The celebration of a day of rest was, then, the announcement of trust in this God who is confident enough to rest. It was then and is now an assertion that life does not depend on our feverish activity of self-securing, but that there can be a pause in which life is given to us simply as a gift.
- Walter Brueggemann
Friday, July 30, 2010
Gift
An Appeal
I am making an appeal through this blog:
If you know of any good material pertaining to "Sabbath Rest" that I can look at for free and steal from in order to compose a 30-day devotional for a First Assembly of God church, then please pass that coveted information my way. You will be handsomely rewarded for your services*.
If you know of any good material pertaining to "Sabbath Rest" that I can look at for free and steal from in order to compose a 30-day devotional for a First Assembly of God church, then please pass that coveted information my way. You will be handsomely rewarded for your services*.
* not strictly true.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The Haunting Question
What is the gospel?
This question has haunted my dreams for the past two years or so. Everywhere I turn as regards Christian doctrine and praxis it shows up. The question is knocking on my door, wanting to be answered. "I'm coming", I'll say, but I'm really just fixing myself a bowl of cereal and settling down to yet another Christian book. I check the window to see if it's still there, and it is - patiently waiting for the door to be opened.
Well, during my time in Worcester I've had a chance to come to the door and open it, ever so slightly.
My first conviction is that when Jesus talks about the gospel and when Paul talks about the gospel, they're talking about the same thing. So for Jesus, the gospel is "the gospel of the kingdom". For Paul, it is "the gospel of the king". These are two sides of the same coin - king and kingdom. Jesus saw himself as one who was establishing the kingdom of God on earth; Paul saw Jesus as the one through whom the kingdom had been established.
What makes this "good news"? What makes this gospel?
We only need to look at what the reign of Jesus is about. I've come up with 5 things:
This question has haunted my dreams for the past two years or so. Everywhere I turn as regards Christian doctrine and praxis it shows up. The question is knocking on my door, wanting to be answered. "I'm coming", I'll say, but I'm really just fixing myself a bowl of cereal and settling down to yet another Christian book. I check the window to see if it's still there, and it is - patiently waiting for the door to be opened.
Well, during my time in Worcester I've had a chance to come to the door and open it, ever so slightly.
My first conviction is that when Jesus talks about the gospel and when Paul talks about the gospel, they're talking about the same thing. So for Jesus, the gospel is "the gospel of the kingdom". For Paul, it is "the gospel of the king". These are two sides of the same coin - king and kingdom. Jesus saw himself as one who was establishing the kingdom of God on earth; Paul saw Jesus as the one through whom the kingdom had been established.
What makes this "good news"? What makes this gospel?
We only need to look at what the reign of Jesus is about. I've come up with 5 things:
- Defeat of evil
- Forgiveness
- Fellowship
- Justice
- Judgement
The reason I like these "gospel realities" is that they include the ministry of Jesus. In fact they spring forth from the ministry of Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever. If we take many of today's gospels as being sufficient then we are left to conclude that Jesus didn't actually bring the good news at all! If the gospel is simply "You're a sinner, Jesus died for your sins so you wouldn't have to, accept this reality by faith" then Jesus failed miserably in terms of evangelism.
But Jesus was a bearer of good news. He said himself that "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news...", and he wasn't lying. We read of him casting out demons by the Spirit of God (defeat of evil). We read of him proclaiming the forgiveness of sins (forgiveness). We read of him eating meals with tax collectors and sinners (fellowship). We read of him putting creation to rights (justice). We read of him denouncing that which is evil (judgement). All of this occurred because the kingdom of God was at hand. All of this occurred because The King was at hand. The story of this King -- the story of Jesus -- is the euangelion, the gospel, the good news. That's why the Gospels are the gospel!
What should one do in response? Repent, and believe the good news! That is, turn away from your present kingdom and entrust yourself to the reign of Jesus.
Paul was making the same appeal when he announced that we needed to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The good news was that through Jesus:
- evil has been defeated (Col. 2:15)
- forgiveness is secured (Col. 1:14; 2:13)
- fellowship with God and others can be restored (Col. 1:19-20; 3:12-14)
- justice is being unleashed, and God is restoring people to his kingdom (Col. 1:13)
- judgement is being rendered on all that is anti-God and therefore anti-human (Col. 3:5-6)
And the focus of all these realities? The cross of King Jesus. This is why Paul can write elsewhere that he desires to know nothing else except Christ and him crucified. This is why he can write that the word of the cross is the very power of God.
There is so much more to explore in all of this, but that's where I'm at in terms of answering this haunting question. But it is also a beautiful question, and one I hope to never cease being asked.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Colossians
Some snippets from a Bible Study on Colossians I'm leading here in Worcester:
What is God up to?
The first 14 verses talk of fathers, brothers, and sons, and it struck me:
God is creating a new family; or perhaps, God is re-creating an old family that was torn apart by a disobedient younger son , but was reconciled by an obedient older son.
As such, the legal court is not the primary arena of our relationship to God. Remember Kirk:
The story is actually a family drama, about a loving Father who has sought after his wayward sons and daughters and acted with astonishing grace to reconcile them to himself. When Paul writes "God our Father" in his letter to the church in Colossae, he really means it.
***
How about this for a definition of "faith in Christ Jesus": entrusting oneself to Jesus's reign. [?]
I like it because it steers clear of the "mental assent" trap and it also incorporates those passages of faith in the Gospels that we're not quite sure what to do with. For example, what did it mean for the centurion to have faith pre-cross--resurrection? Well, good reader, it meant that he entrusted himself to Jesus's reign! He brought himself under the authority of Jesus, confident that this figure of authority would act powerfully for the good of his servant. The same was true for all of the other recipients of Jesus's mighty works, and the same is true for us who stand in the shadow of cross--resurrection. Faith in Jesus means entrusting ourselves to the reign of Jesus, which is a reign of servanthood and self-giving love on our behalf and a reign which compels us to do likewise.
This is why faith and love are inseparable.
***
It's all a bit hazy at the moment, but hopefully something vaguely coherent is coming through.
What is God up to?
The first 14 verses talk of fathers, brothers, and sons, and it struck me:
God is creating a new family; or perhaps, God is re-creating an old family that was torn apart by a disobedient younger son , but was reconciled by an obedient older son.
As such, the legal court is not the primary arena of our relationship to God. Remember Kirk:
The story of the universe is not a court drama.
The story is actually a family drama, about a loving Father who has sought after his wayward sons and daughters and acted with astonishing grace to reconcile them to himself. When Paul writes "God our Father" in his letter to the church in Colossae, he really means it.
***
How about this for a definition of "faith in Christ Jesus": entrusting oneself to Jesus's reign. [?]
I like it because it steers clear of the "mental assent" trap and it also incorporates those passages of faith in the Gospels that we're not quite sure what to do with. For example, what did it mean for the centurion to have faith pre-cross--resurrection? Well, good reader, it meant that he entrusted himself to Jesus's reign! He brought himself under the authority of Jesus, confident that this figure of authority would act powerfully for the good of his servant. The same was true for all of the other recipients of Jesus's mighty works, and the same is true for us who stand in the shadow of cross--resurrection. Faith in Jesus means entrusting ourselves to the reign of Jesus, which is a reign of servanthood and self-giving love on our behalf and a reign which compels us to do likewise.
This is why faith and love are inseparable.
***
It's all a bit hazy at the moment, but hopefully something vaguely coherent is coming through.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
5 Days
I'm lying on a bed in Auburn, MA, continuing to sweat despite it being after 9pm. I'm almost done with my first week in the U.S., but it feels like I've been here three times that long. As my brother-in-law remarked, I've probably done more in the past 5 days than in the past year. I've also gone up a coupe of waist sizes, but that's par for the course when you're staying in this wonderful country.
I don't know what all of this will do to my blog. When I do get the time to write I want to focus on keeping in contact with people, so I imagine Charismata will suffer as a result. I suppose I could turn it into some kind of travel journal; a place to document my take on America. Or I could perhaps start a whole other blog for that. I don't know. If I do something like that I would want to do it well, and I'm not sure I'll find the time.
Anyway, that's about it for now. Must go eat ice-cream, or something.
Happy fourth!
I don't know what all of this will do to my blog. When I do get the time to write I want to focus on keeping in contact with people, so I imagine Charismata will suffer as a result. I suppose I could turn it into some kind of travel journal; a place to document my take on America. Or I could perhaps start a whole other blog for that. I don't know. If I do something like that I would want to do it well, and I'm not sure I'll find the time.
Anyway, that's about it for now. Must go eat ice-cream, or something.
Happy fourth!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Mission
Promoting the gospel to the world is more than a rescue mission (though it is certainly that as well); it is a reality mission. It is our plea to all to acknowledge that they belong to one Lord.
- John Dickson
Friday, June 11, 2010
Their First Anniversary
Almost a year ago to the very day, something happened that would change the course of my brother's life forever. Something so beautiful, so pure, so God-ordained that he couldn't help but believe in storybook love. I'm of course talking about the time he first laid eyes on my professionally styled sideburns, which I had done especially for his wedding. They were a thing of rare beauty, and this weekend is their first anniversary.
No less importantly, it is also the first anniversary of the marriage itself. As one of the great Christian thinkers once said toward the end of yet another stirring display of oratory prowess, "marriage is not something authored by man, but by God". The Storyteller par excellence has written the marriage between one man and one woman into his Story. It may even be that marriage unveils some of the deepest mysteries and wonders of the Story, but as yet I am not privy to this knowledge.
To commemorate this momentous occasion I'm going to do something thoroughly self-indulgent and post the video of my Best Man Speech at the bottom. Of course as distracting as my sideburns were, the day wasn't in the least bit about me, but you'll be relieved to know that the speech wasn't about me either. The quality of the video is poor - a statement you can take to be applicable on multiple levels. The volume is low, so headphones might be necessary. And the jokes...they're in there somewhere. You just have to really want to hear them.
I was nervous about the whole ordeal. That shows. But this is Declan that you hear in this speech, for better or worse. My subject matter (chiefly my brother) did make things slightly easier. His life has always been an open book. There were shouts of joy on happy occasions, tears of anguish on disappointing Christmases (note the plural), all culminating in the feeling of "walking on air" when he knew in that most profound of ways that Julie was the one.
I haven't done David Michael Kelly justice. As I noted at the beginning of the speech, I didn't even try.
And on that note...
No less importantly, it is also the first anniversary of the marriage itself. As one of the great Christian thinkers once said toward the end of yet another stirring display of oratory prowess, "marriage is not something authored by man, but by God". The Storyteller par excellence has written the marriage between one man and one woman into his Story. It may even be that marriage unveils some of the deepest mysteries and wonders of the Story, but as yet I am not privy to this knowledge.
To commemorate this momentous occasion I'm going to do something thoroughly self-indulgent and post the video of my Best Man Speech at the bottom. Of course as distracting as my sideburns were, the day wasn't in the least bit about me, but you'll be relieved to know that the speech wasn't about me either. The quality of the video is poor - a statement you can take to be applicable on multiple levels. The volume is low, so headphones might be necessary. And the jokes...they're in there somewhere. You just have to really want to hear them.
I was nervous about the whole ordeal. That shows. But this is Declan that you hear in this speech, for better or worse. My subject matter (chiefly my brother) did make things slightly easier. His life has always been an open book. There were shouts of joy on happy occasions, tears of anguish on disappointing Christmases (note the plural), all culminating in the feeling of "walking on air" when he knew in that most profound of ways that Julie was the one.
I haven't done David Michael Kelly justice. As I noted at the beginning of the speech, I didn't even try.
And on that note...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Art of Listening
Have a read of this paragraph by Merold Westphal and feel the conviction that I felt after doing so!
This listening heart applies to so many situations. The key, as Westphal says it, is to be present in the present. In the words of Jim Elliot, "Wherever you are, be all there." Too often we simply use the present to manipulate and cajole our desired future into being. We talk to people as if they are objects to gain utility from, and so our conversations involve little more than waiting for moments that will never come.
Can I apply this to preaching? You bet I can! The preacher must first be a good listener. After all, the preacher is not uttering his own words but the words given to him by an Other. Every sermon should be the result of a conversation with Scripture. The preacher may -- indeed must -- ask questions and bring his own life to the table, but he must not manipulate Scripture to achieve his own desires. He must listen; he must hear what the word of God is saying in the present time, and allow the presence of God to shape the future. The same holds true for the congregation. We must be good listeners. We must be present, without a destination in mind, and always open to the "newness of life" created by the spirit of truth, who operates in texts, sermons, and -- most importantly of all -- hearts of flesh like yours and mine.
If I am a good listener, I don't interrupt the other or plan my own next speech while pretending to be listening. I try to hear what is said, but I listen just as hard for what is not said and for what is said between the lines. I am not in a hurry, for there is no pre-appointed destination for the conversation. There is no need to get there, for we are already here; and in the present I am able to be fully present to the one who speaks. The speaker is not an object to be categorized or manipulated, but a subject whose life situation is enough like my own that I can understand in spite of the differences between us. If I am a good listener, what we have in common will be more important that what we have in conflict.
This listening heart applies to so many situations. The key, as Westphal says it, is to be present in the present. In the words of Jim Elliot, "Wherever you are, be all there." Too often we simply use the present to manipulate and cajole our desired future into being. We talk to people as if they are objects to gain utility from, and so our conversations involve little more than waiting for moments that will never come.
Can I apply this to preaching? You bet I can! The preacher must first be a good listener. After all, the preacher is not uttering his own words but the words given to him by an Other. Every sermon should be the result of a conversation with Scripture. The preacher may -- indeed must -- ask questions and bring his own life to the table, but he must not manipulate Scripture to achieve his own desires. He must listen; he must hear what the word of God is saying in the present time, and allow the presence of God to shape the future. The same holds true for the congregation. We must be good listeners. We must be present, without a destination in mind, and always open to the "newness of life" created by the spirit of truth, who operates in texts, sermons, and -- most importantly of all -- hearts of flesh like yours and mine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)