Musings and Memos

Success In God's Kingdom

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:52:52 -0400

In a recent article in Faith Today John Stackhouse pointed to the story in John’s Gospel in which Jesus and his disciples encounter a man born blind. The disciples ask, “Who is to blame—he or his parents?” Jesus says, “Neither. He was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him” (Jn. 9:3).

Ouch! A man blind for decades since birth (with all the other complications for so many others) for the sake of one momentary encounter with Jesus so he could be an object lesson? Wow! That’s a little tough.

Yet, as Stackhouse notes, his story gets told in the most read book in the world, and impacts more people than we can ever know. So, what is success? Is this man a success?

One of the most wonderful couples who ever graced planet earth were taken through cancer in their late 50’s and early 60’s. They were passionate about the church, about missions, about the gospel. They were people of grace and godliness. Yet, God chose to take them from this earth. Why? If the good people in the church keep being taken, how are we to get the work of the kingdom of God done? How does God do his work? How do we measure how he does his work?

“God’s ways are past finding out.” We know the statement well. I sometimes have a hard time believing it, and I tend to have my metrics of success driven by human values and measurements, when God is doing things behind the scenes in ways and means that I will never know.

We have come through Oscars and Golden Globes, Grammys and Junos. Very few of us will ever reach the level of “success” these people do. But is that the call and cause of the kingdom of God?

“It is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” Another well known text from Scripture.

As individuals we are called to faithfulness in service, worship, witness, prayer, relationships, and godliness. As a church we are called to the same kind of things. And when we do, we are in the place where God can bring his purposes and “success” to pass in ways that we could never imagine.

Stackhouse writes, “Christian discipleship is about the long haul, yes—the whole haul. But it’s also about being positioned by God at the right place, at the right time, and in the right condition to accomplish his marvelous purposes [emphasis mine].” He concludes, “May God help us to trust that, whoever and wherever and whatever we are [both individuals and church] He has not forgotten us, we are not useless to his purposes, and there are yet occasions in which his works will be revealed in us.”

Elephant, Donkey, Lamb

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:55:06 -0500

As you probably know, the US is in the midst of choosing the Republican candidate to run for president. It’s been a fascinating race with all kinds of controversies, surprises, and odd turns. Involved in the whole scenario is the Christian right, and the significant visibility of the Christian faith, the church, and evangelical conservatism.

US politics are dominated by two parties—Democrats and Republicans. They each have an animal to symbolize them. The Democrats have a donkey and the Republicans have an elephant. There is history behind these, and you can do your own research on that.

So, in the light of the above two paragraphs, at a recent conference I was at in the US, I heard a great statement set in the background of the political situation there. The statement was: “The kingdom of God is not about either a donkey or an elephant. It is about the Lamb.”

I love it! While we hold our national identities and political preferences (I am a proud Canadian), we are citizens of another kingdom with a mission to reach all people, of all political stripes and colours, for the kingdom of Jesus Christ. The final “choir” raising their voices in praise to the Lamb will be people from every tongue, tribe, and nation, and, yes, will include both Democrats and Republicans (and many others).

When it comes to ministry in our church, we must remember that we have people from every political party and preference worshipping and serving among us. All four political colours—red, blue, green, and orange are represented (and probably more). Our symbol is a Lamb. And as we look at the text that talks about it (Rev 5:6), it is a slain Lamb in the middle of a throne! Think about the symbolism: a slain Lamb. It’s a Lamb connected to a cross. The cross stands at the heart of history with all the realities of grace, reconciliation, forgiveness, and life with Christ now and forever in the New Heavens, New Earth, New Creation, New Jerusalem attached to it.

And then, a slain Lamb in the middle of a throne. It is a slain Lamb that rules. There is a King on the throne, but a King of humility, care, love, compassion, and redemption. The kingdom we are part of is not kingless. Jesus Christ, the slain (and now resurrected and ascended) Lamb of God, rules, and has all things under his rulership.

Amazing, eh (see, I am Canadian)? Kinda blows our mind to think about this. But this is what and who we are all about.

So, yes, while we are engaged in the political process (and need to be), and we have our political preferences, let’s be sure that the right symbolic animal stands at the centre of our identity and mission.

Jesus' Teaching On Divorce

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:20:09 -0500

Mark 10—Jesus and divorce. Tough text. Combine that with Malachi where God says, “I hate divorce.” Tough all the way around!

In today’s sermon I spoke on the Mark 10 text (it will be posted this week), and affirmed the context of grace per Deuteronomy 24, the ideal of marriage cited by Jesus from Genesis 2:24, and the sacredness of marriage as identified in his statements about divorce and adultery.

In talking about the ideal of marriage I articulated four things based on Genesis 2:24 and Jesus’ repetition of that text. Marriage is to be:

Monogamous (not polygamous)
Heterosexual (not homosexual/same sex)
Permanent (not temporary)
Exclusive (no third parties)

These four principles can be gleaned from Genesis 2:24 and Jesus citation in Mark 10.

When I talked about divorce I went to Matthew 19 and 1 Corinthians 7 and pointed to two allowed exceptions for divorce—marital unfaithfulness (adultery), and desertion.

However, one thing that I would add to what I said, namely this: The exceptions are not quick rip-cord pulls on marriage. In other words, marriage is work, and we don’t play the divorce card whimsically or quickly. Even when there is significant failure, we work hard to keep the marriage together, bring reconciliation, and maintain the relationship. The “exceptions” are not entitlements. I can tell you story after story of a spouse refusing to give up on the marriage even when there has been massive betrayal, and in the end, the marriage has been restored, healing has happened, and God has been glorified in ways we could never have imagined.

“Marriage is the foundational institution for establishing God’s will on the earth.” A teacher of mine years ago said that, and I have quoted it ever since. Marriage precedes all other institutions—government, church, Israel, economic institutions, social institutions, etc. As our marriages go, so goes our society and church. And we are seeing the cracks beginning to occur as we move away from the biblical model of marriage. The core points we can never forget or abandon are the four mentioned above.

Let’s be sure that we, the church, continue to embrace, teach, and live out the essentials of what marriage is to look like, and allow grace, reconciliation, and justice to invade when we face the realities of a fallen and broken world.

Ploughing Straight

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:58:12 -0500

"Is Jesus One of Many or Is He Your One and Only?"

This is the title of a heading in a book I am reading called Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman.

I really struggle with this. I have many loyalties—my wife, my kids, my work, my church. And somehow I believe these are all good. In fact, I would suggest that the Bible teaches me that they are not just good, but necessary.

This is a classic case of creating false dichotomies, which the Bible does not do. The Bible works in the realms of multiple relationships/loyalties/commitments with an over-arching worldview of God-centredness that shapes everything else.

My wife, Lorraine, years ago ploughed in a ploughing match (yes, they actually have these things!). The point was to plough the straightest and neatest furrow. To do so she put two stakes in the ground to help her. In other words, she didn't just put one stake in the ground and try to drive the tractor in a straight line towards it. She would have not been able to keep a straight line. Rather, by putting two stakes in the ground, one behind the other about 20 meters apart, and by lining up the tractor and plough so that the stakes were perfectly aligned with each other, she drove toward them keeping the two stakes perfectly aligned (and she did it well!).

Here's the point: the first was placed where she wanted to arrive, in a straight line; the second stake behind the first, made sure the she stayed on track. In life, that first stake represents our loyalties, goals, and choices. And they are good and necessary for life. We drive toward them.

The second stake represents God. He keeps us on track—morally, ethically, spiritually, missionally. He is the guiding light, the centre of our life and sense of purpose. Without that second stake, we would wander all over the place trying to reach those good and godly loyalties and goals the first stake represents.

So, let's be careful with our language. No, Jesus is not "one of many." I get that. But we easily create false dichotomies, and in doing so create unnecessary guilt and confusion. God—his will, way, and Word stands at the heart of all things, and we live in orbit around him. So, yes, there is a unique ultimacy of loyalty to God. But, our other loyalties and commitments are just as important, and are shaped and defined by that ultimate central Person of all things—God himself.

It Is What It Is

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:38:10 -0500

"It is what it is." I am hearing this statement a lot these days, in numerous contexts. Odd. And I am not sure I like it!

It seems to me that this can rationalize things that ought not to be rationalized—things like injustice, abuse, incompetence, laziness—and the list goes on.

I came across this quote:

For the prophets, therefore, imagination takes precedence over the sheerly factual, "what must be" takes priority over "what is." The universe must yield place not only to laws of large numbers and immemorial tradition, but also to minorities of one or more that subvert a ruling order.

There must be time and space, that is to say, not only for the indicative mood of what is everlastingly the case, but also for the subjunctive and imperative moods of what might be, could be, and must be—the reign of God—against all odds.*

The Old Testament prophets (e.g. Isaiah, Hosea, Amos) were all about correcting "what is." Things like: the abuse of power by Israelite kings, the embracing of false gods and their idols and worship centres (called "high places"), the marginalizing and trampling of the poor, orphan and widow, the accumulation and uneven distribution of wealth, legalistic and hypocritical piety, failing to keep Sabbath, and more.

In the world of "it is what it is" these kinds of voices are at best tolerated and then discarded, or at worst, silenced. Daniel Berrigan writes, "These minor objectors to the system ('things as they are') –their reservations will be duly recorded; written on water so to speak. Nods of respect will greet them, placations, attentive ears. And nothing will change, not a whit."**

As the church and people of the kingdom of God we are called to the prophets, and to the prophet of prophets—Jesus of Nazareth. "Blessed are the poor in spirit" are the opening words of the most powerful sermon ever preached or recorded. Somehow, when he speaks to those who claim to be his followers, "it is what it is" is not something we hear.

*David Toolan, "Spiritualities in a Post-Einsteinian Universe," quoted in Daniel Berrigan, The Kings and Their Gods: The Pathology of Power (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), p. 173. The indicative mood in English grammar describes what is; the subjunctive mood describes what ought, might, or could be; and the imperative mood describes what must be.

**The Kings and Their Gods, p. 174.

Who Was At the Cradle?

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:29:02 -0500

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian, executed weeks before the end of World War II for his part in a failed assassination plot against Hitler, wrote this:

No priest, no theologian stood at the cradle in Bethlehem. And yet, all Christian theology has its origin in the wonder of all wonders that God became man. Alongside the brilliance of holy night there burns the fire of the unfathomable mystery of Christian theology (in Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer, p. 472).

What exactly does it mean for God to become man? I once heard it described as a funnel—a funnel with an infinite mouth and a microscopic spout. Even with that I can’t get my head around it! Truly a mystery!

So then, who did come to the cradle if priests/pastors and theologians didn’t?

Shepherds. Marginalized, poor, humble. On the edges of acceptable society. While Jesus and the gospel is for all people—poor and rich, educated and uneducated, male and female, black, white and all shades of skin colour in-between—it started with the marginalized, poor, humble.

It seems to me such a beginning sets a pattern. This is where the church starts. Yes, by all means the physically poor and humble. But, this is the start for all people. We all start by acknowledging our poverty, our humility before God. Jesus taught, “Blessed are the poor in spirit—theirs is the kingdom of God.” He wasn’t messin’ around! The ground at the foot of the cross is level (and beside the cradle). We all are recipients of the same amount of grace—infinite grace, the same size as the mouth of the funnel.

And also, Magi. Yes, I am aware of the fact that they came later, and that our crèches with shepherds and Magi together conflates the story. But clearly Matthew wants the Magi to be seen at the very beginning of Christ’s life.

The point—outsiders. Gentiles, rich Gentiles, come to the humble beginnings of the life of Christ with their gifts of worship. The religious elite were left out. Strangers had to invade the sacred domains of established religion of the day in order to show the way to the theologians and priests of that established religion.

I wonder, I wonder if the same isn’t true today. Canada and North America has a pretty firmly established church scene. Who are the outsiders who may have to show us the way back to Jesus? I am not sure how to answer that question. Perhaps it is because I am afraid to think about it!

Yes, a mystery. A mystery of the incarnational act; a mystery as to who attended the cradle. But as one of my mentors has said, “The task of a pastor is to protect the mystery.” Let’s live in the mystery.

Happy Holidays?

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:56:07 -0500

Should we leave Christ in Christmas?

We have all heard the loud laments that the greeting of the season is now "Happy Holidays," and in public schools there are no nativity scenes or signs reading "Merry Christmas." Further, the Christmas tree has become a "holiday" tree. The phrase "Don't take Christ out of Christmas" has become a popular slogan.

Is this truly lamentable? I don't think so.

Perhaps at one time we could say that we lived in some kind of "Christian" country (doubtful, but perhaps). But the reality is that we now live a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-faith, mosaic of people, customs, religions, and nationalities. And, as Canadians, we are rightfully pleased with such a mix, rather than the melting-pot approach of our neighbours to the south.

But this has consequences and implications. Christmas is a Christian event. A "Christmas tree" has Christ (and the cross) as its focus. Christmas pageants are all about the pivotal moment in history where the God-man began his journey on earth. As Christians, and as Canadians, in our pride in our multi-/mosaic Canadian society, we then can't turn around and expect everyone to be Christian.

Christmas is a Christian event, in the same way Hanukkah is a Jewish event, and Ramadan is a Muslim event. Christmas belongs to Christians, and the church. For me, "Merry Christmas" and a manger scene splashed on the windows of Tim Horton's borders on blasphemy.

Further, when we look at the shopping malls, our temples of consumerism (most of them complete with steeples), I can only guess that the Christ of Christmas is horrified. And let's be honest—we are part of it. Let's not pretend it is someone else's problem.

In our Canadian society, with its vestiges of whatever Christian roots it may (or may not) have had, a pall of Christendom hangs like a grey cloud over our society. And the radical message of the church, of the gospel, of Jesus of Nazareth, gets muted in the fog.

So, as long as we can say "Merry Christmas" to each other as Christians, and invite others to join us through faith in Christ, and as long as the church can do its pageants, Christmas festivals, and sing its carols, we need to be grateful. But, when the malls, Timmy's, and Canadian Tire, put on manger scenes, "Thou shalt not take the LORD's name in vain" invariably leaps to mind. Somehow, "Happy Holidays" works well.

Let's remember, when the night is the darkest, the light shines the brightest. Perhaps it is time to let the gray pall of Christendom fade, allow the night to become the reality that it is, let the season outside the church be the secular holiday that it has become, and thus have the Light of Life, the virgin-born Jesus of Nazareth, and his people—the church, shine even more brightly.

Merry Christmas.

Lighting the Advent Candles

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:24:04 -0500

We are into the advent season. The word means "coming." We are celebrating the coming of Christ as a virgin-born infant.

Throughout the season we light four candles: hope/waiting, preparation, joy, and anticipation (meanings often vary from church to church). The first, second, and fourth candle are normally blue or purple, representing solemnity. The third candle is pink or red representing joy. Then, on Christmas Eve we light the centre white candle—the Christ candle.

The four candles are placed in a wreath, and the brightness of the candles and wreath increases as the weeks go by.

In a church in which I was an interim pastor recently, I had one parishioner who objected loud and long to the advent wreath. He argued that it was pagan, and other things.

And it is true. Many of our symbols have roots in paganism. The Christmas tree for one, and December 25th for another (most likely Jesus was not born on December 25th. This date has become the tradition of the church, but is rooted in the Feast of Saturnalia).

Perhaps even more startling is our practice of baptism. Baptism was a common practice in Judaism, as well as Greco-Roman pagan faiths. It symbolized immersion into the faith, identity with the community of that faith, and commitment to the person in whose name one was baptized. That's why announcing the name of Jesus, or the name of the triune God, is so important in our practice of baptism.

Symbols are important. We have two prescribed for the church in the New Testament—baptism and communion. But that does not mean that we cannot use other visuals as reminders and attention points. And so we use symbols such as a cross on Good Friday, a tree at Christmas, lights at Christmas, and a sunrise service on Easter Sunday morning. Our more liturgical churches use many symbols to celebrate the church year, something that many of us wish our evangelical churches would recover.

So, as we enter the advent season, and we light the candles, we do so in hope—the hope of eternal life in God; in preparation—we prepare our hearts and lives to receive the blessings of all that the virgin-born child brings; joy—"Joy to the world, the Lord is come"; and anticipation—we anticipate all that the first coming of Christ brings, but also look forward to the second coming and the consummation of all that was inaugurated at his first coming.

"Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness." We light the advent candles to remind and celebrate all that such a simple line says.

Love or Marriage: Which Comes First?

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:09:46 -0500

I am reading a wonderful biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who stood against the Third Reich during WWII, and was executed on April 9, 1945, mere weeks before the end of the war, for his part in several failed plots to assassinate Hitler.

Bonhoeffer was a careful thinker and a gracious pastor. Last night I read this statement by him on love and marriage:

Marriage is not held together by love. Rather love is held together by marriage.

Is he right? It's a reversal of the way we normally think, is it not? Love, then marriage. Love fuels marriage. When the "feeling's gone" the marriage is over.

My take on Bonheoffer’s statement? The answer is "yes."

A critical term for "love" in the New Testament is agape. We know it well. It is one of four different words for love in the New Testament, and it has everything to do with commitment and choice. It often translates the Old Testament word hesed which means loyalty to covenant, or a choice to be merciful and kind. It was God's hesed that kept him loyal and loving toward his wayward people Israel. In the New Testament God so "loved (agape) the world [in all its sin and waywardness], that he gave his unique Son." Jesus even said that we are to agape our enemies! It is all about a choice to remain committed, to act in mercy, grace, forgiveness, and in a way that serves the best interests of the other person.

And so, marriage. Husbands are told to "love your wives as Christ loved the church" (Eph. 5:25). Older women are to "train the younger women to love their husbands" (Titus 2:4). The word in both these statements is agape.

So, what fuels what?

Lorraine and I have been married for 37 years. Were/are the "feelings" of romance and love always there? Perhaps not. But in 1974 we made a vow. We made a marriage covenant with each other. She has made it very easy for me to agape her in that covenant. I am not so sure I've made it easy for her. But our marriage endures, and more than that, flourishes. And it is full of agape (along with the other words for love!).

Perhaps we have a bit of a chicken and egg scenario here. We "fall in love," and then get married. However, that "falling in love" morphs over the years, and all too often we mistake it for the end of the marriage.

Bonhoeffer, a careful thinker, and gracious pastor, was right, and was rooted solidly in Scripture when he said, "Marriage is not held together by love. Rather, love is held together by marriage." He wrote those words in 1944. We need to hear them almost seven decades later.

Fear Or Fearlessness?

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:05:21 -0500

"We will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Cor 5:10a). I grew up with this as a promise of terror! In fact, the old KJV went on to say, "Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men."

What did Paul have in mind when he said this? Here are a few things to think about:

It is in a context of wishing to be at home with the Lord and enjoy the heavenly inheritance (have a look at the previous verses). Obviously there was no "terror" in Paul’s mind.
The verse is a clear reference back to Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. Paul knew these verses. What did Qoheleth mean by what he said back then, "God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or bad"?

The critical thing is the word "judgment." It is the Hebrew word mishpat. It means "justice." It means "setting the world to rights" (N. T. Wright). God is saying that there is a day coming when the world will set to rights—all wrongs righted—justice will rule.

So, I see this as a quote from Ecclesiastes announcing that there is a justice moment coming, and that he "prefers" to be at home with the Lord and is "confident" as he looks forward to that moment. I see nothing to be terrified about!
Paul then does say, "Since we know what it is to 'fear' the Lord, we persuade others." The word "fear" is another word for "worship." Hence, out of a spirit of worship and wonder for the grace of God in bringing salvation and justice to ourselves and to the world, we do all we can to persuade others to become followers of Christ.
Finally, this has nothing to do with our personal sin. Psalm 32:5b says, "And you forgave the guilt of my sin." Notice, not just sin, but the guilt of our sin! "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Ps. 103:12). Gone!

As a kid I learned this little ditty/song:

Gone, gone, gone, gone,
Yes, my sins are gone.
Now my soul is free and in my heart’s a song.
Buried in the deepest sea,
Yes, that’s good enough for me.
I shall live eternally,
Praise God, my sins are g-o-n-e, gone!

Hallelujah,
Pastor Dave

Lest We Forget

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:42:25 -0500

Today is Remembrance Day. We are all quite aware of the fact that the freedoms we enjoy come at the expense of other people's lives. Today we will pause to remember those sacrifices, and as a nation think deeply about life and death, war and peace.

Qoheleth said:

There is a time for everything; a time for every activity under the sun:
A time to weep and a time to laugh—today is a time to weep.
A time to love and a time to hate—today is a time to hate: tyranny and oppression.
A time for war and a time for peace—today we remember that there was/is a time for war, and we live and speak freely in Canada because we take this seriously.

War is awful. There is nothing nice about war. But even Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will bring peace through war. He rides on a white stallion with a sword coming out of his mouth. John writes, "With justice he judges and makes war.... He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood.... The armies of heaven were following him.... He will rule [the nations] with an iron sceptre" (Rev. 19:11-15). The battle will result in "the great supper of God" as the vultures eat the flesh of the defeated.

John McCrae's poem, "In Flanders Fields," captures well the spirit and sentiment of the day.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Today, let's take time to remember.

Another False Alarm

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:31:03 -0400

Well, October 21, 2011 came and went (and the end of the world didn’t happen—at least as far as I can tell). Fascinating—we have heard nothing from our end-times prophet, Harold Camping. Nothing on Google (maybe something today) that I could find. This is the third prediction failure. “Three strikes . . .” (you know the rest of the line).

All this to say—this whole thing is absurdity, and is destructive to the church, the mission of the church, and anything that is called “Christian.” The world mocks, and we as Christians bow our heads in shame, and we do all we can to distance ourselves from such a false representation of our faith, and our precious Lord Jesus.

Jesus made it very clear—the time of his return is none of our business. Try reading Acts 1:7. In fact, it seems that he almost rebukes the disciples for even asking! All that we see on TV, U Tube, books, videos, etc. that deal with signs of the times or predictions of the rapture and second coming of Christ, fall under the rebuke of Acts 1:7. It’s time we stood up and shouted “Stop! Stop the nonsense, and stop violating the clear teaching of Scripture.”

When we read Acts 1:7 we also then read Acts 1:8. This is the mission of the church. It started with the disciples/apostles. Ten days later Pentecost came. The power and person of the Holy Spirit arrived in a unique and new way in fulfillment of all the New Covenant prophesies of the OT. The church was launched with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit (it is now the temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 3:16), and we are part of that power and presence in the world.

The church is now on mission. It is empowered for mission, and it is consumed with mission—the mission of the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ—the good news that through faith in Christ anyone can be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of God’s dear Son.

Looking for the signs of the times for the end of the world is, in fact, antithetical to our mission. Yes, we are to watch and be ready (Mt. 24-25), but all the time we are to be focused on proclaiming the good news to all who will hear, and even to those who don’t want to hear.

So, let’s lose our curiosities about end times and predictions of the end of the world. Let’s be about the Master’s business while it is “yet day.” Let’s live in light of the imminent return of our Lord, but in a way that redeems the time for the sake of the good news that “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.”

The Missing Merino

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:52:38 -0400

A couple of Fridays ago I did a wedding, and since the bride was from Australia, they gave me a book entitled Australian Stories of Faith. Here is one of them called “The Tale of the Lost Sheep from ‘The Aussie Bible’”.

Con men, illywacker and low-lifes hung around listening to Jesus. So the Pharisees and the lawyers started whining, “This bloke mixes with the scrum. He’ll even have a pizza with them!” So Jesus told them this story:

What sort of bloke who has a flock of a hundred sheep and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the other ninety-nine in the home yard and search the paddocks until he found the missing merino? And when he gets back home he’ll say, “Hey, let’s crack a tinnie! I’ve found that merino of mine that went missing!”

Jesus said, “Just like that, there’s more barracking and cheering in heaven over one wrongdoer who turns back to God, than over ninety-nine who think they don’t have to!”

Three questions always emerge for me when I read the Bible (and a story from the Bible like this):

What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about the people of God?
What do I learn about the world outside of God?

I’ll let you answer those questions, but what strikes me is the radical nature of the story:

God is more interested in the marginalized and lost than the safe, wealthy, and predicable herd (flock?).
The herd (the well-established religious establishment) does not want God to chase down the lost, broken, and wayward. Hmmm, I wonder why.
Sometimes, in fact, the world outside of God are those who are on the inside of the religious establishment.
As one who has been the recipient of grace, I was a lost sheep. No one truly becomes part of the people of God without being lost first. That has a rather humbling effect.

Gotta love words like “illywacker,” “merino,” “barracking,” “tinnie”! The story speaks no matter what language we use!

Cast Your Ballot

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:47:32 -0400

Today is voting day, and as Canadian citizens we are called upon to exercise our democratic privilege to speak into who leads us at Queens Park.

However, as Christians, we also are doing the right thing when we exercise our vote. This is not because there is a Christian party that we all need to vote for. Nor is it driven necessarily that one or more of the candidates is a confessed follower of Christ. Christians across the province will vote for all stripes and colours of parties and candidates, and it is wrong for the church to declare to its people the “correct” party or candidate for whom to vote.

Further, as a known pastor/member of the clergy in my community, I am not comfortable putting up a lawn sign indicating my support of a candidate or party. While I may have my political views and preferences, I want to do nothing to create unnecessary barriers to my witness to, and proclamation of, the kingdom and rule of God. I want all people of every political persuasion to hear my message. (Another reason is that, especially when my kids were at home, we would have had all possible colours of signs on our front lawn! We certainly had anything but political solidarity in our home).

We are doing the right thing for the following reasons:

Jesus said to “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” (Mt. 22:21). We are called to be citizens of our political state.

The Apostle Paul said that governments are ordained by God (Rom. 13:1). Hence, when we engage the political process, we are engaging in the work of God in the world.

We are told to pray for our governing authorities (1 Tim. 2:1). This indicates that God has an interest in who governs, and as such, so should we.

Finally, and I have harped on this before, we are told to pray for “peaceful and quiet lives” ultimately because Christ “wants all people to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:4). This is not a prayer for personal peace and security, but prayer for the mission of the gospel to go forward unhindered by political chaos and turmoil. It seems to me that voting is taking prayer and putting it into shoeleather.

So, as Christians, when we vote, we do the right thing. We need to be informed. We need to be involved. We need to have our voices heard, even though they will be voices expressing a whole spectrum of ideas and even ideologies, often at times, at opposite ends of the political spectrum. And that’s OK.

Polls close at 9:00 p.m.

Preaching: Boring?

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:02:23 -0400

What is preaching? What do we look for when we hear preaching? What should the preacher be concerned about?

We all listen to preaching. Some of us actually do it. Preaching is a core part of our spiritual life. We spend at least half an hour a week in the setting of preaching, usually wrapped around, or mixed in, with a larger worship context.

So what is this activity all about? Is it a time to teach? Is it a time to entertain? Is it a time to motivate? It is a time to give life lessons? What is this preaching thing all about?

There is a whole lot to be said, but here are five driving forces for me as I preach or listen to preaching. These five forces have come to me in one of the best books I have ever read on preaching called The Glory of Preaching, by Darrell Johnson.

First: encounter. Every sermon must bring everyone into an encounter with God. The Bible is all about God. He is the hero of the story. In preaching, when we fail to point to God in who he is and what he does, we have failed. If we are not encountering God when listening to a sermon, we have been betrayed. Further, that encounter must ultimately be through Jesus Christ. Every sermon must get to Jesus in some way. He is the revelation of God, and we must see him.

Second: good news. Every sermon must take us to the good news that all humanity can be brought from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's Son. Every sermon is about the kingdom of God brought to earth by Jesus, and that kingdom is a kingdom of good news-good news of eternal life with God, of justice and peace, of true community, and of beauty (cf. N. T. Wright, Simply Christian).

Third: worldview shift. This is a big one for me. Every sermon must point us to the fact that Jesus Christ, the church, and the gospel, are about an alternative worldview not driven by the values of this world-wealth, comfort, safety, power, position, ease; but rather driven by values such as servanthood, suffering, sacrifice, and even death, for the mission of Christ. We are driven by a worldview captured in the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount.

Fourth: obedience of faith. When we preach we must call for obedience to Christ and the message preached. When we hear preaching we must expect that we will be called to faith, response and obedience.

Fifth: enablement. We must be reminded that it is Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to do and be what we are called to do and be. Preaching is not some kind of motivational speech where we are called to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. We are being pointed to Holy Scriptures that the Spirit of God must take and use in making us able to do and be what we need to do and be through the power and presence of the indwelling Spirit of God.

So, preaching. It is part of all our lives. Perhaps some of these thoughts will help us get our heads (and hearts) around what this event is that seems to occupy such an important role in our journey as Christians.

Is Jesus Disappointed In Me?

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:57:37 -0400

Does Jesus ever say to his people and church, “I am so disappointed in you”?

I remember a time when my daughter, who played some pretty elite women’s fastball, pitched poorly (and the team lost the game). I remember how I gave her the silent treatment as we drove home from the game, thinking that was the best way to get some motivation for improvement out of her. I remember how she broke into tears when we got into the house and shouted at me, “Dad, you never spoke to me all the way home.” And I remember how devastating and destructive that was.

All too often, as parents, spouses, and friends we use manipulative forms of disapproval to put people down, make others feel guilty, or get people to change in the way we want them to change. Someone once said in a marriage seminar Lorraine and I attended that disapproval is the most destructive factor in a marriage. The more I think about that, the more I think that he may have been right. I am constantly looking for approval from Lorraine, and she from me. I know that even as an adult man, I still, in many ways, look for approval from my father.

What about God? What about Jesus? Do we ever sense him saying to us, “This wouldn’t be happening if you were a better Christian, a better church”? Yes, Jesus calls for repentance. Yes, he is scathing in his comments to self-righteous Pharisees.

But to his people and church who are trying to do well but struggling with expectations of success, value, significance, and approval, listen to Jesus:

Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Mt. 11:28-30).

The comparison is to the yoking of a weaker animal to a stronger one so as to help the weaker one. Yes, life is tough, broken, and full of suffering, but Jesus invites us to let him journey with us, and let him do the hard pulling.

And by the way, that moment with my daughter? I repented! I hugged her, told her how sorry I was, and told her how blessed I am to have a daughter such as her. And she, in grace, forgave me.

A helpful book in this discussion is by Will Davis Jr., Ten Things Jesus Never Said. Worth having a look.

One question: I wonder what Jesus was thinking when he looked at Peter after this third denial? Whatever it was, it was enough to make Peter weep.

Love, Hope, Optimism

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:16:29 -0400

Listen to the words of Jack Layton in his letter to Canadians just before he died:

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

Irrespective of our political allegiances, such words stir our hearts. May God give us, the church, the capability for such world changing power.

What was it about a man like Jack Layton that has aroused so much affirmation for a man that has languished in the political margins for so long? Was it a quest for power, for wealth, for popularity? We all know that none of these were on the horizon as a quest for Jack.

Rather we saw a passion for social justice and equality. We saw someone who was believable and genuine. Somehow this man exuded trust and hope. And in his words and actions we saw humility, humanity, and civility, things so deeply lacking not only in the political arena, but in society as a whole, and even in the church—horror of horrors.

Qoheleth (Solomon?), under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in his memoirs in Ecclesiastes, wrote:

A good name is better than fine perfume;
And the day of your death is better than the day of your birth.

The point? A good reputation is better than evidences of wealth (line 1), and it is at our death that the eulogy is read and that’s when and where people will reflect on our life’s legacy (line 2). And so, as Qoheleth goes on to say, it is better to suffer all that is necessary for that reputation and legacy than avoid suffering and see our reputation go down the tubes (see Ecclesiastes 7:1-6).

Layton lived that well. And we need to hear Qoheleth again and again remind us of what ultimate values are: a good name, and truly good words (eu—good, logos—words) when people reflect on our lives.

Rex Murphy, last night on the National (CBC) described Layton this way:

“ . . . a brave, inspirational, and cheerful presence.”

The world, and the church, could do with a whole lot more of that kind of presence.

The Somalia Crisis

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:21:21 -0400

Should the church get involved in Somalia?

The immediate and correct answer is “yes.” To care for the poor, starving, marginalized, and hopeless is the call of Jesus—to himself, to his disciples, and to his church. It is the “cup of cold water,” the care of the good Samaritan, the evidence of “true religion,” the definition of “justice,” and the spirit of the inaugurated messianic kingdom which we are part of now.

How? That’s the question. There are multiple ways: (1) go there and help! Not many of us can, but some can, (2) pray—for sure. But so often our prayers are answered by our own actions. This is not to deny that God can and does intervene, and our prayers do “move” God. So, yes, we need to pray—individually and communally, (3) get involved politically and in the cause of social justice. This is a little more remote and tough to connect with. But we use our vote and our money to speak to this domain, (4) live in harmony with the environment. Yes, the environmental disaster is “over there,” but it is a global problem and living appropriately here has a ripple effect at all kinds of levels around the world, and (5) get involved with relief organizations on the ground.

Per the last one, we are part of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada, and we have an organization called FAIR. I encourage all of us to give money through FAIR. There are many other good organizations that you may choose to support, and that’s great. But we know that our money is being well spent when we donate through FAIR, and it is our group. Here is some info per FAIR and Somalia:

Somalia is once again in news headlines as the country spirals into a full-blown famine. Tens of thousands of Somalis have already died from starvation and dehydration due to lack of rain and failed crops. The UN reports that the last time conditions were this bad was in 1992 when hundreds of thousands of Somalis starved to death.

FAIR (Fellowship Agency for International Relief) is initiating a partnership with BethanyKids Hospital to assist in a unique ministry in which they provide much needed medical attention/surgeries to children at risk. BethanyKids Hospital is able to provide most surgeries for an average of $400 per child but even with this modest cost is unable to meet all of the potential present needs or those on the horizon as this crisis unfolds.

FAIR is also pursuing additional partners who are, addressing the other emergency needs of immediate food, water and shelter within Somalia or in nearby locations. These arrangements will take time to establish with the creditability and effectiveness that FAIR intentionally seeks in all its projects.

How Can We Help?

Mail any donation (made payable to “FAIR” marked with a memo—“Somalia Crisis #3209”) to: FAIR, P.O. Box 451, Guelph, Ontario. N1H 6K9.

For online or phone donations, check out FAIR Somalia Crisis at www.fellowship.ca

Praying For Political Leaders

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:15:48 -0400

So, should people who voted blue, green, or red pray for Jack Layton?

I think that we have all heard that he is fighting a second round of cancer, and he looked pretty frail in his news conference on Monday night. We all know that the sudden rise of the NDP in the House of Commons was pretty well all his doing.

So, how should our faith affect our politics—at least in this very real and pointed way, especially if we are at odds with the political agenda of this particular party and leader (as some of are, and others of us are not)?

First, we need to acknowledge that kings and rulers (and Prime Ministers and Leaders of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition) are set up by God. Daniel 2:21a says, “He [God] changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them.” Hence, in the providential and sovereign will of God, what we have in the Canadian House of Commons is, in some mysterious way, of God. Jack Layton and the NDP as the opposition party did not catch God by surprise.

Second, we are called to pray for our political leaders. Paul told Timothy that “requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). The reason for the prayer is that we live “quiet and peaceful lives in all godliness and holiness.” However, there is a bigger thing going on here—it is all about the gospel! God “wants all people to be saved” (v. 4). We pray for our political leaders not so that we can live quietly and peacefully in suburbia, but so that we as God’s people can “fly under the radar” as it were with the gospel for all people. So, we need to pray for Jack Layton as one of our political leaders who can provide that quiet and peaceful life so we as the church can do our thing!

Finally, we pray for Jack Layton because he is a fellow human being, he is an image-bearer of God, he is a man in desperate need of God’s people to care, pray, and minister out of the love of Christ. The church is called to minister to the sick, the weak, the wounded, and the needy. Jesus made that clear in Matthew 25:31-46. The clearest voice of care, compassion, and prayer that Jack Layton needs to hear is the voice of the church. The prayer that God wants to hear is the prayer of the church for Jack Layton. And the prayer the people of God must hear among ourselves is prayer for Jack Layton.

And it does not matter whether we voted orange, green, blue, or red.

Christians And Canada

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:21:30 -0400

O Canada! Last Friday was Canada Day. Lots of red and white, and lots of Canadian patriotism. Even William and Kate were part of the festivities in Ottawa.

Christians and Canada. Christians and their national citizenship. Is there something to be talked about here? Answer—yes (otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this memo!).

Some cursory thoughts:

We are told to be good citizens of our country (render to Caesar . . . ). So, we start here.
We are told to pray for our governing leaders for peaceful and quiet lives (1 Tim. 2:1-7). However, the peace and quiet we are to pray for is not so we can live the good life, but so that the gospel can spread from our country unhindered. It is all about mission, not a quiet life in suburbia.
We are told that we may have to engage in civil disobedience when challenged to stop proclaiming the gospel (obey God rather than people).

But here’s the critical point I am after. We can’t let our Canadian nationalistic pride get in the way of mission of the gospel. This has a couple of implications:

When we go as ambassadors of the gospel to another country or culture, we go as Christians first and Canadians second. If our Canadian flag waving is a barrier to connecting with the people we are trying to reach, or with the indigenous church we are serving or working with, we need not wave the flag.

I remember a friend who went to Montreal as a pastor. He was an avid Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He wore the Leafs hat everywhere. It was a barrier. An unnecessary one. He should have lost the Leafs hat.

Maybe we will need to lose our Canadian nationalistic pride at times and places in order not to create barriers to our invitation to ultimate citizenship in the ultimate kingdom—God’s.

Another emerging reality is that missions teams are becoming more and more multi-national. Canadians, Americans, Australians, British, Brazilians, Chinese, Koreans, are working together on teams. The common point: the gospel, and common citizenship in God’s kingdom. It may be fun to celebrate with each other the various national holidays and customs each represents, but if it becomes competitive or divisive, the kingdom of God trumps all, and it’s time to put away the flags.

Some thoughts. Yours?