There was a battle fought a few miles from my home here in north Florida a couple weeks ago. You could hear the cannon's fire from my house. No one was in danger and, as far as I know, no real bullets were used in the rifles. It was a re-enactment of a civil war battle, the battle of Olustee. Every year the hotels fill up with people who come to watch the re-enactors sleep in tents, eat their meals on the battle field, wear authentic uniforms and even fall on the field as if dead. The outcome of the battle is never in doubt: the Confederacy wins as they did back in the day. Locals come out to cheer on the victors, enjoy the sunshine and talk to re-enactors. There is the obligatory beauty pageant, as well. Miss Olustees of all ages are crowned.
Today Olustee is a state historical site that marks that important Confederate victory - a complete victory over a much larger force - is the way the historical revisionists have it. T. D. Allman in his book, Finding Florida, points out that this historical re-enactment misses a few important facts. The Confederate troops were slightly out manned by about 300 troops, 5500 Union to 5200 Confederate. The Confederates had the advantage of knowing the lay of the land. The Confederates had far fewer casualties than the Union forces (93 dead, 842 wounded to the Union's 203 dead and 1,152 wounded) but the really surprising fact was the Union soldiers missing in action. The missing Union soldiers numbered 500 more than the Confederate missing (506 to 6). Most of these were part of a black regiment that fought at Olustee. Allman says that instead of continuing their offensive, Confederate soldiers halted their advance in order to specially target the black soldiers wounded on the field of battle. General Hatch, commander of the Florida Union forces later said that most of the wounded black soldiers were murdered on the field (pages 230-232 in Allman's book). General Beauregard wrote to Jefferson Davis and informed him the fruits of the victory at Olustee were insignificant because there was no serious attempt to pursue the federal forces as they withdrew. The black soldiers laying wounded on the field were from the regiment made famous in the film Glory. It seems it was more important to make sure the fallen black soldiers were dead rather than pursue the larger Union army. This sordid chapter of the fighting is not re-enacted. Neither is the report of a U.S. lieutenant that a shallow grave was disinterred by wild hogs a few weeks after the battle and the bones of soldiers strewn all over the field.
There is a large Confederate monument at the battle site honoring the Confederate men who lost their lives there. There is a movement by some people to place a Union monument there, too. But, that has been consistently vetoed by the powers that be. There is nothing there that mentions the sacrifice of black soldiers. Nor, for that matter, is it mentioned in most history books.
The weekend of the re-enactment was a fine couple of days to be outdoors. Although invited to go and see what was going on, we declined. It's fun, we were told, and educational.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Anger on trial
The sermon in church on Sunday was from Matthew 5, part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus talks about anger. He seems to equate anger with murder. What Jesus is doing in this section of the SOM is upping the ante. You have heard… he says again and again as he goes through some of the Ten Commandments… but I tell you, and then he does tell us how we are breaking those commandments more easily than we thought. I say, he says, that if you are angry, if you insult, if you call someone a demeaning name it is just as serious as murder. Well, wait a minute, how can that be. We are angry sometimes, and we call someone an Idiot! sometimes and we talk about others disrespectfully sometimes and that IS not the same as murder! Right. And as the preacher helpfully explained the form of the word Jesus was using implied a continuing state of anger. No restraint. No powering down. An explosive anger that is out of control and does its damage. To the angered and those he is angry at.
I was thinking as the preacher was preaching about the verdict handed down in a Jacksonville court the day before. A jury could not decide whether a young man's death by gunshot was murder or committed in an act of self defense. The judge declared a mistrial. The young man was African-American as were the other three young men in the car parked outside a convenience store. They had stopped to buy gum. Another car pulled up driven by a 47 year old white man who was on his way to a hotel with his fiancé after attending his son's wedding. As his fiancé got out of the car to go into the store to buy some wine he said he hated that "thug music", referring to the loud rap coming from the car next to him. While in the store his fiancé heard gunshots and when she came out the four young black men were speeding away in their car as her fiancé was continuing to fire at it, 12 shots in all. Three of the shots hit one 17 year old. He died. The man and his fiancé did not know that at the time although they heard about it on the news later. They drove on to their hotel, ordered pizza, slept and drove to their southern Florida home the next day. The police showed up at their home the day after the shooting because a witness had written down their license plate number.
The preacher pointed out that anger is closely associated with fear, and unchecked, anger often leads to violence. He said, in order to justify our anger we often disrespect those who are the objects of our anger. Like Jesus said, we insult them, we call them Idiots or Thugs, or other words. In our minds they are less than we are and already at fault and their faults justify our anger. A sustained anger. An unrestrained anger. I hate that (their) thug music. People become thugs in our minds, or jerks, or other words but the point is they deserve our contempt, our anger.
The prejudice of the man in the car led to an escalating confrontation that resulted in the death of a young man. The man said he was afraid for his life. He claimed he saw a weapon in the young man's hand although no other witness saw one and the police said there was no evidence of any weapons in the young men's vehicle. It was like the man's fear of the people he thought they were had conjured up a weapon in his mind.
Jesus went on to say that we should do what we can to defuse anger, to curb it, to reign it in. Goes without saying we need to work on our fears, too, most of which are imagined rather than real. The preacher had some good suggestions for dealing with our anger. I was thinking how different things might have been if that man in the car with the loaded 9mm in his glove compartment could have heard this sermon. One young man might have lived to celebrate his 19th birthday on Sunday.
I was thinking as the preacher was preaching about the verdict handed down in a Jacksonville court the day before. A jury could not decide whether a young man's death by gunshot was murder or committed in an act of self defense. The judge declared a mistrial. The young man was African-American as were the other three young men in the car parked outside a convenience store. They had stopped to buy gum. Another car pulled up driven by a 47 year old white man who was on his way to a hotel with his fiancé after attending his son's wedding. As his fiancé got out of the car to go into the store to buy some wine he said he hated that "thug music", referring to the loud rap coming from the car next to him. While in the store his fiancé heard gunshots and when she came out the four young black men were speeding away in their car as her fiancé was continuing to fire at it, 12 shots in all. Three of the shots hit one 17 year old. He died. The man and his fiancé did not know that at the time although they heard about it on the news later. They drove on to their hotel, ordered pizza, slept and drove to their southern Florida home the next day. The police showed up at their home the day after the shooting because a witness had written down their license plate number.
The preacher pointed out that anger is closely associated with fear, and unchecked, anger often leads to violence. He said, in order to justify our anger we often disrespect those who are the objects of our anger. Like Jesus said, we insult them, we call them Idiots or Thugs, or other words. In our minds they are less than we are and already at fault and their faults justify our anger. A sustained anger. An unrestrained anger. I hate that (their) thug music. People become thugs in our minds, or jerks, or other words but the point is they deserve our contempt, our anger.
The prejudice of the man in the car led to an escalating confrontation that resulted in the death of a young man. The man said he was afraid for his life. He claimed he saw a weapon in the young man's hand although no other witness saw one and the police said there was no evidence of any weapons in the young men's vehicle. It was like the man's fear of the people he thought they were had conjured up a weapon in his mind.
Jesus went on to say that we should do what we can to defuse anger, to curb it, to reign it in. Goes without saying we need to work on our fears, too, most of which are imagined rather than real. The preacher had some good suggestions for dealing with our anger. I was thinking how different things might have been if that man in the car with the loaded 9mm in his glove compartment could have heard this sermon. One young man might have lived to celebrate his 19th birthday on Sunday.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Confessions of a church shopper
After three decades and a few odd years serving several different churches as a pastor, I have become what I formerly disdained, a church shopper. Church shoppers were a frequent target of my pious potshots for they were only looking out for themselves, asking themselves which church had the best music, or best youth group, or best preaching. Church is not about YOU, I boldly proclaimed. It is about GOD, I asserted with the conviction of an Isaiah or a Micah. You go to church NOT to meet your needs but to worship and to serve. Sounded good and it soothed a sore ego when the church shoppers didn't stop long at my church before they went on to another one. Who needs them, I proudly thought. We are looking for true Christians, Christians who really get IT, aren't we?
So how do things look from the other side of the fence? How does it feel to be a church shopper? I confess that is what I am. I looked deeply at myself and realized that I have been in our new home for eight months now, surrounded by all sorts of churches, and I have not settled into one of them. I am, gulp, still shopping around. I am not blooming where I am planted; I am wilting.
So, what have I learned these many months. I have learned that feelings, prejudices, personal histories and, oh yes, those dreaded likes and dislikes, all of those, play an important role in where a church shopper ends up. It is always about GOD but it is about YOU, too. Often, way more than YOU think.
I went to one church where we attended for awhile and it was an Advent Sunday and I was looking forward to the Advent music because they excel in music and the pastor announced that today was "special" and they were going to focus on one scripture passage and there would be no music. No music! Are you kidding me? I was peeved, sitting in my pew steaming. That's what I had come for! That's all I could think about. I did not get much out of the experience of solitude. I had a hunch what was going on. The next service was the Christmas children's program and they were gearing up for that and they needed to get us out of our service early. Aha, I thought that was the real reason for the music free service.
Another church I have attended nearby is literally in the woods. There is little signage to let you know where it is. The first time we went we could not find it. There is no website, canned music, no children, and a very small congregation. I like the part time pastor who travels over 50 miles to get there on Sundays. The people are very friendly, too, but there is a hint of desperation in their invitations to come back. They need help, fellow servers, Christians who will throw themselves into the life of the church with abandon. Yet, what they are lacking is so evident….(but what they are lacking are servants and isn't that what we sign up for?)
There is another church I go to from time to time. We know people there. It has rousing contemporary Christian music with a worship band. There are lots of families with young kids. The pastor is friendly and a lively preacher. Trouble is there is no liturgy, the service is a few songs, the sermon, and the offering. The sermons are evangelistic and lean toward the right wing of evangelicalism. I am not always comfortable….(and isn't comfort what we seek?)
There's another church, too. It's in the city. In a storefront that is part of a revitalizing neighborhood. It is small but dynamic, informal with liturgical elements, needy but not clingy, diverse yet unified in outreach, techno savvy but rooted in tradition. It is inclusive and the pastor, she, preaches good sermons. It is also small and meets in a rented space that is available only on Sunday mornings and has to be set up and taken down before and after each service. There are few children, and the music lacks the polish and vitality of other churches we have visited.
I'm tired of church shopping. But, I have noticed a few things. I've noticed a lot of "me" and "I" as I have evaluated "my worship experiences". Why don't I check my personal preferences at the door?
Am I that picky person, whose personal preferences trump everything else, that one I frowned on before. I have learned that THAT is there in all of us, every one of us, even pastors who thought they were above that kind of thing. And it's not a bad thing, it's just a human thing. And, there isn't any church that is going to appeal to everyone. I have seen that Church is kind of a miracle: the fellowship of the body of Christ is a supernatural thing which takes a whole lot of individuals with their personal stuff and makes us ONE. Read 1 Corinthians, again. I have learned that Church is about YOU because it has to be, because YOU and I are WHO make it up, and we really can't get away from that, but Christ is showing us that it is not ALL about us, or even MOSTLY about us, or FIRSTLY about us, and as we see that, and realize that and act on that, fellowshipping and serving, Church becomes more and more about GOD. I guess that is the process we are all part of.
Maybe we are more caught up in our idea of Church more than we need to be. Having to church shop tends to clarify for us what Church really is. Bob Goff, in Love Does, writes, "Because I am a lawyer and follower of Jesus, people often ask me about my religion. I am not sure what they hope to learn from me, and I tell them I am not the best person to talk to about that. I think of Church as a vibrant community of people consisting of two or more of varied backgrounds gathering around Jesus. Sometimes they are part of a place that might have a steeple or an auditorium but its just as likely that church happens elsewhere…. any place works just fine …when it's a matter of the heart, the place doesn't really matter… it's Jesus plus nothing - not even a building. "
So how do things look from the other side of the fence? How does it feel to be a church shopper? I confess that is what I am. I looked deeply at myself and realized that I have been in our new home for eight months now, surrounded by all sorts of churches, and I have not settled into one of them. I am, gulp, still shopping around. I am not blooming where I am planted; I am wilting.
So, what have I learned these many months. I have learned that feelings, prejudices, personal histories and, oh yes, those dreaded likes and dislikes, all of those, play an important role in where a church shopper ends up. It is always about GOD but it is about YOU, too. Often, way more than YOU think.
I went to one church where we attended for awhile and it was an Advent Sunday and I was looking forward to the Advent music because they excel in music and the pastor announced that today was "special" and they were going to focus on one scripture passage and there would be no music. No music! Are you kidding me? I was peeved, sitting in my pew steaming. That's what I had come for! That's all I could think about. I did not get much out of the experience of solitude. I had a hunch what was going on. The next service was the Christmas children's program and they were gearing up for that and they needed to get us out of our service early. Aha, I thought that was the real reason for the music free service.
Another church I have attended nearby is literally in the woods. There is little signage to let you know where it is. The first time we went we could not find it. There is no website, canned music, no children, and a very small congregation. I like the part time pastor who travels over 50 miles to get there on Sundays. The people are very friendly, too, but there is a hint of desperation in their invitations to come back. They need help, fellow servers, Christians who will throw themselves into the life of the church with abandon. Yet, what they are lacking is so evident….(but what they are lacking are servants and isn't that what we sign up for?)
There is another church I go to from time to time. We know people there. It has rousing contemporary Christian music with a worship band. There are lots of families with young kids. The pastor is friendly and a lively preacher. Trouble is there is no liturgy, the service is a few songs, the sermon, and the offering. The sermons are evangelistic and lean toward the right wing of evangelicalism. I am not always comfortable….(and isn't comfort what we seek?)
There's another church, too. It's in the city. In a storefront that is part of a revitalizing neighborhood. It is small but dynamic, informal with liturgical elements, needy but not clingy, diverse yet unified in outreach, techno savvy but rooted in tradition. It is inclusive and the pastor, she, preaches good sermons. It is also small and meets in a rented space that is available only on Sunday mornings and has to be set up and taken down before and after each service. There are few children, and the music lacks the polish and vitality of other churches we have visited.
I'm tired of church shopping. But, I have noticed a few things. I've noticed a lot of "me" and "I" as I have evaluated "my worship experiences". Why don't I check my personal preferences at the door?
Am I that picky person, whose personal preferences trump everything else, that one I frowned on before. I have learned that THAT is there in all of us, every one of us, even pastors who thought they were above that kind of thing. And it's not a bad thing, it's just a human thing. And, there isn't any church that is going to appeal to everyone. I have seen that Church is kind of a miracle: the fellowship of the body of Christ is a supernatural thing which takes a whole lot of individuals with their personal stuff and makes us ONE. Read 1 Corinthians, again. I have learned that Church is about YOU because it has to be, because YOU and I are WHO make it up, and we really can't get away from that, but Christ is showing us that it is not ALL about us, or even MOSTLY about us, or FIRSTLY about us, and as we see that, and realize that and act on that, fellowshipping and serving, Church becomes more and more about GOD. I guess that is the process we are all part of.
Maybe we are more caught up in our idea of Church more than we need to be. Having to church shop tends to clarify for us what Church really is. Bob Goff, in Love Does, writes, "Because I am a lawyer and follower of Jesus, people often ask me about my religion. I am not sure what they hope to learn from me, and I tell them I am not the best person to talk to about that. I think of Church as a vibrant community of people consisting of two or more of varied backgrounds gathering around Jesus. Sometimes they are part of a place that might have a steeple or an auditorium but its just as likely that church happens elsewhere…. any place works just fine …when it's a matter of the heart, the place doesn't really matter… it's Jesus plus nothing - not even a building. "
Monday, February 3, 2014
A Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is done, and after millions of words of pre- game analysis and predictions and after millions of words of post - game analysis and defensive excuse making by anyone who predicted a Broncos victory, what was clear - before all that analysis - is that Seattle had the better, much, much better, team. There is no "I" in team and after hearing about how Peyton was going to cement his legacy in this Super Bowl, and how he was the best QB EVER, and how he set every offensive record this year, and how Denver was the most prolific scoring machine in NFL history, Seattle showed why there is no "I" or "Peyton" in team. Seattle dominated every aspect of the game. Their big, strong secondary took Peyton's precision passing game away. Their pass rush gave Peyton no time to drop back and pass his precision passes. They made the Bronco running game non-existent. Seattle made Denver look ill prepared to play this game - from the first snap of the game!
The crowds were out enjoying the balmy NJ winter weather. Many of the NFL fans paying hundreds for parking, thousands for a game ticket and $20 for hot chocolate. Millions more fans were watching the game on TV, or online - those cable or satellite challenged happily discovering FOX was streaming the game Live! So, most of America (and who knows how many people all over the world were watching America's biggest sporting event) while munching, drinking, and watching, if we are honest, a fairly boring game after the first quarter, had little left to do but to evaluate the commercials.
Perhaps the biggest winner in last nights game was Nike, who outfitted both teams. Seattle's uniforms got a major overhaul in 2012 when Nike became the exclusive outfitter of the NFL. The Super Bowl is truly super for Nike who had the best commercial seen every time a camera was pointed on the field.
Seattle's uni was totally redesigned in 2012. Their uniforms have been widely hailed as adventurous and "out there" in the context of the mostly stodgy old NFL. The Bronco's last redesign was in 1997 and their team may need a whole redesign for the 2014 season. Their conservative play, like their uniforms, did not hold up well against Seattle's cutting edge fashions.
Peyton's Bronco jersey is the number one best selling NFL jersey but Seattle has three jerseys in the top ten, no other team has that. And, that was before the Super Bowl and a previously unknown, except to devoted Seattle fans, Malcolm Smith was declared the MVP. Seattle may be a trend setter. Jacksonville had a minor redesign in 2013 (didn't help them much) and the Dolphins and Vikings tinkered a bit with theirs, too. No doubt, though, that Seattle's exciting uniforms matched their exciting and fast paced play.
One more thing. Nike, of course, was the Greek goddess of victory. She had her own temple next to the Parthenon which Biblical scholar N.T. Wright called a "stunner, one of the two most beautiful constructions ever made by human hands," the other being the Parthenon itself. Both of which, the apostle Paul called in Acts 17, a waste of space! They were pagan temples, after all, built to house no -gods. Yet, Paul cautioned that is not the same as saying their was nothing there. In Wright's words, the idol reality is dependent on people to give them the powers they posses.
In the games of Super Bowl 48, the power of NIKE was displayed on every play. Of course, she has no power in and of herself, only what we give to her. And by the looks of Super Bowl 48, we give her a lot.
The crowds were out enjoying the balmy NJ winter weather. Many of the NFL fans paying hundreds for parking, thousands for a game ticket and $20 for hot chocolate. Millions more fans were watching the game on TV, or online - those cable or satellite challenged happily discovering FOX was streaming the game Live! So, most of America (and who knows how many people all over the world were watching America's biggest sporting event) while munching, drinking, and watching, if we are honest, a fairly boring game after the first quarter, had little left to do but to evaluate the commercials.
Perhaps the biggest winner in last nights game was Nike, who outfitted both teams. Seattle's uniforms got a major overhaul in 2012 when Nike became the exclusive outfitter of the NFL. The Super Bowl is truly super for Nike who had the best commercial seen every time a camera was pointed on the field.
Seattle's uni was totally redesigned in 2012. Their uniforms have been widely hailed as adventurous and "out there" in the context of the mostly stodgy old NFL. The Bronco's last redesign was in 1997 and their team may need a whole redesign for the 2014 season. Their conservative play, like their uniforms, did not hold up well against Seattle's cutting edge fashions.
Peyton's Bronco jersey is the number one best selling NFL jersey but Seattle has three jerseys in the top ten, no other team has that. And, that was before the Super Bowl and a previously unknown, except to devoted Seattle fans, Malcolm Smith was declared the MVP. Seattle may be a trend setter. Jacksonville had a minor redesign in 2013 (didn't help them much) and the Dolphins and Vikings tinkered a bit with theirs, too. No doubt, though, that Seattle's exciting uniforms matched their exciting and fast paced play.
One more thing. Nike, of course, was the Greek goddess of victory. She had her own temple next to the Parthenon which Biblical scholar N.T. Wright called a "stunner, one of the two most beautiful constructions ever made by human hands," the other being the Parthenon itself. Both of which, the apostle Paul called in Acts 17, a waste of space! They were pagan temples, after all, built to house no -gods. Yet, Paul cautioned that is not the same as saying their was nothing there. In Wright's words, the idol reality is dependent on people to give them the powers they posses.
In the games of Super Bowl 48, the power of NIKE was displayed on every play. Of course, she has no power in and of herself, only what we give to her. And by the looks of Super Bowl 48, we give her a lot.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Those P and E words
I wonder if Paul knew what a debate - often contentious - he was beginning when he wrote the first part of his letter to Ephesus. It is one of the great passages in the Bible which we now call Ephesians, chapter 1. In it Paul refers to the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. Among those blessings are "predestination" and "election". or the "chosenness" of Christians. Those two blessings have caused a whole lot of consternation among believers in Christ. I was leading a Bible study on this text this week with men who have met together for a long time and who are serious students of the Bible. The lively discussion circled around the questions of "what about free will?, and "doesn't predestination mean that we have no choice?" One man, obviously vexed that we would talk about these things at all, said it just leads to division and doubt. One man brought up the hyper Calvinist angle: what about all the people this passage excludes, those who are non-elect, not chosen and not predestined to salvation? A few men said that they believed all are chosen, or predestined but not all accept (which begs the question why Paul even brought this up then?) There were one or two who shrugged and said it is a mystery, the mind of God, after all, who can understand that? Most concurred that we are not going to understand it and a discussion of these things usually leads to more heat than light and what's important is that we believe in Jesus. In other words, a pretty typical discussion of election and predestination. I sensed some frustration among the group and I wondered if people left feeling like, "well that was a waste of time!"
I don't think it was. I think it's an important passage for a number of reasons. We tend to take what Paul said out of context. He was not writing about predestination or election. They are part of the spiritual blessing package Paul unpacks in Ephesians 1. Some theologians have taken those concepts farther than Paul ever did. Second, Paul is writing about what God has done. He has predestined us… etc. This is from our point of view in history. When we become believers in Christ, it is not long until we realize who was responsible for our believing. God was at work in us by his Holy Spirit way before we acknowledged his activity in our lives (before the foundation of the world, Paul wrote). That's predestination. That means He is still at work in us even if we don't sense that at times.
Next, Paul uses the idea of our being chosen to make us aware of God's grace. He chose us because he chose us. It had nothing to do with us. We made a choice for God somewhere down the line but it was in response to Him. It was not our idea nor our performance nor anything else within us that got us chosen. We are not in charge of our spiritual lives, God is. That means we are still chosen on our bad days.
Next, the whole point of his chapter is Jesus Christ. What God has done for us, he has done in Christ. These spiritual blessings come by means of our relationship with Christ. That means our lives are Christ centered, not me and my spiritual life centered.
Finally, Paul is painting the Big Picture here. This is what God is doing, calling out a People for the praise of His Glory. Not our glory. This is not about us. It is about God. We are chosen, not for our individual talents, abilities or just general all around nice qualities, but we are chosen to be the People God is shaping to live out the gospel of Christ in the world. Now and forever. Amen. That means no matter what is going on for us or with us today, we are part of something much bigger and greater that God has going on.
I think Paul knew what he was doing.
I don't think it was. I think it's an important passage for a number of reasons. We tend to take what Paul said out of context. He was not writing about predestination or election. They are part of the spiritual blessing package Paul unpacks in Ephesians 1. Some theologians have taken those concepts farther than Paul ever did. Second, Paul is writing about what God has done. He has predestined us… etc. This is from our point of view in history. When we become believers in Christ, it is not long until we realize who was responsible for our believing. God was at work in us by his Holy Spirit way before we acknowledged his activity in our lives (before the foundation of the world, Paul wrote). That's predestination. That means He is still at work in us even if we don't sense that at times.
Next, Paul uses the idea of our being chosen to make us aware of God's grace. He chose us because he chose us. It had nothing to do with us. We made a choice for God somewhere down the line but it was in response to Him. It was not our idea nor our performance nor anything else within us that got us chosen. We are not in charge of our spiritual lives, God is. That means we are still chosen on our bad days.
Next, the whole point of his chapter is Jesus Christ. What God has done for us, he has done in Christ. These spiritual blessings come by means of our relationship with Christ. That means our lives are Christ centered, not me and my spiritual life centered.
Finally, Paul is painting the Big Picture here. This is what God is doing, calling out a People for the praise of His Glory. Not our glory. This is not about us. It is about God. We are chosen, not for our individual talents, abilities or just general all around nice qualities, but we are chosen to be the People God is shaping to live out the gospel of Christ in the world. Now and forever. Amen. That means no matter what is going on for us or with us today, we are part of something much bigger and greater that God has going on.
I think Paul knew what he was doing.
Friday, January 3, 2014
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a big day for new resolutions and for making fun of the making of new resolutions because we all know something about failing to keep new year's resolutions. For many years, before we rang in the new year, I would drag my family into the living room for a discussion of resolutions and goals for the new year. To the loud chorus of groans, I would explain my goals for our family for the new year. Then, I would ask them for theirs. Even though I had given them fair warning that this little exercise was coming, they looked at me like I was asking for something they had never heard of. Usually, this exercise in goal setting and resolution making was a total waste of time. Like most of the resolutions I made. However, I will not admit it was a total waste of time. There is value in reflection and discussing future hopes and dreams. Maybe, the trick is not calling them goals or resolutions which seem doomed to fail. We don't often hit what we aim for.
I don't do resolutions any more. I don't set any goals. I have learned that the road of life is littered with shattered resolutions and goals. That may sound a bit over dramatic so I have learned that there are more obstacles to keeping goals and resolutions than I can possibly foresee in my new year's goal setting sessions. I have learned to survive and one of those survival skills is to go easy on setting goals for yourself and don't ever do it for others!
The gospel of John, chapter one, is my favorite Biblical chapter for the new year. It is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible for any time. But, especially, for the new year. Jesus doesn't talk much about grace in the gospels. He shows it, he lives it. But, the teaching about grace comes mostly from Paul. Yet, here in John 1, John teaches grace. Scott Hoezee calls verse 16, grace squared, grace cubed, grace raised to the power of 10. John writes that from the fullness of grace in the "Word made flesh", we have received "grace upon grace'. Some translations say blessing upon blessing but the word in the original is grace. Grace is a blessing that never quits. In our lives of failed goals and resolutions we never run out of our need for more grace.
John 1 reminds us that as a new year turns it really is not about what we are going to do to make things right or better with ourselves or others or the world. It is about living in God's grace for us, always has been, always will be.
I don't do resolutions any more. I don't set any goals. I have learned that the road of life is littered with shattered resolutions and goals. That may sound a bit over dramatic so I have learned that there are more obstacles to keeping goals and resolutions than I can possibly foresee in my new year's goal setting sessions. I have learned to survive and one of those survival skills is to go easy on setting goals for yourself and don't ever do it for others!
The gospel of John, chapter one, is my favorite Biblical chapter for the new year. It is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible for any time. But, especially, for the new year. Jesus doesn't talk much about grace in the gospels. He shows it, he lives it. But, the teaching about grace comes mostly from Paul. Yet, here in John 1, John teaches grace. Scott Hoezee calls verse 16, grace squared, grace cubed, grace raised to the power of 10. John writes that from the fullness of grace in the "Word made flesh", we have received "grace upon grace'. Some translations say blessing upon blessing but the word in the original is grace. Grace is a blessing that never quits. In our lives of failed goals and resolutions we never run out of our need for more grace.
John 1 reminds us that as a new year turns it really is not about what we are going to do to make things right or better with ourselves or others or the world. It is about living in God's grace for us, always has been, always will be.
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Wolf of Wall Street has not gotten particularly good reviews from the critics and it has not made the kind of money that would qualify it as a box office hit. The Wall Street Journal critic, Joe Morgenstern, said he could not wait for it to end and called it "hollow". I have not seen it nor do I intend to. From the reviews it is easy to see it is an exploitation of the excesses of Wall Street. It is a caricature based on a slim memoir by a very small player who nevertheless lived very large. His foray into the world of Wall Street earned him a reputation for greed and excess - a reputation largely of his own making - for the film is based on his book! The film which boasts some big stars is an over the top picture of the worst of what Wall Street does best, make money. The money which was made hand over fist was used to fund parties, bling, drugs and stupid human behavior. Not to mention lots of crude language and nudity. Lots of it. So my point is not to go see the movie because it is so crude it earned every bit of it's R rating. There are lots of movies like that. My point is why would someone go?
When I was in college at a midwestern Christian school, the students signed a pledge vowing they would not go to movies. Movies showed a worldview that was not conducive to living a holy Christian life. We used to wait until the movies came out on tv and wondered what the big deal was. It did make us stop and think though. Film is not mindless entertainment; it has a point to make. Is it a point I need to consider. In it's own way, the college I went to wanted to remind us that we don't consume media and the arts - or shouldn't - without reflection. It is also a matter of choices because there are other things to do with your time, some better than others.
Given my college history I have watched the Christian culture change since my college days with some measure of amusement or amazement or both. Christianity Today now reviews most new release films. The reviewer of The Wolf of Wall Street teaches at a Christian College which in my college days was known as more conservative than the college I went to. She wrote a long review and gave it four and a half stars out of five calling it a great and possibly terrific movie. Near the end of the review she makes an explicit list of some of the behaviors depicted in the film that earned it a hard R rating. It reminded me of the ads for drugs that go on for a page or two enumerating all the possible side effects if you take this drug. She seemed to be warning her audience of what was in store for them if they go to see this "great and possibly terrific" movie. She acknowledges that few of the readers of CT will be glad they saw this movie because of the "side effects". So why go see it? Well, it graphically, really graphically, shows how money is the power to get what you want, and that power is intoxicating and, ultimately, totally corrupting. As the reviewer admits, it is not an uncommon theme in movies and tv and I would add many novels. The thing is the reviewer seems to be saying that if you are the kind of person who is troubled by these kinds of depictions in film then be warned and stay away from this movie. However, if you are mature enough to navigate this moral minefield safely then go see it. This reminded me of Paul's discussion in 1 Corinthians about the weaker and stronger brethren in the body of Christ. So, if you see yourself as one of the stronger members of the body of Christ, you can handle it.
Given the long caveat at the end of the review, I wondered if the reviewer, knowing her audience, felt she had to lay down a solid defense for why she went to see the film and found it so good. Clearly, she could handle it. Others may not. It's a question of maturity. On the other hand, to read the reviews, and choose to do something else with three hours of your time, may say something about maturity, too.
When I was in college at a midwestern Christian school, the students signed a pledge vowing they would not go to movies. Movies showed a worldview that was not conducive to living a holy Christian life. We used to wait until the movies came out on tv and wondered what the big deal was. It did make us stop and think though. Film is not mindless entertainment; it has a point to make. Is it a point I need to consider. In it's own way, the college I went to wanted to remind us that we don't consume media and the arts - or shouldn't - without reflection. It is also a matter of choices because there are other things to do with your time, some better than others.
Given my college history I have watched the Christian culture change since my college days with some measure of amusement or amazement or both. Christianity Today now reviews most new release films. The reviewer of The Wolf of Wall Street teaches at a Christian College which in my college days was known as more conservative than the college I went to. She wrote a long review and gave it four and a half stars out of five calling it a great and possibly terrific movie. Near the end of the review she makes an explicit list of some of the behaviors depicted in the film that earned it a hard R rating. It reminded me of the ads for drugs that go on for a page or two enumerating all the possible side effects if you take this drug. She seemed to be warning her audience of what was in store for them if they go to see this "great and possibly terrific" movie. She acknowledges that few of the readers of CT will be glad they saw this movie because of the "side effects". So why go see it? Well, it graphically, really graphically, shows how money is the power to get what you want, and that power is intoxicating and, ultimately, totally corrupting. As the reviewer admits, it is not an uncommon theme in movies and tv and I would add many novels. The thing is the reviewer seems to be saying that if you are the kind of person who is troubled by these kinds of depictions in film then be warned and stay away from this movie. However, if you are mature enough to navigate this moral minefield safely then go see it. This reminded me of Paul's discussion in 1 Corinthians about the weaker and stronger brethren in the body of Christ. So, if you see yourself as one of the stronger members of the body of Christ, you can handle it.
Given the long caveat at the end of the review, I wondered if the reviewer, knowing her audience, felt she had to lay down a solid defense for why she went to see the film and found it so good. Clearly, she could handle it. Others may not. It's a question of maturity. On the other hand, to read the reviews, and choose to do something else with three hours of your time, may say something about maturity, too.
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