Still. Guaranteed.

This morning I did something I haven’t done in a while. I woke up, rolled over, and opened my Bible. I read the first chapter of Ephesians.

That whole thing about the Holy Spirit being a seal or deposit guaranteeing our future inheritance…
I don’t think I’ve ever really paid much attention to that. But this morning, I found comfort in it. Because every time I encounter the Holy Spirit in my life, it should remind me that I belong to God. That I still belong to God. That there is more to come and that this is just the beginning.

So, today, I thank God for marking me and claiming me as His own. I thank God for still being with me. I thank God for the guarantee of a future of fullness and redemption. Oh, for joy!

Bizarre Faith

Mine is a strange faith. The Bible really, truly is bizarre. This morning, I read from the gospel of Luke about when the ladies went to the tomb of Jesus and these glowing men (literally glowing) tell them that Jesus isn’t in the tomb anymore because he’s alive.  Then I read the first four chapters of Exodus. Got to the part about God talking to Moses from a fire in a bush. I mean, this shit is crazy.

I had a moment of “epistemological rolling” (or perhaps plain incredulity), wherein I was able, just for a moment, to interrogate my own knowledge.  And in that moment, my faith seemed absurd and strange to me. Why is it that I really believe that this guy died and then came back to life??  Why is it that I believe that Moses heard God talking to him through fire?  It is all very strange, and I can’t decide if my faith is miraculous or ridiculous.

I think it would be easier to be Buddhist or something. They don’t seem to believe outrageous things. Yet, I cannot escape this faith. Even as I expand and open myself to other spiritual modalities, I feel profoundly tethered to this bizarre and beautiful Jesus.

Eat, Drink, Work

Like a broken record, the writer of Ecclesiastes repeats that “everything is meaningless!”

I am not sure if the refrain is alluring or repelling.  On some level, it feels really, really true. But on some other level, I don’t want it to be true at all!  So, the question is: Can life be meaningful amidst all this meaninglessness?

Meaninglessness and worthlessness are different.  Important distinction.  The writer says that wisdom, toil, pleasure, etc. are all meaningless.  But that does not mean that they do not have value.  In fact, flip a few pages over and you’ll end up in the Book of Proverbs. And that is ALL about wisdom.  Wisdom is valuable in this life.  But wisdom is not life itself.  Pleasure is not bad….it’s just not fulfilling in the deepest way.

So, how do we experience a meaningful life?

“A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work.” (Ecc. 2:24)

“I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil–this is the gift of God.” (Ecc. 3:12-13)

The writer repeats these phrases a few more times before the book comes to an end.  Isn’t it funny?  This man of wisdom, luxury, knowledge, and pleasure, this man who had seen and done it all….eat, drink, and work.
A meaningful life is a  life of enjoying what you have.  A meaningful life is not a life of chasing after bigger, better, and more.  May we slow down long enough to savor flavors.  May we stop and look around and remember what we saw. May what we have be more than enough. May we give ourselves permission to enjoy life. May we find satisfaction right here and right now. May our hearts be glad.

 

Sh** Happens (A Lesson from Ecclesiastes)

 

There’s so much truth in the book of Ecclesiastes, you would think the apostle Paul wrote it!  *Cymbal*  That was  a joke.
How ’bout this…

“The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.”

Here in America, we subscribe to a deeply ingrained ethos that says if you work hard, you will be rewarded. That if you do good, good will come to you.  That people will get what they deserve.  And many have Christianized this ethos (Protestant work ethic, anyone?). But the writer of Ecclesiastes says something quite different…
Sometimes the fastest person doesn’t win the race.
Sometimes the strong person doesn’t win the battle.
You can be brilliant, and educated, and talented, and NOT get what you (perhaps) deserve.
Turns out TIME and CHANCE jump into everyone’s equation.
In other words, shit happens!

There is an element of life that is unpredictable, incongruent, and perhaps even unfair.  And as I meditate on this, I want to drop these words into my theology like food coloring into a glass of water and watch the hue change.

But We DO Know the Path of the Wind!

I sat on the patio this morning and read from Ecclesiastes…which is quite possibly my favorite part of the whole Bible. Ecclesiastes is part cynicism, part realism, part hedonism, part humility, and part reverence. And altogether wise. Love it.  And so, I think I will revisit Ecclesiastes via a series of blog posts inspired by my readings.

Today, I want to talk about the wind.

“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” (Ecclesiastes 11:5)

I think the point of this verse is that there are some things that we cannot fully understand; nevertheless, we embrace the mystery of it.  We do not know how God works, but we let it. We let Him. It just is. Mysterious and good.

BUT!  The problem is that we DO in fact know the path of the wind!  In fact, meteorologists tell us every day which way the wind will blow.  And scientists CAN explain the development of the fetus!  Technology and knowledge progress so rapidly these days.  Where does mystery fit into our lives?  Does mystery fit into our lives?  We’ve figured everything else out…what could be so amazing about the workings of God?

I think we need to keep mystery in our lives. Mystery inspires us. Mystery stirs up reverence and awe within us.  And there is always something much bigger than us that we do not understand and something much smaller than us that we don’t understand.  There are still things in the world (or perhaps beyond the world) that we cannot measure, predict, comprehend, or control.  Whatever those things might be, let them serve as a reminder to us that  God is big and small and wild and mysterious and GOOD.

Word-for-Word Translations

Any serious student of the Bible ought to have (and use) multiple translations of the Bible that span the spectrum of translation philosophies.

But there are some that would suggest that word-for-word translations are the most accurate and advocate the use of those translations over and against all others.

The problem with that is simple: Language does not always translate word-for-word.

If you are bilingual (or even close to bilingual), you know this firsthand.  I’ll use Spanish as an example.
Spanish phrase: Me puse triste.
Literal English translation: To myself I put sad.
Accurate English translation:  I got sad.  OR   I became sad.

Another example…
Spanish phrase: Oye, negrita, eso si que es!
Literal English translation: Hey, little black girl, that so that is!
Accurate English translation: Hey, honey, it is what it is!

It is sort of possible to translate word-for-word from one language to another…but often the clarity of the message is compromised. We should not be fooled into thinking that a word-for-word translation guarantees us the most accurate understanding of the Biblical text.  If you don’t know the original Biblical languages, and if you don’t have good Bible software to help you understand the original languages, then the best thing to do is use a variety of translations so that you can try to capture all of the shades of meaning.

And may the Holy Spirit add understanding to all of our studying!

Learning Grace in Lamentations

If your Bible pages are really thin, you probably often miss Lamentations when you’re flipping through.

The entire book takes up a whopping 6 pages in my Bible.

I read the entire book today, and I learned about grace.  How can a book full of depressing poems teach me about grace?  Because it shows me what I deserve.  Jerusalem has been totally devastated all because they sinned.  And if not for the grace of God that has come through Jesus, this would be my fate too.  I am so thankful that God deals with me according to the terms of a new and better covenant.

Amazingly though, even in Lamentations, there is a glimpse of God’s gracious heart.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness…For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.” (Lamentations 3:22-23, 31-32, NIV)

Spilled Water

Today I told God that I feel far away. That the messes I’ve made have gotten in the way.  And I pleaded with Him to pay attention to me and speak.

The Spirit compelled me to read 2 Samuel 14.

It is a riveting tale that reads like a scene from a plot-twisting movie.  And then came this verse:

“Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die.  But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.” (2 Samuel 14:14, NIV)

What a delight to encounter this verse, revealing the gracious ways of God in the midst of this gut-wrenching, chaotic story of sin and tragedy.  I do indeed feel exiled like Absalom. Like my sins have pushed me away from my God, out of His presence the way Absalom’s murder of his brother banished him from the royal courts.  That is not what God wants, though.  He graciously conspires for my return.

Witnessing to a Christian: Is Your Gospel Good News?

Last night I had a surprising conversation with my best friend.  She is a Christian, as far as I can tell.  And yet she expressed to me that she is uncertain about eternity. She thinks it’s hard to go to Heaven.  She’s never sure if she’s been a good enough person.  The uncontrollable, inevitable passing of time makes her anxious, because this life is ending.

It all made me sad.

And then it made me wonder.  How many Christians know the Bible but don’t know the Gospel?   How many Christians have heard a message that is only fairly Good News?  How many Christians have sung a hymn about a grace they don’t really believe is all that amazing?

And my heart ached. And so I told her…
“The truth is, you’re not  a good person.  And even on your best day, it would not be good enough.  But the blood of Jesus covers all of that.  God is not keeping score anymore.  When you unite with Christ, God sees Christ’s righteousness when He looks at you.  It is so simple that we can’t stand it!  It is free. It is ridiculous. It is sufficient. You can be free from worrying about it.  Yeah, when you sin, it disrupts the harmony you have with God.  But it does not ruin your eternal standing with Him.  If so, the Good News would not be that good…”

Then we went on to talk about Heaven, and I told her…
“I absolutely would prefer Heaven over THIS.  And I think Christians who cling to this life do not yet have a robust enough understanding of Heaven.  I think lots of people think Heaven is this place in the sky where we will all go and sit on clouds and sing church songs to God forever!  If that’s what it is, I don’t think I want to go!  But God is going to re-do it all. New heavens, new earth. I think it will be a huge party with lots of food and music and dancing and rest and people working on things they love. The earth will be beautiful. There won’t be poisonous snake bites or natural disasters or poverty or sickness. And there will be wine.  You know Jesus loves wine!  I think it will be a good time, and I’d rather be there than here!”

She was quiet for a while and then said, “Man, when I have kids, will you explain Heaven to them like this?!”

“Sure.”

Why Do Pastors Preach With iPads?

I have been noticing this trend of pastors preaching using an iPad.  I can’t explain why it puts me off.  There is just something I don’t like about it.  Maybe I’m just old school.
But my question is: What is the benefit of preaching with an iPad over using a regular Bible??