What “The Impressive Clergyman” Had to Say

For those of you who haven’t seen The Princess Bride, do so. You will not regret it. For those of you who have, you’re going to recognize the allusion. Prince Humperdinck’s bishop was played by Peter Cook, and his speech still sends people into gales of laughter when they watch the show. Here’s the relevant point to today’s Brown post.:

“Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us togevah today. Mawwiage…that dweam wivvin a dweam, that bwessed union…etc.”

I thought I’d start off on a little bit of a tongue in cheek note, because the first suggestion for success is a pretty heavy subject to get into, and some of the stuff I’m going to say is pretty controversial. It states, once again:

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.

It’s a true thing. It really is. I have seen marriages both successful and unsuccessful, and those who are really right for each other make it plain by their actions, by their character as others see it, and by what they highlight about each other to each other. Let me take you through some passages just to get some ground under us:

Genesis 2:18-25

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” So out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”

So two things become clear here. First, that it is not good for man to be alone…marriage is an essential part of life. Second, that a man will leave his family to start a new one, and in doing so he is to hold fast to his wife. That is, he is to consider her worthy of any sacrifice necessary for the preservation of the marriage.

This understanding of marriage is expanded upon in the Song of Songs or Song of Solomon. In 2:7, 3:5 and 8:4, that book declares this thing:

“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.”

The whole book is an illumination of the point and privilege of marriage. In 3:11, this is written: “Go out, O daughters of Zion, and look upon King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart.” In 5:16b, this is written: “This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” There’s more, but my time is limited in this one. Suffice it to say with regards to the aims of marriage in Song of Solomon that marriage is meant to bring delight to the bride and the bridegroom both, delight such that anything else is incomparable, that each is to be lost without the other.

What becomes clear throughout the Old Testament (and there are hundreds of illustrations regarding marriage and family) is that marriage is meant to be a source of joy and hope, not misery and despair to those privileged enough to be married. The New Testament gives illustrations of marriage in a much deeper way, likening the union of man and wife to be the closest earthly reflection of the fellowship of God to reconciled man, to pre-sinful or post-redeemed man.

Just as an aside, two of the essential reasons, I believe, why Jesus never married is to preserve Himself as the righteous Bridegroom but also to indicate that His fellowship with the Lord did not need to be reflected or found in marriage, but that His relationship with his Father was complete without it. This would be a very different can of worms, and you may see a meditation on it at some point later on.

The matters of Christ as Bridegroom are a related topic, but I can’t get into it here because it would take you far too long to read the post. There are also some gaping holes to fill, because to articulate a theology of marriage would be almost an academic paper in length. I’ll return to this topic when I get to suggestion 21, but for now, here’s the next one. You’ll see this in a few days.

2. Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

Exercising Faith III – Emotional Shorthand

One thing that really bugs me about this new digital culture is the way in which we limit ourselves emotionally by saturating ourselves with news…BAD news.  Countless thousands of people will get up in the morning, brew their coffee, sit down at the computer and peruse the previous day’s tragedies.  We’re hit all the time with news of death, war, famine, pestilence…yes, I’ve mentioned the four horsemen of the Apocalypse specifically (They’re Biblical, and not just icons of popular understanding).  So much, in fact, that it destroys compassion and empathy.  And this is frightening.  We are deluged with so much loss and so much senselessness, and as a result we start to shut ourselves down emotionally, like circuit breakers.  We can’t bear the things we hear on our own strength, so we don’t try.  And that narrowing of the range of feelings short-changes the heart and soul of what we’ve been designed for.  In a nutshell, what happens is that we’ve designed our lives to communicate in emoticons, which I call emotional shorthand.

There’s a lot of reference in the Bible to things like fullness of joy, and there are a lot of people who don’t experience it, because of depression (spiritual or physical), distraction, delusion and division.  I kind of like the alliteration, and I’ll probably spend a post on these things a little later on.  But now, bear one thing in mind – We’re not designed as emotionless beings.  Nor are we meant to experience things like love and sorrow as brief blips on an otherwise steady ECG monitor.  We have hearts for a reason, and it’s no accident that in places like Ezekiel 11:18-21 and Ezekiel 36:25-27 the Lord expressly declares that he will give us hearts of flesh.  They are to be used for people, and to their full range…not as foolish little yellow heads to punctuate sentences.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer

Facebook Flipside – What You Consider Valuable.

I can’t really leave Facebook alone just yet, because you need to consider what it does to relationships outside of the computer screen and keyboard.  Sure, you can send Muppets or throw sheep.  But what happens when this becomes the only form of contact you have with people?  In my experience, it leads to a terrible isolation.  When you publish your status for others to read, it’s writing down how you feel, or something quirky, or inviting questions.  But how does that make up for time spent with friends?  How does that make up for going out for a coffee or some lunch and really taking the time to talk?

The direction that we’re taking is a dangerous one.  I can’t help but think of the desperate need for something to unify us that Facebook pretends to fill.  I can’t help but think of what it means when we no longer know how to interact with one another outside of, for example, playing meaningless games or ‘poking’.  I could go on a very long time about the nature of translating physical realities into digital languages.  Or about shorthand emotions, which eventually lead to us cutting off any wide-ranging passions.  In fact, I probably will go on a bit about that one soon.

The question really is, then…what kind of time do you consider valuable, and is it a correct assumption?

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

Seeing the Journey, Not the Destination

I rarely take the bus; mostly because I prefer to walk.  In all weather, mind you, and with great satisfaction regardless of conditions.  But on occasion, taking the bus gives you time to simply enjoy the ride.  You’ve paid your fare, you’ve found a seat if you’re lucky or you’re not hitting peak times, and you can sit back and simply take in the people around you.  I know, I know.  Hard for most of us to think about a bus ride that way.  Most of the time,  we’re busy listening to our tunes, reading, looking out the window instead of at the faces of the crowd with whom, for this brief time, we are locked up.  If any of you will dare admit that they’ve seen Speed, you’ll understand what I’m talking about when I say that for the duration of the ride, you’ve become brothers in arms regardless of what may keep you apart in any other circumsctances.The interesting thing about a bus is that you can share your ride with the most varied people.  Students. commuters, grocery shoppers, travelers…nomads on city streets.  Most of the time, people will sit down and shut up, keeping things to themselves or amongst a small group of friends with whom they are travelling.  What a fertile ground for studying life, for watching the glances of love between couples, for imagining what thoughts are going through the minds of your seatmates.  But also, for sharing a word of comfort with those who gaze sadly out the window.  For learning the most amazing things about people.  And for, if the opportunity arises, making ever-so-brief connections in a world increasingly fragmentary and tribal, despite growing global citizenship and humanist rhetoric.  Which was, if you think about it, the main ministry of Jesus Christ.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

Operative Grace

I’m getting more and more bowled over by the way I see the hand of the Lord in all sorts of things.  It’s amazing to see how He works in the lives of non-believers and they just seem to ignore it or are unable to see it.  But I guess that’s one of the way’s in which we can tell that He is alive in us, because we get to see it and are reduced to tears at His goodness in letting us see it.  There’s a song by Mercy Me that really describes this.  It’s called “Bring The Rain”, and here are some of the lyrics:

I can count a million times / people asking me how I / can praise You with all that I’ve gone through.  The question just amazes me / can circumstances possibly change / who I forever am in You?

The depth of feeling in these lyrics is something else.  But what it really speaks to is how a Christian experiences life as opposed to a non-Christian.  I mean, I can see how God’s at work to change the hearts and minds of people I work with, to incline them more to one another in love.  Now, it’s not the great turning towards God that still needs to come, but it’s a start.  What I find most amazing is that in learning not to take each other for granted, these people are taking small steps towards learning more about what God feels for His children.  And I have been placed in the position of being able to observe this and offer the truth of Christianity in it.  This is what’s really amazing.

Acting on that, however, is what will make the difference.  Not speculation, not thoughtful commentary.

Action.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

Bearing Witness I

Looking at iGoogle’s literary quote of the day for today has give me some cause for ponderation.  It’s from William Faulkner, and says “I never know what I think about something until I read what I’ve written on it.”  So true, that is.  I’m speaking of articulating where I stand on things and where I need clarification through journaling.  Not just any type of journaling, but prayer journaling.  It really clears some things up when you simply write about them, and then look back.  And it preserves records of insights for the family that (hopefully) will become your legacy, your gift to the world.

It’s really a big thing, starting and raising a family.  So many times, people just give up and get a divorce or, even worse, never marry at all but simply drift through life without ever having to bear responsibility for others.  I was challenged on this point just the other day by one of my good friends.  He launched into a half-joking commentary on the woman that will never get married and the children that will never be brought up in the knowledge and truth of the Lord because I’m a wuss.

Sad thing is, he’s right.  And it doesn’t just apply to me.  The Bible offers perspectives on both the married and the single life, and hundreds of points of wisdom on family, but so many are simply casting aside this great gift because of selfish desires.  And it is a great gift, to have a family on both sides of you:  Parents to raise you, to teach and direct you and to shape who you are to the world; and children, to look up to and learn from you.

Every minute of every day, we teach someone something.  We do this through our actions and through our character.  Most of the time we don’t even acknowledge this truth, but it is essential that we recognize the fact that we bear witness to things in every aspect of our lives.  I think I might riff from this a bit tomorrow, but that’senough for tonight, I would say.

A World Apart – Prayer

There’s so much that we think we can handle on our own, under our own power, with our own resources…you know. But can you buy your way out of exhaustion, or conquer misery with a credit card? And what happens when we run out of steam, when we are destroyed by tragedies within our families or in our communities? Where is our own power in the hospital wards?

We can’t do anything when it really counts, when it really matters to the heart. We sit helplessly by and watch loved ones go through pain and torment in illness and in addictions. We try so very hard to be a friend to those who feel they don’t need it. How much, then, can we really do, and with what?

That’s the first step in prayer. Admitting that we need help, seeking to find it in talking things through with God and watching in amazement as the solutions to our problems seem to unfold. Acting on realizations and in poverty of spirit, calling on God to help and then crying as He does.

Who cares if people think we’re crazy…God loves the prayerful heart, because the prayerful heart is more and more capable of loving Him and giving Him glory.

Next time – We stand on His strength.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

Restoration

This is the second and concluding post on community and exile. They’ve taken a different form than I’d intended, as writing usually does, but I think a better one than I’d planned. Regardless, I want to use this post to talk about restoration, the return to a blasted ruin with the hope of rebuilding.

Honesty in my own heart leads me to the conclusion that as much as I may examine the lack of community within the churches I’ve had experience with, I can’t maintain the argument in all experience, nor can I make a judgment call on all churches from my own limited view. What I can say, however, is that there is a lack of Acts-like fellowship in the age I find myself in, and that the needs and directives to – as in Colossians 3, allow the Word of Christ to dwell in me richly, speak and admonish in hymns and spiritual songs, and as in James 5, confess my sins to others and pray for others – live in community and interact in community are kept less than adequately. In less awkward phrasing, I find that I can’t live these imperatives in the regular community of the church, but rather in fellowship with a rather heterogeneous crew of Christians assembled outside of the Sunday service and even outside of the church I call home. And I doubt that I would be wrong in suggesting that many others are in the same position.

Zipping back and forth between the Testaments, I find myself thinking of the return of the exiles in Babylon to the burned and wrecked Jerusalem…mostly due to the Nehemiah sermons that began coming out of Mars Hill in Seattle last spring. The applications, however, are different. In my view, the very point of the rebuilding of Jerusalem is the restoration of a people’s identity and self-respect. And I do see an upswing in the establishment of a solid foundation in the church that parallels this rebuilding effort, although, sad to say, it is not taking root where the wounds of religion run deep. At least not in the mainstream denominations. So, as I move into Ezra in my personal reading, I keep this hope in mind: That much like the scars in a burned forest slowly heal and flourish again, so to do the scars of religion and the needs of the brethren to find strong community.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

Sufficiency IV – Community

Acts 4:32 – 34
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold…

Acts 2:42 – 47
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

So why aren’t we able to do this any more? What’s killed the gathering of the believers in such a form as this?

I’ve been building towards this entry for the last little while, because I know it’s the most tragic loss to the church, and the most important of what needs to be seen again in the age of isolation. This entry is both the last of an old and the first of a new subset of examinations. My aim here is to look at the insufficiency of the church community now, and the ways it needs to and can improve to be culturally missional, reaching out to the lonely and the alone, the isolated and ignored…those that we no longer choose to see or hear because we lock ourselves into worlds of smoke and mirrors.

I believe that everyone should go through the experience of leaving one place to move to another. I believe that it is of the utmost importance to learn to build community amongst one another in Christian fellowship. And most importantly, I believe that we need to get alone with our faith or lack thereof in order to get together with the sick and dying who need to share it.

Hell is real. The absence of community is one manifestation of Hell on earth, when the tender soul is isolated and attacked, dealt blows of guilt and accusation, and tormented with the maddening inability to feel a part of anything or anywhere. And it is just as rampant in the church as anywhere else – probably moreso in the church than anywhere else, actually. We are all alone in the pews on more occasions than we care to admit, feeling cut off from the people around us and outcast with our own terrifying sinfulness. So many feel as if nothing can establish a place of common ground. And what the average church offers to combat this is, frankly, worse than nothing. It is the illusion of togetherness in vast and empty buildings, in sanctuaries where the teaching minister or pastor appears in the pulpit on Sunday morning and not again until the next week, shakes your hand and wishes you well. This is the nightmare that so many face unless they live their lives intentionally outside of the church, seeking out fellowship worthy of the example of Christ, making efforts to seek out believers with whom we can share our inner selves, and living (most importantly, this), as exiles together.

I say exiles and mean a number of different things in it: exiles in a land of foreigners, sojourners in a country not our own; people who live lives with a sense of the difference Christ makes and the necessary exile from the ways of the world and the friendships or relationships formed within those confines.

So what am I trying to say?

That community is grown organically, and grown for a purpose…that being to glorify God in the tasks He has appointed for His servants. That we are exiles in this land, cast out from our true home and dispersed to do God’s work in a culture we cannot fall subject to and begin to live within the confines of. That we are not alone in being outcast. And these are the things to which I’ll be devoting some significant attention to over the next two or three posts (no more, as I need to begin looking at the truth of sufficient grace, sufficient love, sufficient power, and sufficient accomplishment). Keep a weather eye out!

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

The Prodigal – Farsightedness

One particular phrase in the parable of the prodigal sticks out to me just now, and it’s important to think about it with a little more clarity. I’m going to reiterate the verse here, and then think about it a bit.

Luke 15:20
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.”

But while he was still a long way off…I have heard this story and read it many times; it’s been applicable in a few different situations. But only recently has that particular verse struck me with its potency. While the repentant son was still a long way off, and while he was still on his way to meet his father once again, probably lost in the regret and sadness of humiliation, his father saw him and ran to him. How powerful a picture this is!

Father God, filled with compassion, sees us in our repentance from a long way off. While we’re still getting there, He’s overwhelmed with love and runs to us, hastening the comfort and welcome that we don’t deserve and are often too blind in our own sorrows to see. He throws His arms around us as we are prepared to abase ourselves absolutely before Him, unworthy, we think, to continue be called by the name of His child. Even as I write this, I’m struck with some of the incredible meaning of this compassionate act. And with the absolute forgiveness and love that our Father brings to us in our pain, not anything that we bring to Him. If you think about that, too, you run into some pretty amazing stuff. There’s nothing that we can bring to Him. Even our repentance is as naught. How many people do you know that take the time to hear you speak your pain and then act to comfort you and demonstrate that all is forgiven in an embrace? How many people do you know that don’t hide a grimacing mind behind a smiling face? I know I can certainly say that I’m guilty of this thousands of times over. But even in that, God comes to us. He sees us from a long, long way off, and runs with all haste to comfort us in sorrow and in shame.

One more to go;

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.