"Fear of the Other: Interview w/ William H. Willimon"
Bishop William H. Willimon
Earlier this week I had a conversation with Bishop Will Willimon about engaging the outsider and the stranger and genuinely loving them as Christ loves us. Bishop Willimon's new book Fear of the Other is a powerful message for Christians at a critical time.
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"From Bible study to movement" by Talbot Davis
Like most pastors these days, I like to preach my messages in series.
I have found that thinking “serially” harnesses my mind’s creative bent and I have discovered that serial preaching best captures the attention of those who attend our church … and those who don’t. After all, most of the people to whom we preach consume the majority of their media in “serial” form, whether it’s The Walking Dead drama, the Modern Familycomedy, or even The Bachelorette reality show.
At Good Shepherd, we have captured people’s imaginations with series titles that put a new twist on common cultural phrases. Among the most popular have been The Storm Before The Calm,Jaw Droppers, The Light At The Beginning Of Tunnel, and my personal favorite, a series on anger called Mad People Disease. Here’s the trailer we put together for that series:
When a sermon series becomes more than a series of sermons.
What?
This: there have been times in the life of Good Shepherd — as well as other churches I know — when a sermon series morphs into a movement. When our church combines sermons with music with Bible study with hallway conversation and harnesses all that shared passion and commitment to make a radical impact on our community.
For example, during the Christmas season in 2010 we didn’t preach about angels, shepherds, stars, and stables. Instead, through a series called What Child Is This? we taught about international sex trafficking in places like India and Thailand. We explained how according to Luke 4:16-21 Jesus is the freedom giver to people caught up in captivity, and we had an opportunity to help deliver adolescent girls from the rape-for-profit industry. We talked at length about authentic generosity at Christmas, we took up offerings not only on the Sundays surrounding Christmas Eve but on Christmas Eve itself (a no-no for sure!) and the people of the church responded with $207,000 in giving that all went to the International Justice Mission.
Not surprisingly, a report came out in late 2015 that the incidence of sex trafficking in Cambodia has declined dramatically over the last five years. I was able to tell the people of Good Shepherd that they had a direct hand in that blessed decrease.
A little more than two years later, we recognized that sex trafficking doesn’t happen only in India and Cambodia but right here in the Carolinas. So we opened 2013 with a series calledHome, in which we sought to heal our homes while building a home that heals. We had five weeks of awareness raising on the awful reality that Christian men have had a part in the sickening demand that creates the traumatized supply of underage girls trapped in the rape-for-profit industry. We preached, sang, studied Scripture, talked about money and then partnered with a local rescue ministry looking for funds to buy and customize a home for rescued girls. This time, the people of the church responded with $389,000 given on one day … all that money left the church to help the girls. A sermon series that became much, much more than a series of sermons.
Then in 2015, our church dialed into Solutionists, a series based on Nehemiah and the book that bears his name. We spent several weeks learning how Nehemiah didn’t point out problems; he pinpointed solutions. Now Nehemiah is a relatively obscure book in the biblical canon. Even more obscure is the fact that one of his obstacles is a famine that strikes the city of Jerusalem and the people of God. His “solutions” for the famine are direct, compelling, and effective. We spent a Sunday exploring that story, called it Food Network Solutionists, and then issued a challenge to our people: partnering with our friends the Boy Scouts, collect as much food as you can, bring it to church next Sunday, and it would then be distributed through a ministry called Loaves & Fishes.
The people responded with 16,000 pounds of food, the most ever by a church in the Charlotte area.
A sermon series that became much, much more than a series of sermons.
That story in particular is why I am so excited about Solve, the forthcoming book by Abingdon Press. The book is based on that Solutionists series and gives both pastors and church leaders a step by step process to holding your own radical impact project.
In your hands, Solve can become so much more than a Bible study. It can be a movement that radically impacts hunger in your city.
And you, too, will know what it means when a sermon series is much, much more than a series of sermons.
"Opioid painkillers: Responding to a growing problem" by Alex Joyner
Bigstock/wittayayut
A head-scratching Super Bowl ad
Of all the buzz-worthy Super Bowl advertisements this year, one left a lot of people scratching their heads and also stepped into controversy by highlighting a growing trend in prescription painkillers. The quirky black-and-white ad featured a man suffering from opioid-induced constipation who was envious of the people and dogs around him who were clearly not suffering from this problem. The ad never mentioned a product name, but it did put a spotlight on a problem many people may not have known existed.
The growing use of opioids for dealing with chronic pain is now significant enough to spawn a companion industry to deal with the side effects. What are opioids, and how did they reach this level of attention? What are the dangers of opioid painkillers and related drugs? And how might churches and people of faith respond?
What are opioids?
The use of opioids to manage pain has an extensive history. Morphine has long been used to deal with severe pain. Codeine is another familiar drug that is often prescribed for milder pain. Other drugs in this class include hydrocodone, oxycodone and methadone. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NDIA), the drugs work by reducing “the intensity of pain signals reaching the brain” and also affect brain areas that control reactions to painful stimuli.
The other thing that we have long known about opioids and their pharmacological cousin, heroin, is that these drugs have significant side effects and risks. Among those risks are drug tolerance, physical dependence, addiction, and overdose. Constipation is also a possible side effect, but it’s overshadowed by these potentially much more serious issues. This is what prompted more than head scratching from those concerned about the risks.
A growing epidemic
“Next year, how about fewer ads that fuel opioid addiction and more on access to treatment?” White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough tweeted on the day after the Super Bowl, according to USA Today. The strong reaction of the administration was fueled by an awareness of the growing problems associated with opioid painkillers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls it an epidemic and reports that more people died from drug overdoses in 2014 than in any year on record. A growing percentage of those deaths are related to opioid use. The CDC says 78 Americans die from opioid overdose every day.
Some of the increase is associated with abuse of heroin, an illegal drug; but “the majority of those overdoses involve legal prescription drugs,” President Obama said in a visit to Charleston, West Virginia, in October. As reported by The New York Times, Obama also said, “More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than they do from motor vehicle crashes.”
Even though there hasn’t been a change in levels of pain that Americans report, the CDC says doctors are prescribing opioids at a rate four times greater than in 1999. Part of the reason for the increase may be that opioids are effective and easy. According to an article on the online news site Mic, “Patients want them because they provide a more immediate effect than exercise or dietary changes.” The article goes on to note that while Americans make up only about five percent of the world’s population, we consume 80 percent of the world’s opioids.
A government response
“The situation is so dire that we had to do something,” Dr. Carl R. Sullivan, the director of addiction services at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, told The New York Times. Sullivan was speaking in the wake of several new government initiatives to address the opioid epidemic. The Obama administration has requested an additional $1.1 billion to focus on treatment, overdose prevention and reducing the illegal sale of drugs.
The CDC has also issued new guidelines for prescription of opioids, which recommend that doctors initially prescribe ibuprofen or aspirin for pain and limit opioid treatment for short-term pain to three days. “The urgency of the epidemic, its devastating consequences, demands interventions that, in some instances, may make it harder for some patients to get their medication,” The New York Times reported Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the NDIA, as saying. Volkow continued, “We need to set up a system to make sure they are covered. But we cannot continue the prescription practice of opioids the way we have been. We just can’t.” The current practice has made opioids the most prescribed drugs in the nation and has created a $2 billion industry to provide them.
Being all that God calls us to be
At a March 29 forum, President Obama acknowledged that there’s still a moral stigma attached to those suffering from addiction issues. He also referred to his own life and said that he had known friends who struggled. They “were not more morally suspect than me,” he said.
The Reverend Caesar Rentie believes that the church can see beyond the brokenness of lives to the redemption God intends for all people. “The Church has to respond to anything that keeps us from being all that God calls us to be and it needs to be a spiritual response even though it manifests in physical ways,” the former Chicago Bears football player notes. Rentie, who now serves as the Celebrate Recovery pastor for First United Methodist Church in Mansfield, Texas, and as the vice-president for pastoral services at Methodist Health System, says, “The folks who are struggling with this are Christians and are in our pews.” Others find their way to the church to experience a true community.
Rentie believes in the healing power of Christian community. He refers to a TED Talk by journalist Johann Hari, who researched addiction issues. In the talk, Hari tells about an experiment in which a rat was put in a cage with two water bottles, one of which was laced with heroin. The rats chose the heroin water over the regular water and, if left alone, died very shortly thereafter. But when the experiment was redone with rats who were in a communal environment where they had plenty of food, stimulation, and friends, almost none of them chose the heroin water, and none overdosed.
If two rats together are stronger than one, perhaps they provide a hint at what one significant response to the problem of drug addiction might be. A Christian community formed by the message of brokenness redeemed by grace offers an environment in which those who have been hurt by the world find an alternative approach to suffering and pain. Opioids are a blessing to many people in serious physical pain, but the current epidemic raises the question of whether our efforts to eliminate pain through drugs keep us from the kind of community that can get at our deep spiritual needs. “The Church has to have a response to the wounded,” Rentie says. And the response is beloved community shaped by the cross of Jesus.
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"Servant Paul, not Apostle Paul"
by Tom Fuerst"Paul Writing His Epistles." Painting attributed to Valentin de Boulogne, 17th century. Wikimedia Commons
I’ve been studying Philippians recently, both because I continue to find myself attracted to the book for my own edification and because I intend to preach through it this summer at The Table. When I study like this I like to go segment by segment, studying each line in detail, in the original languages, and in the context of the larger segment and the whole of the book. It’s part my Inductive Bible Study training and part just that I’m a nerd.
When you look closely at the first few verses of Philippians, something quite unique stands out fairly quickly:
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.
You’ll notice that Paul does not refer to himself as an apostle.
This is strange by its absence because his apostolic credentials are a prominent part how Paul identifies himself nearly everywhere else:
Romans 1: Paul, a servantof Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…
1 Corinthians 1: Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes…
2 Corinthians 1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother…
Galatians 1: Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead…
Ephesians 1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…
Colossians 1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother…
1 Timothy 1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope…
2 Timothy 1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus…
Titus 1: Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ…
The only other of his letters where he doesn’t claim apostleship is 1 and 2 Thessalonians and his brief letter to Philemon.
Many commentators suggest the reason Paul doesn’t appeal to his apostleship in Philippians is because he was on such good terms with them. He didn’t have to “pull rank” by appealing to his apostleship to get them to obey him or recognize his authority. This answer seems to have some merit, especially when you consider that in Galatians and 1 Corinthians, Paul is arguing against persons who are distorting the gospel he has preached or people who are questioning his apostolic credentials.
But should those controversies be read in a reverse sort of way onto Philippians? Should we assume the lack of defensiveness is the primary reason Paul doesn’t appeal to his apostleship? I don’t think so. After all, Paul has some major eschatological issues to set right with the Thessalonians — a setting in which it would be perfect to wield his apostolic title — yet he doesn’t refer to his apostleship. The same goes for his letter to Philemon — Paul could have appealed to his apostolic authority to get Philemon to welcome Onesimus back home and treat him like a brother, but he doesn’t (Indeed, he even goes out of his way to note to Philemon that he doesn’t appeal to him in an authoritative way: vs. 18). Further, if Paul does not appeal to his apostolic credentials merely because he’s on friendly terms with the local church, then why does he need to remind Timothy twice of his apostleship? Timothy is Paul’s closest companion we’re aware of.
Of course, none of this denies that Paul’s friendship with the Philippians is a factor. Of course it is! But I don’t think it’s the only thing to consider. It seems to be the relational context of his reason for not appealing to his apostleship, but there are other immediate and book-as-whole contextual factors to consider as well.
Overseers and deacons
The first reason Paul may not appeal to his apostolic credentials (in the context of a friendly, supporting church) is because Paul is deferring to the authority and leadership of the “overseers and deacons” within the church. He doesn’t have to appeal to his authority or his credentials with this church because the faithfulness of the church (as shown in their continued financial support of him while in prison) is the product of good leadership. He can defer to their authority, thus further giving credence to their pastoral leadership. Again, the context of this is his friendship, but the reason for it goes beyond friendship to the fact that this is a healthy church led by healthy leaders. He’s not writing to set anything right, but to thank them for their righteous conduct. On some level, I imagine Paul knows people are enamored with him and his authority, so by showing himself to be a servant, and by supporting the existing leadership of the church, he shows that the overseers and deacons — those who live life with them on a daily basis — are the true leaders of the local church, not a guy who just shows up every few years to encourage them.
Incarnating the Christ Hymn
The context of the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2:1-11 is a call to the Philippians to follow the example of Christ, who did not cling to his own privilege and status, but rather, laid those things down to die on the cross. This laying aside of privilege and status for the cross turns out to be the precursor to lordship and resurrection.
The point of Paul quotation of this ancient hymn is not purely theological, but practical — that they may regard each other as better than themselves as they see in the hymn, Paul’s own example, and the example of Timothy and Epaphroditus (the rest of chapter 2). In the end, these multiple examples, particularly that of Christ, ask the Philippians to consider a new kind of authority, leadership and power — an authority, leadership, and power that does not cling to its privilege and status, but is willing to lay down all of its credentials in order to die and resurrect.
By calling himself a “servant of Christ” he’s making a direct thematic connection with the “servant Christ” he references in Philippians 2. By not appealing, then, to his apostolic authority or credentials and referring, instead, to his servant status, Paul models the very heart of his letter to the Philippians. If Christ did not cling to his credentials and privilege, why should Paul? Why should the Philippians?
Yes, of course, none of this can be separated from his friendship with the Philippians and his long history with them, all of which comes into play in the larger context of Philippians. But you also cannot disregard the immediate context and the explicit things repeated throughout the letter. For those reasons I think Paul has no need to cite his apostolic credentials, but rather lays them aside to promote and encourage the leadership of the “overseers and deacons” and also incarnate that which Christ incarnated when he laid aside his glory and took on a human body, dying a human death and resurrecting to glory.
Tom Fuerst blogs at Tom1st.com. You can subscribe to his blog via email here.
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"Thoughtful Pastor: Inerrancy and relativism"
by Christy ThomasBigstock / R Kimbrow
Dear Thoughtful Pastor:
In 1978, around 300 evangelical leaders assembled to write and adopt the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. I believe this gathering in defense of biblical inerrancy represented one of the most significant theological councils in modern times. But unlike the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325), only the like-minded gathered, so the outcome was a rather predictable defense against the trend toward liberalism and higher biblical criticism.
As I understand the defense of biblical inerrancy, it goes like this: God is Truth. The Bible was written by men who were inspired by God. Thus the Bible is God’s written Truth. And like God, the Bible is infallible and authoritative. They included the caveat that this only applies to the original manuscripts, which, by the way, no longer exist. But, there are thoughtful scholars on the other side of the debate who use historical critical methodology of interpretation and who find unsubstantiated claims and outright errors.
Apparently, it is really important to evangelicals that biblical authority be safeguarded with precious little nuance. Justification for slavery, oppression of women and basis for racism aside, it seems that taking a view of infallibility of the Bible, particularly by the least gracious examples of the far right fringe, is really dangerous. Frankly, some in that camp who are concerned about the possibility of Sharia Law [rigidly applied Islamic religious control] would gladly impose Evangelical Law.
So here is my question:
How important is biblical inerrancy to matters of the Christian faith and the life of Christian discipleship? If we don’t take the Bible literally, are we destined for relativism — any opinion goes? If we do, do we become frozen in the 2nd century?
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of my question.
When holding to the inerrant stance, it does indeed become the centerpiece of faith. Any possibility that the Bible contains error and is not totally trustworthy in all it says threatens the foundations upon which the faith structure builds. It’s a powerful and important glue.
Also, the inerrantist is not necessary a literalist in the sense that he/she does not recognize that some of the Bible uses various language conventions to convey larger truths.
Christy Thomas
The inerrant world offers good boundaries with clear answers offered by biblical authorities. For the inerrantists there exists only one proper interpretation for any given section or verse of Scripture. As a rule, that single interpretation is decided upon by a group of older, white males, although there are exceptions.
Much safety can be found there. However, many inerrantists, although not all, hold to a new earth creation theory, i.e., the earth — and the universe — is only a few thousand years old, and was created in seven 24-hour days. That group does seem to be stuck in a prescientific world. An important question: “What is meant when declaring the Scriptures as without error?”
For example, Matthew 4 shows a different order of the temptations of Jesus than recorded in Luke 4. In Acts, there are two stories of Paul’s conversion. In Acts 9, the people around him heard a voice but saw no one. In Acts 22, when Paul retells the story, the people saw the light but heard nothing. So which of these two stories, Jesus’s temptation and Paul’s conversion, are the inerrant ones?
These questions lead many Christians to prefer inspired as a better description of the Bible. It is helpful to keep in mind that the term inerrant would not have been recognized by the early writers of Scripture. It emerged in the 17th century by some Protestant groups, but is not part of the longer heritage of understanding the Bible as God-breathed, which is the basic meaning of “inspired.”
This viewpoint gives room for more nuanced views of biblical texts. Those texts were written by people living in cultures radically different from ours and in ancient languages not always perfectly understood or easily translated.
Scholars use various interpretative lenses in their studies. They do not assume the Bible was written with the 21st century modern or postmodern cultures in mind. People from different ethnicities and women are more welcome to the table of interpretation. There is more tolerance for varied answers.
But this does not mean “anything goes.” So the word relativist may not be the best description of the alternative to the inerrantist. Instead there is a belief that God speaks through the gathered community in the reading and studying of the ancient texts. Basing life on the principles of loving God, loving others and treating others the way we ourselves want to be treated lead to a sound ethical and moral base as a foundation to life. People may differ in the details, but the overall structure has good solidity. Both systems can and do offer solid paths to discipleship and Christian living. Sadly, those from one system often don’t want to recognize the legitimacy of the other.
Email questions to thoughtfulpastor@gmail.com. A version of this column will appear in the Friday April 22, 2016 print and online editions of The Denton Record Chronicle. Christy blogs at ChristyThomas.com.
"Learning to see"
by F. Willis JohnsonThis article is featured in the Missio Dei: The UMC as a Servant and Witness to the World (May/June/July 2016) issue of Circuit Rider
In "We Have This Ministry: The Heart of the Pastor’s Vocation," Samuel Dewitt Proctor and Gardner Calvin Taylor suggest we are uniquely challenged in our work as pastors. In the context of our culture’s evolving worldview, we must clarify the application of the gospel to personal behavior, political choices, personal stewardship, health care and management, and intercultural relations. In other words, faith leaders are called to help peoplesee their way through these views and choices.
Each of us will experience less than perfect visual acuity at some point during our lifetime. At birth, our perception of the world is indistinct, varied only by shades of gray. Later in life, some experience the limitations of nearsightedness while farsightedness renders others unable to focus on what is immediately before them. Still others are physically unable to see anything at all.
Matthew 20:29-34[Matthew 20:29 As they were leaving Yericho, a large crowd followed Yeshua. 30 Two blind men sitting by the side of the road heard that he was passing by and shouted, “Son of David! Have pity on us!” 31 The crowd scolded them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord! Son of David! Have pity on us!” 32 Yeshua stopped, called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, open our eyes.” 34 Filled with tenderness, Yeshua touched their eyes; and instantly they received their sight and followed him.] teaches us that blindness is a physical and a spiritual reality. Like the blind men whom Jesus healed, we engage with the miraculous, transformative power of conversation with God. Like the blind men, we must approach God with boldness in order to see anew. Hurt, handicaps, and dysfunction are not themselves sin, but allowing those conditions to distance us from God is a way to miss the marks or characteristics of Christian fidelity. God welcomes our limitations as opportunities to radically alter our world for the better. For Jesus, healing is both a miraculous and revolutionary act because it’s an act performed in love.
Racial disparity, violence, and injustice, which fill our twenty-four-hour news cycles, are limitations the faithful can no longer pretend not to see. Generations of hurt, distrust, and myopia create a society that divides and categorizes according to perceived differences that hold no meaning to one’s worth in God’s kingdom. Stereotypes and bias, both implicit and explicit, create a blindness that inhibits our unity within community.
Ultimately, we boldly invite God into this place of blindness to heal the hurt at the core of our unstable societies and clashing cultures. This intentional invitation to healing through prayer and reconciliation with justice is the mission for the Center for Social Empowerment and Justice at Wellspring Church in Ferguson, Missouri. The Center is one example of how present-day United Methodists choose to acknowledge the hurt and oppression our society seeks to keep invisible.
Through conversations along the fault lines of difference, we are making progress to relieve local injustice. We’re cultivating spiritual and religious reformation through the slow and sometimes painful process of learning to see. The only way we can see the other clearly is by acknowledging that they are not “other” after all.
By accepting God’s mission for the church, we United Methodists can change the world where we live, as we continue to build God’s kingdom within and beyond the community of believers. When your whole heart is aligned with the Lord’s mission, something will happen in your neighborhood. Claim your promise—both yours and the Lord’s!
"Constantine in Tennessee"
by Bill MeffordThe Tennessee State Capitol Building | Bigstock/f11photo
Watching the Tennessee legislature debate whether to override Gov. Bill Haslam’s veto of making the Bible the state’s official book reminds me that very few of those who scream and yell about the importance of the Bible seem to have actually read or studied it.
Many legislators proudly admitted that they wanted to adopt the Bible as the state book because it would lead Tennesseans — especially children — to read the Bible, and it might even spark revivals. Passing a bill in hopes it will convert people to Christianity, of course, violates the Constitution.
Strangely, others who spoke in favor of the bill tried to assure their colleagues that the official designation had nothing to do with trying to recruit or proselytize and that it wasn’t about transforming people. It was simply to lift up the Bible for its historical importance.
Indeed, in the language of the bill, making the Bible the state book was likened to naming the honey bee the agricultural insect, the ladybug the state insect and the tulip poplar the state tree. Apparently, in the minds of the bill’s authors, the tulip poplar is much like the Bible because it is found “from one end of the state to the other.”
As a follower of Jesus and as someone who greatly values the Bible as a means of knowing and even experiencing the transformative power and presence of God through its pages and stories, I am very grateful this bill failed. I, for one, do not think the Bible can or should be compared to the tulip poplar.
The bill was likely unconstitutional, but its main threat was this: When we begin to symbolize those things which are meant to be empowered by God’s own presence and are meant to be living and dynamic in the formation of God’s people for the purpose of sharing in God’s mission to the world, it means we have given up on the future of God’s promise and are instead memorializing the work of God as a thing of the past.
This odd obsession that many Christians have with ensuring Christian symbols, phrases or even practices such as prayer be enshrined in public practice — even and especially when that public is pluralistic and may or may not proclaim Christianity as their faith — is causing great damage to the church’s witness to the world.
The truth is that symbolizing Christian beliefs, practices or objects hearkens back to the “Constantine-ization” of the church, which began in earnest in 313 A.D. That was the year the Roman Emperor Constantine began extending official preference to Christianity, a move that effectively transformed Christianity from a counter-cultural movement into a state-favored institution.
We are still struggling with the effects of this sponsorship. Christian author Rodney Clapp makes the comparison of sports stars who sponsor products like shoes or soft drinks and become so linked to them that seeing one brings to mind images of the other (think Michael Jordan and Nike). So, too, has the church become the official sponsor of Western civilization.
To those who desire to continue this unfortunate fusion, the decline of one is equal to the decline of the other. When one is in decline the answer must be to strengthen the fused relationship rather than address those areas of decline. When faced with societal distress, the Constantinian church responds with statements or press releases and looks only to the state for solutions, while the New Testament church responds by listening to and loving those who are most directly impacted by society’s brokenness. The state might be part of the solution, but for the New Testament church, the state is not the answer in itself.
Since the Western church has adopted a Constantinian framework, it has moved from its origins in the New Testament. It’s no longer a marginal movement challenging society’s predominant values through a counter-cultural living practice of love and hospitality towards society’s most vulnerable. It has become a state-approved institution whose task is to preserve the political and economic status quo and to give it legitimacy by adopting the values of the state as its own.
The Tennessee legislators who voted to make the Bible the state book are, I believe, working within a Constantinian framework for the church. Adopting this view divides the actual mission of the church — reflecting and manifesting God’s love, grace, mercy and justice for the world — by ensuring that the interests of the state are equally prioritized. Having a divided purpose means that neither purpose is actually ever fully achieved.
Instead of utilizing the resources of Tennessee to care for the needs of the state’s most vulnerable populations, lawmakers tried to make the Bible the state book. Such symbolization of Christian objects and practices only serves to keep those objects and practices enshrined and untouchable, almost like being preserved in a museum. And what objects are placed in a museum? Those which we never use anymore but pause occasionally to remember the days long ago when they were put to good use.
The Constantinian view still has a fairly firm hold on the church’s ideas, speech, practices, worship and especially its mission. Liberation from it means that we must become singularly focused on the mission Jesus set out for those who wish to follow him: loving the world and working for justice — especially for those most directly impacted by injustice. Sure, those who follow Jesus are needed in places like the Tennessee legislature, but they should not focus on symbolizing Christian objects and practices. Instead, they should serve those most directly impacted by the brokenness of injustice.
It is high time to live out the Scriptures rather than memorialize them.
"Faith in the unseen"
by Samantha TidballAn artist's rendering of Planet Nine. Photo courtesy of R. Hurt, IPAC / Caltech
For those who were upset about the demotion of Pluto to a dwarf planet, there is hope for a ninth planet in our solar system after all! Astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin created a mathematical model that showed a distant, Neptune-sized planet might be influencing the orbital path of six smaller objects out in the Kuiper Belt. The object, which the researchers have nicknamed Planet Nine, has a mass about ten times that of Earth and orbits about twenty times farther from the sun on average than does Neptune (which orbits the sun at an average distance of 2.8 billion miles). In fact, it would take this new planet between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make just one full orbit around the sun. Even though there is conclusive evidence for this object through mathematical equations and computer modeling, nobody has observed this object directly.
Proof for God
Like Planet Nine, some argue there is very conclusive evidence for the existence of God, even though we haven’t physically seen God. We trust in stories, testimonies, and our personal experiences of God’s presence, perhaps through unexplained forces. There is convincing evidence for the validity of Scripture, and most agree Jesus was a real historical person who walked on this earth. However, faith requires more than simply having knowledge about the person of Jesus Christ; faith requires trust in the Word to accept Jesus as the Son of God.
Desire to believe
It’s not only atheists and agnostics who wrestle with believing in the unseen. Many Christians wrestle with the concept of having a relationship with an unseen God. Sometimes believing in God feels distant or abstract. We want the instant gratification of experiencing what is tangible. Believing in the unseen takes an abundance of faith.
Question of the day: What things do you believe in that you can't see?
Focal Scriptures: John 20:24-30[John 20:24 Now T’oma (the name means “twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Yeshua came. 25 When the other talmidim told him, “We have seen the Lord,” he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger into the place where the nails were and put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe it.”
26 A week later his talmidim were once more in the room, and this time T’oma was with them. Although the doors were locked, Yeshua came, stood among them and said, “Shalom aleikhem!” 27 Then he said to T’oma, “Put your finger here, look at my hands, take your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be lacking in trust, but have trust!” 28 T’oma answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Yeshua said to him, “Have you trusted because you have seen me? How blessed are those who do not see, but trust anyway!”
30 In the presence of the talmidim Yeshua performed many other miracles which have not been recorded in this book.]; Hebrews 11[Hebrews 11:1 Trusting[Hebrews 11:1 Habakkuk 2:4] is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see. 2 It was for this that Scripture attested the merit of the people of old.
3 By trusting, we understand that the universe was created through a spoken word of God, so that what is seen did not come into being out of existing phenomena.
4 By trusting, Hevel offered a greater sacrifice than Kayin; because of this, he was attested as righteous, with God giving him this testimony on the ground of his gifts. Through having trusted, he still continues to speak, even though he is dead.
5 By trusting, Hanokh was taken away from this life without seeing death — “He was not to be found, because God took him away” — for he has been attested as having been, prior to being taken away, well pleasing to God.[Hebrews 11:5 Genesis 5:24] 6 And without trusting, it is impossible to be well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches him must trust that he does exist and that he becomes a Rewarder to those who seek him out.
7 By trusting, Noach, after receiving divine warning about things as yet unseen, was filled with holy fear and built an ark to save his household. Through this trusting, he put the world under condemnation and received the righteousness that comes from trusting.
8 By trusting, Avraham obeyed, after being called to go out[Hebrews 11:8 Genesis 12:1] to a place which God would give him as a possession; indeed, he went out without knowing where he was going. 9 By trusting, he lived as a temporary resident in the Land of the promise, as if it were not his, staying in tents with Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, who were to receive what was promised along with him. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with permanent foundations, of which the architect and builder is God.
11 By trusting, he received potency to father a child, even when he was past the age for it, as was Sarah herself; because he regarded the One who had made the promise as trustworthy. 12 Therefore this one man, who was virtually dead, fathered descendants
as numerous as the stars in the sky,
and as countless as the grains of the sand on the seashore.[Hebrews 11:12 Genesis 15:5–6; 22:17; 32:13(12); Exodus 32:13; Deuteronomy 1:10; 10:22]
13 All these people kept on trusting until they died, without receiving what had been promised. They had only seen it and welcomed it from a distance, while acknowledging that they were aliens and temporary residents on the earth.[Hebrews 11:13 1 Chronicles 29:15] 14 For people who speak this way make it clear that they are looking for a fatherland. 15 Now if they were to keep recalling the one they left, they would have an opportunity to return; 16 but as it is, they aspire to a better fatherland, a heavenly one. This is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
17 By trusting, Avraham, when he was put to the test, offered up Yitz’chak as a sacrifice. Yes, he offered up his only son, he who had received the promises, 18 to whom it had been said, “What is called your ‘seed’ will be in Yitz’chak.”[Hebrews 11:18 Genesis 21:12] 19 For he had concluded that God could even raise people from the dead! And, figuratively speaking, he did so receive him.
20 By trusting, Yitz’chak in his blessings over Ya‘akov and Esav made reference to events yet to come.
21 By trusting, Ya‘akov, when he was dying, blessed each of Yosef’s sons, leaning on his walking-stick as he bowed in prayer.[Hebrews 11:21 Genesis 47:31 (Septuagint)]
22 By trusting, Yosef, near the end of his life, remembered about the Exodus of the people of Isra’el and gave instructions about what to do with his bones.
23 By trusting, the parents of Moshe hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw that he was a beautiful child,[Hebrews 11:23 Exodus 2:2] and they weren’t afraid of the king’s decree.
24 By trusting, Moshe, after he had grown up,[Hebrews 11:24 Exodus 2:11] refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose being mistreated along with God’s people rather than enjoying the passing pleasures of sin. 26 He had come to regard abuse suffered on behalf of the Messiah as greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he kept his eyes fixed on the reward.
27 By trusting, he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered as one who sees the unseen.
28 By trusting, he obeyed the requirements for the Pesach, including the smearing of the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Isra’el.
29 By trusting, they walked through the Red Sea as through dry land; when the Egyptians tried to do it, the sea swallowed them up.
30 By trusting, the walls of Yericho fell down — after the people had marched around them for seven days.
31 By trusting, Rachav the prostitute welcomed the spies and therefore did not die along with those who were disobedient.
32 What more should I say? There isn’t time to tell about Gid‘on, Barak, Shimshon, Yiftach, David, Sh’mu’el and the prophets; 33 who, through trusting, conquered kingdoms, worked righteousness, received what was promised, shut the mouths of lions,[Hebrews 11:33 Daniel 6:23(22)] 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, had their weakness turned to strength, grew mighty in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead resurrected; other people were stretched on the rack and beaten to death, refusing to be ransomed, so that they would gain a better resurrection. 36 Others underwent the trials of being mocked and whipped, then chained and imprisoned. 37 They were stoned, sawed in two, murdered by the sword; they went about clothed in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, mistreated, 38 wandering about in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the ground! The world was not worthy of them!
39 All of these had their merit attested because of their trusting. Nevertheless, they did not receive what had been promised, 40 because God had planned something better that would involve us, so that only with us would they be brought to the goal.
]; 2 Corinthians 4:18; 5:1-7[2 Corinthians 4:18 We concentrate not on what is seen but on what is not seen, since things seen are temporary, but things not seen are eternal.
5:1 We know that when the tent which houses us here on earth is torn down, we have a permanent building from God, a building not made by human hands, to house us in heaven. 2 For in this tent, our earthly body, we groan with desire to have around us the home from heaven that will be ours. 3 With this around us we will not be found naked. 4 Yes, while we are in this body, we groan with the sense of being oppressed: it is not so much that we want to take something off, but rather to put something on over it; so that what must die may be swallowed up by the Life. 5 Moreover, it is God who has prepared us for this very thing, and as a pledge he has given us his Spirit.
6 So we are always confident — we know that so long as we are at home in the body, we are away from our home with the Lord; 7 for we live by trust, not by what we see.]
For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC.
"Churches examine white privilege"
by Adelle M. Banks / Religion News ServiceYvonne Platts, left, and Pam Nath, center, lead a "Face to Face with Racism" workshop at Ecumenical Advocacy Days on April 17, 2016. RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks
(RNS) A year ago, when the death of Freddie Gray and resulting unrest in Baltimore filled the news, the Rev. Kathy Dwyer felt she had to do something.
“Every time I turned on the TV, I just felt like I was getting punched in the gut from watching the issue of racism just escalate in our country,” said the white pastor of a predominantly white United Church of Christ congregation in Arlington, Va.
In the wake of the continuing deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police officers, some white church leaders say they can no longer check off their racial-justice to-do list by hosting a Black History Month event. Instead, they are holding workshops that address white privilege — not experiencing or knowing the unfair treatment endured by nonwhites.
Dwyer’s church started a yearlong racial justice conversation and posted a Black Lives Matter sign that was vandalized. More than 40 members began reading books such as The New Jim Crow and Between the World and Me to better understand white privilege. And they invited people of color to speak at “sacred suppers” about their personal experiences with discrimination.
Vandalized Black Lives Matter sign at Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ in Arlington, Va. Photo courtesy of Kathy Dwyer
The Rev. Leonard L. Hamlin Sr., a black pastor of a National Baptist Convention, USA, congregation in Arlington, said being invited to Dwyer’s church — where he spoke of being awarded one of two silver medals instead of a gold in a high school oratory competition — was different from many of the times he’s explained his experiences to others.
“You had persons who really wanted to hear it,” he said, “persons who gave more time for it.”
On Sunday (April 17), at the annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days conference, about 60 mainline Protestants and Catholics gathered in a hotel ballroom in suburban Washington for a 90-minute session called “Face to Face with Racism.”
Co-facilitators Pam Nath and Yvonne Platts took turns discussing the image of an iceberg on a flip chart at the front of the room. They said it was a symbol of how oppressive power is like the tip of an iceberg, with white power looming just underneath.
“The stuff that’s hidden below the surface is bigger and more powerful and more dangerous than the stuff we can see above the waters,” said Nath, who is white, and who works with Platts, a black woman, in the Mennonite-based group Roots of Justice.
At a later point in the workshop, they led a role-playing exercise about power, in which a black woman depicted Jesus and a white man took the part of Jairus, a synagogue leader who sought Jesus out to heal his daughter.
“How are they addressing oppressive power — in the places you work and more particularly the places where you worship?” Platts asked.
In the last half-century, there have been other examples of whites addressing racial justice — from the Freedom Summer voting registration project in the South in the 1960s to anti-racism efforts in mainline Protestant denominations in the 1990s. But the focus on white privilege seems sharper now, propelled in part by the calls for change by the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Most of us don’t think about our whiteness until something brings it to our attention and sometimes that’s things like Freddie Gray,” said Kevin Skwira-Brown, a white facilitator of the “Cracking the Shell of Whiteness” class held for six weeks earlier this year at Peace United Church of Christ in Duluth, Minn.
Since the 15 people concluded the class, Skwira-Brown has received reports of how they have tried to apply what they’ve learned. One person has encouraged a medical professional to include more inviting artwork in an office instead of only images of white people.
Dwyer said a member of her church left a store without purchasing a desired item after hearing the salesclerk utter a racially derogatory statement.
The Rev. Bob Keithan. Photo courtesy of Ben David Johnson
The Rev. Rob Keithan is teaching a “White Ally Course” to 21 people at All Souls Church Unitarian in Washington in hopes of helping other whites strategize on using the strength of their faith to work more effectively on racial justice.
“White people have the responsibility to educate white people about race and racism,” he said. “We can’t place all that burden on people of color. … We have to do the education.”
The Rev. Cheryl Sanders, a professor of Christian ethics at Howard University Divinity School, said issues of white privilege and white supremacy have long been discussed on the campus of her predominantly black school and in other black settings. But she celebrates the attention to them by white allies.
“To do so will make a big difference as the ascendancy of Donald Trump forces the issue upon us, that is, to acknowledge and repudiate systems that validate white male dominance while denigrating the claims and humanity of others,” she said.
But the language of “white privilege” might stop the conversation for some before it starts, said Alan Cross, a Southern Baptist minister who authored a book on racism and Southern evangelicals.
“In the South, amongst conservative evangelicals, that would be a nonstarter to use that language,” he said. “If you step back, a lot of people would agree if we talk about what we mean instead of just using the term.”
Skwira-Brown said that white attendees of classes focused on whiteness are really at the start of a long process.
“If someone is filled with pride because they see something they didn’t see six weeks ago or six months ago, they sort of have perhaps lost touch with that racial humility,” he said. “And that’s part of the challenge, is to recognize how much we have to learn.”
"This Sunday, May 1, 2016"
Sixth Sunday of Easter: Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:1-10, 22–22:5; John 14:23-29
Lectionary Readings
Sunday, 1 May 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Acts 16:9-15
Psalm 67
Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
John 14:23-29
Scripture Texts: Acts 16:9-10 That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans.
Sunday, 1 May 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Acts 16:9-15
Psalm 67
Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
John 14:23-29
Scripture Texts: Acts 16:9-10 That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans.
11-12 Putting out from the harbor at Troas, we made a straight run for Samothrace. The next day we tied up at New City and walked from there to Philippi, the main city in that part of Macedonia and, even more importantly, a Roman colony. We lingered there several days.
13-14 On the Sabbath, we left the city and went down along the river where we had heard there was to be a prayer meeting. We took our place with the women who had gathered there and talked with them. One woman, Lydia, was from Thyatira and a dealer in expensive textiles, known to be a God-fearing woman. As she listened with intensity to what was being said, the Master gave her a trusting heart—and she believed!
15 After she was baptized, along with everyone in her household, she said in a surge of hospitality, “If you’re confident that I’m in this with you and believe in the Master truly, come home with me and be my guests.” We hesitated, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Psalm 67:1-7 God, mark us with grace
and blessing! Smile!
The whole country will see how you work,
all the godless nations see how you save.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
Let all people thank and enjoy you.
Let all far-flung people become happy
and shout their happiness because
You judge them fair and square,
you tend the far-flung peoples.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
Let all people thank and enjoy you.
Earth, display your exuberance!
You mark us with blessing, O God, our God.
You mark us with blessing, O God.
Earth’s four corners—honor him!
Revelation 21: The City of Light
9-12 One of the Seven Angels who had carried the bowls filled with the seven final disasters spoke to me: “Come here. I’ll show you the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb.” He took me away in the Spirit to an enormous, high mountain and showed me Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God, resplendent in the bright glory of God.
22:1-5 Then the Angel showed me Water-of-Life River, crystal bright. It flowed from the Throne of God and the Lamb, right down the middle of the street. The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations. Never again will anything be cursed. The Throne of God and of the Lamb is at the center. His servants will offer God service—worshiping, they’ll look on his face, their foreheads mirroring God. Never again will there be any night. No one will need lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs. And they will rule with him age after age after age.
John 14:23-24 “Because a loveless world,” said Jesus, “is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we’ll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn’t mine. It’s the message of the Father who sent me.
25-27 “I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.
28 “You’ve heard me tell you, ‘I’m going away, and I’m coming back.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I’m on my way to the Father because the Father is the goal and purpose of my life.
29-31 “I’ve told you this ahead of time, before it happens, so that when it does happen, the confirmation will deepen your belief in me. I’ll not be talking with you much more like this because the chief of this godless world is about to attack. But don’t worry—he has nothing on me, no claim on me. But so the world might know how thoroughly I love the Father, I am carrying out my Father’s instructions right down to the last detail.
“Get up. Let’s go. It’s time to leave here.”
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for: Acts 16:9-15
Verse 9
[9] And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
A vision appeared to Paul by night — It was not a dream, though it was by night. No other dream is mentioned in the New Testament than that of Joseph and of Pilate's wife.
A man of Macedonia — Probably an angel clothed in the Macedonian habit, or using the language of the country, and representing the inhabitants of it.
Help us — Against Satan, ignorance, and sin.
Verse 10
[10] And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.
We sought to go into Macedonia — This is the first place in which St. Luke intimates his attendance on the apostle. And here he does it only in an oblique manner. Nor does he throughout the history once mention his own name, or any one thing which he did or said for the service of Christianity; though Paul speaks of him in the most honourable terms, Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; and probably as the brother whose praise in the Gospel went through all the Churches, 2 Corinthians 8:18. The same remark may be made on the rest of the sacred historians, who every one of them show the like amiable modesty.
Verse 11
[11] Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;
We ran with a straight course — Which increased their confidence that God had called them.
Verse 12
[12] And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.
The first city — Neapolis was the first city they came to in that part of Macedonia which was nearest to Asia: in that part which was farthest from it, Philippi. The river Strymon ran between them. Philippi was a Roman colony.
Verse 13
[13] And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
We went out of the gate — The Jews usually held their religious assemblies (either by choice or constraint) at a distance from the heathens: by a river side - Which was also convenient for purifying themselves.
Where prayer was wont to be made — Though it does not appear there was any house built there.
We spake — At first in a familiar manner. Paul did not immediately begin to preach.
Verse 14
[14] And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
A worshipper of God — Probably acquainted with the prophetic writings whose heart the Lord opened - The Greek word properly refers to the opening of the eyes: and the heart has its eyes, Ephesians 1:18. These are closed by nature and to open them is the peculiar work of God.
Verse 15
[15] And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
She was baptized and her family — Who can believe that in so many families there was no infant? Or that the Jews, who were so long accustomed to circumcise their children, would not now devote them to God by baptism? She entreated us - The souls of the faithful cleave to those by whom they were gained to God.
She constrained us — By her importunity. They did not immediately comply, lest any should imagine they sought their own profit by coining into Macedonia.
Psalm 67
Verse 2
[2] That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
Thy way — The way of truth, or the true religion; the same which in the next clause is called his saving health, and both together signify the way of salvation; deal so graciously with thy people, that thereby the Gentile-world may at last be allured to join with them.
Verse 4
[4] O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. /*Selah*/.
Judge — Rule them.
Govern — Heb. lead; gently, as a shepherd doth his sheep; and not rule them with rigour, as other lords had done.
Verse 6
[6] Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.
Them — When the people of the earth shall be converted to God, God will cause it to yield them abundance of all sorts of fruits. Under which one blessing, all other blessings both temporal and spiritual are comprehended.
Our own — He who is Israel's God in a peculiar manner.
Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
Verse 10
[10] And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
And he carried me away in the spirit — The same expression as before, Revelation 17:3.
And showed me the holy city Jerusalem — The old city is now forgotten, so that this is no longer termed the new, but absolutely Jerusalem. O how did St. John long to enter in! but the time was not yet come. Ezekiel also describes "the holy city," and what pertains thereto, xl.-xlviii. Ezekiel 40:1-Eze but a city quite different from the old Jerusalem, as it was either before or after the Babylonish captivity. The descriptions of the prophet and of the apostle agree in many particulars; but in many more they differ. Ezekiel expressly describes the temple, and the worship of God therein, closely alluding to the Levitical service. But St. John saw no temple, and describes the city far more large, glorious, and heavenly than the prophet. Yet that which he describes is the same city; but as it subsisted soon after the destruction of the beast. This being observed, both the prophecies agree together and one may explain the other.
Verse 22
[22] And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
The Lord God and the Lamb are the temple of it — He fills the new heaven and the new earth. He surrounds the city and sanctifies it, and all that are therein. He is "all in all."
Verse 23
[23] And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
The glory of God — Infinitely brighter than the shining of the sun.
Verse 24
[24] And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
And the nations — The whole verse is taken from Isaiah 60:3.
Shall walk by the light thereof — Which throws itself outward from the city far and near.
And the kings of the earth — Those of them who have a part there.
Bring their glory into it — Not their old glory, which is now abolished; but such as becomes the new earth, and receives an immense addition by their entrance into the city.
Verse 26
[26] And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
And they shall bring the glory of the nations into it — It seems, a select part of each nation; that is, all which can contribute to make this city honourable and glorious shall be found in it; as if all that was rich and precious throughout the world was brought into one city.
Verse 27
[27] And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Common — That is. unholy.
But those who are written in the Lamb's book of life — True, holy, persevering believers. This blessedness is enjoyed by those only; and, as such, they are registered among them who are to inherit eternal life.
Verse 1
[1] And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
And he showed me a river of the water of life — The ever fresh and fruitful effluence of the Holy Ghost. See Ezekiel 47:1-12; where also the trees are mentioned which "bear fruit every month," that is, perpetually.
Proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb — "All that the Father hath," saith the Son of God, "is mine;" even the throne of his glory.
Verse 2
[2] In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
In the midst of the street — Here is the paradise of God, mentioned, Revelation 2:7.
Is the tree of life — Not one tree only, but many.
Every month — That is, in inexpressible abundance. The variety, likewise, as well as the abundance of the fruits of the Spirit, may be intimated thereby.
And the leaves are for the healing of the nations — For the continuing their health, not the restoring it; for no sickness is there.
Verse 3
[3] And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
And there shall be no more curse — But pure life and blessing; every effect of the displeasure of God for sin being now totally removed.
But the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it — That is, the glorious presence and reign of God.
And his servants — The highest honour in the universe.
Shalt worship him — The noblest employment.
Verse 4
[4] And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
And shall see his face — Which was not granted to Moses. They shall have the nearest access to, and thence the highest resemblance of, him. This is the highest expression in the language of scripture to denote the most perfect happiness of the heavenly state, 1 John 3:2.
And his name shall be on their foreheads — Each of them shall be openly acknowledged as God's own property, and his glorious nature most visibly shine forth in them.
And they shall reign — But who are the subjects of these kings? The other inhabitants of the new earth. For there must needs be an everlasting difference between those who when on earth excelled in virtue, and those comparatively slothful and unprofitable servants, who were just saved as by fire. The kingdom of God is taken by force; but the prize is worth all the labour. Whatever of high, lovely, or excellent is in all the monarchies of the earth is all together not a grain of dust, compared to the glory of the children of God. God "is not ashamed to be called their God, for whom he hath prepared this city." But who shall come up into his holy place? "They who keep his commandments," verse 14. Revelation 22:14
Verse 5
[5] And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
And they shall reign for ever and ever — What encouragement is this to the patience and faithfulness of the saints, that, whatever their sufferings are, they will work out for them "an eternal weight of glory!" Thus ends the doctrine of this Revelation, in the everlasting happiness of all the faithful. The mysterious ways of Providence are cleared up, and all things issue in an eternal Sabbath, an everlasting state of perfect peace and happiness, reserved for all who endure to the end.
John 14:23-29
Verse 23
[23] Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Jesus answered — Because ye love and obey me, and they do not, therefore I will reveal myself to you, and not to them.
My Father will love him — The more any man loves and obeys, the more God will love him.
And we will come to him, and make our abode with him — Which implies such a large manifestation of the Divine presence and love, that the former in justification is as nothing in comparison of it.
Verse 26
[26] But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
In my name — For my sake, in my room, and as my agent.
He will teach you all things — Necessary for you to know. Here is a clear promise to the apostles, and their successors in the faith, that the Holy Ghost will teach them all that truth which is needful for their salvation.
Verse 27
[27] Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Peace I leave with you — Peace in general; peace with God and with your own consciences.
My peace — In particular; that peace which I enjoy, and which I create, I give - At this instant.
Not as the world giveth — Unsatisfying unsettled, transient; but filling the soul with constant, even tranquillity. Lord, evermore give us this peace! How serenely may we pass through the most turbulent scenes of life, when all is quiet and harmonious within! Thou hast made peace through the blood of thy cross. May we give all diligence to preserve the inestimable gift inviolate, till it issue in everlasting peace!
Verse 28
[28] Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
God the Father is greater than I — As he was man. As God, neither is greater nor less than the other.
Verse 29
[29] And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
I have told you — Of my going and return.
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The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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Our God works in some wonderful and unexplainable ways. That affirmation has been the constant theme of every Easter season. A Savior nailed to a cross, then buried, comes back to life in three days as Jesus had predicted. For the disciples then, and believers now, nothing could be more wonderful or unexplainable. Indeed, the Easter story didn’t end there. The risen Christ visited Saul of Tarsus and, in one of the Bible’s most dramatic conversion stories, turned Paul from captain of the opposition into captain of the home team.
Today we visit a passage from the Bible that confirms this encounter. We will discover that most of what we consider blessings are visits by God. Some visits we receive and enjoy; others trouble us. Further, some visits we cannot explain and simply say it must have been the hand of the Lord. Such was the case some years ago when I was serving in a city near the U.S.-Mexico border. My congregation had several lay teams in mission work who would, on their own, gather clothing, supplies, Bibles, materials, and the like, and go to Methodist churches south of the border. Their ministry was rewarding to them and a frequent source of refreshment and inspiration for me.
One particular couple from my church loved to leave on the spur of the moment, led by God, they said, to visit pastors or members of churches along the Mexican side of the border. On one particular day they called me and invited me to come along for the ride to deliver some goods to a pastor I had met some months earlier. He served a tiny church and was a recent newlywed, full of energy for the work of the Lord in this small village, eager to spread the gospel. As we approached his home at the end of a long, dusty road, there seated on the porch was this young minister, head bent over an open Bible. He glanced up, immediately recognized the van, and began running toward us, waving and jumping with excitement. He opened my door and hugged me as he explained, “I just finished a prayer asking the Lord to send you to visit me!” I asked very innocently, “Me?” And he said yes and explained the why of his request. I talked with him about the situation he was facing in hopes that it might bring a blessing, and we enjoyed a great visit, closed our time with prayer, and I returned home. Only the Lord knows what purpose I served that day, since all I did was to say yes to an invitation to travel to Mexico, expecting only to help unload things from a van; not to help a fellow pastor with a load he was carrying.
What do you do when God visits? Paul would instruct, “Say yes” to whatever God leads us to do. Paul was visited with a vision, one night as he slept, of a man from Macedonia imploring Paul to “come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9). Paul, convinced it was God calling him, obediently began making plans to travel to that region and fulfill this call.
God visits us regularly and, whether through dreams, visions, or recurring thoughts, plants seeds in our minds that, if followed, may result in special blessing for the work of God even today. Paul’s call involved visiting a significant region of the time, to bring the good news about Christ’s love. Travel was difficult, but Paul and Timothy finally reached Philippi. Once there, they ventured outside the city gates to the river, where they believed they would find a place of worship. Paul shared the good news with the women gathered there. Lydia received this salvation message and opened her home to host what became the church in Philippi. Some scholars believe that while in Philippi, Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians and his first epistle to Timothy. We also have the epistle to the Philippians; those encouraging words Paul shared some years later with the church he founded there. This was, indeed, a fruitful visit. What do we do when God visits? Are we open to God’s leading?
Today is the perfect day to ask ourselves these questions. Have we considered that every obedient step we take may guide us to the place where a wonderful seed is planted for fruitful ministry? Dare not to limit God’s power to share exactly what is needed to be faithful. Dare even to imagine that God may provide exactly what we thought we didn’t need, as was the case with the disciples on that first Pentecost Day. God visited them in a mighty way and continues visiting today.
I serve in the ministry as the result of a recurring visit by God. I told God that I was not the right person, and shared hundreds of what I thought were excellent excuses to dodge this call. I placed conditions on my call; I had to overcome my shyness and I had to be more willing to stand in front of people to speak God’s Word. Wouldn’t you know it; God did all those things and more.
Two weeks from now, we will celebrate Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit visited the disciples and empowered them to share God’s good works in many languages. The disciples followed God’s leading to take those steps to share the way God continues to work in all the lives that trust God and let God work in them. Where is God leading you?
WORSHIP CONNECTION: MAY 1, 2016By Nancy C. TownleySixth Sunday of Easter
COLOR: White
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:1-10, 22–22:5; John 14:23-29
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1:
L: We come together this day, drawn by the light of God’s love!
P: In God’s eternal kingdom, darkness and despair are vanquished.
L: In God’s eternal realm, peace and hope reign!
P: Let all the people praise God with their music and their voices!
L: Let all the people praise God with their deeds of loving-kindness!
P: Praise be to God. AMEN!
Call to Worship #2:
[Using the hymn “Shall We Gather at the River,” offer the following call to worship as directed. You will want to have a rehearsal for each part, prior to the worship service. If you have people who can play percussion instruments such as drums, tambourines, maracas, etc., it would be fun to use them during the singing of each verse. Let the atmosphere for this call to worship be joyful.]
L: Come, one and all. Gather together! For this is the day of the Lord!
P: Let’s gather at the river by the throne of God! For there is blessing forever!
Choir (entering and processing, if able) sings Verse 1 of “Shall We Gather at the River”
L: From the throne of God flows a mighty river of peace and hope for all God’s people!
P: And there shall be rejoicing at the sight of the healing waters!
Choir: singing verse 3 of “Shall We Gather at the River”
L: Our journey brings us to God’s wondrous river of Life!
P: Praise be to God who has drawn us from darkness and filled our world with light.
All: singing verse 4 of “Shall We Gather at the River”
Call to Worship #3:
L: May God be gracious to us and bless us.
P: May God’s face shine upon us and bring us peace!
L: Let all people praise you, O Lord.
P: Let all people shout their joy to your holy name.
L: God blesses us continually throughout all our lives.
P: Thanks be to God, for God’s eternal love and blessing. AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY/READING, BENEDICTION
Opening Prayer:
How magnificent the sight must be! The vision of John proclaims a crystal river flowing from God’s throne, comforting light, peace and hope for all God’s people. Darkness is vanquished. Open our eyes and our hearts to catch a glimpse of this vision. Help us to place our trust in you, that we may faithfully serve you, knowing what awaits our eyes in glory. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession:
Lord, You know how easy it is for us to sit here, tethered to our darkness and fear. We get bound up by chains of mistrust. We dare not to hope, for so many times before we have been disappointed. So we sit here and wonder where you are. We are not unlike the disciples who wondered also, who feared. Lord, come to us in our darkness. Flood us with your powerful light of love and mercy. Help open our eyes to the good news of your eternal glory. Give to us visions of the place in which love and hope will reign. Forgive our stubborn resistance to your mercy and your love. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Words of Assurance:
Let the light of God’s eternal love flood into your hearts this day. Feel the healing presence of God in your lives. Accept God’s love and hope for you. This is the gift freely given for you by Jesus Christ, God’s risen Son our Lord. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer:
Lord, we can only imagine the scene painted for us in Revelation in which we are given a glimpse of eternity. The light of your love pours over all the land, bathing it in healing warmth and hope. We have gathered this day to celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ. He said to the disciples “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be afraid”. How many times we are troubled and fearful. We feel hopeless in the face of an uncertain future. Help us to place our trust in your love. Open our hearts to see the wonder of your eternity. Release us from our anger, loneliness, and despair. Bring us to the realization that in your love we may find peace and joy. For it is in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we offer this prayer. AMEN.
Litany/Reading:
Reader 1:There is darkness all around. I can’t see anything. I feel so alone, so helpless.
Reader 2: “And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.” (Rev. 21:10)
Reader 1: Where is the place of refuge? Where can I find hope? Let me run to sanctuary and there hide myself from fear.
Reader 2: “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Rev. 21:22-23)
Reader 1: Lock the gates! Keep people out! Hide! Danger is ever present! Help me, O Lord! Help me!
Reader 2: “Its gates will never be shut by day and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it….but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Rev. 21: 24-27 abridged)
Reader 1: All around me is desolation. Starvation and hunger loom before me as a giant spectre. My soul withers and perishes.
Reader 2: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit for each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” (Rev. 22: 1-2)
Reader 1: I am not worthy of God’s love. I have not lived as I should have lived. I am impoverished in spirit and soul.
Reader 2: The throne of God and of the Lamb is in the city and all God’s people worship God, they will see God’s face and God’s name shall be written in their hearts and souls. God’s Son will heal their every wound so that they can stand before the throne of God’s grace, receiving light and forgiving love.
Reader 1: How shall I come before the Lord?
Reader 2: Come humbly. Bow down before the love of God. Feel the warmth of forgiveness and healing love flooding over you.
Reader 1: Please bless me, O Lord of Life.
Reader 2: God’s peace is given freely to you. Now you are called to be a blessing to others by serving God. AMEN.
Benediction:
Beloved of God, go to be a blessing. Bring the good news of forgiveness and healing to this hurting, lonely world. Bring hope to all, for God’s love is poured out for all God’s people.AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The suggested color for this Sunday is WHITE or GOLD
Focus on Easter 6:
Although the traditional color for this day is white or gold, I suggest using the medium green fabric as the background for this worship center.
Surface: Use four risers; three on the worship center, with the tallest one in the center; and two others toward the front of the worship center. The fourth riser will be in front of the worship center.
Fabric: Cover the worship center in green fabric. From the center riser, place a long strip (about 45” wide) of shiny light blue fabric - this may be suit lining fabric. Let it flow down from the center riser, across the worship center, and down over the riser in front of the worship center, puddling on the floor in front of the center (representing the water of life)
Candles: Place a large white candle on the tallest riser on the worship center, or in front of the cross, representing Christ. Smaller candles may be placed throughout the worship center.
Flowers/Foliage: You may use small, flowering plants, fruit, on the other risers and on each side of the blue fabric, representing abundance. Do not overload the setting with plants and foliage, just give an impression of fruitfulness and brightness.
Gospel: John 14:23-29. This is a rich text, providing several themes that are important to children. All the themes are more powerful if the text is set in its context: the Last Supper.
First is the question of how to show our love for Jesus. Loyalty among friends is very important to children. Best friends prove their devotion by being together, wearing matching clothes, or joining the same teams. Children express their devotion to their heroes by collecting baseball cards, memorizing sports statistics, and wearing shirts that bear those persons' names. So the question, "How can we show our love for Jesus?" has some urgency. Jesus' answer is clear. We are to show our love not by what we wear or by memorizing all the facts about Jesus, but by following Jesus' teachings. (The GNB's "obey my teachings" makes more sense to children than the NRSV's "keep my word.")
Second, Jesus promises those who love him and obey his teachings that God will be with them always. Again, this speaks to children's insistence that friends be loyal. Jesus promises them friendship that they can count on always. Nothing can come between them and God. Just as God was with the disciples through Jesus during his life on earth, so God will be with them (and us) in the Holy Spirit after Jesus is gone. God/Jesus/Holy Spirit will be so close, they will be inside us.
Finally, Jesus promises his disciples (whose world is about to be torn apart by Jesus' crucifixion) that his presence with them will result in peace and that peace will become a mark of the church. The other texts celebrate this peace (Psalm 67), describe how people spread it (Acts and John 5) , and look forward to the day when the peace will be complete (Revelation).
Psalm: Psalm 67. This harvest psalm acknowledges that God gives the peace, that nations are to share it, that peace and justice are related gifts from God, and that a good harvest is a peaceful blessing from God. This is a psalm for children to enjoy rather than to understand. The New Jerusalem Bible offers a particularly clear, beautiful translation.
Epistle: Revelation 21:10 ; 22:22–22:5. This passage is John's coded glimpse of the city of peace that will finally come. Some older children can crack enough of the code to discover that the presence of God and Jesus in the city will be so great that there will be no need for a church—the whole city will be a church. Hardly any children can decipher the significance of the life-giving river flowing from the throne of God. A few children will understand that people of all nations will be welcomed and will share their wealth. (The GNB's "wealth" or NJB"s "treasures" brought to the city are clearer than NRSV's "glory.") Many children will simply enjoy the fact that the Bible includes such cleverly coded messages and perhaps learn the code words they will be able to understand later.
Acts 16:9-15. Paul and Lydia are Easter people. In response to a vision, Paul travels to a new place to tell people about Jesus. In response to what she hears about Jesus, Lydia is baptized and offers her large, comfortable house as a home for Paul and a meeting place for the first Christians in her town. Though what Lydia did does not seem as exciting as what Paul did, they are equally important. We, like Paul and Lydia, are to respond to God's Easter message and do what we can to spread God's peace.
Alternate Gospel: John 5:1-9. Paul preaches, Lydia provides a home, and Jesus heals. Children understand the hopeless situation of the man by the pool and appreciate the help Jesus gave him. The challenge to them is to recognize people around them who need help and to help them.
Watch Words
Use the word peace in such a way that children realize it includes justice and inclusiveness, not just absence of war.
Also describe peace as feeling very good inside because you know that what you are doing is right. Compare that feeling with the excited feeling of going someplace special (e.g., an amusement park), or the feeling of getting something you do not deserve (e.g., winning a game by cheating).
Let the Children Sing
"Let All the World in Every Corner Sing" is a simple praise hymn which reflects Psalm 67.
"Savior Again to Thy Dear Name We Pray" includes many of the themes of these texts is simple concrete language children can understand as they sing.
"Dona Nobis Pacem," a prayer for peace learned by many children at camp, would be effective sung as a round by several choirs of different ages, or as a congregational hymn.
"I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart" is another camp song that Christians of all ages can sing together or that a choir can present as an anthem. Be sure to include the line, "I've got the peace that passes understanding down in the depths of my heart."
The Liturgical Child
1. Ask a group of older children to pantomime the action as Acts 16 is read. You will need Paul, a Macedonian, and several women, including Lydia. Paul's vision is staged at one side of the chancel. He then crosses to the other side to meet the women and is escorted farther in that direction by Lydia. The Macedonian might say, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Simple costumes help, and one good practice is essential.
2. To read Psalm 67 as a litany, teach the congregation the response in verses 3 and 5. The worship leader then reads the other verses, pausing at appropriate times for the congregational response. (Consider printing the response in the worship bulletin.)
3. Pass the Peace at the close of the service. The worship leaders (perhaps with the help of ushers or prepared children) move down the aisles and shake hands with the person at the end of each row, saying, "The peace of God be with you." The worshiper responds, "and also with you," and turns to pass the wish to his or her neighbor, who then passes it on down the row.
4. Pray for situations in which God's peace is needed. Pray for peace in families, peace on schoolbuses, peace among friends, peace among folks who do not get along easily, peace among different racial and ethnic groups in your community, and peace in the world. Consider asking several children in advance to identify such situations in their schools and your community.
Sermon Resources
1. Inquire about the Easter tokens. Suggest that this week worshipers carry the tokens as a reminder that God's peace is with them and that they, as the Easter People, are called to work for peace.
RESPONDING TO GOD'S CALL
ACTS 16:9-15
God spoke to Paul through a dream directing him to preach the gospel in Macedonia and he followed through without the assurance of having every need provided. Even on the journey, God was working to bring the gospel to people who would not have the chance to hear it without Paul's obedience. How often could we become someone's hope if we would only follow through obediently and take God's message without insisting on having all the details assured to us?
I. A Call for Action
Paul's dream of the "Macedonia call" is one that depicts the emotion of the Christian mission. In seeing a man begging for help, our hearts are touched with compassion along with Paul's. However, we must recognize that Paul is seeing the spiritual reality of the need in Macedonia. In the physical realm, Paul and his companions would not see needy people begging for what they had to offer. Instead, they would confront the powers of darkness and be persecuted by those they were sent to help.
Spiritual realities are greater, but most times harder to grasp. People need God and need for us to respond to that need on behalf of the kingdom. However, they may not know for what their spirits are crying. They may not give a fair hearing to believers who offer the cure for what ails them. Our call to share the gospel is not relative to human response or outward circumstances. God calls us to see the weakened and needy souls of humanity crying out for the gospel which we are called to share.
II. Unfolding the Nets
Paul's obedience to the call of sharing the gospel with those whom the Lord had directed him, resulted in meeting Lydia. She is described as a worshiper of God, yet there seems to be something missing in her spirituality. "God opens her heart" to Paul's message. The purpose of Paul's vision begins to materialize. If the call was for Lydia alone, she was worth the cost of Paul's obedience to it. God purposed to "open her heart." She may not have been the most impressive convert from our standpoint, but to a loving Father, she was more than worth disturbing the plan of his apostle.
After her baptism and those of her household, she offered provisions for the band of evangelists. The seeds of obedience on the part of Paul sprang forth into obedience in her life, and in return provided for the work of God. God provided when his servants responded positively to his call without the promise of provisions. It was a matter of faith. For us today too, God will lead us and direct us in ways that will require faith, but through obedience he will provide for the journey and the needs that are incurred.
Who knows how many men and women the Lord has ahead of us in our journey? They are awaiting our act of obedience. They may even be worshipers of God, but waiting for someone just like us to explain the gospel and lead them to a full faith in Christ. Perhaps we were at one time that person waiting for someone to come and share with us. Listening hearts and obedient actions are essential tools to accomplish God's program of evangelism. (Joseph Byrd )
HOW SOON IS SOON?
REVELATION 21:10, 22–22:5
When our children were young enough to still be excited about Santa Claus' coming we faced every parent's Christmas Eve problem. How do you get the kids in bed and asleep—and sleep enough yourself so that Christmas morning you're not too exhausted to enjoy the wonder of a child's delight and surprise at what came in the night. As I was putting my youngest to bed she asked, "Daddy when will Santa come?" I replied, "Soon", to which she responded, "How soon is soon?"
The book of Revelation claims "these words are trustworthy and true" regarding "the things that must soon take place." We want to know, "how soon is soon?"
I. To the Mountaintop
The night before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968 he gave a speech at Claibourn Temple where he eloquently proclaimed, "I've been to the mountaintop . . . death does not worry me." The Bible opens with the powerful phrase, "In the beginning God. . . ." It concludes with John's vision of the new heaven and new earth. In verse 10 he mentions "a great, high mountain" as he describes for us his vision of the new Jerusalem. He echoes Ezekiel's description of the new temple in Ezekiel 40 . In both instances we are reminded that God took Moses up to a mountaintop to see the promised land before he died.
How soon is soon? We've been to the mountaintop. God has declared what he is going to do. Now we must wait and serve with patience and faith. The Christian idea of hope is more than a mere wish. It is a confident expectation for the future based upon God's past acts. From the perspective of Revelation we have a confident expectation of the future based upon what God has promised he will do in that future.
II. No Temple
God's unmediated and undiluted presence will be the great wonder of the final consummation of the age. John describes the new heaven as a place with no Temple (v. 22), no representative dwelling place for God. Why? Because God himself will dwell with his people. You don't need a facsimile when you have the original. The unmediated presence of God will also be evidenced by the submission of all peoples to his ultimate sovereignty. The gates of this new city are never closed. There is never any night nor any need of artificial light. God himself is the light of this final abode. The imagery is both beautiful and breathtaking. When will all this take place? Soon. But how soon is soon?
III. Paradise Regained
In Genesis we see the primordial couple in a saga of Paradise lost. Revelation concludes with a wonderful glimpse of a river and the "tree of life." That which was lost in the garden of Eden has now been restored. God will be seen face to face. His character will be indelibly stamped upon his children. Humankind will recover the full expression of the imago dei lost through the curse of sin and death. We are told that the chief end of man is to know and to enjoy God forever. One day that will become a universal reality. When? Soon. But how soon is soon?
By the time he was nine years old George Frideric Handel was writing cantatas. A few years later he played before the king of Prussia. Events took an unexpected turn. His father died. His music fell out of popular favor. Bankrupt and in despair he closeted himself in his room and in twenty-four days wrote his inspiring oratorio Messiah based in part on the visions of Revelation 7 and 19. He later exclaimed, "I did see the heavens opened and the great God himself seated on his throne."
We have to see with eyes of faith what God is going to do. We should pray as William Penn prayed, "Lord you have gone to prepare a place for us; prepare us for that happy place." Our job is not to draw diagrams of the new Jerusalem or to create time lines determining its date and place of arrival. We are to make ourselves available to the grace of God that we might be prepared for that happy place—soon. Perhaps sooner than we think! (L. Joseph Rosas, III)
LOVE AND OBEDIENCE
JOHN 14:23-29
"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. . . . He who does not love me will not obey my teaching" (vv. 23-24 NIV).
Jesus tells his disciples that if they love him they will obey his teachings. In other words, he says, "If you really love me you'll do what I say." Love serves as a motivation for obedience and obedience is one of the tests of real love (cf. 14:15, 21).
I. Love Is the Only Real Motivation for Obedience
Love is the highest form of motivation. After all, it was love that motivated God to send his Son to the earth to die for us (John 3:16) and it was love that motivated Jesus to give himself up for us (1 John 3:16) . All through the New Testament love is lifted up as the ultimate motivation for doing what is right and holy ( John 13:34-35; Eph. 5:25 ff; Col. 3:12-14). And love for Christ is the highest motivation for obeying his teachings.
Of course, love isn't the only motivation. We can obey without love. For instance, we can obey out of a sense of fear of what will happen if we don't obey or out of a sense of Christian duty instead of out of love. Or we can obey because we agree with the truth of the teaching without believing in the truth giver (Jesus). But Jesus calls his disciples to obey out of their love for him and for God. It is the truest and purest motivation. The other types may leave us in the lurch in moments of temptation or persecution or doubt, but not love.
Thus, when we obey out of love, Jesus has promised that God will return that love and He and Jesus will come to abide with us. Obedience to Jesus' teachings will bring God's presence into our lives.
II. Lack of Love Motivates Us to Disobedience
Just as real love for Jesus will lead to obedience, a lack of love for him will lead to the opposite, an attitude of disregard or disobedience to the teachings of Jesus. Oftentimes, if love isn't our primary motivation for obedience, we will find ourselves trying to obey out of our own inner strength and for lesser motives. In a pinch, our own strength or those lesser motives may fail us.
It does need to be stated, however, that lack of obedience does not always indicate a lack of love just as obedience does not always indicate real love. We can fail to obey for many reasons other than a lack of love. For instance, we can fail to fully understand a teaching or we can be blind to the implications of a teaching. Of course, sin in our lives often leads us to act in ways that go counter to Jesus' teachings, even when we love the Lord. So don't be too quick to judge others or yourself.
III. Believers Obey Because They Love
Of course, while the other situations are possible, what would be most tragic is for a Christian to not obey because of a lack of love. The implication of Jesus' words are that if we do not obey due to a lack of love, he and God do not abide with us. Failure to love leads to lack of obedience which leads to losing God's loving presence in our lives. Jesus makes it emphatically clear that these words of encouragement and warning are not just his words, they are from the Father. We need to be sure of our motivation for serving the Lord. Our hearts can tell us that for sure, but be sure, God knows the truth and cannot be fooled! (Michael M. Jones)
Ministry Matters
2222 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37228, United States
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