Walk On

In preparing for my sermon on endurance I remembered U2's song, "Walk On," from their album "All that you can't leave behind." That album title comes from the song "Walk On." I found out that the inspiration for the song came from the movie "Beyond Rangoon" which tells the story of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese activist who was sentenced to house arrest in 1989 for protesting her government. Earlier that year, while walking with some of her supporters, soldiers blocked their path and pointed rifles at them. Suu Kyi kept walking, despite orders to stop. The soldiers threatened to shoot her, but didn't. Her actions have been closely monitored by the government, but she remains an influential leader and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

I love this song. Listen to the end of it, Bono and the Edge seem to incorporate their faith into it -

Endurance

God's word to us Sunday was about Endurance.

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. (Hebrews 10:34)

Endurance, or steadfastness, perseverance, patience - seems to always connect a time of trouble, trial or tribulation with the promise, goal, reward, or joy to come. It's not something we do to get something we don't have, at least in pledge or promise - but something we hold onto, something we hold out for. Endurance means, in effect, faithfulness - hence the writer ends this section with that appeal.

In this passage we see confidence connected with reward, endurance with the promise, and faith with life.

And there is one of the keys - what is the reward, the "life" that we are seeking? We won't endure for something if there's a satisfactory trade-off that's easier, quicker, etc. We only sin because in that moment something holds out for us more satisfaction than Jesus, something seems more life-giving than trusting in God's love and grace...

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. (Revelation 14:12)

And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. ( 1 John 2:28)

The greatest motivation for endurance, of course, is Jesus' enduring the cross and the shame for the joy set before him - in order to secure our salvation, because in some real sense we were his joy...

Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Humility

Andrew Murray's "Humility" is a classic. I read it years ago, and it's making the rounds at Church of the Apostles. I borrowed Robert's copy (my old one is lost - maybe in Ivan) to review it some for the first section of Matthew 18, Jesus' Discourse on Community, where Jesus calls for humility first off, before going any further about relationships in the Christian community.

From the preface of Murray's "Humility":
There are three great motivations to humility: it becomes us as creatures; it becomes us as sinners; it becomes us as saints. Humility is first seen in the angels, in man before the Fall, and in Jesus as the Son of Man. In our fallen state, humility point us to the only way by which we can returen to our rightful place as creatures. As Christians, the mystery of grace teaches us that as we lose ourselves in the overwhelming greatness of redeeming love, humility becomes to us the consummation of everlasting blessedness.

It is common in Christian teaching to find the second aspect taught almost exclusively (ie. that it becomes us as sinners) and [some] have thought that the strength of self-condemnation is the secret of humility... the Christian life has suffered where believers have not been guided to see that even in our relationships as creatures, nothing is more natural and beautiful and blessed than to be nothing in order that God may be everything. It needs to be made clear that it is not sin that humbles but grace. It is the soul occupied with God in His wonderful glory as Creator and Redeemer that will truly take the lowest place before Him."

Humility is really just knowing who you really are. In Greek and Roman culture, humility was shameful; but for the Jew and the Christian is was and is the highest virtue. Who we are before God, before Jesus, is at the same time nothing, so very, very small, and yet also beloved, precious, worth the "precious blood" of the Son of God. Humility is being occupied with God, and not with ourselves. The way toward humility is not, as Murray says, self-condemnation (focusing on ourselves), but God-exaltation (focusing on the goodness and greatness of God). Our own sense of smallness and preciousness will inevitably follow.

Our sense of importance will not be in relation to others ("who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"), but only that we know we are important to the heart and love of God, to the kingdom of our humble savior king.

Thank you Lord Jesus for your great humility, in incarnation, in obedience, in suffering and death, and even now in your intercession for us. Be formed more and more in us, as we mroe and more look to and trust in you.

Jesus' Discourse on Community, Matthew 18

We began Matthew 18 last night - this is the 4th "discourse" in Matthew's gospel. Let's call it the Discourse on Community. It's all about relationships among disciples, sorting them out, keeping them right, helping one another along.

It begins with a question from the disciples: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

Peter has gotten a lot of attention and seems to have received the mantle of leadership among the disciples in the previous two chapters. He was given the keys of the kingdom after identifying Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God; he was chosen (along with James and John) to observe the transfiguration and Moses and Elijah; he was the one that the tax collectors came to and was asked a question as Jesus' representative. And "at that time" the disciples asked Jesus about who was the greatest.

Jesus uses a child as the model for both entrance into the kingdom and as a measure of greatness in the kingdom. It's as if Jesus is saying that this question is the totally wrong way of thinking. "Become like a child" - could mean everything from being trusting, filled with awe and wonder, being powerless and/or unpretentious, to beginning all over (ie. being "born again").

Then Jesus calls for humility. Humility, the cardinal virtue, is the first order of business when discussing relationships in the community of Jesus. It's the foundation of all the other concerns: for seeking the straying, not scandalizing "little ones," confronting sin in a brother, or forgiving seven hundred and ninety times.

Ben's engaged

Ben is engaged!

He and Kelly made it official yesterday, and called us from the rugged coast of Oregon. Brooke and I got to spend some time with Kelly and her family in September, and we love her. They are planning on getting married next August.
Hurray!!

injustice and persecution

On the Side of the Angels
by Joseph D'Souza and Ben Rogers

[I posted this in March, 2008 - and repost it today in anticipation of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church and an email I just received with an article/blog posted Nov. 4 by Ben Rogers "Inside the North Korean Gulag" - check it out.]

In preparing for a small group at which we will be discussing "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake," I read this book (finally); it was also triggered by reading an article by Ziya Meral, "Bearing the Silence of God," in Christianity Today (March, 2008). Ziya is Turkish, grew up Muslim and became a Christian when he was 17. He works with Christian Solidarity Worldwide, as does Ben Rogers. Our son, Ben, met Ziya at the University of Toronto while attending a summer course on genocide, and has spoken of him often. Ben Rogers has been to Church of the Apostles several times as a guest of Tom and Lisa Yearwood; Ben human rights work focuses on Pakistan, Burma, and Sri Lanka. Lisa told me Sunday of Ziya and Ben Rogers' connection at CSW.

The book is a call to Christians to become advocates for human rights. One of the strengths of the book is its strong emphasis that Christian human rights advocacy is indeed our kingdom mission calling, and that it is not to be aimed just at human rights for Christians, but for all people regardless of their faith. We are to love all our neighbors, and this includes working for freedom, which demands freedom of faith... which means we love our neighbors who freely choose not to be Christians.

In the chapter, "Good and Evil," the authors suggest that perhaps the best description of the kingdom is found in the beatitudes. Then they share that in the book The Lost Message of Jesus, Steve Chalke and Alan Mann "describe the kingdom as 'the in-breaking shalom of God,' available to us all. We often think of shalom as being synonymous with peace, but in fact the word, used many times throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, incorporates 'contentment, health, justice, liberation, fulfillment, freedom and hope' and affects us in every aspect of life - 'socially, economically, spiritually, and politically.'"

In the chapter "Salt and Light," D'Souza and Rogers describe how Christians in India (in particular, the All India Christian Council, of which D'Souza is the president) have stood with and advocated for the rights of both Muslims and Dalit (the continuing untouchable caste). Even after many Dalit chose to convert, not to Christianity, but to Buddhism, Christians supported their right to be free and reaffirmed their love and support for them. They conclude this section with the beatitude, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

In the chapter "What Next" they speak of our human and Christian responsibility, and requirement, to make a difference, specifically to be advocates for justice. There are two equally valid and interdependent categories of advocacy - private and public forms of advocacy, or described as engagement and protest. They point out it would be difficult for an individual or organization to do both of these.

There are two sets of essential principles to guide efforts on behalf of the oppressed. (1) Pray, protest, and provide. Mostly prayer is private, and protest and provision is public. In the service of advocacy (2) authenticity, aid, and accountability overlap and deepen the first three.

Prayer is first and foremost, especially for Christian human rights advocacy. Brooke prays everyday through a couple of prayer lists provided by International Justice Mission and Voice of the Martyrs. Every year in November we observe the "International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church."

One form of protest that they write persuasively about is letter writing - to officials who are charged with responding to their constituents concerns and to work for the public good, and to those who are suffering injustice (even if they don't receive them, their captors may read the letters). They quote a letter that Francesco Miranda Branco, an East Timorese prisoner of conscience, sent in reply to an activist in the UK:

My brother, God is very kind and just, and he loves us, you and me who believe in Him. We can never feel angry and upset at God when we suffer, because behind all the suffering He has a beautiful surprise for us.

Secondly they discuss demonstration, both in one's own country (basically safe) and in the country where injustice is occurring. [I could not help but think of Martin Luther King. I recently finished reading "The Autobiography of Martin Luther King" (by MLK, Jr, and Clayborne Carson). Of course, it was really more about nonviolent resistance to unjust laws, or the lack of enforcing just laws, but usually in the context of peaceful demonstration.]

In terms of provision they cite time (volunteering with a human rights organization); financial sacrifice; material assistance (books, clothing, medicine, etc.); providing expertise in various fields (law, computer technology, medicine, construction, land mine clearance, agriculture, etc.); or pursuing a career in order to be an influence for advocacy (such as elected office, State Department, the World Bank, or journalism).

Finally, they conclude in the chapters entitled "Never Give Up!" and "Faith in Action" to call for perseverance in serving the Kingdom mission and doing God's will, for integrating faith and action.

"A Christian approach to human rights is distinguished by love. It is not simply about a cause, a political movement, or a philosophy - it is about human relationships, love, and dignity. As Philip Yancey writes,
A political movement by nature draws lines, makes distinctions, pronounces judgment; in contrast, Jesus' love cuts across lines, transcends distinctions and dispenses grace. Regardless of the merits of a given issue... political movements risk pulling onto themselves the mantle of power that smothers love. From Jesus I learn that, whatever activism I get involved in, it must not drive out love and humility, or otherwise I betray the kingdom of heaven" ( in The Jesus I Never Knew). (p. 183-184)

down from the mountain-top

Last Tuesday we discussed the encounter Jesus had with the desperate father and his demonized son after coming down from the Mountain of Transfiguration. Here are a few of the things we talked about:

There may be an inference here to when Moses came down from the mountain the first time and the people were worshiping a golden calf... great disappointment, disbelief, trust misplaced.

Comparing this account with Mark’s account –

> In both, Jesus addresses all the people, including his disciples with a cry of exasperation and frustration – they are an unbelieving generation. Matthew adds "perverse" to the description of this generation, likely a reference to Moses' speech in Deuteronomy 32:5. This "little faith" seems to be such a big deal to Jesus. "How long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?" In another place Jesus says, "nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earth?"(Lk 18:8)

> In Mark, Jesus engages the boy’s father with regard to faith, and he responds “I believe, help my unbelief.” In Mark, the issue with the disciples as to why they couldn't do it was that it required prayer. Here in Matthew he tells his disciples it was specifically because of their little faith.

In this "narrative" section (ch. 14-17) the failures of the disciples is emphasized -

(14:16f, 26f, 28f; 15:16, 23, 33; 16:5, 22; 17:4, 10f).

Jesus had given them authority to cast out demons (10:1,8). I don’t think Matthew ever records them doing so, whereas Mark and Luke do (Mk 6:13, Lk 9:6; 10:17).

We talked again about faith – just what is it??

Hebrews 11:6 - without it we can't please God

Ephesians 2:8 - it is a gift

It is trust. It is reliance. It does include a content or intellectual or doctrinal side (ie. sincerity does not equal faith - believe all you want in the tooth fairy or Santa Claus, but...).

There’s a kind of prayer / ministry that trusts in prayer or the ministry (ie. the formula), and not really in God.

One of the group members shared a story of misplaced trust in Bible reading and prayer, which was revealed and healed when a spiritual director encouraged her to go a month without reading the Bible or praying...

Perhaps this section in Matthew reflects a time in the early church when miracles weren't happening as frequently or dramatically as previously. Perhaps it was a time when "failure" was something they were talking and praying about. This is honest, gritty, life as a disciple. Doesn't always go the way we hope and pray and read about. But though Jesus cries out in exasperation, "How long am I to be with you?" he does affirm them at the end of the story, "Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (28:20)

Thank you, Lord.

“We who read these accounts should be growing in our faith relationship with Jesus as Jesus expected of his first disciples. How often do needs around us go unmet because we neglect radical trust in God, especially on behalf of others?” (Matthew, Keener, p. 281)