After my son's wedding this year a retired Baptist minister told me that I had tied a very tight knot. I believe that is the point of the wedding these days, to make sure that everyone, including but not limited to the bride and groom, know that this is a lifelong commitment. If we are going to reclaim marriage as important we will do so not at the ballot box but in the church. I believe that is possible but only if we recover the Christian understanding of marriage, only if we tie tight knots.
In our tradition we speak of the covenant of marriage and I believe it is indeed a covenant. The ceremony itself has all the earmarks of a covenant, vows, symbols (rings), terms of agreement, third party witnesses and an official who ratifies the covenant, and finally a meal at the conclusion of the covenant ceremony.
Covenants in the Bible are everlasting, they have no expiration date and they are irrevocable, they depend on God's faithfulness not man's. The Israelites broke covenant immediately and then constantly thereafter by transgressing against the terms of the covenant and failing to perform the required sacrifices to re-instate the covenant but that didn't end the covenant relationship.
Through multiple prophets the Lord accused Israel of prostitution and infidelity. The covenant relationship between God and His people was likened to a marriage between a man and a woman. The intimacy of the relationship is similar to a marriage and the sense of betrayal of the marriage bed is God's chosen way of expressing His side of things. What emotions are embedded in that idea of a spouse who has been betrayed in a most intimate way? That is how God feels about His people breaking covenant with Him.
The prophet Hosea had to act out the relationship between God and His people by first marrying a prostitute, then having her stray from the marriage via sexual infidelity. His life became a sign to Israel concerning their relationship with God. Hosea was to love and forgive all the sins of his wife and to be willing to reconcile and restore the marriage relationship no matter how hurt and angry he might be, no matter how horribly she treated him. He was to be faithful to her and his love was not to wane. All because Godly covenants are everlasting and only dependent on the faithfulness and love of one party.
We are to be like Him in every way. Marriage is an incredibly important covenant because it is the only intra-human covenant God instituted and it is to be a sign and symbol of the covenant between God and His people. Our understanding of marriage and our keeping of that covenant is to show the world what it means to be in covenant with God. If the church fails to uphold the covenant of marriage, we lose a significant witness to the relationship with Him.
Let's spend some time looking at our marriage ceremony together and see how tight the knot is to be tied and how to maintain it.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Marriage
This year, it seems, is the year I have to think a lot about marriage. My oldest son got married in January and I performed the wedding. His wife's brother got married in April and I did the wedding. Our state, North Carolina, just voted on a marriage amendment to the state constitution that caused much consternation locally and across the nation. Suzanne and I just attended a wedding of the son of some of our best friends last weekend. I have friends who are struggling with divorce, either their own recent divorces or their friends and family.
I didn't spend much time thinking about the marriage amendment, I believe that the word marriage is the problem. If they want to have civil unions recognized by the state that allows for all legal protection and rights then anyone should be able to enter such an arrangement with another human being. The line can be drawn there because the "state" recognizes something different and important about personhood that doesn't extend to non-humans. Human beings are the only animals who can write and can therefore enter legally binding contractual arrangements or be sued for a breach of such a contract or who pay taxes for instance. The governmental authorities have made no move to extend such rights or responsibilities to other animals. A dog or other kept animal is the responsibility of its owner, if the dog commits a crime the owner is held liable for the damages.
Marriage, however, is something that greatly interests me and concerns me. I have done weddings in several states and only one, Virginia, has required me to register with the state in order to perform the wedding. I am clear with potential brides and grooms that when I perform the wedding I am not acting as an agent of the state, I perform such ceremonies under the authority vested in me by God and that means also under the responsibility to explain marriage under God and to only agree to perform such a service when we have a common understanding of marriage. Virginia troubles me a bit because I am acting also as a licensed representative of the state and what the state gives, the state can also take away if it can determine the confines and definitions of marriage.
Marriage is between a man and a woman in my world. I get to control the definition under the guidance of the Word of God and nowhere there do we see any other definition of marriage. I don't have the authority or license to change the definition of marriage and perform such ceremonies or declare God's blessing on a union of anything other than a union of a man and a woman.
Now that the definition, its basis and my thoughts on civil unions are on the table, I have some other things to say in reflecting on marriage and what it means and signifies and our responsibility as Christian leaders and Christians generally. Sit back and reflect with me, this is going to take a while.
I didn't spend much time thinking about the marriage amendment, I believe that the word marriage is the problem. If they want to have civil unions recognized by the state that allows for all legal protection and rights then anyone should be able to enter such an arrangement with another human being. The line can be drawn there because the "state" recognizes something different and important about personhood that doesn't extend to non-humans. Human beings are the only animals who can write and can therefore enter legally binding contractual arrangements or be sued for a breach of such a contract or who pay taxes for instance. The governmental authorities have made no move to extend such rights or responsibilities to other animals. A dog or other kept animal is the responsibility of its owner, if the dog commits a crime the owner is held liable for the damages.
Marriage, however, is something that greatly interests me and concerns me. I have done weddings in several states and only one, Virginia, has required me to register with the state in order to perform the wedding. I am clear with potential brides and grooms that when I perform the wedding I am not acting as an agent of the state, I perform such ceremonies under the authority vested in me by God and that means also under the responsibility to explain marriage under God and to only agree to perform such a service when we have a common understanding of marriage. Virginia troubles me a bit because I am acting also as a licensed representative of the state and what the state gives, the state can also take away if it can determine the confines and definitions of marriage.
Marriage is between a man and a woman in my world. I get to control the definition under the guidance of the Word of God and nowhere there do we see any other definition of marriage. I don't have the authority or license to change the definition of marriage and perform such ceremonies or declare God's blessing on a union of anything other than a union of a man and a woman.
Now that the definition, its basis and my thoughts on civil unions are on the table, I have some other things to say in reflecting on marriage and what it means and signifies and our responsibility as Christian leaders and Christians generally. Sit back and reflect with me, this is going to take a while.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
What are we seeking?
As I wrote my other blog this morning I was dealing with three passages, Ecclesiastes 2.1-15, Matthew 13.44-52 and Galatians 1.1-17. In the first passage we hear Solomon reflecting on his life, essentially saying to whoever will listen, I had it all, I sought all manner of pleasure, and in the end I found it to be nothing more than a chasing after the wind. My soul was never satisfied with stuff or relationships or anything else. There was something missing in having everything, so nothing is worth setting up as ultimate. In the Gospel passage Jesus tells parables of the kingdom of heaven, likening it to a treasure found in a field that the finder then sells everything they own to buy, or the pearl of great price that elicits the same response. Finally, Paul writes to a church in Galatia he founded but now another group has come and preached a different Gospel.
Paul says that he was "extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers." His one desire was to persecute and destroy "the church of God." He had religion but he lacked relationship. His efforts were to please God, he was on a jihad against the mission of the church that proclaimed Jesus as Messiah. Unfortunately we can do the same, we can wage jihad in the name of the church and we can do so in two ways.
In our denomination we have some who, like Paul, are extremely zealous for the traditions of our fathers. We can become traditionalists. Jaroslav Pelikan defined the difference between tradition and traditionalism this way, ""Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition lives in conversation with the past, while remembering where we are and when we are and that it is we who have to decide. Traditionalism supposes that nothing should ever be done for the first time, so all that is needed to solve any problem is to arrive at the supposedly unanimous testimony of this homogenized tradition." Traditionalism clings to the past either from superstition, if you change something you will lose the mojo it produces, or from some misguided sense of honoring your ancestors. Tradition respects what has gone before but seeks to make it intelligible today. Some traditionalists in our denomination set the traditional liturgy above all else and will dismiss those who do not perform according to the tradition.
The opposite problem is posed by those who will have nothing of the tradition, becoming iconoclasts and losing contact with historic Christianity. Their mistake is described by GK Chesterton, "Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about."
When he met Jesus, Paul was willing to leave behind those traditions of his fathers and follow Jesus, just like the other disciples. The traditions of his fathers, however, related primarily to the Pharisaic laws which Jesus frequently violated. It was those traditions that Paul was zealous for and those traditions which he left behind because he saw Jesus as the pearl of great price. An encounter with Jesus will reveal that compared with Him, nothing else has value. Let us hold fast to those things which express His ultimate worth and let go of those things that do not draw us closer and higher but keep our eyes fixed on things "under the sun."
Paul says that he was "extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers." His one desire was to persecute and destroy "the church of God." He had religion but he lacked relationship. His efforts were to please God, he was on a jihad against the mission of the church that proclaimed Jesus as Messiah. Unfortunately we can do the same, we can wage jihad in the name of the church and we can do so in two ways.
In our denomination we have some who, like Paul, are extremely zealous for the traditions of our fathers. We can become traditionalists. Jaroslav Pelikan defined the difference between tradition and traditionalism this way, ""Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition lives in conversation with the past, while remembering where we are and when we are and that it is we who have to decide. Traditionalism supposes that nothing should ever be done for the first time, so all that is needed to solve any problem is to arrive at the supposedly unanimous testimony of this homogenized tradition." Traditionalism clings to the past either from superstition, if you change something you will lose the mojo it produces, or from some misguided sense of honoring your ancestors. Tradition respects what has gone before but seeks to make it intelligible today. Some traditionalists in our denomination set the traditional liturgy above all else and will dismiss those who do not perform according to the tradition.
The opposite problem is posed by those who will have nothing of the tradition, becoming iconoclasts and losing contact with historic Christianity. Their mistake is described by GK Chesterton, "Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about."
When he met Jesus, Paul was willing to leave behind those traditions of his fathers and follow Jesus, just like the other disciples. The traditions of his fathers, however, related primarily to the Pharisaic laws which Jesus frequently violated. It was those traditions that Paul was zealous for and those traditions which he left behind because he saw Jesus as the pearl of great price. An encounter with Jesus will reveal that compared with Him, nothing else has value. Let us hold fast to those things which express His ultimate worth and let go of those things that do not draw us closer and higher but keep our eyes fixed on things "under the sun."
Thursday, April 12, 2012
8 April 2012
While the Israelites have a meal of roast lamb the Spirit of
God will pass through the land of Egypt and kill the first born of every family
and also of the livestock of Egypt and on all the gods of Egypt the Lord
executed judgment. This was not only a
physical judgment it was also a spiritual one on the gods, the fight is never
with flesh and blood alone. The
Israelites were also instructed to eat in haste, prepared for flight. They were to have a short window to get out
of Egypt and they needed to be prepared to go as quickly as possible. This feast, however, would be repeated
forever as they entered the land and settled there and then there would be time
to linger, to remember this night. This
was the first feast to be commanded of them, it would be the centerpiece of
their calendar, the day the Lord delivered them out of Egypt and out of
bondage. Freedom!
The fallen nature of mankind is clear in that Jesus came to
His own and not only did they not receive Him, they put Him to death. The ones who had the Word killed the Word,
they chose their own interpretation for God’s interpretation. This opened the door to become children of
God to all who believe in Him. The
Passover for all has occurred and in the resurrection of Jesus we know of God’s
love for His Son and through that love, to those who believe in Him. Is “belief” enough or is there the need to
act on that belief? The Israelites had
to be obedient to the command of God regarding the Passover meal in order to
receive the blessing. If they didn’t
follow God’s instructions to the letter they would be judged. Does that mean it is works salvation? No, it means that we are called to obedience,
we are called to a life of faith, following the commandments of God. If I told you that there was going to be a
tornado today that would destroy your house at 3 PM and you should be elsewhere
would it be your faith or your actions that saved you? We take action based on our faith. Faith comes first but action based on faith
matters as well. Today is a day for
believing in the resurrection to life eternal, let it also be a day for acting
like you’ll live forever.
Hail thee, festival
day!
Blessed day to be hallowed forever;
Day when our Lord was raised,
Breaking the kingdom of death.
Blessed day to be hallowed forever;
Day when our Lord was raised,
Breaking the kingdom of death.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Do we really want community?
Everyone says they want community and don't want isolation and loneliness but do we really?
Hardly anyone would say that isolation and loneliness were things they crave. I might want a bit of isolation but the reality is that we weren't made for complete isolation. I read this article last week and wasn't surprised how difficult silence is for us. Back in the 4th century there were people who decided that they couldn't handle God and people all at the same time so they took to the desert to hide from the world to get close to God. That is certainly a strange response to the incarnation, God choosing to get close to people by becoming one of us and, in John's words, dwelling among us.
People and community are difficult. It is harder to live out faith in community in many ways. People drive us crazy and can make life far more difficult than it needs to be. No one knows that any better than God. Before He created people everything was literally perfect and then we messed up His perfection. Rather than giving up on people though we see God again and again trying to have community with us. He promised a people they would be a great nation, they would have their own land, the best land they could imagine, if they would agree to certain not onerous terms and conditions which Jesus says amount to loving Him and loving your neighbor. Is there anyone that thinks those two things wouldn't make for a better society? They couldn't do it though, no matter how much He did for them or how much He pleaded with them to turn back.
Then, He came and lived among us doing miraculous works of healing, raising the dead, forgiving sins, etc. Our response was to crucify Him. The crazy thing is that He knew in advance it would hurt and it would be terrible but He chose it anyway and in doing so He chose to expand the circle of those who He wanted in His community to include the whole world who would then also be able to make His life miserable but He did it because He loves the world.
All it takes to get into God's circle, in fact become His children, is to believe in His Son and that His sacrifice was sufficient to reconcile us to Him. That transaction doesn't make us perfect though, in fact it means that God will experience more pain because we will continue to disobey Him, fail to love Him and fail to love one another, but He chooses to continue to expand His community with those who will disappoint Him.
When we choose community rather than isolation, we expose ourselves to the same thing. The other side of the coin is that we expose others to us, the kind of people who disappoint others, love imperfectly, and even betray people who love us.
Hardly anyone would say that isolation and loneliness were things they crave. I might want a bit of isolation but the reality is that we weren't made for complete isolation. I read this article last week and wasn't surprised how difficult silence is for us. Back in the 4th century there were people who decided that they couldn't handle God and people all at the same time so they took to the desert to hide from the world to get close to God. That is certainly a strange response to the incarnation, God choosing to get close to people by becoming one of us and, in John's words, dwelling among us.
People and community are difficult. It is harder to live out faith in community in many ways. People drive us crazy and can make life far more difficult than it needs to be. No one knows that any better than God. Before He created people everything was literally perfect and then we messed up His perfection. Rather than giving up on people though we see God again and again trying to have community with us. He promised a people they would be a great nation, they would have their own land, the best land they could imagine, if they would agree to certain not onerous terms and conditions which Jesus says amount to loving Him and loving your neighbor. Is there anyone that thinks those two things wouldn't make for a better society? They couldn't do it though, no matter how much He did for them or how much He pleaded with them to turn back.
Then, He came and lived among us doing miraculous works of healing, raising the dead, forgiving sins, etc. Our response was to crucify Him. The crazy thing is that He knew in advance it would hurt and it would be terrible but He chose it anyway and in doing so He chose to expand the circle of those who He wanted in His community to include the whole world who would then also be able to make His life miserable but He did it because He loves the world.
All it takes to get into God's circle, in fact become His children, is to believe in His Son and that His sacrifice was sufficient to reconcile us to Him. That transaction doesn't make us perfect though, in fact it means that God will experience more pain because we will continue to disobey Him, fail to love Him and fail to love one another, but He chooses to continue to expand His community with those who will disappoint Him.
When we choose community rather than isolation, we expose ourselves to the same thing. The other side of the coin is that we expose others to us, the kind of people who disappoint others, love imperfectly, and even betray people who love us.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tent of Meeting
Do you have a tent of meeting like Moses did? Exodus 33 tells us that he had a tent to which he would go and meet with the Lord. The people knew when he was going out there and they would all stand at their own tent doors and watch until he entered the tent of meeting. In that place Moses was alone with God and the people knew it. They knew that they could trust him because they knew that his leadership came from having spent time with God and hearing from him.
I am craving a tent of meeting and I think I need to let people know when I'll be there and what God is saying to me in that tent. I need more time alone with God. I spend time hiking and praying but the reality is that I also talk on the phone when I hike, I allow that time to be interrupted. It is often rich and God speaks to me there but not as rich as it ought to be, certainly not as rich as God wants it be.
I have a kneeling bench in my house that is supposed to be my tent of meeting. Have you ever bought exercise equipment like a treadmill. stationary bike, bowflex or some other multi-purpose device? Did you or do you use it much or does it collect dust or do you hang clothes on it? The kneeling bench collects dust and good intentions primarily but it's time to start using it and develop some spiritual muscle. Where is your tent of meeting?
I am craving a tent of meeting and I think I need to let people know when I'll be there and what God is saying to me in that tent. I need more time alone with God. I spend time hiking and praying but the reality is that I also talk on the phone when I hike, I allow that time to be interrupted. It is often rich and God speaks to me there but not as rich as it ought to be, certainly not as rich as God wants it be.
I have a kneeling bench in my house that is supposed to be my tent of meeting. Have you ever bought exercise equipment like a treadmill. stationary bike, bowflex or some other multi-purpose device? Did you or do you use it much or does it collect dust or do you hang clothes on it? The kneeling bench collects dust and good intentions primarily but it's time to start using it and develop some spiritual muscle. Where is your tent of meeting?
Monday, March 26, 2012
Evangelism, Simplified
Sometimes we make missions and evangelism too hard. We think of it as something that requires us to go somewhere we ordinarily wouldn't go to do something we ordinarily wouldn't do. I think for most people it is much simpler than that, it is a matter of thinking about all of life, every relationship, whether intimate or casual, in an evangelistic way.
If you have a job, family, kids whose activities bring you into contact with others, hobbies you share with others, gym membership where you meet other people in any way, if you go to the grocery store, eat in the same restaurants regularly, anything you do that brings you into contact with other human beings who are created in the image of God, you have an opportunity to share the Gospel in some way.
The old saying is that we should talk to God about our friends and then talk to our friends about God. That is good advice and a good place to start your evangelism. If, as I do, you believe in the sovereignty of God and you believe that it is the movement of the Holy Spirit operating in someone's life that brings them to saving knowledge of Jesus is there a better way to start evangelizing than praying that God will move in that person's life? The most important thing we can do for others is to pray for them, asking the Lord to manifest Himself to them, and then asking Him to grant you the grace to be whatever part in that process that He deems fit.
The other really important thing we can do is to be distinctively Christian wherever we are. That requires thought and it requires a knowledge of Scripture and of Jesus. Being immersed in the Word, both written and in Christ, is key to effective evangelism. If we allow the Word to dwell richly in us and we abide in Him then we are more likely to live Christian lives. It also helps to have tight relationships with other Christians who love you and whom you trust who can hold you accountable and speak into your life when they see something in your attitudes or actions that is problematic.
Are you already praying, already in the Word, already in accountability relationships? If so you are on the right road to be evangelistic. Now you just have to begin doing all those things, prayer, study and relationships purposefully for the kingdom. Simple, isn't it?
If you have a job, family, kids whose activities bring you into contact with others, hobbies you share with others, gym membership where you meet other people in any way, if you go to the grocery store, eat in the same restaurants regularly, anything you do that brings you into contact with other human beings who are created in the image of God, you have an opportunity to share the Gospel in some way.
The old saying is that we should talk to God about our friends and then talk to our friends about God. That is good advice and a good place to start your evangelism. If, as I do, you believe in the sovereignty of God and you believe that it is the movement of the Holy Spirit operating in someone's life that brings them to saving knowledge of Jesus is there a better way to start evangelizing than praying that God will move in that person's life? The most important thing we can do for others is to pray for them, asking the Lord to manifest Himself to them, and then asking Him to grant you the grace to be whatever part in that process that He deems fit.
The other really important thing we can do is to be distinctively Christian wherever we are. That requires thought and it requires a knowledge of Scripture and of Jesus. Being immersed in the Word, both written and in Christ, is key to effective evangelism. If we allow the Word to dwell richly in us and we abide in Him then we are more likely to live Christian lives. It also helps to have tight relationships with other Christians who love you and whom you trust who can hold you accountable and speak into your life when they see something in your attitudes or actions that is problematic.
Are you already praying, already in the Word, already in accountability relationships? If so you are on the right road to be evangelistic. Now you just have to begin doing all those things, prayer, study and relationships purposefully for the kingdom. Simple, isn't it?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)