Christmas Thanksgiving

Heavenly Father,

Today we celebrate your perfect decree of salvation by which you have glorified yourself and redeemed your people. We thank you for sending your son Jesus Christ, who put on flesh and dwelt among us, to live as we cannot, and die as we deserve, so that we may be made new and adopted as your own sons and daughters forever.

We thank you for winter mornings, which whisper to us a reminder that you have made us clean, and washed us whiter than the fresh fallen snow out our windows. Thank you for preserving us and keeping us warm with hot chocolate, roaring fires, and insulated clothing. For those lacking, we ask that you would use our abundance as a means to bless them and witness your loving-kindness. 

Advent Prayer of Thanksgiving

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for having brought us to this place today, to be able to hear your Word preached and the good news of the gospel once again. You have reminded us, Most Merciful God, that though our sins are as scarlet, you have washed us as white as freshly fallen snow.

We thank you for making us; that we can enjoy you both now and forever. As each snowflake is uniquely made, and falls in the time and the place you have appointed, we are comforted to know that we also are in your hand, and we are fearfully and wonderfully made in your image. Let us fall down before you in adoration of your creativity and providence.

Merciful God, thank you for crisp clean air, for cold noses, and warm cups of coco and coffee to warm us up. Thank you for gatherings of family and friends and for warm greetings and embraces.

Lectionary Thoughts: Psalm 6

Lectionary Thoughts: Psalm 6

I love the grittiness of the psalms. The psalms were written by real men assailed by real enemies in the midst of real affliction, distress, loss and grief. You can search the psalms, but you will not find any coming “to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses” schlock. Instead you will find a colorful litany of conniving villains, thirsty wilderness treks, back-stabbing friends, powerful foes, searing flames, crashing waves and open graves.

Psalm 6 opens with indications of anguish and vexation intense enough to turn David’s couch into a swimming pool of tears (v6). The psalm closes on a note of relief. But note what is omitted. Generally, relief stories go something like this: Affliction – Distress – Crying Out – Removal of Affliction – Relief.

David’s relief did not come when the LORD dealt with David’s enemies. David’s relief came when he was confident that the LORD had heard and received his prayer (v9). This is real faith for real life. Faith is not trusting God when He marches briskly to the orders that we have given Him. Faith is trusting Him to deal wisely and lovingly with the concerns that we have laid before Him in prayer in His time and in His way.

As the antacid commercial queried: How do you spell relief?

GH

Lectionary Thoughts: Psalm 5

Here’s a question: Do you pray Biblically? Do you pray in the manner overwhelmingly exemplified in scripture?

Psalm 5 introduces us to something that we will see repeatedly in the psalms and beyond: The psalmist prayed out loud. In the opening verses mentions “the sound of his cry” and his “voice” as he prays to God, and the Hebrew words for these words clearly indicate audible noise.

Daniel prayed prayers that were loud enough to convince his enemies that he was violating the king’s decree (Daniel 6:10). And Jesus prayed loud enough in the Garden of Gethsemane for his prayers to be heard and recorded by the apostles.

I’ve looked diligently, but have not yet been able to find any examples of silent prayer, the possible exception being Nehemiah’s prayer in the presence of Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:4).

I started praying in this way several years ago, and would heartily commend it to you. I don’t exclusively pray aloud (counselees would probably not linger in my study if they could hear what I was praying for them as we converse!) but I do find times and places where I can do this without provoking others to wonder (any more than usual) about my sanity.

What might be some possible benefits from praying aloud? Distraction and, yes, let’s admit it, staying awake, are perennial enemies of protracted prayer. Praying aloud leans hard against these proclivities. Our bodies are not, as some like to think, mere conveyances for our brains. We are to serve God with all of our “heart, mind and strength.” Praying aloud reinforces the reality that we are to serve God with the entirety of our beings, not just what happens behind our eyes and between our ears.

Now, I’m not saying that praying silently is sinful (far from it!) We are nowhere in scripture forbidden to pray silently. But I am saying that we should take seriously that which is given to us in God’s Word by precept and by example. So, as you read through the Bible this year, be careful to note the manner in which people pray, and then be ready to “go thou and do likewise.”

GH

Lectionary Thoughts: Psalms 1-2

The first two psalms in the Book of Psalms are unique and tell us something profound about God’s sovereign providence and care while gently directing our attention to Jesus.

Unlike the following 148 psalms, the first two psalms are not prayers, properly speaking. They are not addressed to God. But they do remind us of two important aspects of God’s loving oversight of His creation.

Psalm 1 is intensely personal and reminds us that God cares for every individual, and promises blessing to every single person who will send their roots down deep into Him who is the living water. And do not fail to note, and savor, the very first word of the Book of Psalms: Blessed.

In contrast, Psalm 2 describes God’s sovereign control over nations; nations whose pathetic attempts to thwart the LORD’s plans only cause Him to laugh in derision. And thereby are we assured that the blessedness promised in Psalm 1 cannot be hindered, prevented or disrupted by anyone or anything (including nations!)

As Eugene Peterson notes:

“Psalms 1 and 2 pave the way. They get us ready to pray. The Psalms are an edited book. All these prayers were collected and arranged at one point in Israel’s history, and then Psalm 1 and 2 were set as an entrance to them, pillars flanking the way into prayer. We are not unceremoniously dumped into the world of prayer, we are courteously led across an ample porch, a way that provides space and means by which we are adjusted  to the realities of prayer. Way is a significant word in the first two psalms. Psalms 1 and 2 are a pair, working together to put our feet on the path that goes from the non-praying world in which we are habitually distracted and intimidated, into the praying world where we come to attention and practice adoration.” (Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer, pp. 23-24)

Jesus is the living water that gives us life (John 7:37) and causes us to bear fruit, even in times of drought. And Jesus is the Son who sits at the right hand of the Father ruling the nations and chastening all who oppose his loving rule and reign (Acts 2:22-36; Eph. 1:22; Philip. 2:9-10; Heb. 2:7-8).

GH

Lectionary Thoughts: Revelation 16-17

The Great Harlot/Babylon is Jerusalem

The good news is that Jerusalem is the “Babylon” metaphorically referred to in Revelation 16-17. How do we know this, and why is this good news?

There are at least seven indications that the “Babylon” in Revelation 16-17 is indeed the historical city of Jerusalem.

1)    In Revelation 16:17, John describes the city under God’s fierce judgment as “divided into three parts.” We know from the writings of Josephus (a first century Jewish historian) that the city of Jerusalem was divided in to three warring factions that fought against one another even as the Roman army laid siege to the holy city.

2)    In Revelation 17:4, “Babylon” is described as a “woman arrayed in purple and scarlet color and decked with gold and precious stones.” First century Jews and Christians alike would have immediately recognized these colors, this precious metal and these gems as references to the garments worn by the priests who served in the Jewish Temple (see Exo. 39:2).

3)    In Revelation 17:5, the woman/Babylon is called “the mother of harlots.” In the Old Testament God referred to Israel’s idolatry as “harlotry.” Pagan nations were simply “idolatrous.” But Israel’s idolatry, because it was akin to marital unfaithfulness to Jehovah, was deemed as adulterous and an act of harlotry.

4)    In Revelation 17:6 the woman is portrayed as “drunken with the blood of the saints.” The persecution of Christians did indeed continue after the destruction of Jerusalem. But in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24, it began and continued for many years in Jerusalem proper.

5)    In Revelation 17:9 the woman/Babylon is pictured sitting on “seven mountains.” This indicates how, for a time, the rulers of Jerusalem (primarily the priests and Sadducees) colluded with the Romans (built on seven hills) to retain some ruling power, and certainly did so to murder Jesus.

6)    And then finally, in Revelation 17:15-16 John describes how Rome (the ten horns) hated the Jerusalem (the whore) and destroyed her with fire, which is precisely how Rome destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

7)    And, in order to achieve the “perfect” number, seven, I’ll add one more indication that Jerusalem is the woman/harlot/Babylon of Revelation 16-17: If you agree that the above exegesis is plausible, then it is quite easy to understand the hailstones weighing a talent raining down upon the holy city as the large rocks launched from the Roman catapults.

Now, why is the above “good news?” Because it means that the horrific destruction and suffering foretold by John in Revelation 16-17 is not on the horizon, but rather, as they say, “in the rearview mirror.” The great tribulation has already happened. And so, instead of cringing in fear of what is yet to come, we can read Revelation as the outpouring of God’s wrath for the murder of His son, and His faithfulness to His people during times of terrible persecution and covenant judgments. Good news indeed!

GH

Lectionary Thoughts: Dating John's Revelation

To properly interpret, understand and apply the message of St. John’s Revelation you must first decide when the last book of the Bible was written. If you favor an authorship date after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, then you will need to either spiritualize the events described, and maintain that the rulers, nations and battles cryptically described in Revelation have no earthly counterparts; no historical earthly fulfillment. Or, you will need to determine which post-A.D. 70 (actual and earthly) rulers, nations and battles were being prophetically described in apocalyptic language. These people and happenings could be past, present or future.

If you favor an authorship date before A.D. 70, then you will tend to understand the rulers, nations and battles depicted in Revelation as historic entities and events that took place before, or shortly after, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple.

Here are five exegetical (i.e. from the book of Revelation itself) reasons to favor an authorship date before A.D. 70:

"I love you, and you belong to Me."

Baptism of Matthias, Torah, Jubilee and Lucy Hamilton

November 6, 2016

As always “faith” (not effort, striving or law-keeping) is the issue. As Paul wrote:

(Hebrews 11:6) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

(Galatians 5:6) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

As we celebrated last week: Our salvation is one that is…

-         Revealed in God’s Word alone

-         By grace alone

-         Through faith alone

-         In Christ alone

-         To the glory of God alone

And the problem for us is, that God’s promises to save, bless and keep us are so audacious, spectacular, and well, nearly unbelievable, that we constantly find ourselves stammering some version of, “Okay, Lord, I believe, help me with my unbelief.”

And this “problem” is only multiplied when it comes to our children, for God’s promises for them are equally audacious, spectacular and well, nearly unbelievable. Three examples will suffice to put us all into an astounded state of, “Lord I believe, help me...”

(Deuteronomy 30:6) And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

(Psalm 103:17) But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,

(Acts 2:38–39) And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

October 30, 2016 Sermon Reflection

Sermon Reflection 10/30/2016

As I was reflecting on the sermon this past Sunday, one piece of scripture kept coming to mind. Pastor Gene read and preached from Genesis 3 which is the devastating account of Adam's sin. But what struck me in a new way was vs. 8 and 9, "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the mans and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man..."  

I have always been intrigued by this description of God walking in the cool of the day. There are several details here that are included in the narrative that, when reflected upon, add deeper meaning to the story. But what was opened up in a new way for me was that while Adam and Eve were fleeing and hiding from God, He was pursuing and calling after them. And as we read on in the narrative the purpose of His pursuit is made known; it wasn't to exact justice from Adam, though that certainly would have been justified. Rather, we see God entering once again into covenant with man by His own prerogative. 

October 23, 2016 sermon Reflection

Sermon Reflection 10/23/2016

In the beginning pages of Scripture we read a tragic story of man’s fall into sin as a result of disobedience. Pastor Gene reminded us this past Sunday that what took place was more than simply Adam not obeying God’s directions, like a son disobeys a father. Adam broke a solemn oath, sovereignly administered with attending blessings and curses, a bond rooted in love and graciously administered to Adam by God. It was a covenant Adam transgressed, a covenant which set the limits and bounds of, among many other things, Gender, Marriage, Work, and Worship. Interestingly, the Westminster Standards, in speaking of this covenant in Shorter Catechism question 12, refers to it as a Covenant of Life. It was through this covenant God meant to administer his kingdom and govern life in it. Our lives were meant to be lived out in that covenant relationship. We were created in our beings to run with the grain of that Creation Covenant. Adam broke this covenant in sin and now the whole creation groans under the curses of this covenant (Rom. 8:20-22). We cannot deny the implications of that covenant breaking today; life in our world is marked by knots and worm-holes that disrupted the grain and beauty of God’s original creation. Not only do we see its effects in the brokeness of the world, we feel its effects as we experience difficulties in our marriages, dissatisfaction and futility in our work, and emptiness in our worship. We are ourselves covenant breakers and, with the creation, groan under not only the implications of Adam’s sin but also our own. 

It is true grace was not absent from the administration of this Creation Covenant. God was not obligated to enter covenant with Adam at all, that he did so was gracious in itself. Also, God could have required perfect and personal obedience of Adam with no promise of life and blessing. That God extends that promise is also gracious. But, after Adam broke that original covenant, God had made plans to put His amazing grace on display in ways that should cause us to lift our hands in praise and our voices in thanks to Him for His incredible mercy. The Covenant of Grace is so identified for a reason; it displays God’s gracious character even towards a rebellious world. I look forward to that proclamation of grace every Lord’s day, but I will especially look forward to understanding it more fully in the weeks to come as we continue the series on God’s Covenants of Promise. 

-SFE

Lectionary Thoughts: 2 Kings 16

The altar in Solomon’s Temple was simple in appearance, perhaps even austere, but it was so according to the commandment of God. By God’s design, the daily sacrifices (which pointed to Jesus) would be the focus of Israel’s worship, not the means by which the sacrifices were offered to Yahweh.

King Ahaz traveled to Damascus (v10) to congratulate the king of Assyria on his recent victories. While there, Ahaz was enamored by the detailed workmanship of a pagan altar and immediately commissioned Urijah the priest to make a copy for worship in Yahweh’s Temple. And thus began Judah’s horrible slide into apostasy.

At first, the two altars were positioned side by side (v12). Shortly thereafter, the original altar was moved to a back corner and replaced by the Damascan altar (v14-15). And finally, the water basin that stood before the original brazen altar was cut up for repurposing, and the brazen altar itself was turned into a private oracle for Ahaz; a means for him to “inquire [of the LORD] by” (v15).

So then, perhaps not surprisingly, we read this of God’s people in 2 Kings 17:15: “They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them.”

Sermon Reflection 10/9/16

What comes to mind when you hear the terms “Covenant Theology”? Maybe you have studied up on it. Maybe you have heard of it but only enough to generate more questions. Or maybe you have no clue what it’s all about. It seems to me Pastor Gene’s comment is right; the concept of covenant is mostly something Christians attach a question mark to. I know in my case covenant and covenant theology always seemed to pop up as I was a budding Christian, but like pulling a trout from the stream it proved difficult to get a firm grip. Part of this is possibly due to the fact that the idea of covenant itself can be a bit technical and intellectual. Often times conversations and books about covenant theology can tend to camp out in that intellectual realm and not make it back down to ground level where most of us operate. The topic of God’s love however seems to be something Christians are much more comfortable with and tend to camp out on. 

One of the things I really appreciated about Pastor Gene’s sermon introducing covenant theology was that he took the time to bring the concept of covenant back down to ground level and rightly connected it to the love of God. We cannot say we prefer talking about God’s love to talking about God’s covenants anymore. If we are to feel the force of the heighth, depth, and breadth of the Father’s love for us we must take seriously God’s revelation of himself in the Covenant of Redemption, what was lost in breaking the Covenant of Works, and what it cost for Christ to bring the Covenant of Grace to fullness. I think it is no accident that in the recovery of the Gospel that came from the Protestant Reformation there also came a renewed vigor and study of God’s revelation of himself in his Covenants. The relationship between the grace rich and Gospel centered theology of the reformers and their progeny and the development of the Covenant Theology of the Scriptures was so linked that one current theologian answers the question of what reformed theology is saying, “Reformed Theology is Covenant Theology.” I pray this series in Covenant Theology puts on display the love of God and rightly brings his own glory front and center as it did for our fathers in the faith.

-SFE

No Compromise

The current state of our nation continually brings to mind an album jacket and song that the Lord used greatly in my life at WSU forty-or-so years ago.

“Make my life a prayer to You. I want to do what You want me to. No empty words and no white lies. No token prayers, no compromise.” (Keith Green)