… who say, 'Keep away; don't come near me, for I am too sacred for you!' Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day. – Isaiah 65:5

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 14, 2020): Isaiah 65

In 1981, the Canadian rock band Klaatu released their album, Magentalane. And one of the tracks included on the album was entitled "Blue Smoke." It is a song that, for some reason, has stuck with me.

When that blue smoke gets in your eyes
You'll choke, choke 'til you cry
Oh, you'll die
Hey, where you gonna hide
Well, you can talk about the fog in London
But listen, mister that ain't nothing
When that blue smoke gets in your eyes

And it is John Woloschuk's words that return to me as I read these words of Isaiah. God is speaking about self-righteous people who think that they are better than everyone else. If you listen to them as they talk, no one measures up to the standard that they project. Charles Spurgeon writes this about this kind of person. "Self-righteous men, like foxes, have many tricks and schemes. They condemn in other people what they consider to be very excusable in themselves. They would cry out against others for a tenth part of the sin which they allow in themselves." And, maybe, that is the part of the problem. Self-righteous people see the error in themselves, but they struggle to maintain their worth by condemning the same faults in others, even when those faults occur in lesser degrees while pretending that these same faults are absent in their lives.

And maybe that is why God reacts so strongly against these self-righteous people. He says that they are like "smoke in my nostrils" (cue the John Woloschuik lyrics.) The smoke starts in the nostrils as an irritant, and then it gets into your eyes and your throat, causing fits of coughing and gagging, stealing away from you the air that you need to live. And there is nothing that you can do except get away from the offending smoke.

One of our biggest problems is that there is nothing about us that has anything to do with righteousness. Any righteousness we possess, we gain from our relationship with God and, therefore, it is rightly "his" righteousness. Left to our own devices, we will always act out on the same error that we despise in the people around us. We can pretend that we are righteous, but we will forever be just actors on the stage, playing out the role that we have set before us.

Charles Spurgeon goes on to say that, "This weed of self-righteousness will grow on any dunghill. No heap of rubbish is too rotten for the accursed toadstool of proud self to grow upon." He draws a horrible picture, but one that we know is true because we recognize our self-righteousness in the description, which means that we all have the opportunity to become the "blue smoke" in the nostrils (and eyes) of God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 66

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. – Isaiah 64:4

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 13, 2020): Isaiah 64

Douglass Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) in "The Salmon of Doubt" argues that "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." I have to admit, I agree with Adams, and there have been times when that has been my reaction to a deadline. Right now, I have a piece of work that is long overdue, and yet I still procrastinate. But there are other things with which I know I need to stay on schedule, this blog being one of them. When I was in college, and later Seminary, I don't think I ever had to ask for an extension on a deadline. I do remember being part of a discussion with a professor, maybe because my work was completed on time, over the concept of extensions. My professor argued that deadlines had to be maintained in school because when we finally got released into the real world, extensions would not be available to any of us. Still, I admit, sometimes, I still love the noise deadlines make as they go whooshing past me.

As a Christian, there is a tension here when it comes to the concept of our deadlines and faith. Isaiah, again still speaking to those living in exile, speaks of the intersection between the two ideas. As far as the people were concerned, the deadline had already gone whooshing by them. It was time to go home. Judah lay in ruins, and the time was now to return and begin the hard work of rebuilding the nation. Ironically, once they would actually get there, they would look back nostalgically at the time they spent in Babylon because the work of rebuilding would be hard.

Isaiah argues that they know God. They have seen him move in the past. He is the only God that they had seen move. Ba'al and Asherah and Molek and any of the others were only figments of their imaginations. But they had seen God.

So, Isaiah insists that he is willing to stand among those who ignore the deadlines and wait on the God who he has seen. But some of us read this passage and argue that all we have to do is wait; I am unconvinced. It is part of the tension, and there is supposed to be tension.

We need to be the ones who work. We are the ones, the people of the Kingdom who, walking with Jesus, are transforming this planet. And like the rebuilding of Jerusalem and Judah after the exile, the work would be hard. And there would be deadlines to which God expected them to live up. Part of the struggle that the exiles would face when they got back to Judah was that the job was hard, and they procrastinated, listening as the deadlines went whooshing by them. But, on the other side, there were going to be times when, as God followers, they would need to wait on the timing of God. It isn't one or the other; it is both.

And so I work, but I also wait. I want to be part of what God is doing in my city, in my nation, and my world. I want to work at the dream of up there, becoming a reality down here. But I am also waiting for God and his timing. I am going to try hard not to get upset when it isn't completed on my schedule. I will learn to wait

I will work on deadlines, but I will also not panic when they go whooshing by, because I know that I can wait on the God I have seen.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 65

I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. – Isaiah 63:7

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 12, 2020): Isaiah 63

We all make choices about how we see the world. A friend of mine often liked to call me "Pollyanna" because of the way that I chose to see the world. Apparently, I was overly optimistic in my worldview. The problem is that I don't see myself that way. Too often, I think that I am exactly the opposite. And too often, I kick myself after a "tough talk" with a friend about the realities of life, thinking that my words could have been made a little easier.

Some years ago, another friend called me a great opposer. According to her, I liked to swim against the current of popular opinion, arguing against measures with which most others agreed. But that wasn't who I wanted to be, either. And so, I began to make some different choices about how it was that I was willing to see the world. Likely a change that led another friend to affectionately chide me that I was a "Pollyanna."

Isaiah's words are placed in the mouth of a person who is suffering in exile in Babylon. We aren't sure if it is the author or someone else, but in a terrible situation, that author makes a choice. He has decided to begin his words by telling of the kindnesses of God. Later, this prayer will get darker. He will admit the failure and rebellion of the people that have led him to the position he is in now. He will ask for mercy and forgiveness. The refugee needs God to move, and he will make his petition to his God to do just that. But that is not where he starts. He chooses to begin with telling God, and more importantly, reminding himself and others about everything good that God has already done for Israel. And even the author of the prayer admits that there are many things that God has done.

Writing amid the 2020 pandemic, there are many things about which we can complain. And I know that some of us are scared, maybe, even more, are trying not to be, yet, even now, we can choose first to praise our God. And it was earlier in the summer of 2020, amid the pandemic, that one of my heroes, Mark Beeson, the founding pastor of Granger Community Church, gave an update to his church on his struggle with cancer. I want to share his words with you. These are Mark's words, spoken with a typical Mark Beeson enthusiasm.

So, I was just asked the most interesting question. What happened to your hair? … Then I was asked, do you have cancer? Well, I said, yes, I do have cancer. But cancer is not in charge; God is in charge. God numbers our days; God gives us every day that we have. And we decide how we will live those days. Yeah, I have cancer, but I am trusting God for every day, and I have a new look … oh, the purposes of God will still be the purposes of God, those haven't changed at all, but how the church lives out God's purposes looks a little different from age to age, season to season. As we follow Christ together, whatever our look, whatever style of ministry, we're serving the purposes of God, and we're together, and the opportunity that we have now is to join hands and be the church. Lean in, and each of us play our part in the church. And together, to walk forward with Jesus, following Christ, every day he gives us so that we can bring the kingdom wherever we are. His kingdom is coming, and his will, through his people, is being done on earth like it is in heaven. I love where the church is, and I love the opportunity that we have in the days ahead, to walk into this, how shall I say it, new look, with Jesus. It's going to be something; it's going to be great. Follow your leaders, and lead where you can and be strong, we're on this; it's God's mission, together, as his church. I'm proud of you, God bless you, live strong, you matter.

I think Isaiah would have been proud, in the midst of the storm, I will choose to "tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us … [and] according to his compassion and many kindnesses."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 64

 

No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. – Isaiah 62:4

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 11, 2020): Isaiah 62

We often believe that London took the brunt of the bombing during the Battle of Britain, but the reality is that the city of Kingston upon Hull, often shortened to just Hull, had 95% of its homes destroyed. The truth is that in the early days of aviation, sometimes London was a little hard to find. But the planes could always find Hull on the Eastern coast of the Island Empire. And as a result, Hull takes its place in history as one of the cities that suffered the most destruction in times of war.

But Kingston upon Hull was far from being the only city to suffer devastation during times of conflict. If we accept that these latter chapters of Isaiah were written as the exiles were returning to Jerusalem, decades after the Babylonians had destroyed the city, then we need to recognize that the Jerusalem they were returning to had been devastated. No one inhabited on the Holy mountain anymore. It probably received some visitors; the curious came to see where the mighty Jerusalem had once stood, and some people of various religions had likely built small worship altars on the mountain, approximately where they believed the Temple had once stood. But Jerusalem was no longer a city. It was Deserted and Desolate, a place where only the ghosts of the past made their homes and wandered the destroyed streets. And for many in the area, the belief was that Jerusalem would never live again.

Isaiah had a different message. Yes, there is no question that Jerusalem was a city with a past. No one could argue about the cities destruction. The people had deserted it, but none of that was Jerusalem's future. Isaiah says that Jerusalem would be known as Hephzibah, a word that means "My delight is in her." Even deserted and desolate, God was willing to declare that he took delight in Jerusalem. And the city would also be called Beulah, which means "married." A time was coming when Jerusalem would know the love and presence of God in the same way that husband and wife commit to sharing life together.

The Christian Church has clung to this idea of Beulah but, unfortunately, have forgotten the concept of Hephzibah. But both are extremely important. A God who takes delight in us (the Church) is a God that is willing to make us his bride and share his presence with us. And in return, we need to take delight in him, and share our lives unreservedly with him and accomplishing his purposes in the world around us.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 63

For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. – Isaiah 61:11

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 10, 2020): Isaiah 61

In nature, there are two basic processes; growth and decline or death. Nature doesn't seem to support the status quo. Staying the same is an impossible task; we either grow or die. The inevitable result of the end of growth is the beginning of death. And it doesn't matter what kind of life about which we are speaking. Whenever the process of growth ends, the process of death begins. Our reality in life is that if you want to keep on living, the trick is to keep on growing. We need to make sure that there are still challenges in our lives that need to be solved. We are created in a way that we need mountains in our lives that have yet to be climbed.

But the other side of this reality is that we have little control over the actual process of growth. Believe it or not, there is no switch on the seed that the farmer uses to turn it on to get the process started. All the farmer can do is set the conditions for growth. He places the seed into the ground, giving it the nutrients that the seed needs to grow. He waters his crops, or he prays for rain so that the seed can begin life. Most gardeners know that there is an eternal battle with weeds that want nothing more than to steal the nutrients away from our precious plants. These thieves need to be removed so that the conditions for growth can be enhanced. But that is about all that that the farmer or the gardener can do.

Isaiah argues that our righteousness and praise is not something that can be manufactured. It is something that grows. Like a seed, it is planted in our lives. We might set the conditions, develop the rituals and practices like regular prayer, and exposing ourselves to the biblical writings, giving the seed fertile ground in which to grow, as well as weeding out harmful habits that might slow the seed's growth. Still, in the end, the growth is left up to God. But we take comfort in the fact that God promises if we do our part, that he will give us the growth.

But the reverse is also true. We can't manufacture the process. We can't leave the seed in the ground of our lives and then just ignore it and expect good things to happen. And at the moment where we begin to take righteousness and praise for granted, the death process begins. And just like a neglected seed in our gardens, it doesn't take long for the things that God has caused to grow in our lives to die. And the result is that we become bitter facsimiles of a religious person, rather than genuine followers of God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 62

Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations—their kings led in triumphal procession. – Isaiah 60:11

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 9, 2020): Isaiah 60

Early twentieth-century Baptist pastor, Joseph Fort Newton, argued that "Men build too many walls and not enough bridges." There continue to be too many things that separate us. Walls have historically been an important security feature of a society. Walls and fences keep things out, and as well as corralling stuff so that it cannot escape. And that becomes part of the problem. What helps protect us can quickly be transformed into a prison that separates us from the rest of the world.

Isaiah speaks of a day of prosperity for Israel. And it is interesting to note that one feature of this day of economic triumph was that the gates set into the walls of the city would always remain open. According to Isaiah, prosperity results when we stop building walls and start building bridges, or in this case, leaving the gates of the city always open. It is something that some economic experts have been trying to tell us for years. Everyone benefits when we stop putting up barriers to trade and begin to do business with those who have traditionally existed outside of our walls.

It has also been an argument that we have been hearing from Africa for years. African businesses have been asking for a generation, not for handouts from the wealthy First World countries, but for a level playing field where they can compete with the world's businesses. The idea is that if they are given a chance, they can bring prosperity to the continent without needing humanitarian assistance from the West. (And, yes, the problem of corrupt African governments and war would also have to be solved for this to be a possibility.)

But the reality is that we still live in a world that has walls as its main feature. Not all of the walls are physical, many of the barriers take the form of tariffs, trade barriers, and other forms of protectionism, but they are still walls. And regardless of whether you think these walls are a necessary feature of our international relations, the reality, according to Isaiah, is that when we can finally pull these barriers down, when we can, at last, put our efforts toward building bridges or leaving the gates to our cities open, then we will know that the day of prosperity has arrived. And that prosperity will not just be for Israel, but the world as well.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61

So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. – Isaiah 59:9

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 8, 2020): Isaiah 59

Jesus told the story. It involves a shepherd and his flock of sheep. The flock in the story conveniently numbers one hundred. And in the story, one of the sheep goes missing. The question that Jesus asks is, what should be the shepherd's priority? Does he stay with the ninety-nine, or does he go in search of the one? The intuitive answer for those who first heard Jesus's story was that the shepherd should go and search for the one. But, if we are honest, in our society, we aren't sure.

One parishioner cornered me with the story some years ago. He was furious about what he felt were the unnecessary efforts of the church to minister to those who did not give back to the life of the church. And during our discussion, he brought up this story and argued against Jesus's conclusion. In what world does keeping the ninety-nine safe take second place to searching for the one in trouble.

The answer to my friend's question is that the needs of the one are more important than the ninety-nine in any culture that values justice and righteousness. Justice and righteousness are fundamentally unconcerned about the needs of the majority. The concern of justice and righteousness are always in support of those who exist on the edges of culture. Because if justice is available only to the powerful, then it isn't really justice, nor can it be right.

It is an interesting argument to evaluate in our present cultural moment. In a world where we fight over "Black Lives Matter" or "All Lives Matter," maybe we need to relook at Jesus's story and focus on the one. In a world where we question the advice about wearing a mask in public when only one percent of our society will suffer devastating health outcomes due to COVID-19, maybe we need to hear the story of the shepherd and his flock one more time.

I admit that I have a persistent nightmare. Admittedly, I am among the blessed in our culture. I don't worry about my rights being stolen from me by those in power. But that does not mean that it could not happen. One day I could wake up, not as one of the ninety-nine, but as the one. And Isaiah makes it clear. If justice and righteousness are not part of our plan when we are the ninety-nine, it won't be there when we make the journey to the one. At that moment, we will look for the light but only find darkness. And the fault won't lie with God; it will lie with us.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 60