the King is here

For my preaching class on Tuesday, I need to prepare and preach a sermon on Matthew 2:1-12 (the visit of the Magi). As I have been preparing my mind keeps going back to the art in the Vatican Museum I visited while in Rome. While not entirely accurate from historical perspective, they do capture the mood of the scene rather well.

'For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.' (2:2)

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. (2:10-11)

The King is here!

Worship Him!

so long for now

Today I went on sabbatical. My sabbatical is not from school or work or anything altogether important. I am taking an indefinite leave of absence from the NFL. As of today, I am done watching games on Sunday, Monday Thursday, or any other day the league master-minds put on the schedule (I am still waiting for them to try and add an eight day of the week just so they can increase viewership). For some I am being irrational, while others just plain stupid. But I am doing it nonetheless.

Why?

First, I need to be honest about one of my reasons. My team of choice, the Carolina Panthers, are not very good. They are a poorly run franchise seemingly floundering in mediocrity. Wasting (that's ultimately what it is) 3-4 hours of an evening/afternoon gets old really quick. Call me a bad fan, but I would rather read the box score and view the highlights than experience the frustration. My stress levels will probably be better off with my decision not to watch.

Currently, I also have a lot of things on my plate, and football takes up far more than it should. I find myself wasting a lot of time I do not have reading articles and obsessing about football when I should be working or investing in people. The reality is football has no real impact on my life outside of entertainment. I know I can fill the time with other means of entertainment that my actually provide me rest and joy in the process.

But most influential is my overall dissatisfaction with the entire system. From the owners down to the players, I am frustrated and annoyed. The on-going use of replacement officials, which insults the history of the game as well as the millions of fans who pay money to enjoy it, is just the most recent example. The existence of Thursday night games where players never recover from the toll of Sunday's game, and the desire for an 18-game schedule which opens the door to more injuries both stand in stark contrast to the league's "commitment" to player safety. Bickering and fighting over thousands (maybe millions) of dollars when the league makes billions looks silly and apathetic considering the economic status of many in this nation, let alone the world. Along those lines, the pension demands of the locked-out officials looks just as idiotic considering pensions are no longer handed out anywhere. Toss in the players who willingly sacrifice their bodies to play the game, but cry foul when their bodies break down. They fail to understand the human body was never designed to withstand the brutal beating they put it through week in and week out. I admire their love and passion, but claiming ignorance is no longer an valid. And probably what I dislike least is the mantra by all active participants of willingly sacrificing to "the all-mighty dollar." Owners run the league in order to maximize their wallets. Players play to maximize their wallets (and winning does help to that end). Loyalty and common decency is quickly tossed aside in order to earn the extra million. I could go on, but I still enjoy football and do not want write it off altogether.

And when I say all of this, I am fully aware that the same applies to all the other professional sports leagues and major corporations. So why am I not taking a sabbatical from them? Honestly, I am not quite sure. Technically this entire ploy is a double standard. I plan to watch the NBA, which is just as stained as the NFL. I will continue to use my iPhone even though Apple's primary care is maximizing their profits (as should any company wanting to last in a free market society). Maybe it is the NFL's popularity or simply me looking for a semi-valid reason to give up something which I probably have allowed too much control and influence in my life.

And there is the reality that most of the problems I have with the NFL can be said about me (to a certain degree). I am guilty of insulting those around me. I am guilty of taking advantage of people. I am guilty of hypocrisy. I am guilty of sacrificing to the god of money. I am guilty of whining and complaining when I fail to get what I want or think I deserve.

So maybe this sabbatical idea is more about me than any sports' league or practice of society. Maybe I see myself mimicking them instead of imaging Christ. Maybe to see gospel transformation evidenced around me, I need to continue to pursue it in my own life. Or maybe I am just being ridiculous and exemplifying a gross naivety of the world around me.

Whatever the case, so long old friend...at least for now.

perspective

giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ~Ephesians 5:20

I am far too quick to lose sight of the multitude of blessings God has given me. Sadly, I am much better at being grumpy than grateful. Instead of rejoicing, I am often complaining.

But over the past two days with Psalm 131 serving as my daily prayer, God's Spirit has increased my thankfulness. As He quiets and calms my soul, I am seeing His mighty hand at work.

How?

I paid the entirety of my fall semester bill without the assistance of a loan. Thanks to the answered prayer of work over the summer, I made enough to avoid more debt. Give thanks always.

My schedule provides enough time to keep working part-time and continue saving money. On top of that, coaching water polo and swimming provide more opportunities to save money and engage with others. Give thanks always.

I attended my cousin's wedding last weekend with all of my immediate family and most of my extended family on my mother's side. We laughed, celebrated, and danced to our heart's content. Give thanks always.

I get to co-lead a group of seventh and eighth grade boys through the Gospel of John on a weekly basis. They are rowdy, but they help me grow as much as I help them. Give thanks always.

I receive and reciprocate both prayer and encouragement as I run with a pastor-friend three times a week. Give thanks always.

God continues to provide many opportunities to gain valuable ministry experience through the blessing of the local church as well as the blessings of being with His people. Give thanks always.

On a daily basis I get to attend classes, read, and study more about the Father, Son, and Spirit who saved me and calls me to live for His glory. Give thanks always.

I received a sleeping upgrade with the new bed purchased by my landlords (aka dad and mom) which is extremely comfortable and beneficial to my back. Give thanks always.

I was able to spend last Saturday evening sitting around a fire with some friends enjoying a beautiful late summer evening where the sky was void of any clouds and splattered with millions of stars. Give thanks always.

...and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

psalm 131

This morning I read Psalm 131. Safe to say I needed it very much.

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;

Typically, I tend to linger on verses such as these. Pride is a constant struggle. Far too often I have seen its ugliness and ruining effects. Daily I am in need of the humility perfectly exemplified and gifted by my Savior. But today, God's Spirit was not zeroing in on pride.

I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.

What do you do when all your time seems to revolve around the "too great and too wonderful?" I enjoy seminary. In the past year alone, God has allowed me to grow in my knowledge and understanding of Him. I am grateful for what He has shown me, and I look forward to what I still have left to learn. But recently, I have noticed a loss of amazement over the "simple and ordinary." And sadder still, I have started lumping the gospel message in that category. The life, death, resurrection, and reign of Christ fail to capture my gaze and attention. And that reveals a problem with me and not the truth of the gospel.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.

Here is where I lingered the longest. For all my learning and training, I am a still a child. I need nurturing. I need a calming influence. I need comforting. I need strength. I need faith in my heavenly Father to provide all those things. I need to be reminded that my hope now and forever rests in the message of the cross and empty tomb.

I pray this captivates my heart once again. I pray I see Christ as great and wonderful, which He far surpasses.

start your engines

For me, the Fall semester began this morning. And already, I am busy with readings and other assignments.

In my Gospels class, one of the weekly reading assignments is a hymn. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence kicked off my hymn reading. I am not overly familiar with the tune or the words, but I had to pause while I read. As I embark upon another semester of studying God and His ways, I needed this reminder of who God and what my response should be every time I approach His throne.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

tradition

Traditional sentiment can never be pleaded as the proper ground for any element of the worship of the church of God. Divine institution is the only warrant. And when sentiment or custom takes the place of the recognition of divine prescription in any particular that concerns the elements of divine worship, a state of mind is revealed which is altogether alien to the nature of the church and of the worship which it offers to God. ~John Murray, Christian Baptism

I hear the word "tradition," and I immediately think of "The Fiddler on the Roof." I picture a large bearded man singing about the wonders of tradition. And as my mind wonders I naturally find myself singing or humming alongside. Traditions are good. They provide a sense of comfort and normalcy to a life which rarely appears as such. My family has wonderful traditions particularly around certain holidays. Things get testy when these traditions are threatened.

The church is also filled with traditions. Every church has their own way of doing things when it comes to worship, discipleship, evangelism, etc., many of which are useful and productive. But when it comes to how a church operates, I like to ask the question "why?"

Why?

If I am being truly honest, I must confess that sometimes I do it out of pride and arrogance. It may be that I simply do not like a particular practice or think my idea would be better. It may be I think something is outdated and in need of something fresh. It may be I think I am on to something which no one else has thought of. And it is times like these I am glad God has given me His Spirit, His Word, and His people. All three have been necessary to keep me from or rebuke me for questioning with a proud heart. They effectively speak at those times when I could use a lesson in humility.

But at other times (and I wish they were the majority), I question in the spirit of Murray's quote. I fear we do what we do simply because it was done by those before us. It is a tradition handed down through time, and over the years, the original intent, which was probably good, got lost. I ask "why" because I may not be able to see anything but tradition, and I am hoping someone will make the distinction obvious. Or I ask "why" because any sense pf a Biblical prescription is altogether absent.

And like Murray, I believe it matters because it involves worship, which is far more than singing songs on a Sunday morning. Worship involves everything we do and everything we are. But most importantly, worship involves God. It means ascribing Him the honor and glory due to His name. And our best means for proper worship is to adhere to what He has prescribed especially when it differs from what we actually may be doing.