Parade of Lights--The Light of the World, Part 2

(See Part 1 here)

Last night’s late Christmas Eve service at our church followed the model, shortened and with some different carols, of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols made famous by King’s College in Cambridge, England. The interwoven Scripture and Christmas carols and the beautifully decorated sanctuary combined to make a beautiful and meaningful service.

The last Scripture passage read in that Festival is John 1-14. Then we had a candle-lighting service where the pastor lit a candle from the Christ Candle and spread that light to all in the church holding their candles.

This gave me a perfect time to follow my own suggestion in part 1 to “Read it, savor it, and meditate on its meaning. Pray for understanding, even enlightenment.”

The meaning inherent in the passing of the light from the candle representing Christ to the candle each of us held is obvious. We not only receive that light from someone, but we pass it on to someone else. Thus is the Light of the World spread throughout the world—one believer at a time receiving the gospel and then passing it on.

I pray that as this simple illustration is repeated in other congregations, and replayed in our minds from previous candlelight services, we will all be so “enlightened”, receiving the Light of the World into our own lives and passing His gospel on to someone else living in darkness.

Merry Christmas in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Rudy

Parade of Lights--The Light of the World

Everyone is aware of the annual “Parade of Lights” parade in downtown Denver. It became famous (infamous) last year because of a ruling that specifically religious floats were not allowed. Not surprisingly, some Christians complained.

This year that rule was amended, and there were indeed some “Christmas” songs and floats in the (non-Christmas) “Parade of Lights”. Ridiculous? Yes!

This passage from the Gospel of John shows why. It is Jesus Himself who is the light of the world. That phrase falls so easily from the lips: “the light of the world”. So easily we glide right over the phrase. Read it, savor it, and meditate on its meaning. Pray for understanding, even enlightenment.

JOHN1:1-14 (NIV)
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.


More to follow…

The Incarnation

It is Christmas time—the season of the year when we celebrate, not just the birth of a baby who grew up to be a great moral teacher, but the birth of one in whom was the union of both divine and human natures. Immanuel (God with us) is one of the names by which he is known. The idea of this union is sometimes called “the incarnation”.

The incarnation can be a difficult concept to grasp. We are familiar with some words from the same root, though. Carnivorous means “flesh-eating”. Chili con carne is chili with meat. We know that carnal has something to do with the body. The Latin root of these words means “flesh”.

Incarnation is not a biblical word. If you look for it with a concordance, you won’t find it. The concept is thoroughly biblical, however. It is seen most clearly in John 1:14.

“ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV)”
or “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” (KJV)

It refers to the fact that in Christ God became human. In the person of Christ was the union of divine and human natures. This theological truth was hammered out in the early centuries of the Church in response to several different ideas which we still see in various forms today: that Jesus was human, but not divine; that Jesus was divine, but not fully human; that Jesus had two natures, but neither one complete—neither fully divine nor fully human.

The Church eventually came to say that in Jesus Christ God became fully human while in the same person being fully God. The term “incarnation” conveys that mystery as adequately as it is possible to do with an idea that, like all mysteries, is not explainable.

At Easter, we think of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the greatest miracle. Perhaps that’s because each of will eventually die, and Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope that we too will be resurrected (see I Corinthians 15). But the greater miracle is that God became human in the first place.

The idea that the Holy, the Creator, the awesome God condescended to live as a human—one of His creatures—is indeed the most fantastic claim of a miracle that one can make. In fact, it is so fantastic, it seems a fantasy and a falsehood to many; and it is not provable by itself. It is a doctrine we must accept by faith.

The virgin birth and the incarnation are not offered as proofs of the divinity of Jesus Christ. We hold those beliefs by faith. The life and work of Jesus Christ, including His teachings and His miracles, are evidence of the claim of the incarnation. It took the resurrection to provide the proof that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

In the incarnation is the promise of heaven, but only the promise, not the full reality. In Christ people experienced the awe of being in the presence of holiness. They observed righteousness being lived out in their midst. But the experience was time and space limited. As they went away, that experience faded.

When we encounter God today, as Christ through His Holy Spirit works in us, we experience some of that promise of heaven also. But our experiences also fade. We have the Holy Spirit with us, but we are not the Holy Spirit. The best we can hope for is that the Christ who embodied both human and divine, will—through His Spirit—live in us and work through us to extend the experience of “God with us” to others. May it be so.
.

More C.S. Lewis resources

Check out this link to an article in Christianity Today for a list of books about Lewis, categorized to better serve the interests of the reader, including a reprint that is a companion guide to Narnia. Click on it, and you’ll discover another source of Christian books.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Library A guide to the best new books about the man and the myths. By Jerry Root

Companion to Narnia: A Complete Guide to the Magical World of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia Paul F. Ford HarperSanFrancisco, 2005

Here are a couple of other links to articles about C.S. Lewis in that same issue of Christianity Today magazine.

We Know Jack C.S. Lewis's impact is about to reach new grounds, but for many of us, Lewis has shaped us from childhood to adulthood. By Mark Galli

CHRISTIAN HISTORY CORNER Carpets, Wardrobes, and the Glory of the Real A lesson on reality from fantasy author C.S. Lewis. By Jennifer Trafton

Introductions to C.S. Lewis

I was asked about some resources that would help someone understand Christianity better, and help them compare Christianity with other religions.

I’ll get to the comparison books later. For now, here are two books I recommended that you would probably like. With The Chronicles of Narnia coming to the movies, many will be introduced to C.S. Lewis for the first time. These books will give you a head start in the discussions that are sure to follow the movie.

They can both be purchased at Christian bookstores. Mere Christianity can be purchased almost anywhere, and you can likely get the Art Lindsley book at a local Barnes & Noble or other quality bookstores. I’ve given you the links to both BN and Amazon for both of these books.

I’m a bit past halfway through the Lindsley book, and I think it has an approach and style you would like. He gathers a hypothetical group of readers (from a wide variety of faith backgrounds) to discuss what C.S. Lewis wrote. Their questions form the backdrop for Lindsley’s compilation of quotes from C.S. Lewis in Lewis’ own search for answers (he was at one time an ardent atheist, only coming to believe in Jesus Christ in his 30's).

It is a good introduction to Lewis’ various writings, set forth in a coherent and understandable way. Therefore it is also a good introduction to why Jesus and Christianity make sense for someone steeped in the cultural milieu of the 21st Century. I recommend reading it first, then following up with the original itself—Mere Christianity.

Both of these books are great reads for yourself, and would make wonderful Christmas presents for other thinking Christians or even for skeptics.


Barnes & Noble

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis,

C.S. Lewis's Case for Christ: Insights from Reason, Imagination and Faith, by Art Lindsley

Or---

Amazon.com

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (Paperback - February 2001)

C. S. Lewis's Case for Christ: Insights from Reason, Imagination And Faith by Art Lindsley (Paperback)

Celebrating Christmas

Increasingly over the past couple of decades we see screeds against the Scrooges who attempt to take the celebration of Christmas out of the “holiday season”. This year there is even a book out called The War On Christmas, by John Gibson.

Why the complaints, articles, blogs, and books? Because there is a concentrated effort to force political correctness (as defined by those who are averse to offending anyone except Christians) and substitute anything in place of overt Christianity in the public square.

This is why we see “Winter Festivals”, “Holiday Festivals”, and “Holiday Trees” in school or public celebrations of the season; and it’s why we hear “Happy Holidays”, “Seasons Greetings”, and other supposedly non-offensive terms in place of “Merry Christmas”.

This week I heard a brilliant response to employees in stores who are instructed to avoid saying “Merry Christmas”, even though retail stores typically count on about a quarter of their annual sales coming from people buying Christmas presents (or are they “holiday presents”?). Here a polite but assertive Christian who is offended by the hijacking of our Holy Days for overtly secular and politically correct “holidays” makes the point.

Store employee: “Happy Holidays”.
Christian customer: “Oh, what holiday is it?”
Store employee: “Uh, Christmas, I suppose.”
Christian customer: “Well, then, Merry Christmas to you.”

Slightly less polite perhaps is a more subtle reference to the wonderful Christmas story starring James Stewart, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In that movie is the line, “…every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.” In the modern retort to “Happy Holidays” one says, “Don’t you know that every time someone says ‘Happy Holidays’ an elf dies”.

I like the more positive approach myself. Since the ‘reason for the season” is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and the name of the major holiday in the United States is Christmas, let’s keep the name of the season and celebrate the Name of the Savior.

And, in celebrating the true meaning of the season, I’m in favor of singing Christmas carols as much as possible—and religious ones at that. Here are some that most Christians, and many non-Christians, know:

Angels We Have Heard On High
Angels, From The Realms Of Glory
Away In A Manger
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Joy To the World! The Lord Is Come
O Come, All Ye Faithful
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Silent Night, Holy Night
The First Noel The Angel Did Say
There’s A Song In The Air
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks

We can sing those with feeling and conviction. Some more secular Christmas songs may be fun and nostalgic, but hardly have the same message. How many of us really know how fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh? And songs about Santa Claus may be exciting for children, but the message is more about gifts than The Gift.

There are definitely occasions when we have to stand up to those who will supplant Christmas with secular and commercial greetings, so let’s do it with grace, and love, and peace, and goodwill toward all. Politely, but firmly, make it a merry Christmas indeed.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good life!

Judges

With all the news about Supreme Court nominees lately, we are familiar with the role of judges.  Or are we?

That’s part of the debate going on in the country—should Supreme Court justices have a judicial philosophy of determining whether laws are constitutional (by strictly interpreting the constitution) or of determining what the laws should be?  That is, are they judges or legislators?

Other images of judges may be obtained from movies or television, even something like “Judge Judy”.  But all of those images are probably far from what a judge actually has to do.

When we look at the biblical image of a judge, though, we see something very different from what we expect of judges today.  A judge didn’t just decide who was right or wrong, or who had broken some law.  A judge established justice—he made things right.  

This is not just an impartial jurist weighing arguments and then mediating a compromise.   The judge was partial—to God’s law, to God’s righteousness and justice, and to God’s concern for the oppressed.  (However, it was not just taking the side of the poor against the rich.  If the poor person was in the wrong, it was the judge’s responsibility to establish justice in that case, too.)

When we look toward the end of the age, what kind of judge will there be?  Some hope there will not be a “judgment day”, that everyone will be admitted into heaven regardless of their faith or life here on earth.  Some expect everyone else to be judged, but they themselves will get a pass.  Some expect to be judged harshly, not realizing that grace might apply in their case.  

I expect that God, who revealed Himself in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, and most specifically in Jesus Christ, will be the same God as ever.  

The judge who demanded adherence to the covenant will still judge per His covenant with His people.  

The judge who separated the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) will still be concerned with what those who claimed to be His people did with others, especially the poor, oppressed, and weak.

And the judge who revealed Himself in Jesus, and established a new covenant through Jesus’ sacrifice, will keep His part of the covenant with those who signed on to the covenant themselves.

That’s what I expect.  What do you expect?

"Sectarian War"? or Terrorism

One more update to the previous post: here is a link to an update of the beheading of 3 Christian girls in Indonesia by Muslim terrorists.

One thing this Christianity Today article does that is similar to what I have heard before is to properly identify the problem there.

It says the group called “Laskar Jihad” is determined to exterminate the Christian community in that region and establish Shariah law.

Other media report it as a “sectarian war” or a “religious conflict”. The latter makes it sound like the genesis of the fighting is from both sides rather than a mostly one-sided assault (by Muslim jihadists), with the other side (Christians) trying to defend themselves.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/144/23.0.html

Check it out. What is your take on this kind of violence against Christians?

FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED

As a Christian, you will face temptation, adversity, and problems just like everyone else does.  When (not if) these things hit you, you should neither be surprised nor discouraged.

I’m looking at I Thessalonians 3:1 – 4: 12.  There Paul said, “You know quite well that we were destined for (trials).  In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted.” (I Thess. 3b,4)  He went on to not only confirm that his prediction was true, but to warn them about other matters they should be aware of.

Our world today is not much different from the Roman colonial city of Thessalonica.  Somewhere right now Christians are being persecuted for their faith.  Every one of us is tempted to let our passions control our actions or to fit in with the culture instead of being holy, distinctly separated from the basest parts of society.

Persecution can come to us.  I recently read about three Christian women who were sentenced to three years in jail just because they allowed some Muslim children to come to their Sunday School.  See this article to read more about it: WorldNetDaily: Sunday School teachers get 3 years prison.  Too far away for us to be concerned about it?  “Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”  What happens to our brothers and sisters in Christ is our concern regardless of where it is.

And, like those in Thessalonica and every generation, in our sexually charged society we are tempted to misuse God’s gift of sexuality in prohibited ways.  Paul warned that “It is God’s will that you should…avoid sexual immorality” and that “The Lord will punish men for all such sins.”

We are not only tempted to sin ourselves.  We are also tempted to allow immorality to become acceptable because of political correctness or what Cardinal Ratzinger called the “dictatorship of relativism” in his sermon just before he was elected as Pope Benedict XVI.

Pornography pushes its way into everyday life as “free speech”.  It’s hard to avoid it when you go online.  It can become addicting.  

This week I saw the movie “Human Trafficking” on the Lifetime channel.  One of the characters, the physician of the man whose business was enslaving young girls for the sex trade, went from watching child porn online to taking a trip to southeast Asia for sex with a child himself.  

This was not just a movie.  It reflects the reality of human trafficking for sexual slavery that goes on every day.  Some want to normalize prostitution as a woman’s “right”.  Others recognize it as “a job no woman would choose” and see the link between prostitution and sexual slavery.

We can’t assume we will always do what is right whatever comes just because we are Christians.  If we are prepared, we are more likely to stand firm.  And if we know that God has provided the help we need and a way out of the temptations, we have a better chance of overcoming them.  I Corinthians 10:12,13 says it distinctly:

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Forewarned is indeed forearmed!

A Mentor To Emulate

I stopped by to see some friends and deliver some tickets to a play. I could have mailed them, but they only live a mile away, and I wanted the face to face contact. Although I hadn’t planned to stay, when the husband opened the door and invited me in, I welcomed the chance to visit.

It was just the two of us (the rest of the family was out for a while), and we were able to get to a real conversation pretty quickly. That’s how it is with friends. You trust each other, and there’s not much pretense.

I asked about his work. He shared what about his work gave him pleasure, and what was frustrating. I could relate to what he said because I knew his heart and knew why he was doing the work he has now—he has a passion to work with churches and pastors and help them start other churches. Though never a pastor himself, he is the model of pastoral concern that I admire.

The major characteristic that makes my friend a mentor is that he is real. He is himself one-on-one or when speaking to a large group. He cares, and you can feel that he does.

In the first chapter of First Thessalonians Paul said, “You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord…And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.”

I’ve had many teachers and pastors. I’ve had a few mentors. Those were the people whose lives I watched, whose concern I felt, and those whom I naturally began to emulate. Hopefully, others could see in me a model just as I had seen in my friend and a few others.

As the conversation continued he asked about my business. He knew that some health problems had affected it previously. I replied honestly (I couldn’t do otherwise with this friend) that it had gone pretty well earlier, but was slow at this time.

As I was getting ready to leave, my friend did something that reminds me of this passage I recently studied in Philippians (4:9), “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” He was just being true to himself. But he was also a model for the kind of friend I want to be.

What he did was say, “Before you go, I’d like to pray for your business.”

What a gift! What a model to follow! What a friend!

The Antidote For Worry

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I didn’t fully understand what it meant to live by faith until I started earning my living by commission sales. From 1966 when I graduated from Colorado University until 1985 I was wholly involved in Christian ministry as a seminary student, pastor, and Campus Minister. Although my salary was small, it was still a regular salary. I knew how much income to expect.

My salaried life stopped in 1985 (yes ministerial positions can be “downsized” too). The Lord led me into real estate for my financial support, like Paul had his tent-making business. Since then, I have rarely known two months in advance what my income would be. At times there have been several months with no income at all. Other times the month’s income would not be sufficient to meet bills. And sometimes I would bring in twice my monthly budget in one month. In short, I had to start living by faith—for real!

I had to trust that if I planted the seeds and did the work, God would bless my work with success. Living by faith in real estate can mean trusting God instead of worrying when after working with a client for months (and even years) the property doesn’t sell or the buyer goes off and buys a home with another broker. It also means that most of the time I can expect the seeds I planted will produce the needed harvest.

However, like Habakkuk I have to say that living by faith means,

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior." (Hab. 3:17,18 NIV)

Living by faith involves more than income, of course. When illness, job uncertainty or loss, marriage difficulty, trouble with children, threat of terrorism or a myriad of other problems threaten us, our “fight or flight” mechanism kicks in and it is natural to become anxious. Worry can quickly replace peace of mind.

Many years ago I memorized Phil. 4:6,7 in the King James Version. It starts out “Be careful for nothing…”. That sounded strange for a while, until I realized it meant “don’t be full of care”, or “don’t worry”. The NIV’s “Do not be anxious…” hits home more today, with so many anxiety-producing events in life.

We commonly use another word, stress, to describe what we are experiencing: “I’m under a lot of stress.” When someone says that, you can almost feel the burden that is weighing them down—what it is that they are “under”.

This passage in Philippians gives us the antidote for worry, the stress-buster that works. After having it memorized for years, an exercise of meditating on these verses this week made two words stand out. It is not just prayer and petition; it is not just presenting my requests to God that brings peace of mind. It is when I pray with thanksgiving that the peace of God guards my heart and mind (my emotions and my thoughts).

Try this when you start to worry about something this week. Instead of just asking God for help with your problems, list out loud to God those things in your life for which you are thankful. Once you start, it will be hard to stop. [If you have trouble starting, imagine that your home was one of those flooded out in New Orleans or blown away in Mississippi by Hurricane Katrina.] Now, present your requests to God with confidence that He who has provided for your needs in the past will continue to do so in the future.

About this time in your exercise of faith, your shoulders should be dropping back to their normal position, your muscles should be feeling less tense, and you should be able to breathe more easily. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will be guarding your heart and your mind. Thanks be to God.

What Is My Goal?

When I was young there were a number of incentives to encourage weekly church and Sunday School attendance.  One I distinctly remember was a perfect attendance pin.  Go to Sunday School every week for a year and get a pin.  For the second year, get a little bar that hung below the pin, and so on.

Many years later I heard a song that was a parody of the perfect attendance pin.  I don’t remember the entire song, that was sung to the tune of “My Grandfather’s Clock”, but one line went, “…my Sunday School pin…for it hung all the way to the floor.”

Paul’s litany of his Hebrew credentials in Philippians 3:4-6 reminds me of that pin.  Paul was not bragging about his background in order to puff himself up (certainly not after just quoting the hymn about Jesus emptying Himself of His glory and humbling Himself by being made in the nature of a human).  Rather, Paul was criticizing those who would puff up themselves for their Jewishness and who would look down on others who did not have the Jewish credentials they had adopted.  

The self-mutilating “dogs” referred to in Philippians 3 supposed that accumulating the credentials of Judaism would give them a kind of righteousness.

Paul had it all, but gave it up for the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Christ.  In his way Paul took off his multi-year perfect attendance Sunday School pin and threw it in the trash.  He put on the mantle of righteousness that is by God’s grace, not his own works or inheritance.

I am intrigued by a few verses in this chapter that I memorized a long time ago: verse 10 and verses 13-14.  

The latter verses first—Paul admits that he has not yet reached his goal.  So, he strains toward the finish line to win the prize of eternal life with Jesus Christ in heaven.  He’s not saying that his works will get him there.  He’s already discarded that as an option.  But Paul knows that the Christian life is not just a one-time decision and a sit-down-and-rest ride to heaven.  It is, like marriage, a one-time vow followed by a lifelong relationship that needs constant attention.  Is there a husband or a wife who can honestly say, “Whew, I’ve made it.  I don’t need to work on my marriage any more.”?

It is in verse 10, though, that the goal is specifically described, and upon closer examination it is shocking.  

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”  (Phil. 3:10 NIV)

Paul mentions five aspects of his goal.  The first, second, and the last parts are something everyone could identify with—to know Christ, to know the power of Christ’s resurrection, and to attain to the resurrection of the dead himself.

But the fourth and fifth aspects are the shocking parts.  Did Paul really say, and mean, that he wanted to know the fellowship of sharing in Christ’s sufferings?  Did he really want to become like Christ in His death?

I think it would be wonderful to have such an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ that I could say, “I know Christ.  It would be exciting to know and use the same power that raised Christ from the dead; and it is indeed the ultimate goal of every Christian to be raised from the dead and be with Christ in heaven.

But when I closely examine my own heart, I can’t honestly say that I get up in the morning and say, “Lord, I want to participate in suffering with you today.”  Nor can I honestly say I am eager to become like Jesus in His death.  Not even if I move that word “death” from its natural and physical meaning to a spiritual one—that I’m eager to die to my own desires, goals, and ambitions in order to live out my life 100% for Christ.

Come to think of it, what is my goal for my life—or for each day for that matter?  

Perhaps it’s time for me to take off my own “Sunday School pin” and adopt a goal that is worthy—one to which I can enthusiastically commit my whole life.

IN PRAISE OF HYMNS

IN PRAISE OF HYMNS

Philippians 2:6-11 is widely recognized as an early church hymn that Paul quoted in his letter on living a life worthy of the gospel of Christ. A life worthy of the gospel has to include the kind of humility and selflessness exemplified by Jesus himself: “Who being in very nature God considered equality with God not something to be grasped, but made himself nothing…”

Hymns help us live that worthy life because they teach us and remind us of the great theological truths of the Christian faith. Every pastor knows the church members get more theology from the hymns than the sermon each Sunday.

Two of the passages that actually use the word “hymns” (Col. 3:16 & Eph. 5:19) have the phrase “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”. There is a difference.

One way I like to look at the difference is to see that the Psalms themselves can be sung in worship, once again giving musical form to Scripture. Hymns are songs of praise to God, often with the Trinitarian formula or a recapitulation of the Gospel. “Spiritual songs” today includes a wide variety of songs: gospel songs, spirituals, praise songs, choruses, etc.

A good example of a classic hymn is what is known as “The Navy Hymn”: “Eternal Father Strong To Save”. There are four verses. The first starts with “Eternal Father”; the second with “O Savior”; the third with “O Holy Spirit”; and the fourth with “O Trinity”.
Not all hymns have such an obvious Trinitarian formula. Others speak of what Jesus has done on our behalf, such as “Amazing Grace” or “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”.

Each of these is a beautiful marriage of text and music. That’s why they lasted. It’s also why they are sung in serious or solemn occasions, when awe is appropriate.

At other times the gospel music of “I’ll Fly Away”, a spiritual like “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”, an invitational such as “Just As I Am”, or a praise song like “Our God Is An Awesome God” speaks more to those gathered in worship.

There is a place for each type of Christian music. Each has its function in the worship of the church. Recently, though, it has become difficult to find a church which regularly uses the classic Christian hymns. Even when the older hymn tunes are used, the text is often “updated” or even replaced with a text of a completely different meaning.

I grew up singing hymns. Many of them I could sing without looking at the hymnal. I know I’m showing my age, but I have to say I miss the hymns I used to sing at church and throughout the week. The songs that have replaced them are not songs that have the same power to capture and uplift my spirit.

I saw an ad on TV for a CD set of 50 Greatest Hymns. I think I’ll get it.

In Solidarity With Other Christians

In Solidarity With Other Christians

The lesson for this next Sunday for the Koinonia class at Calvary Baptist Church in Denver has its focus as: “To discern ways of living in solidarity within the Christian community”.

The basic idea, taken from Philippians chapter 1, is that there is solidarity between Paul (in a Roman prison) and the church at Philippi (which was experiencing some persecution, but was in a much better situation than Paul).

One application of the lesson is that Christians today are in a hostile and decadent environment just as Paul and the Philippians were, so we too can experience joy by standing together and supporting one another.

What a timely lesson. With thousands of people and possibly hundreds of churches affected by Hurricane Katrina, we can glorify God and minister to fellow Christians by pairing church with church. Yes, we can give personally. Many, including Lindsey and me, have given through the Salvation Army or Red Cross. However, that’s not going to rebuild a church that lost its building to winds or flood and much of its financial support when members lost their jobs.

I’ve seen other bloggers with links and lists of churches of their denomination in Louisiana and Mississippi that need help. American Baptist churches can do the same thing. It’s not likely that the Baptist churches in Louisiana and Mississippi will be American Baptist, but we can experience solidarity with Southern Baptists, National Baptists, and others in the Baptist family. What a witness for unity within diversity that would be!

We often hear the phrase, “We celebrate diversity”. I think a more Christ-like spirit is to honor diversity, but celebrate unity. Let’s see what we can do in solidarity with our Baptist brothers and sisters in distress. Any ideas?

The Reason For Everything (Part 2)

Last week we took an overview of the material on “God’s five purposes for your life” as summarized in Rick Warren’s booklet “What On Earth Am I Here For?”. The all point to the overarching purpose of bringing glory to God (“the reason for everything” as Warren put it).

Those five purposes are:

1. You bring God glory by getting to know and love him.
2. You bring God glory by learning to love other people in God’s family.
3. You bring God glory by becoming like Christ.
4. You bring God glory by serving others.
5. You bring God glory by telling others about him.

I then asked these questions:
Have you ever clearly stated what you think is your own purpose for life?
and…
How does your purpose for your life fit with (or compare to) the 5 purposes Warren lists?

These five purposes sound a lot like “preacher talk”. They sound like they are written for an audience of Christians who are expected to be already focused on living the Christian life. It seems like we are looking at the condensed outline of someone’s sermon, or a sermon series.

What do they have to do with someone in America, even a Christian, trying to live life in the real world? Even more, what do they have to do with someone who is not a Christian, whether in America or another country, who is trying to survive and succeed in a highly secular world?

Well, Rick Warren is a preacher, so it’s what you might expect of him. His sermon series turned into a book that is read by millions. The question still remains about the relevance of his premise that the purpose in life is to bring glory to God. Doesn’t God have enough glory on His own without having to receive glory from us? Humanly speaking, it sounds egocentric to think that God created us specifically in order for us to bring glory to Him.

But what if Warren is right? What if God in all His glory created us solely in order that we might experience some of that glory ourselves. By becoming the kind of people He created us to be, we can refract the glory of God out to others.

Like light through a prism, others will not see the perfect white light but a diffused and even refracted light showing a multitude of colors. Still, they will see enough that they too will want to contact the source of the light.

Experiencing even a part of the glory of God, we find joy, love, and a host of other “colors” of the nature of God Himself. Being made in His image, we fulfill our purpose in reflecting back to God His nature, His character, His attributes. We experience in limited measure what God experiences, and He is satisfied that His creation is complete.

I just had some play time with my granddaughter who is 11 months old. Just walking, not yet talking, able to laugh and even tease, it gives me enormous joy to see her, hear her, and enjoy having her come to me with arms up and a big smile on her face.

I feel fulfilled in seeing my granddaughter becoming a person, just as I am fulfilled in seeing my own daughters reach maturity and have success and families of their own. Isn’t this just a shadow of the satisfaction God must have in seeing His creation becoming what He created it to be.

So, I can understand that God, in creating us to bring glory to Himself, purposes that we will thereby benefit as well. We will become what He created us to become, and then we will be able to share some of His glory. It’s not egocentric at all—God wants us to bring Him glory so we may share it with Him. It’s enough to make me want to sing or even shout!!

And what a pity that some will never have that experience because the only apparent purpose for their life is a self-centered one. That’s why, in typical “preacher” fashion Rick Warren doesn’t conclude his message without asking for a response. On page 56 he says “Its time to settle this issue. Who are you going to live for—yourself or God?”

Look at the verse quoted on page 57, “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Now, I’ll state in question form what Warren writes as the way to share in this glory—believing in Jesus Christ and receiving Him as your Savior and Lord.

Have you ever believed that “God loves you and made you for his purposes”?

Have you asked God to forgive you for whatever you have done that was not in sync with His glory, and invited Jesus to change you into one that will reflect His glory?

Have you received “Jesus Christ into your life by allowing Him to become your Lord (manager, boss, the one in control) and Savior (who died to pay the penalty for everything you’ve ever done wrong)”?

If you can answer yes to these questions, congratulations, you are already on your way to fulfilling God’s purpose for your life.

If you answered no, you too can start your own relationship with Jesus Christ right now. On pages 57 and 58 Warren offers a model of a prayer to get you started. If you have some more questions, or would rather talk with someone before proceeding, you can email Rudy Antle. I will be glad to talk with you.

The Reason For Everything (Part 1)

The ancient Hebrews didn’t try to prove the existence of God. They didn’t function with the kind of logic Aristotle brought to the Greeks (of course, the Greeks didn't have that kind of logic before Aristotle either). Their relationship with their environment was less cerebral, more practical.

They simply saw the expression of God in everything that exists—even themselves. In the world around them they saw God’s power, beauty, love, care, honor, wisdom, creativity—in other words, His glory.

They also saw that something was wrong. This beautifully created and wonderfully organized world also contained some ugliness, chaos, and especially in fellow humans, something that didn’t seem to fit. Something was not in sync with the glory in the rest of God’s creation. Being out of harmony with God’s glory produced something undesirable—evil.

Providentially, the Creator revealed Himself from time to time so that one part of creation God made to be most like Himself, people “created in His image”, could know and relate to Him in love.

Those revelations came to us through many different ways (actions, words, prophets, etc.) until at last God revealed Himself in humanity as one of us—Jesus Christ.

We most clearly see our raison-d’etre, our reason for being or purpose for life, when we are in sync with God as He has revealed Himself. Somehow, life begins to make sense when we get to know God, relate to Him in love, and especially when we ourselves begin to reflect His glory.

Warren summarizes the purpose for life as bringing glory to God, and lists 5 aspects of that purpose in our study booklet, “What On Earth Am I Here For?”. These 5 purposes are covered more fully in "The Purpose Driven Life". For now, write them out for yourself as Warren states them on pages 51-55 of the booklet.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

You might list some additional purposes (or even a completely different purpose) for your life.

We’ll cover the last part of this chapter in our 8th (and final) installment of this study next week.

Questions for today:

Have you ever clearly stated what you think is your own purpose for life?

How does your purpose for your life fit with (or compare to) the 5 purposes Warren lists?

Life Is A Temporary Assignment

In the last post we covered one of Rick Warren's "life metaphors" in his booklet "What On Earth Am I Doing Here?". That metaphor was that life is a test. This week we look at the other two metaphors Warren uses--that life is a trust and a temporary assignment.

The idea behind "life is a trust" is that everything we have--from life and health, to intellect and talents, to relationships and possessions--everything has been entrusted to us. We are to care for it, manage it, enjoy it, and then someday account for what we did with it.

What God wants to say to us at the end of our life is what the master said to his faithful servant in the parable of the talents, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things: I will put you in charge of many things." (Matt 25:21)

Closely related to the concept that life is a trust is that life is a temporary assignment. Here, though, instead of the master going on a journey and leaving his servant in charge at home, the master sends his servant as an ambassador on an assignment to represent the master in a foreign country.

This assignment is critical to the master's business, so the ambassador must learn the language, know his task, and relate to the people well.

The ambassador must be careful, though, to not get too comfortable in that foreign land nor identify too much with its inhabitants. The ambassador represents the master, not the country to which he has been sent, and will one day be called home to give an accounting of his work.

What do you think of this statement by Warren on page 45: "In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a certain amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life..."?

Warren also says, "God is more interested in your character than your comfort." I've often said the same thing to myself and to others during times of difficulty. Does it give you insight into some difficult times in your own life?

What is it that God has entrusted to you, and how can you invest it for your Master's benefit?

To whom have you been sent as God's ambassador? How is the assignment going so far?

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“Seeing Life From God’s View”

This is the 5th week of our study of Pastor Rick Warren’s booklet, “What On Earth Am I Here For?”. The title of this week’s chapter reminds me of that unforgettable photo of the “earthrise” taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders in December, 1968. It changed everything when humans started seeing the world from God’s view. The world suddenly seemed smaller and everyone became our neighbor.

Rick Warren said, “The way you see your life shapes your life” (page 34). James Allen said something similar in his classic book, "As A Man Thinketh". What we think discloses who we are and determines what we become. It is critical, then, that we see our life as God sees it and begin to think the way God thinks.

What kind of “life metaphor” do you have for the way you see your life? Is it one of those Warren mentioned that a lot of people choose: a party, a race, a marathon, a battle or game? Or is it one suggested by the Bible: a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment?

Romans 12:1,2 tells us to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by having our mind renewed. Warren refers to this verse as a way for us to seriously consider looking at life through one of the biblical metaphors he mentioned.

Probably the most common of those metaphors is a test. You see this in so many of the stories in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

How many Bible stories can you remember where the main character is linked with “trials, temptations, refining and testing”. What test, temptation, etc. would you associate with the following characters Warren mentions?

Adam & Eve—
Abraham—
Jacob—
King David—
Joseph—
Ruth—
Esther—
Daniel—

What other characters and tests can you think of?

What tests and characters do you identify with yourself?

Do you agree with this statement from page 36, “Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test.”? Why or why not?

Fill in these blanks. Warren says he has noticed that God tests his __________ through problems, his _________ by how he handles his possessions, and his ________ through people. Can you think of some times when God has tested you in the same ways?

In his speech to the graduating class of Stanford June 12, 2005, Steve Jobs talked about some “sidetracks” his life sometimes took, and that he later realized how fortunate he was that he took them. “Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” You can read his entire speech here.

Some things that happen in our lives make us wish we could connect the dots forward. But as Warren says on page 37, “Sometimes God intentionally draws back.” When that happens, we have trouble understanding what’s going on. We can’t “connect the dots”.

Have you ever had a time when you could not feel God’s presence and you felt He had abandoned you?

As you look back on it now, could that have been God’s test of your character in some way?

Well, I haven’t gotten to the other metaphors in this chapter. Let’s save those for next time.

Made To Last Forever

We live in a culture where nothing is “made to last forever”. We’ve become accustomed to products designed for short-term use: cars, computers, clothes—whatever the product, we expect to replace it sooner or later with the latest update or newest fashion.

We see this in our culture’s concept of relationships, and even of human life.

Friendships die as families move; and sometimes are still-born because often-relocated people become reluctant to make new friends.

Marriage “till death do us part”? It’s still in most marriage vows, but is it voiced with sincerity? It seems there are a lot of “dead” people walking around—they have parted from the relationship so death must have already occurred, right?

The “sanctity of life” is an increasingly outdated concept as the aged, infirm, or others who are seen as a “burden” become expendable.

Now comes Rick Warren saying you were made to last forever. “This life is not all there is.” On page 30 of “What On Earth Am I Here For?” Warren says, “The most damaging aspect of contemporary living is short-term thinking."

To grasp this concept and its implications for your life today (whatever the date is when you are reading this), you almost have to consciously reject the creeping secular world-view and embrace the biblical concept that this life is not all there is. We have an eternal destiny for which this life prepares us.

Now, let’s ponder these questions:

1. Warren asks, “Why do you think God made us to last forever?” Answer that question if you like, or at least challenge the secular noise bombarding you daily and ask, “Do I think God made me to last forever?”

2. Think of some things in your daily life that are affected when you fall into “the most dangerous aspect of contemporary living” which he identifies as “short-term thinking”. (finances, relationships, time-management, etc.)

3. What if you grasped the concept that God’s purpose for your life was not just for this earthly life, but for eternity. Would it make any difference in how you see God’s purpose for you in this life?

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What Drives Your Life?

Driving forces, motivations, whatever they are called, they separate the life that is going someplace intentionally from one just drifting along with the current. Some motivations are positive, some are negative. Most are hidden in our subconscious until something brings them to the top of our mind.

At the end of Chapter 3 (on page 27) of the booklet, "What On Earth Am I Here For?", Rick Warren asks, “If you asked your family and friends to describe what drives your life, what driving force or motivations would they mention?”

I recommend that you take his challenge—ask someone close to you what they think it is that drives you.

I did that myself, and the answers my wife gave me were both insightful and not that surprising. We’ve been married a long time. She knows me very well. There are some positive motivations and some negative ones. The important thing was the conversation that opened up after she answered my question.

What we discovered in the conversation that followed was that some seemingly negative motivations also have a positive role to play in daily life. Being motivated by fear sounds negative, but the fear of failure prompts many of us to work hard to succeed.

Warren lists these motivations which drive some people’s lives: guilt, resentment, fear, materialism, and a need for approval. What other motivations can you think of?

What would you say it is that drives you? What do others say?

Warren says that knowing your purpose in life (and living according to that purpose) has some benefits: it ...

· gives meaning to your life
· simplifies your life
· focuses your life
· energizes your life
· and prepares you for eternity

Leaving aside for now the question of what is your purpose in life, ask yourself which of these benefits are apparent in your life.

Are any of these benefits absent from your life and at this point in your life are very appealing to you? It may be that this is the reason you find this study interesting. God is leading you to break from your routine and seek some answers. The end result could be very beneficial to the rest of your life.

Warren mentions a “final exam”, an “audit of your life”, quoting Romans 14:10b & 12. He says we can infer from the Bible that two questions will be on the exam:

1. What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?
2. What did you do with your life?

This study should prepare you to answer those two questions eventually.

For now, just answer whether you agree that these two questions will determine your eternal fate, and whether you think other questions should be on the exam?

Or, do you think there will not be an “exam” (that is that God will not place any requirements on entry into heaven.

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You Are Not An Accident

This week’s study—chapter 2 of Rick Warren’s “Why On Earth Am I Here?”—makes the statement that you are not an accident, your life was planned.

If every part of your life is just as you would like it to be, it might be easy to accept that statement as true. However, if your life is not exactly as you would like, you probably responded to that statement with a lot of doubt—or at least with some questions.

Why would God, if He is good, have planned this part of my life as it is, or that part as it is? If God really loves me and planned my life, why would I have such problems with it?

Those who are often sick, have chronic problems, or have just had a sudden shock in their life (such as a death of a loved one, loss of a job, breakup of a marriage, etc.) might have special reasons to question the truth of the claim that their life was planned.

However, the point of this chapter is not to raise questions in your mind about God and His involvement in your life. It is to reassure you that regardless of the situation of your life, there is hope that things can be better than what they are because God loves you.

Having faith that your life was planned doesn’t mean you have no choices to make. Even if you have problems that are the result of your own bad choices, you can be assured that God can redeem the situation and make life different for you.

Look up the verses Warren quotes to go with the following statements. Read the verses in your version of the Bible, and see if you come to the same conclusions Warren does.

1. You are alive because God wanted to create you. (Psalm 138:8)
2. God prescribed every single detail of your body. (Psalm 139:15)
3. God was thinking of you even before he made the world. (James 1:18)
4. We discover that meaning (for our life) only when we make God the reference point of our lives. (Romans 12:3)

It would be easy to avoid the implications of this chapter by questioning each point and debating the issues of predestination and free will.

Instead, let’s just assume for a moment that we are here by God’s design and we have freedom to choose what to do in each situation.

Now answer Warren’s third question on page 16: “How would your life change if you began to live each day confidant that God loves you deeply and has a purpose for your life?”

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It's Not About You

How often have you heard someone say that? As babies we know it’s all about us. Someone else is always handy to feed, clothe, carry, change, and love me. I am indeed the center of the universe—at least that part of it that I know about. Like Leonardo DiCaprio standing on the prow of the Titanic in the movie, I can cry confidently, “I’m the king of the world.”

Then one day I had to grow up and discover that it’s not really about me. The year 1968 was a pivotal year for me, as well as for the United States. Viet Nam, the killings of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, and riots in multiple cities all made it clear that I was insignificant compared to the global events making the news each day.

These events, and others in my personal life, led me to write a poem entitled “Age of Innocence” with this final line: “It’s passed, that age of innocence. It has been replaced by responsibility.”

Growing older I’ve realized that the phrase “It’s not about you” involves more than the replacement of an innocent age with adult responsibilities. It also involves the purpose for my life. Why am I here? Why is there a Rudy Antle in the world instead of no Rudy Antle?

Your answer to this question for yourself can change your life too. You may have already answered the question of the purpose for your life, and you can encourage others who are still looking for an answer. For all of us this week, let's see how Rick Warren approaches the subject in "The Purpose Driven Life".

Read chapter 1 of “The Purpose Driven Life” or the booklet, “What On Earth Am I Here For?” and answer the questions below; then come back and post your own comments or respond to someone else’s posted comments.

When Rick Warren says “It’s not about you, It all starts with God”, you might ask, “What’s not about me? What starts with God?”. The answer, of course is the purpose for your life.

Question 1: What is the value of “Self-help books”, and what are their limitations?

Question 2: In speaking about finding your purpose, Warren says “Revelation beats speculation any day”. What’s he talking about, and do you agree with him?

Question 3: On page 9 of “What on Earth…” Warren says “He (God) has clearly revealed his five purposes for our lives through the Bible.” First we’re asked about finding our purpose in life, then he says there are five purposes. Anybody else feeling overwhelmed here?

Question 4: Warren also says on page 9, “First, you discover your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ.” Have you ever heard anything like that before? Why would he say that? Do you agree with him? Why?

Question 5: Here is the “Point to Ponder” from page 11: “If there were no God, and everything was a result of random chance, there would be no purpose to our life. It all starts with God.”

a. That’s quite a statement. Do you agree with it?

b. The random chance statement brings to mind the question of our origins (i.e. your origin).

Read this interview in Christianity Today magazine online with Lee Strobel (the reporter who wrote “The Case For Christ” and other books), then reflect on your own beliefs about creation, Creationism, Darwinism, Intelligent Design, and other perspectives on how life on Earth, the planet Earth itself, and the universe got here.

What’s important for this study is: whatever position you take on how you got here, what does your position tell you about why you are here?

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First post is the hardest

Looking at a blank page and realizing that it will be read by others is daunting. Especially so since I want to use this for people I know but I don't know who might see it throughout the world.

Oh well, I'll just write for those for whom I started this project and see where else it may go.

This is started primarily for the Koinonia Class at Calvary Baptist Church in Denver, Colorado. This is a class of adults who are near (or maybe into) retirement, but who are eager to keep learning about how to be a Christian in an increasingly secular society.

My wife, Lindsey, and I have the privilege of teaching this class. Since the class won't be meeting this summer, we will try to keep the dialogue going through this blog.

This summer we will study the booklet, "What On Earth Am I Here For?" by Rick Warren. This is an edited version of the first seven chapters of Pastor Warren's now famous book, "The Purpose Drive Life".

To start, go here to get a copy of my outline of the study booklet. Copy it and print it out. I recommend that you review the outline to get an overall view of Rick Warren's message. Starting next week we will examine one chapter at a time.

Answer this question for yourself, then post a comment* if you like: In one sentence, what do you see (from reading the outline) as the overall message of the booklet? *(To post a comment for everyone else to see, click on "comment" at the end of this post)

Next, read this column by Peggy Noonan from OpinionJournal.com about Ashley Smith's Christian witness to escaped convict Brian Nichols as she read from Chapter 33 of "The Purpose Driven Life".

Answer these questions for yourself, then post a comment if you like:

(1) What is your response to this column by Peggy Noonan?

(2) Ashley Smith said "It mentioned something about what you thought your purpose in life was. What were you--what talents were you given? What gifts were you given to use?" How would you answer these questions for your own life?

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