Apart from the Christ child’s birth itself, Luke mentions only two events from Jesus’ childhood and both of them are set at the Temple in Jerusalem. Every Jewish boy faced two rites of passage. One was circumcision (on day 8 of life) and the other was some kind of bar mitzvah at age 12. For Jesus, both of these take place at the Temple.
In Xi’an, where we lived in China, the Hui Muslim boys in our city were circumcised at age 12. Talk about having your rites read to you all at once! Actually being circumcised when you are older is not that unusual a custom around the world. It certainly was the pattern set for Abraham’s son, Ishmael, but the descendents of Jacob adopted the custom of circumcision shortly after birth. Thus it was for Jesus.
His was a very religious upbringing. He grew up steeped in the teachings of the Law and the Prophets, learning a trade (in his case, carpentry), and going through the rites as every Jewish boy did. When Jesus later confronted the Pharisees and the religious leaders, he did so as an insider. Not because he came from heaven – he didn’t always use THAT trump card with them. He was an insider from their own world of earthly ceremony and tradition. He knew the Law and the Prophets better than they did.
There are striking parallels here with the story of Paul’s life, who was a strict follower of the Law. Because he had followed the pharisaical teachings to the max, Paul was able to speak to the heart of the Pharisees. The difference with Jesus is that, unlike Paul (Saul) before his conversion, Jesus never entered into the mindset that saw spirituality as a summation of these external observances. For Jesus always, and for Paul after the experience on the road to Damascus, faith was a matter of the heart and when it expressed itself externally, it did so in ways quite foreign to the “faith” of the religious stalwarts of the day.
Why was spirituality of Jesus and Paul so alien to the faithful of the day? Luke devotes two whole books explaining the contrast between the spirituality of Jesus and his followers and the pseudo-spirituality abroad in Israel at the time. What we see in chapter 2 here are glimpses of the spiritual conflict to come during Jesus’ ministry.
Simeon quotes the prophet Isaiah when speaking of Jesus being “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Luke, a Gentile, picks up on the inclusive theme. But there is a darker tint to Simeon’s message of hope. Mary herself will feel the agony that the child’s mission will bring. For he is destined to shake up Israel and to be a lightning rod, specifically so that the inner thoughts of people will be revealed.
What makes Jesus’ brand of spirituality so alien is that it is heart centered. And yet it doesn’t end there, for this heart-centeredness affects everything around it. The religion of the day looked for certain politically correct expressions, just as our modern expressions of faith do. Vote a certain way and you are on the straight and narrow. Do these religious activities and you have eternal life. If these exterior expressions are fulfilled, then the heart has to be right, or so the thinking goes.
In the early 80s I had a long discussion with a pastor friend about college students at that time. In this friend’s thinking, the new generation was much more spiritually on track than the youth of the 60s and 70s, because they were more clean cut and appeared more conforming to civil society as he envisioned it. I countered that the youth of the 60s and 70s had displayed much more spiritual hunger in their protests and questions than the 80s youth were in their complacent conformity.
All might look right on the outside, but the heart can be dead wrong. People can have a form of godliness, but not the power thereof. In essence, as Jesus would later say, they are just like so many fancy tombstones. They look good, but they are “dead as door nails.”
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Check out “The Authentic Journey”
Today I’m taking a break from writing The Gatekeeper’s Key. I plan to post this blog 2-3 times a week.
Meanwhile let me introduce you to another blog of mine, which I’ve been writing on a weekly basis. The Authentic Journey is where I wrestle with matters of faith and action. You can read the fourth and final posting on “Anxiety and Authenticity” at http://hnkjourney.blogspot.com.
See you back right here at http://hnkgatekeeper.blogspot.com tomorrow as we pick up with Luke 2:21 and Jesus’ first trip to the Temple at 8 days of age.
Meanwhile let me introduce you to another blog of mine, which I’ve been writing on a weekly basis. The Authentic Journey is where I wrestle with matters of faith and action. You can read the fourth and final posting on “Anxiety and Authenticity” at http://hnkjourney.blogspot.com.
See you back right here at http://hnkgatekeeper.blogspot.com tomorrow as we pick up with Luke 2:21 and Jesus’ first trip to the Temple at 8 days of age.
Friday, December 26, 2008
God in the Familiar
When we first arrived in Taiwan, I was learning that being called to a place does not guarantee you will feel at home in that place. Traditional holiday times can be the worst for feeling out of place in a new setting. So that first Christmas in Taichung was a strange feeling indeed. Yet in the midst of all the cultural adjustment, I learned that God still came and spoke to me in very familiar ways.
Here is the significance of the manger if you ever wanted to know why a manger. The angel who announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds says in Luke 2:12, “This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
It wasn’t just any old sign – it was a sign to these shepherds. They were to look for a baby in a manger. Anyone who has lived through a Christmas pageant knows what a manger is. But aside from that, there are few people in our modern, cosmopolitan world who would find any significance in a manger.
Even back then. The wise men were not to look for a manger. They were to look for a star – something that as astrologers they were very familiar with. Of all the people in Judea who would think a manger was significant it was shepherds. Moreover, for these common shepherds, there were few things of value in their lives. They had their shepherd’s staffs. They had their slingshots. They knew what sheep pens and grass and water were. And they knew what a manger was.
Once on the high Tibetan plateau with a friend, David Plymire, I bought a slingshot off of a young sheepherder as a souvenir for my kids. David said to make it worth the young man’s while because that slingshot represented his whole livelihood. So with little cost to me, I blessed him beyond measure. Such is the focused life of a shepherd that mangers carry great significance.
Jesus’ whole birth thing was arranged so that these shepherds would know what to look for. It was a sign just for them.
When God spoke for all the ages, He spoke in a way that shepherds could understand. He spoke to them in the most familiar of terms.
And so He does with us. When He moves in our lives in very unfamiliar ways, He speaks to us in ways we can understand. He speaks to us in our own vernacular – in our own every day understanding.
One day in college a student told our Greek professor that another prof was very brilliant because he was hard to understand. Dr. Cutter replied in his usual acerbic way, “If he were so brilliant, he’d be able to explain his material to the simplest of students like you.”
Jesus while on earth was so brilliant he could explain the mysteries of the universe to the commonest of people. God can make himself understood to anyone. He uses mangers to guide shepherds. He can even talk to you.
Here is the significance of the manger if you ever wanted to know why a manger. The angel who announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds says in Luke 2:12, “This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
It wasn’t just any old sign – it was a sign to these shepherds. They were to look for a baby in a manger. Anyone who has lived through a Christmas pageant knows what a manger is. But aside from that, there are few people in our modern, cosmopolitan world who would find any significance in a manger.
Even back then. The wise men were not to look for a manger. They were to look for a star – something that as astrologers they were very familiar with. Of all the people in Judea who would think a manger was significant it was shepherds. Moreover, for these common shepherds, there were few things of value in their lives. They had their shepherd’s staffs. They had their slingshots. They knew what sheep pens and grass and water were. And they knew what a manger was.
Once on the high Tibetan plateau with a friend, David Plymire, I bought a slingshot off of a young sheepherder as a souvenir for my kids. David said to make it worth the young man’s while because that slingshot represented his whole livelihood. So with little cost to me, I blessed him beyond measure. Such is the focused life of a shepherd that mangers carry great significance.
Jesus’ whole birth thing was arranged so that these shepherds would know what to look for. It was a sign just for them.
When God spoke for all the ages, He spoke in a way that shepherds could understand. He spoke to them in the most familiar of terms.
And so He does with us. When He moves in our lives in very unfamiliar ways, He speaks to us in ways we can understand. He speaks to us in our own vernacular – in our own every day understanding.
One day in college a student told our Greek professor that another prof was very brilliant because he was hard to understand. Dr. Cutter replied in his usual acerbic way, “If he were so brilliant, he’d be able to explain his material to the simplest of students like you.”
Jesus while on earth was so brilliant he could explain the mysteries of the universe to the commonest of people. God can make himself understood to anyone. He uses mangers to guide shepherds. He can even talk to you.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Incongruous Birth Announcement
On the very first Christmas, the one when Jesus was born, God chose to give a birth announcement to, of all people, a bunch of shepherds “keeping watch over their flocks at night” on a nearby hillside. I have always found the story in Luke 2:8-14 so fascinating, so incongruous.
The Master of the Universe announces the birth of His son to the most common, ordinary, stinky, lowly, uneducated and uncultured people around. Shepherds. They weren’t bad guys, these shepherds. Actually nothing is said of their character good or bad. In fact, nothing is said of them at all, except that they were shepherds. No names. No history. Nothing. Even the quality of their character doesn’t factor in. What’s one sinner compared with another, God seems to be saying. And we never hear from this band of shepherds again.
First one angel and then what Luke describes in 2:13 as “a great company of the heavenly host” announced the birth of the Messiah to … a flock of nameless shepherds. Such extravagance. Why on earth did God not just go ahead while He was at it and announce the birth to the whole world, or at least to all of Judea? Not for a lack of angels, that’s for sure.
No I think it was God’s way of showing right from the start that He spares no expense to speak of his love and his salvation even to the “least of these.” God, who was sending His one and only to die for the most common of sinners, was going to go all out to declare the good news to these same sinners.
This is the God who numbers the hairs on our heads, who is concerned about one lost lamb when the other 99 are all safe and sound. This is the God who is not willing that any one person be lost.
In the rush of life, we can feel like we get lost in the shuffle, like just another Christmas package under the tree of life. Or a lonely parcel tossed aside on the conveyer belt at the post office. But God, in the midst of the most singular event in human history, shows that He cares for every one.
The Master of the Universe announces the birth of His son to the most common, ordinary, stinky, lowly, uneducated and uncultured people around. Shepherds. They weren’t bad guys, these shepherds. Actually nothing is said of their character good or bad. In fact, nothing is said of them at all, except that they were shepherds. No names. No history. Nothing. Even the quality of their character doesn’t factor in. What’s one sinner compared with another, God seems to be saying. And we never hear from this band of shepherds again.
First one angel and then what Luke describes in 2:13 as “a great company of the heavenly host” announced the birth of the Messiah to … a flock of nameless shepherds. Such extravagance. Why on earth did God not just go ahead while He was at it and announce the birth to the whole world, or at least to all of Judea? Not for a lack of angels, that’s for sure.
No I think it was God’s way of showing right from the start that He spares no expense to speak of his love and his salvation even to the “least of these.” God, who was sending His one and only to die for the most common of sinners, was going to go all out to declare the good news to these same sinners.
This is the God who numbers the hairs on our heads, who is concerned about one lost lamb when the other 99 are all safe and sound. This is the God who is not willing that any one person be lost.
In the rush of life, we can feel like we get lost in the shuffle, like just another Christmas package under the tree of life. Or a lonely parcel tossed aside on the conveyer belt at the post office. But God, in the midst of the most singular event in human history, shows that He cares for every one.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The Act of the Ages One Simple Step at a Time
If there is any story familiar to believers around the world, it is this one found in Luke 2:1-7. How a census had been called. How Joseph and Mary, late in pregnancy, had made that arduous trip south to their ancestral home of Bethlehem. How they had found no place to stay. How they’d found “lodging” with the animals.
Much imagery has grown up around the few facts Luke gives us. But the central point in this very brief story is that he, Jesus, was born. After fathering four of my own children, I am convinced there is no convenient time to have a child. This time, for Joseph and Mary, was the worst of all possibilities. They had no choice but to go, both of them. And so they went.
Life was hard in those days, even on those not so poor. Such travails were taken for granted as the default in life. There was almost a fatalistic attitude toward problems. But fatalism it was not. For their lives were not in the hands of arbitrary fate, but in the One who is faithful and who had promised them a son like no other.
If the child really were the Messiah, would he be born in such a situation? I doubt the thought ever crossed the minds of Mary and Joseph. That they, of all people, would even be parenting the Messiah was inconceivable in the first place. After that, everything else was far less dramatic.
Mary and Joseph were simple people and in their “low estate”, they had learned to take life one step at a time. God was planning the big events, like birth announcements. All they had to do was take care of the basics, like cloths to wrap him in and straw to bed him in.
Joseph and Mary had already long ago discovered that faithfulness is not measured in dramatics. It is measured in a thousand small steps of dependability and obedience. That is why they were chosen as parents for the Messiah in the first place. Because they had already proven faithful. After that, the challenges of getting to Bethlehem and finding a place among the animals to give birth were just a few more small similarly small steps.
Much imagery has grown up around the few facts Luke gives us. But the central point in this very brief story is that he, Jesus, was born. After fathering four of my own children, I am convinced there is no convenient time to have a child. This time, for Joseph and Mary, was the worst of all possibilities. They had no choice but to go, both of them. And so they went.
Life was hard in those days, even on those not so poor. Such travails were taken for granted as the default in life. There was almost a fatalistic attitude toward problems. But fatalism it was not. For their lives were not in the hands of arbitrary fate, but in the One who is faithful and who had promised them a son like no other.
If the child really were the Messiah, would he be born in such a situation? I doubt the thought ever crossed the minds of Mary and Joseph. That they, of all people, would even be parenting the Messiah was inconceivable in the first place. After that, everything else was far less dramatic.
Mary and Joseph were simple people and in their “low estate”, they had learned to take life one step at a time. God was planning the big events, like birth announcements. All they had to do was take care of the basics, like cloths to wrap him in and straw to bed him in.
Joseph and Mary had already long ago discovered that faithfulness is not measured in dramatics. It is measured in a thousand small steps of dependability and obedience. That is why they were chosen as parents for the Messiah in the first place. Because they had already proven faithful. After that, the challenges of getting to Bethlehem and finding a place among the animals to give birth were just a few more small similarly small steps.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A Weird Kid
There is nothing for social pressure like raising kids. Everyone has an opinion on what you could be or could have been doing better – and as a parent you can be your own worst critic. I think about Elizabeth and Zechariah, the elderly parents of John who grew up to be known as the Baptist. They got their chance late in life and it may be they didn’t live to see him grow up.
He was a weird one, this son, even by standards of the day. At some point, he started living in the desert – after his parents died, maybe? – and living off the land.
With nearly every child born, there is great hope. I say nearly every, because a child born with obvious deformities can bring great pain to any parent. Or in the most dire of conditions, a family may struggle with one more mouth to feed. But with the arrival of John comes great hope and expectation.
In Luke 1:68-79, Zechariah regains his voice and immediately starts to sing God’s praises for the long awaited salvation that is about to appear. This “salvation” is not in John, but in John’s cousin. No, John is to be the Prophet, the one who will prepare the way for the Messiah. Every couple in Israel wished they could parent the Messiah, but short of that great honor was to be had in being the blessed parents of the Messiah’s forerunner.
Did Zechariah and Elizabeth live to see their son fulfill his role? Doubtful. Did they ever find themselves looking at John and wondering if he was going to live up to his much heralded birth? Likely. Because no matter how good our expectations are, God’s ways are always beyond comprehending.
But Zechariah had learned something through those long months of being without voice. He had asked the angel, Gabriel, “How can I be sure of this?” (Luke 1:18) Gabriel’s answer? “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.” Gabriel himself did not understand all the ways of the Lord. But this much he knew: when God speaks, you can guarantee it. Zechariah, who had expressed so much doubt nine months before, now speaks with the utmost of confidence that God who says he will do “such and such” will do exactly that.
He was a weird one, this son, even by standards of the day. At some point, he started living in the desert – after his parents died, maybe? – and living off the land.
With nearly every child born, there is great hope. I say nearly every, because a child born with obvious deformities can bring great pain to any parent. Or in the most dire of conditions, a family may struggle with one more mouth to feed. But with the arrival of John comes great hope and expectation.
In Luke 1:68-79, Zechariah regains his voice and immediately starts to sing God’s praises for the long awaited salvation that is about to appear. This “salvation” is not in John, but in John’s cousin. No, John is to be the Prophet, the one who will prepare the way for the Messiah. Every couple in Israel wished they could parent the Messiah, but short of that great honor was to be had in being the blessed parents of the Messiah’s forerunner.
Did Zechariah and Elizabeth live to see their son fulfill his role? Doubtful. Did they ever find themselves looking at John and wondering if he was going to live up to his much heralded birth? Likely. Because no matter how good our expectations are, God’s ways are always beyond comprehending.
But Zechariah had learned something through those long months of being without voice. He had asked the angel, Gabriel, “How can I be sure of this?” (Luke 1:18) Gabriel’s answer? “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.” Gabriel himself did not understand all the ways of the Lord. But this much he knew: when God speaks, you can guarantee it. Zechariah, who had expressed so much doubt nine months before, now speaks with the utmost of confidence that God who says he will do “such and such” will do exactly that.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Turning the World Upside Down
When Mary and Elizabeth meet, Mary bursts into song (Luke 1:46-55). Throughout the Gospels, Mary seems to be a very quiet woman. Once in a while she speaks out, but generally all we see her doing is pondering the imponderables in her heart. She apparently was a very reflective woman.
At this meeting with Elizabeth, however, she is quite expressive, exalting God because He has granted favor to her even in her lowly position or status in life. Who is she but a commoner? And yet, God has chosen her as the mother of the Messiah. So it will be that from now on, all generations will call her blessed.
The focus of her song, however, is not on herself. It is on God. The “Mighty One”, as she calls Him, is holy. She speaks of His mercy to those who fear him from generation to generation. He has done mighty deeds and scattered the proud, even those no one else knows are secretly proud. But God knows, and all who are proud, openly or not, are tossed about like so much chaff. What an upsetting God this Mighty One is, bringing down rulers and lifting up the humble, filling the hungry and sending the rich away empty!
Mary senses in her heart that the child in her womb is going to turn the world and the world’s order upside down. What vision in one so young! She, who is just a common village girl, a teenager who appears to the world around her to be in trouble, is going to be the mother of this marvelous man. Later when she and Joseph get to Bethlehem where Jesus is born, they will have neither name nor money to open doors. Yet, Commoner Mary has been chosen to bear the Messiah. It will take thirty years for this truth to be revealed and even then that truth will be rejected. Such will be her cross to bear. But right now, she is not thinking of pain. She is only aware that she of such low status has been chosen for such a high and noble role.
Mary’s song reminds me that security is not found in human achievement or status or rank or position or earthly possessions. Security is not in friends, not in place, not in power, not even in purpose. Security is found only in God.
At this meeting with Elizabeth, however, she is quite expressive, exalting God because He has granted favor to her even in her lowly position or status in life. Who is she but a commoner? And yet, God has chosen her as the mother of the Messiah. So it will be that from now on, all generations will call her blessed.
The focus of her song, however, is not on herself. It is on God. The “Mighty One”, as she calls Him, is holy. She speaks of His mercy to those who fear him from generation to generation. He has done mighty deeds and scattered the proud, even those no one else knows are secretly proud. But God knows, and all who are proud, openly or not, are tossed about like so much chaff. What an upsetting God this Mighty One is, bringing down rulers and lifting up the humble, filling the hungry and sending the rich away empty!
Mary senses in her heart that the child in her womb is going to turn the world and the world’s order upside down. What vision in one so young! She, who is just a common village girl, a teenager who appears to the world around her to be in trouble, is going to be the mother of this marvelous man. Later when she and Joseph get to Bethlehem where Jesus is born, they will have neither name nor money to open doors. Yet, Commoner Mary has been chosen to bear the Messiah. It will take thirty years for this truth to be revealed and even then that truth will be rejected. Such will be her cross to bear. But right now, she is not thinking of pain. She is only aware that she of such low status has been chosen for such a high and noble role.
Mary’s song reminds me that security is not found in human achievement or status or rank or position or earthly possessions. Security is not in friends, not in place, not in power, not even in purpose. Security is found only in God.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
A New Day
In looking over the first chapter of Luke, several ideas appear that become significant subthemes flowing through the entire book and even into Luke’s sequel, the Book of Acts:
1. Luke emphasizes that this is the dawning of the Age of the Spirit right from the start. Later in Luke’s Book of Acts this theme takes front stage. Notice how all the main characters are being filled with the Spirit of God in this first chapter. Verse 15: John will be filled with the Spirit even from birth. Verse 35: The Holy Spirit will come upon Mary and the power of the Most High will overshadow her. Verse 41: Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit at the arrival of Mary and in response she declared God’s goodness. Verse 67: Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied.
2. Luke emphasizes God’s focus on the poor as recipients of His grace. There is Elizabeth (v 25), an outcast in society for her barren womb, whose disgrace is now removed. There is Mary who sings (v 48) of how God has centered His attention on her, a servant of such humble state. And Mary goes on to broaden that theme in verse 52 when she sings that God “has lifted up the humble” and again in verse 53 that “He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.”
3. Luke emphasizes God’s new way of doing things. The Messiah (Jesus) and his forerunner (John) are born and grow up and come to ministry in highly unexpected ways. John is born to an old and barren couple. Jesus is born to a virgin. John grows up very differently from all the rest of the children in the clan. Jesus is born into the poorest of families. And for the Messiah, oddest of all is that his family is such an ordinary one. This is just not the old way of doing things.
These themes resurface throughout Luke’s writings like dolphins following a ship at sea, reminding us over and over again that something very different is happening now that the promised Messiah has come. Nothing will be the same again, for this is the Age of the Spirit when God makes all things new and the world order is turned upside down.
1. Luke emphasizes that this is the dawning of the Age of the Spirit right from the start. Later in Luke’s Book of Acts this theme takes front stage. Notice how all the main characters are being filled with the Spirit of God in this first chapter. Verse 15: John will be filled with the Spirit even from birth. Verse 35: The Holy Spirit will come upon Mary and the power of the Most High will overshadow her. Verse 41: Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit at the arrival of Mary and in response she declared God’s goodness. Verse 67: Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied.
2. Luke emphasizes God’s focus on the poor as recipients of His grace. There is Elizabeth (v 25), an outcast in society for her barren womb, whose disgrace is now removed. There is Mary who sings (v 48) of how God has centered His attention on her, a servant of such humble state. And Mary goes on to broaden that theme in verse 52 when she sings that God “has lifted up the humble” and again in verse 53 that “He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.”
3. Luke emphasizes God’s new way of doing things. The Messiah (Jesus) and his forerunner (John) are born and grow up and come to ministry in highly unexpected ways. John is born to an old and barren couple. Jesus is born to a virgin. John grows up very differently from all the rest of the children in the clan. Jesus is born into the poorest of families. And for the Messiah, oddest of all is that his family is such an ordinary one. This is just not the old way of doing things.
These themes resurface throughout Luke’s writings like dolphins following a ship at sea, reminding us over and over again that something very different is happening now that the promised Messiah has come. Nothing will be the same again, for this is the Age of the Spirit when God makes all things new and the world order is turned upside down.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Two Diverse Paths for Kindred Cousins
It must have been quite the encounter between those cousins, Elizabeth and Mary, both pregnant, one awash in scandal brought on by pregnancy, the other’s shame at last removed by conceiving. Luke 1:39-45 records that happy reunion for the two women when they finally had each other to share their secret joys and pains.
Luke writes that Elizabeth greeted her cousin Mary in a loud voice and much talk of her own baby turning her womb into a trampoline, as mother and child recognized the significance of Mary’s baby. In welcome, Elizabeth pronounced three blessings:
1. Blessed are you (Mary) among women.
2. Blessed is the child you will bear
3. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.
I’ve been rereading “In His Steps”, a book that has had much press and just as much misunderstanding surrounding it for a century now. The first time I read it I was 13 and it made a great impression on me, but not for the same reasons that people buy gold bracelets with “WWJD” engraved on them today. I saw a radical faith that was more in touch with the Evangelicalism of the Nineteenth Century than the Evangelicalism I saw around me in the middle of the Twentieth Century.
As I reread the book now, I am once again struck by how people who take seriously the teachings of Jesus can be so misunderstood by fellow believers. Here are some excerpts from my journal, as I reflected on Sheldon’s book and on the story from Luke a few days ago:
“For Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, for Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, the responsiveness to God’s promise required being more proactive on their part. …
Here is where the trust of Mary (who had to be less proactive in receiving God’s promise) and the trust of Elizabeth intertwine. Mary just believes. Elizabeth goes a step further and has to act on that belief. Sometimes we are called to say simply, ‘OK, Lord.’ Sometimes we have to go out there and do something about it.
“In both cases, [this trust] changed much for Mary and Elizabeth. Mary became a scandal. Elizabeth was applauded, though it definitely altered her lifestyle greatly. …
Funny how you can get scandal when you do the right thing. It comes from people not understanding your acts of obedience.
“Elizabeth removed her source of scandal (her barrenness) in her proactive obedience. …
But finding scandal (or erasing it) was not the motive for either of the women. Their will was to do the will of the Father and let things course as they may. Like Eric Liddell [in “Chariots of Fire”). Like Sheldon’s characters [in “In His Steps”].”
And like all of us who follow Jesus. We never know where our obedience will take us. Ultimately it is to glory. But on this earth, we may come to glory or shame and all by doing nothing more or less than obeying the Master.
Regardless of how others read our motives and our actions, what Elizabeth says is true: “Blessed is the one who trusts God at His word.” It is not enough to hear God speak. We then have to act on it, whether like Mary it means simply trusting or like Elizabeth it means going out there and being proactive.
Luke writes that Elizabeth greeted her cousin Mary in a loud voice and much talk of her own baby turning her womb into a trampoline, as mother and child recognized the significance of Mary’s baby. In welcome, Elizabeth pronounced three blessings:
1. Blessed are you (Mary) among women.
2. Blessed is the child you will bear
3. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.
I’ve been rereading “In His Steps”, a book that has had much press and just as much misunderstanding surrounding it for a century now. The first time I read it I was 13 and it made a great impression on me, but not for the same reasons that people buy gold bracelets with “WWJD” engraved on them today. I saw a radical faith that was more in touch with the Evangelicalism of the Nineteenth Century than the Evangelicalism I saw around me in the middle of the Twentieth Century.
As I reread the book now, I am once again struck by how people who take seriously the teachings of Jesus can be so misunderstood by fellow believers. Here are some excerpts from my journal, as I reflected on Sheldon’s book and on the story from Luke a few days ago:
“For Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, for Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, the responsiveness to God’s promise required being more proactive on their part. …
Here is where the trust of Mary (who had to be less proactive in receiving God’s promise) and the trust of Elizabeth intertwine. Mary just believes. Elizabeth goes a step further and has to act on that belief. Sometimes we are called to say simply, ‘OK, Lord.’ Sometimes we have to go out there and do something about it.
“In both cases, [this trust] changed much for Mary and Elizabeth. Mary became a scandal. Elizabeth was applauded, though it definitely altered her lifestyle greatly. …
Funny how you can get scandal when you do the right thing. It comes from people not understanding your acts of obedience.
“Elizabeth removed her source of scandal (her barrenness) in her proactive obedience. …
But finding scandal (or erasing it) was not the motive for either of the women. Their will was to do the will of the Father and let things course as they may. Like Eric Liddell [in “Chariots of Fire”). Like Sheldon’s characters [in “In His Steps”].”
And like all of us who follow Jesus. We never know where our obedience will take us. Ultimately it is to glory. But on this earth, we may come to glory or shame and all by doing nothing more or less than obeying the Master.
Regardless of how others read our motives and our actions, what Elizabeth says is true: “Blessed is the one who trusts God at His word.” It is not enough to hear God speak. We then have to act on it, whether like Mary it means simply trusting or like Elizabeth it means going out there and being proactive.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Responding to Godspeak
How do we respond when God speaks? Looking at Zechariah’s and Mary’s responses to the messages from the Angel Gabriel in Luke 1, I think there are four reactions common to us all – and they generally come in this order.
First, we get an initial feeling of anxiety. I read the Bible nearly every day. Sometimes, it is as if the words leap out at me and say, “This is for you, Howard.” When I sense God pointing that Almighty finger at me, I don’t necessarily feel all warm and cozy. Some folks call it “awe” or “fear”. It is the sense that we are experiencing a sudden shift in our existential cosmos. When the angel appeared to Zechariah, the old man was “startled and gripped with fear.” (1:12)
It is only natural that we, like Mary and Zechariah, respond in fear or are troubled. In fact, God expects it of us. He is, after all, so much greater than us that His presence tends to be quite overwhelming.
When I was a teenager, I often led the Nursery Church. One Sunday a child asked what God looks like. So I turned the question back to the class. Another kid said, “He’s bigger than an elephant and when he comes in the room the whole house shakes.” To which the kids all laughed. An elephant was the biggest living thing they could imagine. So God was definitely bigger than that. They knew that more than just the house would shake if God came in.
Second, there is an insecurity that our status quo is threatened. Zechariah had always wanted to be a father and, like nearly every Jewish girl, Mary had longed to mother the Messiah. Yet even when that which we’ve always hoped for comes true, it leaves us weak in the knees. Few things are more comforting than the status quo. No matter how bad it gets at times, we generally prefer the “same old” to change. Change leaves us insecure.
Life is always changing, but we don’t like it when we notice it. When God moves in our lives, life is guaranteed to change. It won’t always seem that the change is for the better, at least not initially. So, it is natural that, like Zechariah and Mary we will feel insecure about it.
Third, questions come to mind. Mary and Zechariah both had questions. Mary asked how she was going to have this baby. Zechariah was asking the same thing about his wife having a baby, but Zechariah was also honest about his doubts.
Questions, doubts, clarifying hows, whys – these are all part of our response to God. I find great comfort in Zechariah’s response. After all he’s in the temple. Of all places to be voicing doubt! It’s a wonder he didn’t get fried with a bolt straight from heaven right there.
One thing is very clear from the Scriptures. God is not afraid of our feelings and he definitely welcomes us expressing them. If you don’t believe that, you’ll have to cut the Psalms (and a host of other passages) out of your Bible. Doubt is not the opposite of faith. Unbelief is. Doubt is a mind that is wrestling with God. Unbelief is a one that has given up on God.
Finally, what happens with Zechariah and Mary and us is that we all (hopefully) accept the word God has for us. Notice it is not resignation. “OK, if you insist.” No, it is a peaceful and proactive giving in and up to God that at once says I trust you, God, and I put it all in your hands.
First, we get an initial feeling of anxiety. I read the Bible nearly every day. Sometimes, it is as if the words leap out at me and say, “This is for you, Howard.” When I sense God pointing that Almighty finger at me, I don’t necessarily feel all warm and cozy. Some folks call it “awe” or “fear”. It is the sense that we are experiencing a sudden shift in our existential cosmos. When the angel appeared to Zechariah, the old man was “startled and gripped with fear.” (1:12)
It is only natural that we, like Mary and Zechariah, respond in fear or are troubled. In fact, God expects it of us. He is, after all, so much greater than us that His presence tends to be quite overwhelming.
When I was a teenager, I often led the Nursery Church. One Sunday a child asked what God looks like. So I turned the question back to the class. Another kid said, “He’s bigger than an elephant and when he comes in the room the whole house shakes.” To which the kids all laughed. An elephant was the biggest living thing they could imagine. So God was definitely bigger than that. They knew that more than just the house would shake if God came in.
Second, there is an insecurity that our status quo is threatened. Zechariah had always wanted to be a father and, like nearly every Jewish girl, Mary had longed to mother the Messiah. Yet even when that which we’ve always hoped for comes true, it leaves us weak in the knees. Few things are more comforting than the status quo. No matter how bad it gets at times, we generally prefer the “same old” to change. Change leaves us insecure.
Life is always changing, but we don’t like it when we notice it. When God moves in our lives, life is guaranteed to change. It won’t always seem that the change is for the better, at least not initially. So, it is natural that, like Zechariah and Mary we will feel insecure about it.
Third, questions come to mind. Mary and Zechariah both had questions. Mary asked how she was going to have this baby. Zechariah was asking the same thing about his wife having a baby, but Zechariah was also honest about his doubts.
Questions, doubts, clarifying hows, whys – these are all part of our response to God. I find great comfort in Zechariah’s response. After all he’s in the temple. Of all places to be voicing doubt! It’s a wonder he didn’t get fried with a bolt straight from heaven right there.
One thing is very clear from the Scriptures. God is not afraid of our feelings and he definitely welcomes us expressing them. If you don’t believe that, you’ll have to cut the Psalms (and a host of other passages) out of your Bible. Doubt is not the opposite of faith. Unbelief is. Doubt is a mind that is wrestling with God. Unbelief is a one that has given up on God.
Finally, what happens with Zechariah and Mary and us is that we all (hopefully) accept the word God has for us. Notice it is not resignation. “OK, if you insist.” No, it is a peaceful and proactive giving in and up to God that at once says I trust you, God, and I put it all in your hands.
Monday, December 15, 2008
When God Speaks
Allow me to add a couple of footnotes to what I shared last posting about Angel Gabriel’s visits to Zechariah and Mary. You will notice a pattern with both of these appearances recorded in Luke 1 that applies to how we also hear from God. God may or may not choose to speak to us through angels – a host of means are at His disposal. However God does speak to us (and He surely does), what happens when he speaks tends to follow this pattern.
First, He makes His presence known. In the stories of Zechariah and Mary in the first chapter of Luke, the angel appears to them. What does this mean? Much speculation has been made about angels interfacing with humans. The Scriptures give us relatively little to go on. But it is clear that from a biblical world view, angels do exist and on occasion interact with human beings. In other words, they exist whether they appear to us or not.
Even more so with God. Just because we don’t see Him or hear Him doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. Doesn’t mean He’s asleep either. He’s always present and very active. But sometimes He chooses to make His presence known to us through His word, through His people, through a variety of means. Doesn’t mean one avenue is better than another or that the type of means God uses says something about our spirituality. All it means is that at this time and in this setting God has chosen to speak thusly.
Second, He gives us information. In Zechariah’s and Mary’s situations, the information came in the form of birth announcements. However the word of God comes to us, it contains information – instruction, a rebuke, a word of comfort. Gabriel was very straightforward with both of his listeners. Zechariah, Elizabeth is going to have a baby. Mary, you are going to have a baby. And then the angel gives them particulars about these babies, even down to the names. But as raw data, the word of God can be very troubling. And so, there is step three in the process.
Third, He provides clarification and interpretation. Something that clarifies that information and our world in light of God’s presence. Both Zechariah and Mary had questions and Gabriel was quick to explain. Sometimes it takes a while for the clarification to come to us. A couple of years ago, a friend in Indonesia wrote to give me a verse from the writings of Moses. As such it was raw date, but I sensed it was for me, particularly the words, “He will carry you.” I took those words to heart, but only after some time did value and purpose of the words themselves become evident to me.
Fourth, regardless of how well we understand, when it is a word from God, even a word of rebuke, with that word comes a sense of assurance. Zechariah may have walked away from that encounter unable to speak for months, but Zechariah was positive the angel’s promise was true – after all he’d lost his voice, just like the angel had promised. If the assurance is not part of the package, it is because the word was not from God or we are rejecting what God has for us.
Even when God is speaking a rebuke to us, God always speaks in a way that lets us know we are living in His universe and He is on his throne. Nothing is more assuring than that.
First, He makes His presence known. In the stories of Zechariah and Mary in the first chapter of Luke, the angel appears to them. What does this mean? Much speculation has been made about angels interfacing with humans. The Scriptures give us relatively little to go on. But it is clear that from a biblical world view, angels do exist and on occasion interact with human beings. In other words, they exist whether they appear to us or not.
Even more so with God. Just because we don’t see Him or hear Him doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. Doesn’t mean He’s asleep either. He’s always present and very active. But sometimes He chooses to make His presence known to us through His word, through His people, through a variety of means. Doesn’t mean one avenue is better than another or that the type of means God uses says something about our spirituality. All it means is that at this time and in this setting God has chosen to speak thusly.
Second, He gives us information. In Zechariah’s and Mary’s situations, the information came in the form of birth announcements. However the word of God comes to us, it contains information – instruction, a rebuke, a word of comfort. Gabriel was very straightforward with both of his listeners. Zechariah, Elizabeth is going to have a baby. Mary, you are going to have a baby. And then the angel gives them particulars about these babies, even down to the names. But as raw data, the word of God can be very troubling. And so, there is step three in the process.
Third, He provides clarification and interpretation. Something that clarifies that information and our world in light of God’s presence. Both Zechariah and Mary had questions and Gabriel was quick to explain. Sometimes it takes a while for the clarification to come to us. A couple of years ago, a friend in Indonesia wrote to give me a verse from the writings of Moses. As such it was raw date, but I sensed it was for me, particularly the words, “He will carry you.” I took those words to heart, but only after some time did value and purpose of the words themselves become evident to me.
Fourth, regardless of how well we understand, when it is a word from God, even a word of rebuke, with that word comes a sense of assurance. Zechariah may have walked away from that encounter unable to speak for months, but Zechariah was positive the angel’s promise was true – after all he’d lost his voice, just like the angel had promised. If the assurance is not part of the package, it is because the word was not from God or we are rejecting what God has for us.
Even when God is speaking a rebuke to us, God always speaks in a way that lets us know we are living in His universe and He is on his throne. Nothing is more assuring than that.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Hearing Voices
After Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in Luke 1, he then appeared to Mary. Gabriel was a busy angel those days. Angel visitations are not that frequent an occurrence in the Bible, but they do happen. God spoke and continues to speak to humans in all kinds of ways. In fact, I think God speaks to us human beings all the time and in many different ways. The question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are listening.
When I am away from my wife and she calls me on the phone, I don’t answer, “Who is this?” I better not! Nowadays we have all kinds of aids such as caller ID. But when a voice or a sound is important to us, we learn to identify it. We’ve just acquired a couple of cats. Whoever penned the expression “as difficult as herding cats” knew what they were talking about. But I’ve learned something about both Columbus (he) and Persia (she) [and both neutered]. Even after a short time and being independent-minded felines, they are starting to recognize the sound of their names as being addressed to them and their humans’ tones of voice.
Start ignoring your morning alarm ring and you’ll train yourself to sleep right through it. Respond to that ring and you’ll start to wake up to it. I can even anticipate my alarm by a few minutes, as long as I’ve had enough sleep!
Was it the visual appearance of Gabriel that spoke to Zechariah and Mary or was it the fact that they were people who tended to be practiced in listening to God? Hard to say. God certainly confronts people who aren’t listening to him, but take a fresh look at those instances and see what you find. More often than not, like Saul who became known as the Apostle Paul, they are people who are reaching out to God, if in the wrong ways.
When Gabriel came to these devout followers of Abraham’s God, he had messages for them that contained explicit information. That information was not contrary to what they already knew in the Scriptures, but it was information that they wouldn’t have known otherwise. Zechariah was going to have a son named John who would bring the people of Israel back to God. Mary would have a son named Jesus who would be the Promised One.
To hear God’s voice is one thing. To act on it is another. Zechariah and Mary heard what Gabriel said because they were used to listening to God’s voice and acting on it. In this passage, Zechariah did have a harder time believing what the angel said, but in the end, both believed and followed through. Every last one of us has had a word from God. Paul writes that creation itself speaks to those who have no other witness. Most of us – at least those reading this blog – have much more. We call it the Bible. Start believing and acting on what you read there and then see how much more God speaks to you.
Nonbelievers are skeptical when Believers talk about hearing God’s voice in every last little thing – and there are some kooky ideas out there. But to the believer with a trained ear, we hear our Beloved’s voice in even the most subtle tones – God speaks to us everywhere. Zechariah and Mary were not unique in getting messages from God – they just got very unique messages.
When I am away from my wife and she calls me on the phone, I don’t answer, “Who is this?” I better not! Nowadays we have all kinds of aids such as caller ID. But when a voice or a sound is important to us, we learn to identify it. We’ve just acquired a couple of cats. Whoever penned the expression “as difficult as herding cats” knew what they were talking about. But I’ve learned something about both Columbus (he) and Persia (she) [and both neutered]. Even after a short time and being independent-minded felines, they are starting to recognize the sound of their names as being addressed to them and their humans’ tones of voice.
Start ignoring your morning alarm ring and you’ll train yourself to sleep right through it. Respond to that ring and you’ll start to wake up to it. I can even anticipate my alarm by a few minutes, as long as I’ve had enough sleep!
Was it the visual appearance of Gabriel that spoke to Zechariah and Mary or was it the fact that they were people who tended to be practiced in listening to God? Hard to say. God certainly confronts people who aren’t listening to him, but take a fresh look at those instances and see what you find. More often than not, like Saul who became known as the Apostle Paul, they are people who are reaching out to God, if in the wrong ways.
When Gabriel came to these devout followers of Abraham’s God, he had messages for them that contained explicit information. That information was not contrary to what they already knew in the Scriptures, but it was information that they wouldn’t have known otherwise. Zechariah was going to have a son named John who would bring the people of Israel back to God. Mary would have a son named Jesus who would be the Promised One.
To hear God’s voice is one thing. To act on it is another. Zechariah and Mary heard what Gabriel said because they were used to listening to God’s voice and acting on it. In this passage, Zechariah did have a harder time believing what the angel said, but in the end, both believed and followed through. Every last one of us has had a word from God. Paul writes that creation itself speaks to those who have no other witness. Most of us – at least those reading this blog – have much more. We call it the Bible. Start believing and acting on what you read there and then see how much more God speaks to you.
Nonbelievers are skeptical when Believers talk about hearing God’s voice in every last little thing – and there are some kooky ideas out there. But to the believer with a trained ear, we hear our Beloved’s voice in even the most subtle tones – God speaks to us everywhere. Zechariah and Mary were not unique in getting messages from God – they just got very unique messages.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Preaching to the Choir
Going back again to Gabriel's message to Zechariah about the birth of his son, John, what strikes me is the focus of John’s ministry. He is coming primarily to the house of Israel. Sure, some Roman soldiers get in on John’s message. But John’s purpose is to prepare the people of Israel for the ministry of Jesus.
Christians often talk of the need for revival. What they mean by that, generally, is that the whole nation comes to God. But when you are talking about modern nations, most of the people cannot come BACK to God, because they’ve never come to God in the first place. In the case of people who have never been believers, there is no faith to revive. Revival is when something that was there is restored.
John was going to preach to an audience that had had lots of preaching, that was steeped in the Law of Moses and the messages of the Prophets, that had experienced the mighty acts of God. He was preaching to the choir, albeit a choir that had turned away from God.
It wasn’t enough that they knew the Scriptures or that they believed that the God of Abraham was their God, too. They had to live out that belief. The people of God had to start acting like the people of God.
My field of expertise is ethics. I am a trained ethicist. Everyone has an ethical system by which they live and make decisions – they may not, likely do not, even know they have such a system.
Westerners often ask me what “ethics” means. I never had that problem in China. Whenever I said the Chinese word for ethics, they would immediately say the Chinese name for Confucius. In our Western culture, we tend to confuse ethics with etiquette on one hand or philosophy on the other. These separate fields of study may have some relationship, but they are not the same. The best way I know to describe ethics to the average Joe is: “Ethics is living out what you believe.” To echo the New Testament writer James, show me how you live your life and I’ll tell you what you believe.
John was going to call the people of Israel to live out what they believed. If you worship Abraham’s God, then start acting like it. It is not enough to claim to be a Christian, you have to demonstrate it. Not sure what that looks like? Amazingly enough, even pagans can often tell you. Some of the most hardened skeptics have a sense of what it means to live the God-fearing life. It means to behave like we sense God would behave.
Christians often talk of the need for revival. What they mean by that, generally, is that the whole nation comes to God. But when you are talking about modern nations, most of the people cannot come BACK to God, because they’ve never come to God in the first place. In the case of people who have never been believers, there is no faith to revive. Revival is when something that was there is restored.
John was going to preach to an audience that had had lots of preaching, that was steeped in the Law of Moses and the messages of the Prophets, that had experienced the mighty acts of God. He was preaching to the choir, albeit a choir that had turned away from God.
It wasn’t enough that they knew the Scriptures or that they believed that the God of Abraham was their God, too. They had to live out that belief. The people of God had to start acting like the people of God.
My field of expertise is ethics. I am a trained ethicist. Everyone has an ethical system by which they live and make decisions – they may not, likely do not, even know they have such a system.
Westerners often ask me what “ethics” means. I never had that problem in China. Whenever I said the Chinese word for ethics, they would immediately say the Chinese name for Confucius. In our Western culture, we tend to confuse ethics with etiquette on one hand or philosophy on the other. These separate fields of study may have some relationship, but they are not the same. The best way I know to describe ethics to the average Joe is: “Ethics is living out what you believe.” To echo the New Testament writer James, show me how you live your life and I’ll tell you what you believe.
John was going to call the people of Israel to live out what they believed. If you worship Abraham’s God, then start acting like it. It is not enough to claim to be a Christian, you have to demonstrate it. Not sure what that looks like? Amazingly enough, even pagans can often tell you. Some of the most hardened skeptics have a sense of what it means to live the God-fearing life. It means to behave like we sense God would behave.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Finding a Father Heart
The promise to Zechariah is that he and Elizabeth will have a son whom they are to name John. He will be a joy and a delight to them and many others will rejoice as well. Luke 1:16-17 records what the angel Gabriel says John will accomplish in his life and work: 1) He will bring many of the people of Israel back to God; 2) He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children; and 3) he will turn the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, or as Peterson pens it in “The Message”, he will “kindle devout understanding among the hardened skeptics."
It is always fascinating to me when ancient texts such as this one have such contemporary relevance. We often get the impression that problems we face in our own day are unique to our times. We struggle with people who grow up in a Christian environment and walk away from their faith. Or we are frustrated with what to do to break through to “hardened skeptics”. And if there was ever a present-day dilemma, it is surely the abandonment of the role of fatherhood by delinquent or angry or non-involved dads. But all three of these modern issues are mentioned as the focus of John’s work 2,000 years ago in the land of the Bible.
What this tells us is that our contemporary issues are not newly evolved. They must have their roots in something much deeper than just the struggles of our own techno-urban culture. And therefore we have to be careful that we don’t try to solve these problems with surface approaches such as sentimental nostalgia or turning back the clock to a simpler day. We don’t just need a hallmark moment. We need a change of heart.
I am particularly struck by the phrase “he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children.” Mention is often made of the rebelliousness of offspring, of youth, and that it is they who must repent. Here the challenge is to the fathers or more generically, the parents. In John’s great call to repentance, to turn back to God, something profound will happen in families: fathers will begin to act like fathers. What does Gabriel mean when he says he will turn their hearts? Peterson phrases it as “soften their hearts”. Perhaps this is where James Dobson got his tag, “turn our hearts toward home.”
The other day I saw in a church crowd a toddler that was bent on running away from his parents who were trying to move him toward the door after service. The boy was not going to listen to their verbal commands, so the mother grabbed a chunk of the boy’s hair to steer him in the appropriate direction. Then she turned the boy over to his father who used the same method.
Now I’ll leave it to parents to decide the appropriate method to direct their own toddlers. But I think about our heavenly Father who desires to guide us back towards our children, to get us to see our role as parents to our children as a high priority in our lives. I don’t know if God will pull my hair to get me moving in the right direction, but I do know He is so tuned in to me that he knows how many hairs I have. That is what I call being in touch with your kids.
And I know God wants to soften my heart toward my children. He wants to fill me with the same love and compassion for them as He has for me. Apparently, a sign of true revival is when we earthly fathers are highly devoted to our children. When we start to act toward our offspring like God does towards us.
It is always fascinating to me when ancient texts such as this one have such contemporary relevance. We often get the impression that problems we face in our own day are unique to our times. We struggle with people who grow up in a Christian environment and walk away from their faith. Or we are frustrated with what to do to break through to “hardened skeptics”. And if there was ever a present-day dilemma, it is surely the abandonment of the role of fatherhood by delinquent or angry or non-involved dads. But all three of these modern issues are mentioned as the focus of John’s work 2,000 years ago in the land of the Bible.
What this tells us is that our contemporary issues are not newly evolved. They must have their roots in something much deeper than just the struggles of our own techno-urban culture. And therefore we have to be careful that we don’t try to solve these problems with surface approaches such as sentimental nostalgia or turning back the clock to a simpler day. We don’t just need a hallmark moment. We need a change of heart.
I am particularly struck by the phrase “he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children.” Mention is often made of the rebelliousness of offspring, of youth, and that it is they who must repent. Here the challenge is to the fathers or more generically, the parents. In John’s great call to repentance, to turn back to God, something profound will happen in families: fathers will begin to act like fathers. What does Gabriel mean when he says he will turn their hearts? Peterson phrases it as “soften their hearts”. Perhaps this is where James Dobson got his tag, “turn our hearts toward home.”
The other day I saw in a church crowd a toddler that was bent on running away from his parents who were trying to move him toward the door after service. The boy was not going to listen to their verbal commands, so the mother grabbed a chunk of the boy’s hair to steer him in the appropriate direction. Then she turned the boy over to his father who used the same method.
Now I’ll leave it to parents to decide the appropriate method to direct their own toddlers. But I think about our heavenly Father who desires to guide us back towards our children, to get us to see our role as parents to our children as a high priority in our lives. I don’t know if God will pull my hair to get me moving in the right direction, but I do know He is so tuned in to me that he knows how many hairs I have. That is what I call being in touch with your kids.
And I know God wants to soften my heart toward my children. He wants to fill me with the same love and compassion for them as He has for me. Apparently, a sign of true revival is when we earthly fathers are highly devoted to our children. When we start to act toward our offspring like God does towards us.
Friday, December 5, 2008
A Pregnant Silence
As you read Luke 1, you get the idea on one hand that Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, is not only faithful, he is a man of keen spiritual insight. On the other hand, we see a Zechariah gripped with fear and doubt.
The fear shows itself when the Angel Gabriel appears to him while he is serving in the temple as a priest. I don’t hold this fear against Zechariah too much. It seems to be a typical reaction to angel sightings. Even in the Bible, they weren’t your everyday occurrences. And when they happened, they meant something very significant, life-changing even. Nowhere do we get the impression Zechariah was the kind of guy who was looking for a life change.
It was his second reaction that got him in trouble: “How can I be sure of this?” (v18) He expresses doubt about the angel’s promise that he and Elizabeth will bear a son in their old age.
The promise to Zechariah is not rescinded because he is filled with doubt. God’s purpose in this world is much too great to be overcome by our human insecurities. But because of the doubt, Zechariah will lose his ability to speak until the baby is born. He will not be able express that doubt, nor will he be able to put his own spin on this whole matter until the day the child is named.
This is no virgin birth. Zechariah and Elizabeth have to do it the ordinary human way. Zechariah’s making love to his wife is not necessarily a sign of faith, but it also does not show a lack of faith either. He is just doing what he knows to do, though that has never produced the desired result before. Doubt and unbelief are not the same thing, though even unbelief is forgivable. Faith is walking toward something when you don’t have all necessary assurances – it is does not mean being void of questions or wonderings – or doubt.
Zechariah was not muted to punish him any more than Elizabeth was barren because she was being punished. The inability to speak gave Zechariah time to reflect before he had to explain the significance of what was happening in their lives. Because of the appearance of Gabriel, he’d already overstayed his time in the temple. He needed those nine months to have his thoughts to himself instead of having to answer questions before he’d pondered the answers.
When Zechariah finally spoke, he spoke profoundly. Like a pump that gushes forth after being primed or a trickle of water that fills in behind an earthen dam only to burst forth with a torrent. When he prophesied over his newborn son, he had been saving up all that insight for a long time.
I’ve been thinking about how Jesus held back until he was 30. We are so pushed to produce as ministers, so much so that the temptation is to see our validation in our ministry productivity. Jesus was active, productive even in those years before age 30, presumably in his carpentry shop. But he wasn’t preaching, though not for lack of opportunity in the local synagogue. And he wasn’t healing any sick people, though there was no shortage of sick to heal. It just wasn’t his time.
Such is the lesson of Zechariah – there are seasons of silence, of what Alicia Chole refers to as anonymous times in our lives. These seasons are not to punish us, but to birth through us truth as tangible as the child Elizabeth bore at the end of her husband’s nine months of silence.
The fear shows itself when the Angel Gabriel appears to him while he is serving in the temple as a priest. I don’t hold this fear against Zechariah too much. It seems to be a typical reaction to angel sightings. Even in the Bible, they weren’t your everyday occurrences. And when they happened, they meant something very significant, life-changing even. Nowhere do we get the impression Zechariah was the kind of guy who was looking for a life change.
It was his second reaction that got him in trouble: “How can I be sure of this?” (v18) He expresses doubt about the angel’s promise that he and Elizabeth will bear a son in their old age.
The promise to Zechariah is not rescinded because he is filled with doubt. God’s purpose in this world is much too great to be overcome by our human insecurities. But because of the doubt, Zechariah will lose his ability to speak until the baby is born. He will not be able express that doubt, nor will he be able to put his own spin on this whole matter until the day the child is named.
This is no virgin birth. Zechariah and Elizabeth have to do it the ordinary human way. Zechariah’s making love to his wife is not necessarily a sign of faith, but it also does not show a lack of faith either. He is just doing what he knows to do, though that has never produced the desired result before. Doubt and unbelief are not the same thing, though even unbelief is forgivable. Faith is walking toward something when you don’t have all necessary assurances – it is does not mean being void of questions or wonderings – or doubt.
Zechariah was not muted to punish him any more than Elizabeth was barren because she was being punished. The inability to speak gave Zechariah time to reflect before he had to explain the significance of what was happening in their lives. Because of the appearance of Gabriel, he’d already overstayed his time in the temple. He needed those nine months to have his thoughts to himself instead of having to answer questions before he’d pondered the answers.
When Zechariah finally spoke, he spoke profoundly. Like a pump that gushes forth after being primed or a trickle of water that fills in behind an earthen dam only to burst forth with a torrent. When he prophesied over his newborn son, he had been saving up all that insight for a long time.
I’ve been thinking about how Jesus held back until he was 30. We are so pushed to produce as ministers, so much so that the temptation is to see our validation in our ministry productivity. Jesus was active, productive even in those years before age 30, presumably in his carpentry shop. But he wasn’t preaching, though not for lack of opportunity in the local synagogue. And he wasn’t healing any sick people, though there was no shortage of sick to heal. It just wasn’t his time.
Such is the lesson of Zechariah – there are seasons of silence, of what Alicia Chole refers to as anonymous times in our lives. These seasons are not to punish us, but to birth through us truth as tangible as the child Elizabeth bore at the end of her husband’s nine months of silence.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Mellowing Zeal
Zechariah, the father of John we know as the Baptist, shows up only in the first chapter of Luke. Already old, Zechariah likely does not live to see his son’s day in the sun down by the River Jordan. He is proper, good, reliable and faithful, a priest who has just done his dead level best all his life. You get the idea that he was ordinary, nothing stellar, boring almost, thus making the birth of a child late in life all the more dramatic for the neighbors and kin.
And yet God deems him a good father for John. Something steadfast about him. Just good solid stock.
Luke writes that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were both descended from appropriate lineage for the priesthood (v5). Both were also “upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.”
It is this sixth verse that cues us in on why they may have been singled out to be John’s parents. As a prophet, John has a special mission. He is to go beyond doing right and to take on special vows. Specifically he is never to touch wine or fermented drink. The contrast between Jesus and John is painted as stark later by the Pharisees who call Jesus a glutton and a winebibber compared with the austerity of John.
It is this discipline, this focus that is so important to John’s mission – a mission of calling the house of Israel to repentance (v17) – which shows up first in his parents. Whether or not they refrained from strong drink before the birth of John, they were the kind of people who could be counted on to adhere to whatever regimen was required of John as he grew into the man of steel who faced down the worldly powers of his day from out in the wilderness.
I wonder if this austerity was better placed in the hands of old parents like this couple as opposed to younger ones. Faith ripened with age can have a mellowing, wholesome affect. John didn’t need a father to outdo him in intensity, especially not the type that comes with untested youthfulness. His fire didn’t come from his earthly father, but from his heavenly Father. As I read Luke’s descriptions of Zechariah, I see a very human man, a man given to doubts and fears, a man more like myself.
Here was a man who knew he was not God, who lived his disciplined life with humility. And much of that humility probably came from his wife’s barren womb, a pronounced stigma of the day. What sins had they committed to leave her womb cold? What lack of faith produced no seed? There was little mercy for couples with no children. Such adversity can either destroy you or produce in you a humble spirit. Zechariah and Elizabeth were not destroyed.
Zeal without humility is dangerous, especially when couched in the language of faith. Fundamentalism has come to be a four-letter word in our modern world in no small part due to this hazardous mix of faith, zeal and arrogance. In Zechariah’s day, there were enough such religious fanatics around in the form of Pharisees and Zealots. What was needed was a prophet who heeded the words of Micah to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God (6:8). Such was the son that Zechariah raised. John was the fruit of his disciplined, weathered and wisened old age.
And yet God deems him a good father for John. Something steadfast about him. Just good solid stock.
Luke writes that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were both descended from appropriate lineage for the priesthood (v5). Both were also “upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.”
It is this sixth verse that cues us in on why they may have been singled out to be John’s parents. As a prophet, John has a special mission. He is to go beyond doing right and to take on special vows. Specifically he is never to touch wine or fermented drink. The contrast between Jesus and John is painted as stark later by the Pharisees who call Jesus a glutton and a winebibber compared with the austerity of John.
It is this discipline, this focus that is so important to John’s mission – a mission of calling the house of Israel to repentance (v17) – which shows up first in his parents. Whether or not they refrained from strong drink before the birth of John, they were the kind of people who could be counted on to adhere to whatever regimen was required of John as he grew into the man of steel who faced down the worldly powers of his day from out in the wilderness.
I wonder if this austerity was better placed in the hands of old parents like this couple as opposed to younger ones. Faith ripened with age can have a mellowing, wholesome affect. John didn’t need a father to outdo him in intensity, especially not the type that comes with untested youthfulness. His fire didn’t come from his earthly father, but from his heavenly Father. As I read Luke’s descriptions of Zechariah, I see a very human man, a man given to doubts and fears, a man more like myself.
Here was a man who knew he was not God, who lived his disciplined life with humility. And much of that humility probably came from his wife’s barren womb, a pronounced stigma of the day. What sins had they committed to leave her womb cold? What lack of faith produced no seed? There was little mercy for couples with no children. Such adversity can either destroy you or produce in you a humble spirit. Zechariah and Elizabeth were not destroyed.
Zeal without humility is dangerous, especially when couched in the language of faith. Fundamentalism has come to be a four-letter word in our modern world in no small part due to this hazardous mix of faith, zeal and arrogance. In Zechariah’s day, there were enough such religious fanatics around in the form of Pharisees and Zealots. What was needed was a prophet who heeded the words of Micah to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God (6:8). Such was the son that Zechariah raised. John was the fruit of his disciplined, weathered and wisened old age.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Treasure in the Details
One of my all-time favorite books is The Gospel according to Luke, the fourth book in the New Testament. I think this book has taken on great meaning for me because the author seems to be making a serious study about what Jesus has to say and do, even down to the hows and whys of what Jesus says and does.
Luke writes of his thorough-going intent in the well-known introduction (1:1-4) he addresses to Theophilus. Luke will be concerned down to the very details so that there will be no question regarding what he has written. He was a doctor from what we know, and doctors, after all, notice details. Luke himself says you can count on him for this care for the fine points. His writings are trustworthy. I like the care Luke takes with the details in his story of Jesus’ life and work.
Doctors are also trained to discern which details are significant. You can study something down to the minutest of minutiae, but if you don’t know the value of what you are studying, you waste precious time and resources – and you make big mistakes.
I have a doctor friend. He’s my therapist actually. We talk over a lot of things and I’ve noted that some things I think he will think are very important he finds not all that significant and some things I think he will not think are very important he takes special notice of. I’ve learned to trust his sense in these matters. What he sees as valuable information or impressions generally turn out to be just that.
That too is what I like about Luke. He has a good sense about what is valuable to us his readers. John says in his Gospel that the world couldn’t contain all the books recording the details related to Jesus’ life and ministry. All four of the Gospel writers had to make choices. There was information they put in and information they left out. Were the other things Jesus did not important? Well, they were very important, but not what needed to be in these Gospels.
There is one more thing I like about Luke’s writings. As I’ve said, both Luke and my doctor make calculated decisions, based on their training, about what is important as far as facts and feeling are concerned. Luke, like my doctor, is not interested in the information just for the information’s sake. With my therapist, whatever is important to me is important to him. I am important to him, not just as a client, but as a person that he has come to know and care for.
Luke cares deeply about his subject and his readers. His subject is Jesus. Is this ever obvious! Jesus is the center of everything Luke is writing. But Luke also cares about his audience and he wants that audience to know how important Jesus is – and what is valuable about him for them. Jesus, Luke knows, is ever so vital to us, the readers. And this, above all else, makes Luke worth reading.
So, what can we do with this information? We can decide that we are going to take as much care to study what Luke has written as Luke has in writing it. Because it is of awesome significance to us.
Luke writes of his thorough-going intent in the well-known introduction (1:1-4) he addresses to Theophilus. Luke will be concerned down to the very details so that there will be no question regarding what he has written. He was a doctor from what we know, and doctors, after all, notice details. Luke himself says you can count on him for this care for the fine points. His writings are trustworthy. I like the care Luke takes with the details in his story of Jesus’ life and work.
Doctors are also trained to discern which details are significant. You can study something down to the minutest of minutiae, but if you don’t know the value of what you are studying, you waste precious time and resources – and you make big mistakes.
I have a doctor friend. He’s my therapist actually. We talk over a lot of things and I’ve noted that some things I think he will think are very important he finds not all that significant and some things I think he will not think are very important he takes special notice of. I’ve learned to trust his sense in these matters. What he sees as valuable information or impressions generally turn out to be just that.
That too is what I like about Luke. He has a good sense about what is valuable to us his readers. John says in his Gospel that the world couldn’t contain all the books recording the details related to Jesus’ life and ministry. All four of the Gospel writers had to make choices. There was information they put in and information they left out. Were the other things Jesus did not important? Well, they were very important, but not what needed to be in these Gospels.
There is one more thing I like about Luke’s writings. As I’ve said, both Luke and my doctor make calculated decisions, based on their training, about what is important as far as facts and feeling are concerned. Luke, like my doctor, is not interested in the information just for the information’s sake. With my therapist, whatever is important to me is important to him. I am important to him, not just as a client, but as a person that he has come to know and care for.
Luke cares deeply about his subject and his readers. His subject is Jesus. Is this ever obvious! Jesus is the center of everything Luke is writing. But Luke also cares about his audience and he wants that audience to know how important Jesus is – and what is valuable about him for them. Jesus, Luke knows, is ever so vital to us, the readers. And this, above all else, makes Luke worth reading.
So, what can we do with this information? We can decide that we are going to take as much care to study what Luke has written as Luke has in writing it. Because it is of awesome significance to us.
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Gatekeepers and the Key
I thought I had already started enough blogs. Several friends, however, have encouraged me to start one more, this time one that reflects on the Scriptures. I call this blog “The Gatekeeper’s Key”.
When we lived abroad, I used the nickname “Gatekeeper” for my email address and other communications. That’s what I saw myself as over there – a keeper of the gate. Mostly to open the door for those willing to come serve and for others to learn of the True Shepherd. Sometimes I also found a way to keep certain problem people out!
I Chronicles 9:27 refers to the Gatekeeper’s key. Four gatekeepers spent the night guarding the house of God and unlocked the gate every morning to let people in.
When the people of Judah returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon, Nehemiah was very disturbed that the walls and the gates of Jerusalem were a mess. The gatekeepers were called back to look after the house of God during this time of rebuilding when security was most, well, insecure.
The city of Xi’an where we used to live has a massive city wall around it – the largest most intact city wall in the world. It is 8 miles around (rectangular shape) and is 3 stories high and wide enough for two lanes of traffic, if cars could get up there. The wall dates back to the Ming Dynasty, some several hundred years ago. When we first moved there in the mid-90s, they were restoring parts of the wall that had fallen into disrepair, gateways where new roads have gone through and new stones where the old ones had disappeared. You can see pictures of Xi’an’s city wall at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_wall_of_Xi'an.
Nowadays there are no locked gates, but to get up on top of the wall you have to have a ticket or an annual pass. We walked that wall nearly every week for over a decade, talking with Father about dreams of joy and peace for that city. I knew a man who worked inside the massive south gate. When they raised the prices of tickets and started the annual passes, he pulled me aside and told me that if we ever had any problems with the tickets, I was to come see him and he would help me get in. And he was true to his word. It pays to know the key person!
You and I who know the Scriptures are key people. We can unlock the truths and treasures of God for those around us who do not have the key. As gatekeepers, we guard the truth, but we also make it available to those who truly want to know. Today, like that friend at the South Gate, I’m saying I’ll be glad to let you in on the treasures I’ve discovered inside. Just let me know and come by and “see” me at hnkgatekeeper.blogspot.com.
When we lived abroad, I used the nickname “Gatekeeper” for my email address and other communications. That’s what I saw myself as over there – a keeper of the gate. Mostly to open the door for those willing to come serve and for others to learn of the True Shepherd. Sometimes I also found a way to keep certain problem people out!
I Chronicles 9:27 refers to the Gatekeeper’s key. Four gatekeepers spent the night guarding the house of God and unlocked the gate every morning to let people in.
When the people of Judah returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon, Nehemiah was very disturbed that the walls and the gates of Jerusalem were a mess. The gatekeepers were called back to look after the house of God during this time of rebuilding when security was most, well, insecure.
The city of Xi’an where we used to live has a massive city wall around it – the largest most intact city wall in the world. It is 8 miles around (rectangular shape) and is 3 stories high and wide enough for two lanes of traffic, if cars could get up there. The wall dates back to the Ming Dynasty, some several hundred years ago. When we first moved there in the mid-90s, they were restoring parts of the wall that had fallen into disrepair, gateways where new roads have gone through and new stones where the old ones had disappeared. You can see pictures of Xi’an’s city wall at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_wall_of_Xi'an.
Nowadays there are no locked gates, but to get up on top of the wall you have to have a ticket or an annual pass. We walked that wall nearly every week for over a decade, talking with Father about dreams of joy and peace for that city. I knew a man who worked inside the massive south gate. When they raised the prices of tickets and started the annual passes, he pulled me aside and told me that if we ever had any problems with the tickets, I was to come see him and he would help me get in. And he was true to his word. It pays to know the key person!
You and I who know the Scriptures are key people. We can unlock the truths and treasures of God for those around us who do not have the key. As gatekeepers, we guard the truth, but we also make it available to those who truly want to know. Today, like that friend at the South Gate, I’m saying I’ll be glad to let you in on the treasures I’ve discovered inside. Just let me know and come by and “see” me at hnkgatekeeper.blogspot.com.
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