Service

 December 7, 2020

Like exercising, sobriety, or eating healthy, gratitude is a lifestyle, but like exercising, sobriety, and eating healthy, gratitude takes discipline. It’s easy to fall off the wagon. Just as a sedentary lifestyle’s siren allure calls to us, or that one drink when we’re stressed, or that one piece of chocolate cake, the problems and cares of this world can catch our attention and capture our hearts if we aren’t diligent in pursuing gratitude. I began the day working out, eating breakfast, then reading my Bible. The first two activities had noticeable effect. I was winded and sore from working out, and full from breakfast. My Bible reading however, didn’t seem to do much, and that never bodes well for the day. 

Things went well enough. I installed insulation in our laundry room, and picked up some coroplast to insulate my beehives, watched a show with Linda, had dinner, and went to rehearsal for worship team, then men’s Bible study. It was a decent enough day, but I felt no particular sense of gratitude, grace, or peace. My morning time in the Scriptures didn’t really help. I was reading about the Transfiguration, and the thing that stood out to me was that only Peter, James, and John experienced it. None of the other disciples. It seems that some lofty spiritual experiences aren’t meant for all. Talk about deflating one’s hopes! 

It all came together at men’s Bible study. It is another discipline that I don’t always feel like doing, but am glad I did. Just being with these guys is a boost. I am pretty much of an introvert, and could easily hide away in my own little world. These men keep me engaged, and pastor Joe’s integrity and intensity is inspiring. We were challenged tonight to state where we are serving. After having been a pastor for forty years, serving in retirement seems a bit anemic. It doesn’t often feel like I’m doing much, so the question is doubly important. Like those disciplines of exercise, sobriety, or healthy diet, it’s easy to take it easy in retirement, but the result of doing so is a sick soul. The venue changes, but the heart had better not. I had to take a hard look at my level of service for Christ, and know I need to up my game.

So tonight, I am thankful for these men, for pastor Joe, and as I remember this date, for the sacrifice of those sailors who received the first shock at Pearl Harbor in 1941. We face different, but as great challenges today. The world needs more men who are willing to serve at any cost. I am grateful to be surrounded by some of the best. They challenge me to be a better man, and for that, I am thankful tonight.

Looking Ahead...

 December 6, 2020

It began back in October, picked up momentum in November, and is full steam ahead now that December is here. The Christmas season is upon us! Once, it was primarily a celebration of the birth of Jesus, but these days, for most people it has lost its religious significance and has become a celebration of indulgence. Even Christians spend more time and energy thinking of what to by for whom, how much to spend, and how they can afford it. The birth of Jesus is often just tagged onto all the other stuff we have going on. Last year, we were kept busy with school holiday programs, church children’s programs, and perhaps staffing the Salvation Army kettles. The gift of salvation to the world is often an afterthought. 

The Church called this time of year Advent. Instead of looking back to the birth of Jesus, the Lectionary Scriptures looked ahead to his Second Advent to judge the world in righteousness. Instead of frantically searching for just the right gift, it was a time of solemn soul-searching to make the heart ready for when he comes again.

The Creed handles this almost off-handedly. Beginning with a faith statement, “Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary...” the Creed omits details of his birth and the entirety of his childhood. Even his ministry is overlooked as the next phrase begins...

"Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried." The Virgin Birth is a statement of faith. Jesus’ passion, suffering, death, and burial however, are historical statements. History is a funny discipline. Unlike scientific proof which requires that an experiment be reproducible, history is always unique. Whatever happens, happens only once; it is not repeatable. It is however, always open to interpretation, which can be good when it opens our eyes to dimensions of experience we would otherwise miss, such as we learn when we see our national history from the perspective of a Native American. Various interpretations of events can however, distort reality and do us a great disservice, as when Islamic clerics (among others) declare that the Holocaust never happened. Josef Goebbels understood this aspect of history well when he declared that if you tell a lie big enough and often enough, people will believe it. 

There are those who would dispute this part of the Creed, declaring that there is no solid evidence outside the Bible that the man Jesus Christ ever lived. It's not as if evidence is absent; Josephus wrote about him, and there is reference to Jesus in the writings of Tacitus and Suetonius. It's admittedly scant, but no more so than evidence for the existence of Plato, whose writings are preserved in a single early copy dating centuries after his death. Yet no one denies that he lived. It is understandable, after all, no one ever accused Plato of being divine. 

Nevertheless, the historical foundation of our faith is there, and it is important. We don't believe in a philosophical system that is self-sustaining. Our faith is not a self-help  program. We believe God intervened in human history in the person of Jesus Christ, and that this history is important because we have both a past, and a future. If Christianity is divorced from historical fact, our future is in jeopardy. 

Here however, history and faith intersect. Crucifixion, death, and burial were common enough back then, but don't become tenets of faith. Only here do we say, “I believe,” only because this crucifixion, death, and burial have unique meaning. When I see peoples' lives unraveling instead of unfolding, I am grateful that the historically physical death of this man has made a difference in history, and because I believe, in my history, too. This Advent, I look back to where it all began, but I also look forward to the culmination of salvation promised when Jesus Christ comes again.

Necessary Grace

 December 5, 2020

Surveying the room this afternoon, I’m not sure I’d be able to do it. The Bailey Christmas is somewhat abbreviated this year, with the Rochester cousins being unable to join us due to our governor’s designation of the Rochester area as a particularly hot zone for COVID, but they sent their contribution so Southern Tier clan was able to shop to bless two less fortunate area families. I watched as the kids and grandkids wrapped, laughing and chattering with each other, experiencing the joy of giving with no thought of return.

My mind returned to yesterday’s Scripture reading where the widow was asked to provide for this stranger named Elijah before doing so for herself and her son. This wasn’t an ordinary dinner; she expected it would be their last. This morning, the following chapter (1 Kings 18) related the confrontation between Elijah and the 400 priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Their frenzied prayers accompanied by cutting themselves to demonstrate their earnestness accomplished nothing. No fire from heaven descended to consume their offering. 

Up steps Elijah, offering a simple prayer that was immediately answered by a lightning strike that not only consumed the offering, but the altar itself. Prior to this prayer however, Elijah makes sure the people know he isn’t up to some chicanery with a hidden source of ignition; he soaks the altar with barrels of water. There is more to the story than the miracle of the fire of God burning up the waterlogged offering. The land had been experiencing a drought—three years with not a drop of rain. Three barrels of water would have been a precious commodity, something one wouldn’t waste carelessly. Pouring it out over the altar was itself an act of bold faith. If God didn’t do something, not only would Elijah look foolish, he would likely have been lynched for his crazy extravagance. 

First the widow woman, then Elijah are commanded to risk everything for God. And as I looked around the room at my family, I was humbled and challenged by their obedience. I hope God never asks me to sacrifice my family for Christ’s sake. Many of his faithful followers have had to do just that, and I yield to such deep faith while pondering where I would draw the line. Anywhere short of the Cross is too soon, requiring a grace I have not yet been given because it is not yet needed. I thank him for grace given as needed, and pray for more when the need arises.

Hard Choices

 December 4, 2020

1 Kings 18 opens the Elijah saga with him hiding out by the brook Cherith during a three year drought he brought on by the word of the Lord. The drought got so bad the brook dried up and God sent him to a foreign widow; apparently things were a bit too hot for him in Israel where king Ahab was looking for his head. When Elijah approaches this widow, he asks for a drink of water and some bread. Remember, this was in a drought; water was scarce and therefore precious. And the woman told him she had only enough flour to make a couple small cakes for herself and her son, after which they would starve to death.

Elijah responded with an audacious command: “First make me a cake...afterwards, make some for yourself and your son.” When I put myself in her shoes, I’m pretty sure I would balk at such a statement. Feeding Elijah before herself would have been proper etiquette back then, but her son was starving. “Feed this stranger before taking care of my only son? I don’t think so!” 

God’s ways are often contrary to ours. I might put off taking care of myself to care for a stranger, but my family? That’s another matter altogether! Yet Jesus’ words come to mind: 

“He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” —Matthew 10:37 

I wonder how much of God’s supernatural provision I’ve forfeited because I wan’t willing to take care of the stranger before taking care of my own. This is especially convicting during Advent and Christmas. Texts like this shake me. were it not for the abundance of the Lord’s mercies, I would despair of hope. He does not hold our iniquities against us, but receives us for the sake of his Son, upon who’s death and resurrection I depend for salvation. This Elijah story reminds me however, that salvation offered must be received, conditions and all. I cannot lay claim to God’s salvation if I am unwilling to step out in faith to obey the word of the Lord even when it makes no sense and appears to be a death sentence not only for me, but for those I love. I am thankful for this story, even as it challenges me. It reminds me that faith is not an armchair matter, but calls me in the gritty realities of life to make the hard choices that promise an unlikely ending that goes against the grain of everything I know. 

Joy in Giving

 December 3, 2020

They were like two newly engaged young women, smiling and giddy with laughter that spilled from their lips as they waved their hands in the sunlight, catching the flashes of light that glittered from their fingers. Mom had some jewelry she left to her daughter and daughters-in-law. We were sorting through the few things she left behind. There wasn’t much; mom wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and she didn’t die with one, either. The only stuff of any real value was a few pieces of jewelry. Two diamond rings were the focus of attention; one on Linda’s hand, and one on Judy’s. What made it really special was seeing Judy’s joy. Nearly forty years ago while working on the farm, she suffered the loss of the diamond from her own engagement ring. As you might imagine, they looked everywhere, but a farm is probably about the worse place to lose something as small as an engagement diamond. The stone mom left sits in Judy’s setting, reflecting her smile in a thousand flashes of light.

Sitting at lunch, Judy spoke. “It’s too bad mom didn’t give these when she was alive so she could enjoy seeing the happiness.” 

There is a special joy that comes with giving. Jesus himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” and he was right. We’ve been blessed to be on the giving end of things, and even if we don’t get to see the joy it brings to others, we have it ourselves just from the act of giving. People who are only ever on the receiving end never get to know this joy.

On the way home, we stopped to pick up a few things at Sam’s Club in Buffalo. We ended up waiting in line longer than we had expected when a couple a few carts ahead of us tried to leave the store with things they hadn’t paid for. The checker at the door was going through everything in their cart, putting aside one thing after another. I would have thought the policeman standing there would have arrested them, but he just stood by, watching. Maybe New York’s “catch and release” policy doesn’t make it worthwhile for law enforcement to do all the paperwork. One thing I know for sure: this couple doesn’t know the joy of giving.

George Slusser was a wizened little member of our Basom church congregation forty years ago. He was in his eighties at the time, and one day he remarked to me, “Don’t send flowers at my funeral; give them to me now so I can enjoy them.” I would add, “Give them while he’s alive, so you can enjoy seeing him enjoy them.” 

There was joy today, but like Judy, I wish mom could have seen it herself. It’s a reminder to me to not wait to bless others with whatever I leave behind, but instead, to bless them now so I can enjoy it, too.

What’s Really Important

 December 2, 2020

Something very strange happens in the Creed after the mention of the virgin birth of Jesus. His entire life and ministry is passed over as if it never happened. There is no dearth of apocryphal gospels and fanciful accounts of the "hidden years" of Jesus, and we have the Biblical record of the Gospels that fill us in concerning the approximately three years of his public ministry, but all this is omitted in the Creed which jumps from the virgin birth to his suffering under Pontius Pilate. Since this creed is a recitation of that which was considered essential to Christian faith for the purposes of catechal teaching and baptism, the absence of any detail of Jesus' life is instructive. While not unimportant, by comparison with the assertion of Jesus' divine origin safeguarded by the virgin birth and his sacrificial death at the hands of a Roman procurator, the ministry of Jesus definitely takes a back seat. It is his passion, death, and resurrection that provides the means of our salvation, not his ministry.

It is also important that our salvation is grounded in historical reality rather than mythical imagination. While there are mythic dimensions to our faith (mythic being understood as that which has universal application), our story has its roots in a definite time and place in history. It is not enough that we have eternal principles by which we live; it is in flesh and blood history that Jesus came, it is in flesh and blood history he works today, and it will be to flesh and blood history that he returns. We don't live by a set of rules or ideals, but by our allegiance to a Man who was born, lived, and died among people like Herod, Caesar Augustus, and Pontius Pilate. This historical context elevates Christian faith above the level of one’s personal experiences and emotions, anchoring it firmly in a specific time and place. My faith is more than my feelings, which come and go; it is rooted in the reality of what God did in the Person and Work of this Man, Jesus Christ. I am grateful tonight that my salvation is more than following certain principles, living out the seven habits of highly successful people, or working through the latest self-help book. Salvation is in the Name of Jesus Christ who didn't give us principles by which to order our lives, but gave us Life itself. The Virgin Birth points to the Divine Miracle of life which the Passion and Death of Jesus accomplished.

Possibile Impossibilities

 December 1, 2020

Skeptics think we're hopelessly naive to believe it; even many who call themselves Christian scratch their heads at it. Radical feminists declare that it's a story designed to protect the reputation of a bad girl we want to claim as holy. The Virgin Birth stirs as much controversy today as when it actually happened. It is certainly inconvenient to the modern mind (although no more so than it was to Joseph), so why does the Creed specifically say Jesus was "born of the Virgin Mary?"

Well, in the first place, it's in the Creed because it's in the Bible. The story is quite clear about it: this baby did not have a biological father. But this is no story of pagan origin where gods regularly impregnated human women. There is no such coarseness here; Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit "came upon" Mary. There is no other, more detailed description; the statement is dropped into the narrative without explanation. Even Mary herself had a hard time wrapping her mind around it. “How can this be?” she asked the angel. “I haven’t been with a man.” She knew how life worked, and this wasn’t normal. It was just as inexplicable then as it is now. Joseph certainly had a hard time coming to grips with his fiancee's having gone for a three month visit to her cousin Elizabeth and coming home pregnant. In fact, he wouldn't have believed it apart from an angelic visitation in a dream. Which hints at something very important.

Our salvation is not irrational, but neither is it fully understandable, and it remains unintelligible until God steps in supernaturally so that a person is convicted of their sin, confesses it as such, repents of it, and turns to faith in Christ for forgiveness. Until one has experienced the miracle of new birth, all other miracles in the Bible seem foolish and implausible. But once a person has experienced grace that has delivered them from lifelong addiction or that has freed them from guilt and despair, believing such things as the Virgin Birth are tame by comparison. At Park church for example, are many people who five, ten, or fifteen years ago would never have imagined they would be worshipping and praising God in a Methodist (or any other) church. They are living, breathing miracles who have no trouble believing in the Virgin Birth because they've experienced a New Birth of their own. 

The Virgin Birth is in the Creed because it's in the Bible, but also because it states in rudimentary form that Christ had no sin (because sin was believed to be transmitted through the male). To say, "I believe in Jesus Christ...who was born of a virgin" is to recognize that God is doing something unique here to preserve and proclaim the ability of this Man to forgive sins because he has none of his own with which to contend. I am grateful tonight that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, insuring Christ's ability to secure my salvation, but also reminding me that with God, nothing is impossible; whether it be healing, forgiveness, provision, guidance—all obstacles fade before the power of the God who does the impossible. And if it is possible for Jesus to be born of a virgin, it's possible for me to be born again into a new and more perfect life, and it’s possible for God to make a way where there is no way.