As the Deer, Part IV

But God still loves you. If you doubt it, take a look outside your window and consider this glorious planet He has given you. Better yet, spend some time to take a walk through nature on a sunny day and listen to the sounds of the woods, or ride your bike through the rain and feel the replenishing power of water, or spend a day or two in the wild places of this earth and wonder at the power and majesty stored there as a reflection of the Creator. Or spend an evening with family or good friends and see in the eyes of your brothers and sisters that spark of life, that common thread of what can only be called a soul that runs between and through us all and connects us back with God. Observe the ways of a couple in love, how they adore and support one another, and watch as they are married and then bring a new child into this world, how they love that child and how the child takes comfort in them, and as you observe these stages in life, consider: are these emotions and feelings and actions not intended to be a reflection of our relationship with God? Or, if you still doubt His love, look at Jesus.

Think back to the lifeboat question, and picture Jesus there in the boat with them, squeezed in between the lawyer and the garbage man. As their situation becomes desperate, I can imagine what He would say. “Guys, hold on a minute! Why are we even arguing about this? Don’t you know that all of you are equal before God? I know you have been led astray and deceived, but listen to the truth of My Father. He loves every one of you, and wants each of you to experience life to its fullest, which is only possible if He’s part of it. None of your jobs make you more important than the other; they all contribute to everyone else, and you can always use them to learn about God and share with others His wonderful news. Mr. Lawyer, do justice and stand up for the innocent and the weak. Mrs. Doctor, my Father’s hands will always guide your hands, if you let Him. Child, I am so sorry for what you suffer through; you were never meant to be this way, let me heal you. Mrs. Stay-at-Home Mom, I imagine you’ve learned the meaning of patience by now; now you can understand God’s patience and love a little more. And Mr. Garbage Man, you and I both know the toils of a hard day’s work; trust Me, I will never place a burden on you that is too heavy to carry. Now as to throwing someone overboard, if it must be done, I will go willingly. Though you have no reason to think of me as less valuable to your goal of staying afloat, I do this to make plain the value inside each of you. You see, it is only through my sacrifice that you will stay afloat, which gives each of you a chance at living the life that is waiting for you beyond the confines of this boat.” And as He speaks these last words, He slips over the side of the boat and disappears into the depths below.

I no longer have an apprehension about Heaven, because I have not made reaching it the goal of my existence here on earth. When reaching Heaven is the goal, I fear we too often reduce our religion to a list of bullet points, or a set of formulas to be applied at certain times, or treat the Bible as a self-help book we can read with our morning coffee. Those bullet points may be true, and the there may be a solid basis behind the formulas, but if we focus on these more than our relationship with the Author of truth, we’ve missed the point. Matthew records Jesus warning us against this thinking in chapter 7, verses 22-23:

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

We can do all sorts of things in the name of Christ, but if we do not have a relationship through him with the Father, we’ve missed the point. But many of us struggle with the idea of a relationship with someone we’ve never directly talked to, let alone a deity. How do we connect with him, what do we have in common? I was reading another book recently, in which the author stated that some of the most powerful and comforting words in the world are when someone says “Me too.” When we learn that someone else around us has suffered through the same trials or heartbreaks we have, an instant connection springs up. We can relate to that person, because they know what its like. And sometimes we struggle with what Jesus dying on the cross meant, and how it reconciles us to God, but this author gave what I thought to be a profound explanation. He said that Jesus, a sinless man hanging there on a cross with His arms outstretched, suffering and dying because humanity refused to listen, was God speaking to each one of us, and saying “Me too.”

When I say that I have no more apprehension about Heaven, it is because I no longer view it as an eternal golden harp offered to me as long as I get everything right in this life. As Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians: 

“…that is not the way you learned Christ! – assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Now I see Heaven as an eternal communion with the One, and only One, who is able to fill my soul with contentment, because He created me, and I am finally learning to be who I was created to be. The only true joy and fulfillment to be had comes only from the One who knows you best, because he created you. The Father desires to be one with you through Jesus, but He will never force you, for a forced love is no love at all, and we all know that a relationship must be built on love. Our Father is waiting, and Jesus is there with arms outstretched even now waiting to take you there, but only if you are willing.

“As the deer pants for the water

So my soul longs after you.

You alone are my heart’s desire,

And I long to worship you.

I want you more than gold or silver,

Only You can satisfy.

You alone are the real joy giver

And the apple of my eye.

You’re my friend and You’re my brother

Even though you are a King.

I love You more than any other

So much more than anything.

You alone are my strength, my shield;

To You alone may my spirit yield.

You alone are my heart’s desire,

And I long to worship You.”

-Martin Nystrom, 1984

THE END

As the Deer, Part III

The Bible tells us that there is more to the story. The story of mankind seeking validation and finding it in the wrong places is a very old story, one that goes all the way back to the beginning of creation. Take a moment to pull out a Bible and refresh yourself with the first chapter of Genesis. As we look through this chapter – the six days of creation and the seventh day of rest – we see throughout “And God said…” or “And God spoke…” or “”And God saw that it was good,” and everywhere that God is mentioned in the first chapter of Genesis we always see “G-o-d”. In the original Hebrew the word translated as “God” is the word “Elohiym”, a general form of the word for God that in some cases is translated as “ruler,” “judge”, “angel,” or “god.” It implies a sense of power, a sense of majesty, a sense of divinity. And so we see throughout the story of creation the power of God and His majesty. But then something interesting happens when we move on to the second chapter; from the fourth verse to the end of the chapter all references to God use the words “LORD God”. In the Hebrew the word translated as “LORD” is “Jehovah”, which is the proper name of God, meaning “the Existing One.” We have a switch in chapter two verse four that says we are now not talking about a nameless god, an all-powerful God; we are now talking about One who has a Name – still an all-powerful God, but One who can relate to us. Now take a moment to consider how Hebrew writers often used parallelism in their writing, where a story or idea is told once, and then the same story or idea is told again in a slightly different way. We see this in the first two chapters of Genesis. The first time we see the creation story we see the power of God, the second time we see the creation story it focuses on the creation of man and woman and we see “Jehovah God”, a Name that we can relate to. We see throughout chapter two how God blesses Adam, He gives him everything in the world, He gives him dominion over the world. A little later on God sees that Adam can find no helper suitable for him, so He creates a woman, Eve, whom Adams declares to be “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” Then down in verse 25 we find an interesting sentence: “The man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.” Often times I think we gloss over this verse as, perhaps, Sunday school felt board kind of lessons, but I think we may be missing something. In today’s society, to be naked is to be shamed. We are ashamed to be naked. But Adam and Eve were naked and felt no shame. This is before the fall when man still had that connection with God; they had nothing to hide from God. Everyday it was the two of them walking with God and talking with God in the garden. They didn’t need clothing to try to add a sense of “who I am”, another sense of identity, a separation, putting on a mask. Everything was shared between Adam and Eve and God.

But then the story continues in Chapter 3, and we see that “LORD God”, or “Jehovah God,” is used in some of the first verses, but then we have the serpent come in:

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD [Jehovah] God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God [Did “Elohiym” God] actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God [“Elohiym”] knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God [“Elohiym”], knowing good and evil.”
- Genesis 3:1-5, bracketed items my own emphasis

I thought it was was interesting as we read through this that we have a transition from “Elohiym” God in the beginning, and then the story is retold with “Jehovah” God focusing on our creation and relationship with God in the beginning, and then what does the serpent say when he comes in? He says “Elohiym”. He bypasses the relationship, the name that Adam and Eve associated with God, and hints to Eve that by eating this fruit she would become just like God. It is a temptation aimed at our pride. Instead of submitting to the created role, we now want to reach beyond; we no longer feel that the relationship that we have with Jehovah God is worthy of our standing. We want to be just like Him. So Eve takes the fruit and gives some to Adam, and Adam takes the fruit and that relationship with God is severed. But one thing that is apparent throughout the entirety of those first few chapters is God’s love. He set us up with everything we needed to be prosperous, to have our needs met, and we had our validation at the time of Adam and Eve through God. But love requires one thing -- it requires a choice. Sometimes we may sit back and think, “Well, why did God have to throw that tree in the middle of the garden? Surely He could have just bypassed that and everything would have been alright.” But then its not love. For love to exist there has to be a choice, and unfortunately for us Adam and Eve chose their own way over the way God created things to be.

As the Deer, Part II

Imagine that you are on that lifeboat. Everyone begins to realize that the boat cannot stay afloat under its current load and somebody is going to have to take one for the team. So what are you going to do? You produce a list of reasons why everyone else should want to keep you on the boat: I’m a good paddler! I’m a doctor! I can tell really good stories to keep you entertained! I have three children and a wife at home who love me and are waiting for me! But you see, everyone else has reasons why they should stay on the lifeboat too. Everyone is trying to prove their value to everyone else in the boat. But the key in this situation is that it doesn’t matter what value you believe you have, only what value the others in the boat think you have. In other words, your validation comes directly from the other people in the boat. And all of you are hoping and praying that what you have done and who you are in life is valid enough to earn you a permanent spot on that lifeboat. But wait a minute, don’t we live our lives every day just as if we were in the lifeboat? In elementary school we strive for the best grades to receive the praise of parents and teachers; by middle and high school we sometimes don’t try our best for fear of being made fun of by our friends for being a nerd. Beginning in the teenage years, girls start working out and eating less to look like pop stars and fashion models, and guys start working out and eating more protein to look like weight-lifters and, well, fashion models, all because our collective society has decided to extol youth and superficial beauty. While these trends continue past high school, many of us start to focus on how to make money, either by going to college or learning a trade, because we all know that once you hit the real world your value is gauged by how much money you make. At some point most of us begin dating, trying to find that one guy or girl who will complete us, who will make us feel that we are the most important person in the world. Then we through a little religion in the mix to make us feel good, a sort of security deposit against death, just in case. In our quest for validation we are often tempted by shortcuts, and tragically many of us are caught by that temptation. Credit cards are a good example. Why wait to save up for that new 52-inch HD plasma TV? What about that new car, the latest fashions, the new watch that is a barometer, thermometer, and GPS device all in one? With that credit card you can have it now, and everyone else will be so impressed that you could afford it! Unfortunately, many girls are caught in the grips of anorexia or bulimia in search of that model shape, and some guys turn to steroids. In our education cheating can be a fast-track to that higher grade, which in turn leads to the better job, which of course leads to more money. And sadly, in our relationships, this quest too often tempts us into premature intimacy, marriage when we’re not ready, and most unfortunately, even rape. In our religion we often take one of two paths: a list-based, formulaic approach that treats our salvation as little more than a legal transaction, or a feeling-based hodgepodge of feel-good messages and promises of prosperity. And all of this boils down to our desire for the world to see us as successful, important, worthy, and valuable.

But none of these things ever fill that hole, do they? The car breaks down, the fashions change next season, technology is eclipsed, and the credit card bills come back to haunt you. We end up harming or destroying our bodies in search of a fleeting beauty and that cheating catches up to us when we’re fired for incompetent work or embezzling money. Then you wake up one day and can’t remember why you fell in love with your wife, or you realize that you’ve been allowing your boyfriend to use you in exchange for a sense of security, but now you don’t feel so secure anymore. Our religion fails us when we fail to cope with loss and grief, and we convince ourselves that a loving God is an oxymoron. And then you realize that hole is still there in your life despite everything you’ve tried to cram into that empty space. And your heart tells you, there must be something more.

To be continued...

As the Deer, Part I

*The following is the text of a sermon that I delivered on July 20, 2008 at the evening service of the Church of Christ at Gold Hill Road in Fort Mill, SC.  Since its pretty long, I'll post installments over the next few days.

I suggest reading these verses first, as they lay the groundwork: Genesis 2:4-8, 20-25,Psalm 42:1

AS THE DEER

“The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet ‘tis nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment.” So reads one of the more, shall we say memorable passages of Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God”, preached to a congregation in Einfield, Connecticut on July 8, 1741. I read this excerpt in high school literature class, and I just hung my head and sighed. The message still weighs on my heart whenever it comes to mind. But the horrific imagery of this classic “fire and brimstone” sermon is not the only thing that’s been on my mind lately. I was driving south down I-85 a few weeks ago, and between I-77 and I-485 a billboard caught my eye that read: “CHURCH TRAILER STOLEN! God forgives you, but we need our stuff back!” I scratched my head as I continued toward my exit. Then a couple of weeks ago I was reading a Christian publication, and I came across these lines: “Nothing is more important than going to heaven. When it comes to getting to heaven, nothing is more serious than Christian living. Concerning Christian living, nothing is more valuable than the Word of God, which is able to save our souls.” Again, I sighed as I read it, and even still as I remember it. And recently I was reading a book in which the author relates a story of his elementary school teacher teaching her class a lesson on “Values Clarification” by asking a very peculiar question: “If there were a lifeboat adrift at sea, and in the lifeboat were a male lawyer, a female doctor, a crippled child, a stay-at-home mom, and a garbage man, and one had to be thrown overboard to save the others, which person would you choose?” 

As I look around and observe these thoughts and ideas paraded through our world, I must confess that I feel as though something is missing, something deep in the core of who I am. And I do not mean just the world outside Christianity – the world we do our best to be unspotted by – I do not mean that just that world has left a hole in my heart, but many ideas that are put forth as “Christian” thoughts and actions have failed to fill that hole. Perhaps this is what Bono meant when he penned the words:

“I believe in the Kingdom come

When all of the colours will bleed into one

Well yes I'm still running


You broke the bonds and you loosed the chains


Carried the cross of my shame

You know I believe it

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for.”

You see, I can have no respect for a sermon that distorts God’s anger yet refuses to acknowledge the eloquence and depth of emotion with which Paul conveys God’s free gift of grace to the church in Rome; a sermon that ignores God’s love as revealed to us in John’s gospel and his epistles. When I read that billboard on the interstate, I’m left wondering if the people of that church forgive the thief just as God does. Jesus had a lot to say on forgiveness and forgave much himself, so if we’re supposed to be “like Christ” shouldn’t we be forgiving much ourselves? And when I read that my greatest goal in life should be to reach heaven and that the Bible is how I get there, I get the feeling of a dog at a dog show performing tricks so I can get the treat at the end. You see, I’ve struggled with some thoughts on heaven during my life that I imagine some, if not many of you have considered as well. What if heaven is a let down? I mean, its certainly better than the other option, but I’m here on earth making all sorts of sacrifices and staying away from things that many of my friends enjoy and I’m reading my Bible so I can know what God wants me to do in all aspects of my life and I’m keeping all these rules and I’m trying to convert my neighbors to this way of life, but my everlasting reward is to sing praise songs? I like to sing, but it isn’t my favorite thing to do. Am I really doing all of this just so I can do that forever? There has got to be something more to life than for me to spend it proving that I have the right stuff to do the right things at the right times so that I can get to the right side of the other side of life that we call death. Life is more than running through an obstacle course just to get to the feast at the end; my heart tells me this is true. Otherwise we would just be trained monkeys in a cosmic science experiment, or even worse, a circus sideshow meant to amuse some greater being of intelligence than our own. But isn’t this exactly what the lifeboat question teaches us?

To be continued...

"I am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger"

I am a poor wayfaring stranger

While trav'ling through this world of woe,

Yet there's no sickness, toil, nor danger

In that bright world to which I go.

I'm going there is see my Father,

I'm going there no more to roam.

I'm only going over Jordan,

I'm only going over home.

I know dark clouds will gather 'round me,

I know my way is rough and steep,

But golden field lie out before me

Where God's redeeming shall ever sleep.

I'm going there to meet my mother,

She said she's meet me when I come.

I'm only going over Jordan,

I'm only going over home.

I'll soon be free from every trial, 

My body sleep in the churchyard.

I'll drop the cross of self denial

And enter on my great reward.

I'm going there to see my Savior

To sing His praise forevermore.

I'm only going over Jordan, 

I'm only going over home.