an album suggestion

Thanksgiving is over, which means the Christmas season is upon us. 

[Soapbox moment] I do nothing Christmas oriented until after Thanksgiving. I do not listen to Christmas music, decorate, or shop. I refuse to rob Thanksgiving of its significance. I hate Black Friday, and whatever they are calling the horrific Thursday night shopping excursion. Thanksgiving deserves the full day for time of thankfulness and time with loved ones. [End soapbox moment]

I do thoroughly enjoy Christmas music. When the Christmas season begins, I finally get to play my "Christmas" playlist or tune to my "Holiday" stations on Pandora. I love the hymns. I love the carols. I love the festive songs. I love the sappy, sentimental ballads. I love humorous jingles.

What is my favorite Christmas album? I do enjoy my Home Alone soundtrack. I am proud to admit I listen to the Christmas albums of both 98 Degrees and 'N Sync. And who can say no to some Trans Siberian Orchestra? While wonderful, none of those quite make it to the top.

That honor is claimed by the underrated (and probably unheard) Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson.

 (I must give props to my older sister for introducing me to this album seeing as she is probably one of its biggest fans)

Why this album? It captures the beauty of the message of Christmas, the Incarnation of God Himself, by tracing it's promise through the witness of Scripture. And Peterson does not start with the prophets. No, he goes all the way back to the Israelites enslaved in Egypt and proceeds from there.

Here's the song list:

1. Gather 'Round Ye Children, Come (an invitation to hear the grand story)

2. Passover Us (points to the Passover as the picture pointing to the death of Christ and salvation)

3. So Long, Moses (tracing the longing of the Lord's Anointed from Moses to David to the Prophets)

4. Deliver Us (the cry of Israel to send the Redeemer to carry them out of exile)

5. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (a nice instrumental break with a great Christmas hymn)

6. Matthew Begats (anyone who can successfully put the genealogy of Jesus into song is worth my ear)

7. It Came to Pass (how the birth of Christ fulfilled promise and prophesies)

8. Labor of Love (interpretation of Mary and Joseph's experience on the night of Christ's birth)

9. The Holly and the Ivy (one more pleasant instrumental)

10. While Shepherds Their Flocks (the response of the Shepherds to the angels announcement

11. Behold the Lamb of God (detailing Christ's role as the Lamb of God come to take away sin)

12. The Theme of My Song/Reprise (wrapping it all up with a blending of many of the earlier songs)

If I can encourage you, either get your hands on this album or give it a listen at some point this Christmas season. You will not regret it.

the season

Considered it: every person you have ever met, every person you will pass in the street today, is going to die. Living long enough, each will suffer loss of his friends and family. All are going to lose everything they love in this world. Why would one want to be anything but kind to them in the meantime? 

Who said it? A theological "heavyweight?" A saint? A pastor?

Try Sam Harris, a leading "new atheist," in his book End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (page 226). I wrote a paper on new atheism for one of my classes, and this quote stood out.

Why?

First, it is the Christmas season which means new atheism will be aggressive in their advertisements. They will be downright offensive in their attempts to deny the Incarnation and diminish the Christian celebration of Christmas.

In light of this, new atheists are not the most wretched of people. God's common grace is still at work in them. Their active rebellion against their Creator does not negate His grace. The above quote is respectable. We should be kind to one another given the brevity of this life and the sufferings it brings. For Christians, this includes those who may be the most antagonistic towards us. Instead of responding with disgust and anger, maybe we should be moved to pray for these hearts of stone to be replaced with hearts of flesh.

Second, this quote serves as a valuable critique of Christians. We are not the only people on the face of the earth who care for other people. There are innumerable people outside of the Christian faith passionate for the hungry, poor, and needy. One local radio station's notoriously raunchy and inappropriate morning show just held a massive food drive to feed the homeless in the city. The amount of food and money they brought it was incredible. Christians think simply doing good deeds will preach the Gospel. We even use the quote (not sure who first said it); "preach the Gospel. When necessary, use words." Good works are important, but they are not enough.

The gloom revealed in Harris' quote should motivate Christians unlike any other individual or religious group. We understanding the brevity of life. We understanding it includes suffering and loss. However, we know their is a solution and a hope. Being kind will not solve the problem. Jesus Christ, God who became man to die for sin and rise again, has solved it once and for all.

In the midst of all our good deeds, He is the One we need to proclaim. He is the One we need to acknowledge as the motivation for our compassion and care. He is One who makes all our endeavors meaningful and holding eternal significance.

Happy Thanksgiving

Three things I am thankful for in no particular order:

1. This semester's paper-writing season is finally over. The last month is always a crazy rush to write grade-determining papers while attending class, working, keeping up with readings, and enjoying relationships with human beings. This month was one more example. After sixty one pages, thousands of words, and multiple late nights I can breathe once again.

2. Jesus, the friend of sinners such as myself. I will use the modern hymn, His Forever, to summarize this point,

Jesus, friend of sinners
Loved me ’ere I knew Him
Drew me with His cords of love
Tightly bound me to Him
’Round my heart still closely twined
The ties that none can sever
For I am His and He is mine
Forever and forever

Jesus, friend of sinners
A crown of thorns You wore for me
Bruised for my transgressions
Pierced for my iniquities
The wrath of God that I deserved
Was poured out on the Innocent
He took my place, my soul to save
Now I am His forever

Jesus, friend of sinners
I love to tell the story
Redeeming love has been my theme
And will be when in glory
Not death nor life nor anything
Can ever separate me
O love that will not let me go
Yes, I am His forever

3. This gal, my bride-to-be

(We like to stand in the way of trains)

Happy Reformation Day!

I know it's Halloween. Everyone is excited about costumes, candy, and parties. But there is something far greater to celebrate than the sugar rushes and belly aches just waiting to be unleashed.

On this day in 1517 (almost 500 years ago), Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. While his desire was not to start an official movement or even split from the church, this sparked the 16th century Protestant Reformation.

In addition to preaching justification by faith, the Protestant Reformation also sought to transform worship. For those of us who enjoy congregational singing (hopefully all of us), we have the 16th century to thank. Men like Martin Luther and John Calvin begin putting psalms to music and writing hymns. Through these, important doctrines could be heard, understood, and spread throughout the church. Luther described music as "the handmaiden to theology." It was complementary to the gospel preaching of the Word each and every Sunday.

In the spirit of Reformation Day, I figure it would be fitting to include a hymn from that time period. I could have gone with Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." It is a fantastic hymn. Instead, I have chosen a potentially unfamiliar hymn with a very familiar tune. It is from the Genevan Psalter, which John Calvin implemented in the church in Geneva. It is entitled "All People That on Earth Do Dwell" which carries to the tune of the doxology.

All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell,
Come ye before Him and rejoice.

The Lord, ye know, is God in deed;
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His flock, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.

O enter then His gates with praise,
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His name always,
For it is seemly so to do.

For why? The Lord our God is good,
His mercy is forever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God whom heaven and earth adore,
From earth and from the angel host
Be praise and glory evermore 

Happy Reformation Day!

a true child

To Timothy, my true child in the faith...

The second verse of Paul's first letter to Timothy is easy to read over. On the surface it appears as nothing more than Paul identifying who his intended audience, in this case Timothy.

While this certainly is the case, Paul's description of Timothy is worth noting. Timothy was a Gentile with a heritage of faith passed on from his grandmother and mother. Paul was Timothy's father in regards to the faith. He took a vested interest in Timothy. Timothy accompanied Paul on a number his journeys. Paul intimately trained Timothy as a teacher and leader. Paul sent Timothy in his stead to visit the various churches he planted. Paul poured himself into Timothy.

I say this introduction is of note because how many of us can utter the same words as Paul? Can any of us proudly call someone else a true child in the faith? I would hope and pray each and every Christ-proclaiming parent could join Paul. I personally am thankful for my father and mother who raised me both physically and in the faith. And I am even more thankful as I recognize how rare this reality is in our day and age.

Christianity in Western culture has grown more and more individualistic. All that matters is "me and Jesus." We show up to church, read our Bible, pray, and live out our faith (all of which are good and commanded). However, we do not invest in other people. We do not take the time to do with others what Paul did with Timothy. We cringe at the notion of discipleship. Instead we would rather complain about the failings of the generations before and after us.

What if we started to adopt Paul's approach? What if older men took on the role of spiritual fathers for younger men. What if younger men desired and sought out such relationships? What if older women took on the role of spiritual mothers for younger women? What if younger women desired and sought out such relationships?

The reality is this is the picture and call of the church. Paul will explain this later in 1 Timothy as well as the book of Titus. The gospel frees us from the obsession of self for it frees us from trying to earn what has already been giving to us in Christ. This freedom enables us to turn outward to those in the body who need to grow and mature into the image of Christ.

It frees us to be father, mothers, sons, daughter, brothers, and sisters.

simply beautiful

It is a bit lengthy, but there may not be a better presentation of the blessedness of union with Christ than Martin Luther in "the Freedom of the Christian."

Here we have a most pleasant vision not only of communion but of a blessed struggle and victory and salvation and redemption. Christ is God and man in one person. He has neither sinned nor died, and is not condemned, and he cannot sin, die, or be condemned; his righteousness, life, and salvation are unconquerable, eternal, omnipotent. By the wedding ring of faith he shares in the sins, death, and pains of hell which are his bride's. As a matter of fact, he makes them his own and acts as if they were his own and as if he himself had sinned; he suffered, died...

...now since it was such as one who did all this, and death and hell could not swallow him up, these were necessarily swallowed up by him in a mighty duel; for his righteousness is greater than the sins of all men, his life stronger than death, his salvation more invincible than hell. Thus the believing soul by means of the pledge of its faith is free in Christ, its bridegroom, free from all sins, secure against death and hell, and is endowed with the eternal righteousness, life, and salvation of Christ its bridegroom. So he takes to himself a glorious bride...

Beautiful!

abide with me

One of the benefits of attending a Presbyterian seminary is their love for hymns. Not only are the classics heard, but also those which may either be far less popular or altogether unknown. One falling in the latter category is "Abide with Me" by Henry F. Lyte.

It serves as a prayer, which would benefit us each and every day.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; 

the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. 

When other helpers fail and comforts flee, 

Help of the helpless, O abide with me. 

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; 

earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away; 

change and decay in all around I see; 

O thou who changest not, abide with me. 

I need thy presence every passing hour. 

What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power? 

Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be? 

Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me. 

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless; 

ills have no weight, and tears not bitterness. 

Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory? 

I triumph still, if thou abide with me. 

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes; 

shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. 

Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; 

in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

walking in the light

Every Wednesday I attend chapel from 10:30-11:15. And every Wednesday at 10:25 I attempt to convince myself of using those 45 minutes for something else. And every Wednesday at 11:20, I am thankful for my lack of persuasive skills.

The text was 1 John 1:5-10. At one point, the speaker harped on verse seven, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. He stressed that walking in the light does not mean perfection. The verse assumes that even when walking in the light, we will slip and fall. More bluntly, he said we walk in the light as a "mess" inviting the Spirit to work in us and the Body to come along side of us.

Walking in the light is a corporate endeavor. Later on in verse nine, John stresses confession which is also a corporate endeavor. We are to walk in the light and confess our sins to one another. It keeps us in the light. It brings true and lasting fellowship. It brings cleansing.

So why don't we see this more often? Why are we content groping in the darkness?

The simple answer is pride, which is a great irony.

When we wrestle and struggle with sin, what is we most often ask for? Grace. We ask God for the grace to overcome the particular sin. We ask because God promises to grant such requests. However, Scripture is very clear the means by which we receive this grace: humility.

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5; Proverbs 3:34 (loosely)

The grace we desperately long for in our struggle against sin comes through humility. Humility ties back to 1 John 1:7. Humility means stepping out of the darkness. It means allowing the Spirit to expose our sin. It means allowing others to see our sin. It means removing the facade of perfection we unsuccessfully put on. It means letting other see us in our messiness. It means embracing the biblical notion of fellowship. It means confession.

Much of the pain and grief we bear because of our sin feeds off the pride by which we keep that sin in the dark. Bring it out in the light. Confess it to brothers and sisters. Find the grace promised in the time of weakness.

fall

While you would not know it by this picture (of which I must give credit to my fiance), autumn has arrived. By far, autumn is my favorite season. 

The colors are beautiful, even for a colorblind individual like myself. I can be distracted easily simply looking at the vast array of colors on display by endless trees.

The weather is ideal. The days are comfortable. The nights are crisp and cool, perfect for fires and s'mores. And this year has started off exceptionally well with the warm days coupled with the cool evenings.

The sports world is thriving. Football season is in full swing. Baseball decides its champion. Hockey and basketball start back up again. 

The pallet expands. Apple season is upon us rendering apples (my favorite) plentiful and cheap. This leads to applesauce, apple cider, apple pie, and general apple eating. Pumpkin becomes a staple to my diet: pancakes, muffins, cakes, and lattes (though only occasional because I prefer my coffee black). Spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg abound.

Throw in a little "September Grass" by James Taylor, and I cannot help but smile.

drama

I watch the television show Nashville.

I admit it.

First and foremost, I like the music. While I am not a country fan, I do like the live music scene, which is incorporated into just about every episode. Simply I have always been a sucker for music, so it was inevitable that I would wind my way to this show since it centers on the music industry.

Equally More appealing is the aspect of human drama and emotion. Nashville is ripe with it. The show is essentially an soap opera with far better acting and story lines. In fact, the lead female was nominated for an Emmy which validates my watching (or at least I hope). No matter how mad the characters make me, I still find myself coming back each and every week.

While the show is not always the most wholesome, it does provide an excellent glimpse into the human experience. It reveals the innumerable ways broken people deal with the brokenness around them. In these responses, it is evident where these individuals look to for salvation. And each and every time, this salvation miserably fails.

Here are a few examples from just the first episode of the second season:

The victim of an alcoholic relationship and a failed marriage throws inhibition to the wind. She indulges in all sorts of immoral behavior because her attempts at virtue and happiness have left her scarred and more broken.

An alcoholic turns to self-hatred and self-abuse. He hopes it will serve as a means of penance to make up for all the lives he has effectively ruined.

A terrible husband along with his equally terrible father-in-law rely on power and prestige to manipulate people. They feel this will cover over or at least mask just how poorly they have loved their wives and daughters.

A brother cannot cope with the guilt of his success at the expense of his criminal, and now dead, brother. He turns to women, partying, and shutting out everyone and anyone to dumb the pain.

The love deprived daughter of a drug-addicted mother cannot trust anyone. She is entirely self-sufficient, which leaves her miserable. Very few people like her and even those who do can only handle her in small doses. She looks for love in all the wrong places with all the wrong people.

A sweet and naive girl tries to save everyone in her life. She fails over and over, but still holds out hope that one day she will break through. She gets taken advantage of. She is treated poorly. Her hearts is repeatedly broken.

A young girl copes with the divorce of her parents. Their lies to her are exposed sending her into a tailspin. She chooses to bottle up her emotions. She seeks the approval of questionable role models. Eventually, she seeks out the counsel of one whose own life is filled with the same brokenness.

This all sounds depressing. It is depressing to watch. However, it is not far from what many people deal with each and every day. They are walking around looking for someone or something to save them from their guilt, misery, and brokenness. Sadly, every savior fails to come through.

If anything shows like these remind me how good the good news of the gospel is. The gospel exposes all functional saviors. They are unable to save anyone from anything.

In his life and death, Jesus bore all our shame, guilt, pain, brokenness, and sin. He took it upon Himself. And in His resurrection, Jesus claimed victory over them all. His resurrection promises our freedom from them, both now and in the age to come.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. ~Acts 4:12

divine vs. human love

Honestly, I am not the biggest fan of studying church history. It is not exactly the most exciting field to study. However, I will admit it is extremely valuable. The Church, the bride of Christ, formed two thousand years ago, and has continued through the ages. Contrary to the belief of some, the Church did not fall off the map at any point in history. And God's Word tells us the Church will stand forever. Therefore, it is beneficial to know and understand the history, particularly when it comes to what we proclaim.

Not surprising, the men and women who have gone before us are also valuable resources for insights into Scripture and what it teaches. I found this quote from Martin Luther's Heidelberg Disputation (just as good as his 95 Theses in terms of content not significance) worthy of note.

The love of God does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it. The love of man comes into being through that which is pleasing to it.

While I do not agree with everything Luther ever wrote, this may be one of the most succinct, yet powerful statements made about the love of God outside of Scripture.

Obviously I am not an expert regarding human love. However, I can agree wholeheartedly that it begins with that which is already lovely. I began the pursuit of my fiance because there was something about her that I deemed lovely and pleasing. My love took form and grew as I engaged more and more with those things I found desirable.

Praise God that His love operates in the opposite way! God does not look first onto that which is lovely. In fact, He first loves that which is altogether unlovely and disgusting. He sets His love and affection on sinners actively rebelling against Him. And not only does He gaze lovingly, but through Christ He transforms the unlovely.

I was an active rebel, dead in my sin. I wanted nothing to do with God. I was an object of His righteous judgment. And yet, His love for me in Christ pursued me. It paid the debt of my sin. It raised me to life. It clothed me in Christ's righteousness. It made me lovely. It made me pleasing to God.

that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge ~Ephesians 3:18-10

back to the grind

Last Thursday I began my third year of seminary. As of three o'clock this afternoon, I had survived the first class in each of my five classes this semester. The period of syllabus reading and workload panicking is over. The ebbs and flows of another semester are upon me.

But in the midst of my mental weariness and ongoing adjustment, I am reminded of the blessing seminary continues to be for me.

A place where relationships form and grow as people study, learn, pray, and fellowship together.

A place where prayer is preached and practiced. The prayers of the professors are passionate, steeped in Scripture, genuine, God-honoring, and, often times, on behalf of the students.

A place where knowledge and study supplements personal intimacy and communion with God.

A place where grace is preached day in and day out to sinners in desperate need of it.

A place where one learns more about themselves as they learn more about their Creator.

I know there is a lot in store for this semester, but unlike the ones prior I enter with great anticipation for what God will do in and through it.

finding a good thing

He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the Lord.           ~Proverbs 18:22

Allow me to introduce you to my "good thing" come the summer of 2014...

It is safe to say my heart and soul are filled with much rejoicing!

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for it is pleasant!       ~Psalm 135:3

love in wrath?

When speaking of God, Christ, and the cross many get tripped up over notion of God's wrath. It sounds harsh. It makes many uncomfortable. It seems easier to avoid (as one denomination chose to do by removing "In Christ Alone" from their hymn book this past month for its inclusion of God's wrath). It suggests a stark contrast to the love of God.

However, wrath and love are not on opposite ends of the spectrum. They can (and do) go together, and perfectly, at that, when it comes to God. God's wrath is an expression of His love.

In King's Cross Tim Keller describes it using the following depiction,

If you don't believe in a God of wrath, you have no idea of your value. Here's what I mean. A god without wrath has no need to go the cross and suffer incredible agony and die in order to save you. Picture on the left a god who pays nothing in order to love you, and picture on the right the God of the Bible, who, because he's angry at evil, must go to the cross, absorb the debt, pay the ransom, and suffer immense torment. How do you know how much the "free love" god loves you or how valuable you are to him? Well, his love is just a concept. You don't know at all. This god pays no price in order to love you. How valuable are you to the God of the Bible? Valuable enough that he would go to these depths for you...Your conception of God's love-and of your value in His sight-will only be a big as your understanding of his wrath. (177-178)

God's wrath was poured out on Christ on the cross. And by doing so, God was beginning to reverse the reign and curse of sin, the object of His wrath. Because of His love for us, God was destroying the very things (sin and death), which had destroyed His good creation. Through the pouring out of His wrath, God was demonstrating His great love for us.

And that is love unlike any other.

whose agenda?

I actually read a book for pleasure during my vacation to the Lake in August. It was the first time I had willingly picked up a book since the semester ended back in May.

The book was King's Cross by Tim Keller. It focuses on Mark's Gospel account which presents Jesus as the true King eternally destined to bring His kingdom through the weakness and suffering of the cross.

When talking about Peter's rebuke at the news that Jesus would suffer, Keller focuses on Peter projecting his personal agenda upon Jesus the King.

We are no different than Peter. Keller keys in on this when he says,

If your agenda is the end, then Jesus is just the means; you're using him. But if Jesus is the King, you cannot make him a means to your end. You can't come to a king negotiating. You lay your sword at a king's feet and say, "Command me." If you try to negotiate instead, if you say, "I will obey you if...," you aren't recognizing him as a king. But don't forget this: Jesus is not just a king; he's a king of a cross. If he were only a king on a throne, you'd submit to him just because you have to. But he's king who went to the cross for you. Therefore you can submit to him out of love and trust...Taking up your cross means for you to die to self-determination, die to control of your own life, die to using him for your agenda. (106-107)

Am I more interested in using Jesus for my gain and glory? Or am I willing to sacrifice all of that for His?

the psalms

Back in April I had the privilege of preaching Psalm 6 and Psalm 103. Since then, I have remained in the psalms reading one each day. It has been both a joy and blessing.

The psalms are honest, raw, emotional, and packed full. In them we get a glimpse of the highest of highs as well as the lowest of lows. As a more emotional person, this is right in my wheel-house (to borrow the baseball term). Through the psalms, I have found much teaching on how to grieve/wrestle and rejoice in a worshipful way.

Take Psalm 77 (and note the way it easily breaks down, which adds to the beauty of the psalms)...

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

Rarely am I as diligent as the psalmist is in crying out to God. I'll give maybe one loud shout, and then move on. This guy shows it is acceptable to be persistent. He continues crying out until he hears an answer. As long as his grief remains, his crying will last.

You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search: “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

Not only does the psalmist cry out, but he wrestles. He wonders whether God has abandoned him. He despairs over the feeling of loneliness surrounding him. And he is actively searching into whether or not this could actually be the case. I tend to doubt and wrestle, but I fail to search like this guy. It is because of his searching that he is able to do what follows.

Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

In the midst of his despair, the psalmist goes back to what he knows: the faithful testimony of God through the ages. He recalls the love, grace, mercy, kindness, power, and wonder of God. He retells the Exodus, God's great salvation of Israel, to himself. It stands in the face of his doubt and despair. It rejuvenates his soul. All the comfort my soul needs is displayed on the cross, the fulfillment of God's great and eternal plan of redemption. It reveals the depths of His love, grace, mercy, kindness, power, and wonder. If I search long and hard into this, I will be able to respond like this psalmist.

When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side. The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

The psalmist ends his cry with the specifics of God's actions. As he reflects on what he has seen/heard God do, he cannot help but find renewed faith. He ends with a declaration of faith that God's leading Israel will mean God's leading in his own trial.

This is why I love the psalms. They show we can be honest in the midst of our trials and joys, and that we can maintain a heart of worship despite the pain and jubilation. We do not have to be stoic robots with no emotion. We have been created with emotion and feeling in order to worship the God who gave them to us.

a hopeless wanderer

Summer is almost over [sigh], and I have written a grand total of 6 posts! My plan was to be far more active. However, each time I sat down to write my creative tank was found empty. The few times I attempted to work through the void, the writing process was painful with the product severely lacking. Therefore, I pretty much abandoned all my efforts...

...until today!

But hold me fast, hold me fast
'Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer
And I will learn, I will learn to love the skies I'm under

I have this song included in my running mix. It is a fitting song for that exercise seeing as on many of my runs I feel like a hopeless wanderer. I run around a track over and over again without every getting anywhere. As such, my mind tends to wander often times to the skies over my head. On Monday I loved the skies for they were blue and cool. Today I did not like the skies for they were hot and humid. The song just fits.

The song also speaks to much more than my running excursions.

I go through many of my days living as a hopeless wanderer. I wander from one thing to the next looking for something. It may be fulfillment, pleasure, belonging, joy, acceptance, or a variety of other things. However, each thing leaves me feeling more and more like the hopeless wanderer I am.

I do not know who the song writer is singing to when he says hold me fast. It could be a lover, friend, God/divine being, or something else. For me (and everyone else), I am no longer a hopeless wanderer when I am held fast by Jesus Christ. For in Him, I find all the fulfillment, pleasure, belonging, joy, acceptance, etc. that my heart has and will ever desire. Because of who He is and what He has done, there is nothing I need or desire that stands outside of Him.

In light of this reality, I learn to love the skies I am under. Whether they are dark and gloomy or bright and blue, I have all I need. I am not dependent upon my circumstances. They will merely drive me closer and deeper into the arms of my Savior who endured every kind of sky imaginable.

Right now I thank God my skies are blue. However, the blue skies are not what overcome my hopeless wandering. It is the God behind those blue skies who continues to hold me fast.

the end of an era

The intense heat wave two weeks ago put the final nail in the coffin of a very special relationship.

I bought "baby" when I was sixteen years old. My brother looked her over first, but I swooped in the moment he passed her by. She had roughly 90,000 miles to her name to which I added another 80,000. I could not have asked for more out of my first car. Baby was worth every nickel.

Over the years we shared a numbers of trips together, some of which I never made it to my intended destination. She was not the most reliable nor was she ever a sight to behold. As high school and college friends quickly started burying their old cars, I held on to Baby for both sentimental and financial reasons. When we would get together, they would either ask when I was replacing her or shake their heads. However, one of the senior ladies at church would always smile and praise my car whenever I picked her up on Sunday mornings. She liked the automatic seat belts and homely feeling.

But alas all good things must come to an end. Baby still sits on the street as I await her grand exit. Replacing her is easy because she had become completely unreliable and a great headache. However, as a friend brought to my attention, replacing her is like the ending of an era. The days of my youth (talking high school and college because I am still young) have been behind me for a while, but Baby was always my reminder of those days gone by.

Everyone I talk to always remembers their first car. I know I will follow suit, and I will be able to look back fondly of the great adventures we had together.

Now for some new adventures...

(and it's a stick-shift so right now hills, red-lights, and stop signs are the mountains I must climb)

sit down you're shaking the boat

He said to them, "Where is your faith?"

This comes from Luke 8:25. It is Jesus' response to the disciples after he calms the storm before their eyes. They felt death closing in around them. They panicked the raging waters. They felt hopeless. They forgot who was in the boat with them, and what they had already witnessed Him do in the short time He was with them.

• the disciples (fisherman at the time) took in a miraculous catch at His command (5:1-11)
• a leper was cured of His disease through physical contact with Jesus (5:12-15)
• a paralytic walked away from an encounter with Jesus and received forgiveness of his sins (5:17-26)
• a tax collector left his wealth and riches to follow Jesus (5:27-31)
• the Pharisees are repeatedly foiled by the teachings of Jesus (5:20-24; 30-32; 33-39; 6:1-5; 11; 7:39-50)
• a man with a crippled hand finds it restored at Jesus' word (6:6-11)
• people came to hear, be healed, find freedom from evil spirits, and simply touch Him (6:17-19)
• a centurion's servant was healed by Jesus' command without Jesus being present (7:1-10)
• a widow's son came back to life during his funeral procession at Jesus' word (7:11-17)
• John was the Baptist was told Jesus is one the prophets spoke of (7:18-35)
• a morally and physically disgusting woman received forgiveness and salvation (7:36-50)

Not that Jesus needed a resume, but these events warranted the disciples' faith. And yet, it was missing.

Of course it is easy to jump on the disciples for their foolishness. We can say we would have responded differently if we were in their shoes. The reality is we are no better.

I flounder in the face of the high winds and raging waters. I panic. I feel hopeless. I forget who is with me. I doubt even what I know to be true.

In recent weeks, I have been asking myself "where is your faith?" I have the same "resume" as well as the full canon of Scripture and my own tastings of Christ's power to warrant complete faith in Him. There is nothing He is incapable of doing.

He can do for me what He did for the disciples in that boat. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.

faithful to the end

Last night I started writing a post that was not coming together well. It was about my love for control, which often leads to realism pessimism when I cannot get a hold on it. I have found myself in that cycle for a good portion of the summer. I have a number of things I either need or want to do, but I cannot control the means by which they will get done. Naturally, my attitude has been far too pessimistic to the point where others are noticing and calling me out on it.

Then this morning we sang a song that really has nothing to do with control, but the first verse slapped me in the face anyways.

Precious cornerstone,

Sure foundation,

You are faithful to the end.

We are waiting on You, Jesus.

We believe You're all to us.

I do not need to be in control. Things do not need to be perfectly fitting together all the time. My foundation is secure. It is Christ.

In the twenty seven years I have been breathing, my Savior has been faithful to me. Every need has been met. Every time of struggle has been accompanied by grace and strength. Never have I been forsaken or left to fend for myself. O, you of little faith, why should I think this time will be any different? 

My job is to wait and trust. And sadly, I am about as good as that as I was when I was four. I want everything to work out right now so I can feel secure and in control. I forget that God is doing something far bigger than me. He is working His desires through me. He is making Himself known. He is bringing glory to His name.

For as I read just last week in Psalm 46:10,

Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

to the source

Psalm 19 is a familiar chapter of the Bible.

And yet I forget it all too easily.

Recently, I have desired greater intimacy with my God. It is a God-honoring desire given by His Spirit. However, I have wanted it apart from any work on my part. I was hoping it would fall down from the sky at my beckoning.

It is with such an attitude/approach that my forgetfulness has been revealed.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.

In these three verses, the psalmist makes it abundantly clear where intimacy and the joy accompanying it are found. It is not through magic. It is not through passivity. It is not through will power.

It comes through the Word of God being read, studied, and meditated upon. It is through a deeper love for and understanding of God's Word that deeper intimacy with Him is found.

If I want the intimacy, which God graciously pours out I need to seek it at its source. I need to go to the well. I need to be revived by the Word and watch my heart begin rejoicing.

Refuge

1. shelter or protection from danger or distress
2. a place that provides shelter or protection
3. something to which one has recourse in difficulty

I read through the Psalms the first six months of 2013. Roughly two weeks ago, I began reading through it again. As of today, I've read up to Psalm 18. In those eighteen psalms, refuge comes up a lot.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him (2:12)
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice (5:11)
O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge (7:1)
In the Lord I take refuge (11:1)
You would shame the plans of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge (14:7)
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge (16:1)
Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior, of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand (17:7)
The Lord is my rock and fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge (18:2)
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him (18:30)

That's nine verses in eighteen chapters. Simple math tells me nearly half of the first eighteen psalms present God as the refuge for His people. And I left out those passages which use words like shield (i.e. 3:3), stronghold (i.e. 9:9) or rock (i.e. 18:31) to convey the same idea. Those additions would boost the number close to sixty percent.

This tells me God as my refuge is something I need to grasp hold of. And this does not isolate it to those time of danger or distress as Webster so clearly articulated. God is as much a refuge in times of peace and prosperity as He is in times of chaos and struggle.

I am trying to learn this very lesson. The past semester was a whirlwind of distress that actually took on a physical manifestation from late March to early May. In those times, I found myself following the advice given by the psalmists. I went to my refuge. I found strength and protection when I had none.

Now life is far easier. Sure I am busy, but I do not sense the same distress. And therefore I am not as aware of my need for refuge. In fact, I have found myself aimlessly drifting. My refuge remains in sight, but I am not coming back to it very often. I am satisfied on the fringes, when I should be relishing in the innermost parts.

Maybe life is not as easy as I thought. Maybe there is a bit of distress still lingering. Whatever the case, I need to seek out my refuge, and taste the blessings of His protection.

and exhale

Silly me thought the end the my fourth semester would bring an abundance of time and relaxation. I assumed I would simply fill the evenings I typically spent studying with far more leisurely activities. I would catch up on pleasure reading, play my guitar, write, make social plans, and maybe pick up one of the many television shows everyone always talks about. Well almost one month removed from the end of the semester I have not done any of those things (except for the occasional social activity).

The last month taught me two things. First, I am still busy even though school has ended. My busyness has simply transferred from one thing to another. I work forty hours again, which took an period of adjustment for my body. I coach swimming again, which will really start taking off Wednesday and last until the end of July. My internship at church requires my attention as well. And being the sports nut that I am, the current championship run of the San Antonio Spurs has also occupied a number of my evenings and brought with it angst and excitement at the same time.

Second, my schedule has completely changed. This has probably been one of the tougher aspects of my summer transition. Gone are the forty-five minute commutes to class, which served as my time for prayer each morning. Gone are the evenings of study, which would often transition me into times of reading through and meditating over the Word of God. Gone is the relative ease it took to build intimacy with my Savior. Now I have to work...hard.

I have to (sometimes forcefully) insert time for prayer and reading. I cannot wait around for those moments, because they either never come or I am too distracted to take advantage of them. I have to be far more intentional.

One aspect of the Bible-reading plan I am in the midst of is reading through Proverbs each month. Every day I read one chapter, so by the end of the year I will have read the book roughly twelve times. Honestly, the book is not always the most engaging. It is very repetitive and almost (dare I say) too practical. And yet the book remains a great blessing. It holds out my remaining folly which I cannot ignore. It holds out true wisdom which I often times look for in other places. It 

For instance, take Proverbs 4:20-23. It is far from extravagant, but simple and to the point. The Word of God brings life and healing, and who is without the need for those things?

My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.

halfway point

At roughly 10:30 on Friday morning, I crossed the halfway point of my seminary education. Technically, I am slightly past halfway if I were to count the credit hours I have taken. However, since I still have two years remaining I will call this halfway.

...What was that?...You want to know some lessons I have learned?...I would be happy to fill you in.

• Studying God is the driest desert apart from intimate times with Him. It's tempting to think my studies are equivalent to time spent in Scripture and prayer. They are not! I need God like water and air. My studies cannot meet that need.
• Isolation from people is never a good idea. I spent much of my first year reading and studying. I spent little time with people, either at school or in the course of every day life. How I avoided a deeper and darker depression than what I experienced that first year is a testament to God's grace.
• It is okay not to be perfect. I really do want to read everything assigned. I really do want to crush every single assignment. I really do want to ace each and every one of my classes. Since I have not done that up to this point, I have learned to be content with doing my best and leaving the rest up to God.
• Education and ministry are best done together. Again, that first year I did nothing but study. Any ministry I did was minor (in regards to time, not significance). I sat in my "ivory tower" with nothing to do will all the knowledge I had gained. Ministry has allowed me to do something productive (at least I hope) with the training I am receiving. Without I might go crazy or become an arrogant jerk.
• Not every class is enjoyable. It is tempting to think that because God is the general topic of study every class with be awesome and edifying. The reality is I have had a handful of classes that were a struggle to attend and make my way through. I did endure, and, if anything, learned the value of perseverance.
• I am weak and frail, but God is not. In every semester, I reached at least one breaking point. It can be at the beginning when I look at everything in front of me or at the end when twenty-four hours does not seem like enough. And yet each breaking point proved that my weaknesses reveal God's strength. He does what I cannot do, and then allows me to enjoy the fruit.
• I am a sinner daily in need of God's grace. The more I learn, the more I realize how much is still wrong with me. The good news of God's salvation in Christ is not a one-time deal. It is the good news each and every morning I wake. I will never exhaust my need of God's grace. If anything I will only learn how I need it even more than I thought possible.
• God provides. In all honesty, this remains an ongoing lesson. Each and every semester I have witnessed how God has provided for my financial, spiritual, social, emotional, and physical needs. And yet, prior to each semester I wonder whether or not all those needs will be met. I wish I had more faith, but thankfully God remains faithful even when I am faithless.

I could probably list a lot more than those eight. However, those are the big ones which resonate with me most at this moment. It is suffice to say I have learned far more than what my professors have taught or books have presented.

And while I am eager to see what God has in store over the second half of my education, I am glad to embark upon a much-needed break.

prayer lessons

Ironically, my internship responsibilities this spring have centered on prayer. I say ironically because prayer is not one of my strong points. I struggle to stick with it. I become distracted easily. I stumble over my words. I sound like a broken record.

I wish I prayed more like those great men and women I have read about, or even some those I am blessed to serve alongside.

And yet, as I have had the privilege of preaching two sermons and spending time in God's Word, I have found encouragement in the midst of my struggles with prayer.

She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly...As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard...But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation. ~1 Samuel 1:10, 12-16

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord-how long? ~Psalm 6:2-3

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all his benefits. ~Psalm 103:1-2

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. ~Psalm 111:1

I could have included many other passages, but I figured these four would suffice. At the risk of being too simplistic, prayer is bearing our hearts and souls to the Lord. Yes, we have plenty of examples, such as the Lord's prayer, regarding how we should prayer. They are good at providing structure and guidance to our prayers.

But these four verses reveal what lies as the foundation of our prayers. It is the the people of God desperately crying out to their God and Father. It is recognizing we are in need of His grace and mercy each and every moment of the day.

And that is the comfort I have received over these past few months. My prayers are still far from perfect. I still struggle. But I am being reminded more than structure and form, God wants my heart and soul. He wants me to come before Him with whatever is facing me. God wants to hear my grief. God wants to hear my praise. God wants hear my confession. God wants to everything.

And that is what we are invited to do through prayer.

my frame

April has not failed to be a busy month for me. Between school work, work, internship, and preaching the month has been fairly non-stop.

This morning I had the privilege of preaching through Psalm 103. And while I loved the entire psalm, verse fourteen struck a large chord for me. It is stated in the context of the compassionate love of the Lord towards His children.

For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

Prior to studying the passage, I always found this verse brutally honest. It seemed like God was pointing His finger at me saying "dust."

Thankfully, it is actually a great source of comfort.

God knows our frame because He built it. He remembers we are dust because it is what He formed us from.

Therefore, God deals with us according to our nature. He knows our frame and make-up is weak. He knows it is broken. He knows what it can and cannot handle.

April reminded me of my frame. But more importantly, it reminded me of my Father's compassion. It proved that He does in fact know who and what I am. It proved the faithfulness of His steadfast love.

Bless the Lord, o my soul

like that Muppet in the trashcan

This past Sunday I preached through Psalm 6.

It is a psalm of lament from the mouth/pen of David. Whatever the reason, David has found himself in the deepest of pits surrounded by anguish and despair. It is an honestly depressing psalm from a physically and spiritually broken man.

Over the course of last week, my prayer life was exposed by Psalm 6. While I am not currently facing what David is facing, I am still called to cry out to God nonetheless. I quickly found out that this is not my default position. I will cry out to everything and anything, but God is often sought at the end. David makes it painstakingly clear that the Lord is who He seeks first and all the way through what circumstance he was facing.

And so I tied this into some of the application points of my sermon on Sunday. I had wrestled over the course of the week as the Spirit used the Word to rebuke me. Then after delivering the sermon I figured I had learned my lesson and was ready to move on to the next one.

Wrong.

So far this week, I have been rather cranky. I have my reasons, none of which are justifiable. And what have I been doing with my crankiness? Have I been laying it before the Lord who hears me as David did? Have I been putting what God taught me last week into practice?

Nope.

Instead, I have whined and complained both internally and externally. Sadly, I have not been the most pleasant of persons to those around me. I have neglected the One who is standing ready to listen even to a whiny and ungrateful child like myself.

Psalm 6 is a lament, but it also teaches us to bring to the Lord all of our requests, burdens, sins, and emotions. And crankiness is included in that mix. In less than a week, I have quickly forgotten this blessing.

Thankfully, God is patient and gracious when dealing with grouches like me. He daily invites me to come and commune with Him.

blessed by being hated?

Yesterday, I stumbled across a familiar passage which I often pass through far too quickly. It is found in the gospel of Luke. It is (likely) Luke's shorter account of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew. The passage which jumped out at me was included in the section commonly referred to as the "beatitudes."

Blessed are you, when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. Luke 6:22-23

Today's political and cultural climates do not look too fondly on the followers of Jesus. In fact, many of very little nice things to say about us. 

Some of what people say is warranted. Our practice does not always coincide with our theology. We are worse than what we believe. And for that, we should be repentant and thank God that His Spirit works in spite of us.

Some of what people say is unwarranted, and rather nasty. It is said in anger. It is insulting. It is extremely unflattering and more often outright lies.

And sadly, we are far too quick to respond in the exact opposite manner Jesus exemplified and commanded. We do not rejoice or "leap for joy." We get angry. We fight back with "righteous nastiness." We play dirty alongside of those who ridicule us.

If we are being faithful to the gospel (and all of Scripture for that matter), we will rub up against our culture. The two do not uphold and value the same things. The two serve two completely different masters. The two are headed in two different directions.

We should be aiming to redeem our culture through the transforming power of the gospel, while recognizing it will not and cannot be received with the influence of the Holy Spirit. This should drive us to pray. Pray that the Holy Spirit will move in the hearts of the people who create, engage, and value our culture as it is currently. Pray that we can respond with joy knowing this is our calling to follow in the footsteps of our Savior.

For it was He who endured the greatest ridicule and hatred in order to bring us back to God.

answers

So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. ~Acts 12:5

I can relate to Peter.

No, I have never been in prison.

The context of this verse is when Peter is arrested, and the church responds by praying. As a result, God sends an angel to walk Peter out the front door and back into the company of the believers.

It points to answered prayer.

I say I can relate to Peter because over the past month I have seen prayers answered. And while these prayers were mine, I have been slowly finding out they were also the prayers of God's people.

As I have had opportunity to share with brothers and sisters, many of them have responded by praising God for answering their prayers.

Unbeknownst to me, people have been praying my prayers, both those I shared and those I did not.

I have found this a wonderful encouragement. It's a testament to the blessing of being a part of the body of Christ. This makes answers to those prayers a joyful occasional for all. It gives everyone a reason to praise the Lord.

April's prayer

Crazy busy would be an adequate description for the month begun today. In God's providence, I am co-preaching a 4-week series on prayer this month. Prayer will be my lifeline and source of strength. Hopefully, I will be preaching through what I have already put into practice. Prayer will be my necessity.

And in that vein, I pray a prayer from the Valley of Vision entitled, "Voyage," as my prayer for the month ahead (emphasis mine).

O Lord of the oceans, my little bark sails on a restless sea, grant that Jesus may sit at the helm and steer me safely; 

suffer no adverse currents to divert my heavenward course; 

let not my faith be wrecked amid storms and shoals; 

bring me to harbor with flying pennants, hull unbreached, cargo unspoiled.

I ask great things, expect great things, shall receive great things.

I venture on thee wholly, fully, my wind, sunshine, anchor, defence.

The voyage is long, the waves high, the storms pitiless, but my helm is held steady, thy Word secures me safe passage, thy grace wafts me onward, my haven is guaranteed.

This day will bring me nearer home, grant me holy consistency in every transaction, my peace flowing as a running tide, my righteousness as every chasing wave.

Help me to live circumspectly, with skill to convert every care into prayer, halo my path with gentleness and love, smooth every asperity of temper; 

let me not forget how easy it is to occasion grief; may I strive to bind up every wound, and pour oil on all troubled waters.

May the world this day be happier and better because I live.

Let my mast before me be the Saviour's cross, and every oncoming wave the fountain in his side.

Help me, protect me in the moving sea until I reach the shore of unceasing praise.

Raised to Life

this Jesus, as delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.  ~Acts 2:23-24

Praise the Lord, He is risen indeed!

Today is Good

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath-
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God-slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Jesus weeps

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.  ~Luke 19:41-44

Luke records this immediately after the Triumphal Entry which most churches celebrated two days ago. In it, I am again amazed by Jesus.

The Gospels are clear that Jesus knew what going into Jerusalem during the Passover week meant. He was embarking upon His death march to Calvary.This death would take place at the hands of the Romans, but also Jesus' own people. He had every right to be angry because of what He was about to endure for the sake of the very people who were going to kill Him. He could have spit on the ground in disgust.

And yet, He wept over them.

He wept because they wanted peace, but had no clue where to find it. He wept because they were blind. He wept because the object of all of their hope in, the Temple, would one day be destroyed. He wept because they missed the long-awaited visit from the LORD Himself.

union and communion

When you break it down, the primary benefit of the gospel is union with Christ. And union with Christ means momentary communion with Him.

This is not an exact quote, but it's close. It was made by a Philadelphia pastor who visited my church planting class on Thursday.

I love it!

First up is the notion of our union with Christ. I am pretty sure I will be taking an entire class (or at least half a semester) diving into this. Union with Christ what the gospel boils down to. Reading Ephesians 1:3-14 reveals this reality.

It repeats the phrase "in him" or "in Christ" a total of eight times in those verses. And the following reveal what is involved with being "in Christ:"

• blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (v.3)
• chosen to be blameless and holy (v.4)
• redemption and forgiveness by His blood (v.7)
• knowledge of the mystery of the will of God (v.8)
• the union of all things in heaven and earth (v.10)
• an inheritance (v.11)
• hope which brings God glory (v.12)
• seal of the Holy Spirit (v.13)

That sounds like a concise picture of the gospel.

Next is the notion of momentary communion with God. By communion, we are talking about the language of prayer. Through our union with Christ we have access to God every single moment of every single day. Reading Hebrews 4:14-16 helps us see this.

Christ is our high priest. Reading Hebrews reveals how Christ as high priest means forgiveness (reference back to Ephesians 1). And because we have forgiveness through union with our Great High Priest we can "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

We can pray because we are united to Christ. Our prayers are an expression of that union. It is something we can take advantage daily, and hopefully more. Prayer is not a burden. It is a wonderful blessing of our union with Christ.