The Bigger They Are...

1Samuel 17:1-7 (NRSV)

Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. Saul and the Israelites gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and formed ranks against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him.

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And I keep on fighting for the things I want
Though I know that when you're dead you can't
But I'd rather be a free man in my grave
Than living as a puppet or a slave

So as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now, what's mine
And then the harder they come
The harder they fall, one and all
Ooh, the harder they come
Harder they fall, one and all

"The Harder They Fall" by Jimmy Cliff from the album and movie by the same name.

We're familiar with the story of David and Goliath. Goliath has even come to English as a way to describe someone who is huge and strong. Yet as we think of this giant, we can not think of him without a hint of vulnerability.

Goliath depended upon everything that was his--strength, size, armor, weapons, people, connections, even an intimidating voice. The people knew when to be afraid too, and Goliath scared all of the men of Israel.

David had none of these things. David was the least son of his father. David was the shepherd, in this passage he begins as the errand boy. His brother even accuses David of coming to the battlefield to be a spectator. But when Saul seeks someone to take on Goliath, David replies, “The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Jimmy Cliff sings about the powerful who will take what does not belong to them. He sings about the Philistines on his doorstep and cries out "But I'd rather be a free man in my grave, Than living as a puppet or a slave." Jimmy Cliff knows the same thing David knew, "the harder they come the harder they fall." The lesson of David continues to teach us "the harder they come the harder they fall."

There is danger and there is fear in our lives, but through the Lord who saves us from the paw of the lion and the bear, the eternal live the Lord promises is safe from all earthly dangers. David and Jimmy don't promise us we will come out of this unscarred, but the Lord promises these scars don't last.

David Twerks!

2Samuel 6:14-16

David danced before the LORD with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

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The disco folks all dressed up
Like they's fit to kill
I walk on in 'n' see 'em there
Gonna give them all a thrill
When they see me comin'
They all steps aside
They has a fit while I commit
My social suicide

I'm a Dancin' fool

"Dancin' Fool" by Frank Zappa from "Sheik Yerbouti"

As a Christian of the Presbyterian variety, we are often called the "Frozen Chosen." We take John Calvin's injunction to do all things "decently and in order" very seriously, and maybe a step or two too far. So as much as we would have loved to be there when David came rolling into Jerusalem with the Arc of the Covenant, we would have been standing solemnly by the side of the road waiting for the parade in reverence and we would have preferred a pipe organ to trumpets. That would have been decent and in order.

But then again, we need to take a really good look at the scene. Let's look at David, here comes the king, wearing nothing but a linen ephod, dancing down the street, shouting. An ephod is an apron, it's a garment worn by the priests to cover themselves as they prepare the offerings. It keeps blood off the robes. This is all David is wearing! Oh, to top this off he probably smells like the holy bar-b-q pit master too because they've been making burnt offerings all along the route. David, buck naked except for a "Kiss the King" apron, dancing like a fool, oblivious to everything around him except for presence of God.

So generally speaking, Presbyterians would resemble David's wife Michal more than David.

So when David is dancing, all "his kingly glory" is hanging out for the world to see. He's moving like the proverbial dancin' fool. Modesty? It's not even an afterthought, he's just dancing like nobody's watching, except the Lord.


How many of us can do that? Not me, I may be a little too Calvinist, I just hope I'm not too much like Michal. Michal was more than disapproving of David twerking in worship of the Lord, she despised him in her heart. It's important for us to remember that God favors worship, even when it's David "in his kingly glory," though I hope nobody asks me to get naked in the name of God.

So worship, worship like nobody's watching. Michal can just despise all she wants when the Lord finds worship worthy. That's her problem.

Trusting the Vehicle?

Isaiah 31:1-3

Alas for those who go down to Egypt for help
and who rely on horses,
who trust in chariots because they are many
and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel
or consult the Lord!

Yet he too is wise and brings disaster;
he does not call back his words,
but will rise against the house of the evildoers,
and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.

The Egyptians are human, and not God;
their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
the helper will stumble, and the one helped will fall,
and they will all perish together.

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Well, I'm the friendly stranger in the black sedan
Won't you hop inside my car
I got pictures, candy, I'm a lovable man
And I can take you to the nearest star

I'm your vehicle, baby
I'll take you anywhere you wanna go
I'm your vehicle, woman
But now I'm sure you know

That I love ya
(Love ya)
I need ya
(Need ya)
I want ya
I got to have ya
Great God in Heaven you know I love you

"Vehicle" written by Jim Peterik and recorded by the Ides of March from their self-titled album.

Who do you trust? Often people tend to pick the flashiest, most powerful looking people or thing to trust. Back in the day of the prophet Isaiah when the terror from Assyria wasn't far off, the people could have come to the temple and prayed for salvation from the Lord God. But as history shows, the people don't always look to the Lord first.

A quick scanning of the historical books of the Bible show us that people usually did what they thought was wise before calling upon the Lord. This is one of the overriding themes of Judges! And Kings! And Chronicles!

This reading from Isaiah shows us is that when the Assyrians were threatening God's chosen they did not seek first the counsel of God. Some of them went to Egypt and sought defense in the form of horses, chariots, and charioteers. You could just see the Egyptians making promises too, pictures, candy, they would even take them to the nearest star. "Great God in Heaven you know I love you!"

There's the creepy promise, but it's not so creepy if you think you're the one taking advantage of the one driving the chariot. But the Lord promises one thing, in the end God is God and people are people. If you place your faith in horses and Egyptians and vehicles you will surely all perish together.

This is tough to hear in our day too. We all want the latest security system. Nations work out treaties with nations. As the old saying goes, "Politics makes strange bedfellows," and when we try too hard to use our wits and wiles to create our security we make some very strange bedfellows.

In times like this it is actually difficult to place faith in God because we don't now how or (worse) when God will act. But this is our issue, it's the nature of sin that has us trusting more in the vehicle to bring peace than in the one who created peace in the first place.

More's the shame, because the only place to look for peace is to the one who first created peace, shalom. We have to look only to the Holy one of Israel. Faith in vehicles, whether they are bombers or chariots, may bring "victory," but they can never bring peace.

Everybody Hurts

Job 3:1-4

After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. Job said:

“Let the day perish in which I was born,
and the night that said,
‘A man-child is conceived.’

Let that day be darkness!
May God above not seek it,
or light shine on it.

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Sometimes everything is wrong
Now it's time to sing along
When your day is night alone (Hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go (Hold on)
If you think you've had too much
Of this life, well hang on

Everybody hurts
Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts
Don't throw your hand, oh no

Don't throw your hand
If you feel like you're alone
No, no, no, you are not alone

Everybody Hurts, written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe; recorded by REM from "Automatic for the People"

Stephen Mitchell's translation of "The Book of Job" (Harper Perennial, 1987, page 13) translates "Let the day perish in which I was born" to "God damn the day in which I was born." Now, this is not the interjection you hear screamed during a football game when the quarterback throws an interception. Mitchell's use of this phrase is as subject and verb. It's more like this, "God condemn to hell the day in which I was born." This is stiff stuff.

There have been many songs written about suicide. By my interpretation, and your mileage may vary, Supertramp's "Good Bye Stranger" carries the theme. As does "the Freshman" by The Verve Pipe. This song does too.

There is a woeful overwhelmingly helpless and hopeless feeling that can overwhelm and overwhelm is the perfect word. Distress is another very good one. The thought that "everybody hurts" is of little help to someone who is overwhelmed by the stresses of life.

Don't misunderstand this, stress is needed. Without some stress, we don't get out of bed in the morning. But when the amount of stress crashes over you like a wave, a tsunami, that's distress. This is tragic.

Job was ruined. He had lost his livestock, his crop, his slaves, his family and finally his health. He has torn his clothes, covered himself in ashes, and scraped his sores with broken pieces of pottery. His wife had enough. "Curse God and die" she cries.

But Job doesn't curse God. He curses the day he was born. He asks God to condemn the day he was born wanting it sent to hell. He wants God to forget everything about his life. He scorns his own life, but he does not scorn God.

Let's face this fact while we're here, his friends weren't much help either.

It takes Elihu, a young man, not one of Job's confidants, to reveal to everyone assembled that the Lord is sovereign and our pain in the hands of the Lord has a redemptive quality. Job is redeemed and ultimately restored.

The day is long and sometimes everything is wrong. Joy seems to be a dream that belongs to everyone else. But when we have control over nothing, God still has control. Comfort and redemption are found in Christ our Lord, what is completely out of control God can still use for good. Where our optimism ends, hope begins. Believe it or not.

Pretty Woman

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Genesis 24:12-19

And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. I am standing here by the spring of water, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. Let the girl to whom I shall say, ‘Please offer your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, coming out with her water jar on her shoulder. The girl was very fair to look upon, a virgin, whom no man had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me sip a little water from your jar.” “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”

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Pretty woman, walking down the street
Pretty woman, the kind I like to meet
Pretty woman
I don't believe you, you're not the truth
No one could look as good as you
Mercy

"Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees. This version is from the HBO television special "Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night"

There's an old saying, beauty is only skin deep, but I disagree. I believe beauty radiates from the soul and shines through the life of a person. I believe pretty is only skin deep. I also believe ugly cuts all the way to the bone, but that's for another day.

Abraham's slave was sent to the old home town to find a bride for Isaac. In addition to the importance of this responsibility is the terror in wondering whether or not you picked the right girl or not. So what does the servant do? He sets up a code with God worthy of a secret decoder ring. This is straight out of a spy novel. "She will be my contact if I say 'this' and she replies with 'that.'" Where's the Impossible Mission Force when you need them.

The slave isn't putting the Lord to the test, the slave is setting a condition so that he will know who the right woman is for his master's son. I imagine he is glad Rebekah is "very fair to look upon, a virgin, whom no man had known," but she is more. She is generous, she offers water to a stranger and his camels. She takes her hospitality very seriously and for that Abraham's slave knows this woman is more than just a pretty face.

Oh pretty woman, the kind I like to meet... She is lovely to be sure, but without kindness, generosity, hospitality; all she will ever be is a pretty face. God chose well. May we all choose our mates as well.

God Remembers

Genesis 9:8-17 (NRSV)

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my Bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the Bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the Bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

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I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.

"I Can See Clearly Now" written and recorded by Johnny Nash from the "I Can See Clearly Now" album

What a glorious passage, God has made a covenant with Noah and his descendants after him. God has promised never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. Never again will the global calamity these people just experienced be known ever again.

To this covenant, this sacred promise of action, God has made a sign, a bow in the skies "and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth." When the bow is visible on earth, it is a reminder to Noah and all that follow him about the vow God has taken on behalf of all creation.

Here's the important part- God tells Noah "When the Bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” When the bow is not visible to Noah, God is still reminded of the covenant God made with Noah and every living creature. God will remember to protect creation.

That's the wonderful thing about the covenant, even when we forget--even if we don't know about the covenant at all--God remembers. God knows the promise made and kept. God keeps us and protects us. God--even as the sign of the promise is in the clouds--God sees the sign and God remembers.

We too received a sign--a good many signs truly. The most important sign is that of Christ on the cross and the cross empty after the resurrection. This is the sign that God has not forgotten and will never forget.

This is difficult for us to remember when we see devastation around us. Hurricanes and earthquakes, tornadoes and tsunamis, addiction and abuse; these horrors still surrounds us. But we still have the two signs from God, the bow and the cross.

God promised Noah that life will never be swept from the face of the earth. We know this from the sign of the Bow. God has also promised that nothing, not even death, can remove us from the love of the Lord. We know this from the sign of the cross, the empty cross.

As God's full glory is revealed, as the rain stops, as we can see clearly, then the rest will be redeemed.

Who Does Stop the Rain

Genesis 8:1-3

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the domestic animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided; the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters gradually receded from the earth.

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Long as I remember the rain been coming down,

Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground,

Good men through the ages tryin' to find the sun,

And I wonder, still I wonder, who'll stop the rain.

"Who'll Stop the Rain" written by John Fogerty, originally recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

It's easy, way to easy to find someone who is in desperate straights and say that God provides. First of all, it's true. God does provide. God remembers. In this reading from Genesis, God remembered Noah and every living creature in the Ark. And when it was time for the trial to subside, God made a wind blow over the earth, the heavens closed, and the water receded over the face of the earth.

It's like that 60's hippie poem "Footsteps." It's true, when there is only one set of prints in the sand it's not because we're alone it's because the Lord is carrying us across the desert.

Still, it's lousy care. When someone walks up to you and asks "Who'll stop the rain?" we are not supposed to just say "Jesus" and get on with our lives.

Something that gets lost in our translations is that the Hebrew word of wind is the same as the word Spirit. This word is often used in the Old Testament to point to the Spirit of God. God sends the Spirit to do the holiest of work, even if it is just drying the waters from what will again be dry land.

The same Spirit blows on us. We are sent, we are called, we are ordained to do God's work. Sometimes we are called to build the ark, sometimes we are called to dry the tears. Sometimes we are called to try to find the sun, we are also called to try to find the Son.

We can't do God's work ourselves, that is up to God. Still, we have to be attuned to the work God sends us to do. We can't stop the rain, but we can help clean up after the flood.

The Basics

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John 13:34-35

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

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Maybe it's time we got back
to the basics of love

"Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)" by Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons recorded by Waylon Jennings

Yesterday I laid a scathing indictment at the foot of the rich and powerful. I ended by saying it is time to get back to the basics. Basics of what? If your mind wasn't already going to Waylon Jennings then I'm glad you asked.

Maybe it's time we got back to the basics of love.

The song reminds us of what we have lost succeeding in a world where success and power are addictions to be revered instead of tools to be used. This kind of life causes feuds, surely in the life of the song's couple and just as much between families, businesses, schools, churches, cities, states, nations, peoples, and in the worst case between peoples of God.

It's easy to forget. It's easy to get swept up in the moment until all those moments get strung together and become a life style.

So it's time for a new commandment, love one another just as Jesus has loved us first. Just as Jesus has since before the beginning of the beginning. We make it harder than that, but does it have to be?

I do love the next question though, what will my neighbors think? Hopefully, by the grace and peace of God Almighty, by our love for one another, they will know that we are the disciples of the Lord God.

How Far?

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Luke 8:43-48

Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

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Vamonos!

Save me from this prison
Lord help me get away
Cause only you can save me now from this misery
I've been lost in my own place
And I'm getting weary
How far is heaven
And I know that I need to change my ways of living
How far is heaven
Lord can you tell me

Heaven by Henry, JoJo, and Ringo Garza--Los Lonely Boys (2004)

When a younger man, Henry Garza and his girlfriend lost a baby. This song was Henry's way of dealing with the grief. This is a grief few can imagine, a grief no one wants to imagine. The depths of despair are beyond imagination, still, there are millions who know this grief intimately.

The universal cry of despair, "Only you can save me now from this misery."

The woman who had been bleeding for twelve years was dead to her community. She was unclean, she had no place in society, polite or impolite. But she knew, she knew that if she could only touch the fringe of his cloak she could be healed. She knew this was risky, not only for her but for him. If he touched someone who was unclean, he would become unclean too. She was desperate, she was willing to cry out "Only you can save me now from this misery."

She touched him. She was cleansed. She was saved. Her salvation came by his grace and through her faith. It is this wonderful circle of life that brought heaven and earth together with the force of lightning. In this moment, the answer to the question "How far is heaven?" is "Right here, heaven is on earth."

In Christ, heaven and earth collided. In Christ, heaven and earth continue to collide. How far? Right here. It came for her. It is here for us too.

Does Family Get on Your Nerves?

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Genesis 13:5-11

Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them living together; for their possessions were so great that they could not live together, and there was strife between the herders of Abram’s livestock and the herders of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land. Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herders and my herders; for we are kindred. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” Lot looked about him, and saw that the plain of the Jordan was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar; this was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward; thus they separated from each other.

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You can go your own way.

"Go Your Own Way" written by Lindsey Buckingham recorded by Fleetwood Mac from "Rumours"

If the video for this version of the song means one thing, it means that separation is painful and time can heal all wounds. Lindsey Buckingham, lead guitar and in this song lead vocalist of Fleetwood Mac wrote this song about breaking up with his long-time girl friend Stevie Nicks, the background singer on this song. Lindsey and Stevie had been together long before they joined Fleetwood Mac, but things happen.

The original video for this song, you can see it from this link, it's pretty easy to see that Stevie isn't pleased with singing back up on a break up song about her. The first ten seconds of that link will show what I mean. The version above was about 20 years later, during that time, it seems they were able to come an accord.

Lot and Abram traveled together. The Nephew left his father's house when the Uncle left for the Land God Promised. They left with all their possessions, everything that belonged to them. They weren't planning on going back. But all of their stuff got in the way. The Abram's and Lot's herdsmen were not of one accord. They had to fight for their time on the field and at the well. It must have been a scene as the men fought for scarce resources. Everyone was getting on everyone else's nerves! Something had to be done!

Abram decided the only way was for them to split. Abram made the offer, "Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herders and my herders; for we are kindred. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me."

You take what's yours--your livestock, your men, your family, your stuff and make a choice. You go one way and I'll go the other. This is how they made the peace. Since scripture says nothing about them ever meeting again, it seems peaceably. For their progeny that is not so. The children of Abram became the Israelites, the children of Lot became the Moabites and the Ammonites. Not so good.

Families split. Families reunite. Sometimes there is drama and sometimes it works out. In this case, it worked well early and not so well later. How we react when family gets on our nerves says a lot about how we live our lives because let's face it, family gets on your nerves.

Sin separated us from God our father. Jesus Christ his only son is the one who reconciled us while we were still sinful. Now there's a model to follow.

Spill the Wine

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John 15:1-4

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

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Spill the wine,
Take that pearl.

"Spill the Wine" written by Eric Burdon and recorded by Eric Burdon and War from the album "Eric Burdon Declares War"

If there is one thing that is clear in John's writing about the vine and the branches it is that what is worthless is cut away. We often involuntarily twinge a bit at the prospect of pruning, but what gets lost is that what is worthless, what is dead, won't feel the pain of being cut away. Literally it is what is "cut-away." Then, it's off to the fire with the rest of the dead wood to provide heat and light. Then again, that's not the kind of timber that will burn long so it's not worth much for that purpose either.

The trick is that for the branches to be fed, the branches have to abide in the vine and the vine in the root. That is how the nourishment of the soil, water, and sun come together to become something so very delightful.

Another word that can be used for abide is "rest." I love the image in resting. In resting there is no resisting. In resting there is revitalization. Resting is being revived. As we rest we accept what comes, even when what comes includes heat and drought. Resting, not fighting to get what is not of use, is what we are called to do. As for the branches that don't, they won't bear fruit and they will be pruned.

When we fight we don't get what we need. When we resist we prevent what we need from coming to us. When we deny what we need, we won't accept it. But as we abide, as we rest in the vine, the fruit that follows is glorious, it is stupendous.

Back in the days of the Lord, there was still a grading system of wines. Sure, there wasn't the vintage system that vintners have today, but still you knew the difference between the good wine, the table wine, and the rot-gut stuff only the winos would drink. We are called to be of the finest vintage and that only happens when we abide.

Chill the wine, take that pearl!

The Quiet Hours

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Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”

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I'd like you to know
At four in the morning
Things are coming to mind
All I've seen all I've done
And those I hope to find

I'd like to remind you at four in the morning
My world is very still
The air is fresh under diamond skies
Makes me glad to be alive

"Blue Collar" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive written by C.F. Turner from BTO's self-titled first album.

This song with a great jazz riff was recorded by some heaviest gear-head guitar heroes ever to come out of the Great White North and kick guitar hero... well, you know what got kicked.

It's the reflections of a man working the graveyard shift. These are the folks who take care of the world so that we can sleep safe and sound. These are the folks who work the line building new cars or processing fresh food or keeping the light on at the motel. These are the folks who make the world clean for the people who mess it up all day long. These are the people who work under the light of every star in the galaxy mixed with electric candlelight.

For many, BTO sings of a man who has time to reflect on the world. He has time to see the world around him, and see it in ways that few others will. The world is very still.

There is something about working those still quiet hours. There is time to be still and know that the Lord is God.

Be still, and hear the words of the Holy Spirit. God has a plan for each and all of us. God is in control. God is exalted among the nations, God is exalted in the earth.

There is a time to be busy and take care of business, but there is also a time to be still. There is a time to reflect on all that is and all that was and all that ever will be. There is a time to be still and listen for the Word of God. Maybe your time is at four in the morning, maybe not. But the fresh air of life in Christ should make us all glad to be alive. If not, maybe it would be worth trying four in the morning under the diamond skies.

Crumblin' Tumblin' Down

)

Hebrews 11:30-31

By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.

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When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin' down

"Crumblin' Down" by John Mellencamp

What can be done by faith? There's the old gospel song, "Faith Can Move Mountains." Hebrews 11:1 reminds us "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." In short, faith isn't about us. Faith is about what happens around us.

Joshua had to have faith that the walls would come tumblin' down. Sound is powerful, but city walls were built to turn armies away, much less a bunch of priests with horns!

Rahab was promised that by hiding the Israelite spies she would be spared when the invasion began. By faith she believed that promise. It's easy to imagine that someone in the army might not get the memo and slaughter her family though. By faith, God protected her family.

It is by their faith that they have confidence in the salvation promised by God Almighty. They are saved by God's grace through faith. When all seemed unlikely from a human point of view, God makes good on promises, on covenant made with Joshua, Rahab, and with us.

With a mighty leader, with a prostitute, God keeps promises. If you have ever wondered if God's promises are for you, know this is true. Have faith and and the promise of life in God true.

Guilt Offerings

)

Leviticus 5:14-15

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: When any of you commit a trespass and sin unintentionally in any of the holy things of the LORD, you shall bring, as your guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from the flock, convertible into silver by the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.

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If you feel that it's real I'm on trial
And I'm here in your prison
Like a coin in your mint
I am dented and I'm spent with high treason

"Take Me to the Pilot" by Elton John

Dented and spent with high treason, let's face it, Elton's music is beautiful but the lyrics of Bernie Taupin take us to places we would have never gone. Dented and spent with high treason, our punishment could just as easily be "a guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from the flock, convertible into silver by the sanctuary shekel." If you're guilty then that's a guilt offering.

What's special about the guilt offering is that it is made on behalf of the sinner when the sin is unintentional. How's that for the truth about sin, it doesn't have to be intentional. "Whoops, I didn't mean to do that, can I get a do-over?" is not an acceptable offering.

Sin hurts others. Even when we don't mean it, sin hurts others. Just as bad, it hurts us too. It is up to us to make an offering to be absolved. These days my neighbor doesn't want a ram without blemish from my flock. Their back yard is only so big and it would freak out the dog.

No, instead we have to confess, first to God and then to those whom we have sinned against. No, it wasn't intentional, but it was still harmful. We didn't mean to do it, but we did it. If we think that puts us on trial, then yes, it's real I'm on trial.

Beside God, none of us are innocent, that too is the nature of sin. In Christ, we are not flawless, but we are forgiven. So take me, pilot of my soul.

Looking and Seeing

)

Acts 9:3-8

Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

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Every time I look at you
I go blind.

"I Go Blind" written and performed by 54-40 from the album by the same nam. (The Hootie and the Blowfish version was recorded ten years later.)

In Scripture blindness was a special kind of affliction. It wasn't treated as a physical ailment, it was considered a spiritual illness, an indication of sin.

Samson's life proved this. Even though a powerful judge of Israel, he was not attentive to his Nazirite vows. When he was taken by the Philistines one of the things they did to him was to blind him.

When Jesus and his disciples came upon the man who was born blind, they asked who sinned to cause his blindness.

Saul of Tarsus persecuted the Church of Jesus Christ, for this he was blinded until the Lord lifted his blindness.

Blindness, in the case of two of Samson and Saul was a result of sin. Samson and Saul were filled with pride. Samson carried his fair share of vanity to boot. But because of their blindness, because they recognized the sin in their lives through their blindness, they sought the Lord in new ways. Their new faith in the steadfast God brought them to a new relationship with the Lord. They both approached the Lord in contrition and obedience. They did what they were called to do. They fulfilled their vocation.

It can be pointed out that their obedience led to their violent deaths. Samson died at the destruction of the Philistine temple which he brought down on all who attended the party held to shame him. Paul's death is not reported in scripture or history, but he was presumed to be beheaded at the hands of Nero in the mid first century. Yet, they both met their fates with their faith fully known. They met their faith fulfilling their missions on earth.

The Lord is never a fan of sin, but the Lord can use us even in our sin to accomplished the work of the kingdom. That's powerful.

As for the man born blind, it was the Lord who opened his eyes, which cost him his spot in the temple and in the community. His blindness was not the result of sin, yet to accept vision and the Lord cost him all that he had.

We have blind spots in our lives too. Some are the result of our sins, some aren't. But it is up to us to seek and find the blindness in our lives which are like Paul's and the which are like the man Jesus healed. Our Lord is the only one who can give us the answers to those questions, and our Lord is the only one who can heal us from that blindness too. Otherwise we are like Samson and die blind.

Car Ride

)

Exodus 12:31 (NRSV)

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron in the night, and said, “Rise up, go away from my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD, as you said.

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She says, let's go

"Let's Go" written by Rick Ocasek and recorded by The Cars from "Candy-O" (1979)

There are very few commands that are as easy to discern as "Get out." There are even fewer responses more apt than "Let's go."

Ever have to wait for an airplane to take off? It's considered an on-time departure if the plane rolls away from the gate at the assigned time, and if it stays on the tarmac for hours, it's still an on-time departure. Waiting becomes a way of life on the tarmac.

Perhaps the greatest trial of the Exodus was how long it took before Pharaoh let the Israelites go. There were the pleas and the plagues. Exodus devotes six chapters of text to the trial Pharaoh put the Israelites through--and the plagues God put the Egyptians through--before the command to be gone was given. Even then, they were hardly ready.

It was said that the people had to leave with kneading bowls wrapped on their shoulders because the dough had yet to rise for bread.The people ate the Passover meal with their staffs in their hands, their sandals on their feet, and their robes girded about their loins. They ate hurriedly and left nothing. They knew they had to get going, they just didn't know when departure time was.

During the Passover, the nation had been rolled away from the gate, but they were still in line on the runway for takeoff. Then they were cleared by the tower for take off, they heard those words, “Rise up, go away from my people."

So don't just get ready, be ready. Lent is about to begin, the time is coming, and we need to be ready.

Love at First Sight

)

Genesis 29:10-12

Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother’s brother Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of his mother’s brother Laban. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father.

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Well you've heard about love givin' sight to the blind
My baby's lovin' cause the sun to shine
She's my sweet little thing, she's my pride and joy
She's my sweet little baby, I'm her little lover boy

"Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughn

Ah Jacob, the mama's boy. Let's face it, scripture shows us Esau was his father's favorite. Esau was the outdoorsy hunter guy and Jacob was sort of a wimpy kid. Still, it was Jacob who bullied Esau in the end, and it was that bullying that forced Jacob to flee from his father's home. It was also time to seek a wife, so here's Jacob killing two birds with one stone.

When he saw Rachel he was in love, it was love at first sight. In Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" they say Michael got struck by a lightning bolt when he first saw the young and beautiful Apollonia. That's one way to describe it. Love at first sight and bam, lightning bolt.

Like a lightning bolt, it changed his life. He saw here and knew that he wanted to be with her forever. For Jacob, she made the sun shine. He knew he would love her forever.

Psychologists say love at first sight is not necessarily permanent. It's as easy to fall our of love at next sight as it is to fall in love at first. But that's not a good story, not in this case. Who was your first love? Who is your last love?

God wants to be our first love, with all others coming in behind. We are called to love Jesus, and by his love we will be able to love others more and better. By his love, all that we have and all that we give are multiplied far, far above whatever we can do without him.

So love God, because it is the Lord who makes the Son to shine.

Signs

)

Matthew 16:1-4 (NRSV)

The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.

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She broke her wishbone and wished for a sign
I told her whispers in my heart were fine

"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" by PM Dawn featuring a sample from Spandau Ballet from "Of the Heart, Of the Soul, and Of the Cross: The Utopian Experience"

Who doesn't want a sign from the Lord? For one, I would really like to have a glimpse at the master plan so that I mess things up less often. How many times do I seek to do the will of God only to find what I "discern" to be the plan turn to thunder. Well, it's often enough so that the word "discern" should always be in quotation marks. I want to do the right thing, but I want signs to make sure I'm on the right path to the right thing.

The Pharisees and Sadducees all wanted signs so that they could believe. Signs and wonders are all around us, and they wanted a sign of their own. As if it would have done a bit of good. Folks who are skeptical about signs would be skeptical if a tree grew from their noses.

The signs are all around us. They reveal the truth of Jesus every day in every good way. And somehow, the things which are devastating can still be redeemed in the grace and love of the Lord. That's the hard part, even what we would call garbage is used for the glory of God.

So let us go to our prayer closets, our quiet places, and for God's fine whispers in our hearts, and prepare to act on what we receive. Remember, we all seem to want the "burning bush" experience, it's just that fewer of us want the "go to Pharaoh" experience that usually follows it.

All Your Love

)

Exodus 34:11-14

Observe what I command you today. See, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Take care not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, or it will become a snare among you. You shall tear down their altars, break their pillars, and cut down their sacred poles (for you shall worship no other god, because the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God).

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Gimme all your lovin'
All your hugs and kisses too.
Gimme all your lovin'
Don't let up until we're through.

"Gimme All Your Lovin'" written and recorded by ZZ Top from "Eliminator"

Here's something we don't talk much about anymore, a jealous God. It's scriptural and fashionable to say "God is Love." Shoot, it's so true you will find those very words in this devotional more than once. But it doesn't stop this very ancient truth. The Lord is a jealous God.

We ought to break this down with a touch of history. In the ancient of days, there were many Gods who ran a variety of enterprises. In fact, the word "polytheistic" means "many gods." This is what we generally associate with the ancients. In truth, we should be using the word "pantheistic" instead. This means "all gods." The ancients believed in Gods as a way to look at creation.

Different peoples had different Gods. Each had its own stable of Gods who took care of sun, rain, wind, planting, harvest, love, lust, and on and on. But the Hebrews established something different. One single God, a God Christians know in three persons, who is supreme over all.

This is the Lord who is jealous. This is the Lord who knows that creation prays to gods that are worthless and is jealous. This is the Lord who is sick and tired of others getting the love that the Lord alone deserves.

More than this, this is the Lord is the God who wants these things from us and all creation.

God wants all our love and all of our hugs and kisses too. The Lord who created all things seeks a relationship with all creation. God seeks relationship... with us. So when we run off with idols, it is no wonder the Lord is jealous.

Caution here though, we no longer worship Baal or Zeus or any of the other ancient gods, but there are still other Gods we seek. These include fame and power and wealth. So beware, while our gods may shifted, the Lord is still the only god who deserves our love.

Conjunctions

)

Song of Songs 1:5a (NRSV)

I am black and beautiful

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She was black as the night
 Louie was whiter than white

"Brother Louie" by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson and originally recorded by Hot Chocolate. The American hit version of this song was recorded by Stories on their album "About Us".

This song caused a stir in the early 1970's. It's ad must have also caused a stir since it followed the song perfectly. The scene in the ad where the white man and the black woman shared a bite from a cotton candy was probably as close they could get to an interracial kiss in a TV ad in 1973.

The racial issues in this song are as old as eternity. Abraham was told by the Lord not to let his sons take brides from the other tribes he meets along the way. Of course God had reasons. What they were had nothing to do with "ethnic purity," it had to do with worship of the Lord. The Lord did not want Israel to worship other Gods, so staying within the tribe kept them from exposure to other's idols.

In the Song, the woman says to the reader "I am black and beautiful." I imagine at the time, this was a scandal too. So much of a scandal, that many English translations do not say "and beautiful." They say "I am black but beautiful."

One little conjunction makes a ton of difference.

As a text critical issue, the conjunction in Hebrew can be translated either way, but more often than not, it is transalted as "and," not "but." So why the choice?

The first English translation, the King James Version, uses "but" instead of "and." First published in 1611, this was during a time of colonialism. The European slave trade to the Americas wasn't known yet. Still the scandal of the time, placing Solomon with a black woman would have been scandalous. Placing him with one who was confident enough to say she was beautiful would have only increased the scandal. "Make her less confident and it will be better" might have been the logic of the translation.

The scandal exists today. It exists to the point that many pictures of Jesus show him with European features, a remnant of the European icon makers. Jesus was Palestinian. He would not have looked like many pictures we have today. His nose would have been broader and his skin an olive tone. Solomon even more so, and the object of the Song of Solomon probably darker than the woman in "Brother Louie" we imagine today.

As the song goes, "Ain't no difference if you're black or white, Brothers you know what I mean?"

The Names of God

)

Isaiah 9:6 (NRSV)

For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah
Some call me the gangster of love
Some people call me Maurice
'Cause I speak of the pompitous of love

"The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band, 1973

What do you call God? The Presbyterian Church (USA) put out a report a few years ago about what we call God. There's a lot of good biblical rationale for their report and a lot of good pastoral concern to create such a report. But this is the kind of question that people go to war over, especially from the first age of the church well beyond the reformation.

Hundreds of years before his birth, Isaiah gave the world these names for the baby who would be born to Mary. Isaiah is the first to call the Lord Prince of Peace, and he reserved this title for the Christ-child.

Today, there are many names used for the Lord, just like The Joker was called by various names. Frankly, we may not understand them all either. "Pompitous" is a made-up word, it's a creation of Steve Miller's imagination. So what does it mean, well, one day the truth may be known.

Today, we still say Jesus is Lord. What that means to us is still being revealed every day by the Holy Spirit. He is now and always will be the ultimate Space Cowboy--I bet you weren't ready for that. Now that's good news.

Magic?

)

Acts 8:9-24

Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great. All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place.

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”

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Cold late night so long ago
When I was not so strong, you know
A pretty man came to me
Never seen eyes so blue
You know I could not run away, it seemed
We'd seen each other in a dream
Seemed like he knew me
He looked right through me
Yeah

"Magic Man" by Ann and Nancy Wilson from "Dreamboat Annie" by Heart

The man in the song "Magic Man" seems to be a lot like Simon the magician, often called Simon Magnus. He's a charming man. He's a man with power and a bit of authority. He likes using his power to his own purposes. We will never know whether Simon wanted his power for good or evil, but Magic Man we know. The Magic Man of this song was a seducer of girls on the edge of becoming young women. He was dangerous.

Simon Magnus was a man who wanted the adoration of the masses. From the greatest to the least, the people say "This man is the power of God that is called Great." Upon his baptism, he knew that there was wonder and power and glory beyond his own. He knew this was in the person and the power of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us so. Simon actually knew there was power greater than his and maybe he even knew this joyfully. Still, it is easy to imagine it bothered him to discover he was no longer the top dog in the mystical kennel.

Then when Peter and John came to town and baptized the community in the name of the Holy Spirit, more wonderful and glorious things began to happen. What a wonder and what a joy. And what a source of grief for Simon Magnus, he was not only no longer top dog, he wasn't even a player in the pack anymore.

So he offered cash. Make me like you, he begs. “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Why did he want this power? Was it to spread the word of God or was it to regain his old glory. It looks like personal glory, at least that's how Peter and John responded to the request.

Momma is worried that her daughter is being swept off her feet by the Magic Man. Is he wooing the girl to be his bride and start a family? Or is he seducing her to take her body and use it like playground equipment? Momma has a right to be worried. So does her daughter. The Magic Man wants what is magic for his own purposes, his own agenda. He does not want her for what is good for her, what he wants is what's good for him.

Beware of the Magic Man, but also remember when he is called what he is, and when his silver is called to rot, when his charms are called the manipulations they are, they are unarmed. They are sent off. Beware, and be bold.

The Ties that Bind

)

Matthew 19:16-22 (NRSV)

Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

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I realize I don't want to be a miser
Confide wisely you'll be the wiser
Young blood is the lovin' upriser
How come everybody wanna keep it like the kaiser?

"Give It Away," written by John Frusciante and Flea, recorded by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, from Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik


The horror of the story of the rich, young ruler is that he is torn between two lovers. He wants to be faithful to the Lord our God and he wants to keep his stuff. He wants both things so very badly that when confronted by both the wealth of the future and the wealth of the present he really doesn't make a decision.

Matthew's gospel tells us that the rich young ruler went away grieving. It doesn't say he told Jesus to buzz off, got into his big fancy car and went home to his hot tub and servants. He went away grieving. He wanted to go with the Lord, but at that moment he couldn't bring himself to leave his stuff. And scripture doesn't tell us whether or not he returned to his stuff satisfied that he made the right decision. Scripture says he grieved as he went away.

While scripture says he went away, it doesn't say the Lord left him. The Lord is steadfast.

To paraphrase the Peppers, the young man knew he didn't to be a miser. He confided wisely, but unfortunately he did not choose to be the wiser; at least not at that moment. He wanted to follow Jesus, but he couldn't pull the trigger and give it away.

But there is an open door, the rich young ruler may not have done as Jesus asked at that moment, but maybe--just maybe--later--he did.

He was drawn to the Lord, and he grieved when he faced the ties that bound him to his wealth, but I wonder if he didn't choose to do as the Lord demanded later. It is written that on that day, the rich young ruler did not have the faith to move mountains and trade current wealth for the treasure of heaven. But let us not lose faith that he did not give it away later.

Everyday we are faced with choices just like the ones the rich young ruler faced; in some of them we choose well, in others, not so much. Sure, like the rich young ruler we do the right things on the whole, but we aren't doing everything our Lord wants us to do.

Beware of the things that tie us to our current lives because these are the ties that bind us in ways that are neither to our advantage nor what God wants for our lives. Whether they be wealth or attitudes.

We can always hope the rich young man became wiser, chose better, and cut the ties that bound him. And we can always hope the same for us.

Breath of Life

)

Ezekiel 37:9-10

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

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Head under water
And they tell me
to breathe easy for a while.
The breathing gets harder
even I know that

"Love Song" written and recorded by Sara Bareilles from "Little Voice"

Breathe on me breath of God. Breathe your life into me and into all that surrounds me. Command me that I may be your instrument. Command me so that your will may be done here and everywhere, now and forevermore.

In this world we often get worse instructions than that though. We're told me to hold our heads underwater and breathe easy. What kind of lousy advice is this? It's a command of suffering and death, not of life. It's funny how many people, even knowing breathing gets harder underwater, go ahead and take the advice and drink the Kool-Aid.

We take bad advice for all sorts of reasons, some of them even good reasons. But bad advice remains bad advice regardless of the outcome. Listen to the good commands. Listen to the word of the Lord God and breathe the breath of life.

How can we breathe the breath of life? We do this whenever we share God's word with another. We do this when we lift up one who needs God's hands. We do this when we care for those who need God's heart. We do this when we do God's work.

By this, we do God's work. By this new life is brought to old bones. Hear the word of the Lord.

The Good Doctor

)

Luke 1:1-4 (NRSV)

Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.

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Doctor Doctor, gimme the news I got a
Bad case of lovin' you
No pill's gonna cure my ill I've got a
Bad case of lovin' you

"Bad Case of Lovin' You (Doctor, Doctor)" by Robert Palmer from "Secrets"

Robert Palmer's music always had a bit of style and panache that is missing from so much music. "Doctor, Doctor" is one of the best examples before he hit the huge hits that came off of the discs "Riptide" and "Heavy Nova." "Bad Case of Loving You" was one of those songs that provided an introduction, a sign of what was to come.

The first four verses of Luke's gospel do the same thing. They provide an introduction from someone who meticulously studied the teachings of Jesus. Luke was not one of the original apostles as Matthew, Mark, and John. Historically, Luke is known as "The Good Doctor." Through the gospel that carries his name, he gives us the cure in the love of Christ.

One of the mysteries of this gospel is to whom it is addressed, Theophilous. The name itself was not uncommon in ancient Greece, and the honorary "most excellent" shows that Luke holds him in high esteem. Perhaps Theophilus is Luke's patron—the person who provides the capital and influence to write, publish, and circulate the gospel. That would make Theophilus like a foundation or publisher who provides a large advance to get the work going.

But there is one other thought about this name. Theophilous means "God Lover." In the day, the gentiles who worshiped the Lord were called "God Fearers." What if this honorary title was directed not at the one who commissioned the work, but to all who would hear it for millenia to follow?

In Luke's words, the Christian congregations of the Greeks, Romans, and Gentiles have wonderfully been transformed into not just "God Fearers" but "God Lovers" too. Proverbs teaches that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but moving from fear alone to love is a movement from God's slaves to God's children.

This is the movement that begins the gospel. This is the first big hit that signals what is to come. This is the first note of what becomes a tremendous body of work. This is true of "Doctor, Doctor" and it's true of the introduction of Luke's gospel.

The love of God is an ill that no pill can cure. In fact, the grace, peace, and love of God is what cures the ills of sin. Thanks be to God.

Stormy Weather

)

Matthew 18:23-27

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

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Ridin' the storm out, just waitin' for the fall out.

"Ridin' the Storm Out," by Gary Richrath, recorded by REO Speedwagon from the "Ridin' the Storm Out" album

Hemingway described guts as grace under pressure. Let's just say that in this moment, this moment of ultimate pressure, Jesus shows grace where everyone else is running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Let's not blame them. Several of the disciples were fishermen and the rest were land lubbers like the passengers on the S.S. Minnow and the three hour tour was about to come to an end. So where is the Lord? Where is the master? He's taking a nap in the rear hold during a severe thunderstorm and a small craft warning. He's asleep.

Just waiting for the fall out,  Jesus is taking a nap. Time to get him up!

Give him some credit for grace under fire, I know people who can't go to sleep unless everything is just so, and Jesus is asleep in the back of a boat on a heap of ropes, nets, and ballast. Takes guts, or rather, it takes confidence. More than that, it takes faith.

So what do the disciples say to Jesus, "Lord, Save us! We're perishing!" God love the writers of the gospels, I would have been yelling bloody murder at any one with ears to hear. The words Jesus would have heard from me would have made the sailors on the crew blush. What do we get, "We're perishing!"

So Jesus rebukes the sea. He scolds the sea into behaving! What does he say, "stop it?" Whether what he said was wonderfully understated or ominously bold, it must have been impressive.

Then the men who were so recently riding the storm out ask “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” What kind of man can control the elements. Well, the answer for us is easy, the man who can do this is God who walks the earth and rides the boat. What it says to us is that Jesus is God who cares when the world is crashing around our ears. If he can control the elements, imagine what God does to take care of our concerns.

Who Gets Hurt

Yeah, it's country, but it's right.
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Exodus 20:18

Neither shall you commit adultery.

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You keep telling me, baby
There will come a time
When you will leave her arms
And forever be in mine
But I don't think that's the truth
And I don't like being used and I'm tired of waiting
It's too much pain to have to bear
To love a man you have to share

"Stay" by Sugarland

If you come to this blog just to read the words, thank you, but this time please watch at least a bit of the video. Look at the pain in the eyes of vocalist Jennifer Nettles. I mean look at it. This song is the story of a woman who is having an affair with a married man and her pain. Look at it.

Scripture says "you shall not commit adultery" but why? (Pretty obvious, but go with me here...) Yes, it messes with the family unit, no doubt about it, and that's a bad thing. Families are stronger when a wedge isn't driven into the log splitting it into pieces. But that's not what this song is about.

This song is about the "other woman." It's about the pain she experiences. She wants more, or by the end of the song wanted more. She knows he won't leave his wife and it's tearing her up. She's in pain. At the moment, in this perspective, we aren't imagining the couple's situation, we're in her shoes. Because of this song's hard lyrics and Jennifer Nettles' emotionally raw performance we can imagine it.

It's easy to imagine the pain and horror of a family coming apart, that's the plot of nearly every "cheating spouse" story ever told. Rightly this is the horror of cheating on your partner, but it is only one of the horrors of adultery. But there's another player in this story too. It's the horror of a woman who is hurt being the third point in the triangle.

Here's the thing about sin, it causes everyone who is touched by it to hurt. Even when it's a situation that begins so right when it turns wrong is goes so very wrong. Know this from the look on Jennifer Nettles' face and the tears in her eyes, because of sin everyone hurts, even those we don't tend to think of being hurt.

Saved by Grace

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Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God--not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

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If I should fall from grace with God
Where no doctor can relieve me
If I'm buried 'neath the sod
But the angels won't receive me

Let me go, boys
Let me go, boys
Let me go down in the mud
Where the rivers all run dry

"If I Should Fall From Grace with God" written by Shane MacGowan, recorded by The Pogues on the album of the same name

The fear of all God fearing people, falling from God's grace. It's the ever present worry that we won't be able to live up to God's standard. When we we fear that, we fear we will lose salvation. We fear we will be buried 'neath the sod but the angels won't receive us.

Fear not! The cry of all scripture from God to the people, fear not! God love us, God loves us. God is so rich in mercy that while we were still living a life ripe with trespasses, life filled with sin, God is so rich in mercy that we were made alive through Christ, saved by grace through faith.

The wonderful thing about grace is that we cannot earn it by our works. Grace is a gift freely given. If we had to work for it then it would no longer be grace, it would no longer be a gift. It was given before we even had the opportunity to try to earn it. Let me say again, the free gift of God's good grace was offered before we had the opportunity to try to earn it.

Our good works aren't like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." If we open enough chocolate we won't find the Wonka Golden Ticket to get us beyond the factory gates. This is salvation by works, we are saved by grace through faith.

Yet we were created to do good works. God has made us in Christ Jesus for good works to become our way of life. So if our good works aren't for our salvation what's the use? Our good works reflect the light of Christ in the world. Our good works show God's light in the world.Our good works aren't for our glory, but project God's love onto a needy world.

Saved by grace through faith shows God's merciful kindness to creation. Merciful kindness, in the words of a famous theologian, God loves us not despite who we are, but because of who we are. Live into God's grace not because it will get us anything, but because we are thankful for everything.

Without Ceasing

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1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NRSV)

Pray without ceasing.

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We've got to pray
Just to make it today.

"Pray" sung and produced by MC Hammer featuring samples from Prince and Faith No More from "Hammer, Please Don't 'Hurt Em"

For better and for worse, much rap music deals with personal success and bragging about it. This is different. Yes, a lot of Hammer's music boasts about making money and rhymes, but there is more to this 1990 hit. It also deals with the roots of the vine, not just the fruit.

Hammer says "I won't forget my people or my town or my ways, and on my knees every night I'm still gonna pray." Yeah, leaving poverty is great, but leaving poverty and leaving everyone else behind is worse. (While his heart may have been in the right place, the sustainability of how he took care of his friends' poverty was another matter.)

Pray without ceasing, this is Paul's command. This is how Paul wraps up his instructions in this, the oldest known piece of Christian literature. 1Thessalonians predates every other word in the New Testament, so when communities were considering what it meant to be Christian, this is the first word they received from any apostle of the Lord Jesus.

And Paul told the world to pray without ceasing.

Let every motion of your life be a living prayer. Dedicate every motion, every iota of being to the Lord. We can't live every moment on our knees, but when we are on our feet, we are to be remembering the one who gave us our feet. This is how to pray without ceasing. This is how we live our lives in remembrance of the one who gave everything for us. But not only are we called to ask, we are called to listen and respond.

Prayer works both ways, and as the old saying goes, we have one mouth and two ears and two eyes. We need to listen and watch more than we speak. Pay attention, then with two hands we can respond the the call of the Lord.

Run for the Prize

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1Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.

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You'd better run.

"Run Like Hell" lyrics by Roger Waters recorded by Pink Floyd.

So, just what is the prize? It would surely seem easy enough to guess, it could be eternal life, the resurrected life of Jesus. But we're talking about the writing of Paul here, and fewer were more aloof than Paul in his writing.

My Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (volume 1, page 638 for those of you who want to look this up says that this is "the prize of conflict which a man can win only if he throws in his whole self and all his resources, namely, the resurrection to eternal life (this mention from Philippians 3:11). So yes, the answer is the resurrection to eternal life. To take another Pink Floyd title, have a cigar.

What is infinitely more interesting is the way the word used in scripture that we define as "prize" makes added reference to the way the runner in this passage has to train and has to race. The rest of this passage from 1Corinthians makes sure the point is made, to win you must train--you gotta work hard to win. But here, just in the description of the prize itself, to gain the prize you must, I say must, commit your whole self and all of your resources to the goal.

The faith, and the prize of the faith, is not something we can do for an hour a week and leave the remaining 167 hours for anything else. Life in the faith is more than just a way to kill an hour on Sunday before going to dinner with the family, or that thing you miss so you can see the game.

Faith is a 24/7 proposition. We have to live our life not just fully in the name of the Lord we have to commit to work harder to develop more to gain fruitfully to win the prize. Yes, we are saved by grace through faith, Paul says this too, but we are called to do more than just wait on the bus of salvation. We need to take a walk.

I guess the only true way we can avoid the devil is to run like hell.

Four Friends

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Daniel 1:3-7

Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine. They were to be educated for three years, so that at the end of that time they could be stationed in the king’s court. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. The palace master gave them other names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

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They are one person
They are two alone
They are three together
They are for each other

"Helplessly Hoping" by Crosby, Stills, and Nash from "CSN" (1969)

Four men, four friends. They were among the men who were sent to Babylon during the exile. They knew their nation was subdued. They didn't know if they would ever see home again. By the end of this passage they didn't even have their own names anymore. All they knew is they had their Lord and they had one another.

They were brought into the compound of King Nebuchadnezzar to share their knowledge and insight. First though, they were trained, we might call it indoctrinated, into the ways of the Chaldeans. They were taught their language and literature. This taught them how to think like their captors. This took three years, three years of being some of the best kept captives in Babylon.

Never forget, the best kept captive is still a captive.

In their exile, in their captivity, they could have tried to live "every man for himself." but they didn't they were four together. Together they kept the faith even in the house of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, that couldn't have been easy. The Book of Daniel will eventually show this was not easy. Yet, through their faith in the Lord and their friendship, they persevered together. This is the hallmark of community, this is the mark of a Godly enclave.

Sandbar Theology

Thanks to the smartest man I know,Michael Jinkins, for inspiring this one.
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Matthew 7:24-27

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!”

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I enjoy this life as a jester
Seems to keep me movin' around
Like the wind that blows
Tide that flows
Have my ups and downs

All a part of some strange plan I'm sure
Start a new chapter each day
Honey, love gets lost, time gets tossed
'Cause we've both got our own different ways

I feel like I'm stranded on a sandbar
Stuck in my tracks like a street car
Playin' it for all that it's worth
I'm just payin' for my sins on earth

"Stranded on a Sandbar" by Jimmy Buffett from the album "Volcano"

As Michael Jinkins writes, "The gospels don’t have much nice to say about sand." This is the most particular reference, when the storms come there is little sand does that supports a structure. When the tide flows and the wind blows Jimmy Buffett sings of personal ups and downs. As for the walls of your house, well, there are just downs.

I went to Miami Beach for a conference about 20 years ago. As you can well imagine from the name of the town, everything was on the beach, and I mean everything. There were fences on the beach. There were swimming pools on the beach. There were restaurants on the beach. There were 30 story hotels and apartments on the beach. That's when Matthew's warning crossed my mind. How do huge hotels survive in a foundation of sand. So I asked a cabby.

He told me that before the hotels were built, tremendous concrete piers were poured as a foundation. I don't know how many cubic yards of concrete has to be poured to turn a "beach" into a "rock covered with beach," but I'm sure it is both many and as of today enough.

But that's enough about engineering.

The second stanza of the first verse of Stranded on a Sandbar is the lament of a man whose life not really in a good place. His relationship is failing because they both have their own different ways. Evidently she's moving on, but he isn't because he's stranded on the sandbar. He's stuck in his tracks and unable to move. But for some reason, he believes that standing still is a form of atonement and he's playin' it for all it's worth.

Being in a place where being swept away with the rush of life is no form of atonement. It's really not much of a way of life either. Being swept in the tide is little more than a good way to be cast out to sea without the benefit of Jonah's great fish.

We instead are called to seek the rock of ages, the rock of our faith. That is where we build our great foundation. Without a solid foundation, everything we have and everything we do will be for naught as it blows away in the wind with the sand. As Michael Jinkins writes, in the sand what is here today is gone tomorrow. It's better to place our trust in what is here always. The foundation of the Lord our God.

Picking Your Friends

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Psalm 1

Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

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Bad company, and I can't deny,
Bad company, 'til the day I die.

"Bad Company" by the band Bad Company from the album Bad Company

Scripture reminds us that we are to treat all people well, because we never know when we will be treating angels without being aware that we are. We never know. We are all children of God, even the least of us, even the wicked. But that doesn't mean that we should be hanging out with the wicked.

So how do we walk this tightrope? How do we serve God's children while not hanging out with bad company 'til the day we die? The answer is that this is not the question we should be answering. This question is a smoke screen. The very first Psalm gives us a better answer, from there we can come up with the more fitting question.

Happy are those who who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.

The questions are "Who do you follow? Who do you serve?" Serving God, serving creation, delighting in the Lord, we serve all creation. This is how we serve all facets of God's good creation. Trying to serve humanity without serving God, it may be its own noble goal, it's just impossible to live that way with any certainty. When we do, we end up serving other masters to the detriment of those we seek to serve.

We can follow the wicked, we can be bad company 'til the day we die, but there is a better way. Following God, even in service to the weak and wicked we will be like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.

So you see, there isn't a tightrope, serve God and we will be doing God's work, serving angels unawares, without serving the wicked.

Mr. Bad Example

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Matthew 15:1-9 (NRSV)

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ But you say that whoever tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,’ then that person need not honor the father. So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said:

‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’”

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I'm very well aquainted with the seven deadly sins
I keep a busy schedule trying to fit them in
I'm proud to be a glutton, and I don't have time for sloth
I'm greedy, and I'm angry, and I don't care who I cross

I'm Mr. Bad Example, intruder in the dirt
I like to have a good time, and I don't care who gets hurt
I'm Mr. Bad Example, take a look at me
I'll live to be a hundred, and go down in infamy

The title track from "Mr. Bad Example" by Warren Zevon (1991)

Jesus gets ticked off over hypocrisy more than any other type of sin. People who should know better, people who are called to be better, people who have received all of the benefits life has to offer--and then forsake the call to do God's work with these benefits are never spoken of well in the gospel.

The Scribes and Pharisees had a good thing going, and they knew it. They were the holy of the holy and their place in the temple and society were secure, until Jesus came to muck it all up.

Jesus came and called them out on their hypocritical behavior. Simply men themselves, they held others in far lower esteem. They had a system or rules and laws that placed a burden on people that could not be managed. They took their own rules, which began innocently enough as ways to keep the Law of Moses, and turned them into a horrible cross for the people to carry.

They tithed to the temple-which ultimately came back to themselves-instead of helping the poor and infirm. They actually caused more distress than they relieved. They would tithe spices, keeping silver and gold for themselves.

Warren Zevon is known for the images he is able to create with words and music, Mr. Bad Example is a great example. The Bad Example here describes the Scribes and Pharisees well. They knew the sins, and exercised many of them. They knew their status, and protected it at all costs, including the death of Jesus.

"I don't care who I cross." In this context, there is a bit of double-entendre that both the Lord and Warren are smiling over in heaven.

Where the Devil?

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Job 1:6-7 (NRSV)

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

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Very superstitious, nothin' more to say
Very superstitious, the devil's on his way

"Superstition" written and recorded by Stevie Wonder from "Talking Book" 1972

One of the more liberal ministers and preachers from the 70's and 80's, William Sloane Coffin believed that as there is a real God--not just a concept of God--there was also a real Satan--not just a concept of Satan. Frankly, this isn't a belief that you would associate with a very liberal protestant minister, and reading his reasoning was amazing.

This is not the place to discuss the "reality" or the "truth" of an embodied devil called in Job "Satan." As far as names go, "Satan" means accuser. Specifically, in the Hebrew scriptures, this character is known as The Satan, The Accuser.

Is he "real?" Is his physical existence "true?" As for me, it doesn't matter, that's right, I think that it really doesn't matter whether we believe in a physical satan or not. I believe this for the simple reason that even if a physical satan isn't real, The Accuser is all too real. In our world there are people who try to convince us that things that are real aren't and vice versa. There are people who tell the children of God that they are not loved. There are people who believe that the only way to give love it by abuse, and even worse are those who have been so abused that they believe it is the only way to receive love. There is danger and evil used to separate us from God. There is addiction and abuse separating us from one another.

Even if there is no Dante's "Inferno" version of the Devil, it is still True that Satan, the Accuser exists. It may not look like you, or me, or a Satyr, but the truth of Satan is quite real. There are accusers ready to harm us. Yes, Satan is “going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” Of that, there is no doubt.

The joy of it all is that even when the devil's on his way, the Lord our God is on the stay. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Beware for it is as Stevie sings, "When you believe in things that you don't understand then you suffer, superstition ain't the way." Not sin, not death, not the worst Satan can dish out, not the worst our friends can say about us. That is just one of the important lessons from the story of Job.

Just a Regular Guy, and So Much More

John 1:43-45

The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

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I'm just an ordinary average guy
My friends are all boring
And so am I
We're just ordinary average guys

"Ordinary Average Guy" by Joe Walsh

One of the questions answered in the great councils of the church during the first 500 years of the faith was "Is Jesus God or is Jesus human?" There were many variations on this theme offered. One was that Jesus was God wearing human flesh like a shell. It's the Halloween costume version of Jesus. Honestly that doesn't cut it.

The final "formula" they could agree to was that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. From a "mathematical formula" point of view, it's not easy to fathom. How could the Lord be 100% God and 100% human? From a math point of view that's impossible. Of course for God, all things are possible.

Fully human doesn't set well with everybody. We want God to be a superman, someone who cannot be harmed the way we can be harmed. That would be way too vulnerable. As far as that goes, I think that's the point.

Being fully human, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of Joseph. He's just an ordinary average guy. He gets up, goes to work, comes home, picks up the dog poo, cleans out the garage. He's just like all of us, he's normal, he's average, there is nothing special or distinct that makes Jesus any different. If you cut him, he will bleed.

But also, as Philip tells Nathanael Jesus is the one about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote. He is the one who is to come. He's different than we are. He is God.

Ultimately, Jesus as a person was just like we are, but without sin. He was exposed to sin, he was tempted to sin, but unlike us, he was without sin. He is God, this we need to always remember.

On the other hand, we must never forget that he was just an ordinary average guy with ordinary average guy needs and responsibilities. Because of this, Jesus can sympathize with our everyday live.

Jesus is just a regular guy, and he's so much more--he's also the Christ. This is worth remembering.