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Tomorrow is our last Sunday at the church we've attended for 4+ years, and in which Sean has been the Assistant Pastor for the last 2+. He has accepted a call to solo pastor another local church, and we're thrilled at being a part of what the Lord is doing there. It is a double blessing to be able to stay in our beloved home town...we know what a rare treat that is, but the Lord is GOOD!
Sean's "public" wardrobe is changing, as well...here's a sneak peek: 
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Posted in Church
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I've been seeing on several news sites that many churches are cancelling Sunday morning worship because Christmas falls on a Sunday this year. Some of the justifications given include: "Christmas is a family day" ,"Our attendance will be lower than normal anyway", and my personal favorite, "it's too much for a pastor to have to do Christmas Eve and Christmas morning services so close together".
To which I say, BAH! Humbug! Has the church really lost its priorities to such a degree? Have seeker-sensitive churches morphed into seeker-run optional social activities? When did the church become a business closed on major holidays? Since when do God's people let attendance percentages determine whether or not they will forsake the assembly? Are we now to be nervously waiting in the wings to see if they'll cancel Easter, too?
Fine. They can go ahead and cancel their services. The King of Kings has taken on flesh, but they will not come and worship with his body. The Prince of Peace has come to redeem a people unto himself, but they will not come and sing his praise with the saints. God Incarnate calls us to his table, to receive his blessing, but they will not come, and give him thanks with their brethren.
A wedding is coming. A wonderful feast is even now being prepared for the day when the groom comes to take his bride. Let us go and give homage to the King and rejoice in his appearing, that we may also have the joy of dancing at his Wedding.
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I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.-- 3John1:4 Yesterday contained one of those "most precious moments" for our family. Our second-born 7 year old son's membership status was changed from non-communicant to communicant. That may not sound very exciting in black and white, but the backstory makes the occasion. We believe that children born into covenant families are covenant members. God sets his sign and seal on them at their baptism, and they are accounted as members of the covenant community. Our children have never hear a sentence that began, "when/if you become a Christian..." I can go into the why and how of that in another blog, but for now let me just say that their lives move through the rhythm of repentance, forgiveness and dependence from their earliest days. So Andy's public confession of Christ and identification with His bride were not a surprise. We were not celebrating a new convert to the faith. Andy's public confession was an echo of the things he has always believed to be true. We've heard the same words coming out of his lips many times. So why was yesterday so momentous? Yesterday was a wonderful milestone in our young man's life because it was a testimony of God's faithfulness, kindness and mercy. His believing grandparents were blessed to see God keeping his promise to be God to them and to their children, and to their children's children. Andy bore witness to the faithfulness of his covenant-keeping God, who was and still is keeping the promises He made to Andy at Andy's baptism. Further, it was a day of great joy as Andy was, by the session, admitted to the Lord's Table. This was Andy's chief aim in going before the session. He has been taught, from the moment he was old enough to notice the communion elements being passed down the pew, that participation in the Lord's Supper is something greatly to be desired. God's adopted sons and daughters are called by their Father to come and sit at His table. They are called to fellowship with Himself and one another as they partake of the family meal. They are invited to participate in a precious means of grace in which we are fed by the Lamb, of the Lamb, to become more and more like Him. So why was yesterday so momentous? Because my sweet son was granted the desire of his heart, to partake of the covenant meal with the rest of the covenant community. Because my darling boy testified to the gracious faith-keeping of the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, his grandparents, and his parents. Because my little man publicly assumed the mantle of a covenant keeper. Because my precious child is walking in truth. To God be the glory! |
Posted in Church
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I had one of those "aha!" moments in church last Sunday. The topic of forgoing the assembly of the saints came up in Sunday School and I went down a mental rabbit trail.
I have always equated sharing my faith with evangelism. To share my faith meant to share the gospel, or at least to live the gospel in front of others. But as I sat in the back row, looking at the people in this congregation that I love, I realized that there is another aspect of sharing my faith. Being with these beloved saints and corporately worshipping with them is sharing our common faith with one another.
I am blessed to be in a church body that loves to "one another". People love to give and serve and show kindess in many practical ways, and it all proceeds from this common faith that we share with each other as we worship the Lord as the bride of Christ. I'm encouraged to be intentional in sharing my faith in the assembly of the saints, as well as with those who are as yet strangers to the faith. |
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as requested by MarinesWife
1 Peter 2:11-3:12 This is the second section of exhortation in the letter. In the first part, Christians are called toward holiness. In this section, they are exhorted to submission. The key to understanding the section lies in verse 12: "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." It is imperative that we live our lives in such a way that unbelievers can tell there is a difference between our way of living and theirs. With that idea constantly in mind, Peter outlines four different areas in which Christians are to be in submission, and gives us an idea of what that kind of submission would look like.
1. Civil government "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right." 2:13-14 How do we demonstrate submission? "Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king." 2:17 I think Christians often think the way to submit to governors is to obey the civil law. I think more is in view here. We ought to show respect and honor, to the office and to the people holding them. That doesn't mean we agree with everything they say or do, but it also means "gritting your teeth and obeying the law" is not sufficient to demonstrate submission. It is possible to deal with an enemy honorably and with respect, so it is also possible to similarly treat a governor, regardless of our like or dislike of his views or actions. This is not how the pagans act...we are called to live differently.
2. Worldly Masters "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh." 2:18 How do we demonstrate submission? By showing respect (v. 18) and suffering injustice, with Christ as our example. My husband works part-time at a local University and full-time at a local factory while he is also pastoring. Without naming names or pointing fingers, I can easily identify areas and circumstances where he is treated unjustly. I'm sure most wives can think of injustices our husbands have been handed in their work environments. A Christian is called to respect his employer, regardless of that employer's merit. He is also called to suffer injustices with the same attitude that the Lord Jesus showed. Listen to what Peter says: "But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:20-23 This is not how the pagans act...we are called to live differently. 3. Wives to husbands. "Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives" 3:1-2 This is a commonly visited passage for women desiring to biblically submit to their husbands. What does submission to a husband look like? Obedience and respect are the textbook answers. Peter exhorts us to at least two more. The first is to be beautiful. That's a surprising answer, but it's right there in the text! The beauty Peter speaks of is that of the gentle and quiet spirit that is precious to the Lord. So when we cultivate gentleness and quietness (in spirit, thought, action, speech...), we are submitting to our husbands. The second is to be fearless like our foremother, Sarah. This is a hard thing to accomplish in 21st century America, but it is Peter's exhortation nonetheless. We need to let go of the reins that our husbands desire to take, and do so without worrying about what will happen if he forgets to make the mortgage payment, or if he wants to change jobs, or move to a different location, or change churches, or use a different curriculum. We show submission to our husbands by trusting in the One who leads our husbands. This is not how the pagans act...we are called to live differently. 4. The Brethren "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." 3:8 What does submission to the brethren (particularly, the local church) look like? Peter gives a list from verse 8 to verse 12, and none of these need special explanation, but there is one that stuck out to me: seeking and pursuing peace in the body of Christ. This is one way we can dramatically stand out from the world. Seeking peace is hard, because it often requires refusing to fight for what we think is right or important. Our congregation is going through growing pains as our attendance has grown past the capacity of our current facility. There are all kinds of decisions and plans and discussions occurring about the best way to handle this wonderful problem. We can handle it one of two ways. The first way would be for people to debate, persuade, convince, argue, pressure, etc., until the ones with the most power and influence get their way. The other way is to honor the desires of others over ourselves. To fall all over each other in trying to make sure our brothers' concerns are met. To refuse to grumble about decisions made or coalition-build to guarantee the outcome of later decisions. This is not how the pagans act...we are called to live differently, that they may see our good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. |
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Let me say up front that I think art is cool. When done excellently, art can reflect the beauty and wonder of creation and the glory and power of the Creator. Disclaimer over...
I recently heard some Christian artists talking about their vision for their work. They want to learn a "visual vocabulary" so that they can present the gospel in the world of visual art. Their argument is that our culture is more and more visual, and if Christians want to communicate with this culture, we must speak their language.
I can't get this idea off the brain. There are certainly many ways to engage the culture that are appropriate and effective. The more I consider it, the more I think that visual art is not one of those ways. Here are a few reasons why:
1. The interpretation of visual art is subjective. Ten people can look at the same piece of art and come up with 10 different ideas as to what the artist meant to communicate. This is especially true the more abstract the art is. I've seen "christian" abstract art. Not only am I unable to discern any message at all, but I would be hard pressed to prove that it was done by a human...(and lest you think I am exaggerating, you should see the elephant art at our local zoo). This kind of communication is postmodernism par excellence...the meaning of the art is whatever meaning you assign it. The viewer assigns the meaning more so than the artist. This is not a form of communication that works well if a specific message is intended to be understood.
2. Entering the postmodern culture with more postmodernism is redundant and ineffective. The problem with Christian artists wanting to jump into the postmodern fray is that they are in danger of becoming just another ingredient in the soup. As long as Christians are offering their work up as one option among many other options, they will communicate nothing. The worst example of this is a bookstore chain that markets itself as a "Christian Lifestyle Store"...as if the Christian lifestyle is on a par with all the other lifestyles out there. This kind of thinking does not set Christianity against the postmodern culture, but rather adds Christianity to the list of equally valid choices within the culture. If the Christian artist submits himself to the "home field rules", he cannot communicate against them.
3. Postmodern subjectivism leaves room for rebellion. Viewer one looks at a piece of art and subjectively interprets (assigns) the meaning. Viewer two does the same, but comes up with a meaning opposite to that of viewer one. Who is right? In this culture, they both are right. Christians cannot operate or communicate in this manner. The truth is at stake.
4. We ought not forget the way in which we have received truth. God spoke and wrote. Prophets wrote and spoke. Laws were written. Epistles were written and read aloud. Psalms were sung. These are all verbal exercises. Christians are people of the Word. Visual elements are not to be despised--the Temple was beautiful, the high priest's clothing was exquisite, the ark of the covenant was made with great craftsmanship. But these visual elements were not sufficient to communicate truth. Even in worship today, the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Table are not visual only; they are always accompanied by the Word.
I do not mean to argue that art is useless. I do not believe that is the case. Beauty is the province of those who belong to the Lord! Christian artists should do it well, and so glorify the Lord. Christian art, and the enjoyment of all things excellently done, should set the church apart from the world. But in engaging the world, we must take care in what we say.
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Here's a "wondering": what if the state, after proclaiming mandatory evacuations, provided bus transportation to safe shelters, ensuring that everyone in the city could get out of town if they wanted to do so? I'm sure it would be expensive, but hardly more so than what is currently happening. People who chose to stay in the area would effectively be waiving their "right" to government evacuation after the fact. A mandatory evacuation would then really be mandatory, and everyone would have the opportunity to obey the state's order...those who chose not to would accept the circumstances.
Even better, what if area churches came down with their busses and rounded up any and all of the poorer folk who have no means to get out?
I can't help feeling like we (the church) should have done something earlier. We had days of warning that something awful was going to happen. I hate to think that we may have forgotten that we are to look out for the widows, orphans, and poor. Many congregations are now stepping up to the plate and seeking to house and otherwise serve those who have lost everything, and may God bless their service...maybe we can be more proactive next time and offer help during the days before the catastrophe.
James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. |