I just read this article It's 2009. Do You Know Where Your Soul Is? in the New York Times by Bono and again I am blown away by both the eloquence and timely truth that he weaves so masterfully into his writing. Take a few minutes, sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy.
Our church recently started a 100 part sermon series which highlights 100 key parts to the Bible narrative (Click here for sermon podcasts). We will be spending the next two years taking a look at redemptive history from Genesis to Revelation and along the way we will be posting additional relevant information here (things like additional reading, video clips, etc...). Heath Allison is a very talented artist in our church who has been illustrating each section of the story which you can see on this time line. If you have never read the Bible from beginning to end this is a great way to get a glimpse of the big story. Watch out! Not only may you learn something new, but you might have fun along the way.
Here is the trailer for a film called As We Forgive: The Story of Rwanda's Redemption
Biola Magazine has an interesting article describing what Christianity look like around the world.
"The world is overcome not through destruction, but through reconciliation. Not ideals, nor programs, nor conscience, nor duty, nor responsibility, nor virtue, but only God's perfect love can encounter reality and overcome it. Nor is it some universal idea of love, but rather the love of God in Jesus Christ, a love genuinely lived, that does this."
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Meditations on the Cross
This video is great. I was especially impressed with Tim Keller during the Q&A session at the end. He was respectful and tried to give the best answers possible to the queries thrown his way.
"See, a king will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.
Each man will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
The mind of the rash will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil:
He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the LORD;
the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water.
The scoundrel's methods are wicked,
he makes up evil schemes
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy is just.
But the noble man makes noble plans,
and by noble deeds he stands."
"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts."
-Jesus of Nazareth
(John 5:39-42)
As I read the Gospels I am constantly struck by the interactions of Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees were known as some of the most religiously devout men in that time. They poured over the scriptures day and night and set up all manner of rules and regulations with a desire to become more "Holy". In the midst of doing this they became experts in the minutiae of the most obscure Bible passages. They were so caught up with trying to find God that they ended up missing him when he was standing right in front of them.
It is easy for us to look back on those Pharisees with contempt and haughtily laugh in disgust at their foolish actions. However, it is easy to then turn around and do the exact same things that they did. As people who claim to follow Christ, I am amazed at how often we resemble the Pharisees in our thoughts, words and actions. We care more about what people think than we care about people (please know that I am speaking first and foremost of myself).
Here Jesus is talking to the Pharisees. He says you are "diligently seeking the scriptures". That seems like a compliment, right? Today he might say, "you are actively pursuing your degree in religious studies." Or, "You faithfully attend Sunday Sermons and Bible studies every week." Or, "You religiously devote yourself to a daily reading of the Bible and quiet time."
At first glance, it is easy to say "Yeah, of course I do. What's wrong with that?" His response is that in the midst of doing all these things that are about him, we refuse to come to him. The Pharisees were constantly busying themselves with every kind of religious activity, but in the end they were far from the heart of God. They were so far from God that they were the ones who paved the way to the death of Jesus.
Several summary thoughts:
1) Jesus did not say it was bad to study the scriptures. A cursory reading of the Gospels will demonstrate that Jesus is well versed in the Old Testament.
2) In his recitation of the greatest commandment Jesus says to "love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength". In order to love the Lord with all of our mind, we obviously need to study.
3) In our study of scripture we do not merely seek Biblical trivia as though we are cramming for a bubble-test to get into heaven.
4) We study as a way of "coming to Jesus"
5) We study so that we learn what it means "to have the love of God within us"
6) We don't want to pave the way to Jesus' death, but we want to pave the way to life with him. To do that we must first "come" to him.
In the midst of the frantic daily pace of America, I have really enjoyed reading The Way of the Heart by Henry Nouwen again. It is so easy to get caught up in the daily activities of life only to wake up years later and wonder where your life went. One of the things that spoke loudly to me as I read through this book again was the call for solitude in our life. Nouwen says,
"...solitude molds self-righteous people into gentle, caring, forgiving persons who are so deeply convinced of their own great sinfulness and so fully aware of God's even greater mercy that their life itself becomes ministry. In such a ministry there is hardly any difference left between doing and being. When we are filled with God's merciful presence, we can do nothing other than minister because our whole being witnesses to the light that has come into the darkness." (p. 22)
I just stumbled upon this article which talks about the "call" of ministry on all who profess to be a follower of Christ. Here is an excerpt:
Every Christian is in "full-time ministry," no matter what they are doing, no matter what it says on their business card, no matter if they punch a time clock or are on salary, no matter if they are doing technical work or people work, no matter if they are paid or a volunteer, no matter if they work for their boss or for their family as a housekeeper.
(Click on photo to zoom in)We fear so deeply what we think other people see in us, so we talk in order to straighten out their understanding. ... One of the fruits of silence is the freedom to let our justification rest entirely with God.
- Richard Foster
from Celebration of Discipline
"The greatest proof of Christianity for others is not how far a man can logically analyze his reasons for believing, but how far in practice he will stake his life on his belief."
T.S. Eliot
"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me." Paul the Apostle to the Philippians
It often seems that faith and science are pitted against each other. It seems we are expected to believe that they are mutually exclusive and like in the Matrix we must decide whether we want to take the red pill or the blue pill. The other day I was thinking about this and for whatever reason was thinking about Einstein as well. Some people, like Einstein, seem to get a bigger glimpse behind the curtain of this world. I have read all types of pithy quotes from him, and I was curious about how he might address issues of faith. Well, yesterday I came across this article in Time Magazine that was called Einstein and Faith. Check it out!
"Science can be created only by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding," he said. "This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion." -AE
I came upon this very thought provoking article at the Washington Post. Basically one of the world's best violin players, with one of the world's best violins, plays some of the best violin pieces from all time...in a Metro station in DC. How do the majority of the people respond? Well, for the most part they keep looking straight ahead and go about their business. Obviously, on one level this is a simple matter of context and a poor way to communicate very beautiful music. The World's best musicians don't normally play in a metro station, not to mention people riding the Metro at rush hour normally need to be somewhere.
One of my favorite quotes from the article:
"If we can't take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that -- then what else are we missing?"
"Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 58
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