God to the godless.

Scripture:

Acts 17:28

For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.’

Observation:

Paul doesn't just teach, he studies too. Even though Paul was accomplished in many things - even though he had been commissioned as the apostle to the gentiles by Jesus himself - he doesn't just roll into town and expect that people will line up around the block to hear him tell them "how it is". Rather, Paul takes time to get to know the people and the context into which he hopes to preach and teach the good news of Jesus Christ. So, he meets people in places of worship (synagogues) and in places of civic importance (university halls, public squares…) and in the marketplaces as he plied his dual trades.

How seriously does Paul take this need to "get to know his audience"? Well, he takes time to visit holy places of religious traditions that he does not follow. Also, he because fluent in the arts and entertainments of his hosts. And you know what? It looks like Paul's approach was astoundingly effective.

Application:

At some points in our collective Christian history, followers of Jesus have succumb to the temptation to withdraw out of the world. This temptation is driven by the heretical assumption that God is more spiritual than material; or, light without darkness. But when we withdraw from the world, we are abdicating the calling to go out into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Triune God. None of this is to say that we should enter into full and uncritical participation with the cultures in which we find ourselves. We are after all, "in the world, but not of the world." We must critique the wider culture when it fails to offer the life we have come to know through Jesus - Life, that is to say, received by grace as abundant!

Still we must not withdraw from the world lest we lose the ability to speak in languages and images that are the only effect tools we have for communicating the gospel.

So, by all means: 

read 50 Shades of Grey; 

watch the Super Bowl and all those 

great commercials; 

go out and  hear a live band; 

try that new craft beer; 

vacation at an 

all-inclusive resort … and, as you do 

all these things - 

do them to the glory of God.  

As you live life in the abundance that God intends for us, don't be surprised if you start to have some people (strangers even) wanting to know the secret to your contentedness and joy. And, when they ask - be prepared to tell them about the unnamed God: the God who knows you (and them) by name.

Prayer:

Revelatory God, you delight in making yourself known to the world through the joyful lives of your servants. Grant us this day the courage, will and skill to identify when you bring people across our paths who long to know you more fully; and, having noticed them, to regale them with the many and various ways by which we have experienced your amazing grace. Amen.

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  Scripture:

  1Chronicles 27:23-24
  23 David did not count those below twenty years of age, for the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars of heaven. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count them, but did not finish; yet wrath came upon Israel for this, and the number was not entered into the account of the Annals of King David.

• Observation:

  
  Here we get a clearer explanation of what is only suggested in 1 Chronicles 21:1-27 (and 2 Sam 24:1-17, for those of you keeping score at home). 
  
  David came up with the bright idea to take a census of all the fighting aged men under his Kingship. His advisors and friends warned him against it, but he issued the order anyway. They were right, he was wrong; for the census garnered the wrath of the LORD. 
  
  The thing is, that story always makes me wonder what exactly David had done wrong? Isn't it normal and/or prudent for leaders to have an up to date account of what resources they have been entrusted to steward? Wouldn't it be good and helpful to know how many subjects you were responsible for as King?
  
  To me, it sounds like the problem was one of over-reaching on David's part. By ordering the census he had taken a step towards viewing his people as raw materials for waging war. Not only that, his action indicated a move away from relying on the LORD to provide the call to arms and all necessary for victory. 
  

  Application:

  
  

  Where do we find ourselves hedging our 

  
  

  bets and developing contingency plans 

  
  

  today? Is God still front and Center in 

  
  

  those plans? 

  
  

  If so, by all means, work to be the best steward you can of those persons and resources entrusted to your care! If not, perhaps you might join David (and me) in some good old fashioned repentance. 

  Prayer:

  LORD, you alone are the source of our security, you alone call us to and authorize us to manage affairs on your behalf. Forgive us when we over-reach and show us how to properly fulfill our kingdom duties. We pray especially today for treasurers and stewardship committees across your church. Be the center of all their deliberations and plans. Amen.

Scripture:

Acts 16:6-10
They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

Observation:

I have often been struck by the following deep theological assertion when reading this passage ... Huh!
Why in the world would God call and equip Paul and company to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles - even to the ends of the Earth - and then prevent his band of disciples from doing just that in certain locations?

Could it be that God doesn't desire to extend the boundaries of the Reign of God into all corners of creation? I have a hard time squaring that thought with all I have come to know and love about the Living God.  

What if this passage is not describing the limits of God's influential grace, so much as it is describing the limits of our capacity to bear it to specific people and places? That is to say, what if God's "no" here is not a "no" to the people of Asia, Mysia and Bithynia, but a "no" to Paul and his troupe?

Application:

Have you ever heard the story about a teacher who created a trick test? After instructing her class to always read through an entire test before beginning to answer any questions, the papers are handed out. Half the class is sweating through the impossibly hard questions when a steady stream of their peers begin to hand in their papers after a ridiculously short amount of time. The thing is, those who listened to the instructions and read the entire test before beginning to "do" the test came to the last page and found a pleasant surprise. It read simply: "Once you have read this page, simply sign your name at the top of the first page and hand in your test. You are done."

I wonder if our call as disciples is a bit like that story. The world is full to the brim with people and places that desperately need to encounter the gospel YES! of the living Word of God. The thing is, if I try to bear that word by myself to all of them, nothing is ever going to be accomplished. That scenario is just another example (all too common in my life, by the way) of me ignoring the instructions and trying to be God in God's place.

I am learning that the mark of true discipleship is never about a one-off conversion experience that launches me into a life of serving and ministering to the world on my own terms, according to my own plans. True discipleship is about an ongoing process of seeking after, "What the LORD is saying to me today, here, now?" Then, each time I hear from the Lord, I must work within my community of faith to discern, "How the LORD would have me do in response?"

Seen in this way, what looks at first glance 

like Paul's frustrated failure, is actually a 

shining discipleship success story.

Prayer:

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. I ask that you would humble and encourage me so that wait upon your word. Grant me grace to respond in trusting faith when it is "no", or "not yet", or "not you". For I am learning that the road to "yes", and "now", and "yes you" is navigated in this way. Amen.

From whence does such incredible power come?

• 

  
  

  
  

  Scripture:

  Acts 16:25-26 
  "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened."
  

  Observation:

  In this passage we can see to types of power at work in the world. The first type of power is coercive. Such power does what it can at all times. It is about one party enforcing its will upon another, supposedly weaker, party. A spirit of divination possesses a little girl; wealthy slave merchants possess the same little girl; the doubly possessed girl, under the power of said spirit, accosts Paul slandering him as a possession of Jesus Christ; the slave owners seize Paul and Silas and drag them before the magisterial powers who enforce their will for order by commanding them to be beaten, chained and imprisoned.
  
  The second type of power is relational. Such power is expressed through willing self-limitation that sets others free, inviting them into right relations thereby multiplying its influence. Instead of wrestling, it dances; instead of yelling violent threats, it sings hymns of praise. Paul dispossesses the spirit and the slave owners by freeing a little girl; Paul and Silas are inexplicably singing hymns when they should be gnashing their teeth and plotting their revenge. Yet, this humble action proves to be so efficaciously subversive as to catalyze the obliteration of the very foundations of all forces that would attempt to oppress and enslave.
  

  Application:

  Within any system based upon coercive power the best anyone can hope to achieve is a fleeting semblance of freedom from the grasping, conspiring powers of the other.
  
  The type of relational power that seems to be God's preferred way of engaging with creation - the type made most clear and manifest in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - invites us into an existence that is both deeper and wider. Relational power adds a dimension of "freedom for" to our "freedom from" that enlivens our imaginations and sets our toes to tapping.
  
  

  Which type of power sounds better to you? 

  
  

  Today, will you choose to seize hold of others and press 

  
  

  your advantage through acts of coercion; or, will you 

  
  

  choose to cry out to all the weak losers you encounter, 

  
  

  "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!"

  
  

  Prayer:

  Dancing, three-stepping God; Grant us all the grace to live into three dimensional freedom in our relations today. Set us free from all forces that seek to enslave our bodies and imaginations. Set us free for the holy work to which you have called and invited us. Amen.

• 

  Scripture: 

  
  

  Acts 16:35-37
  "35 When morning came, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, “The magistrates sent word to let you go; therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul replied, “They have beaten us in public, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they going to discharge us in secret? Certainly not! Let them come and take us out themselves.” 
  

  Observation:

  Paul and Silas had been thrown into jail on trumped up charges of disturbing the peace. The action of the authorities was meant to intimidate and silence them. Notice that in this story the magistrates are unaware of the miraculous force that freed all of the prisoners from their chains. The magistrates have not been cowed by a miracle into releasing their captives; rather, they assume that their actions have had the desired result. They assume that after such a display of their authority and power, Paul and Silas will gladly remember their place and "go in peace". What they could not have known or imagined was how God had acted to transform the vulnerability and weakness of Paul and Silas into a new kind of strength: one that looks an awful lot like weakness; one that can neither be shackeled nor submitted.

• Application:

  Paul and Silas learned about the true nature and source of power. This emboldened them to stand up to an injustice they encountered despite the real possibility that it could cost them a beating, more jail time, or worse.
  
  

  Can you think of a time, past or present, when you have 

  
  

  
  

  been invited (tempted even) to "look the other way" when 

  
  

  you had experienced injustice? 

  
  To go placidly "in peace" in such a case is to take the words "justice" and "peace" in vain. Might it even be true to say, "Unless (and until) justice and peace are for all, then they don't really exist at all?"
  

  Prayer:

  Father God, You alone are the creator and sustainer of justice and peace. Forgive me when I succumb to the temptation to accept injustice out of a fearful desire to avoid conflict or trouble. Grant me grace to know You as the true source of power and authority so that I might be bold in confronting those who trade in counterfeits. Amen.

• 

  
  

  Scripture:

  1Chronicles 17:2-4 "Nathan said to David [of his expressed plans to build a house for the LORD] 'Do all that you have in mind, for God is with you.' But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: You shall not build me a house to live in."
  

  Observation:

  David is such a shining example of faithfulness - especially so according to the way the writer of Chronicles lays out the story - that Nathan (a prophet) simply assumes that whatever David has in mind will be accepted and blessed by the LORD. Only later - I expect when Nathan is in prayer and meditation - does a clear word from the LORD come to the prophet. It is not the expected word. God does not choose to "rubber stamp" David's plan. It turns out that God is working on a Divine plan that challenges the presumptions of both King and Prophet; both David and Nathan. David assumes that God would appreciate a temple as a measure of honour, glory and luxury.
  Nathan assumes that, having heard God once, he can predict what God's answer to David's query will be. Both are left with a bit of egg on their face. And, yet, by the Grace of God, this passage is not known as "God corrects those chumps, David and Nathan." Rather, it is known as "God's Covenant with David". God doesn't crush their dreams because they failed to obtain proper authorization. Instead, God invites them into the Divine vision and shows them how their plans are simply not big enough for what Holiness hopes to achieve.

• Application:

  I can identify with both David and Nathan. 
  Too often, I come up with a plan and hope God will come along for the ride. This can lead to a placement of "ministries" in the centre of my attention and care. But that holiest of holy places, in fact, belongs to God alone.
  Other times, I get caught by the temptation to provide a quick answer to the questions that people bring to me as their pastor. It can look like I am faithfully drawing upon what God has said and done in the past in order to help guide people into the future God is preparing. But the temptation is based in wanting to occupy myself that sacred space - the center - that belongs only to God. If I can give a sufficiently quick answer, it almost appears as if the answer comes from me. It is an appealing and seductive lie, but a lie nevertheless.

  
  
  

  What about you? 

  
  

  What tends to trip you up as you seek to follow

  
  

  Jesus into the work of the Kingdom?

  
  

  
  

  Prayer:

  Hiking, tenting God; Your willingness to travel light in the process of blessing and redeeming all of creation is a wonderful invitation and a difficult challenge at the same time. Grant us the grace and discernment to divest ourselves of all burdens that would keep us from following You wholeheartedly. Some of those burdens are external things. Many of them are internal thoughts and attitudes. We acknowledge that this work would be impossible without Your prevailing blessing and so we give You both glory and thanks! Amen.

Crucial Theology (and kudos to Rev. Daniel Erlander)

Scripture: Psalm 10:12-14

"Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed. Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, 'You will not call us to account'? But you do see! Indeed, you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan."

Observation:  

The psalmist confesses what she has experienced to be true about God, even as she prays that it will continue to be true now for those desperate for God's saving action. "Indeed, you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands..."

Sometimes, we are tempted to try to protect God. We imagine that God must play by the rules of the world as it is in our daily experiences. So, like a mother shooing her children away from the hot burners on the stovetop, we say in our hearts to God "you can't touch that, it will hurt you!" Because we imagine that God must always be all powerful and incapable of harm, we automatically assume that this somehow entails God avoiding things that are beneath the divine: things like suffering, pain, poverty and want.

This is the great scandal of the cross of Christ Jesus. God is most clearly revealed to us in the one who seems to prefer the company of the miserable. God is shown to be willing and able to go to any and every length - going to death and hell and back - to achieve God's vision for a restored creation full of right relationships.

Pastor Daniel Erlanger puts it this way in "Baptized We Live":
"We do not find God. God finds us - in our darkness, our pain, our emptiness, our loneliness, our weakness."

Application:

God takes risks to stand with people who need help and protection.
Today I will let go (ever-so-slightly) of the will to be invulnerable. Today I will risk getting my hands dirty and my heart wrung.

What about you? 


Where have you been surprised to see God reaching out to 

you, despite the cost? 


Where is God challenging you and giving you the gifts of

wisdom and protection to take risks in service of the 

Divine mission to redeem the world through loving service?

Prayer:

Father God, you never the glorification of suffering - for suffering's sake. Yet, Your parenting love for all Your creatures is so beautifully revealed to us through Your Son - Jesus Christ. Persevere us, we pray, along the risky path of following Him into solidarity with all those who are oppressed and forgotten by the world. Amen.