Friday, November 11, 2011
Veterans Day prayer
Lord of hosts, quiet heroes surround us. They are our doctors, our letter carriers, our machinists, our accountants, our co-workers, our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, our neighbors and our best friends. Under their civilian attire beats hearts that will for a lifetime be proudly wrapped in the uniforms of the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. We honor their service and do not take lightly the sacrifices they have made to secure freedom from tyranny, fear and oppression. These heroes quietly carry with them the memories of those who did not return home. We owe them our gratitude, and ask You to bless them and their loved ones. This we pray, in Your strong and mighty Name, Amen.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
the GLORY of God
I’ve always seen the word “glory” as a mere superlative, without understanding its implications.
Eugene Peterson says that “glory” is a large word in our Scriptures, radiating the many dimensions of God’s grandeur, brightness, effulgence, and illuminating everything around it.”
Middle Eastern scholar Kenneth Bailey defines the word: “Behind the Greek word doxa (glory) is the Hebrew word kabod (weight). In Middle Eastern culture, a “weighty” person has to do with wisdom, balance, stability, reliability, second judgment, patience, impartiality, nobility, substance, and the like. Latin has preserved these ideas and attached them to the word gravitas. Glory has to do with gravitas! It’s not about us, it’s about God’s glory.”
Gravitas is a recently popular word, which we often use to describe candidates and politicians who appear to be people of substance.
The Westminster Confession opens with a question: “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This seems to coincide with I Cor 10:31, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
I worked at a Christian camp in North Carolina that quoted that verse nearly every day, at every meal; it was their defining statement. I was hiking to a waterfall and a teenager asked me how that played out in day-to-day life, not a simple question. I suggested that our enjoyment of God’s creation pleases and thus glorifies Him, and when we choose to stop living for self and live for God, this too brings Him glory. John Piper observed, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
But God has glory even if we don’t acknowledge Him. C.S. Lewis wrote, “A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word “darkness” on the walls of his cell.”
Finally, another of my favorite authors, Madeline L’Engle posed the challenging question: “What did I do today that might have given God pleasure?
Eugene Peterson says that “glory” is a large word in our Scriptures, radiating the many dimensions of God’s grandeur, brightness, effulgence, and illuminating everything around it.”
Middle Eastern scholar Kenneth Bailey defines the word: “Behind the Greek word doxa (glory) is the Hebrew word kabod (weight). In Middle Eastern culture, a “weighty” person has to do with wisdom, balance, stability, reliability, second judgment, patience, impartiality, nobility, substance, and the like. Latin has preserved these ideas and attached them to the word gravitas. Glory has to do with gravitas! It’s not about us, it’s about God’s glory.”
Gravitas is a recently popular word, which we often use to describe candidates and politicians who appear to be people of substance.
The Westminster Confession opens with a question: “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This seems to coincide with I Cor 10:31, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
I worked at a Christian camp in North Carolina that quoted that verse nearly every day, at every meal; it was their defining statement. I was hiking to a waterfall and a teenager asked me how that played out in day-to-day life, not a simple question. I suggested that our enjoyment of God’s creation pleases and thus glorifies Him, and when we choose to stop living for self and live for God, this too brings Him glory. John Piper observed, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
But God has glory even if we don’t acknowledge Him. C.S. Lewis wrote, “A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word “darkness” on the walls of his cell.”
Finally, another of my favorite authors, Madeline L’Engle posed the challenging question: “What did I do today that might have given God pleasure?
Monday, November 7, 2011
Absolutes
"Once we concede the assumption that is the citizens who arbitrarily determine what is right and wrong, we have cut ourselves adrift in a sea of relativism." –Jim Peterson
"If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, then society is absolute." –Francis Schaeffer
"The key question isn’t 'Is it ever OK to steal?' but 'Is it ever not wrong to steal?' If there is no absolute truth, then the matter of stealing doesn’t matter...unless someone’s stealing from you, though it’s a good deal for the thief." -RGL
"We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires." -Pope Benedict XVI
"In the act of destroying the idea of Diving authority we have largely destroyed the idea of human authority." –G.K. Chesterton
"If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, then society is absolute." –Francis Schaeffer
"The key question isn’t 'Is it ever OK to steal?' but 'Is it ever not wrong to steal?' If there is no absolute truth, then the matter of stealing doesn’t matter...unless someone’s stealing from you, though it’s a good deal for the thief." -RGL
"We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires." -Pope Benedict XVI
"In the act of destroying the idea of Diving authority we have largely destroyed the idea of human authority." –G.K. Chesterton
Friday, November 4, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Treasuring God's Word
On YouTube there’s a inspiring video of the Kimyal tribe of West Papua Indonesia. This remote tribe was untouched by the outside world until World Team missionaries Phil & Phyliss Masters brought the Gospel to their area in 1963. Phil Masters was martyred in 1968 when he and fellow missionary Stan Dale were killed and cannibalized by the Yale tribe. But the tribe came to faith in Christ. For many years they were without a Bible in their own language, but after considerable effort, in 2010 the Scriptures were translated and published for them. The video shows a small plane belonging to Mission Aviation Fellowship landing on a gravel airstrip. The pilot remarks, “There’ll be a big party when we land.” The scene shifts to the airstrip, where tribal leaders instruct the people to clap and wave palm branches, and for dancers in traditional garb to begin dancing, as everyone sang, “Yes Jesus Loves Me, the Bible tells me so.” One of the leaders explained that only select passages had been translated, but now they would have it all--from Genesis to Revelation.
One of the translators was present, Rosa Kidd, who saw the response of the people and said this: “We know that it is God doing something here. We knew they would be happy, but the tears and emotion is overwhelming. Their respect for God’s word is palpable. We’ve had copies of the Bible so long we take it for granted; we don’t cherish it; we don’t realize what a gift we have.”
The first case of Bibles was unloaded, and the pilot handed it to the leader of the Kimyal tribe; then the tribal leaders led the people in prayer and thanksgiving, with tears running from their eyes. The pastor of the tribe prayed: “O Lord, the plan You had from the beginning regarding Your Kimyal--the month that You had set, the day that you had set-- has come to pass today. You decided that we should have Your word in our language. Today we are living in the light. For this we give You praise!” A woman holding one of the Bibles said, “I will pass this on to my children, and it will keep them on the path of righteousness, and our children will pass it on to their children.” The celebration continued on long into the night, an occasion that would not be forgotten.
Some of us were given a Bible in Sunday School; do we remember that day, do we remember how important that day was? How much do we treasure, how much do we cherish God’s word?
One of the translators was present, Rosa Kidd, who saw the response of the people and said this: “We know that it is God doing something here. We knew they would be happy, but the tears and emotion is overwhelming. Their respect for God’s word is palpable. We’ve had copies of the Bible so long we take it for granted; we don’t cherish it; we don’t realize what a gift we have.”
The first case of Bibles was unloaded, and the pilot handed it to the leader of the Kimyal tribe; then the tribal leaders led the people in prayer and thanksgiving, with tears running from their eyes. The pastor of the tribe prayed: “O Lord, the plan You had from the beginning regarding Your Kimyal--the month that You had set, the day that you had set-- has come to pass today. You decided that we should have Your word in our language. Today we are living in the light. For this we give You praise!” A woman holding one of the Bibles said, “I will pass this on to my children, and it will keep them on the path of righteousness, and our children will pass it on to their children.” The celebration continued on long into the night, an occasion that would not be forgotten.
Some of us were given a Bible in Sunday School; do we remember that day, do we remember how important that day was? How much do we treasure, how much do we cherish God’s word?
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Rekindling devotions
This "clergy appreciation month" my teriffic church congregation gave me an Amazon Kindle, and I'm really enjoying it. I downloaded a Bible, a devotional book, and a book of Puritan prayers...and now have an extremely portable way of doing daily devotions. I also have a few Christian books, along with some classics I've been wanting to read. I can't see this replacing my conventional books, but it is a convenient way to read, and anything that can "rekindle" devotions is great. Prayer is a spiritual discipline that comes easier to some than others, and if we can find a way of making it work for us, all the better--for our good and the glory of God.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Casual or Committed
When it comes around to faith in Christ, isn't this what it's all about? Do we have a casual faith--one that says our trust in Christ occupies a small part of our lives, or are we committed, dedicated followers of our Lord? We are called in Scripture the bride of Christ...let's stop dating and get married. Casual faith is no faith at all. Bonhoeffer said, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Jesus wants our all; He wants us to give Him top priority, over all earthly things. Let's put to death self-interest, self-idolatry. Anything less means we've bought into the agenda of the world. Let's put Christ first!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
