really got to go now. See you Sunday!” Pastor hurried out of the
office. He had to get to the flower shop before it closed to pick up those extra palms. If
they ran out tomorrow, the elders would be upset with him. Yes, he had things to do.
Anne showed herself out. Walking slowly, she was deep in debate with herself.
Right, toward the river, or left, toward town? She decided on left, and forced her body in
that direction.
The maintenance man saw her, and hurried to finish the hedges he had begun
when she arrived. Exhausted, he decided to leave the walkway til Monday and head
home. He had a blister on his hand, but at least the hedges would look nice for Palm
Sunday. He kicked the errant walkway stone back into its hole, stomped it down good,
and packed up his things. Anyway, the sky was clouding up.
Somewhere in the back of Anne’s mind it registered. Through the cloudiness,
thunder. Although it tried, the realization didn’t manage to worm its way forward until
her cheek felt the first trickles of the downpour. Weary from the struggle to make her
feet obey, she sought shelter in a nearby drug store.
Greeting cards, prescription drugs, vitamins, magazines – the signs intruded on
her foggy consciousness. Stopping in front of the non-prescription drugs, she tried to
look like she was shopping. The clerk eyed her suspiciously.
Then, as if a breeze blew through her mind, the fog cleared, and she understood.
Smiling, she selected the generic sleeping aids.
The clerk wanted her out of his store. “That’ll be three dollars and forty-six
cents.” She was barely to the counter. Handing him three-fifty, she left without her
change.
Leaning up against a nearby post, Anne was suddenly calm. At least she
wouldn’t be in anybody’s way anymore. Finally spotting a water fountain, she
swallowed the contents of the bottle she had just purchased, sat down on a nearby
bench, and dozed off with the rain dripping off her fingers.
The Professor seemed angry when the pastor spotted him walking into church
the next morning.
“I know she isn’t here yet, but Anne asked me to tell you that she came into see
me yesterday.”
“Yes.” His voice lowered, and took an edge to it. “Well, she won’t be coming any
more. They found her on a bench about two blocks from here.” The Professor paused
to let his words take effect. “Her parents are flying in tomorrow from Ohio. Apparently
she decided to get rid of her insomnia for good.”
The verdict had been handed down.
“She never mentioned any insomnia.”
“You never asked.”
The gavel hit the bench.
The pastor looked disgusted. The Professor left. He didn’t think he’d be back.
Slowly walking out the front door, he stopped half0way down the crumbling path. There
was mud all over, and, dep in thought, he traced something in it with his toe. Then he
shook the wet earth off his feet.
The sentence had been pronounced.
After all, it really is difficult to get good help these days. He called to the
maintenance man, just arriving for church.
“You shouldn’t have left that loose stone, you know. Now all the soil’s washed
out from underneath and the whole thing will need replacing.”
The maintenance man scowled and didn’t answer. He walked in, muttering
greetings to the Pastor as he passed, who scowled and muttered back. Now the pastor
had yet another sermon to prepare this week, and he didn’t have time to deal with
maintenance men.
Closing thought, from the words of another battered and chipped stone, named Paul. ” 19 You Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens with everyone else who belongs to the family of God. 20 You are like a building with the apostles and prophets as the foundation and with Christ as the most important stone. 21 Christ is the one who holds the building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord. 22 And you are part of that building Christ has built as a place for God’s own Spirit to live.”Ephesians 2:19-22 (CEV)
The Brutal, Honest, Real Faith: A Sermon on Hab 1-2
The Brutal, Honest, Real, Faith
Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4
† In Jesus Name †
May the grace of God our Father and our Risen Lord Jesus so reveal His love for you that you know with all your heart and mind that He will sustain you and that you will share in His glory!
When Words aren’t enough:
On Friday, I stood next to a man, as he spoke at his son’s funeral. He talked about how time after time, his son was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time. The final time, it resulted in his death, as he was shot along with a married couple.
The grief was as overwhelming as anything I have seen. The despair in the sanctuary of a church was beyond anything I have experienced for a long time because they could not imagine a God who would answer their cry for help.
And as I looked at my outline for today’s sermon, as I looked through these words of a prophet with a name you can’t say ten times fast, I understood Habakkuk’s pain, and the despair of his cry,
2 How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. 3 Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. 4 The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.
The prophet’s words, his cries, his pleading with the Father, these words are brutal, they are honest, they are so real and even apply to today’s world.
And they only way to hear God’s answer is found in a Brutal, Honest, Real, Faith.
The faith God gives us, that He plants in us, that He nourishes is us.
The complaint
I love reading the Old Testament prophets, not because they are so uplifting – they are not. But because they aren’t standing around pretending the world is okay, they call their listeners out on sin, but they also grieve.
They know how God has called us to live in peace, to know His live and to have faith in God. They also see the world dealing with the consequences of ignoring God, and it breaks their heart. They weep, they cry for what is, and what should have been.
How long, O Lord, must I call for help?
We look around us these days, and it seems like it hasn’t changed much. We still need a lot of help, the world is still violent, and it seems daily we hear about violence, not just overseas, but in our communities. The deeds that are evil, they still exist, whether those deeds are sorcery and idolatry, or murder/abortion, or sexual immorality, or unethical business, or gossip and envy. The world is still dealing with destruction, with misery, with injustice, and the wicked still outnumber the righteous.
Some of that, which we cry out for God to rescues us from, is our doing, our unrighteousness, our guilt, and shame.
Yes, some of the sin and unrighteousness in our world is because of our sin.
The Hope
No pleasure in people turning away –
Just depend on Him
The key in reading the Old Testament, in fact, all of the scripture, is to no to a take a passage without considering the rest of the chapter, the rest of the book. There are times you have to keep going, such as this passage.
In the midst of his grief, Habakkuk says he will look – he will wait on God for the answer that must come. He will, despite his despair, continue to look to God for an answer.
And the Lord answers, and not only will he answer the prophet, the answer is to be etched into stone. So that all will hear and see these answers.
That is what verse 2 says,
And here is the answer,
3 If the vision is delayed, wait patiently, for it will surely come and not delay. 4 I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away, but the righteous person will live by my faith.*
if you don’t God working, He’s got it all in His timing, and that timing is perfect, As Habakkuk and all the Old Testament prophets waited for Christ Jesus to come, so we wait, trusting in His work at the cross to deliver us into the presence of the Father.
Peter certainly knew this, for he would paraphrase this passage
9 The Lord is not being slow in carrying out his promises, as some people think he is; rather is he being patient with you, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NJB)
Peter will note this about Paul as well,
15 And remember, the Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— 16 speaking of these things in all of his letters.
2 Peter 3:15-16 (NLT)
It is a hard answer to hear that God will be patient, that things are going to be fixed right now, in our time, because God is at work, through us, reaching out to other people. That is what the cross is all about – that no one should ever die without knowing that God would forgive them, that He would draw them to Himself, that He loves them. God delays the recreation of the world, just to save one more, jut to rescue one more sheep, to find one more who was lost, to give one more broken person the hope of His healing them.
That’s a brutally honest, real answer. It’s one I don’t like at first, as I see and know of so much pain, so much suffering, as I witness sin and the bondage it keeps people in, and the hope it robs of those created by God to walk in joy.
When you see that person given faith in God, who comes to know they can depend on Him, who finds themselves cleansed not only of their own sin but the righteousness of the world, the wait is worth it! As we see those we love, whom we pray for, whom we often struggle with and against – there is the Holy Spirit, drawing them to Jesus, where they find healing and peace. This is why there is a delay, so those we love- and those we are called to love, can be reconciled to Jesus.
For we do so in Christ Jesus, and that means we do so know peace that is beyond all understanding, as Christ is the foundation of our hope.
Preaching Requires Knowing More than Scripture:
Devotional Thought of the Day:
For though I am no man’s slave, yet I have made myself everyone’s slave, that I might win more men to Christ. To the Jews I was a Jew that I might win the Jews. To those who were under the Law I put myself in the position of being under the Law (although in fact I stand free of it), that I might win those who are under the Law. To those who had no Law I myself became like a man without the Law (even though in fact I cannot be a lawless man for I am bound by the law of Christ), so that I might win the men who have no Law. To the weak I became a weak man, that I might win the weak. I have, in short, been all things to all sorts of men that by every possible means I might win some to God. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel; I want to play my part in it properly.
1 Corinthians 9:16 (Phillips NT)
Her (the Church) purpose has been to adapt the Gospel to the grasp of all as well as to the needs of the learned, insofar as such was appropriate. Indeed this accommodated preaching of the revealed word ought to remain the law of all evangelization. For thus the ability to express Christ’s message in its own way is developed in each nation, and at the same time there is fostered a living exchange between the Church and the diverse cultures of people.22 To promote such exchange, especially in our days, the Church requires the special help of those who live in the world, are versed in different institutions and specialties, and grasp their innermost significance in the eyes of both believers and unbelievers. With the help of the Holy Spirit, it is the task of the entire People of God, especially pastors and theologians, to hear, distinguish and interpret the many voices of our age, and to judge them in the light of the divine word, so that revealed truth can always be more deeply penetrated, better understood and set forth to greater advantage. (1)
Back in the days of my youth, a phrase similar to the title of this blog caused a reaction in me. I was at a seminar on preaching, actually 3 sections on preparation and one final one, on the actual delivery.
It was the third section that bothered me at first, and yet now I wish it was taught to every preacher, every pastor, every priest.
It is not enough to know the word of God, to be able to know the background of the passage, to be able to study all the words in the original languages, to know what scholars from every age thought about it. All these studies are good, all are necessary, along with times of devoted prayer.
But what is also needed is what Paul describes, and what Vatican II’s pastors noted. We have to understand ( to use a pastoral term “exegete”) those who are listening. We have to understand who they are, where their fears and anxieties haunt them, where their guilt and share show that God’s law (whether it be natural law or the covenant) is convicting them, or should be.
Think of it this way, preaching is part of the ministry of the word of God. That word of God is a means of grace – a conduit through which the Holy Spirit pours out grace, the mercy, love and peace that God would desire we all know, that affects every aspect of our lives. Those who preach and teach the word of God are expert at connect the conduit to the source.
But have we figured out how to preach what Luther called “real law” and “real gospel” Have we thought and prayed about making sure the conduit is connect to the other side? Do we bother to think of how our people will hear what we preach? Or do we preach God’s law to convict those not there, and the gospel to people whose sin does not afflict them?
This is what Paul is getting at when he describes becoming like those under the law, or recognize his own weakness, or becoming like those who aren’t bound by the Old Testament. He strives to preach Christ in a way they will hear it, so that they may be saved. This includes all who God would have hear of His love, the believer, and those who as of yet do not believe.
This is what Vatican II was advising in the selection, to understand the world so that the revealed truth of Christ can deeply penetrate those who hear it, and so that He can be understood, and so they can know His love and presence and peace.
May those who preach tomorrow, and those who listen, find this connection made, and people realize the height and depth, the breadth and width of God’s love for them, revealed in Christ Jesus. AMEN
(1) Catholic Church. “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World: Gaudium Et Spes.” Vatican II Documents. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011. Print.
