I just watched a guy named Pardeep Kumar sing several of the Psalms. He sang them in his native tongue, Punjabe, while playing some traditional drums called "tandal." It was awesome! Of course, I didn't understand a word of it...yet I did. And it occurs to me that God understood all of that perfectly and precisely, and that much of the singing in heaven will NOT be in English. Sweet! I'm trying to imagine the volume. What will it sound like when billions of angels and billions more glorified saints all direct their praise in perfect pitch toward the throne?
Revelation 19:1,6 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Fat Tuesday. Since the late '90's, every Tuesday has been rather rotund for me. But today is the official day of debauchery. As if that's actually OK or something. Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Apparently, pretty easily. Then tomorrow brings Ash Wednesday; this delightful day where people smear charcoal on their foreheads and pretend to be morose for what happened the day before. Is that really how it's supposed to be? "Oh hey, relax, people need to let off some steam every now & then..." Perhaps. But a half gallon of absinthe & six moon-pies ain't the answer. And if I really died to sin, then perhaps there's really not steam needing to escape, it's just my intense desire to heat up something that should stay cool. Tangent.
I do like the idea of Lent intensely, however. It's about practicing a discipline to remind us to reflect on God. Sort of a prolonged fast that doesn't make me crave formica remnants. Too often, though, people make themselves miserable with their Lent observances. I think this misses the point. The point of Lent is to trigger us to think on somebody other than ourselves; namely God.
So perhaps the best way to observe Lent is to give up one "negative" behavior or habit and add one "positive" behavior or habit. "But isn't that just self-help or improvement?" Is that a bad thing? Look, Daniel & his buddies went all vegan in Babylon and it helped their physical fitness enormously. But they did it for the right reason: To honor God. It's all about redirecting our focus on the Father; moment by moment. That's what He wants most, for us to "practice His presence." Amos 5:4 This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live."
If you read the Bible long enough, you'll start to see a pattern. I mean beyond the fact that most of the people discussed are Jewish. One of the recurring themes in Scripture is that God's people have a tendency to not want to go forward into the unknown. The children of Israel had spent 400 years in Egypt getting treated like insured rental cars at the hands of an oppressive empire. Finally, they're freed, and what do they want to do? Let's go back to Egypt! How come? Because at least in Egypt I knew what tomorrow would bring. It was predictable. Miserable, yes, but at least I wasn't surprised by anything. Men would rather be flogged than trust the unseen. Sure the Egyptian dude in the loin cloth and eye-liner had dominance over them, but the task masters couldn't control what the next day would bring. That dye was cast. Now before we get to hard on these folks, they had spent 400 years in this system, and that's a pretty ingrained system to suddenly abolish.
Then what about when we get to the New Testament. Paul tells us in Galatians and Ephesians that the system of Jewish distinction that had been in place for 1,500 years is suddenly gone. 1,500 years! So, we can understand when Peter & even Barnabas backslide into tradition. It's harder to kick than Jugy Fruits or meth-laced Skoal.
Yet that is precisely what we are called to do. To jump headlong into the wonder, mercy, and grace of a loving Father God. He is good; we can trust Him. Even if it's different than the way we used to do things. The book of Exodus tells us that on Mount Horeb (now called Sinai), God called ALL the people to come to Him so that they could inaugurate the first true Kingdom Of Priests. It was scary and unknown, so the people wigged out and didn't go. Only Moses. Imagine what all they missed! Imagine what all we miss. Tradition is marvelous, but it does not save. He is good; we can trust Him.
Are UFO's real? In the strictest sense, yes. There really are things (objects) that fly (are in the air) that we simply can't identify. But to be honest, I couldn't identify most of the gruel that was served in my junior high cafeteria either. No one is debating if UFO's exist or not. The real question, of course, is what are they and where are they from. Ya know, the same thing I wonder about RuPaul... Are they from outer space or another world? I really don't think so. My argument is weak, but I'll stand on it nonetheless: Redemption is for humanity. Of course, I could be wrong, and heaven could be filled with really cool intergalactic piñatas. Swing away, Samuel!
What I am sure about, however, is that everyone is desperate to believe something. Most of us struggle with not quite believing enough or in the right thing. We sound like a fragile father in Mark 9:24b "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" We watch shows like Monster Quest and UFO Hunters and Paranormal State because we want desperately to believe that something out there beyond us exists. It does. But, we are flooded with cheap counterfeits. Whole cottage industries are spawned by our desperation to find something "else." The enemy delights in deflecting our interests.
But logically, what makes more sense, Big Foot or a Creator God? Depends on what you are prepared to believe...about yourself. If Big Foot exists, you might just tame him, and even ask him to move in as a cantankerous pet (for the 3 people that actually saw "Harry & The Hendersons." Seriously, John Lithgow, what gives!?). If there are Sasquatches, we can control them. If there are extra-terrestrials, perhaps we can negotiate with them. We can exert control. But if there is a truly sovereign God, He must be uncontrollable and in charge. We hate that. So like Mulder's famous "X-Files" line, "I want to believe!" Sure, but only in what you want to control. God, for many, is Unknown. Frightening. Other.
No. He is Real. Relevant. Reachable. REALLY! John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Anger in particular seems close to a professional vice in the contemporary ministry. Pastors are angry at their leaders for not leading and at their followers for not following. They are angry at those who do not come to church for not coming and angry at those who do come for coming without enthusiasm. They are angry at their families, who make them feel guilty, and angry at themselves for not being who they want to be. This is not an open, blatant, roaring anger, but an anger hidden behind the smooth word, the smiling face, and the polite handshake. It is a frozen anger, an anger which settles into a biting resentment and slowly paralyzes a generous heart. If there is anything that makes the ministry look grim and dull, it is this dark, insidious anger in the servants of Christ. -- Henri Nouwen
Christlikeness seems to be a lot more palatable when we think about His radiant glory & riches, His return in splendor on the white horse of triumph, and His seat at the right hand of The Father. Yeah baby, gimmee some of THAT Christlikeness. But not yet. No, for now, we get to experience what Christ experienced during his earthly ministry. And it was His ministry that got Him killed. Before His death, of course, he had his beard ripped out, was beaten, spat upon, and mocked. Hey look, there's no line for this wild ride!
And yet I am persistently surprised at my own reticence to experience that level of suffering at the hands of those whom I love & serve. But it's what Christ did. And, whether I like it or not, Luke 9:23 is a pretty clear marching order: Then he said to them all:“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
May the dark insidious anger be shot through with light & love. In all of us.
Nothing in seminary ever really prepared me for this. My drummer is an undefeated MMA fighter. MMA, by the way, is NOT an acronym for Mayo, Mustard, & Anchovies. It's Mixed Martial Arts, and that means he could take over Luxembourg with a coffee stirrer. Yeah, that's right, the preaching may stink, but if you say anything about it, our drummer will wrap your shin around your uvula. Boo-yah.
No, just one "d." Two "d's" would make it Fudd, as in the last name of one of the greatest men to ever be a Cartoon, Elmer Fudd. Elmer would absolutely dismantle Mr. Magoo in an MMA cage match, so don't even let your mind wander down that path. Speaking of wandering, I digress...
FUD. Or better, F.U.D. This is for Fear, Uncertainty, & Doubt. I don't think it's politically correct to say this anymore because basically, it's not "nice," but I still believe that fear is one of the greatest motivators ever. I see this every day. People make so many decisions based on their fear, uncertainty, or doubt. You dispute? Check the economy. If you really wanna see someone go absolutely ballistic, just put them in an environment where things change outside of their control. Whoa! Nobody likes to have stuff happen to them, they want to control stuff that happens. And when stuff happens that they can't control, it spawns FUD. And that makes people do all sorts of not-good things.
Here's the amusing thing to me: In reality, we really can't control much of anything that really matters. Yes, I can decide to put one sugar or two in my coffee (OK, Splenda...), but as far as stuff around me in the world goes, I'm helpless. I exist in a world and environment that I have to trust others. Driving 75 mph in one lane while another vehicle approaches me at 75 mph is truthfully a horrifying idea, especially since the only thing that separates us is a yellow stripe of paint. I have no way to control the other car, so I have to trust the other driver. I should hate this! But the system works (mostly), so we go along with it. And this is in a fallen world system that is clearly controlled by our adversary! (2 Cor. 4:4).
So, what about church? Isn't this supposed to be an environment created & ordained by God to do His will in this world? The most common command in all of Scripture is, "do not fear." So, shouldn't church be a place & a system where we trust one another? If I can drive 75 mph "out there" then I should certainly be able to do that "in here" without worrying about someone crazily coming across the line and handing me a head-on. But Church FUD is a grease fire and nothing spreads faster. Church should be the place where we delight in not having to have our way or to be in control. That's redemptive. Let's redeem. Psalm 49:5 Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me?
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