Freedom Is Calling. So Is the Cage.

Last weekend I read an article in the latest issue of Christianity Today titled, “Freedom Is Calling.  So Is the Birdcage.”  Sandra McCracken, the author of the article, talks of driving down a highway recently, and seeing a truck that was carrying poultry in open-air cages.  No doubt they were going to some kind of poultry processing facility.  She then said that on some days, she feels like one of the birds on the poultry truck…caged in the confining circumstances of daily living, barreling down the highway of life on an open-air truck to who-knows-where.

We Christians often find ourselves in the same place as Ms McCracken.  We don’t wish to be like the poultry in the cages, but sometimes we find ourselves there due to life circumstances.  Overwhelming sadness, uncertainty of the future, unrelenting workload, the breakdown of normal living, and sometimes our own stubbornness can keep us caged up like the birds on the truck.  And sometimes we wake up in the morning and have no clue how we got to that point in life.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.”  Paul reminds us of the truth of the freedom in Christ in Galatians.  In that same letter, he says, “It is for freedom Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, therefore, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Our freedom in Christ doesn’t depend on the uncertainty of life and the breakdown of normal life and living.  These past couple of months have certainly been a time of sadness, uncertainty, and life that certainly isn’t normal.  We may feel like we are somehow caged up in the circumstances of the day, unable to function as we would like.  Our emotions may be on a kind of roller coaster, especially if we are temporarily out of work, if we aren’t sure if the place where we work will open again, or if we are having difficulty maintaining some kind of family normalcy.

Those emotions…those ups and downs…those experiences are normal in a situation such as the one we are in right now.  However, as Christians, let us also remember that we have a freedom that transcends the freedom of not having to stay at home or not being able to patronize a local business.  We have a freedom that helps temper the emotional roller coaster and the experiences of day to day living.  We have a freedom that cannot be taken away by a virus, a government order, or the loss of a job.

Our experiences may fluctuate from day to day…and that’s normal.  Our true freedom, however, remains secure in Jesus Christ.  He is the key.  He is the open gate.  He is the one that calls us out of the cage and into the freedom of eternal life…both now and forevermore.

Is God Taking Us To a New Place?

A few days ago, I happened upon a testimonial-type sermon given by Sandi Patty.  Patty, as many of you know, is a gospel singer who began her career about 40 years ago.  Since then, she has accumulated a closet full of awards…multiple Grammy and Dove awards, and many other accolades.  She is known in gospel circles simply as “The Voice.”  Her vocal range of over three octaves, and her command of her voice is on par with the greatest of singers.

As you may also know, Patty went through a very tragic and public failure in the late 1980’s.  She has admitted to an affair with a married man while married to another, and  has endured the disappointment and displeasure of many in the Christian music world.  She is now married to that man, and has been for the past 25 or so years.  They have a blended family.

In her sermon, Patty talks about that time, the tragic aftermath, the sorrow, repentance, and restoration that has taken place since then.  She uses as Scripture for her story, the story of Noah and the Flood.

Now, you might think that to be an unlikely portion of Scripture to use in such a sermon.  However, her point was two-fold.  In Genesis 8:1, the verse starts out, “But God remembered Noah…”  When the Bible talks about God “remembering” someone, it is more than just a recalling of that person.  The sense of the Hebrew is looking upon someone with concern and favor.  Patty believes that God remembered her and her family in the way that the Hebrew states.

Second, when the ark finally came to rest, and God told Noah to depart the ark, Noah most certainly wasn’t in the same place as he left.  God had taken Noah to a new place.  In the same way, Patty believes that God took her and her family to “a new place.”

Actually, this is a normal thing for God.  If you recall, God took Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Israel, the prophets, the twelve disciples, Paul, and many others to “a new place.”  And in that new place many of these people settled down, had families, and served God where they were.  Some, such as Paul, never did really settle down after God had taken him to a new place.  But they served the Lord as they were capable and able in the place where God had brought them, just as Noah fulfilled the command of God to be fruitful and multiply in the new place where God had brought him.

As I listened to her message, I had to bring her points up to the present day with the COVID 19 virus pandemic.  The thing perhaps on your mind right now, given the circumstance of the day, may be, does God “remember” us during this pandemic?  Is God looking upon us with concern and favor?  I believe He is.  I believe God is well-aware of our individual situations and circumstance, and “remembers” us through this trial.

Second, is God taking us to “a new place” through the COVID 19 epidemic?  Is He moving us out of our old place of comfort, our place of security, our place of normalcy, the “ruts” that we find so comforting, and into a new place of some sort?  Now, I’m not saying that God is CAUSING the epidemic.  But I have to wonder if He somehow is using it to reach His people in some way that will eventually result in a revival, in some of us anyway, of love for God, service to others, and developing a closer walk with Jesus Christ.

I don’t know the answers.  I am barely able to formulate questions.  But I do know that God is never-changing, ever-trustworthy, and love that never fails or disappoints.  Be assured that He remembers you, loves you, and in taking you to a new place will ever watch over you.

The Door of My Lips

I try to regularly read one or more of the Psalms, usually in the morning hours before things get busy.  I don’t always get there, but it’s a goal.  Today, I happened upon Psalm 141.  In that Psalm, the writer is asking God to keep him from doing evil.  Verse 3 of that passage sort of jumped off of the page toward me.  Here’s what it says out of the Christian Standard Bible translation:  “LORD, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.”

Do you see what the writer is saying?  The literal vision of this is of God Himself being the guard posted at the door of his lips…the door representing the passageway through which the words are spoken.  The writer is asking God to not let anything “through the door” of his lips that is not appropriate or proper.

That literal vision may not be as far-fetched as one might think.  If we are Christians…if we are children of God…God Himself dwells in us by his Holy Spirit.  We are vessels, so to speak, for God’s Spirit.  And if that indeed is true, then it would not be a stretch to imagine God’s Spirit at the door, or opening of our mouth, allowing nothing unwholesome to come from it.

In fact, Paul talks about this “unwholesomeness,” and connects it with the Spirit of God in Ephesians 4, starting with verse 29.  Listen to what he says.

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.  Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

Grieving the Holy Spirit of God is right in the middle of a paragraph about wholesome speech, kindness and compassion.  As Christians, we need God’s Spirit at the (almost) literal doorway of our speech.  And we need that same Spirit guarding what we type in social media or otherwise write.  It is so easy to speak or write before we think.  It is such an easy thing to say something that, once said can never be recalled.  And with social media, what we write there is out there permanently for the whole world to see from now on.

I had never before thought about God being a guard stationed at the “door” of my lips.  I must say that when I think of it that way, it is much easier to just keep quiet if I can’t say something beneficial, and it is much easier to think about what I am about to say before those words get past my lips.

We’ve all been guilty of saying or typing something we later wished we could recall.  Having God at the “door” of our lips means that we won’t have to worry about that anymore…that if we let Him vet our speech, we will say or write nothing that is inappropriate or unkind.  It’s only when we tell Him that we no longer need Him that we tend to get into trouble with our speech.

As we continue in this self-isolation of the COVID 19 pandemic, let us be doubly careful that we allow God to guard the door of our lips…that we indeed be kind to one-another and forgive as God has forgiven us.  To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

Blessings…

In the Storm

It has been said by many that we're all in the same boat, regarding the Corona virus, social distancing, staying at home, etc. It has also been pointed out by many that we may be in the same storm, but not all of us are in the same boat. Some of us are in boats that are sturdy and safe. Others of us are in boats that are sinking and there is no lifeline or repairs that are available.

Depending on your intent and your point of view, both of these statements are correct. We ARE all in the same boat...the Corona virus boat. But we also have differing experiences in this boat, which makes the “same boat” analogy insufficient to say the least.

My guess is that many of those who are relatively secure during this time are looking a the pandemic as a “same boat” kind of thing. They are looking at their own experiences, and are extrapolating those experiences to everyone else. They err in that they fail to see beyond their own experience and into the lives of others who might not be so blessed.

Then there are many of those whose lives are really precarious right now, with insufficient food, insufficient funds, and insufficient toilet paper see the pandemic as a storm with different boats trying to ride it out...some boats are weathering it well, and others are quickly disappearing out of sight into the deep. These are the ones the “same boat” people fail to see. These are the ones who are struggling each day to just get through the day with kids at home, home schooling, finding food, hoping the landlord understands, and trying to make it through until the next sliver of money somehow comes their way.

I've used the “same boat” analogy in the recent past myself. I no longer will do that, because I now see that many don't have the safe and secure boat...instead, they have the sinking, floundering boat. My family has been blessed with continued work, even if stay-at-home work, monthly pension and government checks, and money in the bank. We have a freezer full of meat, enough toilet paper for the next year (we did NOT hoard...we've had an abundance for many, many months), and the means to purchase what we need in the way of veggies, fruit, milk, bread, etc...even if at higher prices.

If I am in a “safe and secure” boat, and I see someone in the same storm as I, floundering in a sinking boat, what should be my natural inclination? Look the other way? Belittle them for having a sinking boat? Send words of encouragement in a note in a bottle? Or throw a lifeline to them? Well, I think you know the answer. I shouldn't have to spell it out for you. If your boat can safely hold 4 more people, find 4 people who are floundering and invite them into your boat.

And if you're one who is floundering, don't pretend it's all OK. Those in the secure boats can't always tell if you're sinking. You might have to reach out to them and let them know you need help. It's no crime to need help from time to time.

I once was told by a wise man that yes, God loves a cheerful giver. But in order for there to be cheerful givers, there must also be gracious recipients. Can you be a cheerful giver during this time? Or do you need to be a gracious recipient? Either way, we are all in this storm together. Let's help each other ride it out to the end.

Welcome to Another World

It’s several weeks into the Corona Virus pandemic, and life continues on down a bumpy and uncertain path with no defined end in sight.  We may think that to be a strange and unfamiliar way to live life, but we have to understand that our lives are lived that way all of the time.  Oh, we may well fool ourselves into thinking that we’ve made the path straight and smooth, and we think we have placed a well-defined destination at the end, but the reality is that all of that is illusion, and we really have no clue what our path holds in the future and not the slightest concept of what lies at the end.

We delude ourselves into thinking that we have control of our lives.  We plan ahead.  We think ahead.  We work hard to smooth things out for the future.  We many times even go to the extremes of scheming and finagling in order to make things look like we want them to look.  But as we are quickly finding, all of that can be for naught when something like the Corona Virus comes calling on the world.

Our financial plans go into the pits.  Our health is in peril.  Jobs go away.  Resources dry up.  Shortages appear.  Even human interaction is limited.  Our money is worthless if there is nothing on the store shelf to purchase.  The paths of our lives suddenly are filled with bumps and potholes that nothing can fill or smooth away.  We begin to think just a day or week ahead instead of a year or decade ahead.  Our world shrinks markedly as we shelter in place and become concerned for basic necessities in the next day or two.  All because of an unseen speck of genetic material that invades our bodies and spreads rapidly through societies around the globe.

Well, welcome to the world of most of the human population.  For most of the humans who are or ever have lived, this is their world.  They live from day to day.  Many earn just enough money at work one day in order to buy food for the next day.  And if they’re sick and can’t work, or if work isn’t available, they don’t eat the next day.  They have no savings accounts.  They have no credit cards.  They have no transportation.  They have no hope of affording medical or dental care.  If a tooth breaks off or becomes infected, they live with it.  If they become ill, they do their best to survive the illness on their own.  Next year?  They don’t even know if they’ll have the next day.

And you might think those people are congregated in third-world countries, but I tell you they are right here…on our doorstep.  They are those who, although they may or may not be homeless, do not have the resources to tap into the services most of the rest of us take for granted.  Government programs pretty much keep these people in some state of existence, but those same programs often through their regulations unwittingly (or not) keep these people from ever making any progress in life and living.

These are the ones in the Section 8-type of housing.  These are the ones living alone in a run-down house in a run-down neighborhood.  These are the disabled, the homeless, the addicts.  These are the throw-away people in our society.

And when it comes to those in third world nations, I can’t begin to understand the depth of the poverty.  I’ve been told stories by those who have been there and seen it.  I’ve seen photos and movies.  But the comprehension just isn’t there for me.  It’s a different world.  It’s a different way of thinking.  It’s survival at its basic level.  Tolerable water for the day.   Tolerable food for the day.  Stay away from predators.  Have some kind of basic shelter from the storms.  Provide some kind of protection from those who would harm.  And do it on a daily basis.

I can’t help but think that we’ll be called to account for how we think of and deal with this kind of poverty.  I can’t help but think that we have some kind of responsibility beyond feeling sad for the people in these situations.  I can’t help but think that there is an expectation that we sacrifice at least a little in order to make things better for others.

So, when you next are feeling somewhat down or depressed because the movie theaters aren’t open, you can’t go to your favorite restaurant or hang-out, and your hair is starting to show its natural color because the salons are closed, think about those who don’t even have those things in their minds, let alone are feeling sad because they can’t access those services.  Thank God for the blessings you have.  Be kind.  Share.  And walk humbly.

Another Day

Well, it's another day with stay-at-home. The daylight outside is getting longer, and the days inside are getting longer as well. We are beginning to adjust to the new normal, but that adjustment is anything but easy or quick.

We have discovered that many (not all, of course) of us can work from home and accomplish much the same work as we do when we go into an office or business. We are realizing that we can use those things in our kitchen called cooking utensils, and that we can create some good food. We are finding things to do with our time, such as cleaning the house, working on puzzles, catching up on reading, or any number of other things. Some of us are using connectivity such as Zoom and other platforms for the first time. You probably have developed your own routine during these days.

And it looks like it won't end anytime soon. Contrary to the idea that we would be over this by Easter, it looks as if we'll be in this situation through April and well into May...possibly June. We'll tire of the puzzles. The house will have been thoroughly cleaned. We'll long for the privilege of eating at Olive Garden. Our hair will have grown considerably more than we would have liked. And we'll find that our limited cooking skills have become somewhat tiresome.

But I'll tell you now, these are first world problems. Much of the world has nothing like the house we live in. They haven't a clue what a puzzle is. How do you clean a dirt floor in an open-air hut? There are no Olive Gardens in the bush. Self-care often consists of finding water for the day that is decently clean. And as for cooking...well, it doesn't take much to cook the same corn mash every day, day after day after day.

The more I see and the more I hear, I'm convinced that we are in this for the long haul. And when it's over, it won't be the same as it was. Just as 9-11 fundamentally changed the world, so this as well will fundamentally change how the world looks and works. We will have lost another measure of our innocence. No longer will we assume that medical science can save us from anything and everything. No longer will we assume that if we only have enough dollars accumulated, we are invincible. No longer will we believe that the world will continue to go merrily along day after day giving, providing, and making our lives wonderful and fulfilled.

The gods of medical science, wealth, and national pride are being cut down to size by a virus that can't be seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled. Medical science started out behind, and has scrambled to catch up ever since. Our wealth is of no value when the economy has stopped. And our national pride is suffering because of government's inability to swoop in and save the day...instead, government is limiting our freedoms, throwing money it doesn't have at the problem, and displaying incompetence, lack of planning, and bureaucratic bungling in the face of an unseen enemy.

I'm not going to end this with platitudes such as, “We're all in this together,” or “Social distancing,” or some other. This will be a long, grueling slog over the next several months. And it will be years before any semblance of normal returns, if it ever does. My hope is that we will have examined ourselves, our community, and our society during this time and will have not only determined to make some fundamental changes, but will have actually begun to effect those changes. And what might those changes be? “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Patternism in the Church

I’m reading a book by John Mark Hicks, Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University, called “Searching for the Pattern- -My Journey in Interpreting the Bible.”  In the book, Hicks compares the “blueprint hermeneutic,” (command, example, and necessary inference…some would add expediency to that) that traditionally has been the pattern for churches of Christ with the “theological hermeneutic” that is, he says, the life of Jesus.  Here is what he says about that more fully.

Jesus is the pattern.  Jesus is the Word of God—our pattern, the speech of God.  And the incarnate Word of God embodies who God is and what God desires.

Disciples of Jesus follow Jesus.  The follow him into the water and are baptized.  The follow him into the wilderness and thus seek solitude with God in the midst of their trials as they discern and confess their identity as children of God.  They follow him into intimacy with other disciples, and thus week honest relationships with other believers.  They follow him to the table and thus experience relationship with others and commune with God.  They follow him into the world as missional people and thus are heralds and practitioners of the good news.  They follow him as leaders and serve rather than lord it over others.  They follow him into the assemblies of God’s people to praise God and thus gather as a community to celebrate the good news of the kingdom.  They follow him in disciple-making.  They follow him in pursuing mercy and justice and thus seek to embody a righteousness that declares that the kingdom of God has arrived.  Disciples of Jesus do not follow the church; they follow Jesus and thus become the church—an outpost of the kingdom of God in this broken world.