A New Look @ ‘Answered Prayer’

Gerry Sittser sees martyrdom a little more broadly that he used to.  It’s not just dying for Christ physically in an arena or under a dictator; it’s also dying to self through the situations when we hold onto faith even when it seems impossible to do it; when there seems to be no material evidence that shows us God is good and  for us. It’s being faithful  in the face of affliction.  Sittser lost his mother, wife, and one of his children in one car accident!  He is a theology professor and does not just write about grief and prayer, but he does those two very well.  In a sermon on John 16 last week at Christ Church, I mentioned Sittser and many were asking for more information.  Here is the Amazon list of his works. I also listened to a podcast interview with him on his book, When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer. The podcast is The Illumined Heart and the June 5, 2009 edition is with Sittser and can be downloaded or subscribed to at Ancient Faith Radio here. Here are some of his key insights that I shared Sunday:

U2, Twitter, and What I did today

Since you don’t particularly care “what I am doing  now”, I thought I’d tell you what I did earlier today!

I listened to one of my favorite podcasts as I went to the dump and other exciting things.  It’s The Kindlings Muse,  by Christian cultural observer Dick Staub.  Some really well done conversations with very sharp people on books and film and music in our culture.  This week is a discussion of U2’s new album, No Line On the Horizon. Whether you are fascinated or frustrated by Bono, like or dislike their music, you need to listen to this discussion.  It is a great window into the spiritual journey and vision of one of the most creative and dynamic social justice voices of our century.  This album is filled with intriguing re-frames of the redemption, hope and holy risk-taking needed by Christ followers in today’s world.  One of the songs is Unknown Caller that captures the hope of  new life in technology terms of “restart” and “reboot” and ourselves being the human “password” that still matters.  If you are an iTunes person – subscribe to this podcast.

Another thing I did was read the latest Time Magazine cover story on the Twitter phenomenon.  Before you right me off as advocating mindless, trivial, egocentricity, read this article – more to understand the changing times we are in and the neutrality of technology in itself.  It’s what we DO with it.  I’m preaching this week on John 15 and “abiding in the vine” – the need for Christ-followers to be in “Constant Connection” with Christ.  Any lessons  here?  What do you think?

The Way and ‘Not-the-way’

Somebody has said, ‘There is only one sickness, and that is homesickness.’  Whether modern man knows it or not, that is his chief sickness – he is Home-sick.  He knows that he has one foot in time and another in eternity, and he doesn’t feel at home in either one.  He is afraid of both.  He is afraid because he can’t put these two together and make them come out as sense.  His sums don’t add up.  Something is basically wrong. (E. Stanley Jones, The Way, 1946)

E. Stanley Jones is one of my literary mentors (who died in 1973).  He served 50 years in India, was an evangelist to the world who Time magazine called second to Billy Graham, and worked passionately as an ambassador of peace.   His writings were filled with the confidence that the Christian Way was THE way – not just theoretically,  but by experience.  He would say this with a hundred different vivid examples.  Here is a sample:

Ambition and Servant Leadership

Ambition poisons Christian leadership.  Jesus painted a picture of what a servant is when he washed the disciples’ feet that night before his last Passover.  Paul the Apostle reminded the Philippians,

“Have this mind in you that was also in Christ Jesus…who made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant…he humbled himself…” (Phil. 2)

Humility is often more prized in public than cultivated in our inner hearts.  An article in Pastors.com, The Seduction of Ambition, by Lance Witt,  gives a crucial warning and helpful advice, especially for those of us who  seek to be Christ-like servant leaders.

Bonhoeffer and The Way of the Seed

In  John 12:24-26, we’re reminded that The Jesus Way is the way of the seed:  potential, death, resurrection, glory.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred in Hitler’s Germany knew the costly way of the seed.  For those who have not read, or recently read, this poem written from prison, I put it out for further reflection

STATIONS ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM
(from Letters and Papers from Prison)

Discipline
If you would find freedom, learn above all to discipline your senses and your soul. Be not led hither and thither by your desires and your members. Keep your spirit and your body chaste, wholly subject to you, and obediently seeking the goal that is set before you.  None can learn the secret of freedom, save by discipline.

Christ is Risen (and don’t forget – Ascended!)

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17, ESV)

Like the first disciples after the resurrection, we experience Jesus without seeing him!   But there is another decisive happening – 40 days after the Resurrection; one  that we often under-emphasize:  the Ascension.  An ancient hymn says:

O Christ our God, upon fulfilling Your appointed work for our sake, You ascended in Glory, uniting the earthly with the heavenly….and cried out to those who love You, “I am with you and no one is against you.” (ancient hymn for the Feast of the Ascension)

Why is it so significant that Jesus is our ascended Lord?  Jesus said it in commissioning his disciples; “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”  (Mat. 28)   As N. T. Wright reminds us, this isn’t a ‘beam me up’ science fiction story.  Rather, it conveys Jesus’ Lordship and freedom from space-time limitations.  “Up and down” language is metaphorical in the Bible.  “God’s space” (heaven) and “our space” (earth) are not far away, but near.  Jesus, the embodied man is already Lord of all  (yes, he did not cease being a man!); he is also divine; he is present in one way by the Holy Spirit, but is also absent from this world.  And the ascension has the guarantee attached that he will appear again when the end comes!  “Jesus is in heaven, ruling the world, and he will one day return to make that rule complete.”  ( Surprised by Hope, p. 117)  Wright, in his groundbreaking book has a wonderful way of explaining this.  Jesus is like a new CEO taking charge of a company that is a mess.  (sound familiar?)  and we are his messengers, called to work for our Lord’s new way of doing things.  We take orders from him.  He is interceding for us (Heb. 7:25) and has equipped us with His Spirit and  gifts for service, backed by his preeminent authority.  We are therefore both humble and confident as we get busy at our calling; as we seek to make  a difference in this time between his ascension and his appearing, when ALL things will be made right! 

Death of Christianity in America ‘Greatly Exaggerated?’

Newsweek Magazine, April 13, 2009 edition, has an ominous cover story:  The Decline and Fall of Christian America: How a reduction in religious affiliation will change the U.S. There has been a lot of press lately from major  surveys documenting decline in numbers of affiliated Christians and the increase of those openly NOT.  Dave Olson,  soon to be head of the Evangelical Covenant’s Church Growth and Evangelism Department, has written a book called The American Church Crisis - where he asserts after a study of 200,000 churches that attendance in America is half of what is usually reported by polls and church denominations.  The ARIS (American Religious Identification Survey, 2008) is the most recent study (quoted in the Newsweek article.)  You might want to read it for yourself , instead of being told what it says!)  Despite the sensational title, the Newsweek author, Jon Meacham,  is making a  point that is actually positive in some ways.  He is trying to say that there is a difference between Christianity and Christian America (as often defined.)

Human Trafficking and De-humanization

“Where is the church?” was the question asked a colleague of mine.  Sunday,  in our teaching on John’s Gospel, Chapter 8 (The Truth Will Set You Free!) we addressed our need to respond to dehumanization of sin  wherever it is found – in ourselves, in sexual abuse, domestic violence, or human trafficking within our own state.  I quoted Wendell Berry in the sermon, taken from an interview in the book Conversations With Wendell Berry (p. 144). Here is the actual quote:

Life after death: Intermediate Heaven and the Eternal State

Richard Baxter, English pastor and author living in the 1600’s,  went through an extreme physical breakdown that left him near death for 5 months.  During that time he meditated deeply on the scriptural teaching on heaven and eternity.  He recovered and later his notes and sermons became the book, The Saints Everlasting Rest.  After this experience, he vowed to spend an hour every day meditating on his heavenly citizenship.

I had rather read, hear or meditate, on God and Heaven, than on any other Subject: for I perceive that it is the Object that altereth and elevateth the Mind…that it must animate all our other Duties; and fortifie us against every Temptation and Sin… click here for a link to the story

I was recently  talking with a sister in Christ (who is facing a life-threatening illness) about heaven and the difference between the final state of resurrection on a restored earth and the after-death state.  There is much mystery but real hope!  I want to re- post a helpful  article from Randy Alcorn’s web site section on Heaven. It’s an article that I believe does an excellent job of explaining the difference.

Lenten Prayer of Ephrem the Syrian – 4th Century

(Adapted from an article by the late Alexander Schmemann)

Tradition ascribes this prayer to one of the great teachers of the spiritual life – St. Ephrem the Syrian, who lived in the 4^th century. It is used extensively in Lenten services in he Eastern church. Here is its text (translated with some modern terms) with commentary by Schmemann.

O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth and apathy, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity and wholeness, humility, patience, and love to Your servant. O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother; For You are blessed forever, to ages of ages. Amen

Read the commentary: