Lenten Devotional (15) & Why Tom Bombadil is cooler than you think

Post-Script: Tom Bombadil Review, Church Membership, and an Amazing Speaking Opportunity

I do not remember the year or the Sunday, but the moment moved me. I was administering the holy eucharist and saw two men stand in the back and approach one another. They embraced each other and partook of the Supper together. It was years later that I discovered what happened. These two friends had been at odds over some dispute, and on that Sunday, one of them decided it was time to make things right. He approached the other, sought forgiveness, and his friend quickly granted him peace.

The first duty of a Christian is to confess his own sins before pointing the finger (Ps. 51). All of us bring something destructive into our relationships—our sins. And if we think blaming others or our circumstances is the answer, we have deceived ourselves. We are echoing Edenic themes.

The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

There are exceptions, but in most cases, we may be the problem or fundamentally engaged in the art of the problem. Maybe we don’t see ourselves with clarity. Maybe we love ourselves more than our spouses. Maybe we love our little kingdoms more than God’s cosmic kingdom. Maybe, as Bonhoeffer once stated, we need to confess our sins to our brother so that we are “no longer alone.”

That’s the degree of honesty God expects from us. The other person may be guilty. He/she may be the cause of your pain, but at some time, you must realize that shifting the blame on others is not the solution to our problems. It may simply exacerbate them.

The Gospel imperatives are clear: Admit. Confess. Renew. Restore. You cannot help others unless the Gospel truths have helped you. Do not allow the pain inflicted upon you by others to keep you from doing and living the way God intends you to live: to know and to love those God calls you to know and love. Do not allow the sin of others to paralyze you from living your Christian confession.

Prayer: O, Father, my pain is sometimes unbearable, but your mercy is new each morning. On this day, remind me that you are the lifter of my head and the One who took and takes all my pain. Heal and make me whole and be not far off, O God, my righteousness, through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Hymn of the Day: It Is Well With My Soul

Notations

• I had the opportunity to spend a long but fruitful day with dear brothers in Moscow, ID, discussing some great work being done. It also allowed me to converse and eat with C.R. Wiley. Though our virtual paths have crossed in podcast land and writing at Kuyperian, it was the first time we met face-to-face, and I can attest further that the man I knew online and through virtual associations is even better personally. Chris is a jolly fellow full of vigor and pastoral insight. We were able to spend some time (with others) in a discussion and overview of his book, In The House of Tom Bombadil, which I highly recommend. The meeting was private and unrecorded, but for those familiar with the mysterious character in The Lord of the Rings, I want to add four brief comments I made that are elaborated in outline form: