Flashpoint

I have a framed photograph my husband and I picked up long ago on one of our travels. Recently I unwrapped this picture so I could hang it. Yes, four years after our move and I still don't have everything hung up...don't judge! It's a photo of a massive lightning strike over a sandstone formation somewhere in Arizona, entitled "Flashpoint." I was intrigued by the title and looked up the definition. A flash-point is the point at which eruption into significant action, creation or violence occurs.

Interesting. Then I researched how lightning grows from nothing into a massive spark. Without getting into a lot of technical, sciencey jargon: air is normally filled with evenly distributed positive and negative charges. During a storm these charges become separated--mostly positive charges concentrate in the top of the clouds and mostly negative in the bottom. The earth carries a positive charge. Opposites attract, so at some point critical mass is achieved and an invisible 'stepped leader' of negative charge rushes toward the earth. Once it connects, a positive electrical charge rushes back up that 'stepped leader,' releasing a burst of electrical light and power which we see as lightning. The stepped leader naturally moves toward the highest object in the area, which is why we don't stand outside in an electrical storm. Sometimes as the initial stepped leader is descending, the opposing charge rises from earth to meet it.

Soooo, lightning is essentially Earth's visible response to an invisible touch from Heaven. Obviously I can't take the analogy too far, but that speaks. That so clearly and loudly speaks. God is always prior. He is the initiator. He is the source. What I see as my choice, my love, my seeking after God is actually the natural response of a created being to her Creator. He is before and above and in all things primary. When He reaches to me, my spirit leaps to Him along a path He had already made. When His love touches me, closing the circuit, my heart is pulled inexorably to His. 

I like that idea of spiritual flash-point, that moment when love and longing attain critical mass and Abba's gaze and presence reach down. So I want to make myself a likely target for His presence by being intentional in my relationship with Him. It's not that I make anything happen; it's not dependent on my knowledge or my maturity, but my need. My felt need for more of Him drives me to actively present myself before the Lord, worshipping, praying, fasting, musing on the loveliness of God in Scripture. That builds my hunger for Him and sets me in an atmosphere in which my Father is likely to draw near. Like standing on top a tall building in a thunderstorm, I simply present myself as the most likely target when His presence touches down.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord

And to meditate in His temple.

Psalm 27:4 NASB

The Just Shall Live by Faith

But that no man is justified by the law
in the sight of God, it is evident;
for the just shall live by faith.
Galatians 3:11

Sometimes when I read the accounts of the ancient Israelite people, I get to feeling a little exasperated. I mean, how thick do you have to be to see what they saw and hear what they heard and still not believe that God is God, that He should be trusted and obeyed? But when the sun of reality burns away the fog of fantasy faith, I know that I am so very much like my spiritual ancestors. Stubborn, just like them. Hard-hearted and stiff-necked and rebellious...just like them. If I had been there, I would have worshiped the golden calf. If I had been there, I would have griped about the lack of water and the bland, 'what is that?'  manna. If I had been there, I would have complained about God's leadership choice of Moses. If I had been there, I would have cheered for Jesus when he entered Jerusalem and I would have jeered at Jesus during His trial. When God crafted a people to teach us about Himself, He knew their example would speak to us, because humanity--Jew and Gentile alike--is uniformly broken and sinful.

I am thankful we serve a God of loving mercy and steadfast grace--a God requiring faith, not works in order to save and keep us. Everyone knows this; it's a basic tenet of Christianity. What seems less well known is that Israel knew that God too. No one--whether from Old Testament times or New--has gone to heaven except by the grace of God. If you're not sure I'm right, do a quick Bible review and name one person who was justified by keeping the Law. Take your time. Consult your pastor. Use Google if you want. Name one person--besides Jesus--who never broke any of the commandments...never sinned, never slipped up. Adam? Nope. Abraham? Nope. Moses? Nope. David? Are you kidding me? Every single one of our Old Testament heroes of the faith were men and women of clay who followed the God of Israel as best they could, trusting that a loving and merciful God would extend His salvation to them in the end. 

The just shall live by faith is in the New Testament because Paul was quoting Habakkuk 2:4 (which is definitely in the Old Testament). Somehow between that time and today, we've come to the conclusion that God moved from salvation through the law to salvation despite the law. But God does not have a split personality; He is the same God all through the Scriptures. The Old Testament showcases His plan to create a people and teach them how He was different than the pagan gods. Through the Law* God taught His chosen people His unapproachable perfection and holiness so they would not be tempted to try for their own righteousness. Through the Law they (and we) could see the absolute impossibility of attaining rightness with God on our own. They, just like us, had to trust in the character of God...to trust His plan for salvation. They had to access God through faith.

Many Christian ministries characterize Jesus' earthly ministry as flouting the Law, teaching it was irrelevant...even offensive to God. But He would have had few Jewish followers if that had been the case. The Jews of Jesus' day were well aware that Moses (their revered Law-giver) had given them a test for a false prophet. Anyone one who taught the people to reject and disobey God's commands was immediately identified as a false prophet (Deut. 13:1). That is why the Pharisees and scribes kept trying to catch Jesus saying and doing things that broke a commandment. They were applying Moses' false-prophet test, looking for a valid reason to reject Jesus' teachings and stop His growing ministry. The fact that the religious authorities finally had to rely on false witnesses to condemn Him is a good indication that Jesus nowhere told them to disobey God's commands. Instead He taught them how to follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter. He took the Law and fleshed it out, making it a way of life that was full of life. 

Jesus fulfilled the law....not as in completed and cancelled but as in filling it full. He routinely taught "you have heard it said, but I say to you." Rather than erasing the commandments, He filled them full of the meaning God intended. Jesus tweaked the Pharisees about their traditions, but told His disciples to be even more scrupulous than the Law required (Matthew 5:20). The Law was given for Man's benefit, but God knew men would turn it into a heavy religious burden. Jesus showed how to keep the Law the right way...a way filled with grace and spirit that brings life...life the way God had always intended it to be. Jesus showed the people that the way of God could be lived out in a joyful, abundant way that both pleased God and blessed people. His sacrifice ended the necessity of animal sacrifice to cover sin, but never ended God's plan for how we should live.

Our God never changes. The God of Israel extends hope to the world that does not rest on perfect rules-following but on His character...on His plan for salvation...on His lovingkindness. That makes my heart sing.

...the righteous shall live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4b

*Torah is usually interpreted with the generic English word "law," but it literally means Teaching...essentially, the way God means us to live. As Paul exclaims in Romans 7, "Am I suggesting that these laws of God are evil? Of course not!"  

Whose Report Will We Believe?

When Moses sent spies to the Promised Land they brought back a good report. The land was fertile and productive. God had indeed directed them to a land where they could flourish. But Numbers 13 says when ten of the men saw the defenses they were overcome with fear. What they saw with their natural eyes carried more weight than what God had told them. Despite the pleading of Caleb and Joshua, the report of the ten spies won out. You know the rest of the story; it was 40 years and a lot of funerals before the Chosen entered the Land.  When I read through Numbers 13 and 14 I noticed two things. The first was that God told Moses to send the men...leaders from each of the tribes. So He didn't have a problem with the people knowing there were giants in the land. If you frame the theme of the entire Bible as “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” this makes perfect sense. God didn’t want to give the infant nation a false sense of their own abilities. He wanted them to know without a doubt that they needed to rely on Him. He had already trashed the mightiest empire on the planet, rescued the people from slavery (carrying gold, silver, livestock and other goodies) and brought them through a sea walking on dry land. He miraculously gave them food and water and physically showed them where and when to travel. None of that was possible in the natural. None of that depended on human wisdom or strength or ability. God did it all. Here then was another chance to see God work miracles for them. All they had to do was do what He said, but we all know that is often easier said than done.  Today is much the same--God has made promises of a victorious church, yet everywhere we turn the report is bad--the dark is rising and gaining strength. The world is giving itself to any and everything as it loses hope that there is anything worth living for. Things have tilted badly off-center and appear headed over a cliff. Whether the crisis is global, national or personal, it is difficult to look on giants without fear. It is only natural to consider all this with the eyes of the ten spies. This brings me to the second thing I noticed:  the good report came “from a different spirit.” Caleb and Joshua saw the same things the other spies saw--walled cities, giants, and the impossibility of the task before them. Were they naturally brave? In denial? Terminally optimistic? I think not. I also don’t believe they were somehow supernaturally immune from fear. I think the answer lies in Exodus 33. On their travels, Moses had pitched a tent for seeking the Lord. This Tent of Meeting was outside the camp so folks could come to a place separate from daily life, to seek God and worship. Moses went there regularly to be with the Lord. It is where God spoke to Moses, "face to face as a man speaks to his friend."  The closing verse in that section is almost a throw-away but holds the key to Joshua's different spirit. "When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent." Joshua was present when the Presence descended on the Tent of Meeting. There he too met the Lord. He learned to love God's presence, to hear God's voice, to fear His name. The relationship he built during those times of worship and encounter was a place of shelter from which he could view giants with calm confidence. Joshua knew Israel couldn’t take the Land. He also knew that God could and had told them that He would. That is the report Joshua and Caleb chose to believe. In times of crisis, information about God is too flimsy a support, we must lean on God Himself. This is possible if we spend time knowing Him, learning to press into His loving kindness, rest in His peace. Then even in confusion and pain we can focus on Him, trusting that He will bring us through...whether it’s winning the Promised Land, American politics, or personal turmoil. We can expect reports of persecution, violence and lost hope to continue, but there is another report. As we face our own giants we can turn our eyes to God, believing His word just as Joshua and Caleb did. Jesus told us that the darkness will increase, but the light will increase also. While acknowledging the one we must look to the other. Caleb and Joshua were able to give a good report because they knew that it is not the bigness of our challenges but the bigness of our God that matters. Let's encourage one another with the good things that God is doing in His ever advancing Kingdom. Let's lean on God and wait for His salvation, which is surely coming. Maranatha!

Numbers 13:30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said,

“Let us go up at once and take possession of it; for we will certainly conquer.” 

Numbers 14:7b-9 [Caleb and Joshua] spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land through which we passed as spies is an exceedingly good  land.

If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us,

a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord;

and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us.  Do not fear them.” 

Hermeneutics: Where did I put my glasses?

When we consider the Jewish people to see how they fit into God's plan, the first step is to locate the right glasses. Just as I wouldn't want to drive with my reading glasses or read with my driving glasses, I want to make sure that I am using the appropriate hermeneutic when I form my thinking about God's chosen people.

Hermeneutics is just a fancy word for method of interpretation, the glasses we use when we want to examine the Bible. Wearing the wrong glasses means that we're not seeing as precisely as needed in a given situation. Seems simple enough, but the hermeneutic we use is not always a conscious choice. Our upbringing, education, denomination, the books we’ve read, our experiences with others--even our ethnicity creates a lens we look through when deciding what is true. This lens shapes what we encounter by filtering, coloring, rejecting or limiting raw facts before they are slotted into our thinking. As Christians we rightly strive to align ourselves with the Bible, so we’re used to thinking about whether or not our faith is biblical. We are less accustomed to thinking about whether or not it is Gentile. 

This is important because part of hermeneutics is knowing the author’s historical and cultural context. That way we’re not accidently imposing a 21st century meaning on an ancient text. Or overlaying Greek definitions on Hebrew words or ideas. This is especially important with regard to Israel and the Jewish people. The context of Jesus’ life and  teachings is first-century, second temple, biblical Judaism. That isn't readily apparent from our vantage point way out in 21st century Christianity. So commonly-held beliefs about the Jewish people we assume are tried-and-true, approved-by-scholars-everywhere, aka ‘biblical’ have in fact been filtered through the thinking of thousands of mostly Gentile men and women who’ve gone before us. Like a really long game of Telephone, it’s understandable that some ideas have become distorted over time. Greek philosophy, gnostic mysticism, historical events, personal prejudices and sadly, outright anti-Semitism have all subtly insinuated themselves into our theology, sometimes blurring the lens we peer through. 

Did the Jewish people really have to perfectly obey all the laws to go to Heaven? Did the disciples really teach that Torah should be thrown out as irrelevant after Jesus came? Is God full of of judgment and wrath in the Old Testament, somehow becoming loving and kind in the New? Did Paul actually proclaim a new religion, disconnected--even opposed to the one he knew so well? Questions like these can be disconcerting, at least they were to me when I first considered them, because I thought I already knew the answers. But locating a better pair of specs led me to a great treasure, hidden in plain sight. Learning about the soil in which our faith grows helps us “clean the glass,” uncovering the ancient grandeur of God's plan.

This will not only aid our understanding of God’s chosen people, but it will also begin to clear away ideas that have cluttered the writings the Jewish Disciples wrote to the mostly Jewish church of the first century. This is part of being good Bereans. It is also part of our call to help the Jewish people “see” their Messiah-- something the church mostly hasn't done well. They were the imperfect vessels called to bring the good news of God to the (Gentile) nations; now we (imperfect vessels, all) have been mandated to bring the good news of Yeshua to them. Too often the Jewish people have been reduced to helpful sermon illustrations of what not to do. Judaism is portrayed as the bad cop God took off the force when Christianity arrived. Many sincere believers think the Jewish people had their chance and are now just an unwelcome reminder of how God somehow got it wrong the first time. But consider that nothing God sets up and sets in motion is superfluous or disposable (especially people!). He specializes in rescue, redemption and restoration, and His big plan for the end of the age is a show-stopper. All Israel will be saved is not pie-in-the-sky optimism, God will have what He originally intended...a family made up of Jew and Gentile. As we clean the mist off our glasses, the intricate tapestry God is weaving becomes clear. When finished, we will stand amazed how He worked all things He made into a beautiful display of His power and love. Don't be surprised if it looks a little more Jewish than you thought it would. Maranatha! Romans 11:25-29 In The Message is particularly good.

The Shalom of Jerusalem

 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 

May they prosper who love you."

Psalm 122:6

I love Psalm 122:6. It's a command that comes with a blessing, and who doesn't want a blessing? Israel is frequently in the news--usually as a result of violence done or done to her--so it sounds like a no-brainer. This morning I read the news of new rocket attacks from Gaza and I'm praying for that to cease, but Psalm 122 means more than that.

The Hebrew word here is shalom which does mean peace, but shalom is much more than a cessation from hostilities. Shalom is God's peace, so it's the deluxe package deal which includes health, well-being, sufficient provision, mental and emotional balance, security, contentment and completeness. Shalom is peace between man and man, man and the land and most importantly man and God. So praying for Jerusalem to have peace is a big deal...bigger than getting the rockets to stop or redrawing boundary lines. It's perfection. The perfection we had in the Garden--what God planned for us in the beginning. 

The shalom of Jerusalem is the consummation of all things. It is the return of Jesus to rule and reign over planet Earth as King. We're accustomed to thinking of that in fuzzy metaphysical ways...kind of a comforting allegory. But He is physically coming to take control of the world He died to save as its rightful King. He will govern physical Earth from a physical throne in physical Jerusalem, literal King of the World. 

Shalom is the banishment of evil, sickness, injustice, poverty--even death. It is the inauguration of a ecological restoration project like we've never seen before...the entire planet scoured of all the injuries inflicted upon it. The land will become healthy and whole, restored to Eden's primordial splendor. We will see the world free from blight, made beautiful as it was in the beginning. We will experience Man relating to Man as he was intended to. We will see God face to face. Selah.

The peace of Jerusalem is not something the U.N. can implement through committees or letters of censure. It isn't something that peace missions from the U.S. can accomplish. It's not a matter of getting the right people to sit down together, nor of finding the right words to massage each side into compliance. It's not that Jews and Arabs can't play nicely together; humanity is incapable of playing nicely. The shalom God has for Jerusalem can only come through God's agency because it's God's peace. It will only fully arrive when Yeshua, the Prince of Peace, arrives to put all things right. Hallelujah, He has promised to do just that! When we ask for the peace of Jerusalem, we ask for the return of our perfect, faithful, just and loving King.

Oh Lord, light a fire in my heart for Your will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Inhabit my prayers and grant me the gift of urgency to pray and long for the peace of Jerusalem. Maranatha, come quickly Lord Jesus!

Show, don't Tell

In fiction writing an author's greatest sin is telling, rather than showing. Explaining plot points in large paragraphs is vastly inferior to crafting the words which create the magic, moving the reader to sigh, gasp, laugh or cry. In the process the reader grasps the plot points without being specifically told. If you're a fan of good fiction, you've experienced the sensation of suddenly knowing something without having it spelled out. A good author can tell you the story he wants told through the action—through the unfolding lives of the characters in the book. It's what stirs our emotions, makes us care about the characters and keeps us glued to the story.

Thinking on that, I've found myself wondering if perhaps one reason the world is often cold to the Christian message is that we insist on telling rather than showing. This is most inconvenient, because I have lots of information. I've spent my entire adult life gathering all sorts of Christian factoids...from books and sermons and conferences. I like giving out my drips and drabs of wisdom and then hurrying on my way. But the world is already drowning in pithy sayings, swamped with social technology, and overrun with hamster wheels begging to be run on. To the world my information about Jesus, though accurate, sounds like one philosophy among thousands. 

The emptiness of the world cannot be filled with information about Jesus, only with Jesus Himself. Every angry individual demanding his rights is actually asking for acceptance as he is, healing for brokenness, a purpose for living, and love without condition. This is what God offers, but somehow that's lost in translation as it passes through the filters of our denominations, our personalities, our experiences and education. Too often we end up telling rather than showing.

To impact the world we don't need more information, more classes, or more techniques. We don't need better ad campaigns or more earnest evangelistic outreaches. What we've yet to consistently show the world is the person of Jesus Christ. For that we need to fill ourselves with the Prince of Peace. He leads us beside still waters for a reason. In that quiet place—alone with Him—we can risk becoming empty so that He might fill us. At the burning bush we gain oil for our watch fires. At His table we eat the bread that fully satisfies. At the stream of living water, we drink to the full and find we have water enough for others too. At the feet of Jesus we renew our spirits, heal our souls and share in His heart. And His heart beats with desire for the world He made, for the souls of those who are lost, for the children He wants gathered before the end. Amazingly, He invites us to co-labor with Him, carrying Life itself to a dying world. It truly is the greatest story ever told.

It costs me very little to give people information about Jesus. To actually give them Jesus is much more costly, because I must also give myself...my time, my compassion, and possibly my money. I am ashamed as I realize that I'd just as soon not pay that price. I'm grateful that Jesus was willing.  He listened and then did what his Father told him. Jesus showed us God by what He said, but also by what He did, how He lived and related to those around him. He came and lived among us, then drank our cup of ugliness to the bottom. 

I confess that before I run my mouth, telling people what they ought to do, I need to remember that my good ideas cannot fix people. It’s time consuming to wait until God tells me what to do and say, where to go and what to give. It’s humbling to admit I really don't have anything for others until He gives it to me first. My only hope of showing people my God is to go to Him, sit at His feet in adoration and wait while He fills me with Himself. I am asking for the willingness to be willing to do as He asks, when He asks and how He asks. Then perhaps I can go out and show what up to now I've only been trying to tell.

 “Preach the gospel at all times…use words when necessary.”

Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi

A Moment of Silence

For God alone my soul waits in silence;

From Him comes my salvation. Psalm 62:1

This week America reels from yet another disaster, this one perpetrated by a crazy man. I cannot even imagine the horror of attending a happy event and having it turn suddenly into terror, pain and even death. My heart goes out to all those affected and I'm praying for God's grace and provision in this truly awful situation. 

As authorities sift through available evidence, trying to make sense of the senseless, we're hearing speculation from the media, conspiracy theories, political posturing and even some finger wagging. No wonder so many are angry or afraid. Beloved, may I gently suggest we take care that all our news doesn't come from the news? We need comfort that cannot come from an FBI press conference. The peace that passes understanding doesn't come from understanding, but only when we seek solace from Jesus. When our faith in humanity is shaken, drawing near to the unshakable Rock is a good plan. 

We need a moment of silence, an interlude from the reports coming from the media. Silence creates an empty space in our hearts...a still place into which we invite God. Silence tunes in God's voice so He may speak to us. Silence allows us to listen and think and pray. In the midst of our grief for those who've lost someone and fear that American society is no longer safe, we need to connect with our Father and let Him remind us that He still calms storms. He is good even when our circumstances aren't.

In God we have a dependable counselor and comforter, one who is always available and never tires. Jesus longs to pour His restorative presence over our shell-shocked souls. Abundant comfort is available...enough for us and to share with others. He has what we most need. Can we quiet ourselves to let Him minister to us? We will receive His compassion for the hurting, hear His counsel on what to do, as well as strength to help.

If we want to offer true hope to the world, we have to offer something different than the platitudes on the nightly news. Aren't we glad that our help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth? He will empower us to mourn with those who mourn, serve where we can and pray for those still healing. Let's take a moment, a moment of silence and listen for God, who is always speaking.

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about 

those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest

of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus 

those who have fallen asleep in him. 

I Thessalonians 4:13-14