Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
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“Hear, O Israel.” As I read over this passage again and again, I was sometimes stuck on the first word – “Hear.” In our culture, we have a proclivity for only listening to our own voice. How many problems have resulted because one side already assumes they know the position of the other and work off of that assumption instead of the truth? How often do we only listen to what is said and totally miss what needs to be heard? I see it happen all the time. I’ve done it myself, at home and at work. We think we know what needs to happen and so we begin to focus on what we think needs to be done rather than what actually does need to be done.
I think there is a disproportionate amount of credit that we give to this one small word compared to what it actually deserves. In this particular passage, it is a command. It is not a suggestion. It is not something that is thrown in just for the fun of it. The tone is set from the very beginning of the passage. “Hear, O Israel…” The other verbs that follow are also commands, not suggestions – “love the Lord your God… [these commands] are to be upon your hearts… impress them… talk about them… tie them… bind them… write them….” No, these are not suggestions. They show a greater way. They show a way to enter into relationship with the one and only God, the Creator and Father of all things. We cannot enter this relationship without first hearing what God has to say to us. Can you become a Christian without listening to Christ? No, I don’t think so, and Scripture is pretty clear on that point as well. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). You can be a moral person. You can make great decisions and have the highest of ethical standards, but for what reason? If you want to be separate from God for your life on earth, I believe you will be granted that choice in eternity as well. Scripture is clear on this point – there are not many ways, there is the Way. “Hear” isn’t such a small word now, is it?
Something else strikes me about the word and this passage in particular. While “hear” certainly implies some passive “action” on the part of the listener, it is not solely a passive word. The rest of the passage implies that some sort of action needs to take place. This is not just hearing for the sake of hearing. It is for the sake of instruction – not only of oneself, but also of those with whom we come into contact. The rest of the passage describes nearly every sort of situation that we find ourselves in as people living among other people. It describes teaching our children; talking about the commands when we are on the road, at home; when we lie down and get up; on our hands, which we see every day, and on our foreheads, which everyone else sees everyday; on the doorframes of our houses, which, again, we see every day and on the gates of our houses, which people we may not even now see from time to time (or everyday if they are driven by a routine, as am I). “Hear, O Israel” could easily be followed with “and teach at all times.” However, we cannot teach unless we are willing to learn ourselves. My prayer today is that I might hear. The challenge comes in discerning what to listen to in our busy world, but that’s for another time. For now, “Hear, O Matt!”
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Luke 24:44-49
Luke 24:44-49 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled."
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
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As I continue to read this passage over and over again, verse 45 continually sticks out in my mind. “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” There is so much here that is speaking to me that I’m not quite sure how to settle the voices long enough to sort it all out. One word in particular that sticks out in my mind is “opened.” As I do this it is a cloudy day outside, but out on the horizon, there are clear patches of sky, where the heavens have been opened. This in turn brings my attention to two things.
First, and rather comically, I think of the scene in The Blues Brothers where Jake and Elwood are in the back of the church, and suddenly, the heavens open and they have “seen the light.” While this does seem to be a little out of place given the nature of this exercise, I also continue to think about what happens when we do indeed “see the light.” In the movie, Jake and Elwood become convinced that they are on a “mission from God” to put the band back together to make enough money to save the orphanage in which they were raised. We too have times like this. We see the light and our mission from God is suddenly clear. We know what our purpose is in life, and who we are in relation to God the Father and Creator. And in this purpose, we find a way to take on our mission, knowing that we do so in the grace of God which is available through the life, death and resurrection of the Son, which brings me to the second image in my mind.
The weekly discipleship group with whom I meet looked at the beginning of Luke’s gospel yesterday, and explored what significance there is in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in framing how we begin to look at the atonement. Jesus goes to be baptized by John in the Jordan River, and “as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’” (Lk 3:21b-22). In this instance, we begin to get our understanding of the Trinity and the relational nature of God. We see God as Father. Everything that Jesus does from this point forward is a recapitulation of the original creation story, but unlike Adam, Jesus does it right. The opportunity for new life is available in the life that Jesus is about to model. The story of the temptation in Luke 4, is what should have happened in the Garden when humanity originally fell into sin. Jesus stands firm and lets out a resounding “No!” through his understanding of the Scripture in the face of temptation by the devil. If only I can have my mind opened in such a way.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
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As I continue to read this passage over and over again, verse 45 continually sticks out in my mind. “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” There is so much here that is speaking to me that I’m not quite sure how to settle the voices long enough to sort it all out. One word in particular that sticks out in my mind is “opened.” As I do this it is a cloudy day outside, but out on the horizon, there are clear patches of sky, where the heavens have been opened. This in turn brings my attention to two things.
First, and rather comically, I think of the scene in The Blues Brothers where Jake and Elwood are in the back of the church, and suddenly, the heavens open and they have “seen the light.” While this does seem to be a little out of place given the nature of this exercise, I also continue to think about what happens when we do indeed “see the light.” In the movie, Jake and Elwood become convinced that they are on a “mission from God” to put the band back together to make enough money to save the orphanage in which they were raised. We too have times like this. We see the light and our mission from God is suddenly clear. We know what our purpose is in life, and who we are in relation to God the Father and Creator. And in this purpose, we find a way to take on our mission, knowing that we do so in the grace of God which is available through the life, death and resurrection of the Son, which brings me to the second image in my mind.
The weekly discipleship group with whom I meet looked at the beginning of Luke’s gospel yesterday, and explored what significance there is in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in framing how we begin to look at the atonement. Jesus goes to be baptized by John in the Jordan River, and “as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’” (Lk 3:21b-22). In this instance, we begin to get our understanding of the Trinity and the relational nature of God. We see God as Father. Everything that Jesus does from this point forward is a recapitulation of the original creation story, but unlike Adam, Jesus does it right. The opportunity for new life is available in the life that Jesus is about to model. The story of the temptation in Luke 4, is what should have happened in the Garden when humanity originally fell into sin. Jesus stands firm and lets out a resounding “No!” through his understanding of the Scripture in the face of temptation by the devil. If only I can have my mind opened in such a way.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Psalm 19
Psalm 19:1-14 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; 4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
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I had a little bit of trouble at first with this passage. I think it was because it was the liturgy in chapel last Thursday. The first few times I read through it, the liturgical aspect kept interfering with my actual reading of the passage. However, once I was able to push that out of my mind, a couple of things really stuck out to me.
First, “reviving the soul.” I begin to think of Ezekiel and the valley of the dry bones. I wonder how this represents me in my current walk. At times I have felt like nothing more than dry bones that have desperately needed to be formed from the dust. I have especially felt this over the past few weeks, as I have fallen out of rhythm with my means of grace. Isn’t it amazing how discipline can slip when free time opens up? I have been in a rut lately. I get my reading done just so I can get it done. I skip meals more often than I fast. I think of praying more often than I actually pray. I am nothing but dry bones. But I know that God is ready, willing and able to revive my soul. What I don’t know is how much that is true of myself.
What does it mean to be a new creation in Christ? What does it mean to come to life after being nothing but dry bones? The soul is the deepest part of a person. Sometimes it is so deep that some refuse to believe that it is even there. I believe my soul is there, waiting to be revived by the Lord, waiting for me to be ready for such a revival in my own life. Physically and spiritually, I am ready for such revival in my personal life. Mentally… I think I’m scared. But why? If indeed the “law of the Lord is perfect… the statutes of the Lord are trustworthy… the precepts of the Lord are right… the commands of the Lord are radiant… the fear of the Lord is pure… and the ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous,” then what have I to fear? Every person wants to be the master of his/her domain. It is scary when we have to give up that so-called “right.” But is that really a right? Or is it something that we merely think we are entitled to?
There is new life in Christ. There is the opportunity to have our souls revived. All we have to do is die. We have to die to that which is ours and become His. We have to die to the desires of our hearts, but in this death there is new life. Paul says in Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). When we finally decide to die, we truly begin to live.
The prayer of the Psalmist becomes my prayer – “Forgive my hidden faults…” The faults I have tried so hard to bury so that no one will think less of me. “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me….” The sins I regret as soon as I commit them. The sins that take away from the only true life that I have – life in You. “Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression…” and free to live in you in such a way as to really experience life. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
----------------
I had a little bit of trouble at first with this passage. I think it was because it was the liturgy in chapel last Thursday. The first few times I read through it, the liturgical aspect kept interfering with my actual reading of the passage. However, once I was able to push that out of my mind, a couple of things really stuck out to me.
First, “reviving the soul.” I begin to think of Ezekiel and the valley of the dry bones. I wonder how this represents me in my current walk. At times I have felt like nothing more than dry bones that have desperately needed to be formed from the dust. I have especially felt this over the past few weeks, as I have fallen out of rhythm with my means of grace. Isn’t it amazing how discipline can slip when free time opens up? I have been in a rut lately. I get my reading done just so I can get it done. I skip meals more often than I fast. I think of praying more often than I actually pray. I am nothing but dry bones. But I know that God is ready, willing and able to revive my soul. What I don’t know is how much that is true of myself.
What does it mean to be a new creation in Christ? What does it mean to come to life after being nothing but dry bones? The soul is the deepest part of a person. Sometimes it is so deep that some refuse to believe that it is even there. I believe my soul is there, waiting to be revived by the Lord, waiting for me to be ready for such a revival in my own life. Physically and spiritually, I am ready for such revival in my personal life. Mentally… I think I’m scared. But why? If indeed the “law of the Lord is perfect… the statutes of the Lord are trustworthy… the precepts of the Lord are right… the commands of the Lord are radiant… the fear of the Lord is pure… and the ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous,” then what have I to fear? Every person wants to be the master of his/her domain. It is scary when we have to give up that so-called “right.” But is that really a right? Or is it something that we merely think we are entitled to?
There is new life in Christ. There is the opportunity to have our souls revived. All we have to do is die. We have to die to that which is ours and become His. We have to die to the desires of our hearts, but in this death there is new life. Paul says in Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). When we finally decide to die, we truly begin to live.
The prayer of the Psalmist becomes my prayer – “Forgive my hidden faults…” The faults I have tried so hard to bury so that no one will think less of me. “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me….” The sins I regret as soon as I commit them. The sins that take away from the only true life that I have – life in You. “Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression…” and free to live in you in such a way as to really experience life. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Substance v. enjoyment?
In a recent class (Foundations of Church Growth), we had a discussion on the value of "entertainment" in the Church. We began the discussion by noting that one of the primary ways that cultural messages get across is through "play." Some members of the class found that the idea of making the Church a form of entertainment was catering to the sway of society. I can understand and sympathize with these sentiments, but I also want to be careful to point out that they should not go too far. Yes, if enjoyment and entertainment is the sole purpose of the service, then something very important has been lost. However, I believe it is wrong to assume that simply because people are enjoying the service, it is somehow less sanctified and that we are catering to society. Something that I have always maintained is that there is a time to have fun and there is a time to be serious. I would say that it is okay to have fun. If we cannot be filled with joy when we worship the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, we have some serious issues.
I want to stretch a little bit here and put up an analogy that I think will make sense. Given the time of year (just a week after the Super Bowl), it think it is fairly safe to say that football is still fresh in our minds, so I would like to feed off of that for just a moment and compare a football game to our Sunday worship.
I'm sure most people have seen a football game (that's American football, in case there is any confusion). It can be fairly entertaining, depending on who is playing and whether or not your team is winning. A football game can appeal to the most basic of fans because in reality the game is very simple - you try to move the ball down the field and score. In this sense, anyone can understand the game. However, if the fan really wants to know more about the game, the opportunity is available. Let me ask this - how often do you watch the person with the ball compared to the way the offensive line works together, or how the running back runs out of the backfield on a passing play, or the route a receiver takes on a running play? The schemes are all over the place, offensively and defensively. It is such a complex game on another level; however, it is still entertainment.
Here's where the analogy gets applied to the Church. Worship can be a very exciting, entertaining time, but it can also be very deep and complex. It does not have to be one or the other. So much of it is what we bring in affects how we view worship. One person can "get nothing" from a service, while another can be moved in a very powerful, profound way. It is okay to be entertained. It is okay to be infected with vitality when worshipping God. There are times when the line between enjoying worship and desiring to entertain the masses has been crossed, but I don't think we should make assumptions based solely on the style of the worship.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
I want to stretch a little bit here and put up an analogy that I think will make sense. Given the time of year (just a week after the Super Bowl), it think it is fairly safe to say that football is still fresh in our minds, so I would like to feed off of that for just a moment and compare a football game to our Sunday worship.
I'm sure most people have seen a football game (that's American football, in case there is any confusion). It can be fairly entertaining, depending on who is playing and whether or not your team is winning. A football game can appeal to the most basic of fans because in reality the game is very simple - you try to move the ball down the field and score. In this sense, anyone can understand the game. However, if the fan really wants to know more about the game, the opportunity is available. Let me ask this - how often do you watch the person with the ball compared to the way the offensive line works together, or how the running back runs out of the backfield on a passing play, or the route a receiver takes on a running play? The schemes are all over the place, offensively and defensively. It is such a complex game on another level; however, it is still entertainment.
Here's where the analogy gets applied to the Church. Worship can be a very exciting, entertaining time, but it can also be very deep and complex. It does not have to be one or the other. So much of it is what we bring in affects how we view worship. One person can "get nothing" from a service, while another can be moved in a very powerful, profound way. It is okay to be entertained. It is okay to be infected with vitality when worshipping God. There are times when the line between enjoying worship and desiring to entertain the masses has been crossed, but I don't think we should make assumptions based solely on the style of the worship.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.