Week after week, the same sermon is preached at church: sin is bad, don't do it. Sin is REALLY bad, stop! Shame on you for even THINKING of sinning! Here are forty things that we think are sin, you should stop doing them.
It makes me so very tired. It doesn't move me. I'm not convinced. I am not buying it. Sure, sin is bad and you shouldn't do it. There are a lot of good things you should do and bad things you shouldn't. But this information--or even the emotions it evokes--are absolutely worthless for producing righteousness. It looks great, but it's just the law, with no power to save or make holy. It has no hold on me--except to kill. And it has little in it to awaken the faith that actually produces righteousness.
I want to hear about our hope! I want to talk about the future return of the King who will bring all things under his government! I want to envision all the justice, beauty, nobility, holiness and peace of that day and feel humbled and challenged by the invitation to have a part in it. It is really real! We will see him and be like him! Those who have this hope will purify themselves.
Those who spend their time looking at their flesh and attempting to deal with the unending results of faithlessness--will they notice when Jesus returns, or will they be too busy "examining themselves" to look up and SEE?
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Blessed!
The beatitudes: blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth, blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled, blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see the face of God, blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted, etc. Here is an awesome set of verses that inspire us to endure when we suffer--WHY we can endure. Are these verses suggesting spiritual masochism, being sad should make you happy? If you aren't being persecuted, you must not be Christian enough? Try to mourn more, God likes that. Hunger and thirst for righteousness MORE--come on, you can do it!
No. I don't think this verse is lifted up primarily to tell us to be as oppressed and depressed as possible. I think it is rather instruction on how to endure such season. Think of it this way:
Let's say I buy something on the internet that I've wanted a long time. I used my paypal account and sent $100 for it. It will arrive in six weeks. Now, I can't do any more shopping because my money is gone. Poor me. I'm living without my $100! Now, we don't think that, that's dumb! We spend our time clicking our heels together because that thing is in the mail! We don't focus on the suffering of being without the $100--we focus on the excitement of waiting for what is certainly coming. "Blessed are those without $100, for your package is coming by UPS."
If you bear the fruit the believer: purity of heart, meekness of spirit, being persecuted in this world, mourning, longing....you can know that "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." Far outweighs them all? We paid $100 and God is sending 1000 of those things we wanted? A solid gold one? One worth so much more it is absurd to even compare the value of what we don't have with what's coming? Wow, that's awesome. I'm blessed!
No. I don't think this verse is lifted up primarily to tell us to be as oppressed and depressed as possible. I think it is rather instruction on how to endure such season. Think of it this way:
Let's say I buy something on the internet that I've wanted a long time. I used my paypal account and sent $100 for it. It will arrive in six weeks. Now, I can't do any more shopping because my money is gone. Poor me. I'm living without my $100! Now, we don't think that, that's dumb! We spend our time clicking our heels together because that thing is in the mail! We don't focus on the suffering of being without the $100--we focus on the excitement of waiting for what is certainly coming. "Blessed are those without $100, for your package is coming by UPS."
If you bear the fruit the believer: purity of heart, meekness of spirit, being persecuted in this world, mourning, longing....you can know that "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." Far outweighs them all? We paid $100 and God is sending 1000 of those things we wanted? A solid gold one? One worth so much more it is absurd to even compare the value of what we don't have with what's coming? Wow, that's awesome. I'm blessed!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Provoking
Well, I have done it again. I took some of the kids and went to church. I really want to sing to God and pray for others and do the stuff you can't do alone. I want more perspectives in my life than just my own. But it causes a whirl wind of strife here.
I like this church because the pastor is mostly just reading scripture with a little commentary--hard to go too far wrong with that. The worship is pleasant--a mix of mostly choruses with a few hymns, staying mostly to lyrics with some depth and away from the chanting/god is my boyfriend tripe that sounds like it was created by a random religious gobbledegook generator. The people are nice, laid back, and have a long history of commitment to each other.
After church, we loaded up into the car, and the kids started in: "Mom, a kid in Sunday School said we read the bible to go to heaven. Why did he say that? I thought only Jesus has been to heaven? You don't get saved by reading the Bible! You have to have faith in Christ!" I explained that while heaven may be a misnomer, what they mean is that the Bible does tell about God's plan to bring us to him, and how in the end heaven and earth will be made one. In my head, I wonder if I am being entirely honest when I say that our hope of resurrection is the same thing as their hope of heaven. Is it?
At home, the drama continues as my husband picks up the slip they were given in Sunday School. It says, "Write down a verse that will improve your relationship with God." He goes on to have a fit about the kids being encouraged to doubt the security of their connection to the Father, and complain about the suggestion that they have the power to affect it. I grind my teeth and ask, "Don't you think believing more deeply in that truth would improve your end of that relationship? Sure, we are connected to God by his action and power not our own, but can't we better enjoy that by deepening our faith?"
We got to go to a potluck with the same church folks in the afternoon. It was pleasant. I hate starting over with yet more acquaintances. I don't need to meet more people, really, do I? I feel like I know everyone in town, and yet I am isolated.
The day ended with my six year old making the pastor's kid cry by telling him he isn't a Christian because he wouldn't share his toys.
I want some stinking common ground! Can we agree that the law will kill us? Can we set our goal as faith in the grace of God? Does anyone have a vision that God will call me to? I want a wheel that I can put my shoulder too, together with my brethren!
But no. Clean the house. Teach the kids. Feed the animals. Pull the weeds. Is community just us and our kids and our acquaintances? I don't want to teach my kids that all the other believers on earth are crazy. I want them to have a chance to feel they are part of something larger.
I like this church because the pastor is mostly just reading scripture with a little commentary--hard to go too far wrong with that. The worship is pleasant--a mix of mostly choruses with a few hymns, staying mostly to lyrics with some depth and away from the chanting/god is my boyfriend tripe that sounds like it was created by a random religious gobbledegook generator. The people are nice, laid back, and have a long history of commitment to each other.
After church, we loaded up into the car, and the kids started in: "Mom, a kid in Sunday School said we read the bible to go to heaven. Why did he say that? I thought only Jesus has been to heaven? You don't get saved by reading the Bible! You have to have faith in Christ!" I explained that while heaven may be a misnomer, what they mean is that the Bible does tell about God's plan to bring us to him, and how in the end heaven and earth will be made one. In my head, I wonder if I am being entirely honest when I say that our hope of resurrection is the same thing as their hope of heaven. Is it?
At home, the drama continues as my husband picks up the slip they were given in Sunday School. It says, "Write down a verse that will improve your relationship with God." He goes on to have a fit about the kids being encouraged to doubt the security of their connection to the Father, and complain about the suggestion that they have the power to affect it. I grind my teeth and ask, "Don't you think believing more deeply in that truth would improve your end of that relationship? Sure, we are connected to God by his action and power not our own, but can't we better enjoy that by deepening our faith?"
We got to go to a potluck with the same church folks in the afternoon. It was pleasant. I hate starting over with yet more acquaintances. I don't need to meet more people, really, do I? I feel like I know everyone in town, and yet I am isolated.
The day ended with my six year old making the pastor's kid cry by telling him he isn't a Christian because he wouldn't share his toys.
I want some stinking common ground! Can we agree that the law will kill us? Can we set our goal as faith in the grace of God? Does anyone have a vision that God will call me to? I want a wheel that I can put my shoulder too, together with my brethren!
But no. Clean the house. Teach the kids. Feed the animals. Pull the weeds. Is community just us and our kids and our acquaintances? I don't want to teach my kids that all the other believers on earth are crazy. I want them to have a chance to feel they are part of something larger.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Scary God
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Doesn't that scare the crap out of you? He says a word, and an entire universe comes into being? No wonder they decided to come up with something less frightening-- like random pointlessness. I am kind of freaked out by a god (a god!) that makes stuff like that. He isn't like the nice Jesus paintings in Sunday School, not very huggable, not very waiting-to-hold-my-hand-ish. Have you ever stood on a mountain and been amazed at the height of it--the massive rock, the endless view. That breath-taking mountain is a tiny pimple on a massive earth. And that earth is the smallest speck in a spinning galaxy, one of countless millions, all made by a Word from the Great One. And he knows my name? I am inclined to ask you not to give Him my number.
Isa 6:5
5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Isa 6:5
5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
End of the World: Cancelled
Okay, if there is anyone out there in blog land that DOES NOT BELIEVE this is the end of the world, will you post me a comment on why you are so optimistic?
Everybody seems to think that things are bad but that they are going to get a whole lot worse. Greenhouse effect will burn us up if God doesn't crush us with big rocks from heaven, the economy will stop and the gangs will burn the cities to rubble, whatever governments survive the chaos will outlaw anything righteous and make legal all manner of injustice and perversity, etc. Please, people, I'm trying to raise *CHILDREN* here! Throw me a bone! Give me one good reason to not jump in front of a truck! Something meaningful and convincing that will do for the whole tribe of us!
Everybody seems to think that things are bad but that they are going to get a whole lot worse. Greenhouse effect will burn us up if God doesn't crush us with big rocks from heaven, the economy will stop and the gangs will burn the cities to rubble, whatever governments survive the chaos will outlaw anything righteous and make legal all manner of injustice and perversity, etc. Please, people, I'm trying to raise *CHILDREN* here! Throw me a bone! Give me one good reason to not jump in front of a truck! Something meaningful and convincing that will do for the whole tribe of us!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Brokenness
Time was when going to church and engaging with brokenness was awesome. I appreciated that my fellow believers were "real" with their fears, failings and doubts. Getting naked before God seemed like real faith.
Now, I have a squad of children following me, and I want them to think that the Christian faith works. I don't want to lay on my face sobbing in front of them for three hours. I don't want other people to make my kids think that being an adult is as baffling and terrifying as it really is. I want them to believe in the strength of a hero.
This creates a real schism. I still need to lay on my face sobbing. I am still broken and less sure of everything than when I was 20. However, I don't have this luxury: I must state what is true and comforting. I must stand in strength, even if I don't have it in me.
Now, I have a squad of children following me, and I want them to think that the Christian faith works. I don't want to lay on my face sobbing in front of them for three hours. I don't want other people to make my kids think that being an adult is as baffling and terrifying as it really is. I want them to believe in the strength of a hero.
This creates a real schism. I still need to lay on my face sobbing. I am still broken and less sure of everything than when I was 20. However, I don't have this luxury: I must state what is true and comforting. I must stand in strength, even if I don't have it in me.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Careful
I didn’t want to sing wrong
So I didn’t sing at all
I didn’t want to dance wrong
So I didn’t dance at all
I didn’t want to respond wrong
So I didn’t respond at all.
When the game was over
They added up all the points;
And though I was careful not to lose any
I found I still had none.
So I didn’t sing at all
I didn’t want to dance wrong
So I didn’t dance at all
I didn’t want to respond wrong
So I didn’t respond at all.
When the game was over
They added up all the points;
And though I was careful not to lose any
I found I still had none.
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