Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Thoughts on transformation inspired by John Donne

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John Donne on TransformationDivine Poem I by John Donne:

Father of Heaven, and him, by whom
It, and us for it, and all else, for us
Thou madest, and govern’st ever, come
And re-create mee, now growne ruinous:
My heart is by dejection, clay,
And by selfe-murder, red.
From this red earth, Of Father, purge away
All vicious tinctures, that new fashioned
I may rise up from death, before I’m dead.

I really like the last line. The regenerative power of the Gospel can cause us to begin to really live. Too often, we reduce the gospel to a set of rules and regulations, an ethical system or a scheme for getting blessed. Yet it is so much more than that.

Rather, it is, according to Paul, the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). This salvation is not simply a belief regarding what happens when we die, it is a life transforming process that happens right now.

I am so in need of that transformation. I need that transformation to allow me to hear the voice of God above the din that is around me. I need that transformation to be other than I now am. I need that transformation so that “I may rise up from death, before I’m dead” as John Donne so eloquently puts it.

Maintaining a dual citizenship

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Proof of CitizenshipI was born and have lived in one country for my entire life. I have one passport, from one country. From a physical standpoint, I am a citizen of one country.

In his greeting to the church in Colossae, Paul writes, “To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae . . .” (Colossians 1:2a). In the Greek, he uses the same preposition to indicate that the believers in Colossae were both in Christ and in Colossae. The English translators use the word “at” in front of Colossae to make it sound less awkward.

As believers, we have a dual citizenship, we live in a country (or countries) but are also citizens of the Kingdom of God.  We live in this world but we also understand that this world is not all there is.

This is part of the reason why Christians have been persecuted throughout the centuries. We cannot be trusted to be “all in” with regard to the current regime in place. We answer to a higher authority and earthly authorities sometimes take exception to this.

We should not be shocked that the intelligentsia of our day ridicule Christians. We make them feel uncomfortable because we do not automatically accept their diagnosis and prescription for solving the problems of the world around us.

Our dual citizenship is uncomfortable when the two kingdoms are in conflict. It would be so much more convenient to agree with the moral code of the surrounding culture. Perhaps there are a few who enjoy being antagonistic with their peers, but most of us like to “go along to get along.” But, this we cannot do if we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. We have to make the choice to reject some aspects of the culture around us.

This does not mean that we have to verbalize every objection to what is being said and done around us. It does mean that we should prayerfully consider when it is appropriate to speak up. We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Both truth and love must be operative when we confront any aspect of our culture.

In the eighth chapter of Romans, Paul tells us that all of creation groans in anticipation of the time when the rightful king comes to make everything right (Romans 8:22). Until that time, we are both in Colossae and in Christ. We must learn to operate in the tension between the two kingdoms.

Our citizenship may be divided, but our loyalty cannot be. We must choose which kingdom gets the priority.

On bread, fish and urban ministry

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Based on almost every statistical category, Camden, New Jersey is one of the worst places to live in the United States. Just take a look at the graphic below as an example. Crime in Camden is 16 times higher than the national median. It is a tough place to live.

Camden Crime
From http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nj/camden/crime/

Yet people, real flesh and blood people, who have the same desires for health and security as we have, do live there. And some Christians who are attuned to a sense of calling to minister to the people of Camden also live there and are having an impact.

CamdenThe church I attend has partnered with a pastor in Camden to help him minister in that environment. One of the ways that our church partners with him is to put together backpacks full of school supplies which are distributed to the children in the area.

Last evening I sat in on a training meeting to prepare those who will help in distributing the backpacks. While I was in the training, I was struck by a sense of how overwhelming the task is to minister in that environment. My work has often taken me to Camden, so I have some sense as to how big the challenge is in meeting the needs of that community. On a human level, the challenge is overwhelming.

Then I thought of a little boy who two thousand years ago was carrying his lunch while going to hear Jesus speak. Jesus was teaching the crowds and the disciples came to Jesus suggesting that he disperse the crowd so that they don’t pass out from hunger. Jesus took that boy’s lunch of bread and fish (John 6:9) and multiplied it so that everyone could eat. The success of the mission was not dependent upon the boy’s skill or the volume of food he brought. Success depended only upon the boy giving the lunch to Jesus.

In the same way, giving a few backpacks to a few kids in Camden on the surface does almost nothing to address the needs of that community. Yet, as we learn from that boy, a small offering given into the hands of Jesus can make a big impact. The point is that while we may want to do something great for the Kingdom of God, perhaps God will use a small thing to produce great fruit.

One of the cool things about eternity will be hearing stories of how a small obedience will have resulted in a big change in someone’s life. A handshake and a welcome in the church lobby, a word of encouragement to the grocery checker or a simple thank-you to a co-worker can be multiplied by God to accomplish his purpose in those lives.

From a long way off

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Searching FatherWhile driving (I get to do a lot of driving) I recently listened to a sermon by Alistair Begg concerning the Prodigal Son as recorded in
Luke 15. This prompted some thoughts so I stopped to record them. The thoughts have to do with the reaction of the father toward the son.

I am struck by the phrase, “while a long way off.” Jesus is telling us that the father did not wait for the son to come, the father ran to greet the wayward son. One of the right things about the missional movement is a recognition that the church cannot sit back and wait for people to come to hear the message. Christians must take the message to those who most desperately need to hear it. When we do this, we are emulating the Father that Jesus described to us.
The second observation is that when the Father did contact the son, there was no condemnation or criticism expressed. He was happy to have the relationship restored. The only emotion expressed by the Father is rejoicing at the return. Why then do so many who are outside of the church feel condemned by the church? We should be the very group of people who are most welcoming and most happy to see a relationship restored. Were we to do so, we would be emulating Jesus who left glory to come rescue us.

The third observation is that people matter than material things. By claiming his inheritance before the father’s death, the wild son put his father at a material disadvantage. Assets had to be liquidated to fulfill the request. All that was given to the son was wasted in excessive living.

Would the father be justified in requiring the son to work himself back into the father’s good grace? Would it be reasonable to make the son work to pay back what he wasted? From a human perspective, he would be completely justified in doing so. Yet this is not what the father does. The riches that were wasted seem to be nothing compared to the restored relationship.

This is a challenge to us as to how we view our posessions. I have been in churches where a spilled cup of coffee put leaders in a tizzy to make up rules about food and drink in the “sanctuary.” Are we more concerned about the beauty of our church campus than we are about the people around us? Are we willing to use our resources to reach out to those who need our love and message?

There is so much more that can be gleaned from this story. Jesus presents God as an unembarassed Father who exhibits a shocking devotion to his son. He displayed this behavior while looking to be restored to his son. He is a father that is willing to endure public ridicule for the sake of restoration with the lost son.

Should we not seek to emulate this father in this?

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