It has been some time since I thought to add my thoughts to the blog. I guess that life has genrally got in the way. When I began blogging back in the beginning, I was about to begin a late 50's career change. I moved from the volunteer sector to the breakfast line in a local resurarant. I guess that this has left little time for me to put thoughts on paper. However, a couple of things have led to this moment: a woman by the name of Beth responded to a blog I wrote in September of 2007 to say, "glad that you wrote this," and I wondered how many others might be interested in my thought process; I am re-reading a book by an old friend-Jim Douglass-called the Non-Violent Cross; and add to these is the fact that today in Rememberance Day-2008 and the 90th aniversary of the end of the first world war. So, I am forced to ask the question: Who do I remember?
Some would say, "Remember family."
OK, do I remember my father who flew in a Lancaster bomber, bombing the hell out of Dresden, or perhaps I should remember my wife's grandfather who served in the German army, fighting on the Russian front, or perhaps I should remember my great grandparents who refused to go to war on biblical principals, risking prison for their choices.
I chose to remember Jesus, Ebed Yahweh-the Servant of the Lord.
Gandhi, who could not claim to be Christian saw the example of Jesus' suffering as the essence of his faith in non-violence. For him the suffering of Jesus so defined the law of love, that love and suffering were seen as one in a single flame of life. "Jesus put in a picturesque and telling manner the great doctrine of non-violent non-cooperation. Your non-cooperation with your opponent is violent when you give a blow for a blow, and is ineffective in the long run. Your non-cooperation is non-violent when you give your opponent all in the place of just what he needs. You have disarmed him once for all by your apparent cooperation, which in effect is complete non-cooperation" (Prabhu-What Jesus means to Me) p. 39. "Men commit acts of violence and injustice against other men," so writes Jim Douglass, "only to the extent that they do not regard them as fully human" ( Douglass, The Non-Violent Cross) p. 71. Because he envisioned the face of God as truth, Gandhi found that the God of truth was found in the God of suffering love. Face to face with Jesus on the cross-Ebed Yahweh-the Son of Man, individually, in Jesus; and collectively in his community of disciples, therein we remember.
I spent a difficult night last night. I often prepare supper for the family and last night, none of my three children partook of the meal. I took it personal; and in asking the Father, this morning, What do you think I should do? The answer came clear as the TV blared the trumpet sound of rememberance: "A person might have to suffer even when he thinks it is unfair, but if he thinks of God, and can stand the pain, God is pleased. So if you are beaten for doing wrong, there is no reason to praise you for being patient in your punishment. But if you suffer for doing good, and you are patient, then God is pleased. This is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and gave you an example to follow." So you should do as he did. He never sinned and he never lied. People insulted Christ, but he did not insult them in return. Christ suffered, but he did not threaten. He let God, the one who judges rightly, take care of him" (1 Pet. 2:19-23). I suddenly realized that God was speaking to me! I should be the suffering servant, in my family-a son of man.
So, how does this apply itself to rememberance day? In the sermon on the mount, where Gandhi found the living Christ, Jesus teaches, "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, Don't stand up against an evil person...love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you..." I find no room here for the evils of war. I find that to work for peace is to remember. When I consider that in both wars I had relatives on both sides of the trenches, I cannot find it in my heart to remember one over the other. Today is rememberance day, let us remember that "in inflicting violence on one another, men know not what they do, for they know not the sacredness of their brothers' and their own humanity, which at its innermost core is one with the humanity of Christ" (ibid) p. 72. Let us remember this not only in times of world conflict, but in our own homes and in our own families. Let us seek peace and pursue it, and by this truly remember.
So, as I prepare to return to the kitchen this afternoon, I want to remember to be a servant of the Lord-a son of man, in my family and in the world; and I want to remember to suffer, even when it fells unfair, to be patient, for then God is pleased.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
An Easter Message-Resurrection
Happen-chance does not exist! It was not by accident that our youngest son stayed overnight at a friends on Sunday night, without so much as a word. It was not by accident that I found myself angry, not at our son, but at the parents of his friend who failed to remind him to call home. It was not by accident that I found myself upset the next morning at my dear wife, when our son called with the message that "I was not amused." It was not by accident that both Anthony and Spruce called to ask me if I would speak at the Easter Rally. It was not by accident that Mark had planned to close the restaurant on Easter Sunday; and it was not by accident that the front page of both Vancouver papers leaped out at me to proclaim, "It was not by accident."
A young man had been struck down on the road by another driver, who after he had run the young man and his two friends off the road, returned to run them down. It was not by accident that I have come to believe that my grandfather was shunned and excommunicated by the Old Colony Church; and it is not by accident that we are now planning the 70th anniversary of my grandmother's death, for which my grandfather was blamed and which resulted in his banning.
As we plan the whole event I have spoken lots with my sister about our mom, who cared for the man she held accountable for her mother's death during the last painful year of his life. My sister responded angerly when I suggested that her decision to care for grandfather in his dying days might have had something to do with guilt. "It had nothing to do with guilt," she retorted. "It had to do with compassion, one human being caring for another; and it had to do with the power of forgiveness." From bitterness and anger to mercy, grace and peace. All in the time that it took to speak a single word-forgiveness.
Turn with me to Psalm 22. This is Jesus' journey, and as my blog is entitled, Sometimes the journey is the destination. It is not by accident that it ended for all the world to see on a Roman cross 2000 years ago.
"Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabacthani" Perhaps the most poignant words spoken by anyone in the history of the world, "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?" Hear his cry. These are the words of a despairing man who feels that his God has abandoned him. "Why are yo so far from helping me, so far from the words of my despairing."
Jesus was not ignorant of the outcome of his life. Only days, perhaps hours before he had said to the twelve that this would be his end. Yet now in the pain of death he feels so all alone. Have you ever been there, some situation in life that has left you feeling totally abandoned. You have blamed every bad thing that has happened to you on this one event. You are experiencing death, psychological, social, emotional. "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?"
You cry out in the daytime, and you cry out in the darkness. You are not silent, but God does not seem to be listening. "You are separated from me. You, who for thousands of years, have listened to the cries of your people, are now deaf to my groaning."
Can you hear the pain in Jesus' voice. "I don't understand! Our fathers trusted in you, and you delivered them. They cried out to you, and you listened, but then, they were your people and I am but a worm. I am the reproach of men, despised by the people of God. Jesus was despised and rejected by the people that he came to save, a man of sorrows, the prophet says, well acquainted with grief. Man, including you and I, have turned our faces from him; and now in the moment of his greatest need, God himself hides his face.
Taunting voices cry out from the foot of the cross, "He trusted that the Lord would deliver him; let God deliver him if he really cares." Have you ever been there? Greeted at the moment of your greatest need with silence.
Silence and confusion! But never unbelief!
But thou art he who took me out of the womb; thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb; thou art my God from my mother's belly.
Ann Rice, the prolific author of The Vampire Chronicles, came back late in life to the faith of her childhood. She embraced once again the truths she had learned at her mother's knee. What a wonderful place to hear the stories of faith. Tell me the old old story, is a hymn that every child has sung at one time or another. Jesus was no different. In Christ The Lord-Out of Egypt, Ann Rice gives the reader a picture of what his early years might have been like. Now admittedly, this is a fanciful tale based on myth and legend, but the captivating part of the story is how it takes the reader back to their own childhood, growing up in homes filled with awe and wonder. It was to that home that I returned in 2003 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the little church where I first came to faith 51 years ago. So I see it to be as Jesus languishes in death, his mother at the foot of the cross.
Many of us in troubled times, will remember the faith of our mothers who sang the anthems of faith for our tender ears. We stand in pretty good company. Jesus, in his most despairing moments, remembered, not the God of his father, but the God of his mother, who had undoubtedly taught him the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The stories that helped him now formulate a picture of the Father who was still near.
Be not far from me, he cried, for trouble is near at hand, and there is no one else to help. The whole world is against me. I am pured out like water. My spirit is like wax. It is melted in the midst of my being, like a candle held too close to the flame. My strength is all but gone, and I am facing death.
Nailed naked to the cross, his very garments the prize for his tormentors , shamed before the watching eyes of the nation that he came to save. Jesus still clings to the Father, "Be not thou far from me, O Lord, make haste to help me. Deliver my soul, not my body, but my soul, from the sword. Save me from the lion's mouth, for thou hast heard me from the horns of the altar."
Can you catch a glimpse of the glory here? "I will deliver thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the great congregation I will praise you. You have not hide your face from me!" Then this portal into the future: the poor shall eat and be satisfied. your heart will live forever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto you. All the tribes and nations will worship before you. In the very midst of his despairing Jesus see God's hand. Then as he gives up his spirit he cries aloud, It is finished. He has made all things right, and a people yet unborn will see and hear that God has unboubtedly and completely finished what he began before the foundation of the world.
Now, here is the point of all this: The Psalm begins in absolute despair. All hope is gone, yet it does not end in this defeat. Jesus placed his life in the Father's hands. "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way that I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8).
Now hear this, it is OK to feel discouragement. It is a part of the process of grieving and working through the times of pain, but God loves us too much to leave us in the pit of despair. So don't give up! Nothing happens by accident. The events in your life may seem beyond reason, but you can have the victory. Acknowledge and accept that God, himself present with Jesus on the cross, is present with you in your most despairing moments, and he does everything, everything right.
Note this glass of water. Is it half empty? or Is it half full? The decision is up to you. You can live in the despair of the past, or you can recognize God's hand in your most despairing moments, working out everything for his glory. Or, you can stand with me I am not going to give the devil credit for anything that God is doing well. Now, you may be sitting here tonight thinking; yeah, it is easy for the preacher to say, but what does he know. He doesn't now anything of the pain of my life. And you are right. i don't know anything about your pain, I have enough pain of my own to deal with. When I was just a little boy, living with my mom in a broken down derelict hotel, a man whose name I no longer remember often too drunk to return home, after a night of drinking took advantage of me. I won't go into all the sordid details except to say that even today I bear the physical scars of the abuse that I suffered at his hands and for his pleasure.
Mom was terrified that there would be a re-occurance. She was powerless to defend me, and the story could end right here leaving me to wallow in my own despair, and the devil would get his due, another ruined life. But, I have discovered that nothing happens that God does not have a part in, "What the enemy intended for evil, God intended for good." Do you feel the weight of the word "intended?"
Mom was so afraid that the abuse would continue she sent me to live with her youngest sister. it was in aunt Tillie's home that I first met Jesus, and it would be many summers later at a Pentecostal Summer Camp that I would be baptized by the Holy Spirit, sealed for God's own purpose.
This is my story; this is my song, praising my saviour all the day long. Nothing happens by accident; not the many good things, not the bad. It is my response to these things that matters. I can become bitter and angry, blaming all my present problems on the stuff that has happened in the past; or I can praise God that because of that past I have a hope and a future. God has a plan, and he does all things right. I will ask you again, Is the glass half empty or is it half full? the choice is yours. Is God sovereign, or is he simply a tool in the enemy's hand, having to respond to every quirk and whim of the enemy?
These are hard questions if you have a troubled past. But where do you want to go on living, in the past with all of its misery, or in the future with all its promise? Will you join me today giving thanks for your life, or do you want to wallow in the past. Don't let go of the past, give thanks for it. Acknowledge God's omnipotent hand. Nothing happens by accident. You are not here tonight because you are hungry. You are here tonight because God willed it. Are you ready to acknowledge the sovereignty to God in your life, stand up; and with the Psalmist say in a loud voice that God has laboured in your life to make things right; and he has doubtlessly, completely made a righteous end. Cry out with Jesus, "It is finished."
Preached at the Gwa'sala-'nakwakdax Easter Rally in Port Hardy, BC on March 23, 2008
A young man had been struck down on the road by another driver, who after he had run the young man and his two friends off the road, returned to run them down. It was not by accident that I have come to believe that my grandfather was shunned and excommunicated by the Old Colony Church; and it is not by accident that we are now planning the 70th anniversary of my grandmother's death, for which my grandfather was blamed and which resulted in his banning.
As we plan the whole event I have spoken lots with my sister about our mom, who cared for the man she held accountable for her mother's death during the last painful year of his life. My sister responded angerly when I suggested that her decision to care for grandfather in his dying days might have had something to do with guilt. "It had nothing to do with guilt," she retorted. "It had to do with compassion, one human being caring for another; and it had to do with the power of forgiveness." From bitterness and anger to mercy, grace and peace. All in the time that it took to speak a single word-forgiveness.
Turn with me to Psalm 22. This is Jesus' journey, and as my blog is entitled, Sometimes the journey is the destination. It is not by accident that it ended for all the world to see on a Roman cross 2000 years ago.
"Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabacthani" Perhaps the most poignant words spoken by anyone in the history of the world, "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?" Hear his cry. These are the words of a despairing man who feels that his God has abandoned him. "Why are yo so far from helping me, so far from the words of my despairing."
Jesus was not ignorant of the outcome of his life. Only days, perhaps hours before he had said to the twelve that this would be his end. Yet now in the pain of death he feels so all alone. Have you ever been there, some situation in life that has left you feeling totally abandoned. You have blamed every bad thing that has happened to you on this one event. You are experiencing death, psychological, social, emotional. "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?"
You cry out in the daytime, and you cry out in the darkness. You are not silent, but God does not seem to be listening. "You are separated from me. You, who for thousands of years, have listened to the cries of your people, are now deaf to my groaning."
Can you hear the pain in Jesus' voice. "I don't understand! Our fathers trusted in you, and you delivered them. They cried out to you, and you listened, but then, they were your people and I am but a worm. I am the reproach of men, despised by the people of God. Jesus was despised and rejected by the people that he came to save, a man of sorrows, the prophet says, well acquainted with grief. Man, including you and I, have turned our faces from him; and now in the moment of his greatest need, God himself hides his face.
Taunting voices cry out from the foot of the cross, "He trusted that the Lord would deliver him; let God deliver him if he really cares." Have you ever been there? Greeted at the moment of your greatest need with silence.
Silence and confusion! But never unbelief!
But thou art he who took me out of the womb; thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb; thou art my God from my mother's belly.
Ann Rice, the prolific author of The Vampire Chronicles, came back late in life to the faith of her childhood. She embraced once again the truths she had learned at her mother's knee. What a wonderful place to hear the stories of faith. Tell me the old old story, is a hymn that every child has sung at one time or another. Jesus was no different. In Christ The Lord-Out of Egypt, Ann Rice gives the reader a picture of what his early years might have been like. Now admittedly, this is a fanciful tale based on myth and legend, but the captivating part of the story is how it takes the reader back to their own childhood, growing up in homes filled with awe and wonder. It was to that home that I returned in 2003 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the little church where I first came to faith 51 years ago. So I see it to be as Jesus languishes in death, his mother at the foot of the cross.
Many of us in troubled times, will remember the faith of our mothers who sang the anthems of faith for our tender ears. We stand in pretty good company. Jesus, in his most despairing moments, remembered, not the God of his father, but the God of his mother, who had undoubtedly taught him the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The stories that helped him now formulate a picture of the Father who was still near.
Be not far from me, he cried, for trouble is near at hand, and there is no one else to help. The whole world is against me. I am pured out like water. My spirit is like wax. It is melted in the midst of my being, like a candle held too close to the flame. My strength is all but gone, and I am facing death.
Nailed naked to the cross, his very garments the prize for his tormentors , shamed before the watching eyes of the nation that he came to save. Jesus still clings to the Father, "Be not thou far from me, O Lord, make haste to help me. Deliver my soul, not my body, but my soul, from the sword. Save me from the lion's mouth, for thou hast heard me from the horns of the altar."
Can you catch a glimpse of the glory here? "I will deliver thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the great congregation I will praise you. You have not hide your face from me!" Then this portal into the future: the poor shall eat and be satisfied. your heart will live forever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto you. All the tribes and nations will worship before you. In the very midst of his despairing Jesus see God's hand. Then as he gives up his spirit he cries aloud, It is finished. He has made all things right, and a people yet unborn will see and hear that God has unboubtedly and completely finished what he began before the foundation of the world.
Now, here is the point of all this: The Psalm begins in absolute despair. All hope is gone, yet it does not end in this defeat. Jesus placed his life in the Father's hands. "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way that I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8).
Now hear this, it is OK to feel discouragement. It is a part of the process of grieving and working through the times of pain, but God loves us too much to leave us in the pit of despair. So don't give up! Nothing happens by accident. The events in your life may seem beyond reason, but you can have the victory. Acknowledge and accept that God, himself present with Jesus on the cross, is present with you in your most despairing moments, and he does everything, everything right.
Note this glass of water. Is it half empty? or Is it half full? The decision is up to you. You can live in the despair of the past, or you can recognize God's hand in your most despairing moments, working out everything for his glory. Or, you can stand with me I am not going to give the devil credit for anything that God is doing well. Now, you may be sitting here tonight thinking; yeah, it is easy for the preacher to say, but what does he know. He doesn't now anything of the pain of my life. And you are right. i don't know anything about your pain, I have enough pain of my own to deal with. When I was just a little boy, living with my mom in a broken down derelict hotel, a man whose name I no longer remember often too drunk to return home, after a night of drinking took advantage of me. I won't go into all the sordid details except to say that even today I bear the physical scars of the abuse that I suffered at his hands and for his pleasure.
Mom was terrified that there would be a re-occurance. She was powerless to defend me, and the story could end right here leaving me to wallow in my own despair, and the devil would get his due, another ruined life. But, I have discovered that nothing happens that God does not have a part in, "What the enemy intended for evil, God intended for good." Do you feel the weight of the word "intended?"
Mom was so afraid that the abuse would continue she sent me to live with her youngest sister. it was in aunt Tillie's home that I first met Jesus, and it would be many summers later at a Pentecostal Summer Camp that I would be baptized by the Holy Spirit, sealed for God's own purpose.
This is my story; this is my song, praising my saviour all the day long. Nothing happens by accident; not the many good things, not the bad. It is my response to these things that matters. I can become bitter and angry, blaming all my present problems on the stuff that has happened in the past; or I can praise God that because of that past I have a hope and a future. God has a plan, and he does all things right. I will ask you again, Is the glass half empty or is it half full? the choice is yours. Is God sovereign, or is he simply a tool in the enemy's hand, having to respond to every quirk and whim of the enemy?
These are hard questions if you have a troubled past. But where do you want to go on living, in the past with all of its misery, or in the future with all its promise? Will you join me today giving thanks for your life, or do you want to wallow in the past. Don't let go of the past, give thanks for it. Acknowledge God's omnipotent hand. Nothing happens by accident. You are not here tonight because you are hungry. You are here tonight because God willed it. Are you ready to acknowledge the sovereignty to God in your life, stand up; and with the Psalmist say in a loud voice that God has laboured in your life to make things right; and he has doubtlessly, completely made a righteous end. Cry out with Jesus, "It is finished."
Preached at the Gwa'sala-'nakwakdax Easter Rally in Port Hardy, BC on March 23, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Things People Want
17. the King is coming!
18. Join the feast.
19. The new age has begun.
And for today, this is my journey through the Gospel of Matthew.
18. Join the feast.
19. The new age has begun.
And for today, this is my journey through the Gospel of Matthew.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Step by Step
7. May your kingdom come.
8. Give us clean hands and give us pure hearts.
9. Pay it forward!
10. Now is the time.
11. The sign for all nations.
12. Chosen to know.
13. Obedience is the key.
14. No stone upon another.
15. More than enough.
16. The things people want.
Keep reading! We are nearing Jerusalem. The end is in sight.
8. Give us clean hands and give us pure hearts.
9. Pay it forward!
10. Now is the time.
11. The sign for all nations.
12. Chosen to know.
13. Obedience is the key.
14. No stone upon another.
15. More than enough.
16. The things people want.
Keep reading! We are nearing Jerusalem. The end is in sight.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Walk With Me
A week ago, I asked God, "What is this thing called Maturity? What is the process of growth?"
"Take my yoke upon you," Jesus said, "and learn from me. I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done; for it is to this that you are called." And I began this study of one liners from the book of Matthew.
"Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, far from it. But I pursue, with a whole heart, if even I may lay hold of that for which I also have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Friends, I do not account of myself to have already laid hold, but one thing I do, FORGETTING THE THINGS WHICH ARE BEHIND AND STRETCHING FORWARD TO THE THINGS WHICH ARE BEFORE, I PURSUE TOWARD THE GOAL FOR THE PRIZE TO WHICH GOD IN CHRIST JESUS HAS CALLED ME UPWARD" (PHIL. 3:12-14). So, walk with me, good reader, as I continue to journey step by step.
This journey will take the form of a series of one-liners as I find them in the light of Matthew's gospel. I will catch them up on a weekly basis, and here is the beginning:
1. In the light of the Hebrew genealogy: with Obed-to work and to serve; with Solomon-to seek Peace and Restoration; with David-to be friends with God.
2. Immanuel-God is with us.
3. After the sacrifice the Nazarite can drink wine.
4. This is my beloved son; in him, I am well-pleased with you.
5. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.
6 Change your hearts and lives for the kingdom of heaven is near.
So, continue to walk with me. We may meander along, but we will get there eventually. Sometimes the journey is the destination. See you next week in this singular portrait of Jesus as seen through the eyes of Matthew. TTFN
"Take my yoke upon you," Jesus said, "and learn from me. I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done; for it is to this that you are called." And I began this study of one liners from the book of Matthew.
"Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, far from it. But I pursue, with a whole heart, if even I may lay hold of that for which I also have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Friends, I do not account of myself to have already laid hold, but one thing I do, FORGETTING THE THINGS WHICH ARE BEHIND AND STRETCHING FORWARD TO THE THINGS WHICH ARE BEFORE, I PURSUE TOWARD THE GOAL FOR THE PRIZE TO WHICH GOD IN CHRIST JESUS HAS CALLED ME UPWARD" (PHIL. 3:12-14). So, walk with me, good reader, as I continue to journey step by step.
This journey will take the form of a series of one-liners as I find them in the light of Matthew's gospel. I will catch them up on a weekly basis, and here is the beginning:
1. In the light of the Hebrew genealogy: with Obed-to work and to serve; with Solomon-to seek Peace and Restoration; with David-to be friends with God.
2. Immanuel-God is with us.
3. After the sacrifice the Nazarite can drink wine.
4. This is my beloved son; in him, I am well-pleased with you.
5. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.
6 Change your hearts and lives for the kingdom of heaven is near.
So, continue to walk with me. We may meander along, but we will get there eventually. Sometimes the journey is the destination. See you next week in this singular portrait of Jesus as seen through the eyes of Matthew. TTFN
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Of Regeneration and the New Creature
We confess: In as much as our first parents, Adam and Eve, throught their transgression, separated themselves from God, and fell into temporal and eternal death, with all their pasterity, and, consequently, lost the image of God, which is righteousness and true holiness; became depraved in their nature, and inclined to sin and wickedness from their youth; so that of all men none can attain unto faith, and a godly conversation through the power of their first birth, which has sprung and proceeded from sinful seed; because that which is born of flesh is flesh, and hence, carnally minded, and the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; therefore, all men, having come of the earth, shall return to dust and earth, and, in part, are also like to the corrupted earth, which of itself does not bring forth good grain, but must thereto be prepared anew, and grown with good seed, thus also all men, when they have passed their youth, and have come to understand and discern good and evil, we perceive, that their carnal hearts and earthly life, being conceived in sin, are inclined to sin, which conceives by its own lust, which awakens sin in them, and allures and moves them to actual sin; and thus they fall from grace,-to which they had been redeemed through the atonement of Christ-which plunges them into the death of sin.
Hence, God, the Lord requires and demands through his word, of all men of understanding, a true reformation and a renewing from these their own actual sins; that is through the hearing of the word of God they receive the faith, become regenerated, from above, of God, be created anew in the inner mind of the heart, according to the image of God, and circumcised, being translated from the carnal into the spiritual, from unbelief unto faith, from that which is earthly-minded and like Adam into that which is heavenly-minded and like Jesus Christ; that they crucify and mortify their earthly members, and feel, prove, and taste that which is heavenly, and not that which is earthly.
To this, God promises life, peace, and all heavenly riches; and it is the sanctification in the spirit of the mind, and the appropriation of all the benefits of Christ (which have been lost through our own actual sin), and has the promise of eternal salvation.
Taken from A Confession of faith, according to the Holy Word of God, written about the year 1600, as recorded in The Martyr's Mirror written during the years, 1625-1664, by Th. J. van Braght.
The first English edition of Martyr's Mirror, published in 1837 at Lampeter Square, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was translated from the German language. The second edition was published in 1853 at London, England. The third edition, published in 1886, in Elkhart, Indianna, was translated from the original Dutch language edition of 1660. A re-print of the third English edition was published at Scottdale, Pennsylvania. Fifth and later English printings, 1950, 1951, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1975. The eleventh English printing of 1977 and subsequent printings include improvised reproductions of the engravings (from The Drama of the Martyrs by permission of the Mennonite Historical Associates, Lancaster, Pennsylvania ). Twelfth and later printings, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1996. Printed in the United States of America. 43,000 copies in print since 1938.
Hence, God, the Lord requires and demands through his word, of all men of understanding, a true reformation and a renewing from these their own actual sins; that is through the hearing of the word of God they receive the faith, become regenerated, from above, of God, be created anew in the inner mind of the heart, according to the image of God, and circumcised, being translated from the carnal into the spiritual, from unbelief unto faith, from that which is earthly-minded and like Adam into that which is heavenly-minded and like Jesus Christ; that they crucify and mortify their earthly members, and feel, prove, and taste that which is heavenly, and not that which is earthly.
To this, God promises life, peace, and all heavenly riches; and it is the sanctification in the spirit of the mind, and the appropriation of all the benefits of Christ (which have been lost through our own actual sin), and has the promise of eternal salvation.
Taken from A Confession of faith, according to the Holy Word of God, written about the year 1600, as recorded in The Martyr's Mirror written during the years, 1625-1664, by Th. J. van Braght.
The first English edition of Martyr's Mirror, published in 1837 at Lampeter Square, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was translated from the German language. The second edition was published in 1853 at London, England. The third edition, published in 1886, in Elkhart, Indianna, was translated from the original Dutch language edition of 1660. A re-print of the third English edition was published at Scottdale, Pennsylvania. Fifth and later English printings, 1950, 1951, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1975. The eleventh English printing of 1977 and subsequent printings include improvised reproductions of the engravings (from The Drama of the Martyrs by permission of the Mennonite Historical Associates, Lancaster, Pennsylvania ). Twelfth and later printings, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1996. Printed in the United States of America. 43,000 copies in print since 1938.
A Fresh Start
"Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: Have many children, grow in number and fill the earth..." (Gen. 9:1-NCV).
cf. Gen 1:28
Notice that the language is almost the same. After God judged the earth through the flood, he offers Noah and his family a fresh start. They have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to do what our first parents failed to do. Now read the story of Abram and the blessing which follows his encounter with God. Then read, through the rest of Genesis the stories of Jacob and his children. What we see, time and time again, is the failure of God's children to live rightly. It can seem as if all is lost. But, then, God, in his grace, brings healing, hope, and a new beginning. God changes Jacob's name, a slave becomes a prince, and what has been intended for evil, God has intended for good (Gen 50:20). Life begins anew, as through God's grace failures begin to live holy lives that are pleasing to God and that bring blessing to the lives of others.
Have you, like me, ever experienced God's marvelous grace in such a way, as to be given a second chance? Has the tide turned for you once again? Have you rounded the Cape? Are the winds changing? Is the water warming to the touch? I have written, in the last six months, lots about failure. But, there has always been the glint of hope in the making: a new job, unexpected prosperity, a lifting of my grandfather's bann, a family reunion, a new voice in the church, healing and forgiveness, restoration; and the best is yet to come. This is a new day! It is a new beginning! For me, and for you. Grace, forgiveness, restoration, a new beginning, and the blessing which will surely follow.
cf. Gen 1:28
Notice that the language is almost the same. After God judged the earth through the flood, he offers Noah and his family a fresh start. They have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to do what our first parents failed to do. Now read the story of Abram and the blessing which follows his encounter with God. Then read, through the rest of Genesis the stories of Jacob and his children. What we see, time and time again, is the failure of God's children to live rightly. It can seem as if all is lost. But, then, God, in his grace, brings healing, hope, and a new beginning. God changes Jacob's name, a slave becomes a prince, and what has been intended for evil, God has intended for good (Gen 50:20). Life begins anew, as through God's grace failures begin to live holy lives that are pleasing to God and that bring blessing to the lives of others.
Have you, like me, ever experienced God's marvelous grace in such a way, as to be given a second chance? Has the tide turned for you once again? Have you rounded the Cape? Are the winds changing? Is the water warming to the touch? I have written, in the last six months, lots about failure. But, there has always been the glint of hope in the making: a new job, unexpected prosperity, a lifting of my grandfather's bann, a family reunion, a new voice in the church, healing and forgiveness, restoration; and the best is yet to come. This is a new day! It is a new beginning! For me, and for you. Grace, forgiveness, restoration, a new beginning, and the blessing which will surely follow.
What an awesome God we serve!
What an awesome God we serve!
Angels bow before him,
heaven and earth adore him.
What an awesome God we serve!
What an awesome God we serve!
Angels bow before him,
heaven and earth adore him.
What an awesome God we serve!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I Am A Work In Progress
"GOD BEGAN DOING A GOOD WORK IN YOU, AND I AM SURE HE WILL CONTINUE IT UNTIL IT IS FINISHED" (PHIL. 1:6-NCV).
I'll tell you what the hard part of walking with God is. It is learning to give him your time and attention so you come to know his voice. That's where the labour comes in. If you are going to march forward in victory, doing what God wants you to do, you are going to have to know what he is saying. You are going to have to learn to hear his voice. The hard part for Moses was not the moment at the Red Sea when he lifted up his staff and commanded the waters to part. The hard part was the time of preparation, that time when nothing significant seemed to be happening, that time of learning about God, of learning to trust him, to obey his voice and to know his ways.
What if, during the days of preparation, Moses had said, "I don't know about all this. I've failed in so much already. I don't know if I can ever learn to discern the voice of God in the midst of all the chaos. What if he had let his past, his opinions, or his poor self image stop him? Well, it doesn't matter that I think that I have failed, Remember the words of Rick Warren, "It's really not about you!" It matters, only, who is with me.
So, I will not look back. Today is a new day. I have determined that I am going to rise up in faith. I am going to throw aside the fear that has held me back. I am going to throw aside the unbelief that has kept me from taking God at his word. I have determined to rise up and go forward. I will not put it off any longer. The promised land is closer today than before, "because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him" (Phil. 2:13-NCV).
Knowing that I am a work in process gives me great hope
I'll tell you what the hard part of walking with God is. It is learning to give him your time and attention so you come to know his voice. That's where the labour comes in. If you are going to march forward in victory, doing what God wants you to do, you are going to have to know what he is saying. You are going to have to learn to hear his voice. The hard part for Moses was not the moment at the Red Sea when he lifted up his staff and commanded the waters to part. The hard part was the time of preparation, that time when nothing significant seemed to be happening, that time of learning about God, of learning to trust him, to obey his voice and to know his ways.
What if, during the days of preparation, Moses had said, "I don't know about all this. I've failed in so much already. I don't know if I can ever learn to discern the voice of God in the midst of all the chaos. What if he had let his past, his opinions, or his poor self image stop him? Well, it doesn't matter that I think that I have failed, Remember the words of Rick Warren, "It's really not about you!" It matters, only, who is with me.
So, I will not look back. Today is a new day. I have determined that I am going to rise up in faith. I am going to throw aside the fear that has held me back. I am going to throw aside the unbelief that has kept me from taking God at his word. I have determined to rise up and go forward. I will not put it off any longer. The promised land is closer today than before, "because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him" (Phil. 2:13-NCV).
Knowing that I am a work in process gives me great hope
Monday, January 21, 2008
Why Am I Here?
For many years now, I have wondered, "What is my role in the church?" I have pastored, I have taught, I have been missional, and still the question plagues me, "What is my role in the church? This church? It seems that in all my endeavors I have failed to meet the mark! I have failed at the One Way Adventure Foundation where I served children in need; I failed as a counselor at the Crisis Centre; I failed at Rediscovery working among First Nation's youth and elders; I failed at the College as a teacher; I failed as a pastor. Where have I gone wrong? "What is my role in the church?" Have I made it all about me? Has the cross lost its power? Why am I here?
Then six months ago, I began a new job. One that took me far out of my comfort zone, and had me working most Sundays, and too tired through the week to take part in any fellowship activities in the church. I began to feel alone, abandoned by the church, and by God himself. The separation became my own dark night of the soul, and the questions rose anew, "What is my role in the church? why am I here?
I began to search the word of God for an answer, and found only the unforgiving silence. I read and re-read the epistles, asking God all the way, "Father, what would you have me do?" Then out of the silence, God began to speak.
"You are where I put you."
"And, where is that?"
"I'll let you know."
When?
"When I let you know."
This spiritual place has no windows or doors, but there are plenty of chairs. I choose one, sit on it, and wait.
"After John Kennedy Jr.'s death, the Chicago Tribune ran an article about flying. In it amateur pilot, Steven Hedges, wrote about the difficulty of flying a plane by instruments alone. . During one instrument lesson, Hedges notes, I flew the headings and turns as instructed, but even with ten hours of instrument flying experience already in my logbook, I was amazed at how quickly the plane slid into a banking turn if I diverted my attention for just a few moments" (Kenneth Ulmer- January 14, 08, Promise Keepers Men of Integrity).
At this point in my reading I recalled a similar experience while flying with a friend who was teaching me to fly. I asked him to explain to me the meaning of virtigo. As part of his explaination Buzz asked me to close my eyes and to keep them tightly closed until he told me to open them. I closed my eyes and suddenly, the little Ceasna was in an out of control vertical dive. Unable to see, I experienced a moment of absolute terror. Were it not for my trust in Buzz's ability, the panic would have been unbearable. Now, my eyes were wide open; and Buzz repeated the manouver, dipping the nose of the little plane just two points below the horizon. "The panic that you felt is virtigo, and is the reason that many pilots simply crash and burn."
Many times in the Christian life we are forced to fly in the fog when its hard to get our bearings. We cannot see the horizon and get the perspective necessary to stay level. At such times it is doubly important to keep our trust fixed on the flight instructor's ability. I began an exegetical study in Paul's First Letter to the struggling church in Corinth, hoping there to find answers to my questions.
Now I understand the need for separation. Without it I would have no reason to trust. I find myself in that room without doors or windows, and I have to trust God's guiding and assuring word. "The calling and gifts of God are irrevocable." I suddenly find my own voice, and my reason for being. Do I yet fully understand? No, but I am trusting on the flight instructor's ability to take me where he wants me to go. I am in the place where he has sent me. You see, God is faithful, I am not alone.
"I thank God because in Christ you have been made rich in every way, in all your speaking and in all your knowledge. Just as our witness about Christ has been guaranteed to you, so you have every gift from God while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. Jesus will keep you strong until the end so that there will be no wrong in you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful" (1 Cor. 1:5-9-NCV).
Then six months ago, I began a new job. One that took me far out of my comfort zone, and had me working most Sundays, and too tired through the week to take part in any fellowship activities in the church. I began to feel alone, abandoned by the church, and by God himself. The separation became my own dark night of the soul, and the questions rose anew, "What is my role in the church? why am I here?
I began to search the word of God for an answer, and found only the unforgiving silence. I read and re-read the epistles, asking God all the way, "Father, what would you have me do?" Then out of the silence, God began to speak.
"You are where I put you."
"And, where is that?"
"I'll let you know."
When?
"When I let you know."
This spiritual place has no windows or doors, but there are plenty of chairs. I choose one, sit on it, and wait.
"After John Kennedy Jr.'s death, the Chicago Tribune ran an article about flying. In it amateur pilot, Steven Hedges, wrote about the difficulty of flying a plane by instruments alone. . During one instrument lesson, Hedges notes, I flew the headings and turns as instructed, but even with ten hours of instrument flying experience already in my logbook, I was amazed at how quickly the plane slid into a banking turn if I diverted my attention for just a few moments" (Kenneth Ulmer- January 14, 08, Promise Keepers Men of Integrity).
At this point in my reading I recalled a similar experience while flying with a friend who was teaching me to fly. I asked him to explain to me the meaning of virtigo. As part of his explaination Buzz asked me to close my eyes and to keep them tightly closed until he told me to open them. I closed my eyes and suddenly, the little Ceasna was in an out of control vertical dive. Unable to see, I experienced a moment of absolute terror. Were it not for my trust in Buzz's ability, the panic would have been unbearable. Now, my eyes were wide open; and Buzz repeated the manouver, dipping the nose of the little plane just two points below the horizon. "The panic that you felt is virtigo, and is the reason that many pilots simply crash and burn."
Many times in the Christian life we are forced to fly in the fog when its hard to get our bearings. We cannot see the horizon and get the perspective necessary to stay level. At such times it is doubly important to keep our trust fixed on the flight instructor's ability. I began an exegetical study in Paul's First Letter to the struggling church in Corinth, hoping there to find answers to my questions.
Now I understand the need for separation. Without it I would have no reason to trust. I find myself in that room without doors or windows, and I have to trust God's guiding and assuring word. "The calling and gifts of God are irrevocable." I suddenly find my own voice, and my reason for being. Do I yet fully understand? No, but I am trusting on the flight instructor's ability to take me where he wants me to go. I am in the place where he has sent me. You see, God is faithful, I am not alone.
"I thank God because in Christ you have been made rich in every way, in all your speaking and in all your knowledge. Just as our witness about Christ has been guaranteed to you, so you have every gift from God while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. Jesus will keep you strong until the end so that there will be no wrong in you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful" (1 Cor. 1:5-9-NCV).
Monday, January 7, 2008
Wandering thoughts on Separation
At first the separation was difficult. I was clearly outside of my comfort zone. At age 58 I was learning a new trade, one for which I was poorly prepared. I was no longer using my education, gifts, or abilities. I was washing dishes, prepping food for the cooks, and cooking on the line when no one else was around. The stress of the kitchen is continual; orders to meet, food to prep, dishes to clean, and last, but certainly not least, the customers to please. But it was missing the fellowship at church that proved to be the most trying. For five months now, I have worked most Sundays. I tried to make up for it with personal study, sharpening my Greek skills once again; but that too fell to the side as rising at 4:30 to open for the 6:30 breakfast shift leaves me too tired at night to do anything but sleep. Then life started to settle into a routine, and as much as I missed the fellowship, the ebb and flow of life as a hermit began to make sense, and I began to value the time of separation.
Life is changing, the tide has turned. We have leased a house until August of 2008. We have purchased our first vehicle in almost 20 years. God has taken me as far from my comfort zone as is possible, I am learning new stuff every day, and it seems that life cannot get better. I still miss the fellowship, but the Christian music that plays on the TV, on the radio, through the CD player in the new van, has taken a new, deep, and rich meaning. God is in the house. I am sensing that something is on the horizon. I don't quite yet have the whole picture, but it is becoming clearer day by day. Whatever it is, God is in the picture. What began as scary and difficult is becoming warm and fuzzy. There is a joy unspeakable, full of glory. I now know what the pillar saints of old saw in a ascetic life, lived alone.
Holiness is another translation for both the Hebrew and the Greek words that have until now been translated as separation. I know that I have been set apart for something, and excitement fills the air, and I am looking through the glass darkly at what God has in store. "Now I see as a dim reflection, as if I were looking into a mirror...Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as God has known me" (1 Cor. 13:12 NCV).
"I speak a wisdom to those who are mature. But this widsod is not from this world or from the rulers of this world, who are losing their power. I speak God's secret wisdom, which he has kept hidden. Before the world began, God planned this wisdom for our glory...It is written in the scriptures: No one has ever seen this, and no one has ever heard about it. No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit searches out all things, even the deep secrets of God. Who knows the thoughts that another person has? Only a person's spirit that lives within him knows his thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but we received the Spirit that is from God so that we can know all that God has given us" (1 Cor. 2:6-12 NCV).
"I want you to know how hard I work for you, those in Laodicia, and others who have never seen me. I want them to be strengthened and joined together with love so that they may be rich in their understanding. This leads to their knowing fully God's secret, that is, Christ himself. In him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are safely kept" (Col. 2:1-3 NCV).
"I am happy in my sufferings...There are things that Christ must still suffer through his body, the church. I am accepting, in my body, my part of these things that must be suffered. I became a servant of the church because God gave me a special work to do...and that work is to tell fully the message of God...Christ himself...our hope for glory" (Col. 1:24-27 NCV).
How and under what circumstances is yet to be revealed. Like the adventurers of old, I am exploring new lands, setting my eyes on new vistas that to now have been unseen. And, I wake each morning to say with my native friend, "I thank the Creator that he opened my eyes once more, to look upon the Son."
Life is changing, the tide has turned. We have leased a house until August of 2008. We have purchased our first vehicle in almost 20 years. God has taken me as far from my comfort zone as is possible, I am learning new stuff every day, and it seems that life cannot get better. I still miss the fellowship, but the Christian music that plays on the TV, on the radio, through the CD player in the new van, has taken a new, deep, and rich meaning. God is in the house. I am sensing that something is on the horizon. I don't quite yet have the whole picture, but it is becoming clearer day by day. Whatever it is, God is in the picture. What began as scary and difficult is becoming warm and fuzzy. There is a joy unspeakable, full of glory. I now know what the pillar saints of old saw in a ascetic life, lived alone.
Holiness is another translation for both the Hebrew and the Greek words that have until now been translated as separation. I know that I have been set apart for something, and excitement fills the air, and I am looking through the glass darkly at what God has in store. "Now I see as a dim reflection, as if I were looking into a mirror...Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as God has known me" (1 Cor. 13:12 NCV).
"I speak a wisdom to those who are mature. But this widsod is not from this world or from the rulers of this world, who are losing their power. I speak God's secret wisdom, which he has kept hidden. Before the world began, God planned this wisdom for our glory...It is written in the scriptures: No one has ever seen this, and no one has ever heard about it. No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit searches out all things, even the deep secrets of God. Who knows the thoughts that another person has? Only a person's spirit that lives within him knows his thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but we received the Spirit that is from God so that we can know all that God has given us" (1 Cor. 2:6-12 NCV).
"I want you to know how hard I work for you, those in Laodicia, and others who have never seen me. I want them to be strengthened and joined together with love so that they may be rich in their understanding. This leads to their knowing fully God's secret, that is, Christ himself. In him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are safely kept" (Col. 2:1-3 NCV).
"I am happy in my sufferings...There are things that Christ must still suffer through his body, the church. I am accepting, in my body, my part of these things that must be suffered. I became a servant of the church because God gave me a special work to do...and that work is to tell fully the message of God...Christ himself...our hope for glory" (Col. 1:24-27 NCV).
How and under what circumstances is yet to be revealed. Like the adventurers of old, I am exploring new lands, setting my eyes on new vistas that to now have been unseen. And, I wake each morning to say with my native friend, "I thank the Creator that he opened my eyes once more, to look upon the Son."
Friday, January 4, 2008
In the Desert
The Hebrew title for the Book of Numbers has nothing to do with numbers, and everything to do with the journey-In the Desert. Consider these words :
So often, when God places a call on one of His children, it requires a separation between the old life and the new life. There is a time of being away from the old in order to prepare the heart for what is coming. It can be a painful and difficult separation. Joseph was separated from his family. Jacob was sent to live with his uncle Laban. Moses was sent to the desert. The Hebrew word for "Holy" can also mean separate. What do you think that's all about, this connection between holiness and separation? When you mix all the paints on your palate together, the resulting colour is dull and muddy. Music only works when musicians limit themselves to playing in the same key and at a designated tempo. And, you must certainly want to keep the cows out of the cornfield and the children out of traffic. The safety, order, and beauty of our world can depend entirely on observing proper boundaries. Much of the language of faith today assumes that separation is bad and that unity is good. But when God begins a deeper work in our own lives, it may require a separation from all we have known before. He has removed all that I had placed confidence in up to this point. It has been very painful and very scary. My present situation in life is hardly secure. I struggle every day to do the job, cooking on the line. I continue to fail and make mistakes on a daily basis, but the picture is getting clearer, and I now know that this part of the journey has been, and continues to be necessary. Like the title of the blog, "Sometimes the journey is the destination."
Perhaps God has placed you in your own desert period. Perhaps you cannot make sense of the situation in which you find yourself. Press into God during this time. He will reveal the purposes He has for you. The key is pressing into Him. Seek Him with a whole heart and He will be found. God may have a special calling and message He is building in your life right now. Trust in His love for you that He will fully complete the work He has started in you.
So often, when God places a call on one of His children, it requires a separation between the old life and the new life. There is a time of being away from the old in order to prepare the heart for what is coming. It can be a painful and difficult separation. Joseph was separated from his family. Jacob was sent to live with his uncle Laban. Moses was sent to the desert. The Hebrew word for "Holy" can also mean separate. What do you think that's all about, this connection between holiness and separation? When you mix all the paints on your palate together, the resulting colour is dull and muddy. Music only works when musicians limit themselves to playing in the same key and at a designated tempo. And, you must certainly want to keep the cows out of the cornfield and the children out of traffic. The safety, order, and beauty of our world can depend entirely on observing proper boundaries. Much of the language of faith today assumes that separation is bad and that unity is good. But when God begins a deeper work in our own lives, it may require a separation from all we have known before. He has removed all that I had placed confidence in up to this point. It has been very painful and very scary. My present situation in life is hardly secure. I struggle every day to do the job, cooking on the line. I continue to fail and make mistakes on a daily basis, but the picture is getting clearer, and I now know that this part of the journey has been, and continues to be necessary. Like the title of the blog, "Sometimes the journey is the destination."
Perhaps God has placed you in your own desert period. Perhaps you cannot make sense of the situation in which you find yourself. Press into God during this time. He will reveal the purposes He has for you. The key is pressing into Him. Seek Him with a whole heart and He will be found. God may have a special calling and message He is building in your life right now. Trust in His love for you that He will fully complete the work He has started in you.
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