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The Bizarre God…
Thoughts which lead me to Jesus and to the Cross
“I will put an end in Moab to those who make offerings at her places of worship. I will put an end to those who sacrifice to other gods. I, the LORD, affirm it! So my heart moans for Moab like a flute playing a funeral song. Yes, like a flute playing a funeral song, my heart moans for the people of Kir Heres. For the wealth they have gained will perish.” (Jeremiah 48:35–36, NET)
“Yet in days to come I will reverse Moab’s ill fortune.” says the LORD. The judgment against Moab ends here.” (Jeremiah 48:47, NET)
It grieved him when brothers sought learning while neglecting virtue, especially if they did not remain in that calling in which they were first called.
Christ’s death and resurrection, faith and love, are old and just ordinary things; that is why they must count for nothing, and so we must have new flatterers (as St. Paul says). And this serves us right since our ears itch so much for something new that we can no longer endure the old and genuine truth, “that we accumulate,”f that we weigh ourselves down with big piles of new teachings. That is just what has happened and will continue to happen.
The pastor understood their frustration. But their response was also an encouragement. He recognized one of the unique characteristics required of a pastor—perhaps a sign of the pastoral gift—is a willingness to love people even when they initially rebuff that love. The two accountants did not possess that willingness.
I would have thought that after 45 years of studying the scriptures, after nearly thirty years of teaching and preaching about the love of God, which desires to have a relationship with people, I would fully grasp how much He cares for us.
And then I come across a passage I have read 30?40? times, and am in awe of how bizarre God is.
The people that betrayed Him, more than perhaps any people are under discussion in the two passages above. Both Moab, and the Jewish people, who though thoroughly warned, fell into the same idolatry as Moab.
It’s not pretty!
Anyone who worshipped at their altars, anyone who shared in their idolatry, who served other gods, are going to have an end put to them.
And God hates it.
It rips his heart out to see them come ot where they are, and to receive the punishment they have chosen.
Just like Francis grieves when his people set aside God for “learning”, especially when they set aside Jesus and their vocation pursuing some kind of knowledge at the expense of their faith. Or the innumerable pastors and church leaders who get frustrated by those why reject them – and more importantly the peace and healing offered through scripture.
Yet God is bizarre, even as He groans over the fate they have chosen, has plans to end the judgment against them… and did so at the cross. That’s what the good pastor holds out for, and reveals to His people, a God who cares, who worked for the good of those who betrayed Him, who loved those who rebelled, and who promised to work to make everything right between them.
This is bizarre…
This isn’t normal…
Yet, it is so wonderful to know God cares that much, even for Moab….
Even for us.
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (p. 254). New City Press.
Robinson, P. W. (1539). On the Councils and the Church. In H. J. Hillerbrand, K. I. Stjerna, T. J. Wengert, & P. W. Robinson (Eds.), Church and Sacraments (Vol. 3, p. 403). Fortress Press.
Shelley, M. (1986). Helping those who don’t want help (Vol. 7, pp. 30–31). Christianity Today, Inc.; Word Books.
Freedom, Liberty, and your Rights –
Thoughts which carry me, even drag me to Jesus and the Cross
“When any of you has a legal dispute with another, does he dare go to court before the unrighteous rather than before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to settle trivial suits? Do you not know that we will judge angels? Why not ordinary matters! So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?I say this to your shame! Is there no one among you wise enough to settle disputes between fellow Christians?” (1 Corinthians 6:1–5, NET)
Francis told them: “When you pray, say “Our Father” and “We adore you, O Christ, in all your churches throughout the whole world, and we bless you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”
To any human who bothers to think a bit, it should be evident that there is in our society no such thing as absolute freedom—for only God is free!
It is inherent in creaturehood that its freedom must be limited by the will of the Creator and the nature of the thing created. Freedom is liberty within bounds, liberty to obey holy laws, liberty to keep the commandments of Christ, to serve mankind, to develop to the full all the latent possibilities within our redeemed natures. True Christian liberty never sets us free to indulge our lusts or to follow our fallen impulses
Tozer’s words about freedom seem so appropriate today, though written decades past. He smacks down the illusion of idols named freedom and liberty. For they are not absolute, they are not all powerful, and they aren’t all merciful… for they have a cost that is reminiscent of slavery….unless…
It has been redeemed by the one who saves us, that He is allowed to put the limits on our freedom, limits which recognize His role as our God, and the limits He placed on Christ’s freedom, which was given the boundaries of what best cared and provided for us.
Tozer said “mankind,” but lets simplify it – our children, our parents, our parents, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Our liberty must be in tune with how we love those around us, those who need us to sacrifice for their well-being. whether the need is physical, psychological or spiritual.
That is what Paul us getting at with his comments on lawsuits–wisdom is required because God’s justice is different than man’s. It is based in mercy, love and loyalty– not just what is our “right” or allows us to maintain our liberty, above our community.
This is the truest freedom.. that found in our relationships…the freedom to be loved and to love.
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (p. 192). New City Press.
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
Christmas Take-Away: Dis-Cordia- a sermon on Colossians 3:12-17
Christmas Take-Away
Dis-Cordia
Colossians 3:12-17
† In Jesus’ Name †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Chirst reveal to you the unity that exists between all those God has called to be His family, and whom He loves!
- The Preponderance of Discord
Back in the 1990s, there came into existence something called chat boards, and message boards. ChurchChat and ChurchUSA were places people would “gather” online and discuss their faith, in what was called “realtime.” You type your comment, someone else posts a response, or 20 others do. Similar boards were set up where the messages weren’t live, but one thread included messages responding to another—allowing t he messages to stand forever.
It was soon realized that both types of communication needed referees called moderators. Why? Because some people came in and were determined to cause trouble, and others simply Christianity with a much narrower lens, saying that only their “brand” of Christianity was acceptable to God.
Those desiring to cause division or those who caused it in ignorance had to be dealt with, and I was occasionally put in that role. I hated it, as it often meant I had to kick people out that had become “friends.” But sometimes the discussions proved so emotionally laden and divisive that it was reduced to name-calling, cursing and even condemning each other.
The modern versions of these programs, called social media, can are often this contentious. Twitter, FB, and other forms of social media seem to be prevalent with this, and one of the biggest is actually called “discord!”
Hear a few comments recently from social media,
“he recognizes no god and he prays for no one, he’s a vile decrepit (next words erased) crawling with the diseases of corruption”
“burn in hell (explicit)!”
“For sure it could not have been just for praying. (He’s) trespassing, embarrassing staff, threating people and the usual “b.s.”
And the one that scares me the most,
“I don’t pray for him”
All of these comments coming from “good, committed, every week church going people. No wonder the place where these were posted by Christians is named after the mark used to tell you an answer is wrong on a test…
Ironic, a place to exchange ideas is titled with a word that means “disagreement” and “a lack of harmony.” Discord is the opposite of a word we use around here all the time… Concordia.
And it is the opposite of what Paul writes to the church in Colossae, “4 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.
That harmony, that peace is Concordia… and it is who we are!
- Dealing with faults
I think the discord we have to let Jesus remove from us is caused first by a lack of love. If we are not clothed with Christ’s love, we aren’t dwelling in mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness or patience.
Without that love, and all its companions, all that is left is pride and envy, which quickly turns to discord, and hatred. What does that result in? Well, what’s your first reaction to these words of Paul?
13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others!
If your reaction is “what about them?” or to ask what Paul means when using the phrase, “anyone who offends you” or even to try and define “faults” asking if that includes this and that sin, then we’ve got a problem!
A problem called sin!
And left undealt with, it will continue to rob us of God’s peace, and destroy and sense of Concordia, of harmony.
The problem is that we can balance having mercy with tolerating evil or sin. We struggle with that division, and rather than gently correct in love. In frustration with the error and we struggle with having the mercy, kindness, humility , gentleness and patience.
Yet those are what we are to be clothed in, that is what is supposed to define out life life, and that is where we find our harmony. Ity is not something that can be forced, anymore than a tree can force itself to bear fruit.
So where does Concord come from? And how do we delete discord?
- Chosen, and called to
- The Message filling your lives
The key is not in our effort, but in the work and glory of Christ, and the transformation that the Holy Spirit works in you while clothing you in Christ Jesus.
Verse 12, “ Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves…”
Verse 14, “. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Those sort of sound like we are responsible for the work, don’t they? After all – most of us dress ourselves – in my case, ethat’s easy to tell! 😊
But these are the work of God who calls us into this relationship and forgives our sin, literally separates or strips us of it. He takes us of our filthy rags, and we are clothed instead in Christ. It’s the same concept as Ezekiel’s words that promise the Spirit replaces out stony heart with a heart of flesh, or Paul’s words that talk about the transformation of our mind – the concept of repentance which the Holy Spirit gifts us with…
This is where harmony, where Concordia is created, by God in His presence as He transforms us. As the message of His love fills your life and your praises, as His peace fills your hearts and mind…
This is what your baptism is about, what communion is about, what prayer and Bible study is about, helping you do more that hear these words, but experience the truth of the love…
Paul instructs us to sing songs and hymns and praise songs to God, the more we take His message in, the more we are bound together, the more we sing with all the harmnony and with all the abandon we have!
For we are His…
The Necessity of Being and Enthralled Disciple…A different type of slavery…
Thoughts which carry this broken pastor to Jesus and the Cross:
“‘Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the sin of your brothers and the wrong they did when they treated you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sin of the servants of the God of your father.” When this message was reported to him, Joseph wept.Then his brothers also came and threw themselves down before him; they said, “Here we are; we are your slaves.”” (Genesis 50:17–18, NET)
“But if the servant should declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master must bring him to the judges, and he will bring him to the door or the doorposts, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.” (Exodus 21:5–6, NET)
At the outset, to be mystical the liturgy must be enthralling, and this is less comfortable than we think. To enthrall means to make a person a thrall: to put someone into bondage, to reduce someone to the condition of a captive, to enslave, to subjugate and make subservient.
Once, when the brothers asked him whether he was pleased that the learned men, who, by that time, had been received into the Order, were devoting themselves to the study of Sacred Scripture, he replied: “I am indeed pleased, as long as, after the example of Christ, of whom we read that he prayed more than he read, they do not neglect zeal for prayer; and, as long as they study, not to know what they should say, but to practise what they have heard and, once they have put it into practice, propose it to others.
This tipping point in Ignatius’ conversion and the shift in attitude it brings is notable. All the more so in light of his prior manifest determination to conquer his sinfulness by force of his own will. His Autobiography’s terse narrative hides the magnitude of the spiritual and psychological transformation in Ignatius. The transformation is stark. Ignatius moves from managing his spiritual growth with the same swagger that he waged the Pamplona battle, and becomes a man of much greater humility, willing to be led like a boy at the hands of a schoolmaster.
It took me a moment to make Fagerberg’s connected between being enthralled and in thrall, in bondage. As a amateur wordsmith, I was a little annoyed at myself, I should have seen it, but the concept was… well enthralling. It took me captive, and even as I copied these quotes from my devotional reading some 10 hours back, I had to process it this evening.
I want the liturgy, the worship of my congregation to be enthralling, so that our walk with God proceeds from it. I want it to be captivated by it, to be addicted to the presence of God experienced there. To be enslaved to the freedom that comes as we are cleansed of our sin, as burdens are removed, as we begin to understand what it means to be the children of God.
But we are enslaved, addicted, captivated and in thrall in a very blessed way.
Far too often we see being servants of God and of His people as a negative, as something that not only requires being humble, but being humiliated, debased, neglected and even abused. We picture slaved in chains, and being whipped, as Jean Val Jean is in the opening scene of Les Mis, or as the many movies about slavery in the south, or n Africa. The kind of slavery Joseph’s brothers offered themselves and their families to enter, rather than face the wrath of Joseph–the brother they sold into slavery.
“God, I will do anything if you rescue me from…” type of slavery. (the reason btw, many of us (including Luther) entered into studying for the ministry and why we justify the “sacrifices” we make and are expected to make. A sense of slavery and sacrifice based in guilt, shame and a desire to “payback”–as if we could! We see this in Ignatius of Loyola as well, as he would confess and confess and confess, and never find the absolution he needed.
What that results in, concerns a pastor like St. Francis, who saw men enslaving themselves to an academic pursuit of theology. men who studied the word, and neglected prayer (and therefore worship that is the reaction to experiencing the love of God.) This is not the pursuit of Theology, it is the pursuit of religious philosophy. A kind of knowledge that neither enjoys and lives in faith, nor proposes that life to others.
Being enthralled, be in thrall is less like Joseph’s brothers offer and more like the slave whose ear is pierced. Who knows he is loved, who responds to that love with a desire to be in no other place, in no other relationship with His master, This is where worship is spontaneously embraced and savored. The slave’s attitude is not based in fear of wrath, or any kind of fear at all, it is made from a love that is responding to love! Itis what drives the academic to his knees in prayer, what drives the soldier to seek peace, and the pilgrim to find they are, finally at their destination.
This is what changes Luther, apparently changes Ignatius, can change our churches, can change our communities, this revealed love of our Lord, Jesus. This is the connection we find in our gatherings, as we realize the presence of the Lord, as He reveals Himself through the word and the sacrament, a love so powerful, a fellowship so full of joy and peace, so sustaining, so much a breath of heaven, that we continue to seek to serve and to introduce it to others.
Fagerberg, D. W. (2019). Liturgical Mysticism (p. 11). Emmaus Academic.
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (pp. 336–337). New City Press.
Watson, W. (2012). Sacred Story: An Ignatian Examen for the Third Millennium (p. 25). Sacred Story Press.
Obedience: I Don’t Think This Word Means What You Think It Means!
Thoughts which carry this broken believer to Jesus, and to the cross:
“Then the LORD spoke his word to Jeremiah: “This is what the LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: Jeremiah, go and tell the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem: ‘You should learn a lesson and obey my message,’ says the LORD. ‘Jonadab son of Recab ordered his descendants not to drink wine, and that command has been obeyed. Until today they have obeyed their ancestor’s command; they do not drink wine. But I, the LORD, have given you messages again and again, but you did not obey me. I sent all my servants the prophets to you again and again, saying, “Each of you must stop doing evil. You must change and be good. Do not follow other gods to serve them. If you obey me, you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not listened to me or paid attention to my message. The descendants of Jonadab son of Recab obeyed the commands their ancestor gave them, but the people of Judah have not obeyed me.’” (Jeremiah 35:12–16, NCV)
“LORD, your word is everlasting; it continues forever in heaven. Your loyalty will go on and on; you made the earth, and it still stands. All things continue to this day because of your laws, because all things serve you. If I had not loved your teachings, I would have died from my sufferings.” (Psalm 119:89–92, NCV)
It is of design that the apostle does not term the two dispensations “law” and “gospel,” but names them according to the respective effects produced. For it is impossible to keep the law without Christ, though man may, for the sake of honor or property, or from fear of punishment, feign outward holiness. The heart which does not discern God’s grace in Christ cannot turn to God, nor trust in him; it cannot love his commandments and delight in them, but rather resists them.
As I said before, we have merited nothing. Before God called us, there was nothing more than personal wretchedness. Let us realize that the lights shining in our soul (faith), the love wherewith we love (charity), and the desire sustaining us (hope) are all free gifts from God. Were we not to grow in humility, we would soon lose sight of the reason for our having been chosen by God: personal sanctity. If we are humble, we can understand all the marvel of our divine vocation. The hand of Christ has snatched us from a wheat field; the sower squeezes the handful of wheat in his wounded palm. The blood of Christ bathes the seed, soaking it. Then the Lord tosses the wheat to the winds, so that in dying it becomes life and in sinking into the ground it multiplies itself.
As I have meandered through the various parts of God’s church, I have often been encouraged to “obey” God.
Sometimes, I have wondered whether the goal was to live like Christ, or to live within the expectations of those who were encouraging/demanding submission and obedience. Let me be clear, I am not just talking about legalists on one side of the church. Those that want to control behavior exist on both sides. And many of them, are truly sincere, even as they lack the patience and grace that I need to develop the life they have desired.
But more than once, this demand for obedience left me shattered–absolutely convinced that I would never be holy enough to meet the standards they (and therefore?) and God set in my life. It made me wonder about even going to church, never mind being a shepherd of God’s people.
But Biblical obedience isn’t about trying to re-create myself into a clone of Jesus. The words for “obey” come from two words in both Hebrew and Greek. The first concept is to hear- to perceive a message in the sound made, and to give it attention, and the concept of letting those words mold one’s life is inherent in them. The second concept is to treasure something (for example – the Great commission includes the idea to “treasure what I have commissioned/established.)
You see this in Jeremiah’s prophetic message to Israel, as they refuse to hear and act within the guidelines of the relationship established. They won’t have it, they won’t listen! They will, as Luther points out, pretend they are holy, for a variety of reasons–and then take it s a step further–and make others “fake it til they make it.” This gets us nowhere, except for feeling like a failure, hating our failures, and knowing how empty our lives are…
The descendants had a different look to them. They treasured their ancestor’s words, they heard them, and they gave up having homes and pleasure, iin response to the wisdom and love they knew. This is what the Psalmist so clearly points out, over and over in Psalm 119. The very words, the teachings are loved, because they point the psalmist to what life is. (Remember why in John 6 Peter and the 12 don’t leave is because Jesus has the words of life?) All of this revealed about God, including His presence, becomes our priceless treasure. What we hear promises real life, promises real hope, comforts and lifts us up.
That is what St. Josemaria describes, as we are given a life we don’t merit, that we don’t deserve. God does all this work inside us, as He promised in His word, and the more we hear it, the more the blood of Christ forgives, reconciles us to the Father and restores us, the more we treasure it, the more we love Him, the more we realize His role in our lives is not something distant, but is concrete and real.
It is our reality now.
Treasuring it shapes us, as the potter shapes the clay, and obedience becomes natural, the default way of life. For we are able to love because we are loved, we can have faith in God, because He is revealed to be completely dependable.
This is true obedience, not some sacrifice given to placate God, or those who claim to represent Him. This is love…reflected back opn the One who loved us from the beginning.
Hear Him, treasure His words…
—–
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. 1915. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Rock Island, IL: Augustana Book Concern.
Escrivá, Josemaría. Christ is Passing By (p. 21). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
We Need to Be Comforted, not Comfortable.
Thoughts which carry this broken believer to Jesus, and the Cross:
“Also do good things for the city where I sent you as captives. Pray to the LORD for the city where you are living, because if good things happen in the city, good things will happen to you also.”” (Jeremiah 29:7, NCV)
We have lost sight of the fact that Christians cannot live like “everyone else”. The foolish notion that there is no specifically Christian morality is merely one way of saying that a fundamental concept has been lost: the “distinctively Christian” as opposed to the models offered by the “world”. Even religious orders and congregations have confused true reform with a relaxation of the traditional austerity previously practiced. They have confused renewal with comfort. To give a small but concrete example: a religious reported to me that the downfall of his monastery began very concretely with the declaration that it was “no longer practicable” for the religious to rise during the night to recite the nocturnal office. But that was not the end of the matter. The religious replaced this uncontested but significant “sacrifice” by staying up late at night to watch television
These sufferings are often such that even the great and strong would languish and wither beneath them, were it not for the comfort God bestows. These troubles grip the heart and consume the very marrow.
There are days I am tired of being broken.
Whether it is talking about the physical brokenness I endure because of Marfan’s Syndrome, the brokenness I encounter spiritually and emotionally in my community, or the brokenness that I encounter personally because of sin and my own “unique” place on the spectrum, I am tired of it.
I know I am not alone–I have a church and community and friends around the world who are almost as broken, and just as weary and tired of it. Oddly enough, I more I realize I am broken, the more demand is placed on me to come to the assistance of those who are broken as well…and this is evidence of my deliverance, even if, at times, I do not see it.
I think it is because we are taught to pursue comfort–to live lives of leisure, to enjoy the good things in life, and be rid of anything that takes endurance, hard work and suffering. We are told life should be comfortable we should fit in it with ease, like sinking into a relaxing bath or jacuzzi, sipping on a nice cold beverage and letting the past drift away from us. (this is not new – there was a bath soap (or something like that) that used the phrase, “Calgon, take me away!”
But as I titled this blog, I think we have got it wrong. We should not pursue the comfortable, it is a goal that is impossible. We can crowd our lives with distractions, but they will not meet our greatest need..
That is why Jeremiah, as Judah is taken away, tells them to notch it up, to not only endure their captivity, but to strive to make their captors lives better, to work for their success, to pray that the Lord bless Babylon–the very people that took them as slaves and tormented them!
It is what Pope Benedict notes, as he mourns the loss of those who set aside renewal for comfort, who replace time spent in prayer and meditation with watching late night television! He laments the fact that Christian morality embraces harsh times and hardships as they learn to love God and through His love, learn to love the unlovable. The sarcrfice is worth it, for the impact on society is enormous.
While we set aside being comfortable, we find true comfort, as the Spirit, the Paraclete, comforts us. (Logically this doesn’t work unless we need to be comforted!) The troubles that are so powerfully described by Luther drive us to Jesus and to the cross, there is no recliner, no 5 star resort hotel, no self help guru/pastor/coach/cousnelor that can do what the Holy SPirit does, as the gospel is shared through God’s word and the sacraments. Indeed, were it not for that mercy and grace that the comfort consists of, we would be without any hope.
But the Holy Spirit, the Lord of life, is here. He was sent by the Father and the Son to comfort us, to dry the tears, to heal the hurts, to remind us that in Christ we have life–even if that life is hard to see at times.
We are not alone as we bear our cross, and bear it we shall. For we are joined to it with Jesus, and the Spirit comforts us in our grief.
So seek out His comfort – it is worth more than anything – for it is the result of His love, and as your rest in it, you dwell in His peace. Amen!
Ratzinger, Joseph. 1992. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl. Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. 1915. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Rock Island, IL: Augustana Book Concern.
Experiences beyond words……Where Theological and Exegetical Knowledge Fail
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to His cross…
3 But those who prophesy are speaking to people to give them strength, encouragement, and comfort…..5 Those who prophesy are greater than those who can only speak in different languages—unless someone is there who can explain what is said so that the whole church can be helped. 1 Co 14:3-5. NCV
19 I am teaching them to you now so that you will put your trust in the LORD. NCV Pr 22:19.
The Imitation of Christ admonishes us: “Even if you knew by heart the whole Bible and the sayings of all the philosophers, what would it profit you without the love of God and his grace?” “Everyone has a natural craving for knowledge, but of what avail is knowledge without the fear of God?” “An unlearned person who serves God is surely better than a learned one who proudly searches the heavens while neglecting himself.” “Give up your excessive desire for learning. Therein are to be found only illusion and inner emptiness.”
How a man is born again may easily be told in words. When, however, it is a matter of experience, as it was with Nicodemus, it is a hard matter to understand and it requires effort to attain the experience. To persevere in this, when it becomes a matter of experience and when we are really tested, requires pains and labor.
Nicodemus was a brilliant scholar among the Jewish leaders. Yet he had to approach Jesus by night, and then the simplest thing, the idea of being born again, befuddled him. (I like that word befuddled – I dont’ know why!) He was confused, as many were with Jesus’ simplest teachings.
There are some things in life that you do not learn with your mind, you can only experience them, and let them transform you. Paul the apostle talks about two things – God’s love and His peace in a manner that clearly states that they are beyond our ability to understand, but are easily experienced. The Holy Spirit causes us to do causes, in ways beyond words. And if we focus on trying to explain it, we lose track of the experience.
There is more to it than that, as Paul discusses above when the saints in Corinth. There is a purpose to our words that can easily get lost as we pursue any gift–the ability to use that as a tool to help people experience the love and peace of God. We are called to bring each other strength, encouragement and comfort we are called to help all those called together–all those God desires to save. And the pursuit of knowledge can distract from that.
This is why Solomon, the wisest man in history would write that the purpose of his scriptures was to help us put our trust in the Lord, not in Solomon! And Pope Benedict XVI ( aka Joseph Ratzinger) the brilliant theologian Scholar, would quote another saying the natural craving for knowledge is worthless, compared to an unlearned person in a relationship with God. Brilliant men, gifted with knowledge and wisdom, dialing it back–to know God.
Another brilliant pastor I know, had an advanced school of preaching – 5 courses…. an introduction then 4 deeper classes. the first deep class was 45 hours learning who we were in Christ – not pastors, but children of God, who God was forming. THe last class had “nothing” to do with scripture–at least directly. Instead, we were study our people, to know what they were going through. We were given ways to learn their hurts and pains, to get behind the walls they set up. to laugh and cry with them (as St. Paul advised) because then we could see the Holy Spirit using our words to reveal that comfort that only comes from experiencing God’s love, that comes as we dwell secure in His peace. I look at those two classes as being the most formative of my preaching, even though they taught me nothing about studying scripture, or Greek or Hebrew. Instead of that Schuler, made us live in the love and peace scripture revealed, and then encouraged us to understand how we would help reveal it to others.
One of my other mentors, a brilliant Hebrew scholar, is also such a man. His gift goes beyond languages. While a good preacher (except for his ubiquitous mentions of USC football), his primary ministry I will always see as how he helped his congregation experience God’s love and peace in the Lord’s Supper. It was visible to me, as I assisted him, that his people savored this moment of communion, as they experienced Christ’s Body and Blood, given and shed for them. Body’s relaxed– smiles broke out, tension faded in weary, anxious bodies, as peace settled over them–as they knew they were loved. This is what I hope I can do… far more than anything else…this is what is needed – and important!
Don’t get me wrong, study is still a discipline I need, – but what is needed more, what we need to pray for, and focus our ministry on, is that God loves us, and calls us to Himself. Everything else must serve that purpose… for then the church is a place where broken people find healing, while helping others heal.
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, p. 223.
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Augustana Book Concern, 1915, p. 247.
Should I Want to Please People? The Answer is surprising…
Thoughts which drive me to the crucified Christ….
31 The answer is, if you eat or drink, or if you do anything, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Never do anything that might hurt others—Jews, Greeks, or God’s church—33 just as I, also, try to please everybody in every way. I am not trying to do what is good for me but what is good for most people so they can be saved.
11 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Co 10:31–11:1. NCV
Sovereign Love is found only in charity; the love of hope is imperfect, and consists more of feeling than fact, without charity; yet as a motive power nothing can exceed hope, and therefore we say that through hope we love God supremely.
321 Apostolic soul, that intimacy between Jesus and you—so close to him for so many years! Doesn’t it mean anything to you?
I read a different Bible translation every year for a reason, I want to do more than just read it, I want things to strike me differently, to challenge me, to gnaw at my brain until it burrows into my heart.
Today is one of those days, and it was caused by Paul’s advice that we are to imitate him by pleasing everybody in every way. I had to admit, this struck me odd, so I went back to my old familiar translations, NLT, NJB, NKJV even the old KJV, and all of them had the same concept… we are to please every body.
That sounds so contrary to how I’ve been taught to minister to people! We are supposed to do what is right, not what makes everyone happy! When we preach, when we plan worship, when we are counseling them regarding sin and trauma, I’ve heard that from pastors and professors for years, especially in regards to worship practices.
I think the anxiety rises because we equate people pleasing with compromise, and that leads us to think we would compromise something important, like the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus which was accomplished to join us to Himself by erasing our sin. I have heard such conversations about those who want to appease those in their church by honoring traditions, and by those who want to offend them in order to “please” others.
I think please them is less about compromise than we think – it is about making people comfortable in the presence of God, removing the stumbling blocks that distract them from resting in the presence of God. Think abut a hot day, where you are working hard outside, and someone offers you a cold soda just as you finish your work. That can be a moment where you are pleased, where nothing stops you from taking a deep breath and being satisfied with the day.
It is that kind of moment of intimacy with God, the assurance that He is with them, that being pleased is all about. That allows the anxiety and tension, the stress and overwhelming emotional overload to be vented, and to leace us in a moment of bliss, in a moment where salvation is recognized and rejoiced in, even if just a quietly said, AMEN! (meaning “this is real and true)
The desire for people to come to those moments is what Josemaria is talking about, as he addresses those who want to save the world. For it is those moments of intimacy with God, those moments that should mean everything to us…that should fuel our apostolate (Roman Catholic term – some contemporary protestants would say our missional attitude.) It is that which fuels the hope that brings us to God who gives us that hope, and helps us to realize how meaningless life is without it.
That is the core of evangelism – and what would lift people up and give them more pleasure than they’ve ever experienced, to know by experiencing it– the height, depth, breadth and width of God’s love for them, revealed in Christ. And the more we realize that pleasure, that joy, the more dominant giving it to others becomes….
Of the Love of God. Translated by H. L. Sidney Lear, Rivingtons, 1888, p. 79.
Escrivá, Josemaría. The Way (p. 54). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
What if I am “one of THEM?”
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the cross…
One of the men there was Caiaphas, the high priest that year. He said, “You people know nothing! 50 You don’t realize that it is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
51 Caiaphas did not think of this himself. As high priest that year, he was really prophesying that Jesus would die for their nation 52 and for God’s scattered children to bring them all together and make them one.
53 That day they started planning to kill Jesus. 54 So Jesus no longer traveled openly among the people. He left there and went to a place near the desert, to a town called Ephraim and stayed there with his followers. John 11:49-54 NCV
Let’s not deceive ourselves: in our life we will find vigor and victory and depression and defeat. This has always been true of the earthly pilgrimage of Christians, even of those we venerate on the altars. Don’t you remember Peter, Augustine, Francis? I have never liked biographies of saints which naïvely—but also with a lack of sound doctrine—present their deeds as if they had been confirmed in grace from birth. No. The true life stories of Christian heroes resemble our own experience: they fought and won; they fought and lost. And then, repentant, they returned to the fray.
We should not be surprised to find ourselves defeated relatively often, usually or even always in things of little importance which we tend to take seriously. If we love God and are humble, if we persevere relentlessly in our struggle, the defeats will never be very important. There will also be abundant victories which bring joy to God’s eyes. There is no such thing as failure if you act with a right intention, wanting to fulfill God’s will and counting always on his grace and your own nothingness.
There’s One, in feebleness extreme,
That can a helpless worm redeem;
And now I put my trust in Him,
Nor shall my trust be vain.
There is no doubt the high priest spoke for God as he prophesied about the necessity of Christ’s death. THere is also no doubt that he didn’t realize the importance and power in the words he said about the sacrifice. He would be one of those that called for and encouraged the people to cry our “Crucify Him!”
A religious leader doing something that was so evil, while at the same time speaking for God.
It boggles my mind, to consider the paradox that while Caiaphas was doing something so holy, he was contemplating evil, along with most of the priests and religious leaders. I have to think this through and realize that we haven’t changed that much these days. There are still religious leaders that are willing to sacrifice others, there are still those, who get to speak for Jesus, and do, while not living a life reflective of what they preach.
The i contemplate this the more names and faces come to mind until I am left with only one image, the one I see in the mirror every morning. Could I be a modern Caiaphas? Could I have been one of those crying out to crucify Jesus? I tell you, the gospel reading my devotions really hit me hard this morning….
for I know I have spoken for God, and yet…I struggle with sin, and I struggle with the same kind of attitude that put Jesus on the cross.
I know this is why Jesus came, and why Christ died…and yet, as Paul described in Romans 7, this is a wretched life at times.
As I read the res of the materials I used for my devotions, on sites my favorite writer/pastor priest was cited in another book, So I went to the source and saw the words of St. Josemaria above, the words about saints not being perfect either, The words of “counting always on His grace and your own nothingness ” This has to be my focus to let the sin that Chirst died to remove from my heart and soul. God did this for the saints that lived before me, and hopefully, I can help the next generation know this as well.
Luther and Escriva both, talk about our faith, our dependence on Jesus and the promises of His redeeming us and making us His own are so critical. Sure we will fight temptations and sin and demonic forces pulling us from God, but He will pick us up, the Spirit will draw us back to the cross, to see His love ofr us, to receive His healing, That is the victory that erases the defeats, that is the hope that overwhelms the despair, that is the love of God for us….His own. AMEN!
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 159.
Escrivá, Josemaría. Christ is Passing By . Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition. #76
The Passionate Commitment: A Christmas Eve sermon on Isaiah 9:2-7
The Passionate Commitment
Isaiah 9:2,6-7
† I.H.S. †
May the grace of God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ teach you that God has committed everything He is to loving you!
Zealous, Devoted, Passionate Commitment
He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!
What an amazing description of Jesus, our promised Savior. Those four titles have made up so many Christmas Eve sermons, so many Advent sermon series have been based on those 4 titles, those four descriptions of the ministry that Jesus would have to His people.
Descriptions of how He would minister to us.
But that is not the thing to focus on this night.
This night, two words from the next verse are the point that we, and the world need to not just hear, but need to understand. Hear the end of that verse,
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s armies will make this happen.
The two words I want us to focus on are “passionate commitment.”
Most translations use zeal, some use devotion, some use determination, one even uses jealous love, but looking at the word, passionate commitment seems to bring across the message better than any other.
Tonight, we need to realize His passionate commitment, and we are the object of that passionate commitment.
The roles are needed – but the commitment more needed
The four roles are important, we need to understand how Jesus fulfills each of those roles. We’ve looked at that before, and there is a lot of value in knowing what God promised to do, but that is not enough.
Here is why–we live in a world full of broken promises.
How many times have you been disappointed in life? Maybe it was a boss with a promise that he or she couldn’t follow through on. Maybe it was a teacher who didn’t fulfill their role. Maybe it was your parents, and the expectation of what you would get for Christmas.
It could have been you, in the role of boss, teacher or parent, who had to break a promise.
We just live in a world where it becomes difficult to depend on others because of such broken and shattered histories,
The word commitment is life a 20 dollar bill—we found out it doesn’t have the value we once thought it did. We get cynical, either about promises made to us, or the ability we have to live in a relationship that is based on them. For certainly, over time, we will cannot keep our end of the bargain.
It really doesn’t help us when we are gifts are give to us by someone “making a list and checking it twice!”
We may not think God would do it, but it is a part of how our minds think – that we have to be good enough to deserve our gifts, our presents, and the help we so desperately need.
This doesn’t have to happen… it has!
God, through the words He entrusted to Isaiah, put everything behind this promise.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s armies will make this happen.
Of all the things God could invest his passion in, His care for you and every human is primary. Each person is critical, that is why He is so patient with us, despite our brokenness. He puts everything He is into fulfilling that promise,
And He has.
That’s the advantage that is beyond compare for us. We don’t see Isaiah’s words as a future promise, we see this commitment fulfilled in Jesus’ birth, life, teaching, death , resurrection and ascension, and know He is interceding for us with the Father, and has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.
This promise ha been kept, the passionate commitment seen here in the manger, and even more on the cross. And someday, believers will look to the sky, to see Christ returning for us, and then to the throne, where they will see God in all His glory, welcome all believers home.
And until then, think through these promises, and realize the glorious love of God which drives the passion that made it happen. AMEN!
