For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. – Romans 10:2

 Today's Scripture Reading (April 25, 2024):  Romans 10

"Can you believe some people think we have actually gone to the moon? They believe that the Space Shuttle program existed and that the Columbia exploded in the skies over Earth. What it must be like to live life and be so gullible." I want to say that the conversation was typical until this point, but it wasn't. But now, a turn had been taken; it was never coming back.

The conversation had started okay, but I knew there was a problem with my new friend when we wandered into the area of politics. The first warning sign was when he started to complain about the fixing of the 2020 American election against conservatives. My friend strongly believed there was a worldwide agenda that intended to take votes away from conservative politicians. The height of this process, at least so far, was stealing the 2020 election away from Donald Trump. I smiled and commented that Conservatives didn't need any help; they seemed to be able to snatch failure from every victory. He looked at me. I think he was trying to comprehend what I believed, and then he moved on to other subjects. And now we were talking about space.

The first time I had had a conversation with someone like my new friend was over the Sandy Hook school shooting. Then, I was taken aback when someone attacked me over my foolish belief that the mass murder was real and not a drama dreamed up and pulled over on us for purposes unknown. But just the thought that someone as educated as I seem to be would believe in what he called the Sandy Hook Hoax was appalling. I needed to know the truth.

But here is the truth. I believe that we have been to the moon. The first moon landing happened when I was nine years old. It was a formational moment in my life. I believe that twenty-six people died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in an unnecessary tragedy fueled by our love for guns. And I believe that Joe Biden won the 2020 election fair and square. Call me gullible, it's okay.

I am not the first, and I won't be the last. It is a phenomenon that has been around from the beginning. And it is still with us. We are zealous for God, but our zeal is often not based on knowledge. It is based more on feelings, false teachings, emotions, cultural understanding, and conspiracy theories than it is on Scripture and God. And in many arguments in the church, emotions and cultural understanding beat knowledge every time.

Apparently, that was also true in Paul's day. The people were zealous, but Paul knew their truths. They were zealously chasing after things that were not of God, and they were not willing to hear the truth, regardless of where that truth might come from. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Romans 11

What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? – Romans 9:22

Today's Scripture Reading (April 24, 2024):  Romans 9

What if God is patient? Not just because he didn't return during the first century but because he still holds back his wrath from us today. It's not that we don't deserve it. We can't say that we don't. We deserve nothing but his wrath. But what if God chose not to pour out his wrath at this moment and instead covered us with his mercy, reminding us that we can still be who he created us to be and for the purpose for which he has created us? Admittedly, some of us he created for a more noble purpose, but most of us for a purpose that is more common. The common thread between us is that he made us for his purpose. What if God showed us his mercy so that his glory could be seen through us and that purpose?

Near the end of the movie "To End All Wars," a scene explores this idea of mercy. The war is over; the Japanese have lost, but they are still in control of the camp and are working on a kind of agreement with the prisoners. Then, one day, a group of wounded Japanese soldiers arrive at the gates of the prison camp. Their arrival causes a panic. The Japanese can't let them in because it could cause a revolt among the prisoners, and for the prisoners to help the soldiers would considered giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

Despite all this, one of the prisoners begins walking toward the truck. His commander issues a command: the prisoner must not help the injured soldiers; he is ordered not to give and comfort to the enemy. The soldier replies that he is not giving aid and comfort to the enemy; he is helping a human being. In this moment, it doesn't matter that that the enemy has abused him, that they have killed some of his friends without cause. In this moment, he refuses to reflect all the wrong that has been done to him back and focuses his attention on helping this wounded group of Japanese soldiers. He would be an instrument of mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

What if God was patient? What if his patience and mercy were designed to flow through us? Two stories came to mind as I prayed over this passage. The first story was the story of Noah and the Ark. In that story, God destroyed humankind, except for Noah and his family. I know that it was a long time ago and that our records from that time are almost non-existent, but we don't see Noah pleading for God's mercy and patience in what we do have. Seven hundred years later, God would make the suggestion again. Moses, let me destroy the Israelites; allow me to begin over again with you. Moses, I will make you into a new nation. Except this time, Moses pleaded for the lives of the people. This time, Moses asked for the mercy and patience that are so much a part of God's nature.

What if God was patient, and because of his patience and mercy, we decided to reflect that patience and compassion? What if that was all that was meant in the idea of living the Christian life?

The Bible is clear: God has a plan for all of us and the mercy and patience to help change the world in which we live. He is waiting for us to realize the potential he has placed in all of us.

What if …

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Romans 10

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. – Romans 8:19

Today's Scripture Reading (April 23, 2024):  Romans 8

A friend of mine was on a plane making a cross-country flight. The distance meant that they would be on the aircraft for a while. As they boarded the plane, they noticed that across the aisle and a couple of rows in front of them sat a mom and dad with a couple of kids. The aircraft took off after the normal preflight activities were completed, and the kids went wild. Mom and Dad were doing their best to settle the kids down, but the kids were having none of it. On a plane, you are in close quarters, and as a parent, there is a natural fear about what everyone else is thinking about your parenting skills. Sometimes, you wish you could step outside for just a minute, but you realize that is impossible. Or maybe it is that moment when you want to tell the child to go out and sit on the wing until they can learn to behave better, but the wind is strong, and they would probably fall off. Or worse, the child might think that sitting on the wing sounds like a fun idea.

On this flight, a gentleman is sitting across from them. And he has a book out that he is trying to read, but you can tell that the noise from the kids is breaking his concentration. Finally, he puts his book down, looks at the kids, and says to the parents, "So, you have two kids?" Dad looks back and says yes, we have two kids. The man smiles, "You are so blessed! My wife and I wish we had two kids." Dad looks over compassionately at this man and asks, "You and your wife weren't able to have kids?" The man smiles and says, "No, we have five; we just wish we only had two."

There is a time when parents sit with eager expectations over what their children will do in life, but sometimes that eventuality seems too far away; the potential never seems close enough to be realized.

I often think that the church takes pride in the fact that we are at odds with our culture. But that is not the biblical image. Listen to this description of the church in Acts;

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

In the early life of Jesus, we find this statement; "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). Timothy repeatedly says that the people of the church need to be worthy of respect. Here, Paul gives us the idea that Creation is waiting for the Children of God, the church, to measure up to what it was intended to be. Scholars disagree over the word that we have translated as "creation." For some, this word means all of the created world, but others argue that the word really should be translated as humankind. Creation is waiting, begging for the church to be the church, for the church to embrace the teachings of Jesus and try their best to live them out in the world. Creation hopes we will love the way that Jesus loved and that we will make sure that the important things are what we are giving our attention to. But we are so easily distracted and get caught up in arguments that are beneath us. We need to walk away from some of the things we are messed up in to get to the task of redeeming the world, or what Paul calls creation. We need to recognize that all we are is stewards, and everything that we have belongs not to us but to God. He has given it to us to manage.

I must admit that I sometimes don't blame the world for not being patient with us. It shames me that the Christian Church has become known as warmongers instead of peacemakers, that we have been defined by the things that we stand against rather than that we stand with Jesus in a deep love of this world. That there is no one of any race or creed, in any state of sin, of any gender that God does not love. No one is outside of God's providence, and there is no one for whom Jesus did not die.

But, if we are honest, this is not the message the world has often received from us. We are kids misbehaving on a plane. And the world looks on, wondering how we have been brought up. Paul writes that the world, whether it is all creation or just humankind, is waiting for us to get it right, anticipating the moment when the children of God will finally be revealed.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Romans 9

But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. – Roman 7:6

Today's Scripture Reading (April 22, 2024):  Romans 7

God's purpose is to write his law on our hearts. He doesn't want to eliminate our passions but to overwhelm us with new passions. His goal is to make us truly alive. We can conform to the Christian image in two ways. We can put our petty list of rules up on the door and follow them all the days of our lives so that we look like we are Christian, or we can die to ourselves. Death means that we allow God to remove the evil character that has ruled us for too long and permit him to place his character in our lives. The quest of the Christian journey is to have God's character formed in us so his passions can burn in us. And this is really what this idea of dying to self means. Life begins when we die to ourselves and are recreated in the likeness of God.

I love stories. That's probably why I like to listen to Tony Campolo speak. He's a good storyteller. Campolo admits that he's a dangerous man. According to one story he tells, he is particularly dangerous in elevators. Our society teaches us to turn around, face the doors, and stand quietly as we make our way up or down on an elevator. In his younger days, Tony was one of those guys who walked into a crowded elevator and said, "I suppose you're wondering why I called this meeting."

Once, when he was in an elevator in a New York Skyscraper with a group of serious-looking business people, he smiled and said, "Lighten up; we're going to be traveling together for quite a while. What do you say we sing?" Incredibly, they did. Tony wasn't sure if they were just intimidated by him or looking for some fun, but businessmen with attaché cases in their hands, businesswomen in their power suits, and Tony sang "You Are My Sunshine" in the elevator.

Tony got off on the seventieth floor, and one businessman got off with him and walked beside him down the hall. Tony turned to him and asked, "So, are you going to the same meeting I'm going to?"

The man turned and smiled. "Nah, I just wanted to finish the song."

The Bible says that God sings over us. Sometimes, we hear the song and want to chase God just to finish it. But, at other times, God's song of life eludes us. We are on a journey together that starts by simply admitting to ourselves that we want to live. It continues through our dying to self and allowing the character of God to be reborn in us. It allows us to be overwhelmed with the passion that only God can give us for this life. 

And I hope all we want to do is finish the song God has started in our lives and recognize the new way of the Spirit to which we have been invited.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Romans 8

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. – Romans 6:5

Today's Scripture Reading (April 21, 2024):  Romans 6

In Galatians, Paul writes these words; ^"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Okay, obviously I have not been literally crucified with Christ. But that is not the point. If I am genuinely going to be a Christian, that means that something inside of me has to die. And it is something vital.

It is a concept that brings me to a question: Have I died? It is not an easy question to answer, but I guess it is not supposed to be. Maybe that is the problem. We are looking hard for the easy way. The promise is this: if you have been crucified with Christ, if you no longer live, but Christ lives in you, then sin no longer has its claws in you. Yet, every fiber within me stretches out for life. Every fiber within me wants to live and struggles for it.

But, to be successful, at least on some level, I must be partially dead. Consider this: dying to self is characteristic of a successful politician, especially a President or Prime Minister. One of the most fundamental promises of a politician is that I will put down my dreams to embrace yours. I will die so you can live. The problem is that that seems to be an impossible thing to do. But Paul says the same thing is also required in our spiritual lives.

Consider this: I have seen the examples of several Presidents during my lifetime. The first President that I am politically aware of during my life was Richard Nixon. I was a big Nixon fan, which tells you a lot about how I got to where I am today. I remember Nixon's assertion, "I am not a crook … The people need to know that their President is not crooked." Nixon was very concerned with how people saw him. And his concern told us just how alive he really was.

Gerald Ford became President upon President Nixon's retirement from office, and after Ford was a peanut farmer named Jimmy Carter. At the time of his re-election campaign, Jimmy Carter is in a challenging political race with Ronald Reagan while, at the same time, working hard to get hostages out of Iran. I clearly remember turning on the television and seeing the number of days that the hostages had been in Iranian captivity getting higher and higher. It occupied the mind and heart of all of the American voters. It doesn't matter how we view the presidency of Jimmy Carter because the truth is that the number that came at the end of his first term in office was the summation of Carter's presidency. Why doesn't the United States do something? They have this military might; maybe it is time to put it to use.

Meanwhile, of course, what we didn't know was that some of the hostages were safe in the Canadian Embassy, and Carter and Prime Minister Joe Clarke were working hard to get them out before any further action could be taken. I am convinced that Carter could have won the 1980 election if the people had known what was happening in the Canadian Embassy and the details of the behind-the-scenes race to free some of the hostages. But it wasn't about him. In some way, Carter had died, and what he needed to do was what was right. Of all the Presidents, I think Jimmy Carter was the complete opposite of Richard Nixon.

Ronald Reagan restored Pomp and Circumstance to the White House, something the peanut farmer didn't care about. George H. W. Bush continued the reign of Reagan. Bill (I did not have sex with that woman) Clinton suffered through some moral issues. Barak Obama held the office with a measure of grace that had been missing from the office for many years. Donald Trump, rather than dying to self, seemed to elevate self, and his followers loved it. Trump was cut from the same cloth as Richard Nixon (whom I admit to being a huge fan).

And, of course, Joe Biden, well, maybe I need a little more distance to evaluate his time at the helm of the nation. My point, though, is that a politician that dies to self is actually a rare thing. It is also rare in Christianity, but that shouldn't be true. We need to be united with him in death to be united with him in the resurrection. But dying to self, as Paul tells us, is necessary, and it isn't easy. Therefore, it is something that we need to pay attention to every day.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Romans 7

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:1

Today's Scripture Reading (April 20, 2024):  Romans 5

In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode, "Who Watches the Watchers," the crew of the Enterprise travel to Mintaka III and come into contact with the primitive race that calls the planet their home. In their contact with the primitive people who inhabit the Mintaka III, the Enterprise's crew, especially their Captain, Jon-Luc Picard, are mistakenly considered gods. After all, they have so many powers that are beyond what these primitive people could imagine.

At the end of the episode, the people ask that their dead relatives be brought back to life, people who had died the previous year during a season of flooding. Of course, that action is beyond the capabilities of even the futuristic crew of the Enterprise. But that is something that the people of Mintaka III struggle to understand. In the moment of being turned down, the question that remains is not an understanding that there are limits to the power of their new god, "The Picard," but rather that the people of Mintaka III have angered "The Picard" so that he is unwilling to give the people their request. What had they done to anger the Picard? And of even more importance, what could they do to make peace with "The Picard" and his angelic agents?

It reminds me of a story about T. E. Lawrence, maybe better known as Lawrence of Arabia, traveling by camel through the deserts of Arabia. As they travel, Lawrence notices that one of his comrades is missing. Immediately, he questions his companions about the last time they saw their friend.

"Where is Jasmine?" Lawrence asks.

He receives a mysterious response. "Who is Jasmine?"

Lawrence continues, "The one we have been traveling with. There is his camel, with the rifle still on it. Maybe they shot him, and he fell."

Again, his mates question Lawrence. "Maybe he is not strong in mind or body and has fallen victim to the desert. He is not worth a nickel; who cares where he is."

According to the tale, at this point, Lawrence stopped, turned around, and started to find his lost friend. A hot and dangerous hour and a half later, he discovered his travel mate in the process of being murdered by the desert. The famed British military officer reached down, picked him up, gave him the last few drops of his water, and started back. When he caught up with his party, they were amazed that T. E. Lawrence, who was of infinite value, would stop and search for one that wasn't worth a nickel.

We have peace with God, not because of what we have done, but because God has made peace with us. He, who is of infinite value, has made peace with us, who are worth less than a nickel, through the death of his Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross.

We did not make peace with God; He reached down and made peace with us.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Romans 6

If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. – Romans 4:2

Today's Scripture Reading (April 19, 2024):  Romans 4

How do you breathe? Are you good at it? How often has someone stopped you and told you that you are an excellent breather? Sometimes, it is great just to be able to watch the masters do something well, and there are days when all they want to do is watch you breathe. Maybe people do, but I wouldn't know; I am not a good breather. I struggle with asthma and allergies, both of which can impede my breathing. My guess is that we don't notice good breathing, but we do take notice of someone who is struggling with their breath. To breathe well is natural, something that we do without thinking. To struggle with breathing is unnatural and often an indication of severe illness.

Paul tells the Romans that if works justified Abraham, he might have something about which to boast, although there is an open question on why one would want to. The idea is that doing what is right should be as natural and automatic as breathing. It is how we were created back when God placed Adam and Eve in the garden. Doing right was as natural as breathing, and failing to keep God's Law was an indication of severe spiritual and physical illness.

It would have been natural for Abraham to be justified by works, except that he was suffering from the same disease that has beset every individual of the human race since the fall of Adam and Eve. I don't know what the mechanics of the disease might be; if we knew the answer to that question, maybe we could work toward a solution for the problem. But instead, we pass the disease from one generation to the next. As a result, instead of right practice being the natural outgrowth of our being, evil and sin have become our natural path.

I keep returning to St. Augustine of Hippo's story of the pear tree. It is well known that Augustine ran with a bit of a wild crowd during his youth. And one night, his gang became aware of a pear tree that was loaded with ripe fruit. They didn't want to eat the pears, but they thought it might be fun to steal them. Augustine says;

We carried off a huge load of pears, not to eat ourselves, but to dump out to the hogs, after barely tasting some of them ourselves. Doing this pleased us all the more because it was forbidden. Such was my heart, O God, such was my heart – which thou didst pity even in that bottomless pit. Behold, now let my heart confess to thee what it was seeking there, when I was being gratuitously wanton, having no inducement to evil but the evil itself (Saint Augustine of Hippo; Confessions).

It was evil that was natural, and doing good that was an achievement. But it should never have been that way. The reverse should have been true; doing good should have been our natural state, and because of that, it should never have been something that we might want to boast about, at least not in front of the God who created us. It would be like bragging about our ability to breathe.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Romans 5