My apologies; there is no new post for Sunday, April 25. In addition, I want to announce that I am moving the daily devotional thoughts to www.theostory.wordpress.com, asking those of you who have been kind enough to follow this blog to move to that site with me. I have had too many little but annoying problems on this site to continue on a regular basis, including such things as posts appearing on the wrong date (like Saturday, which appears under Friday). Please feel free to comment, which I believe is more easily done on the other site. Thanks again for your interest; if you have enjoyed or benefitted from the devotions or thoughts, please pass the word along to a friend or enemy. And drop me a note while you're at it. Thanks again, and best wishes in Christ.
Ken
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Living in the Real World
Text: Colossians 3:1-17
How often have we been encouraged to remember the things that really matter? We hear people who have undergone substantial loss of property to fire or storm damage say such things when they note that every person survived the incident. We might hear it when someone has died, and perhaps even in a sermon. Paul says it, too, by telling us to keep on seeking the things "above," where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
So what are the things that really matter? What are the things above? And could it be that finding and pursuing these things is the same as finding and living in the real world? Is this what truth means?
The reason we are not to focus on either special exercises on one hand or on restraining from meeting certain bodily needs on the other is that either option puts the attention on things which have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. Their "telos"--their goal, purpose, end--is entirely for and in this space-time world we live in. Christ did not come to make us more successful or fulfilled in the satisfying of any such needs, much less any wants related to the same bodily desires. Instead, he came to free us from being so caught up in the pursuit of these things that we lose sight of our true telos. So he opens the way to things above the satisfaction of everyday needs, to things that we are intended to seek and express--truth, love, justice, goodness, righteousness, joy, knowledge of God.
It is in this light that things such as anger, malice, slander, abusive speech, sexual immorality, etc., must be removed from our lives. Each one of them is a denial of the things which belong to our true end and purpose. Conversely, those things which contribute to the learning and practice of our telos are to be fostered in our lives together as God's people--compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. It's hard to live that way in a culture obsessed with self-indulgence. So we are to encourage one another in the new, Christlike way, the way that is the truth, and is life, and prepares us for the real world.
How often have we been encouraged to remember the things that really matter? We hear people who have undergone substantial loss of property to fire or storm damage say such things when they note that every person survived the incident. We might hear it when someone has died, and perhaps even in a sermon. Paul says it, too, by telling us to keep on seeking the things "above," where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
So what are the things that really matter? What are the things above? And could it be that finding and pursuing these things is the same as finding and living in the real world? Is this what truth means?
The reason we are not to focus on either special exercises on one hand or on restraining from meeting certain bodily needs on the other is that either option puts the attention on things which have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. Their "telos"--their goal, purpose, end--is entirely for and in this space-time world we live in. Christ did not come to make us more successful or fulfilled in the satisfying of any such needs, much less any wants related to the same bodily desires. Instead, he came to free us from being so caught up in the pursuit of these things that we lose sight of our true telos. So he opens the way to things above the satisfaction of everyday needs, to things that we are intended to seek and express--truth, love, justice, goodness, righteousness, joy, knowledge of God.
It is in this light that things such as anger, malice, slander, abusive speech, sexual immorality, etc., must be removed from our lives. Each one of them is a denial of the things which belong to our true end and purpose. Conversely, those things which contribute to the learning and practice of our telos are to be fostered in our lives together as God's people--compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. It's hard to live that way in a culture obsessed with self-indulgence. So we are to encourage one another in the new, Christlike way, the way that is the truth, and is life, and prepares us for the real world.
Philosophy, Christ, and Living Free
Text: Colossians 2:8-23
We begin today with an easily (and often) misunderstood verse of Scripture. We are warned against being taken captive by or through philosophy and empty deception, ideas that arise out of humanity rather than out of Christ. And this is frequently taken as a warning against the study of philosophy due to a fear that it will turn on us and lead us astray. Certainly, it is possible that the study of philosophy could have this effect. But it seems far more likely that the philosophies we are to beware are not the ones we study, but the ones we don't. There are hidden philosophies or worldviews in any culture; they underlie the way things are done on a daily basis and are usually unexamined because they are so familiar yet unspoken and unnamed. And they are often quite in conflict with the truth that is in Christ.
Paul seems to be offering a brief reprise of his earlier statements about who Christ is (vv. 8-10), a more specific accounting of how we come to be "in him" (11-15), and a "therefore" statement concerning the futility of relying on someone's visions, special practices, and deprivations of the body' needs (16-23). Let's flesh out what this might mean in our own culture.
Perhaps we mistakenly believe that our culture is neutral regarding its outlook on the world and on the place of humanity therein. I beg to differ, and offer just one simple example. There are "elementary principles" which inform us of who we are and what our role in the world is. In America we are consumers; our role is to buy things and keep the economy moving. We order our lives accordingly, so that we will be positioned to consume not just homes, cars, clothing, sports equipment, and restaurants, but the best of these we can possibly attain. Christ, on the other hand, has something far better to say about us--we are valuable not because we contribute to economic growth, but because he loves us and gives himself for us. On one hand we are told how good we are by culture, only to find that we're only as valued as far as our spending will take us; on the other, we're told in Christ that God loves us and gave himself for us, to free us from bondage to any other thought system. For all the competitors fall short of giving the worth that God already holds us in.
What do the people in your life, the voices influential in your world say about you and what's expected of you? What have they done to prove themselves worthy of your allegiance? Then compare this to Christ, whose yoke is easy and burden light.
We begin today with an easily (and often) misunderstood verse of Scripture. We are warned against being taken captive by or through philosophy and empty deception, ideas that arise out of humanity rather than out of Christ. And this is frequently taken as a warning against the study of philosophy due to a fear that it will turn on us and lead us astray. Certainly, it is possible that the study of philosophy could have this effect. But it seems far more likely that the philosophies we are to beware are not the ones we study, but the ones we don't. There are hidden philosophies or worldviews in any culture; they underlie the way things are done on a daily basis and are usually unexamined because they are so familiar yet unspoken and unnamed. And they are often quite in conflict with the truth that is in Christ.
Paul seems to be offering a brief reprise of his earlier statements about who Christ is (vv. 8-10), a more specific accounting of how we come to be "in him" (11-15), and a "therefore" statement concerning the futility of relying on someone's visions, special practices, and deprivations of the body' needs (16-23). Let's flesh out what this might mean in our own culture.
Perhaps we mistakenly believe that our culture is neutral regarding its outlook on the world and on the place of humanity therein. I beg to differ, and offer just one simple example. There are "elementary principles" which inform us of who we are and what our role in the world is. In America we are consumers; our role is to buy things and keep the economy moving. We order our lives accordingly, so that we will be positioned to consume not just homes, cars, clothing, sports equipment, and restaurants, but the best of these we can possibly attain. Christ, on the other hand, has something far better to say about us--we are valuable not because we contribute to economic growth, but because he loves us and gives himself for us. On one hand we are told how good we are by culture, only to find that we're only as valued as far as our spending will take us; on the other, we're told in Christ that God loves us and gave himself for us, to free us from bondage to any other thought system. For all the competitors fall short of giving the worth that God already holds us in.
What do the people in your life, the voices influential in your world say about you and what's expected of you? What have they done to prove themselves worthy of your allegiance? Then compare this to Christ, whose yoke is easy and burden light.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Where is Truth?
Text: Colossians 1:24-2:7
Personal truth. That is, truth which is the person of Jesus Christ. What kind of "truth" is this, and where can it be found?
What do we mean when we speak of knowing the truth? Does it mean getting the right description of the way the world really is? But how can we know whether we've got it right unless we already know the way it is? Do our statements match the way things really are, as demonstrated by scientific verification? Is truth determined by how well our entire view holds together with logical consistency? Or is truth a matter of going with what works, whether or not it can be improved upon or even shown to be false? Do we give up and allow multiple views to all count as truth, in spite of direct contradictions of one another? Oh, isn't epistemology fun?
It's in the context of this confused and confusing (postmodern?) backdrop that we should consider anew the claims of Christianity in texts such as Colossians. What if we begin with the premise that, indeed, everything has its origin in Christ? What if we drop for the moment any preconceptions of what truth is and focus on him, and accept his invitation to know him as he is revealed in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension? This is the beginning of wisdom. The rest of our knowledge proceeds from this premise.
Let's take the argument one step farther. To "know" the truth, we must engage ourselves in the reflection and imitation of what we have come to accept as truth. That means believing hearts knit together in love, and thereby attaining understanding (2:2-3). To know the truth we must do the truth; facts and propositions are necessary, but insufficient. Nothing less than this commitment of faith in the truth that is Christ will do. It's far more than a claim of forgiveness of sins and heaven when we die; it's the determination that all things exist by and for him. If Jesus is who the Christianity has always said he is, and did what it claims he did, then to know him is to know truth, no matter how many facts we hold in our minds.
Comments?
Personal truth. That is, truth which is the person of Jesus Christ. What kind of "truth" is this, and where can it be found?
What do we mean when we speak of knowing the truth? Does it mean getting the right description of the way the world really is? But how can we know whether we've got it right unless we already know the way it is? Do our statements match the way things really are, as demonstrated by scientific verification? Is truth determined by how well our entire view holds together with logical consistency? Or is truth a matter of going with what works, whether or not it can be improved upon or even shown to be false? Do we give up and allow multiple views to all count as truth, in spite of direct contradictions of one another? Oh, isn't epistemology fun?
It's in the context of this confused and confusing (postmodern?) backdrop that we should consider anew the claims of Christianity in texts such as Colossians. What if we begin with the premise that, indeed, everything has its origin in Christ? What if we drop for the moment any preconceptions of what truth is and focus on him, and accept his invitation to know him as he is revealed in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension? This is the beginning of wisdom. The rest of our knowledge proceeds from this premise.
Let's take the argument one step farther. To "know" the truth, we must engage ourselves in the reflection and imitation of what we have come to accept as truth. That means believing hearts knit together in love, and thereby attaining understanding (2:2-3). To know the truth we must do the truth; facts and propositions are necessary, but insufficient. Nothing less than this commitment of faith in the truth that is Christ will do. It's far more than a claim of forgiveness of sins and heaven when we die; it's the determination that all things exist by and for him. If Jesus is who the Christianity has always said he is, and did what it claims he did, then to know him is to know truth, no matter how many facts we hold in our minds.
Comments?
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Personal Truth
Text: Colossians 1:15-23
As my students will testify, there are a few phrases that draw a reaction from this professor more readily than this one in the title. The idea that we each get to have a truth that is personally drawn undercuts the very concept of truth, which deals with the way things really are, independent of how we might choose to see them. So what's the phrase doing in the title?
Glad you asked. No, the universe hasn't yet tilted to the point where I affirm the notion of relative truth, which remains an oxymoron. But it is also a mistake to think that our perspective on the truth is the truth itself. More importantly, what does any of this have to do with Colossians 1? Everything.
Jesus Christ is spoken of in terms which can only be understood as the sum total of truth--all things created by and for him, before all things, in whom all things hold together. This must mean that he is more fundamental than any criterion of truth we could possibly conceive. And there's more, as we read that all the fullness of deity was alive in and through him, and that he reconciles us to God by his death and resurrection. If there is a better synopsis of God's narrative of the world, I can't imagine where it would be found (other than John 1:1-18). And one point which stands out is that this One is a person; the truth, indeed is personal, albeit in a far different sense from the way such a phrase is commonly used. We are redeemed, made whole, fulfilled, given hope, purpose, and God's own blessing by our relationship to the one who is himself truth. Not our relationship with statements about him, but with him.
How many of the secrets of the physical universe we may uncover and how many of those we will observe and categorize correctly remain to be seen. But we can know truth because the God who made us came to us and continues to do so in this one, Jesus. No other religion or faith makes such a claim about its key figure. There is only one. And because he is truth, he judges all other competing systems of thought, secular or religious. That's quite a claim. He died to make it and to bring us knowledge of truth.
As my students will testify, there are a few phrases that draw a reaction from this professor more readily than this one in the title. The idea that we each get to have a truth that is personally drawn undercuts the very concept of truth, which deals with the way things really are, independent of how we might choose to see them. So what's the phrase doing in the title?
Glad you asked. No, the universe hasn't yet tilted to the point where I affirm the notion of relative truth, which remains an oxymoron. But it is also a mistake to think that our perspective on the truth is the truth itself. More importantly, what does any of this have to do with Colossians 1? Everything.
Jesus Christ is spoken of in terms which can only be understood as the sum total of truth--all things created by and for him, before all things, in whom all things hold together. This must mean that he is more fundamental than any criterion of truth we could possibly conceive. And there's more, as we read that all the fullness of deity was alive in and through him, and that he reconciles us to God by his death and resurrection. If there is a better synopsis of God's narrative of the world, I can't imagine where it would be found (other than John 1:1-18). And one point which stands out is that this One is a person; the truth, indeed is personal, albeit in a far different sense from the way such a phrase is commonly used. We are redeemed, made whole, fulfilled, given hope, purpose, and God's own blessing by our relationship to the one who is himself truth. Not our relationship with statements about him, but with him.
How many of the secrets of the physical universe we may uncover and how many of those we will observe and categorize correctly remain to be seen. But we can know truth because the God who made us came to us and continues to do so in this one, Jesus. No other religion or faith makes such a claim about its key figure. There is only one. And because he is truth, he judges all other competing systems of thought, secular or religious. That's quite a claim. He died to make it and to bring us knowledge of truth.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Driven
Text: Colossians 1:1-14
What drives people? What motivations account for their successes and their failures? Do we know more about people when we know their attainments, or when we know the driving force behind what we see? What drives you and me?
It might be too easy a target, but today let's think about what seems to have driven the people involved in some of the financial collapses on Wall Street. But we'll do so not to single these people out as the most despicable, but as far more like most of us than not. They may have been more successful in manipulating and attaining certain market outcomes, but perhaps no more or less indicative of a world that has lost its story, and therefore its best motivations.
For some reason, we despise greed when it is blatantly displayed; yet the dominant worldview operating in the public square has no resources from which to tell us why. Our secular culture has set matters of truth firmly within the confines of those things which can be enumerated. If something is quantifiable, it is open to true/false categories; if not, it is a matter for personal opinion and nothing more. Financial success is quantifiable; values such as fairness, equity, and justice are not. To say that people want to succeed and are promised continually that it is within their reach is to state the obvious. Many people have despaired of succeeding in such terms; others play the lottery. In reality, when the lights are out and one's own thoughts are the only noise, darkness prevails over mind and spirit.
In the beginning of the epistle before us, Paul sounds a different theme. He writes to those who have hope not of financial success, but of a richness in this world that is funded by confidence in a future beyond it. It is the message of Christ, who holds the real story of our world and our lives, our prospects and our purpose. It's like a turning on of the lights when we've lost everything we need in a dark place, only to find that those things are not unattainable after all. They simply look far different when the light is on.
As we follow Paul through this epistle, let's do so with an awareness that we are usually caught between degrees of darkness and light, too often holding on to the values from which Christ has redeemed us, too seldom walking in the light we know he gives.
What drives people? What motivations account for their successes and their failures? Do we know more about people when we know their attainments, or when we know the driving force behind what we see? What drives you and me?
It might be too easy a target, but today let's think about what seems to have driven the people involved in some of the financial collapses on Wall Street. But we'll do so not to single these people out as the most despicable, but as far more like most of us than not. They may have been more successful in manipulating and attaining certain market outcomes, but perhaps no more or less indicative of a world that has lost its story, and therefore its best motivations.
For some reason, we despise greed when it is blatantly displayed; yet the dominant worldview operating in the public square has no resources from which to tell us why. Our secular culture has set matters of truth firmly within the confines of those things which can be enumerated. If something is quantifiable, it is open to true/false categories; if not, it is a matter for personal opinion and nothing more. Financial success is quantifiable; values such as fairness, equity, and justice are not. To say that people want to succeed and are promised continually that it is within their reach is to state the obvious. Many people have despaired of succeeding in such terms; others play the lottery. In reality, when the lights are out and one's own thoughts are the only noise, darkness prevails over mind and spirit.
In the beginning of the epistle before us, Paul sounds a different theme. He writes to those who have hope not of financial success, but of a richness in this world that is funded by confidence in a future beyond it. It is the message of Christ, who holds the real story of our world and our lives, our prospects and our purpose. It's like a turning on of the lights when we've lost everything we need in a dark place, only to find that those things are not unattainable after all. They simply look far different when the light is on.
As we follow Paul through this epistle, let's do so with an awareness that we are usually caught between degrees of darkness and light, too often holding on to the values from which Christ has redeemed us, too seldom walking in the light we know he gives.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Leading without Weapons
Text: 1 Peter 5:1-14
Holiness in leadership; leading in holiness. What can it possibly mean? In a day of equality and independent judgment of virtually all things, is it possible for one to perform the functions of leading a congregation in an honorable, biblically and spiritually consistent fashion?
In this era of equality of all opinions, what right have any of us to declare what another person should or should not do or think in regard to spiritual matters? Our culture, often with the full agreement of believers, has separated matters of faith from anything that may be left of truth. Truth might be an appropriate category for scientific, mathematical, or financial matters; but it has nothing to do, so the story goes, with matters of faith, where we are left to form our own opinions since these issues lie outside the canons of verification. And since each of of has the Bible and the Holy Spirit to guide, what need have we of another authority?
Peter appeals to a different source of authority. Rather than standing on expertise with the Scripture, he stands on his first hand experience with the Lord himself--not just in in living and ministering with him, but in his death and resurrection. And he wears this experience with a great deal of humility, undoubtedly remembering his own inglorious failure during Jesus' trial. Proving to be an example of the kind of holy living in an unholy world provides a credential which does not need to be trumpeted; it has been declared already, and accepted by those truly under the Spirit's guidance.
We have all kinds of seminars and leadership summits available to the church today. Frankly, few of them tell the paying faithful to clothe themselves with humility, not to worry about if, when, and by whom they will be recognized for their work. Anxieties about such things are out of place, quite unnecessary, and potentially detrimental, as they may open the ambitious ones to succumb to another way of doing things. We've seen more than enough of this in ministry. God's way just might make one unpopular for a time; suffering might be involved. But honor from God will come.
Holiness in leadership; leading in holiness. What can it possibly mean? In a day of equality and independent judgment of virtually all things, is it possible for one to perform the functions of leading a congregation in an honorable, biblically and spiritually consistent fashion?
In this era of equality of all opinions, what right have any of us to declare what another person should or should not do or think in regard to spiritual matters? Our culture, often with the full agreement of believers, has separated matters of faith from anything that may be left of truth. Truth might be an appropriate category for scientific, mathematical, or financial matters; but it has nothing to do, so the story goes, with matters of faith, where we are left to form our own opinions since these issues lie outside the canons of verification. And since each of of has the Bible and the Holy Spirit to guide, what need have we of another authority?
Peter appeals to a different source of authority. Rather than standing on expertise with the Scripture, he stands on his first hand experience with the Lord himself--not just in in living and ministering with him, but in his death and resurrection. And he wears this experience with a great deal of humility, undoubtedly remembering his own inglorious failure during Jesus' trial. Proving to be an example of the kind of holy living in an unholy world provides a credential which does not need to be trumpeted; it has been declared already, and accepted by those truly under the Spirit's guidance.
We have all kinds of seminars and leadership summits available to the church today. Frankly, few of them tell the paying faithful to clothe themselves with humility, not to worry about if, when, and by whom they will be recognized for their work. Anxieties about such things are out of place, quite unnecessary, and potentially detrimental, as they may open the ambitious ones to succumb to another way of doing things. We've seen more than enough of this in ministry. God's way just might make one unpopular for a time; suffering might be involved. But honor from God will come.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Give it Up
Text: 1 Peter 4:1-19
Hedonism. Some people have never heard of it, but are nonetheless deeply immersed in it. Some have heard of it and recognize it as one of those terms in an ethics class somewhere in the past, but could not define it very well. Others have no clue what it is. What it refers to is something incompatible with Christian holiness. And it is so thoroughly engrained in much of our culture that we do not recognize it.
it refers to the idea that the highest good is maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. Hedonism does not ask questions such as whether a given action or attitude is right or wrong in itself; it does not evaluate the actions of other people, other than to the extent they may cause pain to one affected by the action. While more sophisticated versions may give a nod toward long-term consequences, it is only with the anticipation of future pleasure to be enhanced or pain to be curtailed. It's a good fit for a world in which we are unsure of what truth is, especially when related to things that ought and ought not to be done. It is made even more attractive when the means of attaining pleasure are being marketed perpetually, sold at a discount.
We are, in fact counter-cultural when we do not play along with the hedonists, particularly if we once ran at the head of the pack. Taking on the attitude that Christ had--one of holiness--means many things, but close to the top of the list is a different mindset toward pain and pleasure. Peter does not tell us that everyone who is a Christian is going to have a hard time with suffering. But he does tell us to arm ourselves, and to do so by changing our attitude if that attitude is dominated by the idea that we must avoid suffering, especially at the hand of our peers and associates in life. If that idea still drives us, we'll never be prepared to follow Jesus. Relatedly, the "deep love" we are to show for each other means that we will undoubtedly be called upon to forego pleasures in order to make that love real, giving what might have been spent on ourselves for the needs of others. And we will spend our energies and abilities in their service, rather than to gain more for our consumption.
Holiness is very much a this-world phenomenon. It has eyes toward the next, with full knowledge that the Lord has gone before us to lead us there. But it must begin in the mind and heart, now.
Hedonism. Some people have never heard of it, but are nonetheless deeply immersed in it. Some have heard of it and recognize it as one of those terms in an ethics class somewhere in the past, but could not define it very well. Others have no clue what it is. What it refers to is something incompatible with Christian holiness. And it is so thoroughly engrained in much of our culture that we do not recognize it.
it refers to the idea that the highest good is maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. Hedonism does not ask questions such as whether a given action or attitude is right or wrong in itself; it does not evaluate the actions of other people, other than to the extent they may cause pain to one affected by the action. While more sophisticated versions may give a nod toward long-term consequences, it is only with the anticipation of future pleasure to be enhanced or pain to be curtailed. It's a good fit for a world in which we are unsure of what truth is, especially when related to things that ought and ought not to be done. It is made even more attractive when the means of attaining pleasure are being marketed perpetually, sold at a discount.
We are, in fact counter-cultural when we do not play along with the hedonists, particularly if we once ran at the head of the pack. Taking on the attitude that Christ had--one of holiness--means many things, but close to the top of the list is a different mindset toward pain and pleasure. Peter does not tell us that everyone who is a Christian is going to have a hard time with suffering. But he does tell us to arm ourselves, and to do so by changing our attitude if that attitude is dominated by the idea that we must avoid suffering, especially at the hand of our peers and associates in life. If that idea still drives us, we'll never be prepared to follow Jesus. Relatedly, the "deep love" we are to show for each other means that we will undoubtedly be called upon to forego pleasures in order to make that love real, giving what might have been spent on ourselves for the needs of others. And we will spend our energies and abilities in their service, rather than to gain more for our consumption.
Holiness is very much a this-world phenomenon. It has eyes toward the next, with full knowledge that the Lord has gone before us to lead us there. But it must begin in the mind and heart, now.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Suffering--Not the Last Word
Text: 1 Peter 3:13-22
All who enjoy suffering, raise your hands! The very concept of suffering precludes enjoyment, at least in the moment; otherwise, it is not truly suffering, which means to undergo that which is painful, distressing, or debilitating. We avoid it whenever possible at all cost--even a lower level of suffering.
For the third time in three chapters, Peter mentions the possibility of suffering, each time followed by a reminder that Christ underwent suffering to provide our redemption. In this instance, he begins by acknowledging that suffering isn't something we go looking for; sometimes, however, it finds us, even if in an unjust fashion, such that we find ourselves suffering not as punishment for ill-advised action, but for actually doing the right thing. Rather than ranting and raving about the unfairness, we are encouraged to allow the holiness--the difference in us because of God--to prevail. The truth about the circumstances will speak for itself; our Christlike character will speak for us. But we'll only be ready to do this if we have already submitted to the Lordship of Christ. The time for saintly heroics is in the preparation, not in the heat of the moment.
The second half of the text has occasioned many comments regarding the preaching of Christ to spirits in prison. Many of these are far so removed from one another as to be irreconcilable. But let us assume that the writer is continuing his parallel between the sufferings of Christ and those we may be called upon to endure. In this reading, there was a saving result of the suffering Christ endured; that is, suffering had far from the last word. Our identification with him (in baptism) guarantees two things: first, that his suffering has resulted in our salvation; second, that our suffering for his word can also have a redemptive purpose for someone else.
Suffering, especially unjust, undeserved instances, solidifies our connection with Christ and his purposes. It doesn't mean that we go looking for such occasions or relish them when they happen. But knowing ahead of time that they can occur should encourage us to see to it that our holiness, our God-infested way of looking at things, is well prepared for whatever may come.
All who enjoy suffering, raise your hands! The very concept of suffering precludes enjoyment, at least in the moment; otherwise, it is not truly suffering, which means to undergo that which is painful, distressing, or debilitating. We avoid it whenever possible at all cost--even a lower level of suffering.
For the third time in three chapters, Peter mentions the possibility of suffering, each time followed by a reminder that Christ underwent suffering to provide our redemption. In this instance, he begins by acknowledging that suffering isn't something we go looking for; sometimes, however, it finds us, even if in an unjust fashion, such that we find ourselves suffering not as punishment for ill-advised action, but for actually doing the right thing. Rather than ranting and raving about the unfairness, we are encouraged to allow the holiness--the difference in us because of God--to prevail. The truth about the circumstances will speak for itself; our Christlike character will speak for us. But we'll only be ready to do this if we have already submitted to the Lordship of Christ. The time for saintly heroics is in the preparation, not in the heat of the moment.
The second half of the text has occasioned many comments regarding the preaching of Christ to spirits in prison. Many of these are far so removed from one another as to be irreconcilable. But let us assume that the writer is continuing his parallel between the sufferings of Christ and those we may be called upon to endure. In this reading, there was a saving result of the suffering Christ endured; that is, suffering had far from the last word. Our identification with him (in baptism) guarantees two things: first, that his suffering has resulted in our salvation; second, that our suffering for his word can also have a redemptive purpose for someone else.
Suffering, especially unjust, undeserved instances, solidifies our connection with Christ and his purposes. It doesn't mean that we go looking for such occasions or relish them when they happen. But knowing ahead of time that they can occur should encourage us to see to it that our holiness, our God-infested way of looking at things, is well prepared for whatever may come.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Holiness at Home
Text: 1 Peter 3:1-12
Can't we just skip this passage, especially the first six verses? In today's cultural climate in just seems so much easier to move past such texts than to comment on them.
Yet here it is, in the epistle we are considering as the description of holy living, as unto God in community rather than for self. Perhaps that even includes portions of God's word which embarrass us at times. Without making this text into a sort of litmus test, however, let us make a couple of observations. For one, holiness is demonstrated in the closest of human relationships--even when one partner in the relationship is not a believer. And it is demonstrated by a peaceful spirit, not an air of superiority. To reiterate, we are holy in difference from the world and its ways of thinking.
Secondly, there is a mutuality here that is often missed. V.7 tells husbands to honor their wives "in the same way," i.e. with gentleness and respect, not iron fisted rule. Thirdly, the goal is to have the unbelieving husband recognize Christ through the behavior of the wife who is part of God's holy people, not to establish her rights and independence. Lastly, and most astonishingly, there is a connection made between how we conduct ourselves in marriage with how much of an ear God lends to our prayers. I'd never think to say such a thing; but God Himself indicates it is so.
These relationships are then extended to the wider church family; we learn humility, gentleness, and sympathy in way we speak to one another in that community, where holy ways of living are fleshed out in such mundane activities as speaking to one another truthfully, considering them as more important than ourselves, and speaking well of them when they are not in the room with us, refusing to engage in anything smacking of deception, gossip, or rumor.
Our world is very conscious of the horrendous evil of spousal abuse; we are often afraid to speak of texts such as this because some read them as endorsements of living with violence without a whimper. But rather than offering my take on why this is not so, I am asking any women who follow this blog to offer their perspective on vv. 1-7. Please?
Can't we just skip this passage, especially the first six verses? In today's cultural climate in just seems so much easier to move past such texts than to comment on them.
Yet here it is, in the epistle we are considering as the description of holy living, as unto God in community rather than for self. Perhaps that even includes portions of God's word which embarrass us at times. Without making this text into a sort of litmus test, however, let us make a couple of observations. For one, holiness is demonstrated in the closest of human relationships--even when one partner in the relationship is not a believer. And it is demonstrated by a peaceful spirit, not an air of superiority. To reiterate, we are holy in difference from the world and its ways of thinking.
Secondly, there is a mutuality here that is often missed. V.7 tells husbands to honor their wives "in the same way," i.e. with gentleness and respect, not iron fisted rule. Thirdly, the goal is to have the unbelieving husband recognize Christ through the behavior of the wife who is part of God's holy people, not to establish her rights and independence. Lastly, and most astonishingly, there is a connection made between how we conduct ourselves in marriage with how much of an ear God lends to our prayers. I'd never think to say such a thing; but God Himself indicates it is so.
These relationships are then extended to the wider church family; we learn humility, gentleness, and sympathy in way we speak to one another in that community, where holy ways of living are fleshed out in such mundane activities as speaking to one another truthfully, considering them as more important than ourselves, and speaking well of them when they are not in the room with us, refusing to engage in anything smacking of deception, gossip, or rumor.
Our world is very conscious of the horrendous evil of spousal abuse; we are often afraid to speak of texts such as this because some read them as endorsements of living with violence without a whimper. But rather than offering my take on why this is not so, I am asking any women who follow this blog to offer their perspective on vv. 1-7. Please?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Holy Foreigners?
Text: 1 Peter 2:11-25
Have you ever been in a place you did not belong? Not only was the scenery different, but the people surrounding you did not think of those surroundings in terms you recognized. Things were valued differently; expectations were miles apart; fitting in was not an option because you didn't know the rules. It's an experience many in our immigrant communities know very well.
Holiness, Peter tells us, is very much like that. Being set apart as citizens of a holy nation--God's people--makes us aliens in the one we presently occupy, even though it is the one we have physically lived in all of our lives. We have a new highest authority. The challenge is not how to be like those around us, but how to live among them. And if we're doing it well, there will be occasional or perhaps constant opposition to our presence, because the residents also recognize that we don't belong there. It makes them uncomfortable, and they may very well do what resident cultures so often do to immigrants. They malign them, make false accusations, create negative stereotypes, and dismiss their values as irrelevant. Living respectfully and honorably among them is hard work. It's holy work. It's our calling.
Just how all-encompassing this different way of being in the world really is begins to be fleshed out in the text which follows, all the way through the remainder of the epistle. First for mention is the political question. Does being a citizen of God's holy nation mean that we have no obligations to the governing authorities of the world, especially of the place we live? Does it mean we overthrow the latter and replace them? A resounding negative on that one. Instead, the quick guide to living in foreign territory: "Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers. Fear God. Honor the king (president? congressmen? mayor?)." How hard is that to comprehend? How are we doing at it?
Peter then moves to another area of life which is very much in the center of what shapes our lives--employment. Few of us have ever been threatened with physical violence by our employers (thankfully!), but Peter uses even this extreme as an example of endurance of unjust suffering; we can find in it an identification with Christ, whose undeserved treatment provides a model for us to follow. Holiness is not for the faint of heart; nor is it for the proud.
Learning to live as aliens is difficult. Perhaps we should learn a few lessons in doing so from brothers and sisters in Christ who live among us in immigrant communities. It might move us toward holiness to do so.
Have you ever been in a place you did not belong? Not only was the scenery different, but the people surrounding you did not think of those surroundings in terms you recognized. Things were valued differently; expectations were miles apart; fitting in was not an option because you didn't know the rules. It's an experience many in our immigrant communities know very well.
Holiness, Peter tells us, is very much like that. Being set apart as citizens of a holy nation--God's people--makes us aliens in the one we presently occupy, even though it is the one we have physically lived in all of our lives. We have a new highest authority. The challenge is not how to be like those around us, but how to live among them. And if we're doing it well, there will be occasional or perhaps constant opposition to our presence, because the residents also recognize that we don't belong there. It makes them uncomfortable, and they may very well do what resident cultures so often do to immigrants. They malign them, make false accusations, create negative stereotypes, and dismiss their values as irrelevant. Living respectfully and honorably among them is hard work. It's holy work. It's our calling.
Just how all-encompassing this different way of being in the world really is begins to be fleshed out in the text which follows, all the way through the remainder of the epistle. First for mention is the political question. Does being a citizen of God's holy nation mean that we have no obligations to the governing authorities of the world, especially of the place we live? Does it mean we overthrow the latter and replace them? A resounding negative on that one. Instead, the quick guide to living in foreign territory: "Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers. Fear God. Honor the king (president? congressmen? mayor?)." How hard is that to comprehend? How are we doing at it?
Peter then moves to another area of life which is very much in the center of what shapes our lives--employment. Few of us have ever been threatened with physical violence by our employers (thankfully!), but Peter uses even this extreme as an example of endurance of unjust suffering; we can find in it an identification with Christ, whose undeserved treatment provides a model for us to follow. Holiness is not for the faint of heart; nor is it for the proud.
Learning to live as aliens is difficult. Perhaps we should learn a few lessons in doing so from brothers and sisters in Christ who live among us in immigrant communities. It might move us toward holiness to do so.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
It's Us, Not I
Text: 1 Peter 2:1-10
Everyone for him/herself. Have it your way. Forge your own path. March to the beat of a different drum. Be your own person, the captain of your ship, master of your fate. You've got to please yourself. If it feels good, do it. If you think it's true, go for it. The list of phrases could go on and on. And all too often Christians are little different. We are surrounded by people who believe that personal satisfaction is the highest, if not the only good in life. Our Supreme Court has declared that the right to define one's own existence is the most fundamental of all rights. Apparently, this includes the prerogative of defining truth, not least moral truth. Few even question this any longer; it has become part of the air we breathe.
One of the most difficult ideas for us to grasp as American Christians is that the focus of holiness is more corporate than individual in Peter's writing. It is partially a language issue--we do not have separate English words for "you" (singular and plural) as do most languages, including New Testament Greek. What is addressed to the whole group as a unit is too easily read as addressed primarily to each person, which fits so comfortably with our individualistic culture. When God tells His people to be holy, it is as a corporate entity. Thinking in those terms requires a shift we will have to work at.
This becomes most obvious as the passage for today moves forward: individually we are stones in a building, priests in a priesthood, citizens in a nation. The change begins with how we see one another. Malicious behavior, deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, backstabbing, etc., are the inevitable results of individualism as each person is in competition with every other for the right to define how life will be when we have to deal with one another. It should not be surprising that these are the first things which will have to go in order for us to be holy--different, characterized by the kind of self-giving love that is God Himself. For this to happen we will need to receive truth rather than define it; it is our basic nourishment (v.2).
As this takes place--i.e., as God's truth fills our minds and we shed the patterns of thought and interactions inherited from the world around us--we are transformed into a purposive, different, holy body in which God dwells and through which He appeals to all people to be made anew, to come out of the darkness that is the loneliness of individual living. Yes, we have a long way to go. Yes, it's well worth the journey.
Everyone for him/herself. Have it your way. Forge your own path. March to the beat of a different drum. Be your own person, the captain of your ship, master of your fate. You've got to please yourself. If it feels good, do it. If you think it's true, go for it. The list of phrases could go on and on. And all too often Christians are little different. We are surrounded by people who believe that personal satisfaction is the highest, if not the only good in life. Our Supreme Court has declared that the right to define one's own existence is the most fundamental of all rights. Apparently, this includes the prerogative of defining truth, not least moral truth. Few even question this any longer; it has become part of the air we breathe.
One of the most difficult ideas for us to grasp as American Christians is that the focus of holiness is more corporate than individual in Peter's writing. It is partially a language issue--we do not have separate English words for "you" (singular and plural) as do most languages, including New Testament Greek. What is addressed to the whole group as a unit is too easily read as addressed primarily to each person, which fits so comfortably with our individualistic culture. When God tells His people to be holy, it is as a corporate entity. Thinking in those terms requires a shift we will have to work at.
This becomes most obvious as the passage for today moves forward: individually we are stones in a building, priests in a priesthood, citizens in a nation. The change begins with how we see one another. Malicious behavior, deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, backstabbing, etc., are the inevitable results of individualism as each person is in competition with every other for the right to define how life will be when we have to deal with one another. It should not be surprising that these are the first things which will have to go in order for us to be holy--different, characterized by the kind of self-giving love that is God Himself. For this to happen we will need to receive truth rather than define it; it is our basic nourishment (v.2).
As this takes place--i.e., as God's truth fills our minds and we shed the patterns of thought and interactions inherited from the world around us--we are transformed into a purposive, different, holy body in which God dwells and through which He appeals to all people to be made anew, to come out of the darkness that is the loneliness of individual living. Yes, we have a long way to go. Yes, it's well worth the journey.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Four-Letter Word
Text: 1 Peter 1:13-25
There are a lot of words we don't wish to hear in common usage, if ever. But one four-letter word which is critical to Christian faith is one which heard less often than it should be rather than more often. When we do use it, we often limit its application to God Himself, somehow overlooking the fact that God wants it to be characteristic of all of His people. Yes, we're speaking of that word: HOLY.
Theologically, we find two uses of the term when it is applied to God's people. On one hand, we are are set apart, made fitting for His purpose; we are holy by our position, our standing in Christ. But Peter is writing about a second usage of the term, one which refers to our actual behavior, attitudes, dreams, and desires. In vv. 14-15, there is a contrast between the old ways of doing evil and the necessity of being holy in everything we do. He continues by stressing the basis of the hope we share because of Christ; that hope itself is to be a motivation toward this holiness.
For some reason, many believers become nervous about such texts. Perhaps this is due to a fear of working for our salvation, which we know we cannot do. Perhaps it is because of how woefully short we come when assessing ourselves very closely at all. And let us be clear: the writer of this piece is very far from meeting the goal. But I also believe that we misconstrue what it means to be holy, making it unnecessarily vague, removed from everyday life--as though it is something done off in a corner, isolated from not only the world, but cordoned off from even one another.
The text, which continues the theme for most of the epistle, has a quite different view of holiness. It begins by recognizing and realizing a new attitude toward one another, characterized by love. Peter goes so far as to claim that we can have love for one another only because sin has been taken away by Christ. It is sin which makes love difficult, if not impossible. But things are different for those in Christ.
To be God's holy people, we must demonstrate that we know what loving relationships look like. I can't imagine a more needed demonstration for a world in which hatred and violence are so commonly seen and suffered. God in His holiness did not withdraw from it but entered into it. We must be holy because He is; we must enter in as well.
There are a lot of words we don't wish to hear in common usage, if ever. But one four-letter word which is critical to Christian faith is one which heard less often than it should be rather than more often. When we do use it, we often limit its application to God Himself, somehow overlooking the fact that God wants it to be characteristic of all of His people. Yes, we're speaking of that word: HOLY.
Theologically, we find two uses of the term when it is applied to God's people. On one hand, we are are set apart, made fitting for His purpose; we are holy by our position, our standing in Christ. But Peter is writing about a second usage of the term, one which refers to our actual behavior, attitudes, dreams, and desires. In vv. 14-15, there is a contrast between the old ways of doing evil and the necessity of being holy in everything we do. He continues by stressing the basis of the hope we share because of Christ; that hope itself is to be a motivation toward this holiness.
For some reason, many believers become nervous about such texts. Perhaps this is due to a fear of working for our salvation, which we know we cannot do. Perhaps it is because of how woefully short we come when assessing ourselves very closely at all. And let us be clear: the writer of this piece is very far from meeting the goal. But I also believe that we misconstrue what it means to be holy, making it unnecessarily vague, removed from everyday life--as though it is something done off in a corner, isolated from not only the world, but cordoned off from even one another.
The text, which continues the theme for most of the epistle, has a quite different view of holiness. It begins by recognizing and realizing a new attitude toward one another, characterized by love. Peter goes so far as to claim that we can have love for one another only because sin has been taken away by Christ. It is sin which makes love difficult, if not impossible. But things are different for those in Christ.
To be God's holy people, we must demonstrate that we know what loving relationships look like. I can't imagine a more needed demonstration for a world in which hatred and violence are so commonly seen and suffered. God in His holiness did not withdraw from it but entered into it. We must be holy because He is; we must enter in as well.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Chasing the Right Dream
Text: 1 Peter 1:1-12
We just can't escape it; nor should we want to. Here again we have a piece of the New Testament which will base its argument on the resurrection of Jesus (v.3). It seems that this most unbelievable event is necessary to make sense of faith, if not of life itself. The remainder of the epistle will be concerned with the difference this event is to make for how we conduct ourselves in the world.
Today is the beginning of a short series in the first epistle of Peter. The theme is familiar but not old, as Christians are encouraged to persevere in all kinds of difficult trials and circumstances, having confidence that this world is not the final end of life. What will be advised, however, is a way of living in this world, not a way of escaping it. Unlike mystical or gnostic cults, believers in Christ are not told to ignore the trials and tribulations they encounter, but to live in and through them in a transformed way. The faithful are not advised to engage in secret rituals, ascetic practices, or mystical chants; they are told instead to endure in such a way as to convince the watching world that their way of living is to be preferred for all people.
The letter begins by pointing out that the salvation we have in Christ has ben assured and is our highest treasure. It closes by telling us that this salvation is something God has been working toward from the very beginning, not as an afterthought. He even used people in the past to point us in the right direction, even when they did not understand the things they were writing and did not see them come to pass. They had a purpose beyond themselves.
It is that example of faithfulness which we are all the more encouraged to follow. Yes, we have the record of what God has done in Christ, and the Holy Spirit's guidance. But we also share in a certain ignorance of just how God may use our lives and witness, our sufferings and our losses for a greater purpose. We have the resurrection of Christ as the evidence we need to trust that God does bring life from death, joy from sorrow, food for the soul from the barrenness of the world. As a week and a series begin, let us build our confidence so that we can face life with hope that is infectious.
We just can't escape it; nor should we want to. Here again we have a piece of the New Testament which will base its argument on the resurrection of Jesus (v.3). It seems that this most unbelievable event is necessary to make sense of faith, if not of life itself. The remainder of the epistle will be concerned with the difference this event is to make for how we conduct ourselves in the world.
Today is the beginning of a short series in the first epistle of Peter. The theme is familiar but not old, as Christians are encouraged to persevere in all kinds of difficult trials and circumstances, having confidence that this world is not the final end of life. What will be advised, however, is a way of living in this world, not a way of escaping it. Unlike mystical or gnostic cults, believers in Christ are not told to ignore the trials and tribulations they encounter, but to live in and through them in a transformed way. The faithful are not advised to engage in secret rituals, ascetic practices, or mystical chants; they are told instead to endure in such a way as to convince the watching world that their way of living is to be preferred for all people.
The letter begins by pointing out that the salvation we have in Christ has ben assured and is our highest treasure. It closes by telling us that this salvation is something God has been working toward from the very beginning, not as an afterthought. He even used people in the past to point us in the right direction, even when they did not understand the things they were writing and did not see them come to pass. They had a purpose beyond themselves.
It is that example of faithfulness which we are all the more encouraged to follow. Yes, we have the record of what God has done in Christ, and the Holy Spirit's guidance. But we also share in a certain ignorance of just how God may use our lives and witness, our sufferings and our losses for a greater purpose. We have the resurrection of Christ as the evidence we need to trust that God does bring life from death, joy from sorrow, food for the soul from the barrenness of the world. As a week and a series begin, let us build our confidence so that we can face life with hope that is infectious.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Wisdom Starts Here
Psalm 111
The closing verse of today's psalm makes a simple yet far reaching statement. After giving another litany of reasons for which God is to be praised, the writer assesses what he has just declared. And in its light, he concludes that the fear or reverence of this God is where wisdom has its beginning or foundation.
That conclusion is familiar to Christians and to Jewish believers as well; it recurs in several psalms, in the proverbs, and in Job's ode to wisdom. And it stands as a challenge to a segment of today's culture which fashions itself as the "Brights." This group consists of the so-called New Atheists, whose published works have multiplied significantly over the past decade. The name, of course, is a declaration that those who have the intelligence to grasp the truth of atheism and the hopelessness and desperation of belief in God are the bright ones of the world. By comparison, those of us who have celebrated the mighty acts of God, and the resurrection of Jesus in particular, are "dull" by virtue of that very belief.
Reading the works just mentioned does not offer evidence to support the claim of intellectual high ground, but that is not the point to be made here. Instead, let us think of the claim the psalmist is making, which is that we cannot make sense of morality, of history, or of the physical universe itself without starting with God. There is no glory or majesty in a cosmos which just happens to be; there is no point of recounting history, for what will be will be and nothing moves toward a conclusion or a vindication; the very terms of justice and righteousness--so central to the understanding of God as described in the last few days--are meaningless, not only in terms of God's actions, but of our own as well. It is not a case of wish fulfillment, except to the extent that God has made us to wish, or rather to hope, for the very things He has prepared.
How much better the world looks when seen from God's perspective; how much more meaningful our actions and our decisions become; and how much more hopeful we can be when we share the in psalmist's expectations that God will complete His works. If we agree, the only response appropriate to make is to praise God.
The closing verse of today's psalm makes a simple yet far reaching statement. After giving another litany of reasons for which God is to be praised, the writer assesses what he has just declared. And in its light, he concludes that the fear or reverence of this God is where wisdom has its beginning or foundation.
That conclusion is familiar to Christians and to Jewish believers as well; it recurs in several psalms, in the proverbs, and in Job's ode to wisdom. And it stands as a challenge to a segment of today's culture which fashions itself as the "Brights." This group consists of the so-called New Atheists, whose published works have multiplied significantly over the past decade. The name, of course, is a declaration that those who have the intelligence to grasp the truth of atheism and the hopelessness and desperation of belief in God are the bright ones of the world. By comparison, those of us who have celebrated the mighty acts of God, and the resurrection of Jesus in particular, are "dull" by virtue of that very belief.
Reading the works just mentioned does not offer evidence to support the claim of intellectual high ground, but that is not the point to be made here. Instead, let us think of the claim the psalmist is making, which is that we cannot make sense of morality, of history, or of the physical universe itself without starting with God. There is no glory or majesty in a cosmos which just happens to be; there is no point of recounting history, for what will be will be and nothing moves toward a conclusion or a vindication; the very terms of justice and righteousness--so central to the understanding of God as described in the last few days--are meaningless, not only in terms of God's actions, but of our own as well. It is not a case of wish fulfillment, except to the extent that God has made us to wish, or rather to hope, for the very things He has prepared.
How much better the world looks when seen from God's perspective; how much more meaningful our actions and our decisions become; and how much more hopeful we can be when we share the in psalmist's expectations that God will complete His works. If we agree, the only response appropriate to make is to praise God.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Vision Check-Up
Text: Psalm 145
Isn't it striking that some of the most outrageous complaints about God's apparent silence originated from the same heart which expresses some of the most compelling calls to praise for God's gracious interventions? Such were the life and experiences of David; such can ours be as well.
The past couple of entries here have drawn attention to the character of God more than to the power of God--because that is the focus of the psalms we have read. Today's echoes yet again the value of taking note of how God has provided what is needful in our lives. By telling whomever will listen the stories of how God has continually proven faithful, David is clearing his own occasionally clouded vision and assisting them to do the same.
It is insufficient to voice one's praise to God alone. V. 4 has a time tested yet simple principle: "Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts." (NLT) There's something about stories being told of one's own childhood that captures the imagination and fascination of our children and grandchildren; it is rare that there is not a request for more when this happens. Children want to know not just any stories, but those which in some small way tell them who we are, and by consequence who they are. When that story is centered in God's working in our lives, on our behalf, and in the larger world, we accomplish something important.
We learn all over again, even in the telling, that when all of life is considered, God has indeed proven faithful. We learn that setbacks, even tragedies that occur in this world, have not separated us from the love of God (see Rom. 8:31ff.), and that staying the course through these events has proven far better than any alternative we could have taken. And we teach another generation to use the lenses of Scripture's God to make sense of their own place in the world, so that they might look for His appearances and tell the next generation as well. Surely the litany of God's loving actions (vv. 8-20) will resonate with those who know where to find Him because His story has been told, and we have learned to tell ours in its light.
Isn't it striking that some of the most outrageous complaints about God's apparent silence originated from the same heart which expresses some of the most compelling calls to praise for God's gracious interventions? Such were the life and experiences of David; such can ours be as well.
The past couple of entries here have drawn attention to the character of God more than to the power of God--because that is the focus of the psalms we have read. Today's echoes yet again the value of taking note of how God has provided what is needful in our lives. By telling whomever will listen the stories of how God has continually proven faithful, David is clearing his own occasionally clouded vision and assisting them to do the same.
It is insufficient to voice one's praise to God alone. V. 4 has a time tested yet simple principle: "Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts." (NLT) There's something about stories being told of one's own childhood that captures the imagination and fascination of our children and grandchildren; it is rare that there is not a request for more when this happens. Children want to know not just any stories, but those which in some small way tell them who we are, and by consequence who they are. When that story is centered in God's working in our lives, on our behalf, and in the larger world, we accomplish something important.
We learn all over again, even in the telling, that when all of life is considered, God has indeed proven faithful. We learn that setbacks, even tragedies that occur in this world, have not separated us from the love of God (see Rom. 8:31ff.), and that staying the course through these events has proven far better than any alternative we could have taken. And we teach another generation to use the lenses of Scripture's God to make sense of their own place in the world, so that they might look for His appearances and tell the next generation as well. Surely the litany of God's loving actions (vv. 8-20) will resonate with those who know where to find Him because His story has been told, and we have learned to tell ours in its light.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Nothing Lasts Forever?
Text: Psalm 136
Most Christians have at some time participated in an antiphonal reading of today's text. The refrain, variously translated as "His love/lovingkindness/faithfulness/faithful love endures forever/is everlasting," forms the second half of each of the twenty-six verses.
Several ideas are striking in thinking about this psalm of praise to God. First of all, if as easily supposed this writing was used in worship, why do we not have more like it? There are certainly other attributes of God worthy of repetition in the minds of those who worship. Secondly, all of the remembrances for which God is to be praised have to do with His mighty acts of both creation and salvation. Though the Book of Psalms includes many very personal requests, complaints, and thankful utterances, this one is primarily concerning the people of God as a whole, and secondarily the rest of humanity. Thirdly, both creation and salvation are ongoing, in the sense that there is a sustaining interest of God in the well being of His creatures.
And, of course, there is that refrain. Yesterday's comments concerned what characteristic most fully and adequately identifies God; the conclusion was that it was not His power, though this is affirmed, but His personal care for those He loves. Similarly, the refrain in Ps. 136, the piece which surely was taken home firmly implanted in the mind of the worshipper was that God's faithful love (NLT) will never cease.
There are many things we count on in the world we live in. For as much as we relish the thought of personal autonomy and independence, we nonetheless also want to be able to place confidence in certain things happening and in certain persons performing in predictable, consistent fashion. Today we are reminded that such unchanging character and performance is finally characteristic of God and God alone. He has demonstrated this faithful love repeatedly, in ways which could add thousands of verses to the psalm. The conclusion would be the same in each verse, as yet again we recite together: "His faithful love lasts forever." Nothing else does. Nothing else needs to.
Most Christians have at some time participated in an antiphonal reading of today's text. The refrain, variously translated as "His love/lovingkindness/faithfulness/faithful love endures forever/is everlasting," forms the second half of each of the twenty-six verses.
Several ideas are striking in thinking about this psalm of praise to God. First of all, if as easily supposed this writing was used in worship, why do we not have more like it? There are certainly other attributes of God worthy of repetition in the minds of those who worship. Secondly, all of the remembrances for which God is to be praised have to do with His mighty acts of both creation and salvation. Though the Book of Psalms includes many very personal requests, complaints, and thankful utterances, this one is primarily concerning the people of God as a whole, and secondarily the rest of humanity. Thirdly, both creation and salvation are ongoing, in the sense that there is a sustaining interest of God in the well being of His creatures.
And, of course, there is that refrain. Yesterday's comments concerned what characteristic most fully and adequately identifies God; the conclusion was that it was not His power, though this is affirmed, but His personal care for those He loves. Similarly, the refrain in Ps. 136, the piece which surely was taken home firmly implanted in the mind of the worshipper was that God's faithful love (NLT) will never cease.
There are many things we count on in the world we live in. For as much as we relish the thought of personal autonomy and independence, we nonetheless also want to be able to place confidence in certain things happening and in certain persons performing in predictable, consistent fashion. Today we are reminded that such unchanging character and performance is finally characteristic of God and God alone. He has demonstrated this faithful love repeatedly, in ways which could add thousands of verses to the psalm. The conclusion would be the same in each verse, as yet again we recite together: "His faithful love lasts forever." Nothing else does. Nothing else needs to.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
A Godly God
Text: Psalm 146
What makes God God? It's not exactly a trick question. It concerns one of the day's most talked about theological concepts.
There are many today who want to point out the dependence of Christian theology on philosophy, some approvingly so and others attempting to demonstrate deficiencies in doctrinal statements owing from this dependence. While all of this may seem a bit complicated, the purpose of theology is to make God known in distinction from any and all competing ideas. What this means is that we must allow God to be understood as He has revealed Himself, and not to a preconceived idea.
Let's be more specific. We are often deceived into thinking of a concept of God, into which the God of the Bible is place. The categories come from somewhere other than scripture, then the biblical God is molded to shape in order to fit the description. So ideas like omnipotence, omniscience, immutability, etc., are posed as the necessary "qualifications for a being to possess if He/She/It is worthy of the name "God." Now, let's be clear: the God of the Bible does fit this bill so far; but it's not enough to give us the God who actually exists.
The God we worship and are called upon to praise is an acting, living, loving, and personal God. So while there are sufficient reminders of His creative and world-sustaining power, we are more frequently introduced to Him by a very different set of descriptors. This God Executes justice, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens the eyes of the blind, raises up those who are bowed down, loves the righteous, protects strangers, supports the fatherless and widow. And this God seems to glory in being known for these deeds rather than for displays of power in the natural world.
Having this God allows us to make sense of our duty to faithfulness and godliness--the quality of actions which mimmic those of God as He is. We cannot comprehend, much less imitate omnipotence. But we can do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God as He is known in His acting. It's what makes Him the godliest of Gods.
What makes God God? It's not exactly a trick question. It concerns one of the day's most talked about theological concepts.
There are many today who want to point out the dependence of Christian theology on philosophy, some approvingly so and others attempting to demonstrate deficiencies in doctrinal statements owing from this dependence. While all of this may seem a bit complicated, the purpose of theology is to make God known in distinction from any and all competing ideas. What this means is that we must allow God to be understood as He has revealed Himself, and not to a preconceived idea.
Let's be more specific. We are often deceived into thinking of a concept of God, into which the God of the Bible is place. The categories come from somewhere other than scripture, then the biblical God is molded to shape in order to fit the description. So ideas like omnipotence, omniscience, immutability, etc., are posed as the necessary "qualifications for a being to possess if He/She/It is worthy of the name "God." Now, let's be clear: the God of the Bible does fit this bill so far; but it's not enough to give us the God who actually exists.
The God we worship and are called upon to praise is an acting, living, loving, and personal God. So while there are sufficient reminders of His creative and world-sustaining power, we are more frequently introduced to Him by a very different set of descriptors. This God Executes justice, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens the eyes of the blind, raises up those who are bowed down, loves the righteous, protects strangers, supports the fatherless and widow. And this God seems to glory in being known for these deeds rather than for displays of power in the natural world.
Having this God allows us to make sense of our duty to faithfulness and godliness--the quality of actions which mimmic those of God as He is. We cannot comprehend, much less imitate omnipotence. But we can do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God as He is known in His acting. It's what makes Him the godliest of Gods.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Sigh of Relief
Text: Psalm 97
What seems to have the upper hand in today's world? Injustice? Terrorists? Rogue nations with nuclear weapons capabilities? Computer hackers ready to destroy the financial infrastructure and/or the nation's power grid? Maybe something more mundane, like cancer, or just plain greed?
To be sure, these things do pose threats to life as we currently know it and expect to live it. In particular places these and other powers have assumed control for a time. And we should not be so confident that it cannot happen to us. How's that for a cheerful thought in the morning?
Believers, however, recognize that nothing can wrest final authority from the God who made the worlds and all that exists. And the smugness of those who pretend to control destinies will eventually be brought down to its rightful place. Nothing can stop Him from doing what He decides to do. Not even death, the final enemy. Not any of the things we will hear and read about when news is broadcast to cover the major events of the day, things which can create considerable anxiety if we forget that none of it can trump the purposes of God.
As we go about our various callings in society it is easy to see things through the eyes of the small piece of the world we regularly inhabit at work or in the communities we are part of. The eyes of faith, however, see the broader view of God's work in history, as we move from the redemption brought in Christ toward the climax of all things, when He is indeed all in all. What we do until then is worship and work. We worship to renew our hope as God meets with us; we work by hating evil where we find it, not just to turn away from it, but to bring the light of God in such a way as to chase evil from the very places that now seem so imposing due to the presence of false power.
As we participate, we can indeed be glad in the Lord, even when the news is foreboding; evil will not win.
What seems to have the upper hand in today's world? Injustice? Terrorists? Rogue nations with nuclear weapons capabilities? Computer hackers ready to destroy the financial infrastructure and/or the nation's power grid? Maybe something more mundane, like cancer, or just plain greed?
To be sure, these things do pose threats to life as we currently know it and expect to live it. In particular places these and other powers have assumed control for a time. And we should not be so confident that it cannot happen to us. How's that for a cheerful thought in the morning?
Believers, however, recognize that nothing can wrest final authority from the God who made the worlds and all that exists. And the smugness of those who pretend to control destinies will eventually be brought down to its rightful place. Nothing can stop Him from doing what He decides to do. Not even death, the final enemy. Not any of the things we will hear and read about when news is broadcast to cover the major events of the day, things which can create considerable anxiety if we forget that none of it can trump the purposes of God.
As we go about our various callings in society it is easy to see things through the eyes of the small piece of the world we regularly inhabit at work or in the communities we are part of. The eyes of faith, however, see the broader view of God's work in history, as we move from the redemption brought in Christ toward the climax of all things, when He is indeed all in all. What we do until then is worship and work. We worship to renew our hope as God meets with us; we work by hating evil where we find it, not just to turn away from it, but to bring the light of God in such a way as to chase evil from the very places that now seem so imposing due to the presence of false power.
As we participate, we can indeed be glad in the Lord, even when the news is foreboding; evil will not win.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
It's All New
Text: Psalm 103
How rich the Psalms become when viewed from a resurrection perspective! The mighty acts of God were indeed celebrated in the literature of the Hebrew Bible. How much more the very words and phrases jump out with the reality of Easter brought afresh to our awareness, particularly after the Lenten period of reflection and repentance.
In the words of the psalm for today, hear these phrases from this side of the empty tomb: "Bless the Lord . . . who redeems your life from the pit, . . . has not dealt with us according to our sins, . . . knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust."
These words, now renewed yet again, are given to us in a call for God's praise to be brought forth from all quarters. Unlike so many of our present day summons to praise, it is not for granting us good homes, good jobs, political freedom, healthy children, or any of the blessings we may or may not experience in this life. Perhaps we have unwittingly become victims of the very consumerism we hope to escape in our culture, when our praise is a matter of giving God the credit for our possessing of the very same goods the rest of the world is chasing. We're often somewhat puzzled when we don't share in them.
But the call to praise is for so much more than these things, all of which perish with us or even before us. It is for the crowning achievement of God's grace--the provision of redemption from the very decay which claims soul, body, and all of the goods we attach so closely and carefully therewith. And it frees us to live with an eye to God and how we might reflect that glory in whatever circumstances we find ourselves caught up in.
With so many asking why God, if He exists, does not do something about our many troubles, the word must come from His praising people: Oh, but He has and He is! He has answered evil in Christ by taking it onto Himself; and He is in the process of making the redemption effective through the most unlikely of assistants--us, with all of our brokenness, now made to be partakers of and witnesses to so great a salvation!
Yes, bless the Lord, oh my soul.
How rich the Psalms become when viewed from a resurrection perspective! The mighty acts of God were indeed celebrated in the literature of the Hebrew Bible. How much more the very words and phrases jump out with the reality of Easter brought afresh to our awareness, particularly after the Lenten period of reflection and repentance.
In the words of the psalm for today, hear these phrases from this side of the empty tomb: "Bless the Lord . . . who redeems your life from the pit, . . . has not dealt with us according to our sins, . . . knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust."
These words, now renewed yet again, are given to us in a call for God's praise to be brought forth from all quarters. Unlike so many of our present day summons to praise, it is not for granting us good homes, good jobs, political freedom, healthy children, or any of the blessings we may or may not experience in this life. Perhaps we have unwittingly become victims of the very consumerism we hope to escape in our culture, when our praise is a matter of giving God the credit for our possessing of the very same goods the rest of the world is chasing. We're often somewhat puzzled when we don't share in them.
But the call to praise is for so much more than these things, all of which perish with us or even before us. It is for the crowning achievement of God's grace--the provision of redemption from the very decay which claims soul, body, and all of the goods we attach so closely and carefully therewith. And it frees us to live with an eye to God and how we might reflect that glory in whatever circumstances we find ourselves caught up in.
With so many asking why God, if He exists, does not do something about our many troubles, the word must come from His praising people: Oh, but He has and He is! He has answered evil in Christ by taking it onto Himself; and He is in the process of making the redemption effective through the most unlikely of assistants--us, with all of our brokenness, now made to be partakers of and witnesses to so great a salvation!
Yes, bless the Lord, oh my soul.
Monday, April 5, 2010
It's All Being Taken Care Of
Author's Note: Readings on this site will be chosen from the Daily Office readings from the Book of Common Prayer. Readers are encouraged to follow as many of those texts as possible, though only one will be selected for comment. Reading the selected text is assumed in the writing.
Text: Psalm 98
Never more than the day after Easter should we be aware of the wonderful things the Lord has done. He has, indeed, gained the victory and made His salvation known. Christ is risen!
It is likely that all of us need this reminder from time to time. We so easily find ourselves in a time of joyful worship on Sunday--particularly on Easter--and then back into a setting in which the victory of God has not yet been made known. This very experience is a major reason that each Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection; each week's worship should in some fashion point to the redeeming work of God in Christ, with the promise of completion in the days to come.
When the psalmist tells us to shout joyfully and sing, it is because of something that has changed and is changing. When God's salvation comes, things are different from what they were before. For salvation to have any meaning, there must be some condition from which to be saved. And it is a condition from which the saving work could not be accomplished on our own. Sin and death certainly qualify for such a condition. I suspect that while this psalm was written in celebration of a particular time in which God delivered His people from a hopeless situation and is worthy of our repeating when we experience such victory, the fullness points to an eschatological victory. It will only then be true that all the ends of the earth will indeed see His salvation.
Until that occurs, we will continue to see places in our everyday world where God has not yet won the victory in a visible sense; greed, frustration, despair, anger, jealousy, violence, etc., are all too much an active part of that world. Inequality, injustice among the nations are very real. War continues to tear apart communities and families. Christians sing and praise God not only, not even primarily, because of individual lives being transformed; they do so in anticipation of what God will yet accomplish on a much grander scale, inclusive of nations now at war.
I am especially encouraged by the closing words of Psalm 98. They assure us that it will not be a human decision as to who is judged and on what basis. Our world seems so intent on assigning blame and praise to people and nations based on so limited a perspective of what is really true, right, and just. Knowing that God Himself will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity takes it out of our hands so that we may live before Him in humility and in the steps of Jesus, whose resurrection is our guarantee that he can be trusted. So, yes, sing!
Text: Psalm 98
Never more than the day after Easter should we be aware of the wonderful things the Lord has done. He has, indeed, gained the victory and made His salvation known. Christ is risen!
It is likely that all of us need this reminder from time to time. We so easily find ourselves in a time of joyful worship on Sunday--particularly on Easter--and then back into a setting in which the victory of God has not yet been made known. This very experience is a major reason that each Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection; each week's worship should in some fashion point to the redeeming work of God in Christ, with the promise of completion in the days to come.
When the psalmist tells us to shout joyfully and sing, it is because of something that has changed and is changing. When God's salvation comes, things are different from what they were before. For salvation to have any meaning, there must be some condition from which to be saved. And it is a condition from which the saving work could not be accomplished on our own. Sin and death certainly qualify for such a condition. I suspect that while this psalm was written in celebration of a particular time in which God delivered His people from a hopeless situation and is worthy of our repeating when we experience such victory, the fullness points to an eschatological victory. It will only then be true that all the ends of the earth will indeed see His salvation.
Until that occurs, we will continue to see places in our everyday world where God has not yet won the victory in a visible sense; greed, frustration, despair, anger, jealousy, violence, etc., are all too much an active part of that world. Inequality, injustice among the nations are very real. War continues to tear apart communities and families. Christians sing and praise God not only, not even primarily, because of individual lives being transformed; they do so in anticipation of what God will yet accomplish on a much grander scale, inclusive of nations now at war.
I am especially encouraged by the closing words of Psalm 98. They assure us that it will not be a human decision as to who is judged and on what basis. Our world seems so intent on assigning blame and praise to people and nations based on so limited a perspective of what is really true, right, and just. Knowing that God Himself will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity takes it out of our hands so that we may live before Him in humility and in the steps of Jesus, whose resurrection is our guarantee that he can be trusted. So, yes, sing!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Something New
Text: Luke 24:1-12
Yes, it was unexpected. Yes, it was unbelievable. Yes, it took a lot of convincing before those who had not seen the events unfolding. That's because nothing like it had occurred before; so we read, in v.11, "but the story sounded like nonsense, so they didn't believe it." (NLT)
It's easy for us to overlook this too readily. We tend to think that it was easier for people in the first century to believe a report of the resurrection of Jesus than it is today. Without a doubt, such sentiments exist today, even within the walls of the church--it's just too incredible to be real. No one in their right mind would believe such a thing could actually take place. It's just too unbelievable.
First century people had no more experience with people rising from the dead than does ours. The story was just hard then as it would be now for anyone to believe the gospel accounts. And that's the point. This report of a resurrected Christ was not something which could easily be foisted upon an uncritical crowd. That wouldn't work at all, unless it were true. The reluctance to believe on the part of those closest to Jesus confirms one thing: they had no more expectation that dead people rise than we do.
It is still quite commonplace to come across the occasional skeptic who proclaims that the whole resurrection idea can't be taken very seriously. So the attempts are made to come up with a "better" or more "sophisticated" way of saying that it is only a spiritual sense in which Jesus rose from the dead. But it is only the resurrection which can adequately explain why anyone would want to spread the faith at all.
And because of its truth, the resurrection is what assures us that things buried yesterday are recoverable and usable in the Lord's hands, whether they were things we have done or things other people have done to us. May today be the day of resurrection of new hope in your life in an area that was cluttered with all manor of junk. There will be no better time.
Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed!
Yes, it was unexpected. Yes, it was unbelievable. Yes, it took a lot of convincing before those who had not seen the events unfolding. That's because nothing like it had occurred before; so we read, in v.11, "but the story sounded like nonsense, so they didn't believe it." (NLT)
It's easy for us to overlook this too readily. We tend to think that it was easier for people in the first century to believe a report of the resurrection of Jesus than it is today. Without a doubt, such sentiments exist today, even within the walls of the church--it's just too incredible to be real. No one in their right mind would believe such a thing could actually take place. It's just too unbelievable.
First century people had no more experience with people rising from the dead than does ours. The story was just hard then as it would be now for anyone to believe the gospel accounts. And that's the point. This report of a resurrected Christ was not something which could easily be foisted upon an uncritical crowd. That wouldn't work at all, unless it were true. The reluctance to believe on the part of those closest to Jesus confirms one thing: they had no more expectation that dead people rise than we do.
It is still quite commonplace to come across the occasional skeptic who proclaims that the whole resurrection idea can't be taken very seriously. So the attempts are made to come up with a "better" or more "sophisticated" way of saying that it is only a spiritual sense in which Jesus rose from the dead. But it is only the resurrection which can adequately explain why anyone would want to spread the faith at all.
And because of its truth, the resurrection is what assures us that things buried yesterday are recoverable and usable in the Lord's hands, whether they were things we have done or things other people have done to us. May today be the day of resurrection of new hope in your life in an area that was cluttered with all manor of junk. There will be no better time.
Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Buried
AUTHOR'S NOTE: These devotional thoughts are scheduled to end with Easter tomorrow. If there is sufficient interest, they will be continued. Please give indication of such a desire either in the comment section below or via facebook. Thanks.
Text: Luke 23:50-56
"Crucified, dead, and buried . . .." So we recite in the Apostles' Creed concerning the end of pre-resurrection life of our Lord. Today's text is Luke's giving flesh and bone to the line in the creed, including mention of those who saw to it that the burial be done with customary dignity.
Rather than the details, however significant they may be to other concerns, let us fix our attention for today on the fact of Jesus' burial and what it means to believers through the ages. The day between crucifixion and resurrection gives due time to think of the meaning of both what has died and what is yet to come. It is, in the words of a great hymn, "death of death and hell's destruction," accompanied by the prayer to "land us safe on heaven's shore."
Through the past week the reflections have centered around the experiences of various kinds of suffering which we are prone to encounter in life. We noted that Jesus Christ, the man, walked the very same path, and is very much our brother in times of great distress because he has been down that road. When we dare to believe that he bore our burdens of sin and sadness, we can see these burdens in only one place--the tomb of Jesus. The pain of abandonment, betrayal, rejection, and physical, psychological, and emotional trauma is laid in the tomb with Christ for those who are "in Him." They no longer define us or identify us; they have lost their power to control us as we await new life.
Before Easter dawns anew, we are encouraged to allow the things which bind us to die their death in Christ. He has already borne them. Imagine what it would be like to have that old feud or grudge, that nagging sense of unforgiveness, the rocky relationship, the abandonment of a once-trusted friend no longer tell you who you are. Now imagine that it does not depend on that other person because Christ has borne it all. Let death come, let the sin and sadness be buried.
Text: Luke 23:50-56
"Crucified, dead, and buried . . .." So we recite in the Apostles' Creed concerning the end of pre-resurrection life of our Lord. Today's text is Luke's giving flesh and bone to the line in the creed, including mention of those who saw to it that the burial be done with customary dignity.
Rather than the details, however significant they may be to other concerns, let us fix our attention for today on the fact of Jesus' burial and what it means to believers through the ages. The day between crucifixion and resurrection gives due time to think of the meaning of both what has died and what is yet to come. It is, in the words of a great hymn, "death of death and hell's destruction," accompanied by the prayer to "land us safe on heaven's shore."
Through the past week the reflections have centered around the experiences of various kinds of suffering which we are prone to encounter in life. We noted that Jesus Christ, the man, walked the very same path, and is very much our brother in times of great distress because he has been down that road. When we dare to believe that he bore our burdens of sin and sadness, we can see these burdens in only one place--the tomb of Jesus. The pain of abandonment, betrayal, rejection, and physical, psychological, and emotional trauma is laid in the tomb with Christ for those who are "in Him." They no longer define us or identify us; they have lost their power to control us as we await new life.
Before Easter dawns anew, we are encouraged to allow the things which bind us to die their death in Christ. He has already borne them. Imagine what it would be like to have that old feud or grudge, that nagging sense of unforgiveness, the rocky relationship, the abandonment of a once-trusted friend no longer tell you who you are. Now imagine that it does not depend on that other person because Christ has borne it all. Let death come, let the sin and sadness be buried.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Jesus Knows Pain and Death
Text: Luke 23:26-49
If there were ever a time and place for silence, it is now, before this text. Paul affirmed that the only thing worth knowing and proclaiming is Christ crucified. Without it, we have nothing to offer; with it, everything changes.
Remember to see and hear a human Jesus, even as we affirm his divinity, on the cross. See him there, and wonder.
If there were ever a time and place for silence, it is now, before this text. Paul affirmed that the only thing worth knowing and proclaiming is Christ crucified. Without it, we have nothing to offer; with it, everything changes.
Remember to see and hear a human Jesus, even as we affirm his divinity, on the cross. See him there, and wonder.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Jesus Knows Irrationality
Text: Luke 23:13-25
Sometimes there is just no explanation. Logic is inactive or ineffective in all too many cases of human decision, particularly when mob psychology is in play. Sin is of that sort. In the final analysis, it can't really be explained because it is irrational, and therefor not subject to analysis via the laws of logic. Blaise Pascal said as much more than 300 years ago.
Yes, Pilate was a weak if beleaguered leader. But how different he was from the majority of the human race is much more open to question. A recent recounting of 1960's television game show experiments showed that contestants would administer serious electric jolts to a victim when urged on by an excitable audience (all staged, but not known to the trigger man). What people will do when a crowd is not only watching, but demanding a certain course of action will appall them at any other point. So, I suspect with Pilate.
It was not only the governor who acted against better judgment. The crowd itself was manipulated into shouting things that flew in the face of their own opinions just days earlier. What did they think about when they went home to sleep over the next couple of days? What do college kids or sports fans recall regarding incited behavior from a major loss or victory (it doesn't seem to matter which way the game is actually decided) coupled with a supply of alcohol? We get caught up in the prevailing mood so easily, only to ask later, "What was I thinking?"
The sentencing of our Lord took place in such an atmosphere. Perhaps it is fitting, maybe even inevitable, that sin be dealt with in such fashion--that irrational rebellion against God in which we have all participated coming to a head with a mob of "normal" people whipped into a frenzy and demanding the irrational response from one who knew it to be so, and acquiesced anyway, against his own reason.
Oh God! Have mercy.
Sometimes there is just no explanation. Logic is inactive or ineffective in all too many cases of human decision, particularly when mob psychology is in play. Sin is of that sort. In the final analysis, it can't really be explained because it is irrational, and therefor not subject to analysis via the laws of logic. Blaise Pascal said as much more than 300 years ago.
Yes, Pilate was a weak if beleaguered leader. But how different he was from the majority of the human race is much more open to question. A recent recounting of 1960's television game show experiments showed that contestants would administer serious electric jolts to a victim when urged on by an excitable audience (all staged, but not known to the trigger man). What people will do when a crowd is not only watching, but demanding a certain course of action will appall them at any other point. So, I suspect with Pilate.
It was not only the governor who acted against better judgment. The crowd itself was manipulated into shouting things that flew in the face of their own opinions just days earlier. What did they think about when they went home to sleep over the next couple of days? What do college kids or sports fans recall regarding incited behavior from a major loss or victory (it doesn't seem to matter which way the game is actually decided) coupled with a supply of alcohol? We get caught up in the prevailing mood so easily, only to ask later, "What was I thinking?"
The sentencing of our Lord took place in such an atmosphere. Perhaps it is fitting, maybe even inevitable, that sin be dealt with in such fashion--that irrational rebellion against God in which we have all participated coming to a head with a mob of "normal" people whipped into a frenzy and demanding the irrational response from one who knew it to be so, and acquiesced anyway, against his own reason.
Oh God! Have mercy.
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