Resurrection and Rejoicing

 

Monday, April 5, 2021

The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.  This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.  This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:22-24

“Cornerstone” is used often in Scripture.  A cornerstone is the first building block for a foundation, that from which every other part of a building takes its reference. 

The cornerstone[1] of which Jesus spoke in the Gospel accounts (and later the apostles) is a reference to the Psalmist’s Messianic prophecy, a sign of how wrong humankind can get God’s plans.  Jesus, being born in a manger, living a perfect, sinless life, offering healing and help for all, was rejected by the powerful leaders of Israel, as well as the crowds.  He was nailed to a cross on Good Friday, tossed away like a misfit for the building.  On Sunday morning the entire meaning of life, death, and resurrection, along with every reason to rejoice, took on new significance when the women discovered the stone had been rolled away.  The builders of Israel’s earthly kingdom had failed miserably in recognizing the chief cornerstone, Christ, upon whom all of God’s eternal Kingdom, would depend.

Movements throughout the history of humankind always begin with an idea, often righteous and lofty.  Just as often they come unglued because selfish people snatch the momentum of a movement to turn a profit.  The old saying about the corrupting influence of power culminating in absolute corruption is never truer than in religion.  Steeped in mystery and fear, religious movements hold common sense prisoner.  But, just as the grave could not hold Jesus captive, neither can any human-constructed systems stand in the wake of God’s choosing.  Death had to flee for its existance in Jesus’ tomb; so the corruption of men’s plans.

There are many movements afoot today, along with knee-jerk counter movements.  (Black and Blue Lives Mattering, Gender line-crossing, Racial, ethnic, and women’s issues, just to skim the highlights.).  Among all of these are a germ of resusscitation for those on the margin who have been beaten-down, tossed-out, and forgotten.  There are also (as in every other human-driven movement) those willing to push an agenda that has nothing to do with righteousness.  If you look below the surface, past the silliness of self-aggrandizement, you will find the gold and control such hucksters really seek.  Every time there is a moment to be seized to further a “cause” the sharp-tongued manipulators can be found in front of a microphone.

That being a commentary on our time, or any other time in human history, consider the resurrection of Jesus.  His followers began announcing it to anyone who would listen.  Over the past two thousand years God’s fulfillment of his promise of restoration have caused untold millions to rejoice and turn to Christ for forgiveness and healing.  But the announcement has also been co-opted to fuel humankind lust for power in pseudo-righteous movements, crusades, and political manipulation.  This is the darkest of tragic evil which Jesus spoke concerning what man does with God’s light, tossing the cornerstone out with the bath water.  He also named the source of such evil:

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.  Ephesians 6:12

So…why rejoicing in the face of such evil times?  The short-answer is that it is a stark reminder of how our God is in control.  There is nothing happening, or that can happen, of which Jesus is not aware.  Neither is God worried; when the time is fully-ripened, this field of harvest will be reaped.

For You Today

There are many things going on in movements, disease, weather and climate worries, church numbers dwindling, culture wars, and the continuing madness of evil in our day.  But the resurrection promise still stands, no matter who or what attempts to manipulate its power. 

The one word about resurrection which can never be disingenuous is rejoice!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com      Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

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[1] There are 12 uses of this term in the New Living Translation…see them all HERE

Living in Harmony

 

Thursday, August 13, 2020

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!  For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.  Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion.  And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.  Psalm 133:1-3

Harmony is…the quality of forming a pleasing and consistent whole.[1]

Almost 40 years ago music icons Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder’s music video lit up the charts in a plea for humanity to find a way to exist in harmony:

Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony

Side by side on my piano keyboard, oh Lord, why don't we?[2]

Both of those artists helped define the distinctives of the Baby Boomer generation, those who came along after World War II.  In typical arrogance, fueled by youthful naiveté, the Boomers imagined we were the first to really get it right about how to have a perfect world.  The concept of harmony, just getting along with each other, learning to love each other, worked well in theory; in practice we didn’t do so well.

To wit:  2020.  If the dictionary is right about harmony being a pleasing, consistent whole (of divergent, cacophonous parts), we’re about as much in tune with each other in 2020 as sounds of a catfight in the middle of the night.

It’s hard for me to point a finger at the current generation for the way they’re proclaiming how to get it right in racial harmony, especially when my generation tried the same, worn-out garment of protest, public blaming, exclusion, infighting, and general unrest.  Fighting fire with fire makes for a catchy soundbite, but it’s a horrible methodology for bringing people to a point of respect, and even love, much less the promised land of harmony.

In the same way that light and the absence of light cannot exist in the same space, so harmony will never occupy the same space with anger.  Several weeks ago I preached a sermon on the text of Genesis 33[3] where estranged brothers Jacob and Esau reconciled after a 20-year feud.  The reconciliation only happened because they both decided that the anger that fueled the rift was just not working.  

In fact, putting aside the anger was the only way dust could have enough chance to settle so the importance of their relationship would be seen.

As a visual representation of the choices, I put together two doors, one marked “anger” and the other “reconciliation”.  The tagline for the sermon was:

If you choose reconciliation you must LEAVE the anger behind.  If you choose to remain angry you will NEVER reconcile with anyone.  You just can’t walk through two doors at the same time!

For You Today

Let’s go back to before this day’s generation, or my generation…back before Black Lives Matter, or Ku Klux Klan, or anything in recent memory…let’s let wisdom from Solomon be our last word.

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.  Proverbs 15:1

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

VIDEO

Title image Pixabay.com ∞  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
For other posts on Psalm 133 see Dew on the Beard and alt-Center

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[1] Oxford Dictionary

[2] Ebony and Ivory, written by Paul McCartney, 1981

[3] Read the Sermon Two Doors or watch it on Youtube

 

Don't Raise a Fist

 

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

“I warned the proud, ‘Stop your boasting!’  I told the wicked, ‘Don’t raise your fists!  Don’t raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with such arrogance.’”  For no one on earth—from east or west, or even from the wilderness—should raise a defiant fist.  It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall.  For the Lord holds a cup in his hand that is full of foaming wine mixed with spices.  He pours out the wine in judgment, and all the wicked must drink it, draining it to the dregs.  But as for me, I will always proclaim what God has done; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.  For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.”  Psalm 75:4-10

Like most people I laugh at goofy things I do, or other people do.  Humor is generally spontaneous and understandable.  We laugh when we get tickled.  One of the components of humor is absurdity.  When, for instance, you have told a two year old she cannot grab that snarling dog by the nose, and she whirls around to lock eyes with yours, and her icy glare screams I hate you, and if you don’t let me pet that puppy now I’m gonna wring your neck, you pompous idiot, well, you just gotta laugh!  It’s absurd that a two year old, who is only 30 inches tall, and weighing in at a massive 30 pounds, and not understanding the least bit of the danger of wanting something best left alone, is going to wring the neck of a 6’, 200lb father. And, if you’re not somehow tickled by that absurdity, you’d better check your pulse.

It’s humorous, but reasonably harmless to see the immature actions of a two year old; but with adults, not so much.  Adults, of any age, operating with an immature short fuse, and the power to lift a dangerous fist in anger, is not funny at all.

We have a lot of that in our culture.  Frankly, it’s in our nature.  And who is to say, definitively, exactly why it seems worse these days?  Perhaps it’s the relatively new platform that social media, or news media have given that entices and empowers the attention-grabbers towards outrageous acting-out, capitalizing on a perceived injustice.  Or, maybe, it’s just a grab for attention.  In the end, it’s still a two year old who hasn’t got a clue, but is going to demand his way.  The folly in it all, and the tragedy that follows is, in getting our way, will we be better off?

The current movement which clamours for an end to racism is a fact in point here.  An end to racism is a lovely thought, and one of which God heartily approves.  After all, God’s hand created Adam and Eve with the DNA chain that held the key to every form of diversity we now see in the human race.  To disparage one of God’s own, or any who are disparate from our tribe is to denigrate the Creator; we all hail back to the same set of parents in the garden. 

The problem with the movement du jour is not the rallying point of an end to racism, but rather with the methodolgy.  To use anger, the raised fist, either metaphorically (as in cancel culture), physically or verbally, against others and their motives, will not remove racism; rather it further divides those who are already different.  It puts those who push the anger on the same level as, say, Adolph Hitler, a monster with a heinous quest.  His quest was to push racism to it’s ugliest, purist conclusion – put all the other tribes to death, and then we’ll have a perfect society.  Adolph Hitler was just another two year old with a distorted sense of his own grandeur.

Granted, Black Lives Matter, and it’s push for an end to racism have a rightful support in their end game from any fair-minded individual.  But, unless the fist is laid down to open the hands to take my hand, and others (even the perceived enemy), they stand as just another two year old stamping his feet, pushing any hope of reconciliation down the drain.

And, considering the imagery God uses in today’s Psalm, the dregs of what’s down that drain will be a pretty rough drink to swallow when they get there.

Let’s Pray Together:

Father, forgive us our foolish ways of trying to correct violence done with more violence given. 

For You Today

Sometimes it seems like the more sophisticated and educated we get, the dumber we become.  God hates violence of all kinds…how many ways does He have to say that?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

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Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For other posts on this text:  Chosen Still and The Promise Over the Power

Ephesians 4:1-16 The Mask

 

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.  Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.  For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.  Then we will no longer be immature like children.  We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.  We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly.  As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

I read a textbook for a sociology class many years ago which was entitled The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.  The idea is that when we humans encounter each other publicly we adopt a persona, or affect, that we think others need to see so they will accept us…because we know, or suspect they are watching us closely to see our flaws.  To rephrase that in English, we tend to wear emotional masks in public so we can hide stuff from others, because we have trouble trusting people.

Today we wear physical masks, not necessarily to protect our fragile self-images, but rather for the sake of protecting others.  We wear a mask to love our neighbor as ourselves. 

Isn’t it a pity that it takes a pandemic to bring out the Jesus-follower in us?

In the last three months I’ve heard a lot of talk about what people think is going to happen to the church, considering  the virus, and our new normal of thinking about social interaction.  One such thinker said it flat-out – the church is history.  Now, those are (what we’d call in my family) fightin’ words! 

But, what if it’s true? 

·       What if some people just don’t think the church helped enough during this pandemic?  And so the church is irrelevant, and they’re not going back.

·       What if some people think all the mask-wearing, sanitizing, and distancing is just too much bother, so they’re not going back?

·       What if some have been so easily distracted by the monuments being torn down, and the anger-filled rioting, marching, and name-calling, that they’re sure it’s the end, and so they’re going to sit back like some of the first century Christians and just wait on a hill for Jesus to come back?

·       What if some people decide with all that’s going on, and no answers in sight, that God either doesn’t care, or doesn’t exist?

·       Well, what if, what if, what if…?

Well, what does history have to say about all this?

There have been 7 major plagues in modern history[1]

1.     Smallpox killed an estimated 300 million worldwide, including 60 million in the 18^th century

2.     Spanish flu took 50-100 million in 1918-19

3.     Malaria still accounts for over 2 million deaths per year.

4.     AIDS has taken nearly 25 million since first recognized in 1981

5.     Cholera has had 8 pandemic outbreaks from 1817 accounting for hundreds of thousands dead

6.     Typhus, first recognized in 430 BC took nearly all of Napoleon’s army, and has accounted for millions of deaths, 3 million alone in 1918-22 in Russia.

7.     Black Death - in the middle of the 14^th century the pandemic of the Black Plague death spread across Europe like wildfire.  It is a bacterial blood infection that leads to septecemia, and a very painful death.  In the four years of that plague, the Black Death killed nearly half of the population of Europe, and nearly ¼ of the world’s population.  (Estimates are 75 – 200 million). 

What is one thing that can be said about the result of every one of the pandemics? The church survived

IF you go ALL the way back in history, the first pandemic was at the forbidden tree.  Adam and Eve rebelled against God and were removed from the garden, where life had been perfect and peaceful.  For the first parents the first pandemic of sin made their lives much more difficult and more toilsome than when they had it easy in God’s garden, but it did not stop them from worshipping, anymore than it will stop believers from worshipping now. 

In just my lifetime I think of the rebellion of the 1960’s with the God is Dead movement, and a strong social sweep that took millions of young people away from churches.

The church survived

And there is still a remnant of the music and worship wars where the fuss between contemporary vs. traditional worship, city vs. country, racial tensions, economic arrogance, geographical posturing, old and young, theologically rigid or flimsy…there have been challenges to church unity, doctrine, ministry, and yet…

(say it with me)

The church survived

Unbelievers will always be in rebellion against God; believers will always seek Him.

And…

The church WILL survive

So, what do we do about what we know?

There are two dimensions that need to be said:

Physical Battle Masks

We need to keep our masks on and wash our hands often, not complaining like immature children.  Now that’s not a Ten Commandments kind of list.  It is a flag over our attitudes about protecting the physical health of anyone with whom we come in contact.  It’s our way of loving our neighbor as we love our own lives.

Armed with that knowledge, that the risks of this virus are real, we need to stay alert to physically do the loving thing – be healing to our community.

Spiritual Battle Masks

We need to make decisions to take off our spiritual and emotional masks of pride and selfishness.  This means being vulnerable and available to each other.  As Paul wrote in our text for today, we need to speak truth, so the whole body heals. 

That goes for more than just the people around you here today, but even those who are without faith, and do not care.  If the church doesn’t care during a time like we are experiencing now, it will make no difference after the crisis is over.

Remember, most of the times Israel was in trouble in Scripture, it was because they failed to honor God who wanted them to be His voice to a lost world.  God took his kids to the woodshed time and again for that.  If we fail at this point, what makes us think it will be any different for us?

So, church…engage, care…BE the church…especially now because God has given us this special opportunity to cast aside our cares and go to the lost, the hurting, and the least of these our brethren!

We close with a few paraphrases from Scripture:

Be of good courage…Be strong in the Lord…Do not fear that, or they, which can kill the body…reverence and serve HE who has power over death, life, and eternity.

Our Prayer

Father God, we have gathered here to worship You, and we have looked into Your holy Word for truth.  And we have had the Truth examine us.  Where we have been found wanting, Lord help us to commit our lives and liberty to the health that the truth brings.  Where we have been found worthy, let us grow into fully mature believers who lead the way for those who need to see what being the church is about in this time of crisis.

For the glory, honor, and praise to which You alone are worthy, o Lord, we pray in the Name of the Son, cooperating with the Spirit, to honor and lift up the Majesty of the Father. 

Let it be so in each of our lives…Amen!

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Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation  Matthew 10:24-39©

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[1] 7 Worst Killer Plagues in History

Violence in the Land - Part 2

 

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them.  Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them.  “We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said.  “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!”  But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.  Acts 5:26-29They called in the apostles and had them flogged.  Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go.  The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.  And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message:  “Jesus is the Messiah.”  Acts 5:40b-42

As the disciples are busy going about doing what Jesus had given them to do, spread the Good News of resurrection, salvation, and God’s great love, the ruling elders in Jerusalem are plotting.  They come off as Wile E. Coyote chasing after the Road Runner, constantly pursuing after Peter and the others, but never quite able to get a firm grip, or hold them in prison for long.  Court appearances, flogging, warnings, and political wranglings all come to nothing.  The very thing they tried to prevent (the disciples getting their message out about Jesus) is how this chapter ends…with the apostles teaching and preaching every day in the Temple and from house to house.  Beep, Beep!

There are some things that, despite man’s best efforts, are just not going to stop or be controlled in any way; tsunamis are that kind of thing, along with climate shifts, hurricanes and, especially, a movement orchestrated by the Spirit of God. 

Often in the Scriptures we see God moving at a time when God has picked.  Moses had that discussion with God at the burning bush; God had chosen that moment, and that man, to set God’s chosen free.  Pharoah found out how unwise it was to fight against the hand of Yahweh.  It cost him the life of his own firstborn son, as well as his entire army drowned in the Red Sea[1].  Earlier, another leader, Nimrod decided he wanted to be god over this earth, so he constructed a tower to declare his strength against all who would dispute him.  His tower came down in a crumbling mess because God decided otherwise.

I see the same kind of extraordinary thing happening currently in our land.  There are those who are trying desperately to hold onto the evil of past ways; specifically the notion that we are somehow different from each other.  It’s easy to see how that idea perpetuates itself, with different bone structures, skin colors, or facial appearance.  But, underneath, as we said yesterday, we are all siblings, offspring of Adam and Eve (or Lucy for you diehard evolutionists).   Our DNA may be distinct, alerting us to our individuality, but it is also the link that charts our connectedness, all the way back to our Creator.

Cutting to the chase…the event in Minneapolis that took George Floyd’s life and put Derek Chauvin behind bars, was another stain on the DNA of all of us.  And God is watching.  We should remember that when God sent Moses to set his people free, it was in response to 400 years of oppression.  It turned Egypt’s apple cart on its ear. 

America has made great progress, outlawing slavery in the 19^th century, standing for freedom around the world, and fiercely protecting human rights.  We have moved quantum-leapwise in the last decade, moving forward to electing an African American man president twice.  However, the seed of oppression still raises sprouts in the culture of 2020.  We have not quite divested ourselves of oppression in the dark places of the spirit, the place where only God can see, but is the place where it counts the most.  Every soul, no matter it’s outward appearance, or actions is created in the image of God; Derek Chauvin and George Floyd included.  And, on the other hand, there is still a frightening bit of Pharisee in us all. 

Progress, yes…victory…not quite. 

Let’s Pray Together:

Father, save us from our fear of each other.  As we trust in You, surrender to Your will, and listen for the soft sounds of sandled feet, help us to heed what you say to us deep down, and take off our soiled inner garments.  Let us be cleansed of madness.

For You Today

It does little to keep this to yourself.  It’s time to enter the discussion about what we can do…and even past time to do it.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

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Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For another post on Racism see When Evil Speaks and When Saying Nothing Isn't an Option

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[1] Read the entire story in Exodus 3-15