Some Real Skin in the Game

December is amazing.

Yes, I know that there are tons of economic pressure. There are wars. And all this holiday obsessiveness causes many who are on the edge to feel their loneliness or depression even more acutely. But if you look at the old, basic message and really study it, you can be refreshed and actually transcend some of the mire "down here".

We pray in the Lord's prayer "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The reason we pray this way - and of course Jesus taught us to - is that it's God's will that His kingdom come among us here. Yes, we are in a fallen world, and yes, even the most righteous person actively at times participates in promoting the wrong things. But the hope and the power for great tomorrows is in the old basic message.

The beautiful "prologue" to the gospel of John says, referring to Jesus, "the Word became flesh". It's talking about Jesus of Nazareth, who was in the beginning with God the Father before the worlds were spoken into being. That's a loadful to swallow of course. You have to dig out your Bible, or go buy or borrow one someplace if necessary. Check it out. In a world full of blather and gossip and absolute idiocy in so many quarters, this passage gives you and me a mouthful of meat to chew on and absorb that can actually sustain us.

The ancients invented their deities, and we do that now too. But invented deities of man always end up being either in our own likeness and therefore as limited as we, or they are way out there and unattainable in the long run. This Deity was actually way out there, which is part of the point. But then, in the wisdom of the "triune conference" (research that one at a later date) our precious Lord Jesus came to this miserable planet and put skin in the game. (Think Bethlehem - and a baby that actually needed diapers, and an adoring mother, step-father, and common shepherds.)

Anyway, before getting to windy here, December is a marvelous time. Sure, the whole world generates more sales, and people have more parties, but the huge thing is that Jesus, our amazing Savior, came and took on human flesh in order to bring his peaceable kingdom to you. To me. To change our hard hearts. To offer forgiveness to the penitent. And to truly and actually guarantee us a good and solid eternity.

God bless you and keep you this December.

Worship at the Independent Church

Some call it a post-denominational era. Whatever the case may be, many churches are disconnecting from their historic ties, and many others are springing up which have little sense of historic connections. As long as the gospel is being preached truthfully, the Spirit of God is at work, and we rejoice over that.

Having said that, each new generation needs to express the Word in a way its people understand intelligibly and emotionally. And it's a "downward and upward" expression. God's Word comes to us, and we respond to Him in prayer and worship and faith. But given our propensity to forget and confuse truth, we do well to continue learning from the good teachers of the past. Gathering regularly to hear the Gospel and respond is an important part of our journey. We dare not act as though we are so independent we need not learn from those who preceeded us about healthy ways to do this.

Perhaps the next-to-worse-case scenario is going to church and experiencing a minimalist approach something like this: pray, preach, sing songs and pass the plate. Such churches seem to give no thought to a well-prepared public reading of scripture (as Paul said, "until I come give attention to the public reading of scripture"). There is no recitation of a creed such as the Apostle's or Nicene, which, when used, are wonderful for summarizing the faith and provoking people to engage their minds more deeply in the indispensable substance of the gospel. But these things and more can nevertheless be developed as a congregation matures, if the Word of God is being taught with clarity and love, and law and gospel are distinguished.

Maybe the worst-case-scenario occurs when many churches engage in a work-up approach to involvement, so that singing, giving, hearing exhortation and testimonies are a means to "work up" the enthusiasm of the people. When the Word is rightly preached and taught, God's Spirit comes graciously to us and He does His creative work in our hearts and wills. And we respond with faith and joy and relief. Although the idea of response is a part of the revolutionary core of the gospel, it is foreign to many. Thus what many practice can quickly become a human effort by which we hope and attempt and struggle to produce a spiritual experience. The thrill, joy, and confidence in the Lord Christ (this often bears little resemblance to emotion) is not in the equation. A sad state of affairs indeed.

This commentary is not for the purpose of urging people to do things in stilted sequence. I enjoy going into a worship service and starting to sing songs and hymns right off. The Word says, "Come into his presence with singing". But there is something very special about hymns and songs which truly bring the Incarnate Word to me. Songs that contain really good lyrical content; hymns that marry the words with the music. Even when I was young I really didn't relish songs that had paper-thin content. I should qualify that: at Bible Camp, there was some of that, but in a setting with chilren aged 10-13 singing around a campfire is a bit different thing than feeding a flock on Sunday morning which comes with a great variety of ages, experiences, needs and backgrounds.

The task of leaders, pastors and laity, is to feed the flock. If they go away feeling hungry, they'll probably not carry out a ministry during the week where they are "planted". If we help serve them up a well-balanced meal of proclamation, teaching, singing, prayers of various sorts, it just follows that they will go on their way rejoicing.

Worship happens during the "worship service" but it also happens during the week as we "present our bodies as a living sacrifice". But this must come from down deep, and doesn't depend on outward circumstances. There's one thing, though, that it does depend on. The Spirit-empowered proclamation and teaching of God's Word.

Our current culture is cranking out quite an array of music resources, much of it within the church. Music is a wonderful gift. But we certainly do commoditize it at times. Worship is worship. But not all music is worshipful. God is not a music critic either. All he's looking for is a heart that is contrite, that is grateful for His grace. He's looking for people who have their ear attuned to His Word and who thirst for it.

"Take away from me the noise of your celebrations" God said through Amos. Let justice roll down. There is a time to celebrate - make no mistake. But when it resembles to prophets of Baal trying to get some deity's attention, Houston we have a problem.

God's already listening. I think the issue is often whether we are.

For the future:

Maybe in a future blog I can comment as to how the five parts of the ordinary of the liturgy, the church year, and the lectionary can be helpful to independent churches. Not as a legalistic template, but as resources to think about.

You're Incredible - Made in God's Image

You're incredible! It’s really true, and I guarantee you that it will stretch you to consider the reason that you’re incredible. Most of us tend to gauge the value of people on what they accomplish or what type of image they project to others. This is all about something far beyond that.

Yes, you and I are incredible. And the great reason for this intrinsic human value is often referred to with a Latin phrase: imago dei. In English the phrase is image of God. You and I were "created in the image of God". If you are willing to consider this you may benefit, whether you think of yourself as religious or not.

There is one particular country where the pressure on young people is so intense to pass exams and enter the university that they are known to commit suicide over it. Their society places a primary value on performance and accomplishment. If you can't perform, you're not work much. And then there are countries where people are only valued if they are one sex, and not the other. So 50% of them, at least by traditional local practice, are trapped by this “system” of valuing some over others. But when people understand that they are created in the image of God, they can begin to be set free from these punishing value systems.

In the book of Genesis the words appear: “And God created man in his own image. In the image of God He created him. Male and female He created them.” This passage then goes on to describe something of what that meant. He blessed them and gave them the command to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” And God also commanded the first couple to “have dominion over the other living beings.”

Embedded in this early account of creation are some tremendous things that place a high value on us, because you and I are descended from these first people. We are created in the image of God. We are commissioned to be fruitful and multiply. And we have responsibility to have dominion, or stewardship, over the earth. We are accountable, in other words, to God for how we invest our lives and energies in our environment and fellow human beings. Working together with God, human beings can truly bring order out of chaos!

Even though they may have forgotten why, people in some societies tend to treat human beings more nobly than do people in other societies. Some societies seem more aware of this accountability to God. Even though its not politically safe to point this out, societies that place a higher value on human life tend to be deluged by waves of refugees from places where people are less valued. We even see pockets within every nation where people are more valued and where they are less valued. It all springs from the way people view the value of humanity.

Made in the image of God. This calls us to a higher level. Our purpose is to live for more than just survival or comfort, although the pursuit of these things isn’t simply to be scorned. It’s often a dangerous world, and many people don’t survive, much less thrive. Those who don't understand or accept this intrinsic value add to the problem by blindly pursuing creature comforts as ends in themselves. Life for them is escapism, or whatever form of getting high they choose. And the end is often chosen at the expense of others around them.

So, more power to you as you think about being created in the image of God! If you want to study further about this, you can see it in Psalm 8. In fact, through the entire Bible you see God calling people to know Him, enjoy Him, and work with Him in helping other image-bearers know His goodness and provision. If you want to study about what happened to severely disrupt this high calling, I urge you to do that. You can look at scriptures related to “The Fall” and “Sin”. John Milton’s great classic poem Paradise Lost is all about this. Learning about this makes a study of Redemption and Grace very fruitful. That’s what the good news of Jesus of Nazareth is all about. But get the background first, because you really are incredible.

The Professor Who Thought He Knew It All

If you or someone you know is suceptible to being swayed by unbelieving college professors, take a moment with this. It's simple a variation on a statement by C.S. Lewis. But it's very important for young people to get a hold of some of this.

ALogical Discussion beginning with the Premise: "Jesus is the Only Way to Life". (An Imaginary Face-Off Between Student and Professor.) Location: Any College in the Post-Modern World

Student says: “Jesus is the only way to God.”

Professor responds condescendingly: “What a narrow-minded thing to say!”

Student says, “So then, would you say that it’s more correct to say “Jesus may be one of many ways to God…or at least one of many ways to view spiritual matters?”

Professor responds with approval: “Yes. That’s much more acceptable. After all, who are you to make such an exclusive claim about one faith?”

Student then says, “But it wasn’t my words. Jesus Himself claimed to be exclusive.”

Professor begins to be impatient. “How on earth can you say for sure what Jesus’ real words were. There are many conflicting reports over the years.”

Student: “Actually that’s not true. There is a remarkable consistency regarding the basic message and ministry of Jesus among those who wrote of him and witnessed these events.”

Professor: “How so?”

Student: “Before I share several things, I’d like to suggest that if I demonstrate the essential trustworthiness of these writings, there are actually three myths that can be debunked at the same time.

Myth One: That Jesus was a Liar. If he wasn’t telling the truth about himself, he was deliberately misleading people. But that doesn’t at all match with the person that the entire historical witness presents us with. He was a wise teacher, a compassionate healer, and a courageous confronter of those who were unjust. This doesn’t leave people any room to call Jesus a deceiver.

Myth Two: That Jesus was a Lunatic. This also is absurd. The record clearly shows that Jesus was raised in an orthodox Jewish setting, learning the scriptures and Jewish traditions, apprenticing under his father in the building trade, and growing up multi-lingual in an international environment (for that is exactly what the Galilean portion of modern-day Israel was, being at a fascinating crossroads of ancient mid-Eastern trade routes). Finally, he lead a peripatetic group of disciples and gathered – almost unintentionally – a huge following over a three-year period, even though doing this was a direct threat to his personal security and comfort.

Myth Three: That Jesus was a Legend. What people call the New Testament is, as you know, a collection of writings. They came into being as a natural consequence of an amazing life lived among the people who wrote. They couldn’t help but set it on the historical record. Their own personalities come through the writings, and the recipients of these letters and accounts, the situations, places, relationships, and urgencies are fairly bursting with the historical reality of the thing. The whole matter is anything but fabrication.

“Now, I believe,” the student continues, “that I have presented you with some information that should challenge you to study the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth further. But I also understand that - - this is a matter of life change, and not just a matter of debating viewpoints. So I wish you the best as you study the matter, and hope you’ll see, as I do, that Jesus Christ is worthy of you committing your entire life to.”

No More Memorials for Me

The man across the table from me said, "Maybe we'll skip this part." And I caved, caught off guard. The Apostle's Creed was off the program. We agreed to keep the Lord's prayer in.

It's all part of the new way of doing things. Involving people in developing the agenda of what goes on at their loved one's memorial service is a sensible thing to do. Personal remarks are important. Laughter, tears - it's all fitting. Even a few photographs can be ok. After all, this is a significant life we're remembering. And we give God thanks for the privilege to have known the person.

And we call it a memorial. It's a time of remembering. But I wasn't raised going to memorials. I went to funerals. Somewhere along the way the name got changed, and the procedure with it. I realize there are some differences with the way various churches approach services for those who die. And that's my point, without getting into denominational labels. A public service for a Christian who dies needs to have certain things take place.

Were I to sum it up, a funeral for a believer needs to center on Jesus Christ and His saving work for people. That's it. And we get into trouble when these services are designed by committees.

Having said that, let's look at the main parts. People gather. Kindness and grief are shared. The pastor gives the invocation: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." This must take place very soon in a public worship service, for by it the pastor or other leader declares the authority under which we gather. It's sort of like the seasoned veteran of board meetings or football games who, upon seeing some uncertainty or hesitation, says, "Let's get on with the real business or I've got better ways to spend my time." The real business is to look to Him who is Life itself and see if He has anything to say when we're surrounded by death.

Next the pastor might say, "We welcome you and trust that this will be a helpful time for you." It's helpful to be hospitable and acknowlege the various people and needs and backgrounds represented. This is a public meeting, not a private one. You let the people know that you're glad they're there, and that hopefully there will be a time of refreshments afterward where people can visit together and condolences can personally be shared.

During the service in our era there is often a time when people can speak up about personal remembrances. Pictures or stories can be told. That's why many call this service a memorial. Some of the somber services of the past didin't allow for personal sharing, and it can be a real improvement to have them. I have heard, though, of cases where far too much time has been spent in remembrances. It puts people to sleep. Or, when someone gets real weepy, others sit there and squirm because they have no idea of the cause for this venting. Then there are nice things said that the speaker shouldn't have waited to say until the person died. (Flowers are for the living.) So, to sum up this part, our age calls these memorials. It's sort of a combination of the old "wake" and the old funeral.

So since, I'm not a liturgical purist, and outward formality for its own sake is foolishness, let me state what is critical. When a person dies, and people gather in the Lord's name, we need to hear what the Lord has to say. He says that we are created in His image. He says, "the soul that sins, it shall die." God the Father says, "This is my Beloved Son; listen to Him." And God the Son says, "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. And I will raise him up at the last day."

You can say nice things about a person and people will feel better. You can put pictures on a screen, and have a touching time of shared memories. But if you must, for some reason, go without those things, you can still have a complete service. All you need is the Word of God. Because Jesus is the living Word, who came in the flesh. If he hadn't come to be born and die and rise from the dead, we'd still be in our sins. But because He came, those who put their trust in Him become children of God and have begun - here and now - living with eternal life. Even before physical death takes them, their citizenship has already been transferred.

One more thing must be said. Not everybody is a good candidate for a memorial. What about those who have lived an absolutely crummy life? Must we gather and tell lies about him? "This guy was really sincere in his own way." Or, "This lady just had a wild streak. Its too bad people didn't understand her." What absolute nonsense! A truly Christian funeral helps us maintain a discipline regarding death. In particular, when a person dies who has become a believer late in life, but most people knew him as a pretty unsavory character, so be it. We commend them to the Lord who gave His life for the forgiveness of sin. That's what redemption is about. If it's not that, then we put the cross of Jesus in a secondary position. Is that what you want to do? If not, start doing truly Christian funerals for people. As for the person who was not baptized and never confessed faith in Christ, don't lie about it. You can still give people an opportunity to tell stories and memories. But share the Word of the cross and resurrection of Jesus. That can bring life and renew faith for those who attend! Otherwise, perhaps the "memorial" can be carried out at a secular meeting hall or anyplace, by anyone for that matter.

You can count on it, at times of death people will say things like "I just don't understand it", or they will ask questions that hang in the air like early morning fog, without an answer. But for the Christian, it's different, and for the Christian funeral it's different. We gather to share sorrow and we gather to share the Bread of Life, because we are not citizens of this world. "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living".

Next time you go to a memorial, watch what the agenda is. If its mainly a time of remembering, ask yourself, was this distinctively a Christian gathering, or a humanistic one? For me, I'm hungry for the distinctiveness of a gathering that centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ. I love the personal sharing. But don't end it there. I don't have time to fool around. Give me the meat. Give me Jesus.

Water Rickshaw for Thirsty African Gardens

My brother Bob tells me there are millions of "bucket farmers" in sub-Saharan Africa. This was a new concept to me, but I get the gist of it. People all over Africa are stuck with the difficult task of sending their women or children a fairly long way to get water and carry it in buckets back to their gardens.

If I had to do it, the first thing I'd worry about is sore shoulders. Then spilling a lot of the water on the way. Then heat exhaustion. But I guess these people are accumstomed to the climate.

Bob likes to design things and understands a bit about the physics of motion. He's a mechanic and has always liked tinkering with things. So he set about designing and making something he calls a water rickshaw. A child can pull one with four 5-gallon containers on it! The handles are comfortable and angled properly. The wheels are non-pneumatic, so there will never be a tire to repair.

But he could use some help from people who are good at the internet and good at administration. He's a designer and builder. And he can envision people benefitting from this thing, or some version of it. He doesn't care about profits, and has been advised that the design is too general to patent. But he needs helpers.

There are probably people in Africa using such things already, because they are simple. But the fact that researches give us such appalling statistics means this: More help is needed! There are two ways Bob envisions it. One is simply for many more people to have a great thing such as a water rickshaw. Another is for many enterprising people to grab the idea and get rolling (excuse the pun) with little micro-businesses producing the things locally! Then their families and communities could have some economic benefit, too. If you want to view a picture and see the website, its www.carts4communities.org

Is there anyone in my readership that knows about micro-loans, or how to disseminate such plans? Please let Bob know if you do. His name is Bob Lee, and his email is BoRoBeRe@comcast.net

Marion Mathews Preyer: A Tribute

Marion went home to be with the Lord about a month ago. She was my sister in Christ, though you wouldn't know it by our skin color, worship style, or culture we were raised in.

She was black, I'm white. She was Baptist, I Lutheran. She was raised in inner city Seattle, born in then "Chinatown", now "The International District". I was raised in smalltown midwest and later in middle class Tacoma.

She and I signed on to a singing group temporarily named "Operation Listen" by our founder, Don Fladland. That was the winter and spring of 1970-71. The personnel shifted a bit, but by the time we hit the road "full time" in September of '71, we were 5 people. Bruce, Candy, Linda, Marion, and John. Before that autumn launch, Marion met the great guy who would become her future husband. We were singing for a military retreat at Warm Beach near Camano Island in Washington, because JC Preyer was currently in the Air Force.

Right from the beginning Marion brought a unique alto voice to our group, which was soon named Joyous Celebration by Candy. She was trained naturally. Her music school was the everyday use of spirituals and gospel songs in the style of a black Baptist inner city church and adaptations of Negro Spirituals from her rich and poignant heritage. The immediate context was her mother's generous use of the Mathews home for Bible Clubs for kids. These were sponsored by the Union Gospel Mission. Neighbor kids added to a household already crowded by the twelve who had the Mathews name.

When we were in Kobe, Japan, I remember winding up a steep terraced narrow road to the homes we were to stay in after a concert. Marion started singing Steal Away to Jesus in a very catchy rhythmic style. I was sitting in the back, too tired to participate. I think my Norwegian Lutheran heritage was keeping me at a quiet, analytical level. But Linda and Candy were joining in and even beginning to invent some harmonies. And so it began.

Over the five and a half years I travelled with her, Marion's gifts to our group spilled over naturally to those who came to concerts. Especially to those who would become "repeat customers". They would begin to request their favorites, three of which were O Happy Day, Christ is All and God Cares. We sang at Lutheran Churches and Lutheran Youth Encounter "Congresses" all over the country. Later our audience expanded to diverse churches such as Mennonite Brethren, Canadian Baptist, and Nazarene. I can remember even singing on or behind a counter top in a casino bar in Las Vegas! (That was a strange experience!)

Because we had a strong link, as former students, to the Lutheran Bible Institute in Seattle, we all shared the importance of reflecting the truths of the Bible in what we sang. Marion had a knack for keeping this objective level well balanced with concise but very personal and warm sharing just before she would solo. It wasn't uncommon that the content of her speaking would reflect some sorrow that she was currently going through. But at the same time, we had hilarious times of laughter together. Sometimes she would actually plead with us to stop some source of humor we were egging her on with, because her sides were hurting so bad from laughter.

To JC, Monique, Lisa, and Jamese, thanks for continuing to share her with the world after her travelling days! May we all persist in the Journey as she persisted during the Bill Williams interview for the LBI choir!

You see, Don Fladland had recruited Marion to come to this all-white school ten miles north of home. She was feeling very out of place. Bill shared at the memorial that Marion came in to audition. He had music notation in front of her and some formal "white-style" hoops for her to jump. That didn't fly. Bill was thinking to himself, "This just isn't happening." But finally, in desperation, he shoved back his chair and said, "Just sing me something. Anything at all." And out came some notes that neither Bill, nor I later on, could put on paper. They came from the heart and soul of what God does in a life that's surrendered to Him.