Heart of Worship; Revelation 2-5

May the mumbling commence!

Jesus sent open letters to seven churches at the beginning of Revelation (Rev. 2-3).  Some of the letters contained admonition to turn from their evil ways – actually most of the letters had this element.  In fact, only two out of the seven churches did not receive an admonition from Jesus.  

These churches – Smyrna and Philadelphia – were told to continue what they were doing.  We can learn much about what is being asked of us if we study these two churches.  Let’s look carefully at the letters to these two churches.  Read Smyrna’s letter from Revelation chapter two:

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.  I know your afflictions and your poverty – yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.  Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” (Verses 8-11)

A faithful church will harbor different thoughts on being rich.  They will march to a beat of a different drummer.  They will be rich not in the eyes of the world but in the eyes of Jesus.  It means acting independently from the accumulation of human praise and from the acculturation of human wisdom.

This independence from the ways of the world will lead to being slandered.  It will lead to suffering, to prison, and possibly to death.  Be faithful in the face of all these things.

Be faithful and receive the crown of life.  Faithful churches march to the beat of a different drummer – Jesus Christ.  Know let’s turn to Philadelphia’s letter from Revelation chapter three:

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.  I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.  I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars – I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.  Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Verses 7-13)

Not only do faithful churches march to the beat of a different drummer, they also do deeds in accordance to this different beat.  Faithful churches find the strength in God to keep the Word of the Lord – not denying the Name. 

Faithful churches are not stronger than any other churches.  They just know where to go for an endless supply of strength and patience.  With this supply, we can become pillars of the eternal church in heaven!

To march to the beat of a different drummer and to do deeds in accordance with that beat is the heart of worship of God.  The next two chapters of Revelation (4-5) are about worship.  Can we doubt that worship in Spirit and truth is important? 

In the end, all creation will worship the Lamb that was slain – Jesus the Christ (Rev. 5:13).  Let us go and do likewise.

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out

Contend for the Faith; Jude

May the mumbling commence!

You and I are saved through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Let us celebrate this fact.  It is far more worthy than anything else to celebrate.

Part of that celebration in this world that we inhabit means that we must stand.  We must stand and contend for the faith that we hold so dearly.  Read from Jude:

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.  For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. (Verses 3-4)

Indeed, there are people today that will whisper in our ears the age old lies of Satan that Jude speaks about.  God’s grace is a license to sin.  We are entitled to what our heart desires – regardless of the damage that we will do to ourselves and to the people who love us.

With this thought is mind, it is easy to denigrate into harsh words and unfeeling and uncaring attitudes.  But harshness is not the kind of contention that God calls us to.  There are other ways to contend for our faith that will not wilt the fruit of the Spirit that should be evident in all Christians.  Read later from Jude:

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. (20-23)

The supporting legs of contention are evident in this passage.  They are: continuing in faith, praying in the Spirit, remaining in God’s love and mercy, being merciful to doubters, and snatching people who have fallen from eternal damnation. 

It is depressing to me that sometime I and other people skip over the first part and focus instead on the last part.  Sometimes we focus on fear and hate.  It is sad.  How many times does God tell us not to fear anything but our Creator?  Almost too many to count.

Let us stand in our holy faith, in our prayer through the Spirit of God, in the love of God, and in the mercy of God.  Our doubt will disappear.  And the mercy of the Lord will spare us from the flames of eternal damnation. 

You and I – we’re in this together. So let’s not fight with or compete with one another.  Let us, instead, help one another find the love and grace so evident in our Lord.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Face to Face; 2 & 3 John

May the mumbling commence!

Second John and Third John are two of the shortest books of the Bible.  Each is only a brief chapter long (thirteen verses and fourteen verses respectively).  It makes me think of texting.  Now, I can count on my two hands the number of times I have texted; but I understand there is a character limit on texts.

OK.  I admit it.  I have never done well with limits.

John limited the length of these letters for good reasons.  One of the hidden reasons might have been the preciousness of paper and ink.  There is another reason that John explicitly states in both of these two brief letters.  Read the explanation for the brevity of these two letters:

I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. (2 John 1:12)

I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink.  I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. (3 John 13-14a)

We have limited resources – character limits on texts, time constraints, and monetary constraints.  We need to be creative.  And creativity is not relegated only to abbreviations like LOL or BtW. 

Creativity must take its form in face to face meetings.  Creativity takes sacrifice.  Creativity means doing things in ways we have not done them before.

Yes, we have space to be creative – as long as we remember the essence of Christian community is relationship.  Face to face relationship cannot be replaced with anything else.  Anything else would be a sad substitute. 

We cannot have a face to face relationship with Jesus, so it makes it that much more important to have face to face relationships with our Christian brothers and sisters.  Together, we will discover God in a way that we cannot do isolated with one another.

Isolation is a tool of Satan.

Let us give isolation the short stick so that we may give more time to our relationships with one another and with our wonderful Creator.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Hidden Root of Love; 1 John 4

May the mumbling commence!

Love is powerful.  It roots are often unseen.  Yes, roots are unseen because they are hidden beneath the surface.  We must look beyond the surface of things so that we can see and love as God loves.  Read from First John chapter four:

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (Verses 20-21)

I know for a fact that sometimes I can be hard to love.  If I am truthful with myself (and I would imagine many people feel this way), sometimes I find myself hard to love.  I mess up.  I make mistakes.  What is worse – sometimes these mistakes are a part of a larger pattern.  I would hope that even though I might make many mistakes, I would rarely make the same mistake twice.  I wish that were true of me, but it is not.

God knows all this about me and you.  In fact, God knows even more than we know.  And God still loves us.  Who are we not to love ourselves?  Who are we not to love our brothers and sisters?

If we are honest with ourselves, sometimes we find it difficult to love our brothers and sisters.  Sibling rivalry arises time after time.  It seems we do not learn.

John tells us that if we cannot love a brother, whom we can see, then we cannot love God, whom we cannot see.  In other words, we need to look at other people as being “God with skin on”.

When we look at our brothers and sisters, who do we see?  Do we see people as they are?  OR do we push ourselves to see people as God created them to be?  There is great potential in each human being – each is made in the image of God.  Do we look beyond the surface of people around us to see the potential evident?  Can we look at one another as Christ looks at us?  Better yet, can we see Christ in all our brothers and sisters?

If we can see beyond the surface to the root of love, we will have no choice but to love ourselves and our brothers and sisters.  As we express this love together, we help to make God visible to the world.

Yes, love is powerful because of its unseen roots in God.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Don't Forget Patience; 2 Peter 3

May the mumbling commence!

I need to be reminded.  I need to be reminded about patience.  When the heat of the moment comes, I need the reminder even more.  Patience is a virtue.  I need to remember that in the dog days of summer.  There have been a few too many dog days this summer so far.  And there seems to be no end in sight. 

Patience is a virtue.  I am reminding myself.  Patience is needed in this extreme heat we are suffering through.  I do not know how I would cope without air-conditioning.

But patience is a rare trait in humanity.  That is why, when we look for patience, we must look instead at God.  God is patient.  Sometimes we may see God’s patience as being slow to make good on God’s promise.  But that is just NOT the case.  Read from Second Peter chapter three:

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (Verses 8-9)

Yes, God is patient with me.  So I should not begrudge God’s patience with others – particularly with those people who are being thorns in my side.  You and I may cry out, “How long, O Lord?!?”  Why does God sometimes seem slow to act?

Our Lord is patient with all people.  God does not want the people that were lovingly created in the image of God to perish.  God is not slow.  God is patient.  God’s silence and waiting is the pause that allows for repentance to happen.

How long will God wait on us?  To you and me it will seem forever.  For instance, what feels like a rapidly passing day to me feels like a week to my almost four-year-old son.  Sometimes, I cannot understand my son, Micah’s, impatience.  Well, God likely feels the same way about us.

So, as we see the number of 100+ degree days mount up and as we see evil loose upon the earth seeming unchecked, let us remember the patience of God.  Help us, O Holy Spirit, to at least understand the patience of God.  Help us have a portion of Your patience.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Sobriety Test; 1 Peter 4-5

May the mumbling commence!

It is time for a sobriety test.  I love a good joke.  And the idea of a sobriety test reminds me of a joke I know.  Here it is:

“There once was a circus juggler that was late for a performance.  He traveled with his machetes piled up in the passenger seat.  The juggler was speeding, and a cop pulled him over.  When the police officer asked the juggler why we was going so fast, the juggler told him that he was late for his circus performance. 

The officer asked what the man did in the circus, and the man replied that he juggled.  The officer noticed the machetes in the passenger seat, so the officer asked him to juggle the knives for him.  The juggler got out of the car and was juggling the knives. 

Another motorist passed them by.  Seeing the man juggling machetes, the driver vowed to himself never to drink and drive again.  Just look at the sobriety test now!”

As Christians, we have a sobriety test.  Read from First Peter chapter four:

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.  Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.  If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. (Verses 7-11)

The end is coming.  We just do not know when.  We need to be prepared.  We need to be clear-minded and self-controlled.  As some translations put it, we need to be alert and of sober mind.  How do we show ourselves to be clear-minded and self-controlled – alert and sober?

Peter offers some suggestions.  The most important thing is love.  Love covers over our many sins.  But how does love play itself out?

Peter, again, gives some suggestions.  Be hospitable, and do so without grumbling.  When we open our lives and homes to others, let’s not grumble about housekeeping or cooking chores that go along with hospitality.  Let us not grumble about guests and their oddities.

God has given each of us gifts with the baptism of the Spirit.  Use them for serving others.  God’s grace is often ministered in this way.  If you speak, know that you are speaking the very words of God.  What a thought!  It causes some trembling in my inner preacher.  If you serve, do so with the strength that God provides.

But whatever you do, do it so that God may be praised through Jesus Christ.  Any glory offered in our use of the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us are payable only to God.  We shall keep none of the glory for ourselves.  We are only humble and willing servants of God.

Are you sober?  Am I sober?  How do you and I measure up to this sobriety test?  Do we love fully?  Do we show that love with cheerful hospitality?  Do we share our God-given gifts to build other people up and to glorify God?  Let us seek to do these things more and more.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

No Expiration Date; 1 Peter 1-3

May the mumbling commence!

We have hope built on the Lord Jesus.  And there is no expiration date.  I love to read comics.  It is one of my favorite parts of my local paper.  Comics are one of the few places in the newspaper that can bring a smile to my face. 

In the Hutchinson News, there is a comic called “Dustin”.  They have been running a series lately about the “Kudlick Household Glossary”.  Today’ installment is about expiration dates.  Here is the definition: “A time-stamp date on an item of food that you consult right after you notice it tastes funny.”  It is illustrated with a picture of Dustin (a young adult still living with his parents and trying to make his way) holding a half-gallon milk jug.  It appears that he has been drinking from the jug and has an awful look on his face.

When it comes to Jesus and hope, there is no worry of expiration dates.  We can freely drink from the living water and never fear a bitter taste.  Read a passage from First Peter chapter one:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  (Verses 3-9) 

Good News!  Read all about it.  Indeed, the old-fashioned newspaper caller would have Good News to sell his paper.

“But, wait,” you say.  “That is not how things work in my neck of the woods.”  It is true.  Things that sell newspapers are often ugly and bad.  We are in a season of ramped up political campaigning.  The mudslinging is at full throttle.  God forbid that we talk about the issues.  God forbid that we give equal airtime to good news.

We look at the newspaper and see stories about the young man who did a mass shooting at a movie theater in Colorado.  We see stories about the scandal at Penn State.  We see stories about the extreme heat and drought.

Some may look at the world and wonder how anyone can hold out hope.  As Christians, we need to give reason for our hope.  Read a short passage from First Peter chapter three:

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.  (Verses 15-16)

We are set apart as Christians – holy.  We are not of this world anymore than Christ Jesus was.  Our hope is not solely dependent upon the fortunes of our country or of the world.  Be prepared to give an answer for your hope.  Christ is that answer.  But we must answer others with gentleness and respect.  We seek not to drive people from Christ but to lead them to Christ.  So our actions must match our words.  And the attitudes they are built upon must be pure.

With Christ, there is no expiration date for hope.  Praise the Lord!

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out

Wisdom from Above; James 3-5

May the mumbling commence!

True wisdom is known by its attitudes, words and actions.  There are many things that masquerade as wisdom, but only one that actually is wisdom.  Read what James has to say about wisdom from James chapter three:

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.  (Verses 13-18)

James tells us to show our wisdom by our lives, by deeds done in humility.  Wisdom is greater than knowledge.  To know is one thing, but to apply that knowledge is wisdom.

But beware if you believe that you know the truth and are practicing it.  Beware that you do not become conceited.  Remember that attitudes of the heart are just as important (or perhaps more important) than the actions themselves. 

Do all things in humility before the Lord of wisdom.  All true wisdom comes down from heaven.  What does the attitude of this heavenly wisdom look like?  It is pure, peace-loving, considerate, and submissive.  To whom do we submit?  We submit to God.  Heavenly wisdom is full of mercy and good fruit.  It is impartial and sincere.

These godly attitudes preclude any envy or ambition.  What we do, we do unto God and for the glory of God.  We are but humble servants and instruments.

These godly attitudes also mean that we must watch what we say.  Do not boast about your own wisdom.  Receive your wisdom humbly from your Lord.  If we were to boast about our own wisdom, we would deny the truth. 

We would sow the seeds of envy and ambition.  All sorts of evil will flow from these kinds of attitudes of the heart.  They are the deceptive wisdom of the devil.

Let us quell disorder and strife by seeking peace, by sowing peace.  Together, hand-in-hand, we will plant a harvest of righteousness that will grow by the Spirit of the living God and that will bless us with righteousness.

Should I stand on my “soap box” and proclaim my perception of the truth as THE truth?  No.  I come this day – and every day – to the wisdom of the Scriptures.  I am humbled by the depth and breadth of the Word of God.  I do not hold THE truth in my hands, but I know where to find it.

Let us join together so that we may understand godly wisdom more and more.  We need each other and the grace of the Lord through the Holy Spirit to understand this true wisdom.  True wisdom will shape our attitudes, words, and actions.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Attitude and Spirit Control; James 1-2

May the mumbling commence!

I finish one of my favorite epistles only to go into another of my favorites – the book of James.  James is special to the Church of the Brethren.  Did you hear that?  Did you listen?  What, then, will you do about it?  Read from the end of James chapter one:

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does. 

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  (Verses 19-27)

Are you taking notes?  Am I?  That’s good.  But it is not good enough.  It is good to listen actively.  Be quick to listen.  Humbly accept the word planted in you – it is for your salvation.

No. It is not enough to listen and understand.  We must do what the word tells us to do.  Obedience is key.  Otherwise, we will forget who we are and whose we are.  We will become trapped by what other people think about us, and our self-image will be malformed.

Yes, listen intently to the word of God.  Be slow to speak and slow to get angry.  Speaking quickly and in anger leads to nowhere but bad places.  Allow the word of God to saturate the attitudes of your heart and the thoughts of your mind.  Ingrain them in your actions.

It is a little like the body control of athletes.  I marvel at the fine-tuned control that athletes have over their bodies.  It takes much time and practice to hone their body control.  It takes strength, conditioning and flexibility.  You and I do not see the hours upon hours of sweat, blood and tears.  It takes sacrifice that is carefully planned.

It is this kind of training that James speaks about.  Continue to do what the word of the Lord says.  Once is not enough.  Make sacrifices.  Look after the weak and vulnerable in your land.  Keep yourself from being polluted by the world.

While athletes have great control over their bodies and minds, Christians are called to have great control over their spirits and attitudes.  All the rest of what is needed will follow a godly spirit and attitude.  And people will marvel at our integrity and our love in action.

When people marvel, let us point them to who we are – follower of the way of Christ.  It is not about me or you or even us.  All that we do is meant to bring glory to God and good to our neighbors.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

You Got Fans; Hebrews 9-12

May the mumbling commence!

Man, it is HOT.  I find myself grateful for air-conditioning.  When I am outside, I find myself grateful for shade and breezes (if they are not to “blow-dryer-like”).  I am grateful when I see clouds up in the sky…  Maybe the clouds could portend the rain we so desperately need.

When I am stuck in the dog days of summer, I look at the passage from Hebrews that starts chapter twelve in a different light.  It speaks of a cloud of witnesses.  Chapter eleven of Hebrews is the great chapter of faith – being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (11:1). 

In that chapter, the faithful of God’s children are listed – from Abel and Enoch to Moses and Rahab.  These men and women (and many more) are our cloud of witnesses.  Read from the beginning of chapter twelve:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  (Verses 1-3)

You and I are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.  Does that mean that we have clouded thought and sight?  While our thoughts and sight may be clouded, it is NOT due to this cloud of witnesses.  The cloud means so much more.

Clouds often meant the presence of God.  Think about the pillar of cloud and fire that led and protected the Israelite people in the wilderness.  Think about the cloud that descended upon the Mount of Transfiguration.  God is in the clouds.  Sometimes those clouds give life-sustaining rain (May it be so!).

Clouds can protect us from the crazed heat of impetuousness in this world.  Our eyes will be shaded from the glamorous deceptions of this world.  Clouds of witnesses can remind us daily to fix our eyes on the only goal that matters.  Let us remember our cloud of witnesses so that we are reminded that our goal is to be Christ-like.

And this faith – our faith – has been authored and perfected by Christ Jesus.  Jesus endured suffering and shame.  He was bone weary and still did not lose heart.  Yes, let us remember Jesus and those who followed in his footsteps after him but before us.  Who is it that we need to remember?  Who is in that great cloud of witnesses?  They are more than the people of the Bible.  Read from Hebrews chapter eleven:

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.  Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.  Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.  They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.  God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.   (Verses 32-39)

The list of faithful followers of God in Hebrews chapter eleven is not exhaustive.  It continues to our day.  Some of the cloud is pillars of the church that our denominations stand on today.  Some of the cloud is people that we have known and who have passed on.  Indeed, some of the cloud of witnesses still is alive and active in our lives. 

Let us continue the race that was begun far before we were born.  Listen.  You will hear the cheers and encouragement.

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out

Casting Long Shadows; Hebrews 7-9

May the mumbling commence!

You and I, we cast long shadows.  As a part of the body of Christians, we house the Holy Spirit.  We are temples.  We are tabernacles.  We are sanctuaries.  We are both places to serve and places to be served.  We are these things here on earth.  The author of Hebrews says something profound: “They [human priests] serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven (8:5a).”

We are casting long shadows.  When do the longest shadows happen?  They happen either at dusk or at dawn.  Have you ever sat outside in the late evening and watched dusk take a hold of creation?  It is an agonizingly slow process of going from light to darkness.  If we don’t pay careful attention, we will miss it entirely.  It is best seen in the steady lengthening of shadows.  Too often, we are surprised by the sheer beauty in the sunset. 

Have you ever sat outside in the wee hours of the morning and watched dawn take a hold of creation?  It too is an agonizingly slow process of going from darkness to light.  Indeed, in a culture of instant gratification, dawn takes too long.  It is far too easy to switch on a light to see.  But light will obscure the beauty of the slow process of dawn.  As the sun rises, long shadows become evident.  It is the sunrise. 

So, as we cast long shadows of what is in heaven, are we experiencing a sunset or a sunrise?  The author of Hebrews answers this question in an emphatic way.  Read from Hebrews chapter nine:

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.  The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 

In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.  This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.  When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.  He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep."  In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies.  In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 

It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.  Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.  Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.  Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Verses 11-28) 

Christ has opened unto us a new covenant.  It is new.  We cast long shadows in this world because we are anticipating a dawn in this dark and discouraging world.  Take heart.  A new light is dawning in the Son of God. 

We feel the warmth of this light whenever we decide to serve God and others – whenever we decide to worship the Lord in all God’s splendor.  There is a great hope for a new and better day.  But that dawn takes so long… 

Will you take my hand and wait with me?  We will wait with action and with purpose! 

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out