Holy Winds

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Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

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Call me the breeze
I keep blowin' down the road
Well now they call me the breeze
I keep blowin' down the road

"Call Me the Breeze" by J. J. Cale, recorded by Lynyrd Skinner from "Second Helping"

My favorite word in the Hebrew language is Ruach. There is an airy quality to the word that is appropriate because it means wind and breath. When you pronounce it, ru-aaaaach (heavy on the "a" light on the "ch") it sounds breathy, positively ethereal. It also means Spirit. So that wind from God that swept over the face of the waters is in truth the Holy Spirit of God.

Gotta love the breeze that creates, it continues to create, it keeps blowin' down the road. Even after six days of active creation of stuff and a seventh day where Sabbath is created, the breeze moves on down the road and continues the amazing work of God in all creation.

In Genesis, the breeze that blows across the waters, this breath of God, this spirit is imparted just before the light is created. It is the breath that blows across the chaos, across the darkness, across the void. This is the breath that precedes life. This is the breath that gives life to all creation.

This is the wind that comes off of the water in the morning. It’s the cool breeze that brings the dew to fall on the grass. It’s the summer breeze that rustles the leaves in the trees and tells us that all is right in the world. It is the Spirit that reminds us that God is in charge and regardless of the chaos of the world around us, it is the Spirit that says Emmanuel, God is with us.

The wind that blows across the waters of the formless void makes the form of our lives. And still, this wind calls us to listen and believe. When we stop listening to the word of God, when we quit feeling the breath of the Lord blowing across our faces, across our lives, we are not able to respond according to the Word. We instead pay attention to the words we hear from other voices.

When we stop listening to the voice of God, when we stop feeling the breeze on our faces and in our lives we stop forgiving and start retianing other’s sins. When we hear other voices, we do not hear the blessing of the Lord, “Peace to you.”

Limited Knowledge

1Corinthians 8:2-3

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.

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Well now I don't read that daily news
'Cause it ain't hard to figure
Where people gets the blues
They can't dig what they can't use
If they stick to simple
They'd be much less abused

Say I know a little
Lord I do know a little 'bout it
I know a little
I know a little 'bout it
I know a little 'bout love
Baby I can guess the rest

"I Know a Little" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Ah to watch the news on TV, I can think of nothing more discouraging. There seems to be a pattern that works, get enough people yelling at one another and people will watch. If this formula didn't work then PBS News would have much higher ratings.

Paul writes that knowledge puffs up. Listen to anyone on talk radio and you will find that's true. TV and radio are filled with people who know and puff themselves up by their knowledge. The puffing up is even measured. They call it ratings. They call it "good" demographics. They call it advertising rates. They call it advertiser prestige.

These pundips (a combined word of "pundit" and "dip$#!^") share news that we have no control over. They will tell us we have power, power focused through the kingdom of a radio or TV show. Their power is in their voice which ultimately becomes a clanging symbol.

What people need is love. Not some undefined general love, but true love for neighbor and self. I'm not talking about being selfish or enlightened self interest either. I'm not saying a rising tide lifts all ships either because a lot of little dinghies get caught in the wake of the supertankers.

I'm talking about the love of God that allows us to accept the free gift of grace by faith in God. I'm talking about sharing the sacrificial love we see in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm talking about the love that comes by the power of the Holy Spirit. I'm talking about a love we can't share until we learn to accept it ourselves--and that may be the toughest part of all.

I can say I know a little about love, and that would be true. As for guessing the rest, we don't have to guess at all. The ultimate example of love is found in Christ and is available for us all.

Lust for Gold

Mark 10:17, 19-22

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’ ” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

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Forget your lust ... for the rich man's gold
All that you need ... oh, Lord, is in your soul
You can do this ... oh, baby ... if you try
All that I want for you my son ... is to be satisfied

And be a simple kind of man
Be somethin' ... you love and understand
Baby, be a simple ... oh, be a simple man
Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can

"Simple Man" by Ronnie VanZandt and Garry Rossington

It's easy to want the good things in life. Who doesn't like a nice house and car? Who doesn't like good food and drink? Who doesn't feel glad when the season of want ends and the season of plenty begins? Well, in America these things are seen as the fruit of labor that is repaid in gold.

So what must I do to inherit eternal life? For this rich man, he didn't have to steal or kill to eat bread every day so breaking those commandments was unnecessary. Since most wealth in the ancient world was inherited, honoring his father and mother would have been a part of walking through his house every day.

As for false witness, defrauding others, and adultery, I'll take him at his word. He's done the minimum required. Good for him.

Ronnie VanZandt sang of a man receiving the word of God at his mother's knee. "All that you need is in your soul. All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied." Everything you need is given to you. Everything else is gravy-and no matter how yummy gravy is-and that's not always good for the soul.

Simplicity, the simplicity that comes with discarding earthly concerns about wealth and power and seeking the nest egg of life in Christ is where life lies. All else is just fancy things that tarnish over time. Life in Christ is the one thing that lasts forever.

What Smells?

Ephesians 5:1-2

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

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Ooooh that smell
Can't you smell that smell
Ooooh that smell
The smell of death surrounds you

"That Smell" written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zandt recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd on "Street Survivors"

This song was written about Gary Rossington, the guitar player holding a cigarette in this video, after he wrapped his car around the aforementioned oak tree. When his car was approached, all anyone could ask is "What's that smell?" The best answer was probably "rock and roll excess."

The smell of cigarettes and whiskey, the smell of cocaine and gasoline, the smell of oak and rubber, it must have been something to behold. That's before allowing any other sense to help us perceive the situation. Smells, the smell that surrounds an event can be as powerful as any other way we can sense what's happening.

In church, some folk talk about "smells and bells." Some lament that they can overwhelm worship, others lament that they're missing from the church. It's a pity when the smells leave worship because they were so important to the beginnings of worship. The smell of the sacrifice, the smell of the incense, the smell of the oils; all of these helped us remember who we are and whose we are.

Let's remember, frankincense and myrrh were two of the gifts of the Magi to the Christ child. Aroma was that valuable and that important. Smell is an important trigger of memory, so when we lose the smell of worship we lose something that could help us remember the Lord all week long.

Christ himself was a sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice, the last sacrifice. He is the Lamb of God whose blood took away the sin of the world. He gave himself up for us and for the world as a fragrant offering to God. Of all of our smells, the smells of worship should remind us of his life and our new life in Christ. Incense helps us recall those memories.

Lynyrd Skynyrd sings of the smell of death surrounding us. Christ offers the smell of life. Yes, put down the whiskey bottle and take your foot off the gas, and relish the smell of life that we are called to wrap around ourselves.