Allan R. Bevere

Scriptures and Prayer for Trinity Sunday

2012-06-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

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Holy, holy, holy God, in calling forth creation from the void, revealing yourself in human flesh, and pouring forth your wisdom to guide us, you manifest your concern for your whole universe. You invite us, as your people, to gather the world's needs into our hearts and bring them before you. Amen.

Saturday at the Cinema: How God Became King

2012-06-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Tom Wright elaborates:

Some Randomly Not Necessarily Connected Thoughts

2012-06-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have spent some time this week in the Old Testament prophetic books. I do not find it surprising that most prophets are not accepted in their own time. Their cutting words of truth at best fall on stopped ears. Then, in order to reinforce their words, they resort to symbolic acts which, if committed in the 21st century West, would be more than sufficient cause for them to be put away in special places reserved for people who walk naked in public (Isaiah) and who eat paper (Ezekiel), and walk around with an oxen yoke on their neck (Jeremiah). The people of God today have no more clue on how to recognize a prophet than the ancient folk. Every time I hear someone referred to as prophetic, it's only because they are speaking words that the hearers who so designate them agree with. But that's precisely the problem.

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The current situation in Syria is quite unsettling. I have no idea how the problems can be remedied, and I do not envy President Obama or any leaders in the free world as to what to do. I do know this. We need to pray for the people in that troubled land and we need to pray for those who are attempting to figure out how to respond.

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A little more on politics: this week President and Mrs. Obama hosted former President George W. Bush, and his wife, Laura, for the hanging of their portraits in the White House-- a long-time tradition. It was good to see a few moments when the nonsense of partisan politics was set aside to remind us that there are things much larger than the rancor uttered by people whose self-worth is dependent upon the demonizing of their political opponents.

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One of the great pleasures of summer is going to the ballpark on a balmy summer evening to watch a baseball game. When Kevin Costner was asked in the movie, Field of Dreams if his self-constructed ball diamond was heaven, he responded, "No, it's Iowa." Well, a baseball game in the summertime may not be heaven, but I'd like to think that it offers us at least a glimpse of eternity.

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New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg has proposed banning any sugary drinks in NYC over 16 ounces. Now, there is no doubt that obesity is a huge problem (no pun intended) in the good ole U.S. of A., but I am not sure of the logic in the mayor's proposal other than to further the government's role of nanny in the Big Apple. What would prevent someone from buying two 16 ounce sodas? I can't imagine that such a ban would be nothing more than a waste of time and energy and money with no results. I guess I'm also rather libertarian on these matters.

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Shares of Facebook continue to fall closing out yesterday at under $28.00 a share. When it gets to $21.00 I'm in.

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Eric Bargerhuff has written a book on the most misused verses in the Bible. Not surprisingly the first one he deals with is Matthew 7:1, "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged." Unfortunately this verse has been regularly misused as an argument that we should refrain from judgments, in particular, moral judgments. But Matthew 7:1 is not a prohibition against making judgments. What Jesus really means here is that we must be careful in our judgments. We must make sure that our judgments are just and true. It's too bad that instead this verse has been misappropriated by people to basically say, "I won't judge your bad behavior if you don't judge mine. That, says Bishop William Willimon, is nothing more than a recipe for mutual corruption.

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I love grilling corn on the cob. I have tried it many different ways, but the way I like it the best is brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic and onion powder (then chilled for a few hours in the refrigerator) and grilled with the husk on for ten minutes a side. Brush it with some butter and pepper before eating and... well... summer is good!

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This Week in History: On May 29, 1967, Pope Paul VI names 27 new cardinals, including then-archbishop of Krakow, Poland, Karol Wojtyla, later to be Pope John Paul II, one of the most significant popes in contemporary history, and one of my theological heroes.

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Finally, another school year has ended and I have said goodbye to some of my seminary students who are graduating. They give me hope for the future of the church. If they are typical of ecclesial leaders in general, the church of Jesus Christ has a bright future.

Misconceptions About the New Testament Canon

2012-06-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

On his blog Canon Fodder, Michael Kruger, a New Testament Professor, has been writing a series of posts on ten misunderstandings that concern the canon of the New Testament. The ten are:

1. The Term "Canon" Can Only Refer to a Fixed, Closed List of Books

2. Nothing in Early Christianity Dictated That There Would be a Canon

3. The New Testament Authors Did Not Think They Were Writing Scripture

4. New Testament Books Were Not Regarded as Scriptural Until Around 200 A.D.

5. Early Christians Disagreed Widely over the Books Which Made It into the Canon

6. In the Early Stages, Apocryphal Books Were as Popular as the Canonical Books

7. Christians Had No Basis to Distinguish Heresy from Orthodoxy Until the Fourth Century

8. Early Christianity was an Oral Religion and Therefore Would Have Resisted Writing Things Down

9. The Canonical Gospels Were Certainly Not Written by the Individuals Named in Their Titles

10. Athanasius’ Festal Letter (367 A.D.) is the First Complete List of New Testament Books

In his latest post Kruger takes on misconception 5: the belief that the early church widely disputed which books should have been classified as canonical.

He proffers three major points in critique of this misconception:

1. A core NT canon existed very early.

2. Use of apocryphal books is not evidence of widespread disagreement.

3. Instances of disagreement over canonical books are not necessarily evidence that such disagreement is widespread.

Kruger concludes, In sum, there is impressive evidence for widespread agreement over the core canonical books from a very early time. Most of the disagreements dealt with only a handful of books—2 Peter, 2-3 John, Jude, Revelation. But even these disagreements should not be overplayed. We should not be too quick to assume that disagreements over a book are due to the fact that its canonical status is undecided. On the contrary, sometimes disagreements are not so much over what should be included in the canon, but are over which books are already in the canon. As David Trobisch observes, 'The critical remarks of the church fathers can be better interpreted as a historical critical reaction to an existing publication.'

The entire post can be read here.

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction 2012.6: Hey, Officer... Want to Buy Some Meth?

2012-06-01T11:22:00.001-05:00

Police: Drug dealers texted officer

May 31, 2012 at 5:22 PM

SANTA MARIA, Calif., May 31 (UPI) -- Authorities in California said two suspected methamphetamine dealers were arrested after allegedly sending text message advertisements to a police officer.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said a Santa Maria police officer received a text message Tuesday from a number he did not recognize offering to sell drugs, KSBY-TV, San Luis Obispo, reported Thursday.

A sheriff's office spokesman said the officer agreed to purchase 2 grams of methamphetamine, and Reymundo Carlos Escobedo and John Martin Silvera arrived at the agreed-upon meeting place and were confronted by members of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Narcotics Unit.

The men were arrested on drug charges and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail in lieu of $30,000 bail.

Disciple-Making is the Shared Work of Clergy and Laity Guided by the Holy Spirit

2012-05-31T06:00:00.001-05:00

Indeed it is. That's why it's important to attend the third annual Wesleyan Leadership Conference in Nashville TN from November 1-3, 2012. Dr. David Lowes Watson will be the conference teacher. I have heard David. He is a very engaging speaker. In addition you will glean from the wisdom of Steve Manskar (Director of Wesleyan Leadership, GBOD), Cheryl Walker (Director of Black Congregational Ministries, GBOD), David Kim (Director of Asian- American, and Pacific Islander Ministries, GBOD), and Sandy Jackson, (Director of Connectional Laity Development, GBOD).

You may register for the conference here.

Wednesdays With Wright: The Book of Acts, 18

2012-05-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

In this video Wright refers to the second century AD Roman philosopher Galen, who stated that Christians were known for their belief in resurrection and that they did not sleep around. Wright correctly connects the two.

Trinity Sunday-- Yes, It Is Important

2012-05-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, which is appropriately observed after Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is important that we not treat the Trinity as an appendix to the Christian doctrine of God, which is the unfortunate legacy of too much twentieth century theology. The Trinity IS the Christian doctrine of God. Classically when Christians say "God" they mean, "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Please consider the following:

1) The doctrine of the Trinity is the logical result of the the New Testament witness about God. As Tom Wright says somewhere, if the Trinity hadn't existed, the church would have had to invent it. The Trinity is the only way to make sense of what the New Testament writers claim about Jesus (the Son) and the Holy Spirit, and the relationship of the Son to the Father.

2) The doctrine of the Trinity has practical implications for the doctrine of salvation. Contrary to some who have suggested that Trinitarian speculation in the early church was a distraction and somehow beside the point, the early fathers and mothers in the faith understood that at the heart of the Trinitarian controversies nothing less than the salvation of humanity was at stake. At the heart of it all was this question: "If we say thus and so about God, what does it means for our salvation?" To affirm that Jesus is fully divine and fully human is to rightly understand that only God can save and that God cannot save that which God has not become. It is no accident that one of the earliest proclamations of the first Christians was that Jesus is Savior.

3) The early Christians also proclaimed that Jesus is Lord. Such a proclamation is steeped in the Old Testament context of God's lordship over all the world. It is not a coincidence that the Apostle Paul takes Old Testament Scriptures that clearly refer to Yahweh and applies them to Jesus (e.g. Philippians 2:6-11).

4) If one studies the history of the early church councils it appears that the discussion of the Holy Spirit comes into the picture almost incidentally. There is some truth to that observation. Nevertheless, there is good reason that the Spirit is by necessity included in the Trinitarian formulations. God the Father and the Son are present in the Spirit's workings in the world. In John's Gospel Jesus tells the disciples that he must go away if the Spirit is to come (16:7), but before this Jesus informs them that with the coming of the Spirit, he will come to them (John 14:18).

5) The doctrine of the Trinity affirms that God is by nature relational. This explains why the universe, including human beings, are intrinsically relational. Theoretical physicist turned Anglican priest and theologian, John Polkinghorne writes in his book, Science and the Trinity,

With physics moving in a more holistic direction, we might expect by analogy the need to challenge the individualistic atomism that is so characteristic of contemporary thinking about human nature. If electrons are counterintuitively entangled with each other, we may need to contemplate the possibility that persons participate in some greater solidarity than atomised Western society is able to recognize. Such an insight is surely consonant with the Christian understanding of the community of the faithful as the Body of Christ, constituting a web of relationality vastly more comprehensive than the one-to-one exchange of I and Thou.

These remarkable developments in relational and holistic thinking that are taking place within the fold of science are deeply congenial to Trinitarian ways of thought.. They by no means "prove" the Trinity, but they are profoundly consonant with a theology of nature that sees the relation of perichoretic exchange between the divine Persons as lying at the heart of the Source of all created reality. One could paraphrase the title of John Zizioulas's insightful book on Trinitarian theology, Being as Communion, by the phrase, "Reality is relational" (75).

Thus, even the universe itself may be a vestigia trinitatis.

There is indeed good reason to affirm that the Trinity IS the Christian doctrine of God. That is why Trinity Sunday is important. More can be said, but this is sufficient.

In Conclusion : To neglect the doctrine of the Trinity is to neglect the essence of our Christian faith in the God who created all that is and who has stamped God's image into the universe and even more clearly in humanity, and most clearly and decisively in Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God-- God with a human face.

G.K. Chesterton's 138th Birthday

2012-05-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

On this date in 1874, Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born. (He died in 1936.) In honor of this day I am posting some of his more memorable quotes.

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"The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice." - A Defense of Humilities, The Defendant, 1901

"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it." - Everlasting Man, 1925

"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions." - ILN, 4/19/30

"Impartiality is a pompous name for indifference, which is an elegant name for ignorance." - The Speaker, 12/15/00

"An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered." - On Running After Ones Hat, All Things Considered, 1908
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"What embitters the world is not excess of criticism, but an absence of self-criticism." - Sidelights on New London and Newer New York

"To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it." - A Short History of England, Ch.10
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"The comedy of man survives the tragedy of man." - ILN 2-10-06

"When learned men begin to use their reason, then I generally discover that they haven't got any." - ILN 11-7-08
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"A thing may be too sad to be believed or too wicked to be believed or too good to be believed; but it cannot be too absurd to be believed in this planet of frogs and elephants, of crocodiles and cuttle-fish." - Maycock, The Man Who Was Orthodox

"I agree with the realistic Irishman who said he preferred to prophesy after the event." - ILN, 10/7/16

"Progress should mean that we are always changing the world to fit the vision, instead we are always changing the vision." - Orthodoxy, 1908

"My attitude toward progress has passed from antagonism to boredom. I have long ceased to argue with people who prefer Thursday to Wednesday because it is Thursday." - New York Times Magazine, 2/11/23

"Men invent new ideals because they dare not attempt old ideals. They look forward with enthusiasm, because they are afraid to look back." - What's Wrong With The World, 1910
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"The past is not what it was." - A Short History of England

"[Marxism will] in a generation or so [go] into the limbo of most heresies, but meanwhile it will have poisoned the Russian Revolution." - ILN, 7/19/19

"Once abolish the God, and the government becomes the God." - Christendom in Dublin, 1933

"It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged." - The Cleveland Press, 3/1/21

"The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people." - ILN, 7/16/10

"If there were no God, there would be no atheists." - Where All Roads Lead, 1922

"There are those who hate Christianity and call their hatred an all-embracing love for all religions." - ILN, 1/13/06

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." - Chapter 5, What's Wrong With The World, 1910
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"The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man." - Introduction to the Book of Job, 1907

"The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion, but, on the contrary, of its liberality and humanity. It is shorter to state the things forbidden than the things permitted: precisely because most things are permitted, and only a few things are forbidden." - ILN 1-3-20

"These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own." - ILN 8-11-28

"If a man called Christmas Day a mere hypocritical excuse for drunkenness and gluttony, that would be false, but it would have a fact hidden in it somewhere. But when Bernard Shaw says that Christmas Day is only a conspiracy kept up by Poulterers and wine merchants from strictly business motives, then he says something which is not so much false as startling and arrestingly foolish. He might as well say that the two sexes were invented by jewellers who wanted to sell wedding rings." - George Bernard Shaw, Ch. 6

"The whole truth is generally the ally of virtue; a half-truth is always the ally of some vice." - ILN, 6/11/10

"It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong." - The Catholic Church and Conversion

"I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it." - ILN 8/4/06
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"There are some desires that are not desirable." - Orthodoxy
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"Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere." - ILN, 5/5/28

Faith May Not Always Be a Strangely Warming Experience

2012-05-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday was Aldersgate Day. On Aldersgate Day, Methodists commemorate John Wesley's experience of conversion or the assurance of his faith on May 24, 1738. Of that experience, Wesley writes in his journal,

In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

But what is not often quoted is what Wesley writes after this initial paragraph:

I began to pray with all my might for those who had in a more especial manner despitefully used me and persecuted me. I then testified openly to all there what I now first felt in my heart. But it was not long before the enemy suggested, "This cannot be faith; for where is thy joy?" Then was I taught that peace and victory over sin are essential to faith in the Captain of our salvation; but that, as to the transports of joy that usually attend the beginning of it, especially in those who have mourned deeply, God sometimes giveth, sometimes withholdeth, them according to the counsels of His own will.

After my return home, I was much buffeted with temptations, but I cried out, and they fled away. They returned again and again. I as often lifted up my eyes, and He "sent me help from his holy place." And herein I found the difference between this and my former state chiefly consisted. I was striving, yea, fighting with all my might under the law, as well as under grace. But then I was sometimes, if not often, conquered; now, I was always conqueror.

Faith is not always easy. It can involve fierce struggle because faith involves risk. And faith does not make life easier, even though it makes life rich with divine purpose. Faith involves more than a feeling of being strangely warmed. Those who equate faith only with a feel good experience will find it difficult to resist when "buffeted with temptations." John Wesley had a strangely warming experience that night on May 24, 1738, but he knew all too well that only true faith can withstand what assails us.

Perhaps, what Father John received that night was more of an assurance of his faith that he did indeed trust in Christ, even in the midst of his doubts. Exactly what happened to Wesley that night will continue to be debated, but one thing is clear-- faith and assurance go together; for to have both, one must continue to trust in God and the promises God has made in Jesus Christ.

Every Church Needs To Play Something Like This Before Worship

2012-05-28T12:09:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day: A Brief History

2012-05-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Pentecost: A Major Feast Day?

2012-05-27T13:56:00.001-05:00

Yes, indeed. The church observes, among other feast days, the three feast days of Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. All the other feast days center on these three pivotal days recognizing Incarnation, Resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is obvious that the first two are great feast days of the church. No one in the church would think of scheduling a meeting on Christmas or Easter. Other than worship, everything stops (well, practically everything) for the observance of these two great holidays. But Pentecost seems to be a different matter. On Pentecost we don't see those church folk we only see at Christmas and Easter. Yes, many churches observe Pentecost during worship. In our church this morning people wore red to worship, geraniums decorated the front of the church, and red draped the sanctuary. But is there anything planned after worship? Do families get together to celebrate the holiday like they do on the other two great feast days?

I think it is true that for most Christians Pentecost is hardly a blip on the radar screen, but there is a reason the church designated it as one of its feast days. We must celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to empower God's people for ministry. We must celebrate the birth of the Church, the Body of Christ who are called to be Christ's Body in the world.

It is likely the case that Pentecost will never be celebrated in the way Christmas and Easter already are, but, at the very least, we can do better. We need Pentecost just as we need Christmas and Easter. We need the Spirit just as much as we need Incarnation and Resurrection.

Scriptures and Prayer for Pentecost

2012-05-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Old Testament: Genesis 11:1-9

Epistle: Acts 2:1-13

Gospel: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

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O God the Holy Spirit, come to us and among us. Come as the wind and cleanse us. Come as the fire and burn. Come as the dew and refresh. Convict and consecrate us to our great good and your greater glory.

Grant, O Lord, to all of us to know what is worth knowing, to love what is worth loving, to praise what is pleasing to you, to esteem what is most precious to you, to spurn what is evil in your eyes.

Grant us true judgment to distinguish all things that differ and, above all, to search out and do what is pleasing to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

F. Donald Coggan (1909-2000)
The former Archbishop of Canterbury

Saturday at the Cinema: Charles Wesley at Chalcedon

2012-05-26T13:00:00.000-05:00

The retirement lecture of Geoffrey Wainwright, Professor of Christian Theology at Duke Divinity School. I took a couple of classes from Dr. Wainwright. He is a great theologian and a faithful Christian.

Will You Join the Cause?

2012-05-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Review: David Alan Black, Will You Join the Cause of Global Missions? (Gonzalez, FL: Energion Publications), 2012.

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Anyone who knows Dave Black, is well aware of his passion for mission. So it is not a surprise that his booklet, Will You Join the Cause of Global Missions? is a passionate presentation. This small (the booklet can be read in a half hour) but powerful tract is a clarion call for Christians to get serious about the missionary vocation Christ has called all believers to fulfill in their lives.

Dave makes four important points in this book:

First, missions is the calling of every follower of Jesus. Dave reminds us that historically Protestants have embraced the belief that "Christians are to be Christ's servants in all sectors of life" (p. 2). Dave cites the professionalization of the ministry as the factor that has undermined this Protestant ideal, and this professional ordained United Methodist pastor agrees.

Second, missions is on our doorstep. When Dave Black speaks of global missions, he means just that. There is mission half way around the world and there is mission in our own backyard. God does not call everyone to travel to far away lands to be missionaries, but God does call everyone to be missionaries wherever they are planted in this world. Evangelism is about words and also deeds; and such evangelism "must begin at our doorstep" (p. 7).

Third, missions is a global, cooperative movement. Churches around the world must partner and are partnering together is a cooperative effort. While much of this work in the modern context has been done by top heavy denominational agencies, local churches are finding great benefit in cooperating with other local churches apart from large bureaucracies.

Fourth, missions requires a counter-cultural lifestyle. As I read this section, I thought of John Wesley's words, "You have nothing to do but save souls; therefore spend and be spent in this work." Dave writes, "The American Dream says, 'Earn and spend it on yourself.' Christ says, 'Live to give-- to others'" (p. 10). Dave is clear: God is looking for people who are willing to allow God to direct the use of their resources to the cause of global missions. Throughout the booklet, Dave continually speaks of the essential need for Christians to sacrifice because "the kingdom of God is not an easy road" (p. 10). Disciples of Jesus Christ must be an alternative to the world; for only in being an alternative can it be a witness and can it faithfully serve the cause of global missions.

Dave ends his book with a brief story about James, Dave's translator as a missionary in Ethiopia. James was martyred for his faith (I will forego the details and let you read it for yourselves). Dave writes of James, "If you were to judge James by normal "American" standards of success, you would have to conclude that he was crazy or at least an absolute idiot. But kingdom people think differently. In the kingdom 'normal' just doesn't cut it any longer" (p. 13).

After a brief conclusion, Dave ends with an invitation for all of us as disciples of Jesus Christ to join the cause of global missions. He refers to William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, who told of an atheist who said to Booth, "If I believed what you Christians believed, I would crawl across England on my hands and knees, if need be, to tell men about it" (p. 19).

If that atheist was right, and I believe he was, then Dave's call to us who claim to be disciples requires a response.

We will join the cause of global missions?

Marking Off Our Territory, Or Hey! That's My Pew!

2012-05-24T06:49:00.000-05:00

We human beings are an interesting lot. Like so most species in the animal kingdom, we are very territorial. In some instances that is probably not a bad thing, but when a certain kind of inhospitable territorialism infects the church, it undermines the gospel invitation to all persons.

One of the places where inhospitable territorialism can be seen most clearly is in worship on Sunday morning. Most folks enter the sanctuary for worship and sit in their same familiar place week after week. Some persons prefer the back, others the front, and others in between. I have been told that the reason people do this is that the more visually oriented persons like to sit in the back so they can see everything, while those who favor their listening faculty sit close to the front. The individuals who are more balanced sit in the middle.

There is no doubt some truth to that, but that still doesn't explain why most people sit in the exact same spot Sunday after Sunday. I don't know whether it's an evolutionary thing, but territory is important to most of us, even in worship. As a pastor, I don't mind that most people are in the same pew spot Sunday after Sunday, as long as they are OK to give up that spot to a visitor on Sunday morning. Years ago in a previous church I served, our worship service attendance was at approximately 80% capacity Sunday after Sunday, which meant, for all practical purposes, it was full. I attempted to enlist folks in the congregation to move at least a couple of pews forward to save some room for visitors who ventured in late so they could sit in the back and not feel conspicuous having to walk all the way to the front of the sanctuary. Some complied, others balked. One man actually told me that the pew he sat in was purchased by him years ago when the sanctuary was being built. It was, therefore, his pew. He wasn't moving for nothing nor no one.

I used to tell people that just like dogs, human beings mark off their territory. It's just that we are not as crude in how we do it. After that discussion I decided that perhaps some Christians are indeed just as vulgar, if not more so, in marking off their territory. All are welcome to enter the sanctuary as long as they know where their place is not-- in the seats self-reserved by the established "customers." At least, dogs have an excuse. They have no other way to claim their space. Human beings, and Christians in particular, should know better. If there is a "territory" to be claimed, it is kingdom "territory" and it is God who has already staked his claim in Jesus Christ. His followers have no authority to draw boundaries that interfere with the invitation God gives to everyone.

Years ago a bank had as its credit card slogan, "membership has its privileges." Well, in the church of Jesus Christ, membership does not have its privileges; rather membership has its responsibilities. And by membership I do not mean having one's name formally on the roll. By membership I mean being a disciple of Jesus Christ, and therefore part of the Body of Christ, the church, God's Beachhead in this world. In the church, God seeks to enlarge God's kingdom "territory," not restrict it.

In the Body of Christ there is no place for inhospitable territorialism.

Wednesdays With Wright: The Book of Acts, 17

2012-05-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

God Is Not a Mere Projection of Our Fondest Desires and Silliest Wishes

2012-05-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

Some more great words from Bishop Willimon. I have to get this book.

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As the Bible says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Presumably, it's not fearful to fall into the hands of a dead god, an idol who never shocks or demands anything of you, who is no more than a fake, a godlet, a mere projection of your fondest desires and silliest wishes. Out in Galilee—a dusty, drab, out-of-the-way sort of place, just like where most of us live—the disciples of Jesus were encountered by the living God. That Jesus could not only give death the slip but also be in Galilee suggests that the risen Christ could show up anywhere, anytime. And that’s scary.

The modern world has many ways of turning us in on ourselves, eventually to worship the dear little god within. Christianity, the religion evoked by Jesus, is a decidedly fierce means of wrenching us outward. We are not left alone peacefully to console ourselves with our sweet bromides, or to snuggle with allegedly beautiful Mother Nature, or even to close our eyes and hug humanity in general. A God whom we couldn't have thought up on our own has turned to us, reached to us, is revealed to be someone quite other than the God we would have if God were merely a figment of our imagination—God is a Jew from Nazareth who lived briefly, died violently, and rose unexpectedly. This God scared us to death but also thrilled us to life.

Divine Intrusions

2012-05-21T06:19:00.002-05:00

Mark 5:21-43

Sometimes the most important things that happen to us in life are the intrusions. We are on our way somewhere, with a clear agenda, a direct purpose in mind, and we get distracted. Something else comes up that demands our attention, and that "something else" turns out to be more important than the journey we were on.

Most of the time we do not welcome intrusions into our lives. They get us out of our routine, they get in the way of what we want to do, and they make life more complicated. It’s very irritating when our "to do" list doesn’t get done because something or someone intrudes into our schedule.

In Mark 5:21-43, Jesus is on important business. A leader of the synagogue, an important, impressive man, persuades Jesus to make a house visit on his gravely ill daughter. While they are on the way there is an intrusion. A woman appears. She intrudes from the margins of society. Unlike the leader of the synagogue we do not know this woman's name. We know very little of her circumstances. All we know is that she is ill and has been ill for years.

Mark tells us that for twelve years "she suffered much under many physicians." In frantic pursuit of her health, she spent her days in waiting rooms, in emergency rooms. She filled out endless insurance forms and waited. She had been poked at, tested, discussed, humiliated, and still she was suffering.

Now she has nothing. Medicine has done all that it could for her, and to what end? She is poor. She has spent all of her money in pursuit of well being. She has no hope—no hope it would appear except for Jesus. She pushes through the crowd in order to touch Jesus. She is healed. Jesus speaks with her.

It is very tempting to spend our time commenting and reflecting on what Jesus did for this woman, and the amazing faith she displayed, believing that all she had to do was touch Jesus and she would be alright. What Jesus has done for this woman is nothing short of wonderful. Not only has she been healed, but with her illness gone she is once again restored to fellowship with her friends and family, and once again, after twelve years, she can go to the Temple to worship; for her illness had made her ritually unclean, and for twelve years she was unable to worship God with the other Jewish women, and she was unable to be with her family; for coming in contact with them would have made them ritually unclean. Here a great miracle has been done.

But I want to get at this story from a little bit of a different angle. There is no doubt that what has happened to this woman is wonderful. We would all agree. But can we even begin to wonder what Jairus, the young girl's father, is thinking at this moment? His daughter is gravely ill. Jairus tells Jesus that she is at the point of death. Can there be any doubt that Jairus feels a great sense of urgency in getting to the house, so that Jesus can heal her before it is too late? Now in the midst of the rather frantic rush to get there, with the crowd pressing in, slowing them down, here comes this woman who brings things to an absolute halt. For Jairus this was no great moment, this was an intrusion. His daughter is near death, and here is Jesus stopping to find out who touched him (a crazy question from the perspective of the disciples in the midst of a crowd pressing in upon them), and then he stops to speak to some unknown woman.

Can we imagine what Jairus was thinking at that moment? We do not know how long Jesus and the woman talked. Mark may simply be giving us the edited version. But no matter how long they talked, Jairus probably wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, "My daughter is dying! Let's get moving!" This was an unwanted intrusion for Jairus. And perhaps that intrusion lasted just long enough to seal the fate of his daughter. "While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, 'Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?'"Can we imagine the pain of Jairus at that moment, as he is informed of his little girl's death and also knowing that if this intrusion had not happened, his little girl might still be alive? We hate intrusions with good reason, don't we?

But what if this were not simply an intrusion? What if this wonderful healing of this daughter of Abraham were also divine intrusion on behalf of Jairus? Jairus clearly believes that Jesus can restore his daughter's health, but he never considers that Jesus can actually restore her life. Jesus may be good, but he's not that good. Could the intrusion of this woman not only be for her sake, but for Jairus’ as well? Jairus knew Jesus was special, but when they finally get to the house and Jesus puts life back into that little girl' cold, lifeless body, Jairus knows he's got more than he bargained for. Mark tells us in verse 42 that everyone "was overcome with amazement." I’ll bet they were.

The Bible is full of divine intrusions into the lives of God’s people. God intrudes into the life of Abraham in the comfort of retirement to call him to a faraway and unknown land. Moses receives the law on the mountain. The law proves to be an intrusion into the lives of the people of Israel, who would rather live life their own way, instead of in obedience to God's law. God intrudes into the life of the boy Samuel one night speaking to him in the Temple. God intrudes into the life of Amos, a content shepherd and farmer, and is told he will announce the word of the Lord as a prophet. God intrudes into the life of a young, unmarried peasant woman in Galilee and is told she will give birth to the Savior of the world. God intrudes into the life of a young, zealous Pharisee, named Saul, on the Damascus Road and his told his is about to become part of the people he is persecuting.

We may not like intrusions. We may think they are rude, but God loves intruding himself into our midst. God refuses to let us get comfortable with the way things are. God refuses to let our routine take control of our lives. As Jairus had to learn that Jesus was more than he expected, we too have to learn that following Jesus is much more than we expect or even want. It is certainly the case that much of our life as disciples is routine, and much of the church's ministry is routine, and that's OK. But we must know that while that is acceptable, God wants more. And in order to get more God will intrude into our presence to make sure we remember that.

Scriptures and Prayer for Ascension Sunday

2012-05-20T03:49:00.000-05:00

Old Testament: Psalm 47

Epistle: Acts 1:1-11

Gospel: Luke 24:44-53

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O King of Glory, Lord of Hosts, Who on this day ascended in triumph above all the heavens! Leave us not as orphans, but send upon us the Spirit of Truth, promised by the Father. Alleluia! Amen!

Saturday at the Cinema: Leadership in Difficult Times

2012-05-19T13:00:00.001-05:00

Rev. Dr. Sam Wells has been the Dean of Duke Chapel, Duke University since 2005. This summer he will become the Vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Field in London.

Some Randomly Not Necessarily Connected Thoughts

2012-05-19T07:40:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Ascension Sunday followed next Sunday by Pentecost. Most churches do not do enough with Ascension Sunday; and the celebration of Pentecost, which is one of the church's three great feast days, pales in comparison to the other two-- Christmas and Easter. I suppose if Madison Avenue could figure out a way to economically exploit Pentecost the way they have Christmas and Easter, we would be decorating Pentecost trees and exchanging spiritual gifts. Until that time, Pentecost will not unfortunately get its due.

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What is the Bible for? Peter Leithart writes,

Treating Scripture as a directory of moral lessons or compendium of moral rules assumes a constricted view of moral practice and reasoning. We don’t pursue virtue simply by applying general principles to particular situations, and true morality is never simply obedience to commandments. Practical morality requires the ability to assess situations accurately, memory of our own past patterns of action and of others’ inspiring examples, and enough moral imagination to see how a potential tragedy might become the birthplace of unforeseen comedy.

Scripture is ethical paedeia, not an ethics manual. All Scripture is practical because God breathed all of it to form people, both individuals and community. God tells stories to stock our memory with a common moral past that projects his people into the future. God’s word expands our imagination to grasp more of what’s really there and to envision what might be there in the future. The Bible is useful because it opens our eyes, and because it’s highly impractical to walk through life with our eyes closed.

Yes, indeed. The Bible is a messy book, and to say so does not undermine its inspiration and authority. To exercise interpretive gymnastics in order to make the whole biblical witness line up with itself from Genesis to Revelation is to undermine its usefulness. Moreover, to attempt to smooth out the edgy nature of Scripture and to ignore its difficulties is to deny the very way in which God is involved in this world. In Jesus God came into the mess of the human situation. God did not stand above it. Why should it be any different with the book God gave to us?

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Yesterday's debut of Facebook on the stock exchange was a great disappointment for many who thought they could get unbelievably wealthy in one day. It's amazing what people will do when they believe instant wealth is within their grasp. Of course, one already had to be rather well off in order to get even richer yesterday.

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Speaking of Facebook, archaeologists have deciphered some ancient rock art in Russia and northern Sweden and have concluded that it is a Bronze Age version of Facebook. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

A new study suggests that raising one's HDL or "good cholesterol" level in the blood may not necessarily lower one's risk of heart disease. I think I will have a cheeseburger for lunch.

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This Week in History: On May 15, 1265, the author of The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri, was born in Florence, Italy. The first part of The Divine Comedy, "Inferno" has had more influence on most Christians' views of hell than the New Testament.

Bishop Willimon on Jesus' Family Values

2012-05-18T13:00:00.000-05:00

Once again, the good bishop stirs the pot.

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On the cross, Jesus gets into it with his mother. "Woman, behold thy son," he says to her. Mary, look at the child you are losing, the son that you are giving over for the sins of the world. Maternal love is that love that loves in order to give away. In Mary's case, it was particularly so. When Jesus was born, old Simeon had predicted, "A sword will also pierce your heart." From the first, it was not easy to be the mother of the Son of God. And now, even from the cross, Jesus is busy ripping apart families and breaking the hearts of mothers. Because he was obedient to the will of God, because Jesus did not waver from his God-ordained mission, he is a great pain to his family. "Woman, behold thy son."

In that day, in that part of the world, there were no social attachments as rigid or determinative as that of the family. Family origin determined your whole life, your complete identity, your entire future. So one of the most countercultural, revolutionary acts of Jesus was his sustained attack upon the family.

In a culture like our own, dominated by "family values," where we have nothing better to command our allegiance to than our own blood relatives, this is one of the good things the church does for many of us. In baptism, we are rescued from our family. Our families, as good as they are, are too narrow, too restricted. So in baptism we are adopted into a family large enough to make our lives more interesting.

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You can read the rest of Bishop Willimon's post here.

The Meaning of Christ's Ascension

2012-05-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Ascension Day and in two days the church will observe Ascension Sunday. What is the theological significance of Christ's Ascension?

Traditionally, the exaltation of Christ encompasses four teachings which are confessed in the Nicene Creed: 1. Christ's descent into the nether world ("descended into hell," or "descended to the dead"), 2. his resurrection, 3. his ascension, and 4. his session ("sits at the right hand of the Father"). The first teaching is controversial among Protestants, the remaining three are not.

The ascension is the act by which Christ brought his post-resurrection appearances to an end. The ascension signaled Jesus' departure from the disciples in a "physical" manner. He passed into the "other world" until his second coming.

The Heidelberg Catechism suggests three benefits that we receive from Christ's ascension. First, the exalted Lord in heaven is our advocate in the presence of the Father (Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1; Hebrews 7:25). Since Christ offered the perfect sacrifice for sin, he alone is qualified to be our advocate (Hebrews 10:12). He also communicates through the power of the Spirit, to all believers the gifts and blessings which he died to win for them.

Second, The ascension indicates the exaltation of humanity itself. The Heidelberg Catechism states that we have "a sure pledge that he, as our head, will also take us, his members, up to himself."

Third, It is because he ascends that we can receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Spirit is the sign of our inheritance as children of the Father, brothers and sisters of Jesus. It was only after Jesus ascended that the church received the Spirit (John 7:39; Acts 2:1-11). Therefore, the ascension demonstrates that the risen Lord lives in heavenly communion with the Father and that he takes an active part, through the Spirit, in the working of God in the world.

Traditionally, the ascension has meant 1) the exalted Christ is the priestly advocate who intercedes on our behalf. 2) Christ shares in the sovereignty of the Father. 3) No earthly authority can exhaustively represent Christ since he is free.

The Nicene Creed also states that Jesus "ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father."

Session literally means "a sitting." The Old Testament portrays God as seated on the throne of the universe, thereby signifying sovereignty (1 Kings 22:19; Psalm 2:4; 99:1, holiness (Psalm 47:8, and majesty (Isaiah 6:1-4). In Psalm 110:1, the Messiah is invited to occupy the position of honor at God's right hand. The Messiah's throne is to be one of sovereignty and priesthood (Psalm 110:1, 4; Zechariah 6:12-13) and of judgment (Malachi 3:3).

All of these images are background to the ascension of Christ (Philippians 2:9-11; Ephesians 1:20-23). The book of Hebrews describes Christ's session as the sequel to his one complete sacrifice on earth (1:3; 10:12; 12:2). He sits as high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 8:1; 10:12). From this position, Christ exercises his priesthood offering intercession for humanity (4:14-16; 2:!7-18; 7:17-27). Christ will do this until all things are subjected to him (10:13). His session also points toward future judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 19:28).

Douglas Farrow states, "Christ's heavenly session may be likened to a mutatis mutandis, to a period of transitional government. His session, though heavenly indeed, is temporary, not permanent. It is an establishing of the conditions under which, and of the officialdom through which, he is to rule in the kingdom without end" (p. 139; Nicene Christianity: The Future for a New Ecumenism).

Christ's transitional throne in heaven will end when he sets up his permanent throne on earth.