Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. – Genesis 11:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 29, 2012): Genesis 11

A number of years ago I came to into contact with someone who had just moved to Edmonton (In Western Canada) from Newfoundland. I had known quite a few people from the Eastern Canadian Island, and I thought that I was familiar with the strong accent that the people that came from there spoke with. But what I had experienced was people that had been away from Newfoundland for a period of time. And as I stood talking to my new friend, I knew that I was in trouble.

I think my most often used phrases for the next little while alternated between “What do you mean?” and “Could you say that a little slower?” I knew that we were both speaking English, but at times I wondered if maybe I was wrong. It was the English language as I had never heard it spoken before in my entire life.

It is not a big surprise that we, at one time, probably shared a language. It just seems to make a kind of sense. Although some scientists seem to want to argue that the various languages developed spontaneously in several different regions, that doesn’t really seem to make any sense. Language would have been a huge advantage to anyone that possessed it. And they would have had a choice to either learn it, or be overcome by those that did possess it.

And while it makes sense that we all originated from a single language, now lost in antiquity, it also makes sense that at some point that language started to change. Language became specialized, and it became regionalized. It started to change – and it kept changing. Until finally we just couldn’t understand each other anymore. Our interests and separation changed the way that we communicated. And my Newfoundland friend proves it.

Genesis says that God confused the languages. He allowed our divergent interests to change the way that we spoke. They had taken their eyes off of the unifying presence of God and allowed their different interests to mold their language.

And it still does. Our interests change the way that we speak. But we can also be unified by our belief in God and each other. It is what the people of Babel had forgotten. But when we are unified in God, absolutely nothing can stop us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 12

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. – Genesis 10:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 28, 2012): Genesis 10

It was only the lineage of the Jews that was preserved by the books that surrounded the Bible. And that is normal because it was the Jewish people that were the ones that were given care for the oracle of God. And even of those lineages, it is the lineage of Levi and Judah that received the most attention. And the reason was that Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah and that those that ministered in the temple were from the tribe of Levi. And everyone who was a member of the nation of Israel seemed to know the tribe that they were from, at least up until the fall of Masada in the spring of the year 73. (Paul testifies in his writings that he is a proud member of the tribe of Benjamin) It seems that it was at some point after that event that the lineages of Israel disappeared. One of the modern problems with the idea of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem is that we no longer know who it is that God has ordained to work in his temple – we no longer know who is of the tribe of Levi.

But even though we don’t know the lineage of the tribes that are outside of Israel, many scholars throughout history have tried to connect these tribes to the people that are now living on the earth. And it is that tradition that believes that it was the sons of Japheth that originally inhabited the Islands of the world – most noticeably, but not limited to, the Islands that make up the British Isles.

And for me that means something, because what I know of my lineage is that that is the place where my ancestors lived (more specifically, my ancestors were Irish.) I can by that tradition - and I don’t think that we have any idea of the truth of the idea – but according to that tradition I am a son of Japheth.

And that means that I am an heir to the promise of God. I can trace my lineage right back to Noah, and then to Adam. I am the created of God. And so there are places in the bible that also speak about me. When Isaiah speaks of the Servant of the Lord, and that “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope” (Isaiah 42:3-4), when he mentions the island here he is speaking of the descendants of Japheth, and that means me.

And we already know it, but for me it confirms the idea that even at the beginning of creation, God had me – and you – in mind.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 11


Note: The VantagePoint Community Church Sermon "The Cafe of Christ - Eating Dessert" is now available on the VantagePoint Website. You can find it here - http://www.vantagepointcc.org/The_Cafe_of_Christ___Eating_Dessert.htm

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. – Genesis 9:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 27, 2012): Genesis 9

The law of the Hebrew Bible has come to be summarised with the words “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” The idea is that we pay exactly what we take. There is no forgiveness available, and no grace that can be given. Just a payment for what is taken. The idea behind the law seems to be that if we are unwilling to give it away in our lives, then we shouldn’t be willing to take it from theirs. This is the earliest form of justice. And, to be honest, it is the basis of some of our most famous feuds – feuds that have been based on the desire to even the score.

Interestingly enough, it wasn’t the outcome that God demanded of Cain at the scene of the first murder. The “eye for an eye” system may have simply been chosen for the earliest law based societies because it is easier to practice and would protect the perpetrator from someone taking more from them than the crime warranted. We still practice a justice system that is based on limits and appropriate sentences – or sentences that fit the crime. It is an ancient idea.

But what we often seem to miss is the reason why. We would probably say it was because of the inherent value of human life. But God reveals here that the value of human life is solely based on the fact that we are created in the image of God. And this comes to be the basis for all of the law.

We are created in God’s image. And if we really understand that then it should change both how we see and treat ourselves as well as how we see and treat others. There is no one in our circle of influence that is not created in the image of the creator. It is the common ground on which we all stand. And it is the incredible value that we all bear. It is the reason why Jesus was able to say that whatever you do to the least of these, you have done to me. Because the least of these bear the same image that he did – the image of his Father.

No matter who it is that we come in contact with, or how much they annoy us, they bear the image of God. And they – and we – also possess his value.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 10


Personal Note: My first Grandchild - Emilina - was born yesterday. If you are interested in seeing a few pictures, they can be seen here http://www.vantagepointcc.org/Emilina.htm

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” – Genesis 8:22

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 26, 2012): Genesis 8

 

I like to play chess. I wish I played better, but I am working at that. Some people think that you have to be smart to play chess, but the challenge of chess isn’t really one of intelligence. Chess is really all about pattern recognition. To be a good chess player you have to be able to recognize similar patterns in different positions and different games. And that is often my downfall - I see the pattern develop a little too late. And sometimes I am even surprised to see the patterns repeat, even though it is a part of the game. But the predictability of the patterns is what allows chess masters to be so good at the game. It is also why studying past games helps you play in the future – because the games will repeat.

The repeatability of things in life is what makes winning at life possible. In fact, we depend on it. We need to know that the seasons will come, that day will follow night in a repeatable fashion. And from the earliest time we developed rituals (and religions) around the predictability of life.

For us, it is obvious. We understand what Moses had no idea about as he started to write his account of the history of the world. We understand the rotation of the earth and the way that the earth travels around the sun and that the cumulative effect of all of that is day and night and the seasons that we experience. But sometimes what even we forget is that if those things were to stop it would mean the end of life. We couldn’t survive if things were to change. The repeatability of the seasons and day and night is exactly what makes life possible.

The repeatability that Genesis talks about allows us to live, and reminds us that everything is as it should be. And God’s promise to Noah is still in effect; God is still in control. And that is definitely a good thing.

      

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 9

The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. – Genesis 7:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 25, 2012): Genesis 7

Sometimes I know more about people’s lives then I really want to. I seem to get to see them in their worst moments – those times when everything seems to be falling apart and they think the world is standing against them. And the thing that I hate the most is that often I know the secret of avoiding their situation, and it is the last thing that they want to hear. Often our worst moments are made better or worse by what has come in the time immediately before – but we don’t want to hear that. When things are going good, we think they will always be that way. And, therefore, we fail to prepare for those times when things go bad.

For Noah, things were about to go very bad. But Noah had worked very hard during the good times. He had been ridiculed by the culture that thought that the good times would never end, but that hadn’t stopped him. He built an Ark that would end up being his salvation when the good times finally ended. But he didn’t enter the Ark until God told him to. At each step he followed the instructions of his God, never settling for a short cut. But when the time came, God called and Noah was ready. It is a repeating theme in the bible. When the instructions of God are followed, even when we don’t understand the reasons why, then we are ready for the worst.

For us, in our modern culture, that means doing things according to God’s plan for us. Things like getting involved in a small group, building social connections within our worship services, and living within the means of what we earn are just some of the ways that we get to build our Ark for the time when the worst arrives.

And, against the individuality of our culture, the story of Noah also shows that a righteous man can be the salvation of his family. Noah’s family was saved by Noah’s righteousness. And so are ours. We can’t wait for the bad to happen. The key to surviving the worst is living the way that God directs us when times are good.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 8

But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. – Genesis 6:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 24, 2012): Genesis 6

It amazes me that God would enter into a relationship with us that is based on a promise. It seems to be one of the differences between the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the other gods of the Near East. While the other relationships seem to exist on the whim of the gods, the Hebrew God comes to his creation and makes a covenant with them. There really was no need for the promise. God didn’t have to enter into that relationship with us. God is so far above us that it sometimes surprises me that he even notices us – but he does.

So as God prepares to move us into the future, he makes a covenant with us. If you are a “Covenantal Theologian” (someone who studies the various promises that God has made with his creation), this one is known as the Noahic Covenant – literally it was the covenant that God made with Noah. And the Noahic Covenant was a general covenant – it applied to all of the people of the earth. That is one reason that at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) it is the major points of the Noahic Covenant that the church leaders instruct Paul that he should have the Gentiles (the non-Jews) keep. These are the rules that go beyond race, or language or even religion. These rules are universal in nature.

Essentially, the Noahic covenant does seven main things. It instructs Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply in order to populate the earth. It places all of the living things on the earth under human authority (and that authority also contains the idea of responsibility – we are responsible for what happens to God’s creation.) It forbids the eating of meat with blood still in it. It forbids murder. It says that violence will be repaid by violence. In the covenant, God promises that he will never again destroy all of the life on the earth with a flood. And God places a rainbow in the sky as a sign of this covenant for all of the ages to come. 

Basically, the Noahic Covenant covered all of the major elements of the Covenant that God made with Adam. In this, Noah becomes the second Adam – except that Paul calls Jesus the second Adam, so maybe it is better to call Noah the Adam 1.5. God hadn’t changed his expectations of man since the days of Adam. His expectations remained consistent. And even after Adam and then Cain and the other descendant of Adam had totally messed up on what it was that God wanted from them, God still desired to bless them. And that is the point of the promise that God makes with Noah.

And it is still the promise that God wants to make with us. Despite of the number of times that we blow it, God’s purpose is still to bless.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 7

He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them “man.” – Genesis 5:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 23, 2012): Genesis 5

I come from a spiritual tradition that believes in the equality of men and women. Neither group is disqualified from any leadership position simply by virtue of their sex. Both have the aptitude given to them by God to lead. They may perform that task of leadership in different ways, but neither is inferior. In fact, it might be that a good leadership team needs both the male and female perspectives in order to make the best decisions. To move forward in any organization requires the combined mind of both sexes of creation in order to succeed.

So, having been brought up this way, it is a little disconcerting to find out that not everyone in my world agrees with my assessment. For some, the leadership styles of the sexes actually prohibit one of them (women) from leadership positions in the church. Their leadership is considered to be only valid under the direction of a male. And, for me, that is a bit of a foreign idea.

I know that there are a lot of scripture passages that fill the arguments for both sides, but maybe one of the earliest passage to support the side of Egalitarianism (the idea that both sexes are equally qualified for leadership) is found here in Genesis 5:2. It actually looks back at Genesis 1:27 and says that we were both created Man – both the male and the female of creation are needed to make up man. We are literally two of the essential pieces of the puzzle to make up the human race. And the word that is used here is “Adam.” Literally, God created us male and female, and all of us together make up Adam.

It is sometimes considered a redneck trait when we use the term “man” as a universal term to include both sexes. But according to Genesis 5, we are just reflecting the mind of God. We are both created Adam, with all the equality that that suggests.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 6

If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”- Genesis 4:24

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 22, 2012): Genesis 4

There seems to be a natural escalation to life. What once was enough, doesn’t seem to be enough anymore. Records are set and then need to be broken. The standard is lifted. It is the story of the most of our household conveniences. Originally they were billed as time savers. Could you imagine a device that could suck up the dirt instead of making you sweep it up? A room could be cleaned in a portion of the time it would take to sweep it. And the advertising was correct, except that our standard for what we considered to be clean began to change. In the end, we started to spend more time vacuuming our houses than we would have ever spent sweeping. It is a repeated phenomenon of the age.

But maybe a more radical change is that what was once considered bad changes over time to be something good. And that is exactly what has happened to Lamech. Cain was found guilty of killing his brother Abel. His punishment was that he was made a wanderer, roaming from place to place. But it was a punishment that Cain thought was more than he could bear. God makes Cain’s life more valuable than anyone else’s, protecting him to live out his sentence and remember what he had done. Cain’s pain became real, and permanent.

Now, as we jump ahead a few generations and we meet Lamech. Lamech commits the same crime as Cain, he is guilty of murder. But unlike Cain, he professes that he had a reason to kill – he had been insulted. And then he makes a claim for himself – one that had previously only used by God for Cain. Lamech seems to take the curse of God and use it as a blessing for his own life - and he multiplies it by ten. But now, what had been a mark of shame given to Cain by God had become a bragging point brought on Lamech by himself. Everything had changed. I think that he women that gathered on the lawn of the University discussing Eve (See yesterday’s blog on Genesis 3:6) would have approved.

That kind of change can happen whenever we stop seeing this world the way that God sees it. The punishment of Cain was punishment only because Cain respected the heart of God – and he wanted to please God. By the time of Lamech, all had changed. Lamech didn’t care what it was on God’s heart.

Seeing the world with the heart of God can lead us into pain, because God feels pain when he looks at this world. But the pain is worth it, and puts us in a position to make the change in this world that God wants to see, and to avoid a repeat of the sin (there is no record of Cain ever murdering anyone again.) Even Cain had a chance to do good as he wandered around the earth, because he was sensitive to God’s heart. That was a place that Lamech would never find.

         

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 5

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. – Genesis 3:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 21, 2012): Genesis 3

A number of years ago there was a meeting on a University Campus. It was at the beginning of what has become known as the “Second Wave of Feminism”, or possibly by the more popular name of “The Women’s Liberation Movement.” The meeting was of a group of women and the purpose of the meeting was to honor Eve, the first feminist who made a stand against the male domination of her day (I guess that would be Adam.) In the act of eating that piece of forbidden fruit she made it known that a woman could not be commanded by anyone.

It was a strange moment in time to be proud of – and one that really proved that both men and women share in the same faults. We both know from experience what evil is really like. And that was the real purpose of the tree.

God created us, both men and women, with the ability to choose between good and evil. But the idea that we had the ability to choose meant that there had to be options between which we could choose. And the problem was that the beautiful garden in which man had first been placed was free of evil. We had the ability to choose, but nothing to choose between. So God provided a tree.

The knowledge that Eve, and then Adam, received on that day was the experiential knowledge of what it was like to do wrong – what it was like to do what God had prohibited. Since that day we have played the blame game – or, as the women on that University Campus would have argued, the honor game. But the truth is that we did it. It was us that ate of the fruit and we experienced what it was like to violate all the good that we had been created for. And in every life that has ever lived, we do it all over again.

The moment when we recognize what it is we have done and decide it is not a path that we want to continue with is one of the most important moments in our lives. It is the moment that God begins to recreate in us the good he intended for us from before time began.

    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 4

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. – Genesis 2:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 20, 2012): Genesis 2

I grew up in a culture that seemed to take a perverse pleasure in the Sunday rest. From naps when on Sunday afternoons when the last thing I wanted to do was stop from my play (after all, play on Sunday’s was already limited with the two church services we attended) to a prohibition of Sunday onsite sporting events at the camp meetings of my youth, everything that I enjoyed seemed to come to a halt on Sundays.

And the basis of the halt was God’s decision to stop his action of creation on the seventh day. Traditionally the seventh day is actually Saturday, but the Christian Church decided very early on to honor Sunday as the day of rest, because that was the day that Jesus rose from the dead – but both traditions refer back to the fact that God rested. But what does it really mean for God to rest. If my experience with the Sunday morning is any indication, it seems to mean a total stop.

But that is a scary thought - that God would actually stop. So what does the Sabbath rest mean to him? It can’t be that God stopped everything. If what we believe is correct, history is a record of God’s action through time. It could be that God stopped or paused his creative activity, except that it would seem that creation is so close to the core nature of God.

On the seventh day God rested. And maybe all that means is that God had reached the pinnacle of all that he had wanted to create – us. There would be no higher height. But at the same time, in that act of breathing into us and giving us the will to act on our own, his real work had just begun. In giving us the freedom to choose, he gave us the ability to really mess up what it was that he had created.

Every fiber of my being tells me that God is still at work in this world. And we can take pride that we are at the pinnacle of that creation – that on that day God rested; he stopped trying to improve his design. And inside of us is the potential to be exactly what God dreamed we could be in the days before creation began.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 3

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. – Genesis 1:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 19, 2012): Genesis 1

How do you know that there is light? I know, it sounds like a stupid question, but how do you know? And the answer is fairly easy (thus the reason it is a stupid question.) I know that there is light for two reasons. The first and most important clue is that I can see. If there was no light, sight, at least with the naked eye, would be impossible. So if I can see, then there must be light. But the second reason I know that there is light is because I can see the source of the light.

As I write this, I am sitting at a desk in my office. I can see, so there must be light. But I can also see the sources of the light. One of the sources is my computer screen. While I can’t say that the screen is lighting up the room, if it was a little darker the light that it is shedding would be a little more obvious, but still I recognize that my computer is a source of light. A second source is a lamp that is standing in the corner across from my desk. I can’t actually see the bulb, but I can see the evidence of the bulb as the light splashes out from the lamp creating lighted streaks on the wall of my office and on the couch that is sitting just below it. A third source of light is that I am writing this in the daylight. Again, I can’t see the sun. But I see the evidence of it in the light and shadows that are playing just outside my window – on the ground and on the house next door. I can see the light.

To me, one of the most fantastic things about the creation account is that God creates light on the first day of creation – but he doesn’t create the sun (and the moon) until the fourth day. Light exists before the objects that create the light come into existence. I think it is probably for this reason that the Bible plays with the idea of light. Here, in the reality of God and absolutely nowhere else in the universe, does light stand apart from its source. Or maybe to put it a bit differently, here is the most obvious place where we can see that light emanates only from the presence of God.

There is one other thing that I want you to notice about the days of Genesis 1. The first few chapters of Genesis lean heavily on poetry. And that is really noticeable when we look at the days in Genesis 1. One of the features of Hebrew poetry is the idea of dualism or finding two ways to state the same thing. So in Genesis 1, Day One (The creation of light and dark) matches up perfectly with Day Four (The Creation of the sun and the moon.) In the same way Day Two (the separation of the water and the sky) matches up with Day Five (God creates fish for the water and birds for the sky.) Finally Day Three (the gathering of the water in pockets allowing dry land to appear) matches perfectly with Day six (The creation of animals to crawl along the dry ground and then, finally, the creation of man.) Every step of God’s creative energy finds a counterpart.

  

And with these words and pictures – everything has begun.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 2


Note: Last week`s message (The Cafe of Christ - The Meal) is now available on the VantagePoint Website. You can find it here http://www.vantagepointcc.org/The_Cafe_of_Christ___The_Meal.htm

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. – 2 Timothy 4:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 18, 2012): 2 Timothy 4

Death is not a subject that is on the list of things that we like to talk about. In fact, it is often the elephant in the room when someone is sick and approaching the end of this life. It is probably the one thing that we should talk about, but we don’t. We find other things to say. We avoid the subject.

And it is not just those of us on the outside looking in. When it is us that is in the position of recognizing that our days are growing short, we just want to deny our own health problems. I admit that I am a bit of a morbid person. One thing I do when I am reading about a person is look to see how they died. I am surprised at how many times death seems to just sneak up on the person. It is reflected in the words “died suddenly” or “after a short illness.” Sometimes, that is exactly the situation. But a number of times death came suddenly because we ignored the signs in our own lives that something was wrong.

Paul is ending his journey – and he knows it. It isn’t that he is sick. And it definitely isn’t that he had accomplished everything that he wanted to do. There were things still on his “to do” list; there were places that he still wanted to go. But the signs were gathering that those things weren’t going to be possible. His journey was coming to an end.

And so Paul looked back at his life and even with the things that were unfinished he could say that he had finished the race. And he had finished it positively – he had no regrets.

It is the way that I hope we can all look back sat our lives when the time comes. Not that we have completed everything that is on our “bucket list.” But that everything that we have had a chance to complete, we completed with integrity – we know that we have done our best – and God has been present in all of the events of our lives.

So as Paul finishes his letter, his words are strong. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. Timothy, I hope, and I pray, that when you get to this place in your life, you can say the exact same thing.

Note: If you have been with me since the beginning of this blog in January 2009, then with today’s reading we have completed the entire Bible. I have been praying and thinking about what to do next, so with tomorrow’s blog entry we will begin our second trip through the Bible, but this time we will do it chronologically.

Thanks for joining me in the journey and I hope that you want to continue with me. I want you to know how much I appreciate you taking this ride with me.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 1

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness … - 2 Timothy 3:16

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 17, 2012): 2 Timothy 3

There are a lot of misconceptions about how the Bible came to be. One that I have heard postulated is that the Bible is essentially a product of one of the early councils. According to this theory, the early church fathers sat down and chose the writings that supported their own religious theories. The Bible, and much of the Christian faith, is seen as the creation of those men.

And it isn’t that such a scenario wasn’t tried. Different men and groups have tried to shape Christianity by influencing the writings it accepts as holy. Even today, the argument rages on as different books are considered for inclusion in the Bible – or are questioned as to why these books haven’t already been included.

But the truth is a little different. For the first three and a half centuries that Bible was in flux, it was argued over, the authors of the writings were examined and the purposes of the writings were explored. There was very little agreement. Soon some of the writings began to be excluded because they weren’t really written by the people that they purported to be. Some of the excluded writings were good, but they just weren’t God. Partial groupings of the Biblical books were circulated. Even the Hebrew Bible, which had just settled the question of inclusion and exclusion in the group of its accepted writings, was once again opened up for discussion. And the question that was continually asked was this – which ones would be included?

Often when we read Paul’s instruction to Timothy, it is with a modern understanding of the group of writings that came to be known as the Bible. But the truth is that Paul didn’t know the Bible as we know it today. Nor did he, or any of the other New Testament writers, know that he was writing the scripture.

But the faith stand of the church has always been that God did. And it was God that had inspired the writing of the words, and God that guided the discussion and the argument over inclusion and exclusion. And that God protected the writings that he had chosen.

All Scripture is God breathed. These are words that were written before the Scripture was even chosen. But God knew what writings he was protecting. And in the end that is really all that matters.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 4

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel … - 2 Timothy 2:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 16, 2012): 2 Timothy 2

One of the truths that I think I am just coming to terms with is that I am what I remember. I am sure that someone will tell me that it is possible to be shaped by the traumatic events that we block out of our memory, and I can accept that. But we can’t overestimate the effect of the stuff that we do remember. And sometimes ... we don’t remember what it was that really happened.

Recently this has been really impressed on me. And the phenomenon seems to be that, not only do we not really remember what happened, but we actually have the ability to get others involved in our delusion. And in the last week I have actually watched that process happen around me. It was amazing ... and all that I could say was – “but it didn’t happen.”

There is a reason why experts tell us that eyewitnesses are not the best witnesses. We can convince ourselves of a lot of things. So Paul gives the young Timothy some advice. Be careful about what it is that you remember. With all of the people around me that want me to see truth in a certain way, this is what I know and what I remember – that Jesus Christ was dead  but now is alive and that he was descended from King David. And both are very important for me, and therefore you, Timothy, to remember.

He was raised from the dead. This pointed to the supernatural nature of God. Only God could defeat death. It is the reason why sometimes we struggle with the point. Even in the day of Timothy, people were trying to come up with other reason for what had happened in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified. And Paul, had it not been for that experience on the road to Damascus, would have been one of them. But the events on the Damascus road had changed everything. When the light and the voice broke into what it was that Paul wanted to believe had happened just outside Jerusalem on that day, Paul had been thrust into the world of the supernatural. He had no other choice than to recognize that Jesus was really of God.

But he was also human. He was descended of David. When we hear the story of Jesus birth as told in Matthew and Luke, we see the divine. But Paul saw something different. Jesus was born of a woman, he was a descendant of David – and all of this marked his humanity. Yes, Jesus was divine, but he was also human.

One of our core values is that Jesus was fully human and fully God. And for Paul, that was the heart of the gospel. And it was the Jesus that Paul wanted Timothy to remember. And us too. Remember Jesus – of God and yet of man as well. This is the good news of the Bible.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 3

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. – 2 Timothy 1:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 15, 2012): 2 Timothy 1

One of the current debates in Christian leadership arenas is in respect to the role of women in the church. The debate rages between the complementarian stance, which says that the female role in leadership is in support of the male leader, and the egalitarian stance, which stresses that women have both the right and the ability to lead all by themselves. To many the complementarian stance seems to be straight out of a time that is long past – a time before we recognized the equality of all women in society – or one that is more suited in an area of the world where women still are not seen as equal with men . But those that hold that view are not trying to be condescending to women. They truly believe that the Bible leads us in that direction – that this view of women in leadership is simply part of God’s economy. It is part of the way that God works in world. We often don’t understand why God’s economy works. But we do know that it works.

On the other side of the coin, the egalitarian stance argues for the right of all women to lead – not as assistants to men, but as leaders in their own right. Often it is argued that this view is unbiblical. And yet, those that hold this view (including me, I am an egalitarian) don’t see it that way. We look at the Bible as containing both moral and cultural instructions. And the Bible is intended to lead us into a willingness to follow its moral precepts while recognizing that the cultural things can change. But the argument is large, and both camps are deeply entrenched.

So while I am not likely to change anyone’s mind on the role of women in the church, one thing we do know from the biblical record is that women have always been incredibly important to the church. In a culture where women and children were often overlooked, the Bible exalts both them and their ministry.

In this case, it was two women named Lois and Eunice. And both women used their influence to further the cause of the fledgling Christian Church. And when a young man named Timothy watched them and saw their faith, then he was moved to dedicate his life to the one that had proven to be so important to his mother and grandmother.

It is a story that has been told repeatedly through the centuries – women that changed the world because they refused to hide their belief. And the church – both complementarian and egalitarian – is deeply indebted to the ministry that they continue to do.

  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2

He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the LORD. – Psalm 147:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 14, 2012): Psalm 147

Today is the day dedicated around the Western world to the idea of love. It is the day of flowers and chocolate, a day which helps keep both of those of those industries as well as the greeting card industry from going bankrupt. But I am not convinced that any of these actually have anything really to do with love.

Too often it seems that love is a one way street. Love is found in the idea someone will mold their will to ours. That they will do what it is that we want to do. But love means a sacrifice of self that goes both ways. Jesus sacrificed himself on a cross for us, but it shouldn’t end there. He sacrificed, so we sacrifice. It is what true love really is.

The psalmist talks about the ways that God has revealed himself to Israel. The things that he has done and the laws that he had given – all proof of the way that God has loved. To Israel, he gave himself. He made an investment in them because he loved them. To the world, he gave Israel. Israel, who was touched by God, would be given the task of making the world that God had created into a better place - all for love.

Jesus did the same thing. He chose the twelve and invested himself into them – he loved them – so that they would be able to carry that same love – and the same sacrifice to the world. In choosing them, he gave them the power to be world changers. And the world has been changed because of them.

As leaders, it is the best way that we can love. We invest ourselves into the few so that they will go and spread that love to the rest. And in doing that, we are involved in the process of making the world a better place.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 1


Note: The February 5 Sermon - The Cafe of Christ - The Waitress - is now available on the VantagePoint Community Church Website. You can find it here - http://www.vantagepointcc.org/The_Cafe_of_Christ___The_Waitress.htm

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. – Psalm 146:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 13, 2012): Psalm 146

For most of our history we have displayed a propensity for creating gods. It is as if there is something deep inside of us that acknowledges that there has to be something beyond us. Even in our modern culture, as advanced as we think that we are, we continue to find ways to explain away those feelings deep inside of us – the feeling that there must be something more.

But maybe one of the biggest surprises is where we try to find the unknown God. Finding god in the sun, or in the wind, or in the majesty of the mountains I can understand. They seem so far beyond us. But the notion that somehow I will become God doesn’t seem to ring true to me no matter what some religions might tell me. I also have never really understood the deifying of Kings. Julius Caesar was deified, and a temple was built in his honor and people came and worshipped. And, maybe, I can understand a little the people’s need to remember him, especially after all of his accomplishments. He was, after all, the most powerful person that the world knew at that time – and to others he might have seemed like a god. But did Julius himself really believe that he was a god.

Caligula did claim that he was god, and demanded that he be worshiped as one. But Caligula was also a great example of an insane king. And the fact that he thought he was god just seems to prove the point.

For all of the kings that thought they were something more than just human, the Psalmist acts as a prophet. Every god that has ever lived shares in this outcome – their spirits depart, their bodies return to the ground, and their plans come to nothing. Every god, that is, except for one. The plans of Jesus are still being acted upon. And it may be slow, in fact sometimes those of us who bear his name have misunderstood or lost sight of Jesus’ goals. But the world is becoming a better place - we are making advances in AIDS and stupid poverty is slowly being eliminated – at least partially because the ones that bear the name of Christ are working with him to accomplish his plan.

Maybe the most amazing thing is that he is still assisting us with the task – and that was something that the worshipers of Julius Caesar could only dream about. And that is something that we all need to remember – and to live out.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 147

My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. – Psalm 145:21

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 12, 2012): Psalm 145

I love sports. I love sports sometimes even when I am not a fan of either of the teams. I love the drama, the strategy of the game. I love watching people that are passionate about the game that they have devoted themselves to playing – and just watching them play. It often doesn’t matter the sport. I can get into almost anything.

But my interest goes beyond sports. I love to watch people that are good at almost anything – do what they are good at. I love the passion that people have for some of the things that they do. It is a passion that I want to emulate in my own life.

So sometimes I wonder why we don’t feel the same way about God. I mean, how is it that we can get excited about the stuff that we are passionate about and not be excited about the God displays his passion in the creation of the world that surrounds us. I get that there is a fundamental difference between sports and God, but there is still should be a passion that wells up from somewhere deep inside of us for the God that we serve.

The Worship Service should never be something that we just get through. It should be a place where our passion for the things of God is given voice – an exciting experience that we can’t wait to experience. We gather to honor God and each other and praise the one who so passionately created and loves us.

Come, let us worship!

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 146

Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. – Psalm 144:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 11, 2012): Psalm 144

I have never been in a war. I am not a soldier. I have never had to place myself in harm’s way for the sake of my nation. I am old enough to remember Vietnam, but my country wasn’t involved. I have watched with interest (or maybe horror) the conflicts that have flashed across my television screen during my life. But I have never been there. Even though I have never actually experienced it, I don’t think that I can imagine a lonelier place to be than anywhere in the moments before the conflict starts. Once the battle begins, training takes over,  and I think you do what it is you need to do – but in that moment before the battle it is different. And the waiting must be almost unbearable.

I can make that comment because I do know the feeling of going into the uncomfortable places in my life. I know firsthand those long moments before a meeting when you know you are going to be challenged. And while your life may not be at risk, in those moments when your reputation or something else that you love dearly is on the line, it seems like the battle lines are being drawn. And those moments, the ones right before even those battles start, are definitely lonely.

But they are also sad. So many conflicts, from the military conflicts that I have read about in history, to the ones I have watched unfold before me in the contemporary world, to those personal conflicts that I have found myself in the center of all too often, all of them seem to have been based on some level on a miscommunication. The conflicts just didn’t need to happen. And I think that makes those moments before the battle starts seem even lonelier.

It is the moment that the Psalmist is experiencing. The moment for battle is approaching. And what he needs to remind himself of is that God has given him precisely what he needs to join the battle. And that as the battle approaches, he is t alone. We never are. As the fight draws near, God is with us. And he stands with us in the heat of the battle. And in the end, that really is all that matters.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 145

I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. – Psalm 143:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 10, 2012): Psalm 143

I have to admit that I have struggled a bit in my life with depression. It is often episodic in nature (rarely does depression get me in it grips for long periods of straight time), but for short periods of time, I do suffer. And I know that certain times are worse than others. If I am having trouble sleeping, which I admit is a constant problem in my life and has been a problem all of my life (just ask my parents), I find that my depression gets worse. I also struggle at certain times of year. Christmas and New Year’s is a hard time for me, maybe because traditionally I get sick at that time of year and because I sometimes – especially at New Year’s – get overwhelmed by all of the things that I want to do, but haven’t been able to accomplish.

And in my life, my depression distorts everything else in my life. (I feel like I need to pause here and just admit that there are a lot of people that suffer through a depression that is much worse than mine – I really do get that.) But one thing it distorts is how I see my past. I don’t see all of the good that has happened and the way that God has moved in my life. What I see is my failures – the places where I have fallen short. A friend of mine would tell me that the reason is that my past isn’t really my past. I may think that my past has been dealt with, but the tendrils of what has happened is reaching into my present – so my past is not my past, it is my present. And that, to be honest, is normal. It is the way that we all are.

The solution is really to continually turn my past over to God. Turning our past over to God is never a onetime thing, it is a continual task. The reason is that we actually sneak into the throne room of God and take our stuff back. It is like God has our most cherished possession, in this case all of our failures (and no, I don’t get it), and we want them back. So we come to the overwhelming times and these are the things that we find living in our present. And we wonder how we got that back, because God was supposed to be in possession of all that stuff.

The second thing is that we need to practice the good things that God has done. And we all have times in our life, if we will just look for them, when God has moved and things have gone right. But when we get overwhelmed, those are not the moments that we find. The good things that God has done are sort of like my car keys, when I am stressed they are never where they are supposed to be.

And this is exactly what the Psalmist, in this case David, is trying to do. He is rehearsing the ways that God has moved in the past, because he is overwhelmed and needs the reminder. And so do I – and we. God has moved! In the overwhelming moments of this day – just pause and remember that.  

     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 144

May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. – Psalm 141:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 9, 2012): Psalm 141 & 142

I am always intrigued by spiritual experiences that include all of the senses. Worship experiences that include the smell of incense, and the touch of oil or water, the taste of bread or wine, the sound of bells and the sight of art. All have the ability to enhance our worship. And I love it when we find innovative ways of allowing these things to enhance our worship times – and admittedly I don’t find enough ways to utilize them.

But they also present a danger. These items can become a substitute for the essentials of worship. There is a running theme throughout the Bible of the community of God doing exactly that. They wanted to substitute the sacrifice of animals for obedience to God. They wanted to replace a molding of the heart with the keeping of rule. Rule keeping and sacrifice are so much easier than obedience.

The Psalmist reminds the worshipper that incense might be nice in our worship, but to God our rising prayer is his incense. God desires to be in communication with us, our prayer – our praises and petitions – carry a pleasant smell to God. Even the simple act of lifting of our hands indicate our worship and our honor of God.

One of the common elements between prayer and the lifting up of hands is that it acknowledges the existence of the other. In those actions, we come in contact with God and we affirm that we believe in him. It is in that act of faith that God is allowed to move.

A medical missionary that I had the privilege to speak with recently remarked that when he went to Africa he thought that he was bringing with him the medical marvels of the west. Except that they didn’t work as well as he thought they would. But what did was prayer. It was what they expected to work. God moves through our faith, our knowledge that he is there. Our prayers and lifted hands are the start of a faith through which God will move. And we need to see God move.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 143

Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD. – Obadiah 1:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 8, 2012): Obadiah 1

One of the questions that seem to be asked is “why does evil prosper?” Oh, we dress it up in a number of different ways, but the bottom line is always the same – why is it that I do everything right and yet they (usually indicating those that have not done everything right, at least in our view) get all of the benefits. It is not fair. And part of the problem is that we seem to attack our behavior pattern as if it is something that we should be paid for – rather than just something that we do with a sense of honor.

Obadiah has a vision and in the vision God speaks to him about those that seem to fly like eagles and make their nest in the stars. And God reminds Obadiah that even though they may seem to be out of reach, no one is out of reach of God.

Maybe the hardest thing for us to come to a realization of is that God truly is in control – he is beyond our bribing him (even with our actions) and he is the author of everything that happens. Nothing happens without his knowledge, nor does he need our permission to act – either to bless or to curse. Sometimes it seems that we expect God to earn our respect. But he just – is.

It is the message that he gave to Moses from the burning bush – I am that I am – and it doesn’t matter that you, Moses, are just a shepherd. It also doesn’t matter the Pharaoh is the most important and powerful person that you may be aware of. Because I am!

As high as we may get, whatever the heights that we might achieve – God is still above us. And he has the ability to lay us low. God is – and that is all we need to know. Whether we fly with the eagles or run with the turkeys.

  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 141 & 142

Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused. – Psalm 140:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 7, 2012): Psalm 140

We need to be continually reminded that none of us have lived perfect lives. We are surrounded by our mistakes. Even if our mistakes and errors happened when no one was around or know one knows the acts that we have committed, we still know that they are there. We run as fast as we can away from them, but they seem to run even faster. Our mistakes and errors stay a lot closer than we wish. They are always there.

Maybe the worst curse that anyone could wish on us is that the trouble that our lips have caused would be found on our heads - because we all have caused harm. Don’t trust anyone that believes that they have never harmed anyone, because they are at best blind to the events of their own lives and at worst they are lying to you and, probably, to themselves.

I am amazed at the truth of this concept. Earlier this week I had a conversation with some friends that were complaining about a few other people in their circle of influence. They were well worn complaints that I had heard before, but recently I had started to hear the exact same complaints about them. And this scenario is repeated over and over again. The trouble that found its existence on our lips is returned to us until it rests on our heads. In fact, I am convinced that we sometimes react the way we do because we see others committing the same mistakes and sin that have found a home inside of us – and we just don’t need to be reminded of them.

So the psalmist offers the curse. Really it is a curse that doesn’t need to be offered. Nature kind of works that way anyway. The trick is actually in the reverse. This Psalm is a warning about the way the world works, but the answer is found in Jesus Christ through whom God has removed our sin and separated them from us as far as the east is from the west.

This is the God that we gather to worship – the one who knows all of the ways that we have failed in the past and forgives us anyway.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Obadiah 1

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. – Psalm 138:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 6, 2012): Psalm 137 & 138

I have to admit that sometimes things can become overwhelming. Life often seems to have a habit of coming at you fast – and people have the unfortunate habit of disappointing us. And it can be really easy to start to blame yourself and gear up for the fight. But often the blame or the fight tends to carry us in the wrong direction. They both threaten to take us away from the real battle of life that we need to fight.

Distractions are just part of life. They are the things that we have to overcome on the way to accomplishing life. And often we will find that we have to make a choice between the distraction and the thing of importance that we are chasing. There is a competition continually going on for our attention and our energy. And what ultimately get accomplished will depend on which it is that wins the battle for our attention.

 

The Psalmist knew the importance of the distraction. And he knew that God was carrying him through it. In the midst of the trouble, it was God that would preserve his life – God that would take care of the distractions so that he could concentrate on the things that needed his attention.

People will rise up against us, distractions will come and life will overwhelm. But God is on our side. And the promise he gives to us is that he will take care of the extra things – so that we can concentrate on what it is that we need to accomplish. His right hand will still save us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 140