Ramblings from a Tuesday Morning

Just a few things floating around in my head this morning.

• Our country's new "gods" seem to be politics, entertainment, and wealth.  Of course, these have always been at the core of humanity's idolatry, but it has become very blatant in recent years.  These are all you seem to see advertised on TV anymore.  You also don't hear many stories about how people show care for each other anymore.  At most, you get the occasional news feature that shows how someone did something like this in the community, and it's a great feel-good story because it's not something that seems to be regularly experienced anymore.
• A true sense of community has been replaced by having a large number of acquaintances.  Think about Facebook.  How many of your "friends" do you really know well?  How many of them are people that you encountered for a season in life, but haven't really known for quite some time?  Rather than taking the time to develop deep, lasting relationships, we now seem to focus on having a lot of shallow acquaintances that barely seem to know us, or us know them.
• When it comes to celebrations, we hardly seem to celebrate the great or the excellent anymore.  Instead, we celebrate participation.  In fact, it seems to have gotten to the point that, if you actually do achieve something great or excellent, others seek to tear it down or discredit it, since it may make them feel inferior in some way.  Rather than celebrating how someone actually achieved something, we now feel like they are a threat to how we see ourselves, and want to bring them back down to our level.
• As a society, we seem to see things so starkly as either black or white.  An example of this is the whole homosexual issue that is raging in our country.  It seems that you either have to be for it completely or totally against it.  Gone seem to be the days when you could say that you disagree with a certain type of behavior, and yet still have encouraging interaction with that person.  Now, it seems that if you say that the behavior is wrong that you are instantly labelled as anti-whatever it is.  This is especially distressing when it comes to the Christian faith, which believes that every single one of us is sinful by nature, and yet, every single one of us has been rescued by Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.  There is a place to say "This is wrong" and yet still care about the person.  
• Isn't it amazing how technology seems to make the world smaller and smaller, and yet seems to create more and more distance between us in our personal relationships?

Is Resting Productive?

Friday is typically a day off of work for me.  It's the day when I would lay around the house and take a nap before my daughter was born.  It meant a day away from the rigors of work, a day to get my head and body rested and recovered.

And yet, I have found an interesting thing that happens in my head when it comes to Fridays.  I always look for something to be doing.  Truth be told, I'm one of those people that has a hard time just sitting around watching TV, or playing on the computer, or only reading a book.  While I don't mind doing any of those, I also cannot just sit there at one of them for hours on end without going a little crazy.

But today it hit me for some reason.  Why do I need to find something "productive" to be doing when I can be resting?  Could it be that I have been taken over by the American idea that you always have to be productive, or your time is being wasted?  I have visited other countries where they take breaks throughout the day, and where their vacation time typically adds up to more than a month.  Why do I, and we, as Americans, have such a hard time seeing rest as something productive?

I've grown to realize the productiveness of rest when it comes to my running.  If I were to simply run seven days a week, I know that my body would wear out.  It needs time away from running to heal the minor muscle tears and to recover.  Without that time away from the roads or the treadmill, the body will eventually break down, and running will then become a chore rather than something enjoyable.

It really does seem that God knows what He was doing when He told His people to set aside a day of rest (the literal meaning of the word Sabbath is day of rest).  Without that day that we set aside to focus on Him, and to get away from the work of our hands, we would never have time for the healing that we need, both from letting our minds and bodies rest, as well as the refreshing that takes place when we find ourselves in the place where God speaks His Word to us, and where He gives us His gifts as we take time to devote ourselves to Him.

Now, I understand that resting means different things for different people.  Your idea of rest may not be the same as mine.  Though I may not understand it, you may never find an eight mile run restful.  But I see how it is for my body and soul, and so I hope that you also find that your time of rest is indeed productive.

Seriously!?!?!

The title word for today's blog post is one that comes from my mouth fairly often.  Usually, it's while I'm driving, especially when I see someone do something that just simply doesn't make sense.  For example, last week I was driving along one of our local neighborhood roads and was behind another car.  We were driving along a residential area road, and there was a person on the side of the road who wanted to cross the road.  The car in front of me stopped in the middle of the block (without a crosswalk or any other sign indicating that the pedestrian could walk there) in order to let the person walk in front of them, even though no one was coming the other way, and that car and I were the only ones on the road.  They stopped merely to be "nice" to the pedestrian and not have them wait the extra 5 seconds it would have taken for us to pass and for that person to walk across the road after us.  And out of my mouth came the word: "Seriously!!!"

As a Christian, there have been any number of times when I have had to say this about something that I have done which affects my relationship with God and with my fellow man.  As a student of God's Word, I know a great deal about what God says we should be doing, what we should be avoiding, and how we should be acting toward one another.  And yet, despite that knowledge, every once in a while I find myself doing something that calls for me to say "Seriously!?!?!?" to myself.

I also see this in the lives of so many other Christians.  In one way, it really is quite shocking how often we do things that are blatantly against God's will and word, things that we expect that we should know better than to do.  And I have uttered that word "Seriously" on more than one occasion when I have witnessed how God's people act regarding their faith and the living out of that faith in their lives.

In some ways, I expect that God desires for all of His people to take their faith and the living out of that faith seriously.  It's not merely an expectation on my part, but it's found throughout the Bible.  God calls for His people to be holy people, to be perfect as God is perfect.  Granted, we all know that we are incapable of that, a condition which the Bible calls sin.  And yet, when God's people fail to take their faith and life seriously, history shows us that God will often allow us the quite firm reminder that being His chosen people doesn't mean we don't take Him or our faith seriously.

Let's face it.  It's easy to fail to take our faith seriously.  Instead of being kind to another person, it's far easier to say what we are really thinking about them.  Instead of recognizing our neighbor in need, it's far easier to find an excuse not to take the time or effort to help them.  Instead of taking time to pray or focus on God's Word, it's far easier to find time to do other, more enjoyable things.  And the list could go on and on and on.

I think this is one of the reasons why so many see Christians as hypocrites.  It's not that we fail to do these things, but rather, we present the image that we take these things seriously, but then, when people look at our lives, they don't see the evidence of it.  If we were seen to be honest and admit that we fail at it more than we actually succeed, and that we turn to God for forgiveness, the charge might be much less daunting.  But when we put forth the image that we are doing it, and yet, the evidence of our lives presents the contrary, then we are far more open to the charge of hypocrisy.

That's why I need the frequent reminder that I need to heed this word too.  When it comes to my faith and life, I really need to take it more "Seriously!"  I think it's something that all Christians can grow in, and so don't be surprised to see it popping up as a common refrain on this blog. 

So I close today with one simple question.  How seriously do you take the living out of your faith?  And as you answer that question, just picture me looking at you saying, "Seriously?"

Personal Faith and Shared Faith

This fall, I'm planning on adding a daily Small Catechism component to my blog.  Each day, we will focus on one part of Luther's Small Catechism.  I will include a brief Bible verse that helps explain what we believe based upon God's Word. 

However, I also want to emphasize how our Christian faith is both a personal faith and a shared faith.  So as part of those daily devotions, one day we will focus on what that particular teaching means for us as an individual, and then, the following day, we will see how it applies to us as we live our lives in a shared faith with other Christians. 

Part of the reason I want to highlight this distinction is because it is very easy to focus on just one part of our faith life.  Indeed, as North American Christians, we are influenced so much by our individualistic culture that we often fail to consider how our faith and life impacts other believers, or even how it impacts those who do not believe.  So I hope to give a few thoughts each day about how we see these various parts of our faith life lived out, both personally and all together.

I realize you may wonder what I mean by this.  Let's take, for example, the 6th Commandment (as the Small Catechism numbers them); You shall not commit adultery.  Most of us would look at that commandment and see it as a very personal one.  This is especially true in our culture which emphasizes that "I can do what I want with my own time, and it's none of your business."  And yet, we cannot take a look at our society and culture without seeing the impact that unhindered sex has had on our morals and values.

So, for example, I might highlight ways that we can live out our faith by defending our Biblical view of sex.  From a personal standpoint, it may mean that we control what our eyes see (from such things as TV, magazines, calendars, etc.) and be cautious about the type of language we use when we speak.  But from a shared faith standpoint, we may also look at how we help encourage each other to live lives of purity, and how we can help one another withstand the onslaught of images that will daily tempt us to fall.

Our faith is personal, but it is also a shared faith, one that we have in common with many people.  On top of that, how we live and what we believe has an impact even on those who do not share our faith.  True, they may not agree with us a good portion of the time, but we still are encouraged to take our faith seriously enough that we not only focus on the personal, but on the shared aspect of our faith.

When the voice hides THE VOICE

This past weekend was an interesting one.  Over the past week or more, there have been quite a few wildfires out here in the west, and the smoke has invaded our mountain valley.  In addition, we had a large quantity of hay bales catch on fire, adding even more smoke and trapping it all inside our sheltered little valley.

This has had a dramatic effect on me.  It started with my sinuses, and then slowly worked its way down to my throat, inevitably landing in my voicebox.  Thus, over the weekend, I could hardly be heard when I spoke.  I wasn't sick or anything like that, I simply couldn't talk. 

Now, for most people, this might not be that big of an issue, but when you are in the profession I'm in, if Sunday rolls around and you can't talk, you have some issues.  After all, public speaking is part of the job description.  But as I stood before everyone and attempted my best efforts to speak, I also was reminded that it's not my voice that everyone gathers to hear.  It's God's voice that they need to hear.

I think that's one of the things that I need the occasional reminder of.  I know it sounds very simple, and yet, I have come to see that it's also a pretty challenging thing to do.  I am to be God's voice to His people.  That means that I speak what God says to His people.  When I find myself wanting to spend more time talking about things that I have a few thoughts on, I need the reminder that the people don't need to hear my thoughts.  They need to hear what God says about it.

I think most people in my profession understand this, but also find it challenging to consistently practice.  We all have our issues or topics that we enjoy spending more time on, or our personal favorite sins to rail against.  Keeping the focus off of our voice, and instead, letting God's voice be the one that shines through may seem fairly cut and dried, but my experience is such that it actually takes a lot of work to do.

In the end, this weekend served as a great reminder that it's not my voice that needs to be heard.  God's voice is the one that needs to resound.  It's His voice that needs to declare what is right and wrong, how we stand before Him as sinful and yet forgiven.  It's God's voice that needs to speak when it addresses our lives and what we do with them.  Yes, I may speak what He has to day, but when I start finding that I'm a bit too interested in the subject, or in crafting clever words to say, I need the reminder that I need to step aside and make sure that it's God's voice that rings through loud and clear, not mine.

A Few New Things for the Fall

For all of you who have been following me for a while, you've probably gotten used to my occasional scattered appearances on here.  Sometimes work and life get in the way of posting, but at other times, it may simply be that I have nothing worth posting running through my head.

That all will be changing in the next week or so, though.  As part of a way to get God's people thinking about how simple it is to understand God's Word and commands, and to get an idea of just how deep they penetrate into our lives, I will be starting a daily "Catechism Thought for the Day."  In these daily blog posts, I will introduce a small section of the Small Catechism, have a Bible reference associated with that thought, and then give a brief devotional thought or suggestion for what that part of the Small Catechism may mean for our daily life.

This is part of a fall theme that I will be leading that is simply titled, "Taking Faith Seriously."  Much of what we do in our lives shows how seriously we take our faith as we go about living our lives.  So my intent for these daily catichetical thoughts will simply be to provide ways for us to think about how we take our faith lives seriously, and how that may look as we go about living our lives.

There will not be a standard format for these thoughts or devotions.  One day may simply be a thought on what it means, another day may be a suggestion for how to find moments in our day that reflect our faith and our seriousness of it, and other days may simply be explanations.  However, the thing that will be remain constant will be an emphasis on the simplicity of what we know and believe about God, as well as encouragement for how our lives reflect the seriousness with which we take our faith.

I'm looking forward to doing this, for both the discipline and the discovery that it will call forth from me.  I hope that you feel comfortable sharing any thoughts that may strike you along the way, too!

Is reading the Bible all that important for Christians?

Okay, I know some of you are already ready to peg me as a heretic and not read any further, but I beg you to bear with me.  I'm not approaching this as though I'm saying that the Bible isn't important.  But I know that many Christians and pastors spend a lot of time telling people that they should read the Bible, and it's likely that many of them may not be able to explain exactly why.

Let me pose the thought in a slightly different way.  When we live in a culture of high literacy, does that make us "better" Christians than the majority of Christians over the years who were unable to read God's Word?  For many of them, they would simply hear the message proclaimed and then would go about their week.  Many of them have likely had active prayer lives, but if you cannot read, does that mean that you are now an inferior Christian compared to those who have access and the ability to read the Bible?

I understand that there are two different kind of things going on here.  Most of it is about the attitude that we have toward God's Word.  An illiterate person who barely pays attention and then doesn't care about their faith life throughout the week is not all that different from a literate person who attends worship, barely pays attention, and then has access to the Bible all week, but doesn't make the most of it.  Again, I realize that much of what I'm getting at in this post has more to do with attitude and motivation than it does with the actual activity of reading the Bible.

Would the illiterate person who only heard a small portion of the Word on Sunday, and then thought about it throughout the course of the week, be condemned in our eyes for their lack of biblical knowledge?  I hardly think so.  We would recognize that, while the situation may not be the most favorable, they are firmly clinging to the Word of God that they know.

Likewise, the literate person who hears the Word of God and then engages it throughout the week in an effort to know it better is showing that they are interested in nurturing and growing their faith life.  I doubt any of us would find a cause to condemn them for their actions, since we see them clinging to the Word of God that they know.  They merely have better opportunity than the illiterate person.

In the end, the Christian faith consists of much more than the printed words on the page.  The Christian faith consists of Christ Jesus, God Himself, who came to redeem a humanity that was destined for destruction, and is rescued from that destruction only by His action.  Sometimes the message of that rescue is told in the words on the page, and at other times, it is merely the message of what Christ has done that people have to cling to.  And that is why the Christian faith is far more than simply the words of the Bible.  It's not a set of words, but the Word who came from God to make us God's very own.

Using Big Words

As part of my doctoral studies, I have been required to read a lot of books.  During this time, I have come to notice something that I think is pretty vital about someone who wants to teach others.  Using really big words that are tough to understand really doesn't come across as teaching.  It comes across more as though you are trying to show off your education, or to prove how smart you are.  It's almost as though some authors like to prove to you that they are smarter than you, simply by the way they write.

Don't get me wrong.  There is a time and place for big words.  A lot of occupations and fields of study have specialized vocabulary, and that's completely appropriate.  There are even times when you need to use those big words when you are talking to people who may be unfamiliar with your field.  The key seems to be, don't talk to them as though you are trying to prove how smart you are.  Instead, talk to them with a genuine interest in teaching them why such vocabulary is important, and make sure to take the time to teach them what your big words mean.

When it comes to the Christian faith, we also have a lot of big, specialized words.  Words like justification, sanctification, and so forth are very descriptive of elements of the faith.  And yet, there have been many times when I have cringed when I heard those words being used in a conversation.  It's not because I think the words are wrong, but because they seem to be a way of the Christian sounding intelligent.  But what really seemed to happen is that the person who was listening went away from the conversation as though the Christian was simply trying to prove that he or she was more intelligent than them, and actually ended up leaving a bad taste in the mouth of that person.

Again, big words have their place.  I would argue that their place is NOT to make the Christian seem intelligent, nor are they to be used in a way that boosts up our egos while putting down those who may not know what the words mean. 

This brings to mind something that a very wise man once told me.  He said that he had a teacher who once gave them the assignment to take the various concepts and big words of the the faith, and to come up with 100 other ways of saying the same thing.  That exercise helped him to see that there are many ways to describe our big words without coming across as a know-it-all.  It also helped him to see that many parts of the Christian faith may have technical terminology, but can also be described in fairly simple ways.

So, please, be aware of your vocabulary.  Yes, it's okay to use the big words, but make sure you are using them to explain them to the person you are talking to, and not to boost up your own ego. 

Cultural Christians

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven."  Jesus, in Matthew 7:21.

As we read these words of Jesus, and the ones that precede and follow them in Matthew's Gospel, they should give us pause for a moment of reflection.  After all, these are some pretty challenging words for us to think about.  Not everyone who calls Jesus "Lord" will enter His kingdom?  How can that possibly be?

Maybe it's because some of those who call upon Jesus' name aren't doing it from faith, but because it's the expected thing to do.  This is where I would like to introduce the idea of the cultural Christian.  The cultural Christian is largely indistinguishable from the true Christian.  They know the right words.  They show up for the events.  They were probably raised in the Christian church.  They offer to say prayers for others, and may even have a great deal of knowledge about God, about the Bible, and other such matters.

The problem?  It's all in the head, and not in the heart.  The cultural Christian is quite comfortable as long as they are not confronted by those times that seem to show a lack of faithfulness.  It's very likely that their prayer life is practically non-existent (though they know quite well the proper posture for prayer, and when to bow their heads.  Shoot, they may even be the one who suggests that you can't eat a meal without praying.).  They may know quite a bit about the Bible, but if you look closely, you can probably see some gaps between what they say they believe and what they actually do.

Why do I bring up this distinction of the cultural Christian?  I do so because it seems to be pretty easy to become a cultural Christian in North America.  (I have no doubt that this has been the case throughout the life of the Church, as God's prophets often seemed to talk about the same kind of issues.)  It's easy to go to church, to sing the hymns and songs, repeat the words, listen to the sermon, and say "Amen."  And for many, that is the extent of their religious, spiritual life.

I bring this up because I don't want any of the people that I regularly worship with to hear Jesus say on that last day, "I never knew you," as He does a few verses after our opening verse.  (Matthew 7:21-23)  The thing that Jesus points out over and over again is that we each need to examine our hearts and think about our motivations and reasons for what we do as His people.  Are we merely repeating phrases and doing the act of worship because it's habit, or because we simply like it?  Do we go to worship because we're supposed to, or because we see the value in thanking God for what He has done for us, and because we see how important it is to gather with others who believe as we do?  Do we know the Bible simply to appear smart and knowledgeable, or because we truly want to see what God's will is for our lives?

This kind of reflection is often challenging and uncomfortable.  We often get confronted with things we don't like to see in ourselves.  And yet, would any of us say that it's better to keep on doing what we do, with the possibility of hearing Jesus say, "I never knew you," on that last day?  For my part, I would much rather make someone do something uncomfortable, like confront where their faith truly is, than to see that they are not part of God's enduring, eternal kingdom.

Simple Questions Demand Deep Answers

"Why?"  Ever had a child ask you that question before?  How easy was the answer?  I know that I have been asked that question on a number of occasions, and the answer is usually not all that easy to give. 

It seems that the simple questions can often be the most difficult to answer.  We long for a question with a simple answer, but when it comes to life matters, it seems that even the most simple question begs for an answer that often times calls for a lot of thought and reflection.

When he was putting together his small instruction book for families regarding the Christian faith, Martin Luther used another one of these seemingly simple questions.  What does this mean, or as it can more literally be translated, what is this?  He asks it about each of the commandments that God gave to Moses, and his answers, while pretty short, contain a depth that no human can ever fully dive into. 

The same can be said for each of the categories in which he asks that question.  Let's face it.  When someone asks us "What does this mean," the answer usually isn't going to be really easy to give.  It will take deep reflection into life, into the meaning of life, and into what God looks for as He created and designed our lives, and a discovery of what He wills for our lives.

"What does this mean?"  Even though I have been trained in theology and in the study of the Bible, there are still times when I have to admit that I simply cannot know what exactly something means, especially when it relates to life.  Sure, there are usually a few fairly obvious meanings, but as I spend time thinking about the question and whatever the topic is on which the question is asked, I have to admit that I simply do not know everything.

That's why I often cringe when someone comes across as though they know all the answers.  To me, when they do that, it seems like they just haven't given the question enough thought.  While there are always timeless, ageless facets of the truth in every situation where the question applies, quite often there are situational matters that need to be accounted for. 

In the end, I guess I'm simply saying, when one of these seemingly simple questions is asked, just remember that the answer is rarely as simple or obvious as it may seem.  What does this mean?  It means we need to think about it deeply, pray about it, and see what God has to say about it.

Seriously?

"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."  Deuteronomy 6:6-9

When you take something seriously, what does it look like?  I would imagine that it's something like what God had Moses describe in these verses above.  You can't stop talking about it.  It's on your mind all the time.  And it's not just something that you keep to yourself.  You want others to know about its importance, and so you look for occasions to talk about it with them.  There isn't a day that goes by without it crossing your mind many times.

It seems that God wants His people to take their relationship with Him quite seriously.  If you look through those verses above, you see that it covers the whole spectrum of the day.  It covers the activities that you might be engaged in throughout the day.  God really isn't interested in your faith life and your relationship with Him only on Sunday morning for an hour or two.  He wants it to be all consuming to you.  He wants you to take it seriously.

Many of you who read this likely have a spouse and/or family.  You probably take them seriously.  You have pictures of them around you, and you think of them quite often.  You plan special things to do for them to show them how important they are.  They are never really all that far from your mind.

That seems to be the same kind of relationship that God looks for from us toward Him.  And the thing is, it's a relationship that He never gives up on.  When you were baptized, God put His Spirit on you, as a deposit, which ensures that He wants you to be His always.  The forgiveness of Jesus never leaves you.  It's not just yours on Sunday morning, but every moment of every day.  And God never leaves you, but instead is with you, both in the way that He is present in the whole world, but also in the way in which He has saved you and rescued you from death and hell.

God never takes His mind off of you.  You and I will never be able to say the same about God.  But as we live our Christian lives, God does want for us to take His relationship with us seriously.  He doesn't want it to be something that we cling to only when it's convenient, or only when times are good, or only when we are in trouble.  He wants it to be a part of every day, of every thing that we do.  God takes you seriously enough to give up His own Son, and to establish such a relationship with you.  My prayer is that you take your relationship with God as seriously as you can, too.

Why should I be good if God forgives me through Jesus?

The basis of the Christian faith is that the whole world fell into sin and stands in condemnation because of Adam and Eve's fall.  If no action was taken, we would all be condemned from God, no matter how good or bad we would be as we lived in the world.  If God didn't do something about the situation, every single person would be separated from Him forever, with no hope whatsoever.

That's where the good news of the Christian faith comes in.  God did something so that we all wouldn't have to be condemned.  He sent His Son Jesus, who rescued us from that certain condemnation and death.  Jesus killed our sins, rose to new life, and now promises to give that new life to everyone who believes that He has rescued them from that certain destruction.  Yes, He also makes the claim that He is the only way to be rescued, which is why those of the Christian faith so much want to share their faith with others.

So you hear that message, and God works faith in your heart that you believe the message.  You have been rescued from death and destruction because of Jesus.  The reality is that you still find yourself living in this world alongside so many others who are destined for that destruction that the Bible tells about.  You're forgiven.  So why should you be good as you live your life?  After all, doesn't God promise that He is faithful to His people?

Well, there are quite a few reasons why Christians try to live their lives in a way that is in line with God's will.  In part, they do so because it IS God's will.  God has rescued us through Jesus, and has told us what the life looks like which He created us to live.  As His people, part of our life is to live according to that will.  So Christians are good because God has basically said that we are to be good as we live our lives.

We're also good because we recognize just how great the sacrifice was that God made for us.  We would have been condemned, and yet God saw fit to rescue us through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.  If someone would go to such great lengths to rescue us, a good and proper response would be to live in such a way that reflects our gratitude.  It isn't to make us better in God's eyes, but instead is a response to His kindness and graciousness to us.

We also do good because we now live with an eye toward our neighbor (and by neighbor, I mean every person whom we encounter in life).  We do good because we recognize that one of the best ways to share that message of hope and rescue is by showing that it makes a difference in our lives.  We want our neighbors to know that same hope, and we recognize that, if we are good to them, we're much more likely to gain their hearing than if we are jerks, or offensive, or judgmental (and by judgmental, I mean acting as though we take joy in telling them what their sins are and what will happen to them if they are found in their sin at the time when they stand before Jesus).

In the end, being a Christian is not merely about living a moral or ethical life.  If that is the foundation of Christianity, then it will only be for those who are the best people in life.  And the reality that the Bible paints is that none of us can live up to God's standards.  Even the best moral, ethical people would still fall far short. 

Yet, we still strive to be moral and ethical as we live.  Not because it makes God's rescue unneccesary, or as though we can do part of the rescue and God does the rest.  We do it because we see that our life is going to be a part of our message to our neighbor, both those who are Christian and those who are not.  We live good lives because we see the impact it has on our neighbor. 

Is the Messenger also the Message?

Over the past week, I've been writing a little bit about how we, as Christians, basically try to let God speak for Himself through the Bible.  I firmly hold the belief that, when we take it upon ourselves to pronounce God's judgment rather than simply telling people that they have to wrestle with what God says is right and wrong, we are overstepping our bounds.  We can say that God says this is right or wrong, and then let that person take it up with God.  After all, He's the one they disagree with.

But what is our role in that process?  Yes, we're called to faithfully proclaim the Word that God has spoken.  That's part of the reason why reading the Bible and knowing God's Word is so important in the life of the Christian.  And yet, there really is something wrong when we completely disconnect our selves from the Word that we speak.  If we say we are a Christian, and yet we neglect to try to live as God wills, that will also have an impact on how the words we speak are received.

If I declare that God says it's important, for example, not to have sex until a person is in the union of marriage, but then say that I live under God's grace while engaging in sexual activities of my own, my self is giving a contradictory message to what I say I believe.  Likewise, if I say I believe that being a follower of Christ is important, but I neglect to do what He says regarding such things as worshiping with my fellow believers, or supporting God's work through a local congregation with my offerings and service, I'm sending the message that, what I believe is important, but not important enough to change my life to take it into account.

Here's where we have a challenge as Christians.  We will never live perfectly according to God's will.  We're sinful.  That's why we are so thankful for the forgiveness we have in Christ Jesus.  And, since we see how much God values us, in that He sends His one and only Son for us, we then strive to live according to His will. 

But this brings us to what is perhaps the most important point.  Rather than trying to find an excuse for our own sin by pointing out the sins of others, we also admit it when we sin and mess up.  When we ask for forgiveness, it shows the kind of humility the God really does want from His people.  Now, that humility springs up from our recognition that we are not perfect.  We're not the ones who stand in judgment of others.  However, that also doesn't exclude us from sharing what God says is right and wrong.  We can admit that we are sinful, and ask for forgiveness for our sin, and yet, in a caring way, point out what God says about the sin that we see in the lives of others. 

We do this because we realize that we, as God's messengers, are also part of the message.  Yes, God is the one who has done the action of declaring what is right and wrong, and in forgiving the sin of the world through Jesus.  As His messengers, we will never be able to step into those roles.  However, as His messengers, if we present ourselves as people who have the right and authority to judge others without also acknowledging our sins and faults, we're hypocritical in the eyes of those who receive such judgment, and our role as the messenger then interferes with the message.  That's why the Christian not only can declare God's judgment on the sin of others, but lives in such a way that he or she is humble because he or she recognizes the fact that sin is a part of our lives, and we need God's forgiveness just as much as the other person.

"But I really like what God calls a sin!"

In one of the standard corporate confessions of sin that many Lutherans say, we have the phrase, "I, a poor, miserable sinner..."  Over the years, I've had people make a number of different comments on this.  Some have said that they aren't miserable in their sin at all; in fact, they actually like what they're doing, even if God calls it a sin.  Others have said that it isn't exactly the most welcoming of wordings for those who may be new to the Christian faith.

I'm not here to debate wording today, but I would like to spend a few moments talking about what we do when God says something is a sin, but we would rather it not be.  Now, from the get-go, I should mention that I happen to believe that the Bible is God's Word to us, and that it says what He means.  So, when it says something is wrong, I understand that to mean that God says it is wrong, and there really isn't any wiggle room around it.  That may not be a popular view nowadays, but I'm comfortable with people saying that I'm a stick in the mud about matters like this.

Here's the thing.  We will find that God has a lot to say about what we do with our lives, and how we go about living them.  And because the Bible says that we start off life as a sinful person (by our nature, not merely by the things we do or fail to do), we all are going to be inclined to things that God says are wrong.  Admittedly, some will seem more minor than others, or some are more noticeable than others, but we all have that inclination to sin because we have sin ingrained as part of our nature.

That's why we can say that we are a poor, miserable sinner.  Just flipping through the pages of the Bible will reveal that we really shouldn't be all that pleasing to God, since we not only do many things that He says not to do, but we take some joy in them.  That shows that we aren't right in God's eyes, and that should cause us a bit of misery.  Anytime we realize that the Big Man who calls the shots shouldn't be happy with us should be an occasion to engage in a little misery.

And that's when we start to realize that our sin truly is something that we should be miserable about.  In this regard, it shouldn't matter if it's a "big" matter or a "small" matter.  Anything out of line with what God says should bring misery to the forefront.  We aren't living like God says, and He's the one who makes the rules and who gets to determine the winners and losers at the end.  That really should introduce at least a little misery into us as we reflect on our lives.

Now, here's the thing.  Yes, God lays down the laws for our lives, and He gets ultimate say.  And yes, we will find that we are sinners.  The thing is, God's desire isn't that He have to stand in condemning judgment of everyone.  That's the whole reason for Jesus, and the cross, and the resurrection.  God killed sin, and even as He brings the gift of forgiveness, He still maintains that He gets to call the shots.  No, you and I will not escape that inherited inclination to sin until God kills our physical bodies and raises them, as Jesus has promised, but we have the hope that God will introduce that new life to us because of what Jesus has done for us.  That truly is a reason that we Christians are not miserable!

"You don't have to be a jerk about it."

Lately the press has been making a big deal about the CEO of Chik-fil-A expressing his Christian views.  In many respects, this is an expected backlash, especially when we come up against parts of God's Word that speak contrary to what we want to believe.  We don't like what it has to say, and may even go so far as to become offended against God (or against His people who believe what He says) for saying something that they just don't want to hear.

That's an expected reaction because the fall into sin turned our hearts and minds away from God and toward ourselves.  Good old Rene Descartes then took it even further when he postulated that existence begins with the self, and not with God.  Basically, today we are reaping what he began sowing several centuries ago.  After all, if meaning begins with the self, and not with God, then who is God to tell us what is right and wrong?

And here is where I want to make today's point.  What God says is going to be offensive enough in the ears of sinful people.  We really have no need to make matters worse by being offensive ourselves.  (In fact, I would argue that this actually goes against what God says, since He tells us to love our neighbors, and no, I don't mean in the mushy way, but in sometimes telling them what they need to hear, but doing so in a caring way.  Luther also speaks about this in the 8th commandment's meaning when he says we should explain everything in the kindest way.)  Being a jerk brings the offending party from God to us, and that's just not right.  Yes, people who disagree with the Christian faith will be offended at God, but it's not the place of the Christian to be offensive simply because what God says will be offensive.

I realize that this is a fine line to walk.  We want to live our lives and proclaim God's presence and grace in our lives, and yet, we also want to demonstrate our faithfulness to what He says.  That's where it sometimes gets difficult.  And yet, when we think of it, it is actually rather freeing to let God be the one who gives the offense.  God can handle it.  After all, He has dealt with our sin once and for all through Jesus and the cross.  God can take it when we don't like what His Word says, and He'll point us back to the cross to show us just how much He really does care for us.

But that doesn't mean that He softpedals on His Word.  What God says still goes.  But for us as Christians, we would be wise to remember that we need to let God be the one who does the offending.  If anything, we turn people away from Him when we take it upon ourselves to be offensive.  Then people stop listening to what God says and instead focus on us and our faults and sins and shortcomings.  Now that's a battle that we will never win.