I am one of those old fashioned evangelicals who believes God judges nations because of their iniquities (Amos 3:2). I also believe America is ripe for disaster. Why will we be punished? Because we have no sense of God’s judgment. Sure, we believe Nazi Germany and the Soviet Empire were judged because of their evil deeds, but to consider America under judgment of any sort is preposterous. This America-can-do-no-evil mentality is sickening! It is precisely the reason so many turn away from evangelicalism. American idolatry equals America-can-do-no-wrong! Whether in this administration or in the last, we need to point out the constant possibility of judgment; God is no respecter of persons, nor–might I add–parties.
What’s with the Blog?
This blog has been in existence for over five years. I probably average 120 hits a day. In the world of blogs, this is just average. As I look back to my early posts there is a progression of thought. Life is maturation! In these last two years I have increasingly grown aware of my individualism. I do not want to be individualistic. A quick survey through my sermon archive proves that they are always ecclesio and covenant centered. But individualism is sneaky! When you desire to become more covenantal, individualism always creeps in to take you back to your magic closet.
In many ways this blog has expressed that form of individualism. I think it was a mixture of Chesterton, Schmemann, and other thinkers that have stressed in a profound manner the necessity to live as church to the world. Practically, this does not mean deleting or avoiding the journal-nature of blogging; we do not have to give up our individuality to be covenantal, but we do need to think of our individuality in light of the covenant.
As a pastor, I write about ten pages a week. Sermons, exhortations, meditations, theological papers, etc. These are all related to the church. “But the Church activity and liturgy is not as important as the political turmoil in Afghanistan,” is it? My conclusion is that it is. From the church flows the wisdom of God to the world, says Paul.
This is why I have purposefully added my church work to this blog. I want people to know that some out there care about the church and her activity; care about how she ministers in word and sacrament. There can be no complete view of life apart from a love for the church and her mission.
Reflections on Water
I am quite fond of water. I grew up in a coastal city in Northeastern Brazil. The beaches were extraordinary. They were filled with poetry. Once you have seen Brazilian beaches it is not hard to imagine composing The Girl from Ipanema. But water is also treacherous. I have seen the destructive power of flooding. Having lived in Florida for the last ten years I have seen tropical storms, hurricanes, and shattered homes. I remember vividly watching the corpses in New Orleans. Water is judgment! Water is blessing! The context always frames the nature of water. To some, water is refreshing, but to others in the world, water is poisonous. There is much wisdom is water, and only a biblical presupposition of water renders an appropriate association and application of water. What was catastrophic in Genesis six is glorious for us in Christ. Those very waters become our baptism; those very waters become our salvation, and those very waters become the judgment that Christ suffered in our place.
Laughter as an Art
I have long been fond of laughter. If you have met me you know that I do not fear laughing. When things are funny, laughter is the necessary response. G.K. Chesterton criticizes those who do not know the art of laughing at jokes about “bad cheese”. Chesterton’s critics did not laugh at “bad cheese” jokes because they were looking for something foolish and ignorant to laugh at, but in reality “bad cheese” stood for a more subtle and philosophical idea.
Chesterton writes:
Bad cheese is funny because it is (like the foreigner or the man fallen on the pavement) the type of the transition or transgression across a great mystical boundary. Bad cheese symbolises the change from the inorganic to the organic. Bad cheese symbolises the startling prodigy of matter taking on vitality. It symbolises the origin of life itself.
Bad cheese like symbolic criticisms of an economic or political system deserves great laughter. If we train our minds to laugh only at that which is simple, then we will never truly laugh. Laughter is an art; it must be cultivated and encouraged.
There is another side to this story. There are those who are immature at laughter. They are so self-centered that they do not allow themselves to be humbled by a joke. They are so isolated that they do not allow themselves to be entertained. This latter point is worth stressing. Ecclesiastes 10:19 says that ” a feast is made for laughter.” If laughter is to be encouraged and if in a feast we get to practice it, then why is there so little feasting? Christians have become virtual gnostics. They adore the theologizing and philosophizing, but they stay away from the feasting. They find little pleasure in a funny story or the jokes of a 10 year old. These Christians have created a “funny” status and if one does reach such level, then they must be kicked out. In the words of a theologian who knows the art of laughter, ” this is not only unChristian; it is inhuman.”
Not all laughter has to be sophisticated! Some times simple jokes are the most effective in producing laughter. Still, Christians must train themselves not to be caught with simple and unnecessary laughter. Crude and unwholesome jokes are an abomination. If we find greater laughter in the seat of scoffers than at the feasting table of saints, then we have sold our souls to misery, for only the wicked find consolation in the jokes of the wicked.
Acceptable worship…
Meyers makes an excellent observation in his discussion of worship as experience. Modern gatherings on the Lord’s Day (none dare call it that anymore) have become nothing more than “religious sentimentalism” (The Lord’s Service, p.28). Parishioners enter the sanctuary (none dare call it that anymore) expecting to feel, sense and imagine a gentle Jesus. As Meyers observes: “It is almost as if the greatest achievement of corporate worship is to engineer within the worshipers some kind of praise-induced emotional or psychological ecstasy”(28). Thus, this experience becomes merely internal. This gnosticizing of worship is contrary to the many texts that call upon us to offer praise, to prostrate, to kneel, to bring gifts and to sing. Meyers concludes by noting that “worship is evaluated not according to the affect it might have on worshipers, but whether it is ‘acceptable’ to God or not.”
The Gospel for the Community of Saints
The Sabbath worship is generally understood by many to be an evangelistic service. However, the central object of worship is God himself. Since unbelievers are incapable of seeing the majesty of God, the worship is not framed around the unbeliever’s wants or needs. The unbeliever will hear the Gospel, and when that happens he will smell the stench of death. It is the community of believers who are enriched and fed by the Gospel. The Gospel and liturgy of the church are ordained for the people of God as a means of grace. As Jeff Meyers observes, the gospel is “not directed primarily to those outside of the faith, but to the community of believers. If unbelievers visit, they will hear the Gospel, but it will not be on their own terms” (The Lord’s Service, pg. 26).
This means that worship is not designed primarily for unbelievers, nor should it ever be. The liturgy is to be structured in a manner that elevates the glory of God and so provides the means for corporate response to God’s work on our behalf.
Jacob and Christ
Jacob humbled himself and served Laban so that he could have his bride. Christ humbled himself and served his Father unto death, so that He would receive His bride, the Church.
Our Allegiance…
Derek Webb said it best in his album Mockingbird :
my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it’s to a king & a kingdom
The allegiance of much of our political system is to the flag pin and to the God bless America speeches.
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday to Professor John Frame who continues to be–after seminary–a refreshing and insightful voice in my thinking about the church and theology. And a happy birthday to my dear friend Pastor Frank Cavalli, who has been an example of a true shepherd and a faithful, passionate Bible expositor. May God grant you many more years in His service.
Waltke’s Old Testament Theology
Waltke’s Old Testament Theology is a masterful treatment of Biblical History. His high view of special revelation, his rich understanding of the Semitic languages, and his interaction with vast scholarship in the Old Testament field makes this Biblical Theology particularly distinct from others. Waltke summarizes the ultimate aim of biblical theology as “bringing us to our knees in worship and prayer” (11). My reading thus far has been edifying and refreshing.