Change

 

“Look among the nations ! Watch !
 Be horrified! Be frightened speechless !
 For I am accomplishing a work in your days—
You would not believe it even if you were told !"

A few weeks ago, God had me meditating on "new things."  The scripture that had leaped out to me was this one, in Habakkuk 1:5, that God is indeed does new things...which we wouldn't be able to believe, even if He told us.

It's a statement that raises profound theological questions.

We know that God is the same yesterday, today, and always.  We know that God's BE-ing--"I AM THAT I AM"--His Character, could we speak as if His Absolute One-ness comprises separate elements...is integrally manifest in His every act.

How then could God do or say something "new," something He'd never said or done before, except He act contrary to His unchanging Character...by lying, for example, or doing unrighteousness...and negate His Being ?

And that, of course, He has never done, and never will.  His promise to do a "new" thing can only be His accomodation, in human language, to our experience of God's Immediacy: His promise is that He will do things which we have never experienced before...or could even imagine.

Which is exactly God's Character, and exactly His unchanging way with us, always.  His perceptive worshippers learn to expect His "inscrutability," His unexpectedness.

Habbakuk's words have seemed especially relevant because a few months ago our church left the denomination it had been affiliated with.  And because of that change, the congregation had to choose its own pastor, which we'd never done before.  I think we all have a sense of excitement that God is right now doing a "new thing" among us.

But as God says to Habakkuk, "new" things...especially unimaginable new things...also elicit fear.  Even while we expect to be astounded by God, we are always most comfortable in life when "things" remain the same.  When our world...which we cannot help seeing as our personal circumstances...changes, so must our "world-view," if it's to be based in reality: and God is always The Reality.

Because of Who God IS, our "tried and true" (and therefore comfortable) thoughts and reactions must change to accommodate His "new things:" and frankly, we fear change.  And we deeply hate anything that requires we change.

I know I do.

It's undoubtedly God's intent in doing "new things," that we don't get comfortable except in His Reality.  And in His greatest "new" work, Christ's death and resurrection, He promises we can change.  For none but the changed can see His unimaginable works,  and welcome and rejoice in the astonishing continual "newness" of our unchanging "I AM."

General Milley

 

There are reports a soon-to-be-published book will claim that General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff sat down with the leaders of America's "war room" after the January 6th attack on the Capitol, and asked each to personally swear he would immediately notify Milley if ordered by the then-president to launch military action or nuclear missles.

When he received a call from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, questioning the security of America's nuclear arsenal in the then-president's control, Milley reassured her.  He then called the head of the National Security Agency to tell them "...keep watching, scan:" and called the head of the CIA to request her organization to "Aggressively watch everything 360."

General Milley then called his counterparts in other nations, friendly and unfriendly, who had put their militaries on high alert because of the chaos in Washington, to reassure them that America would NOT "lash  out" militarily in the last days of the then-president's administration.

If these reports are subsequently verified (and it's always unwise to take first "reports" at face-value), General Milley did the right thing in what he was said to have called "the absolute darkest moment of theoretical possibility."  His attempt to keep Americans...indeed, all the world's people...safe from nuclear immolation by an unhinged president is a higher law than any Constitutional provision could ever be.

I have to wonder if the situation General Milley had to deal with was, as we've heard about virtually every act of that president, "unprecedented" ?  Or did the nation's military leaders during Nixon's last-days mental and emotional melt-down also feel they had to act to keep America's nuclear arsenal secure from him ?

I wonder too why I wasn't on General Milley's call-list ?  LOL.  It would have saved me a lot of worry and stress...and I doubt I'm the only one...to have had top-level reassurance that our crazed president would not be able to destroy the world, to keep his hold on power.

What Year Is This ?

 

I'm not enough of Roman historian to know: but have to imagine that when Roman Christians began using the "Anno Domini," it was intended to differentiate them from their fellow Romans use of the Empire's AUC (anno urbis conditae, "year since the city's founding") dating-system.

A good intent, no doubt, to set themselves apart from "the world" and its ways.  But, at least in its English version, "the year of our Lord" has always sounded to me a bit arch, or even combative: "the year of OUR Lord (not yours)."

So I still remember how it forcibly struck me, reading "Pogo" some 60 years ago, when one of cartoonist Walt Kelly's characters referred to "the year of everybody's Lord."

The truth of those words hit me immediately, their spiritually-profound truth...in a newspaper-cartoon !!

Their truth still resonates with me.

Patriotism (again)

 

I'm a patriotic person.

If "patriotism" means loving one's country, I do.  How could I not love the only land and people I've ever known, and ever identified with ?

And I understand "love" to mean desiring, and striving for, all the BEST for the one you love.

Any Christian knows that the BEST for America...for any country...is God's favor.

So every 4th of July I have the same question: does God's favor rest on those whose "patriotism" consists of proclaiming "We're Number One !!" and "Hooray for us !!" ?

Poor, poor America !

 

Never Before Said

In the long history of the English language, probably every possible thought, and every possible combination of words, has been expressed millions of times.  Virtually all of our daily conversation consists of the same commonplace, pedestrian, predictable cliches.

It seems unlikely there can exist any sentence, phrase, or combination of words we can ever say in English that has not been spoken by some English-speaker, somewhere, before.

But maybe . . .

On Easter my wife and I were watching our church' worship-service online.  When that broadcast was over, for whatever computer reason, the broadcast switched to the worship-service of (I think) the National Cathedral in Washington.

Like many whose experience of worship is almost entirely "low church," I'm always intrigued by how the other half worships.

Not to ridicule, or make self-flattering comparisons.  It's always intriguing to see if there is, in other Christians' services, a sense of worshippers' hearts poured out in praise to God...and a sense of His Presence in their midst.

Quite often, there is.  And it's an elevating God-honoring experience to enter into the spirit of worship with our "high church" brothers and sisters.

So it was on Easter, although their service was definitely different than anything we are used to.

The sumptuous and colorful vestments of the dignitaries, and the towering mitre of the Bishop, all seemed quite foreign.  The energetic praise-songs of the black choir were less so: we've all enjoyed the rich music of America's black church, in numerous documentaries, if not in person.  A woman gave the sermon (which she would probably have called a "homily"): and while that's a bit non-standard in our "Evangelical" tradition, I've been a member of a "conservative" church whose pastor was a woman.

Her sermon was powerful, evincing, and elevating listeners in, ardent love toward God.  No question: she spoke God's word to God's people.

The rousing closing hymn, as choristers shouted loud "Hallelujah !!"s, raised the spirit of worship to even greater heights.  And as the dignitaries, led by the Bishop, processed down the aisle to leave, I could see many of them were so in the spirit of worship that they were, like David, dancing (a bit) before the Lord.

The lesser dignitaries were somewhat restrained, their dancing mostly some rhythmic swaying and bobbing with the music: feeling self-conscious, perhaps, of the weight of their office, and of public display.

The Bishop much less so.  I can't say he busted moves that would have won any dance-competition: but he gave his whole body to the spirit of worship, energetically enough that it seemed at times his mitre might fall off.

At that moment, I remarked to my wife what I think may be a completely unique English sentence, never before spoken by anyone, anywhere: "Man !  That bishop can really shake his booty !"

I'm thinking of patenting the words.

Tim's Passing

Our beloved brother Tim Smith, Onesimus, in Australia passed away last month.  Since coming to know them, Tim and his wife Margaret have been among those I take as exemplars of what it means to be believers.

When Tim received his diagnosis, he and Margaret immediately began to study everything scripture says about God healing His people.  I quickly realized that God had made Tim and Margaret my teachers: teaching not only what God says about healing, but also how every follower of Christ must face life seeking God's Presence with prayer and study of His word.

 In March, Tim posted the following blog.  I re-post his wisdom here in his memory.

[On Sunday I was asked to introduce communion at the church I attend. This is the text of my brief talk].

_____________________

When I was given a medical death sentence in 2019, I started to seek God for answers. In addition to studying scripture, I found healing testimonies on YouTube for encouragement.

One thing that stood out was a repeated reference to the taking of communion, how in the time leading up to their freedom from terminal illness – people had been led to take bread and wine daily, in remembrance of Jesus sacrifice.

Why was communion significant to them? I would like to briefly share the answer I found to that question.

(1 Cor 11:24-31) When He had given thanks, He broke the bread and said ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying ‘This is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgement to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep (have died).

This is the only NT reference I can recall addressing a reason for God’s people being sick enough to die. So, what did Paul mean when he wrote about eating and drinking unworthily – not discerning the Lord’s body?

I’ve come across three possibilities, all of which I think have value. Two address how we relate to one another as the body of Christ, but today I’ll look at one that addresses how we relate to Jesus and His sacrifice.

When we eat the bread and drink the wine, what are we remembering?

I suspect that a lot of the time we are thinking of being saved from our sins, having them washed away by His shed blood. Hebrews tells us there is no remission of our sins without the shedding of blood. That is why we drink the wine – the blood it represents was shed to establish the new covenant, bringing about a permanent solution to the sin that keeps mankind separated from God. There is no more need for constant animal sacrifices or journeys to the Temple in Jerusalem to make those sacrifices, that were required under the old covenant.

But what about the bread representing His body, broken for us?  The body that Paul says is not being ‘discerned’ correctly, thereby making room for sickness and death?

In Isaiah 53 we read: ‘He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains… He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes (the wounds from scourging) we are healed.’ (Isaiah 53: 4-5)

Here we see Jesus’ suffering and death was NOT only focused on dealing with our sin – it also included the bearing of our sickness and pain, and paying the price of our healing through the whipping that tore apart His flesh.

We have no difficulty remembering His sacrifice paid for our sin, and we have no problem believing that our sins are forgiven. We accept what scripture says to assure us of that. We willingly put our faith in God’s promise alone. That is all the evidence we have and need.

But what about healing? We have physical symptoms as a constant reminder.  We allow them to be more real to us than the promises of God’s word and Jesus’ sacrifice for our healing. But shouldn’t we put more faith in God’s word than in what we feel – like we do for forgiveness? Would we so willing deny our salvation if at times we didn’t ‘feel ‘saved?

Andrew Murray wrote over 100 years ago, ‘We see in the accounts of the gospels, that it was more difficult for the Jews at that time to believe in the pardon of their sins than in divine healing. Now it is just the opposite. (Divine Healing, Andrew Murray p 10;  – Murray died in 1917, )

Most of us have no trouble believing our sins have been dealt with by Jesus shedding His blood. But many have difficulty understanding that sickness was dealt with through the same sacrifice.  Shed blood and broken body working together as a single, all sufficient sacrifice for both spiritual and physical healing.

Psalm 103 gives us an ongoing reminder:

Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
Who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

As we eat and drink, let us be sure that we are not forgetting any of the benefits that the bread and wine remind us of. If you want to avoid the weakness, sickness and even death that Paul attributes to eating and drinking unworthily; make some time in your life to search the scriptures to reinforce what Jesus’ sacrifice was ALL about, so we don’t miss any of His benefits through ignorance of them.

False Weight and False Measure

 

"A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."    Deuteronomy 25:25

 

"False weights and measures - both are an abomination to The Lord."      Proverbs 20:10

 

I was amazed how often God thunders against "false weights" and "false measures." when one of those verses came to mind, and I looked up what scripture says on the subject.

Amazed too the importance He puts on it.  I usually think of "abomination" as His characterization of major sin.  And isn't making "...your days...long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you" ordinarily His blessing to the notably righteous ?

It's an offense to God when we deceive and cheat each other; I get that.  God's command that we "...be holy, as I AM Holy" extends to every aspect of our lives, including our behavior in business and commerce.  But don't we all, buyers and sellers, today deal almost exclusively with things pre-weighed, pre-measured, pre-priced and pre-packaged ?

Doesn't it seem that God must be talking about Middle Eastern markets of three millenia ago, more than anything in our experience ?

The church I attend just recently left the denomination it had been affiliated with.  There was a vote to choose a new name, since we could no longer legally call ourselves "Worden U.M.C. Church."

I didn't really get much excited about what name was chosen:  I'll be worshiping with the same folks I already know, the pastor will still be teaching the Bible straight, and the church will still have its same (we'd all admit, still imperfect) heart for obeying God and loving our neighbors.

And I doubt our name-change with make any difference to our neighbors, who already know the folks of our congregation, and our deeds.

I suppose our name-change could make a difference to people who don't know us.  If someone new in town was looking for a church with a God-ward heart, and thought "U.M.C." in a church' name was a sign of that, they'd now pass us by.

But that doesn't seem a wise way to find a Godly church.  The labeling is, at best, only an assertion of what's inside.

Being called a "church" is, after all, to claim a relationship...indeed, an identity...with Christ.  But even "United Methodist Church" congregations vary in the interpretation and weight they give Christ's teachings.  That was indeed the main reason our congregation left that denomination.

Giving false weight is an abomination to The Lord.

Likewise "false measure."  It's not just "unwise" to pick a church on the basis of its denomination: it's a false measure...because not God's measure.

"Church" itself can be a false measure, and frequently falsified.  The "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" is the pre-eminent example, of course: but many less-overt heretics falsely claim a relationship with Christ   God commended the believers of Ephesus for rejecting such people (Revelation 2:2)...even if they swell the "congregants" totals.

Every "buyer" knows...or should...that some "sellers" give false weight and measure.  Wise buyers will therefore verify the labellling, looking beyond the name on the package.  Any human organization, individual, or theology may give deceptive weight and measure: none should be trusted to infallibly mediate God's true word...and wise buyers will act accordingly.

Come down to it, a "buyer" who trusts labelling or brand-name is not only unwise, but himself guilty of giving false weight and measure, to what is not God's weight and measure.

-- This is emphatically not, however, to endorse the popular gloss on basic "Protestantism," that every man should interpret God's word for himself: which has produced innumerable murderous heresies and idiocies.  We must "...know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation..." (II Peter 1:20).

Certainly no wise person would put his unquestioning trust in what someone else claimed God says.  Even more will the truly-wise beware the deceitfulness of their own heart (Jeremiah 17:9), and never unquestioningly trust his own understanding of scripture (Proverbs 3:5) --

Josephus wrote that the Pharisees were greatly esteemed by the people of Jesus' time.  They had the reputation of flawlessly teaching the Law.  And not just talking the Law: they walked it.  They followed the Law so scrupulously that they even tithed to God one-tenth of their kitchen-spices.  Jesus Himself testified to that fact (Luke 11:42).

Jesus also excoriated them as hypocrites and blind guides, who missed "...the weightier provisions of the law" in their punctilious religiosity (Matthew 23:23).

Giving false weight is an abomination to The Lord.  Jesus pronounces woe to the Pharisees on that score.

And what of those who falsely measured the Pharisees as godly, and falsely gave "godly" weight to their teachings ?

What of those in our time who will follow none but "conservative Christian" leaders, for their strict "Biblicism," and put their unquestioning trust in the godliness of that faction and its teachings ?

Does that faction's embrace of lies and liars, of murderous "opinions" and men of violence, make any Christians re-think the measure and weight they give today's "conservative Christianity" ?

It should.  False weight and false measure are an abomination to the Lord.

Drawing the Line III

Thinking further on a couple 2013 posts:

Ted Williams was the last man in baseball to bat over .400 (.406 in 1941). He credited his visual acuity.  Williams claimed he could see the spin of the ball's stitches from the moment it left the pitcher's hand, letting him distinguish a fast ball from a curve, and anticipate the ball's motion and placement when it reached home-plate.

An interviewer asked Williams about his legendary batting skills. It was simple, Williams said: he made it an absolute rule to never swing at a ball unless he knew it would touch the strike-zone.

"But with your eyesight," said the interviewer, "couldn't you have hit pitches that were only a fraction of an inch outside the strike-zone.  Couldn't you have gotten even more hits that way, and increased your batting-average even more ?"

"No !" Williams said. "If I did that, where would I draw the line ?" 

Jesus drew the line.

He said He IS "...The Truth, and The Life" (John 14:6).  He said satan is "the father of lies," and a murderer (John 8:44).

For anyone with "eyes to see," the line couldn't be clearer.  It runs through EVERYTHING each man says, thinks, and does: Truth...or lies ?

America has just passed through a season when the line couldn't be clearer than it is in politics.

Many American Christians batted .000 for that season.

God, have mercy on the foolish misguided...and separate from us all those who love lies and murder !

Amen !!!

False Faith

 

“Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.”     --  Psalms 146:3

 

Some people are saying that our democratic system of government, “the people rule,” has saved us from the corrupt rule of evil men.

Don’t believe it.

The next time the majority of “the people” WANT to believe lies and follow violent men, our democratic system of government will make it happen again.

Scripture's warning probably also means we should put no trust in any political faction of men.

In the U.S., Republicans currently have a lock on the “lies and murder” demographic.  But next time “the people” WANT to follow liars and murderers, it could be Democrats, or the Prohibition Party, or the Green Party, who will give it to them.

Hatred and lies are always powerful political tools.  Whenever lies and murder are the desires of a majority in our democracy, nothing could be more CERTAIN than that some politicians will see their route to power is giving "the people" what they want..

“Do not put your trust...in human beings..."

And therefore...do not put your trust in "the rule of the people"...