"Hallelujah!" Praise the Lord! So begins, and ends, the last psalm of the Psalter, Psalm 150. This is a hymn of the community that gives praise to God. It recounts none of the Lord's benefits, as other psalms do. It asks nothing of God, as other psalms do. It does not lament anything God has not yet done, as other psalms do. It is pure praise. The psalmist identifies WHO should praise (everything that has breath), why they should praise (God's surpassing greatness), and how they should praise (with every kind of music imaginable).

I find this interesting because it sort of makes this psalm the answer to the Satan's charge against Job. Remember that scene in the heavenly court when the Satan approaches God and says, basically, that the only reason Job, and other human beings, worship God is because of what God does for us? "Have you not put a fence around him (Job) and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."

Satan's charge is that human worship of God is based solely on THANKSGIVING. We can be grateful for what God has done for us and what God gives us. But absent those, we will not worship God for Who God is. Our worship of God is not based on PRAISE. Or so charges the Satan.

Psalm 150 is therefore the "anti-Satan." It is pure praise. No thanksgiving for what God gives us or what God does for us. No asking God for anything. Just pure praise for God's "surpassing greatness."

Job never knew of the heavenly debate. But in the end, Psalm 150 vindicates him!

Praise the Lord!

Today we read Psalms 42-43, 46, 51, and 57.

Here's an interesting tidbit when reading Psalms 42-43. These two psalms, which were originally one psalm, begin Book II of the V books of Psalms (like the 5 books of Moses). The inscription says they are "of the Korahites." Who?

Korah was an influential figure from the wilderness wandering period of Israel's history. Like Moses and Aaron, he was a descendant of Levi according to Exodus 6:16-24. He led a revolt described in Numbers 16:1-40 against Moses and Aaron. He died in his attempt to seek priestly equality with the descendents of Aaron. As the descendants of Aaron consolidated their priestly power in the period of the Jerusalem Temple, the Korahites were reduded to peripheral roles. The "sons of Korah" were Temple singers, guardians, gatekeepers, bakers, and so on. But they never got to serve as priests in the "holy of holies" as the descendants of Aaron did. They were 2nd class priests because of what their ancestor did.

Might this explain why their soul was downcast? Might this shed light on tears being shed day and night? Might this explain the taunts they suffered, "Where is YOUR God?"

Sometimes our destiny seems stuck on a trajectory launced by our family history. Sometimes that trajectory can cause us great pain. Addictions. Poverty. Dysfunctions. If so, we're in good company. Psalm 42 and 43 are our lanterns of light. Despite the "black sheep" in their family, one who was swallowed up by the earth at God's command (a really bad black sheep!), still they could write, "My soul thirts for God, for the living God." It is understandable that they should feel like castoffs. But look at the hope! "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God."

You can be proud of your great-great-grandkids, Korah. They have redeemed your name.

Continuing our study of the Psalms of faith, we look today at Psalms 1, 2, 22, and 23.

Let me share some thoughts on Psalm 23. These insights have always meant a lot to me because they were given to me as I mourned my father's sudden death in March of 1990.

When I was in the 3rd grade, we were "forced" to memorize the 23rd Psalm in Sunday School. Then we recited it as a class before the whole church. As difficult as that may have been then, it made the Psalm stick with me. I've recited it often, read it, heard it read. It was always the same. But when I really needed this insight, it was given to me.

The Psalmist describes God as his shepherd. Notice that he is not talking about a shepherd with a whole flock of sheep, but of a shepherd and ONE of his sheep. It is about relationship with the shepherd. It is about intimacy with the shepherd.

Look how the Psalmist describes the shepherd: "HE makes me lie down in green pastures; HE leads me beside still waters; HE restores my soul. HE leads me in right paths for his name's sake." The word "he" grammatically is a third person pronoun. It is used to refer to someone in the abstract, or someone not currently present. It's as if the Psalmist's relationship with the shepherd is theoretical -- sort of the difference between intellectual assent or belief, and intimate relationship.

Now notice how those pronouns referring to the shepherd change after the Valley of the Shadow of Death. In v. 4, "Even though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I fear no evil." Why? "For YOU are with me; YOUR rod and YOUR staff -- they comfort me." Now the Psalmist is using second person pronoun. He is referring to someone actually present, no longer "theoretical," but somone with whom he is having a relationship.

It has always been my contention that a walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death does that to you. No matter what your relationship to the shepherd prior to that Walk, your relationship changes. God is no longer "He," theoretical, abstract -- God is now "You," right here, with me.

I often tell families in their time of grief that this insight means that no matter what relationship their loved one had with the Shepherd prior to their death, I believe the Shepherd comes to them in that dark valley, and they come to see Him as never before. I believe that is how it is with my father, who was never a deeply spiritual man. Christ, the Good Shepherd (John 10) came to him and dad's pronouns changed from 3rd person to 2nd person. "I will fear no evil; for you are with me..."

This insight has always brought me great comfort.

I received an insight today into the Book of Psalms that I had never thought about before. It came from our study guide.

I knew that the Psalms are poetry, and that in typical Hebrew poetic fashion, the art is expressed not in meter or rhyme, as in English poetry, but in parallelism ... where one line of thought is repeated or expanded upon by a second. "Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!" (Psalm 117:1)

What I hadn't realized is this: The Hebrew Psalms have been translated into all modern languages. Had they been built on rhyme or meter, the poetic force would have become language-specific. It would have lost its force in translation. But because the Psalms are built around parallelism, their poetic beauty and spiritual insight is preserved.

When you think about it, that is what you would expect from a God who intends these poetic hymns to be used by people across the centuries and in every conceivable place and time. What a provision! What a gift!

Today, I continue to read "Song of Songs" with the help of Bernard of Clairveaux, the 12th century mystic. Bernard, like all the early interpreters, Jewish and Christian, saw in the SOS a metaphor of love between God (Christ) and His people. Regarding the "kiss" so frequently mentioned in SOS, Bernard says, "any one who has received this mystical kiss from the mouth of Christ at least once, seeks again that intimate experience, and eagerly looks for its frequent renewal. I think that nobody can grasp what it is except the one who receives it. For it is 'a hidden manna,' and only he who eats it still hungers for more."

But Bernard does not think that one can immediately kiss Christ on the mouth, which represents the epitome of intimacy with the Lord. No, instead, he says, "I do not wish to be suddenly on the heights, my desire is to advance by degrees." Advance by degrees. One begins as a repentant sinner, prostrate before Christ, kissing only His feet. Then one rises a bit and kisses Christ on the hands. After Christ forgives the repentant sinner, by His hand He helps us up and sustains us, so that we may not, like a dog, return to our vomit (says Bernard). Therefore, we kiss the hand that sustains us.

Only then are we ready for the intimacy the kiss on the lips represents. "Once you have had this twofold experience of God's benevolence in these two kisses, you need no longer feel abashed in aspiring to a holier intimacy. ...It is my belief that to a person so disposed, God will not refuse that most intimate kiss of all, a mystery of supreme generosity and ineffable sweetness." Again, as Bernard sees this, "first, we cast ourselves at his feet, we weep before the Lord who made us, deploring the evil we have done. Then we reach out for the hand that will lift us up, that will steady our trembling knees. And finally, when we shall have obtained these favors through many prayers and tears, we humbly dare to raise our eyes to his mouth, so divinely beautiful, not merely to gaze upon it, but I say it with fear and trembling - to receive its kiss."

You may read the whole sermon from which these thoughts come at: http://glorifyhisname.com/sys-tmpl/b5/

Where do you need to be in this progression today?

Our "Disciple IV" class has been enjoying a semester break over the Christmas holidays. We're back to work now reading the Song of Songs. We're coming down the "Old Testament homestretch" as we race toward the New Testament Gospel According to John.

Reading the Song of Songs (also called the Song of Solomon), it's easy to see why the book did not garner universal acceptance as holy scripture! It's quite erotic in places. This book is definitely rated R in spots. But when the book came to be seen as a poem of love between God and His people, it found its place in scripture. Both Jewish and Christian interpreters came to similar conclusions, although Christian writers saw it as a description of the love between Christ and His Church.

The 12th century mystic, Bernard of Clairveaux, actually preached 86 sermons on the Song of Songs!! (If you're interested, these can be found at http://glorifyhisname.com/sys-tmpl/stbernard1/.) I would be hardpressed to come up with one!

Reading Bernard's first sermon (which is on the TITLE of the book), in this pre-critical age, I find his interpretation of the place of the SOS in the wisdom book genre fascinating. Bernard says there are two main enemies of the human soul: love of the world, and love of self. He sees the Book of Ecclesiastes as directed to the former, and the Book of Proverbs to the latter. Once one has applied the lessons of these two books to these twin enemies of the soul, one is ready to feed on spiritual bread, having moved beyond milk.

That gets us to the Song of Songs. If one complains that he or she is not getting anything spiritual out of the SOS, Bernard would reply, "before the flesh has been tamed and the spirit set free by zeal for truth, before the world's glamour and entanglements have been firmly repudiated, it is a rash enterprise on any man's part to presume to study spiritual doctrines."

Are you spiritually ready for the Song of Songs?

Taking a break from the Book of Job for a rant and rave...

I saw an article on CNN.com today (read it here) about several megachurches cancelling worship services on Christmas Day. (Is it fair of the secular media to hold the Church accountable to it's own standards?) It's a matter of resources, says one. They're having their "21 services" on Christmas Eve, and Christmas is a "family day," so they don't want to impose on their staff and volunteers to come in on Christmas Day for another worship. Plus, their target audience is a "seeker" crowd, an audience that is not likely to attend church on Christmas Day. The last time Christmas was on a Sunday was 1994, and not many folks showed up.

To me, this is clear evidence that the camel of secularism, particularly the 12-ton camel of secular marketing, has gotten it's nose into the tent. Would you expect celebration of your birthday to be cancelled when it falls on Sunday? Not me! This reveals to me what I've suspected all along, that Christmas is not about CHRIST for most folks -- apparently, even some Christians -- but it is about marketing.

Do you know the difference between the versions of the Christmas story in Matthew and in Luke? Check out Matthew 1:18-2:12 and Luke 2:1-20. In Matthew's version, there are Wise Men who, having seen cosmological evidence of the birth of a King, search Him out to "pay Him homage." Upon finding Him in a house, they "offered him gifts." In Luke's version, there are not Wise Men bearing gifts. In fact, there is no gift giving. It is shepherds who come, and they come only with praise for what God has done. Even in Matthew's version, the only reference to gift-giving, the gifts are given TO JESUS. But, it is from this gospel account that our tradition of Christmas gift-giving comes.

I think this CNN article points to the need for a reality check. With Christmas on a Sunday this year, perhaps it is time for a little more of a Lukan Christmas! Maybe a little more focus on praising Christ, especially on THE DAY -- Christmas Day -- and a little less focus on the gift-giving, secular marketing focus.

Permit me to tell a personal story. When I served the First United Methodist Church in Mineola, TX, something eye opening happened for me one year after a meeting of our Ministerial Alliance. Several of us pastors were "lamenting" how busy we were at the Christmas season that year. Father Dan, the Catholic priest, was telling us all his parish was doing to celebrate the birth of Christ. Then he asked, "How many worship services are you having Christmas Day?" (which was NOT a Sunday that year). I was ashamed. All of us Protestant pastors had to admit that we were planning NO services Christmas Day, most were not even planning a service for Christmas Eve. Father Dan, surprised, simply said, "You are having NO worship Christmas Day? But that is THE day that this is all about!"

Father Dan was right. Starting that year, and every year after that I was there, we had worship on Christmas Day at First UMC, Mineola. We only had 15-20 people show up. But it wasn't about the number of people. On this "family day," we worshiped Christ because it was His birthday.

Will YOU be having a Lukan Christmas this year? Will YOU be in church worshiping Christ this Christmas Day?

Job is convinced he is innocent, despite the increasingly hostile responses of his "friends." He begins to get an idea. Justice demands a trial. In 9:15, Job states, "Though I am innocent, I cannot answer (God. For He is far too powerful.) I must appeal for mercy to my accuser."

Zophar is the "friend" who is the most blunt. Unlike Eliphaz, he makes no attempt to soften the blow of his words. "God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves." (11:6)

Job is reaching the breaking point. No longer just an idea at the back of his head, the trial -- the opportunity to plead his innocense before God -- now becomes a necessity. Job even is willing to risk life and limb: "See, He will kill me..., but I WILL defend my ways to His face." (13:15)

When bad things happen to good people, when the righteous suffer -- and I see it every day -- we demand justice, we require fairness on God's part. Even two year olds understand the idea of fairness with the cry "It's not fair!" The idea of indescriminate suffering we cannot fathom. So our demand for justice comes out in the form of the "why" question -- Why is this happening, God? The implicit idea beneath the question is that there is some good answer which will make us say, "Oh, now I see." Just as implicit in Job's demand for a trial is the idea that he can successfully defend himself, and make God say "Oh, now I see."

Job will get his face to face with God later in the book. But the result of his "trial" will not be what he expects.

Job. The Bible says he is from the land of Uz, southeast of Israel. But actually, he is every nationality, every religion, every race. Job is every person who has ever suffered and demanded to know "why, God?"

Job is everything the conventional wisdom tradition said he would be given his blameless and upright living. He is wealthy, with just the right blend of camels, sheep, and donkeys. He is blessed with seven sons, and three daughters -- to the ancients, a perfect balance. Job has been blessed by God. Life is as it should be -- there is predictability, order. Peace.

Then Job loses it all. Property. Family. Health. Biblical tradition has called Job "patient." He is NOT patient. He is persistent, but not patient. Job protests his innocense, and demands and audience with God to right this wrong.

What Job does not and cannot know is what has happened in the heavenly council that has preceded his suffering. But we, the readers, know. We are given the privilege of being a fly on the proverbial wall, glimpsing the heavenly council. As the heavenly creatures gather before God, one them, known as ha-satan in Hebrew -- the Adversary or the Accuser or the Obstacle-- comes also. This is not the Satan of popular culture, or "the Devil." He is a shadowy member of the heavenly court, whose job seems to be roaming about, testing the motives of people. The Hebrew words ha-satan are used to describe the Philistine assessment of David in 1 Sam 29:4, and even of the "Angel of the LORD" being an obstacle, a ha-satan, to Balaam in Num 22:22.

God is in a good mood. He "brags" to ha-satan about Job. "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth..." We want to shout, "NO, GOD! Don't say that!" as if God has just put His divine foot in His mouth. "Does Job fear God for nothing?" the Accuser replies? "Oh no," we flies say, "that's what we were afraid of. Now God has gone and done it!"

Ha-satan raises one of those ultimate questions -- Is it possible for Job, who is everyman, to love and obey God simply because of Who God is? Or is our love and affection for God, is our obedience to God, simply the result of what God does for us and we don't want to tip the apple cart? If everything God does for me is taken away, can I still love God for Who He is?

God agrees that is a question worth answering. God wants to know, is Job -- who is every man, every woman -- able to say:

Though the cherry trees don't blossom
and the strawberries don't ripen,
Though the apples are worm-eaten
and the wheat fields stunted,
Though the sheep pens are sheepless
and the cattle barns empty,
I'm singing joyful praise to GOD.
I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. (Habakkuk 3:17-18, The Message)

Are you?

Surfing the net yesterday, I came across NPR's "I Believe" web-site. One credo caught my attention -- that of Penn and Teller's (the magic act duo) Penn Jillette. He is an atheist; actually he says he is BEYOND atheism. And in his "I Believe" credo essay, he spells out the reasons why he thinks that makes his life better. It's fascinating reading, I suggest you read it by clicking here.

Bascially, Jillette says, “I'm not greedy. I have love, blue skies, rainbows, and Hallmark cards, and that has to be enough… It seems just rude to beg the invisible for more. ” And in that, I hear echoes of Qohelet, the Teacher. "This is what I have seen to be good: it if fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun for the few days of life God gives us; for this is our lot." (Eccles. 5:18) While Qohelet would not regard himself as an atheist, he has declared that his search for meaning in life has revealed that to do anything other than find joy in our toil TODAY is a chasing after wind. When it all comes down to it, say both Qohelet and Jillette, it's just a matter of "eat, drink, be merry, enjoy your work, love the wife of your youth."

If one does not believe in God, as Jillette does not, and if one has not discovered an afterlife, as Qohelet has not, is this what it all comes down to - eat, drink, and be merry, for it's rude to want more?

This week we're still reading Ecclesiastes, but this time for hints of joy. What a challenge! E has to be one of the "downest" books in the Bible, even attempting to knock the "Wisdom School" of Proverbs off the shelf with its notion that good in life can be extracted by living well. E says life is a lot more random and living well does NOT guarantee a good life.

But the author of E does raise an interesting question. Because time and chance DO play havoc with our neat religious platitudes and because no one really knows what will happen tomorrow (astrology fans take note), what SHOULD we do today?

E seems to answer, just because we can't understand life doesn't mean we can't enjoy it -- at least some of it. He has a great point here. Many of us are always living for "someday." Only 5 more days until the weekend. Then life will begin. Only 11 more months till my VACATION!! Then life will begin. Only 20 more years till I RETIRE!!! Then life will begin. But the fact is, tomorrow may never come. It has not come for countless thousands who keep putting their joy of life off till "someday."

E says... "So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that this pleasure is from the hand of God." (Eccl. 2:24, NLT) Eat. Drink. Enjoy your work. Find pleasure in life TODAY. Don't wait for "someday."

Pretty wise advice. Even for E.

Wow. Qohelet sure dismantels the "conventional wisdom" of Proverbs! "Again, I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful; but time and chance happen to them all." (9:11, NRSV) His verdict, after all his observation, is that the same fate awaits us all, no matter how fast, strong, wise, rich, or skillful we are. Death awaits us all.

Yet, in the face of such desperate news. Qohelet does not despair, nor advise us to do so. His advice? Carpe diem! Sieze the day. Live for the moment. "Go, eat your bread with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do. ... Enjoy life with the wife whom you love..." (9:7,9)

Qohelet tells us to enjoy life TODAY (for there is no certainty of a living tomorrow) for 3 reasons:

1. God has approved it -- a remarkable statement that suggests that God not only enables enjoyment, but also delights in it.
2. It is the portion granted to us as human beings.
3. The possibility of enjoyment is time limited, so enjoy life while you can.

So -- go sieze the day!

"Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher (Qohelet), all is vanity."

Job. Lamentations. And, Ecclesiastes. Such depressing books of the Bible! (But life is like that, isn't it?) The Teacher says it's all like chasing after wind ("vanity of vanities" refers to vapor or a breath, a phrase he applies 38 times to different experiences of life). You can spend lots of effort -- physical, mental, and emotional -- but in the end, you come up empty-handed he says. So why bother?

The title "Ecclesiastes" comes from the Greek transation of the Hebrew Qohelet, which in turn is derived from the word qahal which means to assemble, or to gather. So the Qohelet is the leader of the assembly. That's why he's sometimes called the Preacher. The idea of this author being a Teacher comes from verse 12:9, "Qohelet also taught the people..." There's little doubt that Solomon did NOT write this book, which probably appeared around 300 B.C.

Qohelet's observations are all "under the sun," i.e., he thinks only in the framework of this earthly existence. When bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people, where is God? He lived in a time when a full orbed belief in the afterlife, or heaven, or eternal life, did not yet exist in Hebrew thought. Without such a belief in the final justice of God, you can see how he gets so cynical. He questions the assumptions of Proverbs that the righteous are rewarded by health, wealth, and happiness in this life and sinners are punished by illness, poverty, and early death. To raise a modern question, what about 9/11? The righteous died, the sinners still live. Where is God's justice? The grave is the destiny of all. No matter how hard you work and how much you accumulate, it all passes into your children's hands, who may themselves be fools! No matter what you do, they'll forget your name in no time after you're gone. So why bother?

There's much truth in what he says. Though this is certainly not a PROOF of an afterlife, it shows the importance of belief in the final justice of God.

I like Agur! He's found in today's readings in Proverbs, in chapter 30. My Bible footnotes call him "graduate school." He's for those who think they have succeeded in applying all the wisdom found in chaps 10-29. Agur says, after all these chapters of wisdom on poverty/riches, righteousness/wickedness, wisdom/foolishness, etc. -- "I have NOT learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One."

I really think it's true that the wiser we become (with age?) the more we realize how foolish we are. The wiser we become, the more easily we detect how fickle and self-centered we can be. The wiser we become, the more "righteous" we become (thought of as spiritually mature), the more we realize how far from Godliness we are.

Despite his recognition that he hasn't really become very wise, Agur says in verses 8-9: "Remove me far from falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that I need, or I shall be full, and deny you, and say, 'Who is the LORD?' or I shall be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God."

Here is REAL wisdom. After chapters of wisdom comparing the rich and the poor, in which it is generally agreed that to be poor is bad, Agur realizes that it is not good to be EITHER rich or poor. Both have their traps. Both can lead us away from God. What I really appreciate is Agur's realization of the danger of riches. When we are full, when our appetites are satisfied, when we are getting our own way, then we forget God. We think WE did it.

I remember how much prayer and appealing to God was on the news in the days right after 9/11. Even news media were referring to it. (I remember one particularly odd outburst on the day of 9/11 by CNN's Judy Woodward about turning to God, however one understands Him. It sounded like SHE was groping for God, but she didn't know how. I may have been wrong, but it struck me that way.) There were national day of prayer services -- and people CAME! Church attendance soared. We had a need for God. But then came the invasion of Afghanistan. And military victory soon after. We were satisfying ourselves. Church attendance dropped. No more talk of prayer. "We've got it now, God. Sorry to have disturbed you!"

At least it's good to know that this kind of foolishness has been around a very long time!

OK, this isn't from Disciple IV. It being Sunday, a Sunday I preached, it's been one of "those" days, leaving little time to do my Disciple study.

But rather than write nothing today, I thought I would post a devotion from Lamentations 3 that I prepared for our equipping staff retreat this week (I won't be posting Mon or Tues!). Here goes...

The theme of our retreat this year has been Lamentations 3:21-22, which you heard read earlier. I find Lamentations to be one of the most amazing books in the Bible.

First, if you need some decorations for a pity party, look no further. This is the most depressing book. Just listen to some of its verses:

How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal. (Lament. 1:1, NRSV)

God has right on his side. I'm the one who did wrong. [Can you hear the SHAME?] Listen everybody! Look at what I'm going through! (Lament. 1:18, The Message)

I called to my friends; they betrayed me. My priests and my leaders only looked after themselves, trying but failing to save their own skins. (Lament. 1:19-21, The Message)

Oh God, look at the trouble I'm in! My stomach in knots, my heart wrecked by a life of rebellion. Massacres in the streets, starvation in the houses. (Lament. 1:19-21, The Message)

No one listens, no one cares. When my enemies heard of the trouble you gave me, they cheered. Bring on judgment day! Let them get what I got! (Lament. 1:19-21, The Message)

I mean, this stuff is utterly DEPRESSING!

But isn’t it safe to say it describes just the way we feel when...
- not one, not two, but three of our staff members get cancer within a year and two of them die of the disease?
- when a church member gets cancer and we pray for them, and we anoint them, and we celebrate with them when the doctor announces them post-surgically "cancer-free!" and then, a year later, they die from the recurrence of the disease?
- we bust our butts mobilizing to help Hurricane Katrina victims at the Reliant Complex; collect and distributing toys, diapers, food, bottles, clothes, we collect almost $500,000 in cash; we train and organize 700 volunteers to serve food; and then, 2 weeks later, TWO WEEKS LATER!we’re all running from another category 5 storm aimed right at us?
- an addict has been loved and nurtured at Mercy Street, he’s gotten sober and into a life group, he’s even living with a church member. Then, after we’ve poured so much love and trust into him, he steals from the people he’s living with gets high again?
- one partner of a married couple we’ve loved and shared life with suddenly and unexpectedly announces he or she is getting a divorce because there’s been an affair?

I could go on and on. All of these examples are real incidents that happened to us as a church staff recently. Like the writer of Lamentations, we can pour on the "poor, poor, pitiful me" stuff. Life gives us plenty to complain about, plenty to be downright depressed about. And I haven’t even mentioned the constant threats to our well being in the culture around us, stuff like...
- terrorism
- bird flu
- economic inflation and recession
- high oil prices
- apparent government incompetence or uncaring in the wake of disasters
- global warming and the thinning ozone layer
- living on the HIGH side of the hurricane cycle

If I go on – and I could – we would ALL need Liza to give us counseling! All of these are real threats currently around us. I’m not making any of this up.

But then, then, in the very midst of this "pity party" stuff, in the very middle of this depressing list of real life happenings, comes these absolutely AMAZING verses. This INCREDIBLE declaration of faith comes literally sweeping in out of nowhere. Smack dab from the center of all the complaining, and weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, comes this incredible statement:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will HOPE in him." (Lament. 3:22-24, NRSV)

"I will HOPE in Him." You know, they say that hope is stronger than memory. Where does this hope come from? Where in the depths of this pity-party-writing Lamenter does this hope bubble up from? And what I REALLY want to know is – where can I get some?

I don’t want to give you the "Jesus" answer here – you know, the "preacher I know the answer is SUPPOSED to be Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel!" answer. I don’t want to over-simplify here. But we know that this Lamenter, when times got really, really tough, reached down deep, deep into the fortress of his or her faith. It comes from the bedrock belief that no matter how bad things get – and they DO get bad – that God is love. And though we may wail and moan and complain, we will not let go. Because we know that God will not let go. So we will hope in God.

I liked this theme for our retreat when it was first proposed because I find that this weaving in and out of the threads of despair and hope creates a tapestry that looks a lot like work on a church staff. There are incredible highs. And there are unbelievable lows. Often coming one right after the other. There are times when we want to get up on the roof of the church and shout for joy! And there are times when we want to bury our head and hide for days. There are times when we say, "This is the greatest job in the whole wide world! I should be paying the church for allowing me to do this!" And there are times we feel, "They can’t pay me ENOUGH to keep on doing this." This is church work.

Deep down in the bedrock of our souls, down in those unplumbed places where the Lamenter retreated in a time of dark despair, there, there we find faith. Faith like the Apostle Paul had in mind when he said in 1 Corinthians 15:58...

With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. (1 Cor. 15:58, The Message)

Yes, hope is indeed stronger than memory.

As we look at chapters 16-31 of Proverbs this week, our author says that while Christians have long associated Wisdom with the Logos, the Word made flesh in Christ, Jewish scholars have understood Wisdom to mean teaching or instruction as embodied in Torah. He suggests we read this week with an eye toward matching the proverbs with the Ten Commandments.

I thought I'd give that a try today with the 1st Commandment, "I am the LORD your God... Worship no god but me." (Deut. 5:6-7, TEV)

The LORD alone is God, the Sovereign, the Almighty One, the Captain of the ship we sail called life. The consequences of this fact are many, according to Proverbs. We may put lots of effort and energy into making our plans – nothing wrong with that – but God, as the Sovereign, always has the last word (16:1, 9, 33). But if we will commit whatever we do to the LORD, He will see to it that our plans succeed (16:3). Most of us usually do what seems right to us at the time, but God – who alone is Almighty – is the One who judges the real motives of our hearts (16:2, 17:3). God, as Sovereign, works things out to achieve HIS goals, not ours. Even the wicked will eventually get theirs (16:4). When we trust in the LORD and live a life that is pleasing to Him, God blesses us and even makes our enemies live at peace with us (16:7, 20).

Has this been your experience?

Still in Proverbs, today we look at chaps 13-15. I see more proverbs extolling the virtues and warning of the vices from yesterday's list, but some additional ones are added:

Respect for the Word/Despising the Word

Hanging out with the wise/Hanging out with the foolish

Disciplining one's children/Sparing the rod

Action/Talk

Truthful witness/Lying witness

Being slow to anger/Having a quick temper

Glad in heart/Sorrowful heart

Yesterday I confessed to being bothered by 12:21. It just seems to be not true in my experience. There is a similar thought expressed in 13:21: "Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous" (NIV). I've seen many a sinner who, for a time at least, prospers. The writer of Psalm 73 was quite troubled by the same observation: "For I was envious of the arrogant: I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people." (Psalm 73:3-5, NRSV)

Proverbs assumes some connection between our character or behavior and the outcomes we experience in life. And in the long haul, my experience would agree. But it doesn't always work out so neatly in the short term. Sometimes the wicked/foolish DO prosper for a season, and the righteous/wise suffer. Biblical faith has always maintained, however, that in the LONG TERM, there is justice (i.e., the Last Judgment).

What do you think?

Today we look at Proverbs chapters 10-12. This begins a new section, for now we're not looking at Wisdom speaking like a parent to a child, but from 10:1-15:33 is a collection called "the Proverbs of Solomon." These are two-line ditties which contrast the way of Wisdom with the way of Foolishness. These can be hard to read in large chunks because there is no narrative story line or even connection between them.

Here's my summary of what values are lifted up as coming from Wisdom, and which are put down as coming from Foolishness:

WISDOM'S WAYS/FOOLISHNESS' WAYS
Careful speech/Loose tongue (including gossip, lying, chattering too much)
Hard work/Laziness
Righteousness/Wickedness

Integrity/Crookedness

Honesty/Falsehood

Aggression/Timidity (11:16; this is surprising!)

Kindness/Cruelty (especially to animals)

Generosity/Stinginess

Trust in God/Trust in riches

Love of discipline/Hatred of discipline

Listening to advice/Spurning advice

I have to say I am puzzled by 12:21 -- "No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble." This is the theology/philosophy espoused by Job's 3 friends, but which is so clearly repudiated in that book. In my Oct 28 post, I said that Proverbs presents life as essentially "fair." But it is not, at least in my experience. Bad things DO happen to good people. "Why?" is a whole 'nother blog!

Be that as it may, to what extent have you found the left side of the above ledger to bring life to your world, and the right side to rob life from it?

In Proverbs, today's reading being chapters 7-9, Wisdom is obviously a good thing to have. In her is life. Without her is Sheol (death). But how does one obtain Wisdom?

Proverbs depicts Wisdom as both actively calling to us ... and as something which we seek out.

CALLING: "Does not Wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: 'To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live.'" (Prov. 8:1-4)

TO BE SOUGHT: "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me." (Prov. 8:17) The New Testament Book of James would seem to agree ... "If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you." (James 1:5)

What has been your experience? When you have a decision to make, does Wisdom "call out" to you? Or do you have to diligently seek the wise choice? Or is it a little of both? I suspect that we don't often see the wise choice until we're looking back, and by then, the wise choice seems obvious. "How could I have missed that!" we moan.

My apologies for the long interlude between posts. Since my last post, I've: 1) Endured the trauma of Hurricane Rita. (We attempted to evacuate. Drove 15 hours and got 60 miles north. We spent the storm at First UM Church, Montgomery, just outside of Conroe. It only took us 1 hour to return home. It was a terrifying experience, even though the storm eventually went east of us.) 2) Made trips to San Diego for a niece's wedding and a two-week trip to France with the church's learning ministry.

But I'm back and settled down now. In Disciple IV we're beginning a look at the Book of Proverbs.

The core theological claim of Proverbs, one of 3 "wisdom literature" books in the OT (Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes), is that fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, or wisdom. The theology of Proverbs -- which never mentions the Exodus, or Jerusalem, or the Temple, or the usual key stuff of OT theology -- is grounded in creation. Divine revelation in Proverbs is for the most part embedded in the created world. To discern the order "built in" to creation, and reflected in the social order, and to learn to live within that order, is both wisdom and righteousness.

Here's something to ponder -- Proverbs presents life as essentially "fair." (Something another wisdom literature book, Job, takes issue with.) Life is better for those who are wise, righteous, and diligent than it is for those who are foolish, wicked, and lazy. Job will argue and say that EVEN WHEN you are wise, righteous, and diligent, life can stink.

One can certainly understand both arguments. A mother looks out the door and sees one of her son's friends chatting on the street with a beautiful neighbor woman (Prov. 7:6-27) The mother knows this woman's husband is away on business. She sees her take the boy by the hand and go into the house. They don't come out. The mother knows what is going on. And she knows what pain is lurking at the door of their lives. So she urges her son to avoid such a path. "Do this and pain will result, don't do this, and avoid such pain." There's truth in that. And yet, just this week, a 32-year old, church-going high school principle with epilepsy had a seizure while taking a bath and drowned. Where is the fairness in that?

What has been your experience? Is life fair? Is life better for you when you make wise choices?