A Modest Proposal--At Least Listen

Last week we talked a bit about the fifth commandment--"honor your father and mother."  The command establishes a hierarchy for ancient Israel.  It provides order; and it is the mechanism through the faith is passed on (working from the assumption that one generational is honorable, of course).

The command also invites us to consider others we are called to honor.  Hebrews 13 instructs us to obey and submit to our spiritual leaders.  1 Peter calls us to honor the emperor and our masters, even when we are treated poorly.

I believe that all of this is a little troubling to our modern ears.  We have been trained to believe that we should be free from all authority and tradition.  No doubt, this modern movement has created much good in our world.  There were beliefs that needed to be challenged, superstitions that needed to be set aside and corrupt leaders in need of correction.   Yet, I fear we've taken all of this a little too.

Now, we believe that we can be our own authority in matters of faith and life.  This is part of the struggle some have with church.  They state, I don't want anyone telling me that there might be a better way to live or a better way to believe.  I want to be free to forge my own path.  I want to interpret the Bible on my own.

Again, this stance has its place in some circumstances.  However, as a way of life, it is dangerous.  When we are left to ourselves we become less than our true selves.  As humans we are really good at self-deception.  We can easily paint ourselves with the best colors, glossing over some of our deepest faults.  Without the help of others guiding us, we can remain stuck in ways that hurt us and others.  Furthermore, wisdom is usually passed down from one generation to the next.

Therefore my modest proposal is that we at start by listening well.  Listen carefully to those who have gone before, to those who have lived the life well.  Listen carefully to loving friends and faithful leaders.

Jesus says beware of how you listen:  "Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away."  The point is, those who lean in hungry to learn are those have and receive more; those who fold their arms, roll their eyes and shut their ears--either out of boredom or arrogance--are those who lose what they thought they had.  One is blessed, the other is not.

Another way to put it is to say that if we truly want to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of God's son, Jesus Christ, then we will be hungry--hungry to learn, hungry to listen and honor those who are truly honorable.

Let's listen well then, longing to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

As Smart As A Mule

“Let's start with that most offensive of mule stereotypes, namely that they are stubborn. Nothing could be further from the truth, according to mule expert John Hauer, author of The Natural Superiority of Mules (Skyhorse Publishing) just out in its second edition. As he explains, mules aren't stubborn. They're simply too intelligent to do stupid things. They also have a powerful self-protective streak. Load up a mule with too much weight and it'll refuse to budge. But when you lighten the load to a point the mule deems acceptable, it'll get moving sure enough. Another example: When a mule is exhausted after a long day on the trail, it'll stop. Stubbornness? No. Self-preservation.  By contrast, a horse can be ridden to death . . . “  "(The Misunderstood Mule,” Saturday Evening Post, May 1, 2014)

Perhaps this quotes speaks to us about the wisdom of the Sabbath.  Last Sunday we looked at the fourth command from Exodus 20--the invitation to take a Sabbath.  I suggested the Sabbath is a liberating practice that should shape the way we live in the world.   

One of the things I discovered is the richness of the Sabbath.  The word Sabbath means "to stop."  Accordingly, everyone and everything is supposed to rest in Israel--workers, resident aliens, animals, and even the land (Leviticus 23 & 25).  This resting should shape the way we live.  We cease from our restless anxiety and greed. Then, we honor God with others by holding a "holy convocation" (Leviticus 23:3).  

How else could Israel remember whose they are and who they are?  Put another way, to keep the first three commandments of being rightly related to God and to keep the last five commandments of loving our neighbors well, Israel needed a Sabbath to remind them of their unique call in life.  They needed a weekly break to focus on God.   

What's the bare minimum for us?  I would suggest you consider the following:  First, you should be in church every week, unless you're sick or out of town.  Make gathering with the people of God a priority and a joyous routine.  Where else can you go to hear such wonderful words like love, righteousness, justice, peace, hope and faith?  Secondly, find a way to cease from your everyday activities to be attentive to God and others in an extravagant manner-- i.e., a prayer walk, a dinner with friends, an afternoon of rest and reading. These two times might combine; they might not.  We're not called to rules but to practices that help us grow in Christ.    

Nonetheless, there is too much wisdom in the Sabbath to dismiss it.  The only question remains, are we as smart as a mule?  

Does Everything Have a Reason?

You've probably heard it said a couple of hundred times that "everything happens for a reason."  In my experience, Christians and non-Christians alike espouse this naturalistic philosophy.  The aphorism is used when the unexpected happens and when hopes are frustrated.   But is it true?  Does everything happen for a reason?

It seems to me there are some events of unspeakable horror that defy any reasonable explanation.  Loss of loved ones, wars, starving children and victims of abuse all represent situations where it would be nearly impossible for me to state, "everything happens for a reason."  We must not forget there is evil in this world.  Creation is good but broken, and therefore, disorder (irrationality) will win some battles.    

On the other hand, it there is a rational order to this universe that is moving all things toward victory.  We might call this providence.  We've all experienced God's guidance--a closed door that spared us some trouble or a frustrated plan that worked for our good.   Goodness does follow us and lead us in ways that surprise us.  Yet, we must be careful.  Such a belief can't be embraced as a solvent to everything bad.  It's not that easy.  

Regardless, there is one truth we can affirm.   We believe that God is working for our good.  It doesn't mean that he is behind everything or is responsible for the evil we experience or even that everything happens for a reason.  Rather we believe that God works in all situations for our good as he leads us home.  Paul put it like this:  "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."  God isn't necessarily the direct cause of all things, but he works in all things.  For that we can celebrate today!  

Leisure Time and The End For Which We're Created

"How strange, then, to the modern ear that Aristotle answer his own question, 'What ought we to do when at leisure?' with the response:  'Clearly we ought not to be amusing ourselves, for then amusement would be the end of life.'  For Aristotle, we only know how to spend our leisure time if we know what our lives are for and the end to which our lives are to be directed."  (Dunnington, Addiction and Virtue, 114-115).  

These words are indeed challenging in our current climate.  It seems as if one can easily live merely to be entertained.  We are consummate consumers, continually searching for another experience, another show, and more excitement.  As Christians we should be people of substance and depth, longing to be shaped and transformed by the Truth.  

It would be fun for us to think about what we do with our leisure time and what it says about what we truly value.  This question is more critical at a time when church attendance is waning and the amount of time people spend watching TV is increasing.  

Granted we don't want to fall prey to legalism, where we assign artificial standards and regulate other's lives, but perhaps God's grace is calling us to something more than just living to keep ourselves entertained.  

Peace.  

Belief in Free Will?

(Before you read this, please note, I'm not trying to start a fight with anyone. This is a topic to be discussed between Christian brothers and sisters who recognize that we are trying to describe an ineffable God, who is beyond our understanding, and who eludes our grasp. We all see through a glass darkly, therefore imperfectly this side of heaven. Nonetheless, I feel talking about theological differences helps us clarify what we believe, while recognizing that these differences do not need to separate or divide us. With all this in mind, feel free to journey with me.)

I just finished what I believe is an important book for all Christians interested in Reformed and Arminian theology. Roger Olson, the author of Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities, outlines the common misunderstandings of Arminian theology as often presented by those in the Reformed tradition. The book is very enlightening and one that should grace the shelves of every pastor in America.

One of the more interesting comments he makes is that the heart of Arminian theology is not free will. Quite honestly this statement was news to me. I had assumed, along with most everyone else, that free will is the dividing line, the central issue that separates the Calvinists from the Wesleyans. However, the issue is much deeper than to believe or not to believe in free will.

Olson writes: "Arminianism begins with God's goodness and ends by affirming free will. The latter follows from the former, and the former is based on divine revelation; God reveals himself as unconditionally and unequivocally good, which does not exclude justice and wrathful retribution. It only excludes the possibility of God sinning, willing others to sin or causing sin" (99).

In other words, Arminius was somewhat troubled by certain schemes that suggest sin was willed or caused by God. According to some, since God controls absolutely everything, including human choice, God also caused or willed the first human couple to sin. Furthermore, many work from the assumption that God has already foreordained some to be saved and others to be damned. According to Arminius views like this implicate God in the sin and evil of the world.

But if God is good and just, it would seem impossible for God to set up a universe where both sin and evil would be inevitable. This is where free will is affirmed. God created the world and humans with the ability to resist his love, otherwise a true relationship is not possible.

Now such an affirmation does not deny that God is not in control. Nor does it deny that God is capable of controlling the decisions of certain people for his good purposes. The bible affirms that God is in control and that he does control history through the actions of others. What Arminius denies is that God controls all human choices, especially the choice to rebel against God. For doesn't scripture teach that God desires the salvation of every human being? 1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9 seem to suggest that it does.

Now the question remains, Does this mean humans actually choose God? The answer is no. We don't choose God. Rather, God calls and woos and directs and persuades. Arminius calls this work of God prior to our acceptance of his mercy as prevenient grace, the grace that goes before. You see, before saying yes to God's forgiving love, God was there guiding and directing. Therefore we can never take credit for our choice. It's all of God. The only real freedom we have is the freedom to resist. That's it.

In short, God is good, thoroughly good, he wills the harm and destruction of no one but works for the healing of all.

Peace.

Are Experiences Potential Idols?

I've had some really interesting conversations lately about the church that are making me think about what we really value.

In one conversation we were talking about how feelings get attached to certain activities in the church, then those activities become sacred. For instance music has this effect on us. When we were young there were certain songs that lifted our depressed souls to the hope of heaven. Because of that experience, that particular song becomes sacred and even more theologically sound in our minds.

The same happens with certain objects in the church. Many might say, "Back in the day I experienced God's forgiving love at the altar of a church; ever since then, I've returned to an altar in prayer to remember God's grace in my life." The pattern is the same: the experience makes the altar sacred.

This approach can be multiplied many times over with a variety of issues--certain prayers, responses to the gospel message, ways of participating in communion. When these are associated with strong feelings we assume they're sacred and should never be changed.

Well in this recent meeting with these wonderful pastors, we kept going back to this issue of how spiritual experiences really shape our understanding of how churches should function. Many people want that song that blessed them in the 1950s. Others want to see people respond to the gospel just like they did. After several rounds of this, I finally blurted out, "Maybe the problem is our overemphasis on experience."

Now don't get me wrong, the gospel has to be appropriated--individually and personally. I believe, along with Paul, the Spirit pours his love into our hearts (Romans 5). However a person who continually seeks an experience might be stunting their spiritual growth and maybe even the growth of the church.

St. John of the Cross speaks to this issue repeatedly. He argues that to seek spiritual consolation is often but another way to avoid growing up in Christ. Many Christians want that "Old Time Religion" and its feelings, clinging to the past and continually longing for that same spiritual feeling. When it's put in these terms, it appears they're seeking an experience and not really God. They become spiritual gluttons, unwilling to take up their cross and journey with Jesus, thinking that Christianity is all about feeling better about oneself. They also become a little judgmental toward anyone who doesn't share their experience. Therefore they remain immature, refusing to move forward and journey with God, staying stuck in the past with an over-reliance on feelings, unwilling to rejoice with those who are serving Christ with different songs or forms of worship.

I believe the better approach is to seek God and what he's doing in the music and in the sermons and in the activities of the church. In fact St. John of the Cross suggests that we should never indulge an experience; the experiences and its feelings need to be set aside immediately before it creates confusion in our spiritual lives. The point is not the feeling but what God is doing to shape us into his disciples. Feelings, though important as gifts from God, can often detract us from the call to journey with Jesus in obedience.

God might be ready to bless new songs, different sermon forms, new ways of doing church. Think about the early church and it's decision to give up circumcision. Wow! Talk about a sacred tradition. Yet, they gave it up because God was doing a new thing.

What about us? What does God want to bless? What is he blessing? Dare we protest because we're seeking spiritual consolation? I think not.

Peace.

Customer Service

Several months ago we landscaped our backyard. I selected, intentionally, a company that prided itself on customer service. For the most part they were dedicated to trying to make me happy.

After a while I started to realize their effort to please was somewhat disconcerting. They continually asked me, What do you want? How many inches of exposed foundation? How many drains? Do you like this drainage system?

As they peppered me with these questions I realized that in some areas of life a high premium on customer service can be problematic. After all, I'm not the expert; they should be telling me this is what we believe will work.

This little lesson applies to the church. The church should not be gripped by the foolish dream of trying to make our "customers" happy. No doubt, we should be hospitable and loving. But should we strive to please? I don't think so.

The church is called to proclaim the truth about God. We don't have the luxury to discern what perceived needs need to be met to keep people happy. Instead we must learn to situate ourselves in the story of God's revelation through Israel and Israel's messiah.

Of course this is no excuse for arrogance or for a refusal to listen. But when it comes down to it, the gospel defines the need as well as the answer. So the question remains, Will we allow our lives to be re-narrated by the story of sin and redemption?

Peace.