Christmas: Hope for the Second Coming Created By His First One!

Christ-followers speak of the birth of Jesus as "the First Advent" meaning "the First Coming."  Obviously, if we need to distinguish a "first" anything, it is because there is always a "second" of that same thing.  Recently, I've been encouraged to see that the "First Coming of Christ," teaches me some important things about my hope and longing for the "Second Coming of Christ."

The Fallacy of False Options: A Gospel of Grace Option For Thinking About Homosexuality And The Bible

In the present civil war it is quite possible that God's purpose is something different from the purpose of either party.    --Abraham Lincoln

These words are from an unpublished manuscript found among Lincoln's papers after his assasination.  Scholars generally refer to is as his "Meditation on the Divine Will," and consider it a source for his Second Inaugural Address.  Lincoln makes a good point.  We often look at two options and wonder "Which one is God's Will?" when in truth it may be that neither are.

I thought of that - call it the Fallacy of False Options - after watching a documentary last night that Netflix describes in this way:

Director .  .  .  . goes to the Bible to examine the ways in which conservative Christian groups have used -- and sometimes exploited -- scripture to deny human rights to gays and lesbians around the world.

The film is produced as an emotional tsunami.  There are 95 minutes of rapid cuts between members of five different families from different religious backgrounds as they experience a child coming out as homosexual interspersed with Jimmy Swaggert outtakes.  WOW!!  It all happens faster than I could process and left me with net effect of being totally overwhelmed.

Take Another Look: Young Adults Are Not In Church

 You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving the Church...and Rethinking Faith by David Kinnaman is a recent publication by the Barna Research Group.  You can read a summary of the study called Five Myths about Young Adult Church Dropouts by clicking here.  It’s an article well worth reading.  I’m guessing that it will leave you shaking your head with agreement if you are under 30, and shaking your head in disbelief if you are over 40.  Still, it’s helpful to see life as it really is.

The Externally-Focused Church in Acts

I've been praying and thinking a lot about "the externally-focused church" of late.  (Click Here to see a recent one.)  In the course of that, I reviewed the book of Acts as well as notes and observations from my recent sermon series on the same and came to some fresh observations.  Specifically, I see three different "patterns" of how the earliest believers lived out an externally-focused, missional life together.

Your Brain on Grace

I was watching Morning Joe on MSNBC this week while huffing and puffing on my Nordic Trac and heard Tina Brown talk about an upcoming feature article in Newseek on America's "spending addiction" and our need, as individuals and as a nation, to make some changes.  Click here for the article itself.

What caught my attention was her comment to the effect - I've not been able to locate the segment on video - that researchers are able to identify differences between "spending brains" and "saving brains" at the level of brain chemistry and synapses.  There's more in the article, and I'll leave the policy implications to others, for now.

Since then, I've been pondering the prospect of potentially similar differences between a "grace brain" and a "works brain."  The flights of fancy on this theme appear endless!

Doctrine and A Gospel Heart

I've been a Christ-follower for forty years (!) now.  In that span, I've earned lots of degrees.  Studied in lots of places.  Preached for years.  Taught the Bible in all sorts of settings to all sorts of people.  I have  pretty firm convictions about what the Bible teaches and what it doesn't.  Though I would not kill for my convictions - That's actually a biblical conviction of mine, but I digress! - I do think I would die for a number of them.

Needless to say, I've been in some pretty sharp disagreements with folks over the years regarding those convictions.  I left one seminary as a student and one denomination as a pastor over my convictions.  Plenty of folks have left churches I was leading because of my convictions and preaching.

Innie or Outie? The Externally-Focused Church

Are you an "innie" or an "outie?"  I'm not talking about your navel, though it is sort of related.  Instead, I am referring to a life-or-death "posture of the heart" for churches and church people.  When it comes to matters of faith, is your heart "internally-focused?"  Or "externally-focused?" 

Warning: Bible Reading Can Be Dangerous To Political Stereotypes

Nearly everyone I know has a Bible, in fact, usually several Bibles.  I also know a lot of people who believe that the Bible tells us what we need to know about God and life.  I know some people who even have pretty firm convictions about God and life with Bible verses to back them up.  But the number of people I know who actually read the Bible in a systematic way - reading regularly, reading full passages rather than just favorite verses, and reading to let God "speak" to their life in what they read - is actually fairly small.

No need to point the finger here.  Just look at how much of the Bible you have read without commentary in the past three days.

A recent article in Christianity Today, based on research by Baylor University and  LifeWay Research identified some unexpected outcomes on beliefs and behaviors for people who read the Bible regularly.  It's worth reading and pondering the entire article - Click Here To Do That - but here are some highlight statements I have gleaned from the larger article.

Women in Ministry: Redefining the Disagreements

I’ve been growing increasingly frustrated of late with the way conversations about the role of women in ministry seem to play out.  I often find myself closer to some of the people I disagree with than with some of the people I supposedly agree with.  What’s going on here?!?

A Changing Landscape for Ministry

"Few things are as constant as change," they say.  Many have observed that the pace of the changes we face is increasing as well,  As a result, we do well to identify some of the changes going on around us, and consider their impact on ministry in our time and place.

From my observation, time is becoming the increasingly scarce resource in people's lives.  Here are two statements that really brought this into focus in my thinking:

Learning to Disagree Graciously

I'm certain we have all faced the wide, even contradictory, variety of convictions regarding foundational Christian truth that operate across the Church Universal.  With this diversity, is there any hope that the church can avoid becoming as partisan and bogged down as Congress?  How is it that that believers of differing convictions can live with one another and those differences?  Does it all really depend on winning the argument?  As if "once everyone agrees with me we can get along."

In sorting through these issues in my own ministry, I have concluded that it is one thing to study theology and Christian truth, but another thing entirely to interact with others about that truth.  One is theoretical and removed from relationship – the pure contemplation and pursuit of Truth.  The other is pursuing Truth in relationship with another person and their experiences.  It is an important and helpful distinction for me.

Unprepared to Meet the Real God

There is a vague childhood memory floating around in my head of a sign along the highway near my home outside Charlotte, NC that ominously declared: "Prepare To Meet Thy God."  It could bring on a vague sense of unease and judgement just riding past it.  I could picture an invisible god just behind it, angrily looking down his long nose with a frown and a face that said, "Now you are REALLY in trouble."  I would pedal on as hard as I could to get past it without getting struck by a lightening bolt.

Looking back, I realize that I wasn't sure what I was in trouble for with this god, but I clearly got the message that between who he was and who I was, there was nothing but disappointment and punishment.  I couldn't tell you why I was condemned, but I was certain somehow that I was, even if it seemed a bit unfair.

The God Who Contradicts Me

 There has been a lot of research lately on the "state of faith and religion in the United States."  I stumbled across a good summary of it in USA Today this week, and recommend it to you.  It's called "More Americans Tailor Their Religion To Fit Their Needs," and clearly describes - with reference to some research - what I have observed in ministry.  Click Here to read the USA Today article and get the full context for my post.

The article speaks of "America's drift from clearly defined religious denominations to faiths cut to fit personal preferences."  Notice the plural there: "faiths."

Resources For Daniel Sermon Series

On Sunday, September 11, I will begin preaching through the book of Daniel.  I'll be taking an "event by event" pace rather than "verse by verse," which will come to roughly one chapter per week.  Let me give you a connection and some background for the primary resources that I've been studying with:

Choices and Consequences

You can make you own choice, but you are not able to choose the consequences of that choice.  Realize that in any choice you make, you are also choosing the consequences that come with it, both the known and the unknown.

I’ve seen this connection between choices and consequences in my own life, and helped others see the connection when I can.  It came to mind while reading an updated edition of a book I have reviewed here before: Hurt 2.0 by Dr. Chap Clark.  Click here for previous review.

Clark has the background and research to lay out in stark relief the sense of abandonment, confusion and pain that characterizes the lives of our adolescents in the United States today. I can’t help but think though that their pain, is in large part a consequence of the choices made by the culture of adults.  Clark paints a picture of the “modern family” that we have chosen:

Learning To Pray

I want to pass on to you the most inspiring prayer resource that I have encountered in many years.  "Heavenward" is  a blog by Scotty Smith, pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN.  Each day he posts a prayer.  Each prayer is now a part of own my daily time with my Heavenly Father. There is no better resource for learning to pray from a "gospel of grace" perspective that I have been able to find.

You can go directly to the blog by clicking here.  Once there, mark that in your browser and then pray daily with Scotty, just as I do.  There is even a link on that page to have the prayer emailed to you each day.  Do whatever works best for you, but don't miss the opportunity to see your prayer life grow and the roots of your heart dig deeper into the gospel of grace.  Let me encourage you by giving you a taste of today's prayer:

We're (Probably) Not Headed To The Movie Theater

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to walk through the Regal Cinemas near Central Park to consider a theater as a location for Christ Covenant's Sunday morning worship service and ministry.  It was arranged by Bonnie Smith, a national Regal employee who served for years as an EPC Women's Ministry leader but is now helping put churches and special events in Regal theaters around the country.  I got to meet Matt Foster, the local manager of the theaters.  Both are GREAT folks and would be wonderful to work with.

We walked through all the auditoriums with lights on and began to consider doing ministry in that setting.  There was a lot that I liked:

• It was less expensive than Salem School.
• The space was newer and jazzier.
• The location is more accessible and known.
• We could do GREAT video clips and art pieces.
• Surprisingly, I could see the setting for our Children's Ministry as much improved there.
• Bonnie's organization had expertise and help in making this change work well.

But for all of that, the Steering Committee has decided that this location would be low on our list, and we will continue praying and looking for something better.  What was the problem?  The architecture of a movie theater would significantly alter the corporate worship experience in a way that was counter to our stated vision and values in two major ways.  Let me explain them.

"I Have Called You By Name . . ."

But now thus says the Lord,

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine."

Isaiah 43:1 (ESV) 

"I have called you by name."  This is a statement that our Heavenly Father made to Israel through the prophet Isaiah, but it expresses well an aspect of our adoption into His family by grace.  He knows and loves us personally and deeply despite our brokenness.  He knows our name, in fact, He has given us His name through adoption.  We are His.

That experience should shape the heart of every believer in every Gospel-of-Grace oriented congregation, and then express itself towards the new people that the Father brings to our doorstep each Sunday.  At Christ Covenant, we call it "welcoming people well," and it is something we are mindful of.  Are we welcoming visitors in a way that they feel welcomed?  A way that is appropriate to them?  Not forcing our selves or our agenda on them, but available, responsive and welcoming.  Thinking about their needs as a visitor before our needs as regulars.

A component of that is learning, remembering and speaking to a person by name.  It makes a difference, we try to be diligent about getting names and faces connected, remembered and recognized.  I was struck by the importance of knowing a person's name by a blog post in "Church Volunteer Daily" that I reproduce here in full:

It Always Goes To The Heart

It was a crushing headline that ran in our local Sunday paper, and across the United States: "After Gastric Bypass Surgery, Some Patients Battle New Addictions."  The article itself summarized research, including life stories of people who lived out a connection between dramatic weight loss from gastric bypass surgery followed by an increased incidence of alcoholism.  

• "Drinking for me became like eating used to be — instant satisfaction," said the 60-year-old resident of South Florida.
• "All addictions are about fixing how one feels," said Lerner. "Changing the nature of the addiction does not change the nature of the person." 
• Click Here for the full story. 

Thomas Jefferson Was A Calvinist?!?

Sort of!  I believe he was, in the same way that I am a Freudian, Darwinist who sees the world in light of Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

EPC General Assembly - 2011

I was unable to attend the General Assembly of the EPC this year, but am happy to pass along the following information about it, written by Dana Cadman, Director of Communications for the EPC.  It was originally posted at this link to the Aquila Report.

What Do You Mean By The Term "Missional Church"?

Visitors to Christ Covenant will often ask me that question, so let me attempt to clarify, answer and give some background.

Another Part of the Story: Reflections on Abortion and the Vander Woude Story

There is another part to the story of Thomas Vander Woude that I shared on Father's Day that is worth reflecting on.

Josie – the son Mr Vander Woude died to save – was a Down’s Syndrome person.

Let me tell you something about the United States that we live in and how different it has become.

The Gospel For Fathers

I shared some reflections on "the Gospel for Fathers" in our worship for Fathers Day and wanted to post them as well.  It begins with this story about the life of Thomas Vander Woude that I came across on the Atlantic Monthly website.  (Click Here for the source article.)

The morning of Sept. 8, 2008, was like most mornings for Thomas S. Vander Woude, a former airline pilot who, in retirement, kept a farm in Nokesville, Virginia. He went to Mass, and then turned to the relentless demands of his 26 acres. By his side was his youngest son, Joseph, known as Josie, who was 20 at the time, and who had Down syndrome. Josie’s six older brothers had long ago moved out of the house, but Josie was his father’s inseparable companion.

While Thomas was working, Josie was off in a different part of the yard when a broken septic-tank cover gave way under his feet, and he slid in. Vander Woude, from a distance, saw his son fall. He understood right away that Josie was in mortal danger. The tank was 8 feet deep, and filled almost to the top with waste. 

Discerning The Gospel Difference: Grace, "The Rules" and Why I'm (Finally) Happy Without a Porsche

Do "The Rules" in the Bible matter?  People regularly ask me questions like that one when they first visit Christ Covenant.  That's because we believe that the grace that saves us, is the same grace that will mature us in Christ.  The Gospel of Grace is not the A-B-C's of Christian faith, it is the A thru Z of it!  You hear a lot about grace at Christ Covenant.

That Gospel sounds so strange to American ears in this moment of history, that when people first hear it preached and worked out in the issues of life, it is easy to be confused.  "With your focus on 'grace,' do The Rules' in the Bible matter?" they ask.  My answer: "Of course, they do.  But we have to see them in light of grace, and that is what I call the Gospel Difference."

In the moralistic American religion that I call "Churchianity,"  "The Rules" in the Bible are the things we need to understand and start doing.  Good preachers in this tradition - it seems to run through all denominations - are able to help people understand those rules and then get them motivated to start doing them.  There is a wide variety of ways that this happens, but the process of "learn and do" is basically the same.

In light of the Gospel of Grace, those same rules function differently.  And that is where the Porsche came in for me.

Discerning The Gospel Difference

I recently listened to a sermon on the biblical call to forgiveness.  The pastor carefully worked through the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18, and then persuasively laid out the case for all Christ-followers to live lives marked by a forgiving attitude.  He ended with two stories and an exhortation.

Church Discipline and the Cross

I’ve been thinking a lot about Church Discipline lately, and its not fun thinking.  I’m guessing that most of my unchurched friends would not know what I’m talking about if I brought it up in conversation.  A few of my church friends would know and speak of the importance of Church Discipline and need for more of it.  I suspect most churched people – like me – have experience with it and cringe.

Reading With Gospel Eyes: Record? Or Advocate?

There is a simple question that  each person reading the Bible needs to answer in order to better understand the message:  Does this passage record an event, practice or principle?  Or does it actually advocate it?  Discerning that difference quickly clears much of the confusion that I hear people struggle with.

The point is that the writers of the Bible often faithfully record things that they do not intend to advocate, especially as timeless, universal principles or behaviors.

Them and Us: Different Flavors of Presbyterian

It's easy to be unaware that there are different "flavors" of Presbyterian in the United States today.  Depending on just how you count, there are about eight distinct and separate denominations right now that have "Presbyterian" in their name.  I usually try to avoid making much of the differences out of a sense of public civility.  I prefer to keep family arguments inside the house.  Unfortunately, there are some decisions being made right now in another Presbyterian group that I need to distinguish myself from.  What you will see in the headlines is about Presbyterians deciding to ordain practicing homosexuals.  And now, a bit more of the rest of the story.

The Line Between Good and Evil: Reflections on the Death of Osama bin Laden

As a citizen of the United States, I applaud the work of our Navy seals in apprehending and finally killing Osama bin Laden. We all owe a debt of honor and gratitude to the military and intelligence personnel who have persevered and worked for this day.

As a resident of planet earth who has a hope for peace and justice for all, I could only receive the news of his death with a mixture of sadness, thankfulness and relief.  As a follower of one called the Prince of Peace, I understand that until He returns to establish His kingdom on earth, there will be times that even the use of measured and accountable violence to resist evil is appropriate.  This is certainly one of those times.

But let me ask a question: Where do you draw the line between good and evil?

Can Grace Be Overemphasized?

Is it possible to overemphasize grace in the preaching and life of the church?  Shouldn't there be a balance between grace and obedience, God's love and His Holiness?  I've had people ask me that after a few weeks of visiting at Christ Covenant.  Typically, there is an honest and heartfelt concern on their part for Christian maturity, an obedient lifestyle and the holiness of God.  While I share those concerns - they are all important biblical themes - I can say it emphatically: I do not think that it is possible to overemphasize grace in the life of the church.  Here's why:

The Isaiah Scroll of Qumran: The Message Is Reliable

We've been working through the passages in Isaiah referred to as the Servant Songs, and this Sunday I made mention of the amazing story of the Great Isaiah Scroll found in 1947 in the caves of Qumran in the desert south of Jerusalem - part of the collection known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

It is amazing to me that with this one serendipitous discovery we can see how faithfully the words of Isaiah had been kept across more than one thousand years.  As I have said, the authority of the Bible lies not in the text itself, but in the God who speaks to us through these words.  What this thousand year leap in text history allows us though is the assurance that the words through which God speaks to us, have been faithfully preserved for us.  The means by which He communicates His message have been carefully kept across the span of time.  This is important not simply to impress us with the text, but to give us confidence in the message.  And a good thing indeed, for that message is one of radical grace and discipleship.  It is only right that a message to surrender our lives should show itself to come to us by way of a trustworthy means.

But For The Good Decisions I've Made, There Go I

I enjoyed seeing the movie "The Grace Card" this week.  It sparked a lot of good discussion that night, and even more reflection since.  It may be easier to find on Netflix than in the theater, but I certainly recommend it for an evening spent with family or friends.  Just make sure to plan time to talk about it together when the lights come back on.

I'll jump to my main question: Does the movie effectively portray the grace of the gospel or not?

Is This Judgment?

"God is judging Japan" said the woman in a brief interview on the evening news.  She was a Japanese national of Shinto faith.  My first feeling was relief that it was not an American speaking or representing some expression of Christianity.  But just as quickly it struck me: Hers is the only conclusion that performance-based world views - whether Shinto, Muslim or "Churchianity" - can come to when trying to come to grips with the unfolding national crisis in Japan.  The Gospel is very, very different.

Times of Refreshing: Thoughts on Authentic Revival

I'm looking forward to time with the InterVarsity chapter at the University of Mary Washington this Thursday, 3/10.  I'll be speaking to these students about something close to my heart: Authentic Revival.

I use the term "Authentic Revival" to distinguish between an outpouring of the Spirit and the practices associated with "Revivalism."  There is a difference between a season of God's renewing work and a series of meetings in a local church aimed at "getting people saved."  The one can be transforming for people and community, the other is prone to manipulation and dysfunctional excesses.  One I pray for daily, the other I resist.

I'll have more to say at the meeting, but I want to use this post to make several resources available to everyone.

A Silent Exit For the Dr Behind The Silent Scream

February 21 marked the passing of Dr. Bernard Nathanson.  Don't feel bad if you weren't aware.  The 84 year-old doctor who changed his mind, then collaborated on the 1984 film called The Silent Scream" passed on with remarkable silence.

Nathanson was trained as an obstetrician, but by the 1960's he became deeply involved with the debate over and practice of abortion.  He helped establish NARAL - the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws.  After Roe v. Wade legalized abortion - he testified in favor of it - he established in New York City the largest free-standing abortion clinic in the world.  He estimates that he personally performed 75,000 abortions, including abortions on women pregnant by him.

Then came the ultra-sound.  The doctor watched an abortion as it was being performed.  The new technology of ultra-sound allowed him to observe the "fetus" as it was being pursued in the womb and then suctioned limb by limb to it's death.

Lies My Orphan Voice Recently Told Me

Molly Bites Back After Maddy Takes Her Down

We've got two Labradoodle "minis" that are cuter than any dogs have a right to be.  Recently, they came roaring through the door into the house and continued their favorite game of "full-contact-Labradoodle-wrestling" all through our kitchen.  Mary Lynn's response was, "Oh, to have such energy."

Still on my first cup of coffee, I heard myself thinking "Anyone would be so rambunctious and carefree if all they had to do was play, eat and sleep and had someone else taking care of their every need."  Immediately, I realized that was "my Orphan Voice" speaking. 

The Gospel Changes Everything!

I make no secret of the impact that Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, has had on my own life and experience of the Gospel of Grace.  "My 'Gospel Yoda' he is," as I listen to his sermons each week for my own growth and encouragement.  I'm passing along a link to this interview of him and Rabbi David Gelfand from the February 18th episode of MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

There are three powerful gospel truths touched in this clip:

And Now For The Rest of the Story: Is Marriage Really Obsolete?

Nearly 40% Say Marriage Is Becoming Obsolete read the USA Today headline on November 11, 2010.  The two paragraphs filled out the details.  (Click here to see the original article.)

Marriage is increasingly optional and could be on its way to obsolescence, according to a survey of more than 2,600 Americans that examines changing attitudes about relationships today.

Among the 2,691 adults surveyed by the Pew Research Center last month, 39% say marriage is becoming obsolete, up from 28% who responded to the same question posed in 1978 by Time magazine, which participated in the survey.

It was a headline that was repeated across newspapers, magazines, radio and TV for about a month.  Now for the rest of the story.

The Missing Cross: A Different Grace

Ever find yourself going from link to link and reading  countless articles on some blog to avoid working?  I recently spent about 45 minutes on the Huffington Post doing that, and it was pretty eye-opening. They were all  on their "Religion" section and all related to Christian faith.  But in a really different way than a generic evangelical like me is accustomed to.

I'm not really recommending - or denigrating - any particular articles, ideas or writers. When I step back and take a global view though, two things stood out to me:

Ordination of Women?

I've been preaching a series of sermons on issues and questions that people often ask me about as we sit together over coffee.  Those are often times that I speak to the uniqueness of the Gospel of Grace and how that plays out in the ministry of Christ Covenant as well as matters of real life.

This past Sunday - January 16, 2011 - I addressed the question of women in positions of ministry leadership, which for me as a Presbyterian means Elder or pastor.