For Sunday, May 25, 2008
Isaiah 49:8-16a
Proper 3

Whenever I read prophecies about Jerusalem I come back to the question of how to understand them. Are they referring to Jerusalem in history, Jerusalem in its present state, or Jerusalem in its heavenly state? One of my seminary professors provided a very helpful metaphor for forming an answer to this question: the prophetic telescope. The idea is that when you look through a telescope distances get compressed. An object much farther away can appear to be next to a much nearer one. In the same way, the prophetic telescope compresses chronology. Often immediate fulfillment appear alongside more ultimate ones.

Such appears to be the case here. Some of this prophecy may indeed have been fulfilled in post-exilic Israel. Some may have found its fulfillment with the restoration of the Jewish state in 1948. Yet the ultimate fulfillment clearly has not yet been realized and so is most likely to come with the establishment of the heavenly Jerusalem. This seems consistent with the Apostle Paul’s own understanding in Gal. 4:24-31, where he says, “But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother” (v. 26). Note too that what is above now will be coming down then, because not only is God creating a new heaven, but a new earth.

So ultimately Isaiah 49 is a vision of God’s people in God’s place, and for those of us who believe, and who are members of the church, we are already experiencing a foretaste of what this blessing will be. It will be a place of fidelity, where desolate land and inheritances are restored. Captives will be set free and those in darkness will discover new light. There will be food and pasture in plenty, without scorching sun, hunger, or thirst.

What should our response be to this? “Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.” May our lives this day and this week reflect the comfort and compassion the Lord has already showered upon us.

One practical way to do this is to enjoy a Sabbath rest this Sunday. Don’t worry about all those household projects or all that mail that needs attention. Let your priority today be to receive comfort and compassion from your Heavenly Father who loves you and blesses you so richly. Rest, be refreshed, and rejoice.

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Sunday, May 11, 2008

Why among the cultural elites is it okay to be a skeptic on some topics, like Christianity, but not on others, like global warming? Regarding the latter, there are some questions that keep rattling around my brain loud enough to snap me out of the cultural stupor that seems to hypnotize so many:

• What caused the end of the last Ice Age if it wasn’t SUV’s?
• If the earth is millions of years old what meaningful conclusions can be drawn from a slice of data that is only 150 years wide?
• To what extent might increased solar activity explain recent warming?
• To what extent might asphalt explain measurements indicating recent warming?

It amazes me that in my State of Wisconsin we’ve already mandated 10% ethanol, largely as a response to global warming, only to discover that having done so has both increased costs of both fuel and food, and actually creates more greenhouse gas than it eliminates.

Here is a website that seems to have a good deal of helpful information for informed thinking on the topic of global warming: http://www.globalwarmingheartland.org/index.cfm.

It profoundly bothers me that I am being forced to put ethanol in my gas tank almost as much as it bothers me that I will soon be forced to use inferior light bulbs in my house. I’m all for environmental stewardship but this is not it.

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Acts 1:6-14
For Sunday, May 4, 2008
Seventh Sunday of Easter (Ascension Sunday)

One of the benefits of worshipping based on the Revised Common Lectionary is to have a sense of continuity throughout the year. Easter doesn’t just come and go. It endures. Maybe this is why there are seven Sundays of Easter on the calendar.

Now that Christ is ascendant what is to be the focus of our lives? Too often we get caught up in the cultural concern of the day and miss what ought to be our priority. This was true of the first generation of disciples. Their concern immediately after Jesus’ resurrection was understandably to know when Jesus was going to set up his government to replace the despised Romans. While this was the cultural concern of the day, Jesus’ concern was elsewhere: “you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:7). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary says the entire book of Acts can be summarized in that phrase. This is what the Book of Acts is about. This is what the first century believers were about. They took up the challenge, were blessed immeasurably, and changed the world.

How would I like to be blessed immeasurably while being part of a movement that changes the world? All that is required is a shift in my concerns. What is the cultural concern of our day? Maybe establishing successful careers, raising healthy families, or even finding oneself. We will only find true and lasting success when we align our lives with God’s mission to the world. “You will be my witnesses.”

With regard to being witnesses, in my last post I said that I would let you know what happened at the art fair we attended. We conversed with a couple of artists and mentioned our former work as missionaries in Russia. Circumstances didn’t allow us to carry that conversation further, but even that was a witness to what God is doing in the world. Maybe there will be a conversation this week in which I can go farther, and ask for instance, “Has anyone ever shared with you the central message of Christianity?”

So many of us work in the marketplace, which is such a strategic platform. The relational networks are vast and the opportunities to be a witness are staggering. Let’s seize the day that the adventure, blessing, and impact of the first century church might be ours as well.

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