Monthly Archives: May 2012

Entering the Kingdom of God

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“Holy Trinity with Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist and Tobias and the Angel”, Sandro Botticelli, 1444.

John 3:1-17
For Sunday June 3, 2012
Trinity Sunday

These verses do indeed talk about being “born again” but only as a means to an end. What is the end? Entering the kingdom of God.  Where is the kingdom of God? Wherever God’s will is being done.  What is God’s will? Not to condemn the world but to save it.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Point to ponder:
Have you believed in Jesus so that you may not perish? If not, why not? If so, how are you finding life in the kingdom of God?

Image credit:
from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55256 [retrieved May 31, 2012].

Cedar Of Lebanon

One of the cedars of Lebanon in the Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve. (Photo courtesy Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve)

Psalm 29
For Sunday, June 3, 2012
Trinity Sunday 

Judging by the picture above Cedars of Lebanon are not easily shaken.  This is the point of Psalm 29.  So powerful is the Lord’s mere voice that it shakes even these.

“May the Lord give strength to his people.  May the Lord bless his people with peace!” (v. 11).

The Vision of Isaiah 6

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Donald Jackson, “Vision of Isaiah”, from St John’s Bible

Isaiah 6:1-8
For Sunday,  June 3, 2012

Often when I’m in church and the pastor is preaching from a specific text I want to know more about the passage itself. Are we trying so hard as evangelicals to be relevant that we short-change both the inherent relevance of the texts we present as well as the ability of the Holy Spirit to bring life-changing understanding to our hearers? Isaiah 6:1-8 is a text begging to be mined and proclaimed.

First, there is the idea that God is both transcendent above us yet immanently with us.  What could be better than a God who is both all-powerful and immediately accessible?  This is the God whom we Christians worship.

Second, there is the description of the Seraphs.  These are not angels but special attendants to the throne room of God.  They cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”  Some interpreters think in these three cries of Holy are acknowledgements of each person of the Trinity.

Third, there is the Seraph purifying Isaiah’s mouth and life.  Isaiah hears the Lord saying, “Who will go for us?” and his response is a joyful, “Here I am, send me!”

This text invites us to become purified, called, and emboldened just as Isaiah was.

O For a Thousand Tongues

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Pentecôte, Jean II Restout, 1732 (via Wikipedia).

Acts 2:1-22
For Sunday, May 27, 2012
Pentecost Sunday 

I caught part of a television sermon last weekend in which the preacher mentioned that if the Holy Spirit wanted to make an impact by having everyone “speak in tongues” who are we to question his method?  The problem with this really stems from the translation that the New International Version (NIV) uses when it reads, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”  A better translation would be “… speak in other languages …”  The context makes this clear: the point is that Jews from many nations who were gathered in Jerusalem were hearing a group of Galileans speaking these expatriate Jews native languages when there was no practical way for them to have known these languages.  I will grant that the NIV at least translates consistently the same Greek word used in vv. 3 and 11, but to translate it as “tongues” given what this word connotes at least within Christian circles might be considered dubious.

The Holy Spirit’s method was not as obtuse as the television preacher was suggesting.  What was happening on Pentecost was not a bunch of people clambering, “Yabba Dabba Doo, I want that too!”.   Rather, God himself was announcing in the person of the Holy Spirit that the gospel, the good news of forgiveness through Christ, was not just for the Jews, and not just for others living within national Israel, but that it was for every tribe, tongue (read “language”), and nation on earth.

There is hope for your people and my people not because we’re number one or your number one, but because God is number one and he’s not giving up on any of us.  Good news for us, yes?

betrayal and the purpose of God

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The Apostle Matthias. Workshop of Simone Martini.

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
For Sunday, May 20, 2012
Seventh Sunday of Easter 

Often it is the betrayal of those closest to us that hurts the most. Imagine how the original twelve disciples must have felt when one of their own, Judas, turned out to be a traitor to their cause. This wasn’t just any cause: this was Jesus, supposed Savior of the World.  “Judas, how could you do it?!”

In these verses the Apostle Peter offers some helpful guidance for dealing with betrayal.  First, says Peter, recognize that betrayal will happen.  Peter quotes Psalm 69:25 which speaks of a place being deserted.  The discerning reader may ask, “But how does Peter get from a place being deserted to Judas deserting Jesus?”  Peter is not suggesting that Psalm 69:25 predicted Judas’ betrayal.  What he is suggesting is that Psalm 69 in its entirety speaks to how to find God when one is in over one’s head.  The Psalm teaches that whilst we may find ourselves in such a predicament God is still there, still sovereign, and will show the way forward.  Betrayal will happen but God is still present.

Second, says Peter, remember that God’s purpose is bigger than betrayal.  Peter now quotes Psalm 109:8.  Just as with the quotation above Peter is not thinking of this verse in isolation.  He is thinking of the Psalm as a whole.  David Gooding notes in his commentary on Hebrews (one of my favorites on Hebrews and one of my favorite commentaries period) that quotations from the Psalms often function like prophetic icebergs.  One verse is visible above the surface, but there is a lot more going on in the depths beneath.  Psalm 109 speaks of wicked and deceitful men and what to do about them.  What should be done?  “Let another take his place of leadership.”  Men may betray God’s purpose, but God’s purpose is bigger than betrayal.

The betrayal of Judas was a volcanic explosion yet it is just such upheavals that produce the richest of soil in which future growth can flourish.  Matthias took Judas’ place. He flourished as the gospel flourished in the rich soil created by a terrible betrayal.

Stinging from a betrayal?  Remember, God is still here, and his purpose is bigger than whatever betrayal has befallen you.

Reader’s corner
Have you been blessed by this blog?  Might you then take a minute to contribute to it?  My ambition is to serve and bless others through this ministry of writing and feedback of would be a blessing to others and feedback of both a reinforcing or constructive variety is invaluable.  Thank you!

a gospel for every people … and more

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“Pentecost”, István Dorffmaister
1782, Oil on canvas, 55 x 33 cm
Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest

For Sunday, May 13, 2012
Sixth Sunday of Easter

Once again this week I’ve decided to offer some commentary on each of this week’s readings. There is such great refreshment and encouragement to be found in each of these passages, each of which point to the resurrected Jesus of this Season of Easter.

Acts 10:44-48: A Gospel for Every People
In this passage the Holy Spirit falls upon those hearing Peter’s words. The “circumcised believers” (a.k.a. Jewish Christians) who had come with Peter were astounded that the Holy Spirit was being poured out not only on Jews but on Gentiles (non-Jewish peoples) as well. The reason they knew this was happening was that they heard these Gentiles “speaking in tongues” (v. 46). The NIV contains an important footnote indicating that speaking “in tongues” can also be translated as speaking “in other languages”. The Greek word used here, ‘glossa’, means literally “tongue” but with reference to a known language that has not been naturally acquired. Given the context of Jewish Christians being surprised that the Holy Spirit was being poured out on non-Jews as well, it seems reasonable to conclude that what these Gentiles were speaking was not glossolalia (unintelligible sounds) but rather other (known) languages.

The larger point of the passage is that the gospel was not intended to elevate the Jewish people above all others, but rather to bless all peoples of the earth beginning with the Jews. In a world torn apart by ethnic strife this can be good news indeed: the gospel is for everyone and is the means by which every nation on the earth can be blessed and in fact will be blessed.

Psalm 98: A New Song
This passage encourages us to sing a “new song” to the Lord because he has done “marvelous things” (v. 1). What are these marvelous things? Several are listed but the one I would like to focus on is that God has “remember(ed) his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.”
The Hebrew word used here for “steadfast love” is ‘hesed’. This is one of the beautiful words of the Hebrew Scriptures that ties them together. Hesed is the same word used throughout the book of Ruth to communicate how the love of Boaz and the love of God repeatedly saved her from disaster.
God has shown us his ‘hesed’, his steadfast love, his unwavering affection, in providing a way for us to return to Him through the death and resurrection of His one and only Son Jesus.

1 John 5:1-6: The Connection Between Grace and Obedience
What is the gospel really all about, grace or obedience? This passage shows this to be a false dichotomy. We become Christians by “believing that Jesus is the Christ (in other words, the one “sent by God to save us from our sins”). Yet those who believe this invariably demonstrate this by loving God and his children. This love is expressed through their obedience to the way of Christ. Obedience does not bring us into grace but it is the inevitable expression of grace.

We can’t get away with saying we love God without obeying him. Nor can we get away with loving God while refusing to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. Listen carefully to the Spirit on this: is there a brother or sister in Christ from whom you have withheld love? What does the grace of God compel you to do about it?

John 15:9-17: The Secret to a Fruitful Life
Would you like to live a joyful, peaceful, and fruitful life? Here’s the secret: abide in the love of God. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love” (v. 9). What does it mean practically to “abide” in God’s love? The Greek word used here, ‘meno’, means “to dwell, endure in, or be present in”. How has God wired you to be present in his love? For me, writing this blog is part of it, which is ultimately what I enjoy so much about it. What most helps you to be present in the Lord’s love. Go to that thing, and continue in it. If you will do this, then no matter the trials and discouragements that come your way, you can rest in the assurance that you will be fruitful beyond your wildest imagination, for the Father will give you whatever you ask in the name of his Son, Jesus (v. 16).