Dear Friends,
This week we will celebrate a most wonderful holiday that reminds us to value thankfulness. It has been pointed out by others that Thanksgiving is special in part because it has not been overrun by consumerism and commercialization--these sort of go against the spirit of the day!
My hope is that each of us will remember God's endless goodness and respond with gratitude.
In a little prayer book published by the General Conference of American Rabbis, I discovered the following: "Let man see how abundant is God's goodness, and his soul will be filled with the light of genial kindness. He will discover that the motive law of life is not selfish grasping, but generous blessing. The warming sun, the fruitful rain, the abundant earth and the magic seed, are God's messengers, carrying gifts to the children of man. The very will of man, his persistence of purpose, the energy to toil, all come unearned from the Beneficent One. Man indeed labors--that is his destiny, but without God's gifts, he would not have the power to work, nor would his work bring blessing. Let man think of God's endless goodness and be aware of the constant debt he bears his heavenly Father."
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, may the words of the Psalmist be in our hearts: "How can I repay the Lord for all his generous dealings with me?" While we can never begin to repay God's bountiful gifts on our behalf, we can bring him our offering of authentic gratitude. We can express our gratitude by living lives that are good, kind, encouraging, helpful, happy, loving and generous. Our hearts and lifestyle can reflect God's endless bounty.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Duff
Monday, November 24, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Grace of Humility
In Luke 14:7-11 Jesus tells a parable about how guests often tend to choose the places of honor at the banquet table. Jesus counsels us: "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor....But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'....For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) was educated in Cambridge, England and gained fame as an outstanding scholar. He was ordained in 1633 and became the chaplain to Charles 1. Later in his illustrious career, he was consecrated bishop of Down and Connor, Ireland. Taylor was a prolific writer with deep insights into human behavior. In this blog I am drawing heavily on excerpts from his book: "The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living."
Christ calls us to learn to live our lives in humility. Humility is a grace with which God gifts our hearts. This grace must become our habit of life. We can live the grace of humility in the following ways:
1. Maintain a realistic opinion of ourself. This means recognizing that we are spiritually unworthy persons. This suggests we should not judge ourselves according to outward circumstances or what happens to us. All the goodness we experience is God's gracious gifting for our benefit and for the benefit of others. We are merely human--and fallen humans at that. The only thing we can offer that merits worth is our making good choices. But we are not the source--we continue to be hungry when we go without food. When we accept that we are flawed and not fully wise, we should not be angry if someone else agrees! When we know we are unworthy, no one can undervalue or hurt us.
2. Do good things in secret. We will find great satisfaction in being content to go without praise. Let's nurture a love of doing good things in secret. Goodness is its own reward!
3. Never be ashamed. There is no shame regarding our parents, our occupation or present employment, or any reality of our life. Do not be shy about who you really are--speak openly the truth with an indifference to what others might think of you. It is said that Primislaus, the first king of Bohemia kept his old work shoes by his side so that he would always remember his humble upbringing. Do not let praise for yourself be the design of your conversations.
4. Reflect it back to God. Always give God thanks for making you an instrument of his glory for the benefit of others. Be like Moses, whose face shined brightly for others to see, but he did not make it a looking-glass for himself.
5. Focus on the strengths of others. Never compare yourself with others unless it advances your impression of them and appropriately adjusts your impression of yourself. St. Paul encouraged us to think more highly of others than we do of ourselves. It is healthy to focus on the strengths of those around us in order to see our own weaknesses more clearly. In this process we can work to strengthen those areas that are weaker, and we become increasingly whole. Knowing our own weaknesses helps us forgive the weaknesses of others.
6. Enjoy the success of others. It is told of Cyrus that he would never compete in any sport with his friends in which he knew himself to be superior to them. Instead, he would always compete in sports in which he was less skillful than his opponents. He did not want to prove his superiority by winning. He placed more importance on learning from those who were more skilled while at the same time sharing in the joy of their success.
7. The Grace of Humility increases with exercise. Humility always begins as a gift from God, but we can increase our use of this precious gift through exercising the development of a habit of humility. The habit of humility is strengthened through exercise. This exercise includes confessing our sins often to God. This exercise recognizes our impatience, anger, lust and pride as not an occasionally scattered offense in the course of our long life, but rather as one continuous representation of our fallen state. If all our faults and failings were placed next to one another (rather than spaced throughout our long life) we would clearly see the vicious misery of our natural self. This awareness can help when applied as an exercise to the soul, to increase our habit of living the grace of humility.
Our world today hungers for the presence of people who are genuinely humble, because a genuinely humble person is a genuine person! To be humble is to be real. As we learn the habit of living the grace of humility our relationships will become more constructive, healthy, and positive as we interact with one another in a new way of beautiful, life-giving holiness.
With love,
Duff Gorle
Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) was educated in Cambridge, England and gained fame as an outstanding scholar. He was ordained in 1633 and became the chaplain to Charles 1. Later in his illustrious career, he was consecrated bishop of Down and Connor, Ireland. Taylor was a prolific writer with deep insights into human behavior. In this blog I am drawing heavily on excerpts from his book: "The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living."
Christ calls us to learn to live our lives in humility. Humility is a grace with which God gifts our hearts. This grace must become our habit of life. We can live the grace of humility in the following ways:
1. Maintain a realistic opinion of ourself. This means recognizing that we are spiritually unworthy persons. This suggests we should not judge ourselves according to outward circumstances or what happens to us. All the goodness we experience is God's gracious gifting for our benefit and for the benefit of others. We are merely human--and fallen humans at that. The only thing we can offer that merits worth is our making good choices. But we are not the source--we continue to be hungry when we go without food. When we accept that we are flawed and not fully wise, we should not be angry if someone else agrees! When we know we are unworthy, no one can undervalue or hurt us.
2. Do good things in secret. We will find great satisfaction in being content to go without praise. Let's nurture a love of doing good things in secret. Goodness is its own reward!
3. Never be ashamed. There is no shame regarding our parents, our occupation or present employment, or any reality of our life. Do not be shy about who you really are--speak openly the truth with an indifference to what others might think of you. It is said that Primislaus, the first king of Bohemia kept his old work shoes by his side so that he would always remember his humble upbringing. Do not let praise for yourself be the design of your conversations.
4. Reflect it back to God. Always give God thanks for making you an instrument of his glory for the benefit of others. Be like Moses, whose face shined brightly for others to see, but he did not make it a looking-glass for himself.
5. Focus on the strengths of others. Never compare yourself with others unless it advances your impression of them and appropriately adjusts your impression of yourself. St. Paul encouraged us to think more highly of others than we do of ourselves. It is healthy to focus on the strengths of those around us in order to see our own weaknesses more clearly. In this process we can work to strengthen those areas that are weaker, and we become increasingly whole. Knowing our own weaknesses helps us forgive the weaknesses of others.
6. Enjoy the success of others. It is told of Cyrus that he would never compete in any sport with his friends in which he knew himself to be superior to them. Instead, he would always compete in sports in which he was less skillful than his opponents. He did not want to prove his superiority by winning. He placed more importance on learning from those who were more skilled while at the same time sharing in the joy of their success.
7. The Grace of Humility increases with exercise. Humility always begins as a gift from God, but we can increase our use of this precious gift through exercising the development of a habit of humility. The habit of humility is strengthened through exercise. This exercise includes confessing our sins often to God. This exercise recognizes our impatience, anger, lust and pride as not an occasionally scattered offense in the course of our long life, but rather as one continuous representation of our fallen state. If all our faults and failings were placed next to one another (rather than spaced throughout our long life) we would clearly see the vicious misery of our natural self. This awareness can help when applied as an exercise to the soul, to increase our habit of living the grace of humility.
Our world today hungers for the presence of people who are genuinely humble, because a genuinely humble person is a genuine person! To be humble is to be real. As we learn the habit of living the grace of humility our relationships will become more constructive, healthy, and positive as we interact with one another in a new way of beautiful, life-giving holiness.
With love,
Duff Gorle
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Adoring Our Lord
One of my favorite spiritual mentors over the past twenty years has been Henri Nouwen. Unfortunately, I never had the privilege of knowing him in person, but his writings have provided Spiritual Direction and encouragement for my heart journey.
Dr. Nouwen writes of an opportunity he had to meet with Mother Theresa of Calcutta. He was struggling with many things at the time and decided to use this occasion to ask Mother Theresa's advice. He sat down with her and began immediately to explain all his problems and difficulties, trying to convince her of how complicated it all was.
When, after ten minutes or so of elaborate explanation, he finally became quiet, Mother Theresa looked at him and gently said, "Well, when you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never do anything that you know is wrong...you will be fine!"
Nouwen writes: "When she said this, I realized, suddenly, that she had punctured my big balloon of complex self-complaints and pointed me far beyond myself to the place of real healing."
So much of the time we tend to respond to questions from below with answers from below. Mother Theresa's answer was a brilliant flash of light in the darkness of such a futile approach. Nouwen had asked some questions from below, and Mother Theresa gave him an answer from above--from God's place rather than from our human place.
In our humanity we might be susceptible to a superficial search for easy answers and shallow meaning. It is important to remember that God's Spirit is ultimately the sole source of spiritual guidance, comfort and knowing.
Sometimes, in living the questions, answers are found. More often, as our questions and issues are tested and matured in context of our practicing the disciplines of solitude and worshipful adoration of our Lord, the questions simply dissolve.
In our spiritual journeying, let us move forward with a continual openness to the disclosure of the transcendent mystery of God, before whom all questions cease. When we "adore our Lord and never do anything we know is wrong," we will be fine!
Dr. Nouwen writes of an opportunity he had to meet with Mother Theresa of Calcutta. He was struggling with many things at the time and decided to use this occasion to ask Mother Theresa's advice. He sat down with her and began immediately to explain all his problems and difficulties, trying to convince her of how complicated it all was.
When, after ten minutes or so of elaborate explanation, he finally became quiet, Mother Theresa looked at him and gently said, "Well, when you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never do anything that you know is wrong...you will be fine!"
Nouwen writes: "When she said this, I realized, suddenly, that she had punctured my big balloon of complex self-complaints and pointed me far beyond myself to the place of real healing."
So much of the time we tend to respond to questions from below with answers from below. Mother Theresa's answer was a brilliant flash of light in the darkness of such a futile approach. Nouwen had asked some questions from below, and Mother Theresa gave him an answer from above--from God's place rather than from our human place.
In our humanity we might be susceptible to a superficial search for easy answers and shallow meaning. It is important to remember that God's Spirit is ultimately the sole source of spiritual guidance, comfort and knowing.
Sometimes, in living the questions, answers are found. More often, as our questions and issues are tested and matured in context of our practicing the disciplines of solitude and worshipful adoration of our Lord, the questions simply dissolve.
In our spiritual journeying, let us move forward with a continual openness to the disclosure of the transcendent mystery of God, before whom all questions cease. When we "adore our Lord and never do anything we know is wrong," we will be fine!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Seeing Into The Realm Of The Real
Unless we call our attention to what passes beyond what is right before our eyes, we simply won't see it. Sometimes seeing in the realm of the real requires letting go of the ever-present, dominating tyrrany of the tangible. Annie Dillard writes of seeing reality by letting go as becoming "transfixed and emptied"--seeing as "an unscrupulous observer."
Spiritual masters have repeatedly spoken of the mind's polluted river--a seemingly ceaseless flow of trivia and trash that we desperately try to dam-up, but to no avail. We must allow the muddy river to flow unheeded in the dim channels of consciousness, acknowledging its presence without particular interest while we raise our sights and gaze beyond it to the realm of the real, the pure, the silent, the beautiful! "Launch into the deep," says Jacques Ellul, "and you shall see."
The secret of seeing is the pearl of great price.
Think for a moment on Jesus' famous words that "they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not...But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear" (Matthew 13:13, 16, KJV). How frequently I fall into the trap of looking only with the eyes, listening only with the ears, and fail to look and to listen with the heart. My seeing is too often limited, fragmented, and partial.
I pray to learn to see God's reality ever more truly, ever more fully. May I--may we--SEE, in the words of Gerard Manley Hopkins, that "The world is charged with the grandeur of God."
Duff Gorle
Spiritual masters have repeatedly spoken of the mind's polluted river--a seemingly ceaseless flow of trivia and trash that we desperately try to dam-up, but to no avail. We must allow the muddy river to flow unheeded in the dim channels of consciousness, acknowledging its presence without particular interest while we raise our sights and gaze beyond it to the realm of the real, the pure, the silent, the beautiful! "Launch into the deep," says Jacques Ellul, "and you shall see."
The secret of seeing is the pearl of great price.
Think for a moment on Jesus' famous words that "they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not...But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear" (Matthew 13:13, 16, KJV). How frequently I fall into the trap of looking only with the eyes, listening only with the ears, and fail to look and to listen with the heart. My seeing is too often limited, fragmented, and partial.
I pray to learn to see God's reality ever more truly, ever more fully. May I--may we--SEE, in the words of Gerard Manley Hopkins, that "The world is charged with the grandeur of God."
Duff Gorle
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Growing In Love
Dear Friend,
Early morning reading today invigorated my heart through the contemplation of St. John's life of growing in love.
The one theme that constantly runs through John's writings is the theme of LOVE. John sums it all up by telling us that Jesus gave to his followers a "new" commandment, and it was to "love one another." (It was "new" because Jesus added the "love others" line to the Shema of Judaism).
But John's own "story of love" is not completely pretty. It appears that John did not learn very much about love from his biological family. He learned love from Jesus!
As a young man, John was crusty and cranky. The gospels tell the truth of at least three significant "love failures" in the life of St. John:
1. John and his brother James (scholars believe they could have been Jesus' cousins) request: "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." If love is service, as Jesus explained it, then John fails in love.
2. John's love for others is tested when he doesn't recognize the validity of someone exorcising demons in Jesus' name. John tries to stop the person from doing miracles and reports him to Jesus. Jesus' loving heart would never denounce someone who is breaking down demonic strongholds. He responds to John: "Whoever is not against us is for us." John failed in extending Christ's love to others--in this case, someone who was doing God's work.
3. John hears that some Samaritans refuse hospitality to Jesus "because he was heading for Jerusalem." John's response is: "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" Ouch! This "disciple of love" prays for hell to fall on these people. Jesus explains to his followers that they are not to think of Sodom and Gomorrah, to call for "ash in a flash," (Scot McNight's words) every time they encounter someone who doesn't respond properly! John's love for the Samaritans is tested, and he fails.
How does John grow into the apostle of love? Even though, when tested, he goes belly-up, the love he experiences in his relationship with Jesus eventually transforms John's story from Thunderbolt to an apostle of love. The would-be MVP becomes the anonymous loved one. Then he writes for us a theology of love.
Nothing is more important for the development of love than being loved. We may be taught the importance of love, but to experience it is to know it. John spent plenty of time with Jesus and in the context of this relationship, he comes to know what it is to be loved. John begins to refer to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved."
Like John, you and I can grow into "apostles of love." I'll close today's entry with Henri Nouwen's powerful, practical challenge: "Becoming the Beloved means letting the truth of our Belovedness become enfleshed in everything we think, say, or do....As long as 'being the Beloved' is little more than a beautiful thought or a lofty idea that hangs above my life to keep me from becoming depressed, nothing really changes. What is required is to become the Beloved in the commonplaces of my daily existence...."
It is said that, as an old man, all John wanted to talk about was love. His own students were amazed at how loving he was. He would have been the first to remind them "it was not always so."
Your becoming loving friend!
Duff
Early morning reading today invigorated my heart through the contemplation of St. John's life of growing in love.
The one theme that constantly runs through John's writings is the theme of LOVE. John sums it all up by telling us that Jesus gave to his followers a "new" commandment, and it was to "love one another." (It was "new" because Jesus added the "love others" line to the Shema of Judaism).
But John's own "story of love" is not completely pretty. It appears that John did not learn very much about love from his biological family. He learned love from Jesus!
As a young man, John was crusty and cranky. The gospels tell the truth of at least three significant "love failures" in the life of St. John:
1. John and his brother James (scholars believe they could have been Jesus' cousins) request: "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." If love is service, as Jesus explained it, then John fails in love.
2. John's love for others is tested when he doesn't recognize the validity of someone exorcising demons in Jesus' name. John tries to stop the person from doing miracles and reports him to Jesus. Jesus' loving heart would never denounce someone who is breaking down demonic strongholds. He responds to John: "Whoever is not against us is for us." John failed in extending Christ's love to others--in this case, someone who was doing God's work.
3. John hears that some Samaritans refuse hospitality to Jesus "because he was heading for Jerusalem." John's response is: "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" Ouch! This "disciple of love" prays for hell to fall on these people. Jesus explains to his followers that they are not to think of Sodom and Gomorrah, to call for "ash in a flash," (Scot McNight's words) every time they encounter someone who doesn't respond properly! John's love for the Samaritans is tested, and he fails.
How does John grow into the apostle of love? Even though, when tested, he goes belly-up, the love he experiences in his relationship with Jesus eventually transforms John's story from Thunderbolt to an apostle of love. The would-be MVP becomes the anonymous loved one. Then he writes for us a theology of love.
Nothing is more important for the development of love than being loved. We may be taught the importance of love, but to experience it is to know it. John spent plenty of time with Jesus and in the context of this relationship, he comes to know what it is to be loved. John begins to refer to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved."
Like John, you and I can grow into "apostles of love." I'll close today's entry with Henri Nouwen's powerful, practical challenge: "Becoming the Beloved means letting the truth of our Belovedness become enfleshed in everything we think, say, or do....As long as 'being the Beloved' is little more than a beautiful thought or a lofty idea that hangs above my life to keep me from becoming depressed, nothing really changes. What is required is to become the Beloved in the commonplaces of my daily existence...."
It is said that, as an old man, all John wanted to talk about was love. His own students were amazed at how loving he was. He would have been the first to remind them "it was not always so."
Your becoming loving friend!
Duff
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Same Sex Marriage and Religious Freedom
Dear Friend,
This is shaping up to be a fascinating political year. As you undoubtedly know, for the first time the California Supreme Court recently upheld the legality of gay marriage in that state. Massachusetts was the first state to approve gay marriage.
It deserves repeating that the Bible affirms the value of human sexuality expressed in marriage between a man and a woman. We also uphold the gospel teaching that Christ died for all, and that his love is inclusive. Christ-followers do not hold hostility toward homosexuals, neither do we have a heart to tolerate unfair discrimination, intolerance, or a breach of any of the gospel principles of love to all God's children.
The issue I'm raising is the emerging reality that religious freedom has less legal protection than gay rights. The California Supreme Court held that homosexuals shall enjoy the same legal status as race--protection as a fundamental right. Yet the same court has refused to recognize that religious liberty is a fundamental right and has ruled against religious freedom interests. According to Alan J. Reinach, Esq., a religious liberty attorney, there is now a "legal imbalance" where gay rights receive maximum protection, while religious freedom is granted less protection.
Now that homosexuality is equated with race, we can expect a wide variety of challenges to religious organizations that adhere to traditional Biblical interpretations. The city of Boston required adoption agencies to serve homosexuals, and refused to accomodate the religious objections of Catholic Charities. Although Catholic Charities accounted for most of the adoptions in Boston, it closed its adoption agencies rather than compromise its religious convictions. Thousands of children are now "stuck" in foster care as the city itself has not chosen to provide adoption services to gay couples.
I read that cases have been filed against wedding photographers who refuse to film gay wedding ceremonies. Bob Jones University lost its tax exemption because its policy against interracial dating was inconsistent with public policy. Similar challenges to the tax exempt status of churches and other religious organizations are expected.
This past May, the California Supreme Court heard arguments that two doctors and a medical clinic discriminated against a lesbian couple by denying them artificial insemination services. The doctors argued that they properly referred the patients for services that they could not conscientiously provide. Lawyers for the patients insist that religion not be allowed as a defense.
No matter where you or I come down on any of these issues, the point is that our long-held assumption that religious liberty enjoys a preferred status in the USA as a fundamental constitutional right is no longer necessarily true. In its 1990 peyote decision, the Supreme Court discarded the First Amendment's protection for the free exercise of religion as a "luxury that a well-ordered society can no longer afford." One legal observer noted the court has ruled against religious freedom in every case since that time. For example, in 1995, the Court held that Evelyn Smith's Presbyterian faith was not a good enough reason to refuse to rent one of her four duplex apartments to an unmarried [heterosexual] couple, despite the fact that in her city, Cal State Chico maintained hundreds of housing units exclusively for married couples.
The issue of gay marriage may be resolved this November when Californians have the opportunity to amend the state constitution to restrict marriage to a man and a woman. But this will not change the legal status of homosexuality as a fundamental right, given more protection than the right to practice one's faith.
It appears the trend in America is that religious freedom will mean the freedom to hold one's faith in private, but not to practice it publicly.
Let us pray for courage to honor Christ regardless of the cultural and legal environment we may encounter in the days ahead.
With love and hope!
Duff Gorle
This is shaping up to be a fascinating political year. As you undoubtedly know, for the first time the California Supreme Court recently upheld the legality of gay marriage in that state. Massachusetts was the first state to approve gay marriage.
It deserves repeating that the Bible affirms the value of human sexuality expressed in marriage between a man and a woman. We also uphold the gospel teaching that Christ died for all, and that his love is inclusive. Christ-followers do not hold hostility toward homosexuals, neither do we have a heart to tolerate unfair discrimination, intolerance, or a breach of any of the gospel principles of love to all God's children.
The issue I'm raising is the emerging reality that religious freedom has less legal protection than gay rights. The California Supreme Court held that homosexuals shall enjoy the same legal status as race--protection as a fundamental right. Yet the same court has refused to recognize that religious liberty is a fundamental right and has ruled against religious freedom interests. According to Alan J. Reinach, Esq., a religious liberty attorney, there is now a "legal imbalance" where gay rights receive maximum protection, while religious freedom is granted less protection.
Now that homosexuality is equated with race, we can expect a wide variety of challenges to religious organizations that adhere to traditional Biblical interpretations. The city of Boston required adoption agencies to serve homosexuals, and refused to accomodate the religious objections of Catholic Charities. Although Catholic Charities accounted for most of the adoptions in Boston, it closed its adoption agencies rather than compromise its religious convictions. Thousands of children are now "stuck" in foster care as the city itself has not chosen to provide adoption services to gay couples.
I read that cases have been filed against wedding photographers who refuse to film gay wedding ceremonies. Bob Jones University lost its tax exemption because its policy against interracial dating was inconsistent with public policy. Similar challenges to the tax exempt status of churches and other religious organizations are expected.
This past May, the California Supreme Court heard arguments that two doctors and a medical clinic discriminated against a lesbian couple by denying them artificial insemination services. The doctors argued that they properly referred the patients for services that they could not conscientiously provide. Lawyers for the patients insist that religion not be allowed as a defense.
No matter where you or I come down on any of these issues, the point is that our long-held assumption that religious liberty enjoys a preferred status in the USA as a fundamental constitutional right is no longer necessarily true. In its 1990 peyote decision, the Supreme Court discarded the First Amendment's protection for the free exercise of religion as a "luxury that a well-ordered society can no longer afford." One legal observer noted the court has ruled against religious freedom in every case since that time. For example, in 1995, the Court held that Evelyn Smith's Presbyterian faith was not a good enough reason to refuse to rent one of her four duplex apartments to an unmarried [heterosexual] couple, despite the fact that in her city, Cal State Chico maintained hundreds of housing units exclusively for married couples.
The issue of gay marriage may be resolved this November when Californians have the opportunity to amend the state constitution to restrict marriage to a man and a woman. But this will not change the legal status of homosexuality as a fundamental right, given more protection than the right to practice one's faith.
It appears the trend in America is that religious freedom will mean the freedom to hold one's faith in private, but not to practice it publicly.
Let us pray for courage to honor Christ regardless of the cultural and legal environment we may encounter in the days ahead.
With love and hope!
Duff Gorle
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
War From A Biblical Standpoint
This is a tiny part of a much larger discussion in which many Christians are engaged relating to how to view the issue of war from a Biblical standpoint.
The Bible presents war as a disciplining action reflecting the judgment of God. When people obeyed God and lived by his principles, they were rewarded with peace. When war was waged, as a dire necessity, against corrupt states, God's faithful people suffered few losses. Repeatedly we see instances where God's people, even though terribly outnumbered, could successfully rout many.
How does war in the Bible square with the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill?" John Calvin pointed out that followers of God's law should not be part of unjustly doing violence to others. By this standard, hundreds of political and economic wars and badly labeled "revolutions" in our world's recent history are wars that Godly people should oppose. Unjust violence can be terrorism under the guise of liberation.
On the other hand, is it ever right to kill? It seems that according to the Bible defensive war (and capital punishment) are legitimate because they react to the unjust deeds of criminal terror, whether that terrorism is conducted against individuals or a nation.
God's loving people have a passion for preventing violence. We who would not ourselves "harm a fly" cannot stand aside watching when a neighbor is being savagely beaten by criminals who have no respect for human dignity or God's rule of peace. We are committed to peace and serving the Prince of Peace.
Two examples of Bible teaching on war stand in juxtaposition to each other which suggests the need for a balanced approach to understanding the Biblical perspective:
1. Psalm 68:30 "Rebuke the company of spearmen....Scatter the people who delight in war."
2. Proverbs 24:6 "For by wise counsel you shall make war...."
I'm interested in hearing what you think about the Bible's teaching on war. Our nation's participation in war is one of the most important themes in this year's election. Let's help to sharpen one another on the Biblical standpoint of war.
In peace,
Duff Gorle
The Bible presents war as a disciplining action reflecting the judgment of God. When people obeyed God and lived by his principles, they were rewarded with peace. When war was waged, as a dire necessity, against corrupt states, God's faithful people suffered few losses. Repeatedly we see instances where God's people, even though terribly outnumbered, could successfully rout many.
How does war in the Bible square with the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill?" John Calvin pointed out that followers of God's law should not be part of unjustly doing violence to others. By this standard, hundreds of political and economic wars and badly labeled "revolutions" in our world's recent history are wars that Godly people should oppose. Unjust violence can be terrorism under the guise of liberation.
On the other hand, is it ever right to kill? It seems that according to the Bible defensive war (and capital punishment) are legitimate because they react to the unjust deeds of criminal terror, whether that terrorism is conducted against individuals or a nation.
God's loving people have a passion for preventing violence. We who would not ourselves "harm a fly" cannot stand aside watching when a neighbor is being savagely beaten by criminals who have no respect for human dignity or God's rule of peace. We are committed to peace and serving the Prince of Peace.
Two examples of Bible teaching on war stand in juxtaposition to each other which suggests the need for a balanced approach to understanding the Biblical perspective:
1. Psalm 68:30 "Rebuke the company of spearmen....Scatter the people who delight in war."
2. Proverbs 24:6 "For by wise counsel you shall make war...."
I'm interested in hearing what you think about the Bible's teaching on war. Our nation's participation in war is one of the most important themes in this year's election. Let's help to sharpen one another on the Biblical standpoint of war.
In peace,
Duff Gorle
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
An Optimistic Future
It's summer and our church family has a healthy habit of taking vacation and traveling to refreshing places. I affirm this "Sabbathing" behavior and hope to emulate it more in my own life!
This past Sunday, about ten of our precious families were away, and we felt the diminished size of the worshipping community. The Lord was present and our time together was sweet, but I'll confess that when I stood up to teach, I noticed that the crowd was smaller than usual.
It bothered me that I noticed, because I recognized just a touch of disappointment in the part of me that naturally looks for indications of things moving forward well and being "successful!"
My mind tends to look toward the future wondering what God is doing and what it will look like. I've been called a "dreamer!"
I love our church's mission: "Connecting people to God and each other through Christ!" The natural outcome of being connected to God is being optimistic about the future.
The Lord spoke to Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and reminded him that he knows the plans he has for us, plans for a future and a hope, plans for our welfare and not destruction.
The church of Jesus Christ is always looking forward. Obeying Christ's call, we live our individual and corporate lives in the context and reality of three primal essences: faith, hope, and love.
Erwin McManus points out: "People are looking for something worth believing in, somewhere to belong, and something to become." He goes on to remind the church that when we live in the context of the "apostolic ethos"--produced through living in faith, love, and hope--the intrinsic longings of the human spirit will be called out and find their fulfillment.
Faith, love, and hope are wellsprings that supply the church with the soul of authentic spiritual life. Faith, hope, and love build a church that just can't be stopped! There's no challenge or struggle too great for these Godly realities to overcome.
Praise God that his gifts of faith, hope, and love continually move us toward optimism. As we live in these Godly realities, we'll find they are the fuel that ignites our lives and our church, just as they ignited Christ-followers in the first-century!
Let's do it! Let's live by faith, be known by love, and speak with the voice of hope.
For God's glory, and our blessing!
Sincerely,
Duff
This past Sunday, about ten of our precious families were away, and we felt the diminished size of the worshipping community. The Lord was present and our time together was sweet, but I'll confess that when I stood up to teach, I noticed that the crowd was smaller than usual.
It bothered me that I noticed, because I recognized just a touch of disappointment in the part of me that naturally looks for indications of things moving forward well and being "successful!"
My mind tends to look toward the future wondering what God is doing and what it will look like. I've been called a "dreamer!"
I love our church's mission: "Connecting people to God and each other through Christ!" The natural outcome of being connected to God is being optimistic about the future.
The Lord spoke to Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and reminded him that he knows the plans he has for us, plans for a future and a hope, plans for our welfare and not destruction.
The church of Jesus Christ is always looking forward. Obeying Christ's call, we live our individual and corporate lives in the context and reality of three primal essences: faith, hope, and love.
Erwin McManus points out: "People are looking for something worth believing in, somewhere to belong, and something to become." He goes on to remind the church that when we live in the context of the "apostolic ethos"--produced through living in faith, love, and hope--the intrinsic longings of the human spirit will be called out and find their fulfillment.
Faith, love, and hope are wellsprings that supply the church with the soul of authentic spiritual life. Faith, hope, and love build a church that just can't be stopped! There's no challenge or struggle too great for these Godly realities to overcome.
Praise God that his gifts of faith, hope, and love continually move us toward optimism. As we live in these Godly realities, we'll find they are the fuel that ignites our lives and our church, just as they ignited Christ-followers in the first-century!
Let's do it! Let's live by faith, be known by love, and speak with the voice of hope.
For God's glory, and our blessing!
Sincerely,
Duff
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
A God-intoxicated Life
Thomas Kelly in his spiritual inner-life classic, "A Testament of Devotion" shares about his journey into a "God-intoxicated life." Through much personal struggle in life's crucible of failure and pain, he came to the experience of "arising to gently float in the grace of God with a simple childlike obedience and trust."
Richard Foster writes about Kelly's heartache and pain relating to two major life experiences. The first was his failure of the oral examination to complete the Ph.D at Harvard. Kelly was rejected for the Ph.D with no opportunity of reconsideration. He had pursued this second doctorate at great personal cost, both financially and physically (he had previously earned a Ph.D in philosophy from Hartford Theological Seminary).
The second experience came in the summer of 1938 when Kelly went to Hitler's Germany. Sharing in the suffering of the German people immeasurably deepened his heart. He reported that during this experience he had been "literally melted down by the love of God."
Later he told several close students of a particular experience in the great cathedral at Cologne where, on his knees, he seemed to feel God laying upon his heart the whole congealed suffering of humanity--a burden too terrible to be borne--andyet somehow bearable with God's help.
These two experiences brought enormous power to Kelly's writing in the final years of his life.
His pursuit of the "God-intoxicated life" led him to venturing into the inner sanctuary of the soul, where God meets each individual in a profoundly intimate way. He called this a journey to "Love at the center." He wrote: "In awful solemnity the Holy One is over all and in all, exquisitely loving, infinitely patient, tenderly smiling. Marks of glory are upon all things, and the marks are cruciform and blood-stained. And one sighs, like the convinced Thomas of old, 'My Lord and my God' (John 20:28)."
He equated this inner encounter with God with Paul's experience when he wrote, "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20).
The next step Kelly took was a conscious emptying of self into God, and receiving God's in-filling. "In glad, amazed humility we cast on Him our little lives in trusting obedience, in erect, serene, and smiling joy. And we say, with the writer of Psalms, 'Lo, I come: in the book of the law it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God' (40:7-8)." Our attitude becomes one of being ready to run and not be weary and to walk and not faint.
Kelly observed that "The Hound of Heaven is on our track, the God of Love is wooing us to His Holy life." He discovered that holy obedience is beginning where we presently are. Obeying now. "Use what little obedience you are capable of, even if it be like a grain of mustard seed." Begin where you are--live this present moment in utter submission and openness toward God.
I enjoy Kelly's practical suggestion in learning holy obedience: "Don't grit your teeth and clench your fists and say, 'I will! I will!' Relax. Take hands off. Submit yourself to God."
May our experiences of personal failure, brokenness and struggle be useful fodder for spiritual growth in an empowered, intimate, peaceful submission to God. The spiritual gift of holy obedience--childlike obedience and trust--will bring deep beauty and satisfaction to life during our earthly pilgrimage. Here's to living a "God-intoxicated life!"
Blessings and love,
Duff
Richard Foster writes about Kelly's heartache and pain relating to two major life experiences. The first was his failure of the oral examination to complete the Ph.D at Harvard. Kelly was rejected for the Ph.D with no opportunity of reconsideration. He had pursued this second doctorate at great personal cost, both financially and physically (he had previously earned a Ph.D in philosophy from Hartford Theological Seminary).
The second experience came in the summer of 1938 when Kelly went to Hitler's Germany. Sharing in the suffering of the German people immeasurably deepened his heart. He reported that during this experience he had been "literally melted down by the love of God."
Later he told several close students of a particular experience in the great cathedral at Cologne where, on his knees, he seemed to feel God laying upon his heart the whole congealed suffering of humanity--a burden too terrible to be borne--andyet somehow bearable with God's help.
These two experiences brought enormous power to Kelly's writing in the final years of his life.
His pursuit of the "God-intoxicated life" led him to venturing into the inner sanctuary of the soul, where God meets each individual in a profoundly intimate way. He called this a journey to "Love at the center." He wrote: "In awful solemnity the Holy One is over all and in all, exquisitely loving, infinitely patient, tenderly smiling. Marks of glory are upon all things, and the marks are cruciform and blood-stained. And one sighs, like the convinced Thomas of old, 'My Lord and my God' (John 20:28)."
He equated this inner encounter with God with Paul's experience when he wrote, "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20).
The next step Kelly took was a conscious emptying of self into God, and receiving God's in-filling. "In glad, amazed humility we cast on Him our little lives in trusting obedience, in erect, serene, and smiling joy. And we say, with the writer of Psalms, 'Lo, I come: in the book of the law it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God' (40:7-8)." Our attitude becomes one of being ready to run and not be weary and to walk and not faint.
Kelly observed that "The Hound of Heaven is on our track, the God of Love is wooing us to His Holy life." He discovered that holy obedience is beginning where we presently are. Obeying now. "Use what little obedience you are capable of, even if it be like a grain of mustard seed." Begin where you are--live this present moment in utter submission and openness toward God.
I enjoy Kelly's practical suggestion in learning holy obedience: "Don't grit your teeth and clench your fists and say, 'I will! I will!' Relax. Take hands off. Submit yourself to God."
May our experiences of personal failure, brokenness and struggle be useful fodder for spiritual growth in an empowered, intimate, peaceful submission to God. The spiritual gift of holy obedience--childlike obedience and trust--will bring deep beauty and satisfaction to life during our earthly pilgrimage. Here's to living a "God-intoxicated life!"
Blessings and love,
Duff
Monday, May 19, 2008
Conversion: A gift and an achievement
E. Stanley Jones (1884-1973) devoted his entire life to the subject of conversion. He pointed out that there is a delicate balance between the activity of God and the response of God's children in the establishment and cultivation of conversion.
Conversion is the act of a moment and the work of a lifetime! It is a process of receptivity and response. Jones wrote: "You cannot attain salvation by disciplines--it is the gift of God. But you cannot retain it without disciplines." It is impossible to discipline an unsurrendered self, but when our self is surrendered to God and a new center formed, then we can discipline our life around that new center--Christ. Discipline is the fruit of conversion, not the root.
St. Paul noted (Col. 2:6-7): "As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith." The "rooted" means we are receptive and take from God as the roots take from the soil. The "built up" suggests we build as one builds a house--we form a character and life by wise planning and difficult effort.
To use a cliche, we trust as if the whole thing depended on God and work as if the whole thing depended on us! These are the alternate beats--the rhythm--of the converted Christian heart; receptivity and response--receptivity from God and response in work from us.
We can see in Christ's life some basic habits (disciplines) that helped to keep his journey vital and fresh:
1. "He stood up to read as was his custom"--he read the Word of God by habit, and in the context of the faith community (synagogue).
2. "He went out into the mountain to pray as was his custom"--he prayed by habit and entered into the context of solitude.
3. "He taught them again as was his custom"--he actively exercised his spiritual gift(s) and shared with others, for their spiritual benefit, what he had discovered for himself.
These simple disciplines were the foundation habits of Christ's life. They are as up-to-date as tomorrow morning. Those of us who are experiencing God's gift of conversion would do well to learn and live with these habits that keep our spiritual life vital and fresh!
May the vibrant experience of conversion keep God's fire burning in our hearts!
Your friend,
Duff
Conversion is the act of a moment and the work of a lifetime! It is a process of receptivity and response. Jones wrote: "You cannot attain salvation by disciplines--it is the gift of God. But you cannot retain it without disciplines." It is impossible to discipline an unsurrendered self, but when our self is surrendered to God and a new center formed, then we can discipline our life around that new center--Christ. Discipline is the fruit of conversion, not the root.
St. Paul noted (Col. 2:6-7): "As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith." The "rooted" means we are receptive and take from God as the roots take from the soil. The "built up" suggests we build as one builds a house--we form a character and life by wise planning and difficult effort.
To use a cliche, we trust as if the whole thing depended on God and work as if the whole thing depended on us! These are the alternate beats--the rhythm--of the converted Christian heart; receptivity and response--receptivity from God and response in work from us.
We can see in Christ's life some basic habits (disciplines) that helped to keep his journey vital and fresh:
1. "He stood up to read as was his custom"--he read the Word of God by habit, and in the context of the faith community (synagogue).
2. "He went out into the mountain to pray as was his custom"--he prayed by habit and entered into the context of solitude.
3. "He taught them again as was his custom"--he actively exercised his spiritual gift(s) and shared with others, for their spiritual benefit, what he had discovered for himself.
These simple disciplines were the foundation habits of Christ's life. They are as up-to-date as tomorrow morning. Those of us who are experiencing God's gift of conversion would do well to learn and live with these habits that keep our spiritual life vital and fresh!
May the vibrant experience of conversion keep God's fire burning in our hearts!
Your friend,
Duff
Thursday, April 24, 2008
I Value The Sabbath
I recently received a query from an excellent friend from days past when I served as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. He discovered that I now pastor a Free Methodist Church and he asked me this question: "Do you still think the Sabbath is an important part of the commandments?"
In this entry I share briefly some thoughts related to the Sabbath. My prayer is that each of us focuses more clearly on the blessing of God's gracious gift of Sabbath in our lives.
Yes, I feel the Sabbath is an important part of the commandments. I feel the commandments are all equally true and that God's good and wise counsel remains good and wise.
I don't see the ten commandments as "binding" on the Christian in relation to our gaining salvation. St. Paul makes clear our salvation is "not by works of the law" but by receiving the Gospel of justification through faith in Christ. But the commandments reflect God's excellent principles lovingly given to help us live the good life with God, self and others.
I recently read a fun little story on this topic: A country pastor is out fishing on his day off. A parishioner spots him and says, "You know pastor, the Devil doesn't take a day off." "And if I didn't take a day off," replies the pastor, "I'd be just like him!"
In Deuteronomy the Sabbath command is repeated as part of the 10 commandments, only its justification is different (than the one given in Exodus 20). Deuteronomy 5:15 states: "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day."
In other words, not only are rest and relaxation necessary for staying creative (Gen. 20), but without them, we're little more than than slaves in this world. The most important event in the Old Testament is God's liberation of the Hebrew slaves from bondage to Pharaoh. Linking the Sabbath command to this liberation event effectively says, "If you don't integrate at least one full day of deep rest into your life, not even God can liberate you!"
God does not want us to view rest as a luxury but rather as a necessary part of a balanced, free lifestyle.
In Jesus' day, when a particular day (Saturday) was commonly recognized among Jews for Sabbath observance, Jesus continually reminded people to see beyond its legal requirement to the heart of what it was all about: "The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). When the Pharisees challenged Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, Jesus countered, "Is it lawful to do good or to harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?" (Mark 3:4).
Christians need to be dialoguing openly with one another about what Sabbath means in our day and age and what the integration of rest, relaxation, prayer, worship and play in everyday life really looks like on a personal and communal level. Individually, we must evaluate our own priorities and Spirit-led convictions, then live by them.
May the Sabbath experience lived-out in our lives liberate and refresh us both spiritually and physically.
Blessings!
Duff
In this entry I share briefly some thoughts related to the Sabbath. My prayer is that each of us focuses more clearly on the blessing of God's gracious gift of Sabbath in our lives.
Yes, I feel the Sabbath is an important part of the commandments. I feel the commandments are all equally true and that God's good and wise counsel remains good and wise.
I don't see the ten commandments as "binding" on the Christian in relation to our gaining salvation. St. Paul makes clear our salvation is "not by works of the law" but by receiving the Gospel of justification through faith in Christ. But the commandments reflect God's excellent principles lovingly given to help us live the good life with God, self and others.
I recently read a fun little story on this topic: A country pastor is out fishing on his day off. A parishioner spots him and says, "You know pastor, the Devil doesn't take a day off." "And if I didn't take a day off," replies the pastor, "I'd be just like him!"
In Deuteronomy the Sabbath command is repeated as part of the 10 commandments, only its justification is different (than the one given in Exodus 20). Deuteronomy 5:15 states: "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day."
In other words, not only are rest and relaxation necessary for staying creative (Gen. 20), but without them, we're little more than than slaves in this world. The most important event in the Old Testament is God's liberation of the Hebrew slaves from bondage to Pharaoh. Linking the Sabbath command to this liberation event effectively says, "If you don't integrate at least one full day of deep rest into your life, not even God can liberate you!"
God does not want us to view rest as a luxury but rather as a necessary part of a balanced, free lifestyle.
In Jesus' day, when a particular day (Saturday) was commonly recognized among Jews for Sabbath observance, Jesus continually reminded people to see beyond its legal requirement to the heart of what it was all about: "The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). When the Pharisees challenged Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, Jesus countered, "Is it lawful to do good or to harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?" (Mark 3:4).
Christians need to be dialoguing openly with one another about what Sabbath means in our day and age and what the integration of rest, relaxation, prayer, worship and play in everyday life really looks like on a personal and communal level. Individually, we must evaluate our own priorities and Spirit-led convictions, then live by them.
May the Sabbath experience lived-out in our lives liberate and refresh us both spiritually and physically.
Blessings!
Duff
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Living The Law of Love
There are questions within the Christian community about the relationship of a "New Covenant" believer in Christ to the "Old Covenant" law of Moses. Let's think briefly on God's law in its "old" and "new" contexts. Application of any meaningful truth into a person's lifestyle requires contextualization.
God gave the ten commandment law to Moses and the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. They needed to be liberated between their own ears from a tyrranical slavery under which they had lived for over 430 years. They didn't know how to live well and love well of their own free will. They needed clear guidance and a specific framework for morally constructive living in relation to God, self and others.
The content of the New Testament moral law is identical to the Old Testament, but the context is different. The Old Testament law applied in the context of a theocratic nation. The moral commandments in the New Testament apply to individual believers in Christ.
It is important to know that the eternal ethical principles embodied in the Mosaic Law are the same ones restated in the New Testament. But the context in the New Testament is GRACE instead of judgment, since Christ has taken the judgment on our behalf. If a person commits adultery under grace, they have violated God's law, but they won't have to pay with their life as they would have had to under the Mosaic law 3,000 years ago. Christ paid with his life once for all (Hebrews 10:10). That is why St. John wrote: "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
Christians are not under Moses' particular edition of God's ethical directives. When a Christian lies or steals, they are not breaking Moses' law, nor do they pay the consequences of Moses' law. They are, however, breaking God's eternal law of LOVE.
God has not changed (Hebrews 6:18; 13:8). He is still the God of love in the New Testament as he was in the Old Testament. The moral principles that express his love to us and show us how to share that love with God and others are still the same.
Jesus spoke of at least two laws of love: one for loving God and one for loving people (Matthew 22:37-39). He also said he came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it (Matthew 5:17). There is synergy between the Old law and the New because when we truly love God and our fellow humans, we will find ourselves not breaking the ten commandments (Romans 13:10).
Each of the ten commandments gives us the loving thing to do and the unloving thing to avoid in our relationship with God, self and others. Each law is love put into words!
1. "You shall have no other gods before me" says that loving devotion to God is a pure and wholehearted lifestyle unrivaled by any person, idea or thing.
2. "You shall not make for yourself an idol" says that loving devotion to God focuses on God, not on religious or secular practices, props or substitutes.
3. "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God" shows that loving devotion to God includes respect and reverence for God's unique person and identity.
4. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy" says that loving devotion to God includes time spent each week (regularly) in worship and rest.
5. "Honor your father and your mother" says love for parents is expressed through recognition, respect and showing them high esteem.
6. "You shall not murder" says that love for others respects their right to have their life preserved.
7. "You shall not commit adultery" says that love for spouse (or future spouse) is demonstrated through sexual purity and faithfulness that empowers intimacy.
8. "You shall not steal" says that love for others is expressed by respecting their property, possessions, reputation and identity.
9. "You shall not give false witness against your neighbor" says that love for others is shown through dealing in relation to them honestly and truthfully.
10. "You shall not covet" says that love for others focuses on what we can give to others through our personal investment and service, rather than considering what we might be able to get that belongs to them.
Love is the heart of each of God's commands.
In both the Old and New renditions of God's moral requirements we see that LOVE is the only life-giving way to respond and be in constructive relationship with God, self and other people.
God wants us to be clear on his call to live lives fully committed to love, so he spelled out what the life of love looks like in very specific terms in his laws. God's law is love put into words.
We can say, "Love is the one moral absolute."
God is revolutionizing our individual lives and this world with his love!
Praise God!
I love you,
Duff
God gave the ten commandment law to Moses and the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. They needed to be liberated between their own ears from a tyrranical slavery under which they had lived for over 430 years. They didn't know how to live well and love well of their own free will. They needed clear guidance and a specific framework for morally constructive living in relation to God, self and others.
The content of the New Testament moral law is identical to the Old Testament, but the context is different. The Old Testament law applied in the context of a theocratic nation. The moral commandments in the New Testament apply to individual believers in Christ.
It is important to know that the eternal ethical principles embodied in the Mosaic Law are the same ones restated in the New Testament. But the context in the New Testament is GRACE instead of judgment, since Christ has taken the judgment on our behalf. If a person commits adultery under grace, they have violated God's law, but they won't have to pay with their life as they would have had to under the Mosaic law 3,000 years ago. Christ paid with his life once for all (Hebrews 10:10). That is why St. John wrote: "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
Christians are not under Moses' particular edition of God's ethical directives. When a Christian lies or steals, they are not breaking Moses' law, nor do they pay the consequences of Moses' law. They are, however, breaking God's eternal law of LOVE.
God has not changed (Hebrews 6:18; 13:8). He is still the God of love in the New Testament as he was in the Old Testament. The moral principles that express his love to us and show us how to share that love with God and others are still the same.
Jesus spoke of at least two laws of love: one for loving God and one for loving people (Matthew 22:37-39). He also said he came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it (Matthew 5:17). There is synergy between the Old law and the New because when we truly love God and our fellow humans, we will find ourselves not breaking the ten commandments (Romans 13:10).
Each of the ten commandments gives us the loving thing to do and the unloving thing to avoid in our relationship with God, self and others. Each law is love put into words!
1. "You shall have no other gods before me" says that loving devotion to God is a pure and wholehearted lifestyle unrivaled by any person, idea or thing.
2. "You shall not make for yourself an idol" says that loving devotion to God focuses on God, not on religious or secular practices, props or substitutes.
3. "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God" shows that loving devotion to God includes respect and reverence for God's unique person and identity.
4. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy" says that loving devotion to God includes time spent each week (regularly) in worship and rest.
5. "Honor your father and your mother" says love for parents is expressed through recognition, respect and showing them high esteem.
6. "You shall not murder" says that love for others respects their right to have their life preserved.
7. "You shall not commit adultery" says that love for spouse (or future spouse) is demonstrated through sexual purity and faithfulness that empowers intimacy.
8. "You shall not steal" says that love for others is expressed by respecting their property, possessions, reputation and identity.
9. "You shall not give false witness against your neighbor" says that love for others is shown through dealing in relation to them honestly and truthfully.
10. "You shall not covet" says that love for others focuses on what we can give to others through our personal investment and service, rather than considering what we might be able to get that belongs to them.
Love is the heart of each of God's commands.
In both the Old and New renditions of God's moral requirements we see that LOVE is the only life-giving way to respond and be in constructive relationship with God, self and other people.
God wants us to be clear on his call to live lives fully committed to love, so he spelled out what the life of love looks like in very specific terms in his laws. God's law is love put into words.
We can say, "Love is the one moral absolute."
God is revolutionizing our individual lives and this world with his love!
Praise God!
I love you,
Duff
Monday, March 24, 2008
God's Self-Revelation
My heart burns with the desire for loved ones, friends, and people I've never met to know God and God's saving, healing love for them. I've often wondered how God's wrath can be expressed toward the unrighteousness and disbelief of people who seemingly don't even know the truth about God.
In studying Paul's letter to the Romans in recent weeks, I've been reminded of an amazing spiritual truth that I'll touch on briefly today. St. Paul speaks to the question about how God deals with people who have different levels of exposure to divine truth. He seems to be answering my objection as to how God can rightfully "be angry" at people, and "punish" people for suppressing truth that they've never had.
Paul says that when it comes to the awareness of God--to knowing the truth of God's existence--all humans are without excuse. He teaches that God reveals Godself to every person on the planet. In other words, my objection is not valid! There are no people on the earth who have an excuse or a warrant to protest the wrath of God against their unrighteousness and sin.
This is because God has made Godself evident--God reveals himself. The Apostle says: "That which is known about God is evident among them; for God made it evident to them" (Romans 1:19). How did God do that? In the middle of verse 20, St. Paul says, "being understood through what he has made." God makes sure that a knowledge of himself does not just happen coincidentally. God does something to make himself known--he provides self-revelation through his poetic, (Greek: poiema), creative works. He made the world out of nothing and created the universe and everything in it as his own artisitic, poetic expression of himself.
God planned, designed, acted, crafted, created and made. And in doing that, Paul says in verse 19, God made himself evident to all humankind. The universe is an inescapable poem about God!
In summary, In Romans 1:19-21, Paul is arguing that:
1. The Creator's power and deity are evident (verses 19b, 20). God is the creator of all things and the master communicator of himself.
2. All people know God! Paul says in verse 21: "They knew God." Yes, the truth is suppressed (by science, philosophy, secularism, ...), but it is there--distorted though it might appear to be--for God does not leave himself without a witness to every mind and heart.
3. Humans tend to suppress the knowledge of God. They suppress this knowledge and do not glorify or give him thanks (verse 21b).
William Dembski in his book The Design Inference (Cambridge University Press) points out that many well-known scientists must continually suppress the suspicion that there is design (poiema) in the universe. For example, he quotes Richard Dawkins, an "arch-Darwinian" who says: "Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose." And he quotes Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of DNA, who says: "Biologists must constantly keep in mind that what they see was not designed, but rather evolved."
Paul said that the truth of God's "designed things" must be constantly suppressed (lest scientists come face to face with their Maker and be compelled to glorify him and give him thanks). Those of us who love and worship God and revel in his glory labor with all our strength, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to help open people's hearts to the beautiful truth of God and his loving, creative presence around and within us.
4. Everyone is without excuse before God. Every person on the planet is deserving of being under God's wrath. We are all "without excuse." Nobody can bring a legitimate protest against God's justice in this. The greatest tragedy in our culture is not so much the use of illegal drugs, participation in illicit sex, murder, theft, poverty, homelessness or abuse. The pivotal tragedy is that people are trying to "live" without the hope that comes from hearing the Gospel--the good news of God's love for us and his full provision through Christ for our escaping the wrath we certainly deserve.
You and I have the remedy--we're walking, running, skipping joyfully the path of escape. We're trusting God for salvation, healing and freedom! The free gift of God's perfect righteousness [not God's wrath] is offered to all and can be freely received through trusting our loving God.
We have in our heart and in our mouth the most powerful strategy for healing the world through connecting people to God's saving love for them--this powerful truth is called he Gospel of Jesus Christ! Let's believe and be transformed by the Gospel, and take God's constant, loving, saving presence with us into our world and beyond!
Grateful for Jesus and his clear revelation of God!
Duff
In studying Paul's letter to the Romans in recent weeks, I've been reminded of an amazing spiritual truth that I'll touch on briefly today. St. Paul speaks to the question about how God deals with people who have different levels of exposure to divine truth. He seems to be answering my objection as to how God can rightfully "be angry" at people, and "punish" people for suppressing truth that they've never had.
Paul says that when it comes to the awareness of God--to knowing the truth of God's existence--all humans are without excuse. He teaches that God reveals Godself to every person on the planet. In other words, my objection is not valid! There are no people on the earth who have an excuse or a warrant to protest the wrath of God against their unrighteousness and sin.
This is because God has made Godself evident--God reveals himself. The Apostle says: "That which is known about God is evident among them; for God made it evident to them" (Romans 1:19). How did God do that? In the middle of verse 20, St. Paul says, "being understood through what he has made." God makes sure that a knowledge of himself does not just happen coincidentally. God does something to make himself known--he provides self-revelation through his poetic, (Greek: poiema), creative works. He made the world out of nothing and created the universe and everything in it as his own artisitic, poetic expression of himself.
God planned, designed, acted, crafted, created and made. And in doing that, Paul says in verse 19, God made himself evident to all humankind. The universe is an inescapable poem about God!
In summary, In Romans 1:19-21, Paul is arguing that:
1. The Creator's power and deity are evident (verses 19b, 20). God is the creator of all things and the master communicator of himself.
2. All people know God! Paul says in verse 21: "They knew God." Yes, the truth is suppressed (by science, philosophy, secularism, ...), but it is there--distorted though it might appear to be--for God does not leave himself without a witness to every mind and heart.
3. Humans tend to suppress the knowledge of God. They suppress this knowledge and do not glorify or give him thanks (verse 21b).
William Dembski in his book The Design Inference (Cambridge University Press) points out that many well-known scientists must continually suppress the suspicion that there is design (poiema) in the universe. For example, he quotes Richard Dawkins, an "arch-Darwinian" who says: "Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose." And he quotes Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of DNA, who says: "Biologists must constantly keep in mind that what they see was not designed, but rather evolved."
Paul said that the truth of God's "designed things" must be constantly suppressed (lest scientists come face to face with their Maker and be compelled to glorify him and give him thanks). Those of us who love and worship God and revel in his glory labor with all our strength, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to help open people's hearts to the beautiful truth of God and his loving, creative presence around and within us.
4. Everyone is without excuse before God. Every person on the planet is deserving of being under God's wrath. We are all "without excuse." Nobody can bring a legitimate protest against God's justice in this. The greatest tragedy in our culture is not so much the use of illegal drugs, participation in illicit sex, murder, theft, poverty, homelessness or abuse. The pivotal tragedy is that people are trying to "live" without the hope that comes from hearing the Gospel--the good news of God's love for us and his full provision through Christ for our escaping the wrath we certainly deserve.
You and I have the remedy--we're walking, running, skipping joyfully the path of escape. We're trusting God for salvation, healing and freedom! The free gift of God's perfect righteousness [not God's wrath] is offered to all and can be freely received through trusting our loving God.
We have in our heart and in our mouth the most powerful strategy for healing the world through connecting people to God's saving love for them--this powerful truth is called he Gospel of Jesus Christ! Let's believe and be transformed by the Gospel, and take God's constant, loving, saving presence with us into our world and beyond!
Grateful for Jesus and his clear revelation of God!
Duff
Monday, March 17, 2008
The True Light Coming Into The World
In St. John the Evangelist's words, "The Word...the true light...was coming into the world...that had its being through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him" (John 1:9-11).
In our world today it seems the darkness is thicker than ever. Our church is called "PHOENIX LIGHT & LIFE" and we must continually ask ourselves what is required of those who desire to bring light into the darkness, "to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord's year of favor" (Luke 4:18-19). What is required of the person who responds to God's call to enter fully into the dark realities of this present time and speak a word of hope?
Henri Nouwen, years ago, noted the challenges of ministering with a presence and message that are "counter-culture." He wrote (specifically to pastors): "The pressures in ministry are enormous, the demands are increasing, and the satisfaction is diminishing." How do we continue in the direction of being a vital witness of Christ during times that are often filled with temptations to unfaithfulness, the comfort of self-centeredness, and discouragement or despair?
In a world that continues to prefer the darkness to the light (John 3:19), let us heed the counsel of St. Paul: "Do not model yourselves on the behavior of the world around you, but let your behavior change, modeled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do" (Romans 12:2).
In a nutshell, we gain a new mind by turning from the world's darkness--going into times of solitude, being silent, and praying. These are three time-tested ways of preventing the world from shaping us into its image. These are three paths to a vital, energized, life in the Spirit!
So, we can bring light and life into this dark world as we discipline ourselves in the spiritual path of 1) Turning away from the world's darkness--developing a lifestyle that includes the discipline of solitude; 2) Regularly going into times of silence, and 3) Praying always.
Nouwen in his classic book, "The Way of the Heart" emphasizes that solitude shows us the way to let our behavior be shaped "not by the compulsions of the world but by our new mind, the mind of Christ" (p. 91). He suggests that silence prevents us from being "suffocated by our wordy world and teaches us to speak the Word of God." Finally, Nouwen points out that "unceasing prayer gives solitude and silence their real meaning." In prayer we enter, through our heart, into the heart of God and we connect to God's powerful creative and recreative love.
This Easter, and always, my prayer is that the true light of Christ will be known within us and then shown through us!
Happy Easter!
Pastor Duff Gorle
In our world today it seems the darkness is thicker than ever. Our church is called "PHOENIX LIGHT & LIFE" and we must continually ask ourselves what is required of those who desire to bring light into the darkness, "to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord's year of favor" (Luke 4:18-19). What is required of the person who responds to God's call to enter fully into the dark realities of this present time and speak a word of hope?
Henri Nouwen, years ago, noted the challenges of ministering with a presence and message that are "counter-culture." He wrote (specifically to pastors): "The pressures in ministry are enormous, the demands are increasing, and the satisfaction is diminishing." How do we continue in the direction of being a vital witness of Christ during times that are often filled with temptations to unfaithfulness, the comfort of self-centeredness, and discouragement or despair?
In a world that continues to prefer the darkness to the light (John 3:19), let us heed the counsel of St. Paul: "Do not model yourselves on the behavior of the world around you, but let your behavior change, modeled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do" (Romans 12:2).
In a nutshell, we gain a new mind by turning from the world's darkness--going into times of solitude, being silent, and praying. These are three time-tested ways of preventing the world from shaping us into its image. These are three paths to a vital, energized, life in the Spirit!
So, we can bring light and life into this dark world as we discipline ourselves in the spiritual path of 1) Turning away from the world's darkness--developing a lifestyle that includes the discipline of solitude; 2) Regularly going into times of silence, and 3) Praying always.
Nouwen in his classic book, "The Way of the Heart" emphasizes that solitude shows us the way to let our behavior be shaped "not by the compulsions of the world but by our new mind, the mind of Christ" (p. 91). He suggests that silence prevents us from being "suffocated by our wordy world and teaches us to speak the Word of God." Finally, Nouwen points out that "unceasing prayer gives solitude and silence their real meaning." In prayer we enter, through our heart, into the heart of God and we connect to God's powerful creative and recreative love.
This Easter, and always, my prayer is that the true light of Christ will be known within us and then shown through us!
Happy Easter!
Pastor Duff Gorle
Thursday, March 6, 2008
An Alien Righteousness
Dear Friend,
We are presently in a teaching series on Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome. As you probably know, the book of Romans has a central theme of faith, or trust in God. All God's good gifts are received by us through exercising faith in Jesus Christ.
Christianity is a community of believers in Jesus Christ. We belong to God and one another through and in Jesus Christ.
The Christian is a person who finds her salvation, deliverance and justification (being made right with God) in Jesus Christ alone. We Christians know the Word of God pronounces us guilty, even when we may not feel guilty, and God's Word pronounces us righteous, even when we do not feel that we are righteous at all. We no longer trust in our own judgment on spiritual matters, but live by the claims of God.
I've recently been reading some of Dietrich Bohnhoeffer's wonderful thoughts on Christian Community. He noted that if someone asks a Christian, "Where is your salvation, your righteousness?" he can never point to himself. He points to the Word of God in Jesus Christ which assures him salvation and righteousness. The Christian view is that help must come from outside ourselves--and it does come to us daily and in fresh ways through the Word of Jesus Christ who brings us into connection with God's precious gifts of redemption, righteousness, a renewed innocence, and a joyful inner blessedness. The Reformers referred to this righteousness as an "alien righteousness" that comes from outside us (extra nos).
The fact that we are brothers and sisters in the Christian community only through Christ is of immeasurable significance. We each belong in this blessed community solely by reason of what Christ has done for each of us. We are who we are by reason of Christ. God is teaching us to meet one another as God has met us in Christ (Romans 15:7).
Christian fellowship is not an ideal that we must reach; rather it is a beautiful reality created by our loving God in Christ where we have the privilege of participating for our own healing and growth in love.
We are presently in a teaching series on Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome. As you probably know, the book of Romans has a central theme of faith, or trust in God. All God's good gifts are received by us through exercising faith in Jesus Christ.
Christianity is a community of believers in Jesus Christ. We belong to God and one another through and in Jesus Christ.
The Christian is a person who finds her salvation, deliverance and justification (being made right with God) in Jesus Christ alone. We Christians know the Word of God pronounces us guilty, even when we may not feel guilty, and God's Word pronounces us righteous, even when we do not feel that we are righteous at all. We no longer trust in our own judgment on spiritual matters, but live by the claims of God.
I've recently been reading some of Dietrich Bohnhoeffer's wonderful thoughts on Christian Community. He noted that if someone asks a Christian, "Where is your salvation, your righteousness?" he can never point to himself. He points to the Word of God in Jesus Christ which assures him salvation and righteousness. The Christian view is that help must come from outside ourselves--and it does come to us daily and in fresh ways through the Word of Jesus Christ who brings us into connection with God's precious gifts of redemption, righteousness, a renewed innocence, and a joyful inner blessedness. The Reformers referred to this righteousness as an "alien righteousness" that comes from outside us (extra nos).
The fact that we are brothers and sisters in the Christian community only through Christ is of immeasurable significance. We each belong in this blessed community solely by reason of what Christ has done for each of us. We are who we are by reason of Christ. God is teaching us to meet one another as God has met us in Christ (Romans 15:7).
Christian fellowship is not an ideal that we must reach; rather it is a beautiful reality created by our loving God in Christ where we have the privilege of participating for our own healing and growth in love.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Love and Faithfulness
Happy Valentine's Day!
As we focus on LOVE, let's remember the connection between faith and love. Where there is no faith, love cannot flourish. Love, like faith, demands confidence without assurance. As with all spiritual reality, certainty is not the point; rather faith goes beyond reason and evidence, and Scripture states that love is even above these (1 Cor. 13).
For those who need them, there are many simple proofs that love exists. In our daily lives we notice how a seed planted in the earthy soil grows into a colorful, fragrant flower. We touch or are touched by someone and new strength emerges. Tears are wiped away and smiles return with a sparkle in the eye. These are small examples of the miraculous power of love.
It takes faith to accept and become comfortable with the reality of love deep within our heart. A faith-full love is our experience of releasing the questioning about love's existence, and ceasing to require validation. Pascal stated: "Faith is different from proof; the latter is human, the former is from God."
May our hearts be faithful in continually accepting God's gift of love!
As we focus on LOVE, let's remember the connection between faith and love. Where there is no faith, love cannot flourish. Love, like faith, demands confidence without assurance. As with all spiritual reality, certainty is not the point; rather faith goes beyond reason and evidence, and Scripture states that love is even above these (1 Cor. 13).
For those who need them, there are many simple proofs that love exists. In our daily lives we notice how a seed planted in the earthy soil grows into a colorful, fragrant flower. We touch or are touched by someone and new strength emerges. Tears are wiped away and smiles return with a sparkle in the eye. These are small examples of the miraculous power of love.
It takes faith to accept and become comfortable with the reality of love deep within our heart. A faith-full love is our experience of releasing the questioning about love's existence, and ceasing to require validation. Pascal stated: "Faith is different from proof; the latter is human, the former is from God."
May our hearts be faithful in continually accepting God's gift of love!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Christians and Politics
On July 10, 1822 James Madison wrote in a letter to Edward Livingston: "I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together."
The majority of Christians in America have traditionally agreed with James Madison and stood in staunch support of "the separation of church and state." The resistance to comingling religious and political power comes not only from a commonly shared American heritage but more importantly, from our shared Biblical tradition. In recent times, certain branches of Christianity have departed from this view. Christian leaders have become more political in their publically stated views. Recently, James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, a well-known and respected family-values group said he will abstain from voting if Senator John McCain is the Republican nominee.
The relationship between religion and politics in the Bible is marked by skepticism, challenge, and at times down-right opposition. In the Book of Judges, for instance, there is a humorous parable of a group of trees who go out seeking someone to rule over them (Judges 9:8-15). They approach an olive tree, a fig tree and a grape vine, asking each in turn to serve as their king. All decline the proposition, explaining that they're too busy producing oil, figs, and wine to concern themselves with kingship. Then the trees approach a thorny bramble bush. The bramble, which produces nothing of value, is only too happy to rule over them! This parable takes a jab at political leaders, suggesting that if they had anything better to do, they wouldn't seek positions of governmental authority.
There was a period in Israel's history when the people were so skeptical about human political power that for about 200 years, they chose no king at all. God alone was thought to be sovereign. It was cause of much anguish to the faithful prophet Samuel when the pressure of surrounding nations moved the people to request a human leader to act as king.
It's true the biblical prophets were not always adversaries of the state. The prophet Nathan, for instance, served as a close friend and advisor to King David during his reign. However, this same prophet is responsible for one of the harshest criticisms of David in the entire Bible.
In the New Testament, we see that Jesus' relationship with the state is clearly not a comfortable one. And Paul repeatedly goes to prison for his beliefs and is eventually executed by the very government about which he writes in Romans 13.
What is the prudent path of political participation for today's Christian? We would do well to follow Jesus Christ's admonition to "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's" (See Matthew 22:16-22).
The bottom line is, when we give the emperor what properly belongs to God, we must bear in mind that the emperor will always seek to use his enhanced power to play God. American Christians, having escaped the tyranny of medieval Europe, have always found it far better to err on the side of safeguarding religious freedom than to err on the side of empowering the emperor.
The wall of separation between church and state protects the church more than it does the state. Let us be politically involved, without allowing politics to distract us from "being about our Father's business."
The majority of Christians in America have traditionally agreed with James Madison and stood in staunch support of "the separation of church and state." The resistance to comingling religious and political power comes not only from a commonly shared American heritage but more importantly, from our shared Biblical tradition. In recent times, certain branches of Christianity have departed from this view. Christian leaders have become more political in their publically stated views. Recently, James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, a well-known and respected family-values group said he will abstain from voting if Senator John McCain is the Republican nominee.
The relationship between religion and politics in the Bible is marked by skepticism, challenge, and at times down-right opposition. In the Book of Judges, for instance, there is a humorous parable of a group of trees who go out seeking someone to rule over them (Judges 9:8-15). They approach an olive tree, a fig tree and a grape vine, asking each in turn to serve as their king. All decline the proposition, explaining that they're too busy producing oil, figs, and wine to concern themselves with kingship. Then the trees approach a thorny bramble bush. The bramble, which produces nothing of value, is only too happy to rule over them! This parable takes a jab at political leaders, suggesting that if they had anything better to do, they wouldn't seek positions of governmental authority.
There was a period in Israel's history when the people were so skeptical about human political power that for about 200 years, they chose no king at all. God alone was thought to be sovereign. It was cause of much anguish to the faithful prophet Samuel when the pressure of surrounding nations moved the people to request a human leader to act as king.
It's true the biblical prophets were not always adversaries of the state. The prophet Nathan, for instance, served as a close friend and advisor to King David during his reign. However, this same prophet is responsible for one of the harshest criticisms of David in the entire Bible.
In the New Testament, we see that Jesus' relationship with the state is clearly not a comfortable one. And Paul repeatedly goes to prison for his beliefs and is eventually executed by the very government about which he writes in Romans 13.
What is the prudent path of political participation for today's Christian? We would do well to follow Jesus Christ's admonition to "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's" (See Matthew 22:16-22).
The bottom line is, when we give the emperor what properly belongs to God, we must bear in mind that the emperor will always seek to use his enhanced power to play God. American Christians, having escaped the tyranny of medieval Europe, have always found it far better to err on the side of safeguarding religious freedom than to err on the side of empowering the emperor.
The wall of separation between church and state protects the church more than it does the state. Let us be politically involved, without allowing politics to distract us from "being about our Father's business."
Thursday, January 24, 2008
TRUSTING THE DIVINE INTENTION
I expect that much of the time you and I are completely unaware of the Divine intention in who we are and what we do. We struggle to entrust ourselves to Mystery.
The eleventh step of the Alcoholics Anonymous program is this: "Sought to improve my conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation, seeking only the knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out."
I read recently a beautiful story told by one of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning. My adaptation of the story goes like this:
A water bearer in India had two large pots. Each hung on opposite ends of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other was perfect. The perfect pot always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house. The cracked pot arrived only half-full. The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments because it fulfilled magnificently the purpose for which it had been made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection and miserable about only accomplishing half of the job.
After two years of failure, the bitter pot spoke to the water-bearer one day by the stream. "I'm ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you," the pot said.
"Why are you ashamed?" asked the water-bearer.
"I've been unable to deliver more than half my share of the load for these past two years, because this crack in my side allows water to leak out all the way back to the master's house. My flaws are reducing your ability to fully accomplish your work."
The water-bearer responded: "I have always known about your flaw, and I have taken advantage of it. I planted flower seed on your side of the path, and every day, as we have walked back from the stream, you have faithfully watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have had this beauty to grace his house."
Disappointment in our being or performing arise from our presuming to know the outcome fo a particular endeavor. The cracked pot was clueless about its life-giving, life-beautifying purpose as a vessel.
St. John writes, "A man can lay claim only to what is given him from heaven" (John 3:27). Any attempt to measure the value of our lives by comparison and contrast to others belittles our gifts and shows ungratefulness to God.
Despite our "flaws"--our physical cracks, intellectual limitations, emotional struggles, and spiritual fissures--we can and must trust that God has providentially equipped us to fulfill the unique purpose of our existence.
The eleventh step of the Alcoholics Anonymous program is this: "Sought to improve my conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation, seeking only the knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out."
I read recently a beautiful story told by one of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning. My adaptation of the story goes like this:
A water bearer in India had two large pots. Each hung on opposite ends of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other was perfect. The perfect pot always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house. The cracked pot arrived only half-full. The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments because it fulfilled magnificently the purpose for which it had been made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection and miserable about only accomplishing half of the job.
After two years of failure, the bitter pot spoke to the water-bearer one day by the stream. "I'm ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you," the pot said.
"Why are you ashamed?" asked the water-bearer.
"I've been unable to deliver more than half my share of the load for these past two years, because this crack in my side allows water to leak out all the way back to the master's house. My flaws are reducing your ability to fully accomplish your work."
The water-bearer responded: "I have always known about your flaw, and I have taken advantage of it. I planted flower seed on your side of the path, and every day, as we have walked back from the stream, you have faithfully watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have had this beauty to grace his house."
Disappointment in our being or performing arise from our presuming to know the outcome fo a particular endeavor. The cracked pot was clueless about its life-giving, life-beautifying purpose as a vessel.
St. John writes, "A man can lay claim only to what is given him from heaven" (John 3:27). Any attempt to measure the value of our lives by comparison and contrast to others belittles our gifts and shows ungratefulness to God.
Despite our "flaws"--our physical cracks, intellectual limitations, emotional struggles, and spiritual fissures--we can and must trust that God has providentially equipped us to fulfill the unique purpose of our existence.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Flourishing in Our Present Reality
It is natural to human nature that we sometimes wish we were not where we are. We find ourselves in relationships and circumstances that we would prefer were different in some way. Some folk struggle to be happy and productive in certain geographical locations. Our work environment can cause us anxiety. Even churches can be tough places to feel at home--our own shortfalls or perhaps the hypocrisy of others can cause a struggle within our hearts.
It seems to me there are two ways of approaching life in this imperfect world:
1. We can say, "I don't like it, and I don't want to have to invest myself in a place or among people where I don't find satisfaction or see a promising future." Or,
2. We can say, "I will do the very best I can with the realities of my life. Far more important than the climate, economics, attitudes and people in my life at this place and time is the God who is with me at this place and time!" "Where I am is a place that was created for me by God, and the people in my life are people whom God loves and has lovingly placed here."
I've read where Francois Fenelon said there are two kinds of people--those who look at life and complain of what is not there; and others who look at the realities of life and rejoice in what is there!
We have a choice to complain and limit our living based on what we don't presently have, or we can live positively and brightly in the reality of what we do have.
The Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah had this choice (See Jeremiah 29:1-14). He sent this letter from Jerusalem to the surviving elders, priests, prophets and all the Jewish people living under Nebuchadnezzar's rule having been taken in exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. He brings an amazing word from the Lord to these "displaced" folk.
I'll just touch on a couple of his points in this letter. In verse 7 he reports the Lord's counsel: "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." In verses 11-13 God says: "I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray for me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I WILL BE FOUND BY YOU."
Will we open ourselves to being useful to God in the situational and relational contexts of our present life? Is it possible that the people, culture, opportunities, as well as the physical place and time (maybe even the church?!) found in our life today are God's good gifts intended to help us grow and flourish?
Building the life of our dreams in "hostile" surroundings is hard. But, knowing God's personal presence that is constantly with us each moment empowers us to live God's loving, good and perfect will right where we are.
It seems to me there are two ways of approaching life in this imperfect world:
1. We can say, "I don't like it, and I don't want to have to invest myself in a place or among people where I don't find satisfaction or see a promising future." Or,
2. We can say, "I will do the very best I can with the realities of my life. Far more important than the climate, economics, attitudes and people in my life at this place and time is the God who is with me at this place and time!" "Where I am is a place that was created for me by God, and the people in my life are people whom God loves and has lovingly placed here."
I've read where Francois Fenelon said there are two kinds of people--those who look at life and complain of what is not there; and others who look at the realities of life and rejoice in what is there!
We have a choice to complain and limit our living based on what we don't presently have, or we can live positively and brightly in the reality of what we do have.
The Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah had this choice (See Jeremiah 29:1-14). He sent this letter from Jerusalem to the surviving elders, priests, prophets and all the Jewish people living under Nebuchadnezzar's rule having been taken in exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. He brings an amazing word from the Lord to these "displaced" folk.
I'll just touch on a couple of his points in this letter. In verse 7 he reports the Lord's counsel: "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." In verses 11-13 God says: "I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray for me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I WILL BE FOUND BY YOU."
Will we open ourselves to being useful to God in the situational and relational contexts of our present life? Is it possible that the people, culture, opportunities, as well as the physical place and time (maybe even the church?!) found in our life today are God's good gifts intended to help us grow and flourish?
Building the life of our dreams in "hostile" surroundings is hard. But, knowing God's personal presence that is constantly with us each moment empowers us to live God's loving, good and perfect will right where we are.
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