Sacrifices

I had lunch with a friend recently and he was wrestling with some difficult things in his life. (I will change some of the details so that you will not know who he is.) His wife had recently been diagnosed with cancer and they were in the midst of a significant transformation in their knowledge of all things “chemo,” “prognosis,” and “statistics.” To say the least, it was very disorienting. This led my friend to ask questions about his faith and what we might be able to expect from God. When God’s people pray, what happens? Does heaven move for us? Do we pull ourselves closer to heaven? What is the appropriate response when experiencing such things? My friend asked the question, “Should I go to church more often?” (This from a guy who, as best he can, makes it to a church service one to three times per month.)

It occurred to me that something like that was my usual response and the usual response of God’s people from time immemorial. The logic goes something like this, “God seems to be angry with us. He has a right to be angry at us; after all, we are sinners saved only by God’s goodness and grace. Maybe God wants more _________, insert the appropriate words: animal sacrifices, words of praise, acts of obedience, attendance at church, prayers, Bible verses read, ….” You see, I have a tendency toward legalism. I daresay, you have a tendency toward legalism. We think we can purchase God’s favour with a higher level of asceticism or praise.
It may surprise us to know that Hosea, from his ancient, Jewish, perspective saw through such ideas. He tells us in Hosea 6:6 that God does not want greater legalism:

I want you to show love,
    not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me
    more than I want burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6 New Living Translation (NLT)

At a later time in the history of God’s people, Paul, the great defender of the Law of God, a man who should have been more prone to legalism than any of us, had this to say to the church in Rome.

But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,

“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble,
    a rock that makes them fall.
But anyone who trusts in him
    will never be disgraced.”

Romans 9:31-33 (NLT)

So, going back to my own propensity and that of my friend, we can try to get right with God by “keeping the law,” or by reading our Bibles more, or by reading our Bibles with more thorough understanding, or by listening to more sermons, or by being more diligent in church attendance; and we will fail to draw any closer to God. What will draw us into close relationship with God? Trusting in him. Trusting his plan; trusting Jesus, the rock.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

Can we say with Paul, “I will trust you, oh Lord.”? Can we say this when our lives are going well? Can we say this when cancer is present? Can we say this when we have enough to eat? Can we say this when we are in need?

With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?” 
Psalm 35:10 (NLT)

Thirsting for Justice

The title of my blog has always been a reminder to me that there is a type of thirst that I am to continue to have. Matthew 5:6 says, “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.” I can think of times when my physical body was depleted of water and my thirst was strong. I remember how good water tasted when I was finally able to quench this thirst. Until I quenched it, my mind could think of little else. “Thirst for justice” is about having that same kind of desire for a world of justice. It is a desire to see all wrongs made right. It is easy when I feel that I have been treated unjustly; then, my thirst for justice is immediately strong. What God desires for me is that I learn to have a powerful thirst for justice for others as well. It starts with a thirst for the kind of justice God desires. It starts with a thirst for God.

Psalm 42 speaks of thirsting for God like a deer thirsts for streams of water. Like that deer, we may sometimes despair of ever finding water for our thirst. We may think back on happier times when God was very present, quenching our thirst for justice and our thirst for God’s presence in our lives. We have all known times when both God and God’s justice seemed far away. Psalm 42 reminds us that we can once again put our hope in God for He is the one who will quench our thirst - our thirst for God - and our thirst for justice.

Psalm 42 (NLT)

As the deer longs for streams of water,
    so I long for you, O God.
² I thirst for God, the living God.
    When can I go and stand before him?
³ Day and night I have only tears for food,
    while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
    “Where is this God of yours?”

⁴ My heart is breaking
    as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
    leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
    amid the sound of a great celebration!

⁵ Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and ⁶ my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,
    but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
    from the land of Mount Mizar.
⁷ I hear the tumult of the raging seas
    as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
⁸ But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
    and through each night I sing his songs,
    praying to God who gives me life.

⁹ “O God my rock,” I cry,
    “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
    oppressed by my enemies?”
¹⁰ Their taunts break my bones.
    They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

¹¹ Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God!

Living in a World of Turmoil

How will we respond when the world is in turmoil; when Syrian refugees are flooding European countries and seeking shelter in North America; when oil is $42 a barrel and people are losing their jobs; when Paris and Belgium are locked down; when travelers in the United States are warned not to fly? Do we live as functional atheists or do we "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ"[1]? I am now speaking to those of us who claim to be followers of the first century Rabbi, and Son of God, Jesus. If we truly believe in him, and follow what he taught, then we will recognize that "in him all things hold together."[2] We will not get caught up in the fear of the day. We will not be tossed about by every human argument about the way to solve these crises. We will have our pattern in Jesus. He will be our example and our teacher for dealing with daily life. Jesus tells us to "seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need."[3] Those of us who live as Christians in the world need to take seriously these words of the "author of our faith."[4] God still "reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne."[5] "Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."[6]

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[1] For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV)

[2] The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col. 1:15-17 NIV)

[3] “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. (Luke 12:27-34 NLT)

[4] Hebrews 12:2 (NASB)

[5] For God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm. God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. The rulers of the world have gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham. For all the kings of the earth belong to God. He is highly honored everywhere. (Psalm 47:7-9 NLT)

[6] Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. (Hebrews 12:1,2 NIV)

Consider the Birds of the Air

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)

On Thanksgiving Monday I went for a run in the beautiful Parkland area of Central Alberta. The sky was large and clear as I ran down a gravel road past rolling hills and ponds that teemed with life. A small non-descript water-bird caught my eye as I ran and I thought of this passage in the Gospel of Matthew: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." All around me there was evidence of men and women reaping the grain that had been sown in the spring. Combines hummed in the distance; grain was being loaded into bins as farmers raced to beat the winter weather. There was a sense of urgency in the air. Yet, the small duck swam placidly in the slough and only briefly noticed my form running past. She was content in this puddle; and had all she needed.

For a moment I was jealous of this bird; for her life seemed so peaceful and easy. She practically lived in her own salad-bowl with abundant plant and insect life available in the pond. Then I thought of the rest of the passage: "Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew reminds us that God has a special plan for humans on this earth. We are more important to Him than the birds of the air. He cares so much about us that He has given us the task of sowing and reaping. We know the adage: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." God doesn't simply provide us with fish, He is teaching us to fish.

God knows that we would rather be given an abundance of food and the pleasures of life; but He has a better plan for us. He is building our souls and preparing us for a grateful life in a new heaven and a new earth where one day He will reign and we will rejoice in His will for our lives.

On the Tuesday following my run, the stock-market took a dive in North America and commentators were asked for explanations and advice. Another form of urgency was in the air. Experts asked each other about their "worry-meter," seeking to land on an appropriate level of concern for the markets. God's word goes on to say, "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" The obvious answer is "no!" In fact, evidence suggests that worry is much more likely to shorten your life! God tells us, "do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." The needle of our "worry-meter" is to be buried at zero. How? By trusting that we are valuable in God's sight. By trusting in His plan for the world. By trusting in His training for a new earth beyond this one. God loves little ducks but He does not train their souls. He is training our souls for a greater life.

Trust

I have had to ask myself how much I am willing to trust God this week. One factor in this questioning was the fact that I was given the text of John 18:1-11 to preach from last Sunday (read the sermon notes here; listen to the sermon here). This passage is about the arrest of Jesus by a mob of soldiers, priests, servants, and Pharisees. The main message that came out of the text was that "Jesus willingly and sacrificially lay down his life to do the will of the Father." It cost Jesus much to do the will of God. He had the ability to make a different choice. He could have walked away from the arrest. He could have fought his way out of the arrest. He could have called 72,000 angels to wipe out this mob. Instead, he trusted that God knew the right path. He trusted that the cup that was there for him to drink was uniquely his and represented the best way to live and die.

I have found myself analyzing this approach over the last week or so. What does this mean for my life? How do I willingly do the will of God, the Father? How do I sacrificially live my life for others?

I have read two articles which help with my perspective on this. One, about marriage, reminds me that I still have much to learn about living sacrificially toward my wife. Sarah Markley writes, ". . . it’s a struggle each day to love well and like wading through mud to suppress our own selfish inclinations. Each step toward Jesus and toward grace is harder than the last . . ."1 I can relate to "my own selfish inclinations" all too well. How do I really love my wife with whom I have journeyed for over 31 years. How do I give her the respect she deserves as a child of God? How do I set aside my stuff?

My own selfish inclinations say, I can do this my own way. Jesus says, "Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" There it is, that unswerving trust that says, "the Father knows best." He really has the best plan for our lives.

The second article that has been a help in this week's journey is one entitled, "Why I Don't Believe in God Anymore." Peter Enns has said, that rather than believing in God, he trusts God. This he says is far more demanding.2

Perhaps that is where it comes down to for me: trust. Can I trust this God whom I do not understand nearly well enough? Can I say, with Peter Enns and others, that I cannot get all of my beliefs about God to line up and make complete sense? I know I can say, "God, there is so much about you that is a mystery to me." "God, there is so much about how you reveal yourself to people that is still a mystery to me." "God, there is still much in the Bible that I do not understand." Many times I have echoed the words of a father with a sick child: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24); today I want to say to God, "I do trust you;  help me overcome my un-trust."

1 (Markley 2013)
2 “The older I get, making sure all my “beliefs” of God are lined up as they should be loses more and more of its luster. I see the Bible focusing a lot more on something far more demanding: trust. Try it. Which is harder to say? I believe in God or I trust God?” (Enns 2013)

Works cited:
Enns, Peter. Patheos: Hosting the Conversation on Faith. March 1, 2013. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/peterenns/2013/03/why-i-dont-believe-in-god-anymore/ (accessed March 6, 2013).
Markley, Sarah. "When a Post-Crisis Marriage is Full of Imperfections." The Best Days of My Life. February 27, 2013. http://www.sarahmarkley.com/2013/02/marriage-imperfect/ (accessed March 6, 2013).

Thirsty

Eveyone has a spiritual thirst. We may try to ignore the thirst but deep down inside we know we are thirsty. We thirst for something more. Chris Rice captures the concept of spiritual thirst in his song Thirsty.

I’m so thirsty, I can feel it
Burning through the furthest corners of my soul
Deep desire, can’t describe this
Nameless urge that drives me somewhere
Though I don’t know where to go

Seems I’ve heard about a River from someone who’s been
And they tell me once you reach it, oh, you’ll never thirst again
So I have to find the River, somehow my life depends on the River
Holy River, I’m so thirsty

Other waters I’ve been drinkin’
But they always leave me empty like before
Satisfaction, all I’m askin’
Could I really feel this thirsty if there weren’t something more?

And I’ve heard about a River from someone who’s been
And they tell me once you reach it, oh, you’ll never thirst again
So I have to find the River, somehow my life depends on the River
Holy River, I’m so thirsty

I’m on the shore now of the wildest River
And I kneel and beg for mercy from the sky
But no one answers, I’ve gotta take my chances
‘Cause something deep inside me’s cryin’
"This is why you are alive!"

So I plunge into the River with all that I am
Praying this will be the River where I’ll never thirst again
I’m abandoned to the River
And now my life depends on the River
Holy River, I’m so thirsty

Hunger and Thirst

Matthew 5:6 Matthew 5:6 (New International Version)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

I have given this passage much thought and meditated upon it many times and still have not plumbed the depths of it. The usual way we hear the passage is that it is saying to us that we should deeply desire to be righteous people. We hear it saying that we will be blessed if we long to be righteous. This sends us down an internal pathway of, “How can I do a better job of cleaning up my life and removing the sin from the crevasses of my soul?” We focus on spiritual disciplines and try to be more righteous in Bible reading, prayer, fasting, meditation, etc. This is all good and is perhaps one message we are to receive from Matthew 5:6. It is not the whole message nor is it the main message of Matthew 5:6.

The major message of this passage is that we are to hunger and thirst (long for, seek as though our lives depended upon it) for righteousness/shalom/justice in the world. Righteousness (dikaiosuna) has the sense of whatever conforms to the revealed will of God and things that are “just, equitable, and fair.”* Thus, when we see things that are not righteous in the world, when we see things that are not just, equitable, and fair, our hearts should long to see justice. When we see aboriginal women standing on the corner offering themselves for prostitution in the downtown eastside (DTES) of Vancouver our hearts should say this is not right, this is not just, this is not fair, this is not equitable, this is not shalom, this does not conform to the revealed will of God. Such things should make us long for righteousness in this situation. We should hunger and thirst that this thing should be made right. It should move us to action. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled/satisfied/saturated.” We cannot rest until we have filled our hunger and thirst for righteousness.

This morning, I was reading an article by Meera Bai and John Stackhouse called "Why I Help Addicts Shoot Up." I have never been a supporter of InSite (the Vancouver safe injection site) and I still am not sure I can support it despite the reduction in harm it may accomplish. But when I read the article it made me hunger and thirst for righteousness in the drug culture of the DTES. Reading this article one can readily see that this is not right, this is not just, this is not shalom. Even InSite does not seem right, just, or equitable even though much grace, love, and care is being extended. The answer lies in hungering and thirsting for righteousness. We need to hunger and thirst for things that will stop the cycle. The authors say

Having witnessed three generations of the same family shoot up in the same room, I have come to understand that injection drug use is far from being the result of one bad decision. It is the outcome of a complex of systemic, familial and individual influences that must not be oversimplified to "It's their fault. They should just quit and get a job." I am still shocked by the stories of abuse that I hear at InSite.

This is not right. My heart hungers and thirsts for righteousness that will prevent the abuse that will prevent the need to dull the pain of the abuse. I hunger and thirst for other solutions to the pain. I hunger and thirst for something other than InSite. I hunger and thirst for the Kingdom of God.


*Take a look at the word meaning in W.E. Vine’s, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words or Harold K. Moulton’s, The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised.

Think on These Things

I have been pondering these verses from the book of Jeremiah.

This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:5-8 (New International Version - NIV)

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise. Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV)

We can be like a tree planted by the water. We will bear fruit for our Lord.

Bread

Mark 8:17, 18 "Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember?"

When Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves, his followers collected twelve baskets of left-overs. When Jesus fed four thousand people with seven loaves, his followers collected seven baskets of left-overs.

There is a marvelous economy in the work of Jesus. He supplies abundantly but doesn't create so much excess that it will be wasted.

Later, we see Jesus healing a blind man. At first it seems the man does not quite get enough from Jesus. He can see people but they are not distinct. They "look like trees"(Mark 8:24). Jesus touches him again and he can see clearly. I suppose, if Jesus had wanted to, he could have given this man super-telescopic vision or x-ray vision. But he does not. Jesus gives the man just what he needs.

I am often like the followers of Jesus. I worry about whether I have enough bread. Yet, the great supplier of bread is right beside me. He supplies abundantly, at the right time, without excess, and sometimes he supplies a little bit at a time. Jesus gives me just what I need.