Friday, July 30, 2021

1 Timothy 6:11-16

1 Timothy 6:11-16 

  I've always loved the image of God dwelling in unapproachable light.  It gives a picture of the glory of God... but ultimately, we can approach it, because of what Christ has done.  No one has ever seen or can see God, but we have that chance, because Christ laid down his life.  Don't feel like you can fight the good fight?  Christ has fought it for you.  Have you failed in taking hold of the eternal life?  Christ has done that for you.  Do you feel like you've stained the commandment and are not free from reproach?  Christ has kept it unstained, and Christ is free from reproach, and because of what Christ has done, you can approach the God who dwells in unapproachable light.
  It's the Gospel story... we would lose the good fight of the faith if we were to fight it on our own strength, and our own merit, but because Christ has stepped in for us, we have such a great hope, such great joy, and that joy then sends us out to fight the good fight in gratitude, knowing the outcome doesn't depend on us, but we live our faith in joy and in peace, looking forward to unapproachable light, for one day we will not only approach but we immersed in it forevermore.

Thursday, July 29, 2021

1 Timothy 6:6-10

1 Timothy 6:6-10

  I was listening to a Tim Keller sermon the other day (I listen to the podcasts of his sermons and they are magnificent if you're looking for podcasts) and he was talking about the difference between heaven and hell.  Heaven is where the individual says to God, 'Thy will be done'.  Hell is where God says to the individual, 'thy will be done'.  In one instance, the individual is completely casting ourselves into God's hands, trusting that the goodness and mercy of God are where one longs to be for all of eternity, believing that this alone can truly satisfy our needs and wants (pro tip:  this is the correct answer).
  In the other, the individual believes something else (money, in this case) can truly satisfy our needs and wants, and so the individual goes off in pursuit of that, investing one's life accumulating it, hoping that it can fill whatever void is within (pro tip:  it cannot).  In the end, God grants the individual the deepest longing in the soul, even though it tragically leads away from the true answer for our greatest needs, desires, and longings of the soul.  
  Love of money, in this case, is a root, and it grows up into something destructive that will eat away at us until there is nothing less.  (important to note that it's not money -- it's the love of money -- that is the root of all kinds of evils).  Notice who is doing the piercing -- we do this to ourselves when we choose to love money (or some other false god).  We're causing ourselves these pangs, these sudden onsets of pain or distress -- and it doesn't have to be this way, because we have a Savior who voluntarily took all of these pangs for us, so that we could see what true love is, to look upon our beloved, suffering for us, and recognize that it is God who wants the best for us, who wants to fulfill us and satisfy us all the day long.  
  May we order our loves wisely, and pray for the wisdom to see where they have fallen out of order.  If 'Thy will be done' is to be spoken in our final moments, may it pass from our lips and hearts as we recognize that God's will can give us impossibly more than we can ask or imagine.
  

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

1 Timothy 6:3-5

1 Timothy 6:3-10 

  Safe to say that a lot of people have an unhealthy craving for controversy these days.  If you don't believe me, spend 5 minutes on social media or reading the comments of any news article, and that should convince you otherwise!  Once Simone Biles withdrew from the Olympics, it was as though a tidal wave of people looking for a fight was unleashed upon the internet, despite the fact that not a single argument likely resulted in a productive conversation.  However you may feel about it, does being in 'constant friction' seem productive?  Do continuous 'quarrels about words' seem like they're leading anywhere good?
  I watch the debates on the internet and wonder at how it's dividing people.  On the internet, it's easy to make a caricature of the other person, to reduce them to basic facts that are then found objectionable.  It's easy to discard someone's argument, and maybe even that person, online.  It's much harder when you sit down at a table to discuss something with someone and you realize they're not that different than you.  On the internet, you can decide that someone is categorically different than you.  In person, we're often starkly reminded at how similar we are.  In the flesh, our humanity is much more apparent.
  So may we always opt for in person discussions, in person debates, and may we not seek unnecessary controversy.  We can enter into debates, discussions and the like, but it's important that we don't do so with a hope for controversy but rather with an intent to love, to serve, to be gracious.
  It's not easy, but it's ever more important these days.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

1 Timothy 4:11-16

1 Timothy 4:11-16 

  If you've seen Field of Dreams, you may remember the scene with Moonlight Graham, where he talks about saving things for special occasions.  It's somber, as there were many purchases that never saw the light of day, as they were being saved for a later date that never came.
  It's always tempting to save things for the future, so that you'll be ready, when or if the time comes.  It's easy to always plan for tomorrow, while perhaps missing out on today.
  Here, Paul is advising Timothy to ensure that he's immersing himself in using his gifts today.  His planning for the future consists of devoting himself to using his gifts today.  Practice, Paul tells him, in such a way that he continues to grow and strengthen daily, keeping a watch to ensure he's practicing every day.  
  In the same way, let us practice our faith daily, using our gifts daily -- not waiting for the future, but seizing the opportunity today to grow in faith and grow closer to God.

Monday, July 26, 2021

Sermon for July 25, 2021 on Compassion (Luke 7)

1 Timothy 4:6-10

1 Timothy 4:6-10 

  In high school, I remember having practice every night for the soccer team.  I think we practiced for three hours each evening for months.  It was a lot of practice, but we were a pretty good team, so it was worth it.
  I don't often think about training my faith in the same way.  Would I dedicate three hours each evening to my faith?  I'd say that I'm too busy now, but what if I really believed that it might shape the kind of person I'm growing in to for all of eternity?  We make time for the things we really value -- so shouldn't I be ready and willing to make time to train for godliness?  The workouts I do each morning have physical value... but godliness training has eternal value.  
  It's one of these things we know... but the impact of godliness training is stretched out over such a long time that we minimize it's value in our lives.  Other things seem more pressing, even if they're not.  We often tend to what is urgent, taking the same approach as a trauma doctor, tackling what's pressing first.  So we let our training in godliness slide.
  I don't have an easy answer as to how to reorganize our priorities.  I'm still working on mine.  But step one is admitting that we have a priority problem, and then spending time thinking about rearranging priorities to recognize the difference between the eternal and the urgent.

Friday, July 23, 2021

1 Timothy 3:14-16

1 Timothy 3:14-16

  It all flows back to Christ.
  As Paul is writing to Timothy, he's giving them the root of the cause for their good behavior -- it's the mystery of Christ, fully human and fully God.  Such a wonder is incredible for us to behold, and it should change the way we behave.  The entire church is motivated by a love for Christ -- Christ is the reason we act the way we do, the reason we worship, the reason we go out and show the world selfless love.  
  It all flows back to Christ. 
  It is my prayer that all of our days begin and end with Christ, and that we recognize the consistent presence of the Holy Spirit throughout our days, guiding our hearts and eyes and ears all to Christ, and to Christ alone.

Thursday, July 22, 2021

1 Timothy 3:8-13

1 Timothy 3:8-13 

  I remember the old joke where someone mentioned that the approval rating of Congress was 17% and everyone wondered just what those 17% of people were thinking.  
  The reputation of certain bodies are taken for granted in many ways.  Purveyors of pre-owned automobiles are often all lumped into a similar category on the trust-worthy scale, whether they deserve it or not.  
  But think about the early Christian church -- they were shaping their reputation for the first time.  This was an entirely new entity, comprised of people from every part of society.  Society didn't have pre-conceived notions because it was all new.  Everyone was figuring them out along the way.  Therefore, it was very, very important who they chose as leaders, because that would, as Paul says, give confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
  I hope that we take this as seriously today.  It's still vitally important that all Christians think about how their choices reflect upon the reputation of the church, but particularly the leaders.  The reputation of the church today is already sealed in the minds of many, and we know the sad truth that the failures of many church leaders have turned people away from the church.  May we live in such a way that invites trust and curiosity in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

1 Timothy 3:1-7

1 Timothy 3:1-7 
  We've discovered, sadly, that many people in the public spotlight aren't great people in private.  I won't delve into any examples, but you don't have to look very hard to find stories about people not behaving kindly and having such actions exposed.  It's always disappointing to discover that someone you thought was a role model wasn't living a life worthy of emulating.
  The same is true in the church.  It's particularly devastating to discover church leaders who lack integrity.  No one expects (I hope) church leaders to be perfect, but there are certain qualities that should be evident in those selected for church leadership.  They should be the kind of people that encourage trust in the church, that reward those curious to learn more.  They should be the kind of people that, if the curtain were pulled back on their life, reveal no skeletons in the closet.  I'd argue that both women and men are qualified for leadership positions in the church, and they should be honest about their struggles, their weaknesses, their faults - in so doing, they encourage vulnerability, and let others know that the church is a safe place to wrestle with weakness.  Christ is our strength -- it's not supposed to be about us.  In humbly leading with a focus on Christ, the church is a place for the broken to come and find healing.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

1 Timothy 2:8-15

1 Timothy 2:8-15 

  The 21st century is a fascinating time to be alive.  I suppose that's always been true, but this is the only time I'm alive, so I'm wrapped up in the present.  We all are.  What's interesting is the way we read history through our present value system.  We've often cast aside context, and much is lost in doing so.  I always wonder it is about our present society that people will look back upon in 50-100 years and mock us for what we believed about certain things -- we do this to people from 100 years ago, but we forget that as time advances, values change.  It's wise for us to hold onto some humility and recognize this.
  When we first read Paul's words, they don't quite fit with modern thinking, do they?  But we can dive in and think about the situation he was writing to, and we can recognize that perhaps they don't mean quite what we might assume them to read. 
  For example, what if Paul was arguing for something quite countercultural, that women should be allowed to learn and to study, and shouldn't simply be focused on appearance?  If parts of society were opposed to that, it would be rather radical for Paul to advocate for their inclusion in studying religion, wouldn't it?  Let's remember that women are recorded as the first witnesses to the resurrection, and that's because the Gospels record the women as the most faithful disciples, the ones who went to the tomb when the male disciples were fleeing for their lives.  If the goal of early Christianity was to be fiercely patriarchal, don't you think they would have changed that and shown the men as the first to the tomb?
  And what if Paul was writing to Timothy in Ephesus, as some suppose, and the dominant religion/temple in Ephesus was a female-only cult, where women ruled the show and kept men in their place?  What if Paul is warning against this, and trying to cultivate an atmosphere where men and women are both encouraged to have the space to learn and study and lead in whatever ways are appropriate in a newly-forming congregation?  What if Paul is trying to build up women and men to free them from cultural and historical norms to develop a faithful listening to the Holy Spirit that they may each develop their gifts as they see fit?  Remember, Paul wrote in Galatians that there is no male or female in Christ, which isn't exactly a phrase you'd see penned by someone interested in championing a male-dominated religion.
  And as for the part about child-bearing, what if Paul is simply trying to help people see that as a blessing, not some cursed part of a woman's life that is filled with uncleanliness that might separate her from the community, as perhaps it had been previously thought?  
  Much of this is from N.T. Wright's commentary on Paul's pastoral letters.  For some of the more difficult passages in Scripture, it's helpful to find some resources to help you think about what they might have meant then, for what may seem outdated now was often revolutionary then.  The early church was radically level, for rich and poor, male and female.  That's worth celebrating, and can help us examine our own current times with a critical eye, to see how we might grow into a more equal church.
  

Monday, July 19, 2021

1 Timothy 2:1-7

1 Timothy 2:1-7

  Over the last few days, we rented a house on the shores of a lake.  We rented a boat one day, and as we trolled around the lake, we noticed a number of MASSIVE lake houses.  To own such a house, which likely is a second or third home, I assume that one has a sizable net worth.  It's easy to conclude that such a person would have all their needs met... but you'd be wrong.  Everyone needs prayer -- if I've learned anything in my years on this planet, it's that the brokenness of sin infects each and every person.  We find sin breaking our relationships, breaking our homes and our hearts.  It gets into everything, no matter how fast we run or how hard we deny it.  
  So we all need prayer.  From the richest person to the poorest, each and every one of us is in need of prayer.  May we spend some time in day for prayer for friends, for strangers, for loved ones, and for enemies, and may we give thanks that God's desire is for all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

1 Timothy 1:12-17

1 Timothy 1:12-17 

  The other morning, I walked into the kitchen to discover that the ice bin in our refrigerator had overflowed and there was water all over the floor.  It was disappointing, because the water overflowing indicated there was a problem somewhere else.  An overflow points to something, it teaches us something.  When a toilet overflows, it indicates there is a blockage somewhere.  When a river overflows, there is often something blocking the way of the river.
  Here, the grace of God is overflowing, and what it is indicating is that the God has come into the world to show us the immense love of God.  The overflow indicates that there is abundant grace for all.  Paul tells us about the intent of Jesus Christ -- to come into the world to save sinners -- and we're all sinners.  
  There is an overflow of grace, and it's all pointing back to an incredible love that God has for you.

Monday, July 12, 2021

1 Timothy 1:1-7

1 Timothy 1:1-7 

  I can't help but think of social media when I read these words.  In Paul's letter, he immediately dives into the controversy of the day, which is being stirred up by people who speak confidently, asserting things, without understanding what they are saying.  People try and say the Bible is an old, irrelevant book, and I can't help but smile when I read verses like this and think that people haven't changed.  Our technology certainly has changed, but there are plenty of people in the world today asserting all sorts of things without the full picture of what they're saying.  
  Paul sets up a test for us -- the aim is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.  We can test the words of one another -- are they rooted in love?  Can we trust that there is a sincere faith?  Does your conscience leave you reason to doubt?
  Pure love is what God shows for us on the cross.  It's utterly selfless, given freely.  Christ modeled this every day throughout his life.  May we be suspicious of those more focused on what is in it for them.  Paul raised a red flag two thousand years ago -- may we honor his teaching by watching carefully where we get our teaching!

Friday, July 9, 2021

Acts 6:1-7

Acts 6:1-7 

  The modern world is focused on entertainment -- it's where we as a culture spend our money the effortlessly.  Think of all the streaming services people subscribe to -- people want to be entertained.  Studios can't spend enough money making content, because there's a large and growing audience to consume it all.  Advertisers pour money into sporting events, knowing that live entertainment will capture millions of viewers, as lives often revolve around sporting events.
  The church is at its best when it is not focused on entertainment, but service.  A consistent theme we find throughout the early church is focusing on finding ways to serve.  Sometimes it's setting aside certain groups to serve, as we see here, while in other times the church is risking the lives of members to serve those who are sick.  The church looks to Christ who served at the cost of his own life, and knowing that we are served like that, we then are compelled to go out and serve others.

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1-2 

  I was thinking about art the other day.  Art speaks to beauty, pointing beyond itself to evoke something within us.  It reminds us that there is such a thing as true beauty, and great art captures that essence.  No work of art is perfectly beauty, but the best works have aspects that stir something within us, a longing for the true beauty that we are made for.
  One of the things I love about being a Christian is that we get to engage with the world and enjoy all the good things in it.  We can go to art museums and the theater and musicals and dramatic poetry readings and appreciate how that art is pointing beyond itself to the truest beauty there is -- we were all made to enjoy the beauty of God, the beauty that filled creation that caused God to declare it good, the beauty that we spend our lives searching for and enjoying when we find pieces and reminders of it.  
  Some day, there will be nothing but beauty.  Until then, let us spend our lives searching for it, enjoying it when we find it, and then inviting others to come and see the beauty and to hear about the God who made us to enjoy what is beautiful.

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Titus 1:1-4

Titus 1:1-4 

  What in your life can you really count on?  I will admit I take my car for granted -- it's not the newest car, but it starts every time I turn the key.  I simply expect it to, but there will come a day, unfortunately, when it stops doing that.  I realized yesterday that one of the locks doesn't always work -- I'd always just assumed it would work whenever I pushed the button, and now it has me wondering what's reliable and what isn't.
  There's so much in life that we count on that we never think about.  Maybe it's having food in the refrigerator, or a job.  Have you ever stopped and think about how much we take the internet for granted?  We don't usually, until it goes out -- and then suddenly you can't work the thermostat or lock the house.  What's truly reliable?
  Isn't it great that we can look to God, who never lies, who made promises before the ages began and will keep those promises?  The intricate ways in which the promises of God are realized throughout Scripture, which we see fully in the fulfillment of the OT prophecies in Jesus Christ, are amazing reminders of the reliability of God.  Whenever we start to wonder about what in life can be counted on, or we start to see other things fail around us, may we remember that God is always faithful, always reliable, always true.

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Acts 17:17-21

Acts 17:17-21

  I was thinking this past Saturday about the difference between remembering, understanding, and knowing.
  We can all remember lots of things.  We can remember random facts or something that happened to us years ago.  We remember where we parked the car (well, other people do.  This is not my strong suit.) and we remember birthdays of people close to us.  
  But we don't understand everything we remember.  There's a different level to move from remembering to understanding.  For example, I can recall the ingredients for some recipes, but I don't understand the ingredients well enough to know what I would substitute if I was missing one.  I remember facts about the dinosaurs, but I don't understand the historical timeline well enough to know when dinosaurs came and went from the earth.  On the other hand, I both remember the names of the parts of a car engine and understand how they work.
  Knowledge, however, is an even deeper level.  To truly know something means you remember the facts, you understand it, and you have intimate knowledge that allows you to teach this to someone else.  For example, mechanics have knowledge of a car engine to the extent they can take it apart and put it back to together.  I understand it, but don't know it well enough to assemble it.  
  Where are you in your life of faith?  It's one thing to remember certain Bible stories and facts about God.  It's another level to understand how these things come together and see the bigger narrative of faith.  It's a deeper level to know these things and how our life fits into the grand narrative we see in Scripture, to know that God loves you and longs for you to flourish, to know religious community and know how important it is to find a group of people you can trust to build knowledge of God and one another.
  We're called for more than remembering Bible verses.  We're called for more -- for knowledge of God, knowledge to the extent that it changes your life as you contemplate the immense love of God for you and the calling God has on your entire life.

Friday, July 2, 2021

Mark 10:32-34

Mark 10:32-34 

  Jesus Christ predicted his own death and resurrection, and then he was correct.
  What more can be said?  How can you not follow him?  Anyone who has such power... would be absolutely worthy of following, of hanging on every word.  This is the single most amazing prediction that anyone has ever made of their own life.  We should be in awe.  We've heard so much, we treat Jesus as though he's customary, and we've lost the ability to be in awe.  Here he is, predicting his death and resurrection... may we be continually amazed!

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Mark 10:13-16

Mark 10:13-16 

  In some ways, we take Jesus for granted.  We've heard the stories so many times, it's easy to not be amazed by them -- we forget that Jesus is, quite literally, God.  Jesus is fully human, fully God, which means that Jesus has the entire world in the forefront of his mind... and yet Jesus stops to welcome the children.  Such is the love and tenderness of God.  
  Now, it's easy to think about how God is tender towards everyone else.  But stop and consider that this is how God thinks of you -- God stops and welcomes you, with all of your joy and your fears and your wonder and your uncertainty.  God welcomes you, invites you in, and gives you the kingdom of God.  It's easy to think that God loves someone else like this -- we can do that well.  But think about the joy God has in receiving you as a child of God.  God takes YOU in God's arms and blesses you.  Revel in that.