Dec 9 2011

Gleanings (12/09/11) – Speak up. Yell!

Revelation 2:18-29

“I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, . .”

Off to a good start. Even getting better. The latter exceeds the former. But. But!

Complacency is fraught with risk. Resting upon laurels not so good either. Thinking one has arrived is a dangerous, even fatal, thing. How much more when the “one” doing these things is a community?

The church of the 21st century, wherever gathered, is no less susceptible to complacency and hubris than the church in Thyatira. We applaud ourselves for works of compassion. We pride ourselves in our sacrifice. We revel in these things which indeed honor the Lord. But we turn a blind eye to and,  more specifically, we go mute in the face of the false teacher who is “beguiling my servants,” says the Lord.

Greatest offender in our present darkness? The Prosperity Gospel people! Just name it and claim it. The only reason you’re not rich is because you haven’t asked. The only reason you’re not well is because you don’t have enough faith. Such is beguiling at best. It’s death dealing potentially. It flips Christianity on its head and destroys the soul because it has no life in
it.

This means we are to be vigilant, and not passive, lest his servants are beguiled. I am no hero but I take a lot of hits for being so critical of false teachings. “You can so negative John.” So. The Lord is crying out to us to be critical in the face of false teachings lest his servants be beguiled. What does it mean to give bread to the poor and have no regard that others rob them of true sustenance?

“Hear what the Spirit says” and speak up!


Dec 8 2011

Gleanings (12/08/11) – Whoa to Avoid the Woe

Matthew 23:13-26

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; those you ought to have done without neglecting the others.”

“Woe” to those who major in minors. Ugh! How unfortunate! Because majoring in minors is so easy to do. I’ve known a few people who could not have known the bible better and simultaneously who could not have practiced its central teaching less. One man struggled a bit with the realization he knew the gospel was about mercy but could not bring himself to extend mercy to anyone. He measured everyone by the law and they were found wanting. Too bad for them. Give them what they deserve. It was the spec and log thing.

For a season I majored in minor through laboring daily to build a successful church. Unfortunately it was at the neglect of my family. I was blind to the weightier matters. He called me to be a husband. He called me to be a father. He never called me to build a “successful” church. Oops. Gain the world and forfeit your soul comes to mind.

It is so easy do. Why? Because it’s not choosing evil over good. It is more subtle. It is choosing good over best. Note Jesus said they ought to be tithing from their harvest (good) but not at the neglect of the weightier matters (best). So woe awaits the man who religiously drops his offering in in the plate but doesn’t love his wife as much as Christ loves the church. Woe awaits the woman who never misses her bible study but through gossip destroys the reputation of her neighbor.

Holy Spirit come! Transform us that we live in a way and at a pace that achieves the good without forsaking the best. Give us hearts capable of discerning the difference in the two.


Dec 7 2011

Gleanings (12/7/11) – Follower or Fan?

Matthew 23:1-12

“They do all their deeds to be seen by men.”

Deeds? What is in view here? Things like kosher foods, sacrifices, tithing, the proper washing of pots and pans, fasting on prescribed days, and other religious observances. They did these things to be noticed by men.

Have you ever attended church because that is what good people do? That is what in is in question. Religion. Cultural religion. Observation without submission.

What the Holy Spirit births in us is a relationship in which we call Jesus Master and we submit as servants if not slaves. That cannot be captured in religious observance and of course therefore can be practiced without any such observation. I know, I know. We are not to forsake assembling together. Agreed!

Here is the thing. Jesus wants followers before he wants fans. Are we on the field or in the stands?


Dec 6 2011

Gleanings from the Lectionary (12/06/11) – Ordinary Rocks

Amos 7:10-17

“I am not prophet, nor a prophet’s son; I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock.”

Amos had no standing in the world, certainly not among the religious. He had no credentials. He had no connections. Nepotism wasn’t a means by which he could advance. Prophesying wasn’t the family business. And yet, God used Amos. He plucked him from the fields and flock and said “say this,” being an unlikely candidate notwithstanding.

This is my experience. I get it. I relate personally. Ask anyone who was a part of my youth if they could have predicted ministry for me. Passion for a cause to be sure, but ministry? Ordained ministry? No. I was perfecting paganism and beholden to no one, even God. And yet He called.

Truth is we all are unlikely candidates, never worthy. But we are chosen just the same. God orders the universe more through the ordinary than anything else. Subtle shifts in history are made through shepherds, teachers, homemakers and lawyers, even lawyers. The shifts are made when we hear and obey and lives are touched by it.

Are we listening? Will we walk away from the flock and out of the field?


Dec 5 2011

Gleanings from the Lectionary (12/05/11) – Favor Please!

Revelation 1:1-8

“Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come.”

Such power in a few words! Grace is God’s greeting to us. Sure John is writing but he is communicating on behalf of God to his people and the word from God to us is grace. Ok John but what is the big deal? Grace is rather ordinary isn’t it? No, not grace as unmerited favor! Favor isn’t a sure thing from people you have treated well. When has someone you’ve egregiously wronged granted you favor? It doesn’t happen among men. It does happen with God.

Grace changes everything. The guilty are acquitted. Those in bondage are released. Death no longer has the last word. Without grace, thinking men would be driven to despair. But now, in this roller coaster ride we call life, we can have hope and this hope does not disappoint.

And the grace keeps coming. God transforms into the likeness of His Son through grace. He favors us into being like Jesus. He loves (unmerited favor) us into the image. He initiates and brings to fruition the change he requires. To the extent that I am less selfish than I was yesterday (we are talking something that may require a microscope to determine), it is because He has animated my life by unmerited favor such that it comes out in my interactions with others.

Grace changes everything, our standing before God and the content of our character. Grace transforms.


Dec 2 2011

Gleanings from the Lectionary (12/2/11) – Denial is not a River

Jude 1-16

“Contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

Jude wants to write of good news but instead gives warning. There are within the Body, and therefore hard to see, those designated for condemnation. They are perverting the faith. Grace is unmerited favor, not license. Some thought “sin boldly. All is forgiven.” Some thought “sin boldly. The greatness of the sin forgiven only magnifies the greatness of the forgiver.” Both are utterly wrong as a basis for sin. Freedom is not freedom to rebel and sin.

We live in age inclined to licentiousness. Multiple factors contribute to this but the self-esteem movement deserves accolades for all that it has achieved. The same movement that gave us a trophy for every participant (now of equal size and value?) affirms the decisions of every individual. To do otherwise would shatter one’s self-confidence. Who are we to say to someone, “that is ungodly!”?

But it is the ungodly that Jesus came to save. That is what Jude wanted to say. This is good news, make that great news, if you are ungodly. And of course we all are, ungodly that is. In our day we have gone well beyond the somewhat logical but flawed reasoning of Jude’s day. Both positions in that day presupposed the problem of sin. We on the other hand have eliminated sin from our discourse. In 1937 H. Richard Nieburh wrote: “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” Little in sin discourse has been recovered in the 74 years since.

Even a short relationship with me reveals my love for Disney. It is a place of respite from the reality that is our lives. Following Disney, the church has become a respite from the reality that is our lives. We are sometimes hostile to our faith and morality. We are at least always self-serving and such that even our altruism, when achieved, isn’t pure. We get something for ourselves. Quietly, inwardly, we’ve counted the cost (and estimated the return). I take no pride in that. But I must begin there if I want to experience the salvation about which Jude wanted to speak. Let no false teacher, even one with good hair and bright teeth, tell you otherwise.


Dec 1 2011

Gleanings from the Lectionary: A Spiritual Discipline for You?

Many Anglicans use the Book of Common Prayer lectionary to read the bible devotionally. What is a lectionary? It is a schedule for reading the bible systematically, in our case over two years. Each day one reads an Old Testament lesson, one or more Psalms, a New Testament lesson and a Gospel lesson. It is akin to the one year bible with smaller daily bites so the same  objective is achieved in two years.

 

The  lectionary has been a part of my life for devotional reading since 1990. Of course I read almost daily for other purposes like general enlightenment, teaching and preaching. However, for personal devotions where I seek understanding that leads to transformation, I have been guided by it intensely for almost all of the last decade.

Recently I have tried to discipline myself to write a short reflection on just one of the daily passages four to five times per week. I then post the reflections to the Ancient Future Church website.

It occurs to me that the lectionary might be an aid to you as the Holy Spirit seeks to transform you into the likeness of the Son. If you do not read daily this may be the time and means to get started. If you already read daily, this may be a means of reflecting on the scriptures in a deeper way

I am proposing you join me in the daily readings. You will find them here: http://m1.bookofcommonprayer.net/daily_office_list.php. Once there click on the “daily office reading list” (as oppose to “lectionary” on this site). Then read the lessons. Then join me for the reflection at www.ancientfutureechurch.org. By posting a comment or question, you will be joining the entire Ancient Future Church community at large.

Advent begins a new year in the church’s life. Is it time for a resolution that will further the likeness of Christ in you?


Dec 1 2011

Gleanings from the Lectionary (12/1/11) – Life in Pardon

2 Peter 3:11-18

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Generally as Christians we are to mature. Like babies to adults we are to move from milk to solid food. What does it mean to mature in grace? Could there be two meanings, to rest in grace and to learn to give it freely?

We mature in grace by understanding that God is merciful and loving in the face of our harlotry. We are unfaithful to him and He remains faithful to us. So when we the offenders are sitting in our judgment and shame the offended is already providing us a way out.  If you have ever been forgiven or had your sins obviously overlooked you know what that means. If there were a ledger you would probably be found owing. And yet the debt is gone. It changes us to realize there is no scorekeeping in real love. We mature by better understanding of how grace both saves and sanctifies.

And as the Holy Spirit continues his work upon us, he makes it possible for the rivers of living water within us to flow out of us extending life to others. There is life in Divine pardon. That is a gospel truth. There is some measure of life in our human pardon as well. It allows others to move on. Sure there are some who do not apparently struggle with the obvious pain they have inflicted upon others. I am convinced that regardless of what we see, people with a conscience are tormented internally. They increasingly become unlovable people because they do not know pardon and therefore do not know grace, mercy, and unconditional love. Experiencing sincere pardon means that they cannot be as unlovable as they once thought.

Additionally, pardon grants life to the offended. Someone once said that harboring resentment (anger) is allowing someone to live rent free in your head. Have you ever experienced the perpetual victim angry about the lack of justice for the person who has wronged him or her. They are unsettled, rarely at peace. They, like the offender, are often stuck and cannot experience any more of the abundant life promised to them.  Pardon grants life to this person too. If you want more of the promise, do a quick inventory. Is there pardon you need to extend?

It is worth repeating. Always, always, always, it is grace that transforms.


Nov 30 2011

Gleanings from the Lectionary (11/20/11) – He Doesn’t Mind the Wait

2 Peter 3:1-10

“The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

What we, especially skeptics and unbelievers, are inclined to write off as an empty promise, is yet another extension of unmerited favor (grace) toward people who do not deserve it. Always, always, always it is grace that transforms.

This time it is grace in the way of forbearance – not punishing when He could and even should, not closing the door to a dramatic change, a coming about, a new life. Lewis reflected upon it in Mere Christianity as I recall. He spoke of the players in the drama and how when the author walks out on the stage the play is over. You can’t choose then. It’s really over! He spoke of the futility in saying “I will lie down” when you can no longer stand up. The age for choice is over when Jesus comes.

How we experience this gracious forbearance is predicated upon our belief in judgment. If we don’t believe in judgment, forbearance is nice sentiment at best and potentially a straw man, nothing of substance there. If we believe in the end that God will have the last word as to how we spend the life after this one, forbearance will be a source of unspeakable comfort. Thank you Jesus for giving me a second chance. A third. A fourth. I’ve failed you. I have failed others. Thank you for waiting. Thank you for wishing I would experience mercy and not the justice properly due my choices thus far. Now, please Lord, help me get it right. Help me to repent and believe.


Nov 29 2011

Gleanings from the Lectionary (11/29/11) – Truth is Communal

2 Peter 1:12-21

Peter speaks of his impending death and immediately moves to “No prophecy is a matter of one’s own interpretation.” Some don’t believe in prophecy. I do. The notion that spiritual gifts ended with the death of the apostles is not compelling. And are we not in the apostolic age? Are we not an apostolic church or at least intend to be one?

So prophecy has its place in Kingdom life. However, the Kingdom has no room for the lone ranger prophet. The same Spirit that inspires prophecy animates every Christian who can say Jesus is Lord. So prophecy is understood by and interpreted by the community of believers.  Consequently it is not done in isolation by an individual or even a small group (especially those who have convinced themselves they are filled with the Spirit when other faithful and apparently more obedient Christians are not). What hubris! Prophecy is given to the community of faith for the community of faith and by the same Holy Spirit that is knitting together the community of faith. Prophecy is a communal affair. Always! Beware of the prophet who has a word for YOU.