A Divine Contrast

     If you are like me (hopefully, you are not), you probably never cease to be amazed at just how easy it is, even though you are staring directly at the obvious, to miss it and to, thereby, miss some of the most panoramic and glorious pictures the Scriptures provide. I do not know whether it has to do with my tunnel vision, my myopia, my presbyopia, or my hyperopia; all I know is this: I miss more than I see, even when what I am missing is more obvious than the nose on your face.
     For example, I have been studying the Scriptures for more years than I care to mention; however, until this morning, I had never connected the contrasting messages of Isaiah 53 and Revelation 1. Yes, I know that you probably made this connection long ago but not me. Who knows why? I am just very thankful that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes (did that new fangled surgery—LASIK, I think it is called) and allowed me to see clearly what I had missed!
     Listen to these words: For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He himself bore, and our sorrows he carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before it shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away. (Isaiah 53:2-8a).
     Now listen to these words: Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, “ Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw the seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle. And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire: and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feel as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades (Revelation 1:7-18).
     You see, on the one hand we see this Suffering Servant, who comes as a tender shoot (as a root) out of the parched ground, who comes presenting Himself as one having no stately form or majesty, one so unattractive that we turn our face from Him, having no desire to take even a second look at Him—stricken, smitten, pierced-through, despised, forsaken, grief-stricken, crushed, scourged, oppressed, afflicted—a man of sorrows; albeit, one in whose hand the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper. When Israel saw Him, she despised Him and rejected Him—completely forsaking Him.
     On the other hand, we see this Alpha and Omega, who comes with the clouds, who comes in such a manner that every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. He comes presenting Himself as a son of man, centered amongst seven golden lampstands and holding seven stars in His right hand; as one whose hair is white like white wool, like snow; as one whose eyes are like a flame of fire; as one whose feet are like burnished bronze when it has been made to glow in a furnace; as one whose voice is like the sound of many waters; and as one whose face shines like the sun shining in its strength! When John saw Him, he fell at His feet as a dead man in act of worship that has never before or since been equaled.
     In these two contrasting pictures, I sense the aroma of the two contrasting covenants—The Old Covenant and The New Covenant. Sadly, most believers have yet to realize that this guarantee of Jesus’ return for His Bride is our guarantee that the covenant of grace supersedes the covenant of law. He is no longer the stricken, smitten, pierced-through, despised, forsaken, grief-stricken, crushed, scourged, oppressed, afflicted, man of sorrows; instead, He is the reigning King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who has finished His work and sat down at the right hand of His Father, waiting on His signal to return and take His Bride Home. There is no wonder that, when John say Him, he fell as His feet as a dead man! But how thankful I am for the grand finale: He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of hell (Revelation 1:17b-18).     

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities;
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit;
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle
(Psalm 103:1-5).

     Just thought I would try to show you what I think He showed me, and I really do hope you can see it!

The Two Hats

     One would think that being a pastor would in and of itself bring enough ministry opportunities into his life to satisfy even the most insatiable of appetites; however, when a pastor adds the funeral profession to his résumé, the opportunities increase exponentially.
     It has been my observation throughout the years of my pastoral ministry that much of what is called “ministry” is nothing more or less than a good way for the pastor to fill his time with what his parishioners seem to desire and bless—busyness. It reminds me of the bumper sticker that each of you has seen by now, the one that reads: “Look busy! Jesus is coming soon!”
     Now don’t misunderstand me! I am not implying that hospital visitation, or nursing home visitation is a waste of time, nor am I implying that the pastor is wasting his time by visiting shut-ins. Heck; it suits me if he joins the local Garden Club and learns to plant daffodils! Why, I even believe it is beneficial for him to play golf with the guys, even smoke a few stogies and drink a few scotch drinks with them.  The truth is most of the ones I know would probably be much more productive, as far as ministry goes, if they learned to hang out in the bars with the drunks! Apparently, after Jesus left home (Joseph’s & Mary’s), He got pretty good at it! He wasn’t called a “wine-bibber” and a “glutton” for nothing and you know that is true!
     Anyway, I am merely pointing out that being able to wear both hats—the pastor’s hat and the funeral director’s hat—especially at the same time (though it might look a bit strange), opens doorways into incredible ministry opportunities, opportunities that would, otherwise, never be opened. There is, simply, something about being able to journey with a family through the gut-wrenching agony of planning the funeral service for someone they deeply love, guiding them through one of the darkest, most unfamiliar and difficult times of their lives, caring for the physical remains of that loved-one, and at the same time offering them the incredibly good news of the gospel, that is just so incredibly fulfilling and so uniquely worthwhile.
     Just yesterday the husband of a lady I have known for many years was killed in an automobile accident. On the morning of the accident, she left home for work at the Medical Center, where she is a nurse, and he left home to take her car to have the speedometer cable repaired, neither of them having any idea as to what was ahead. Not far from home, the accident occurred and his physical life abruptly ended—no warning, no signal, just death—the final enemy.
     Somewhere before the foundation of the world, our God had carefully orchestrated the entire series of events, for our good and for His glory (I do not fully understand that, just know it is true). In His providence, I served as pastor to this dear lady’s parents from 1979 until 1985 when they died, and during that time, they blessed my life in so many ways, and I learned to love and appreciate them.
     Well, as you might imagine, in His further providence, it fell my lot to once again don both hats and to meet with my friend to guide her through this very difficult time of her life. As we sat together, I listened as she shared her heart with me and as she began to tell me about her beloved husband. During this conversation, the various decisions that needed to be made were made; not the least of them was that she asked me to officiate at his funeral.
     This might not seem as awesome to you as it does to me but let me tell you that I was thrilled, even through my bones. Why? Because I knew that many years ago, when I was trying to do whatever I thought pastors were supposed to do, busying myself with ministry, trying to be the good and respected pastor, God was disregarding my foolishness and planting good seed, seed that would produce a crop, a crop that would continue to yield fruit, even 27 years later! It is the kind of fruit that is unspeakable and full of glory—fruit that remains!
     I am both humbled and honored to know that He will trust me one more time not only to journey with a bereaved family and to guide them through this very difficult and dark time, but also to preach the unspeakable, unsearchable, glorious riches of His grace to a group of His hurting children! WOW!!
          

Butterflies and Carrot Cake

Sometimes, I wonder if there is anything left in me to write about but my passion for writing (expressing myself)  seems to “rule and reign,” so I continue to attempt what oftentimes seems to be the impossible. In all probability, not many read this stuff anyway but at least it allows me to organize my thoughts, get them outside my mind, and allow them to flutter around in the vast “somewhere” like butterflies.
As you probably know by now (unless you have been out of town), we have already moved from January into the middle of February! Well, that wouldn’t be so noteworthy were it not for the fact that February has for me always been a different-than-the-rest month because it is the month of my birthday. Years ago, this fact made it take forever for Valentine’s Day to arrive because the next day was my birthday and I (for some reason) loved having birthdays. (Don’t tell anyone but I always liked my birthday much better than I liked Valentine’s Day and the reason should be obvious. Why there was a lady who always made me a money cake for my birthday! Instead of chocolate chips or orange peel, she put genuine money—coins—in the batter!) Anyway, as time has marched on and I have, therefore, experienced many birthdays, my perspective regarding birthdays has changed just a bit.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I really want to have many more but I also have to face the fact that I have already experienced many more than I have left, unless I am going to be really old when I cross on over, which I doubt. So, I am tickled pink (not really but almost) that I have almost made the #64 birthday. I mean that is not too bad for an old man! I have no idea how so much time has passed by so quickly but it has—very quickly! I don’t know who said it but tempus does fugit, or at least time does fly, especially when you are (1) having fun, which I do most of the time; and (2) when you are old, which means I must be very old, not compared to some folk but old nevertheless!
Are you with me? I hope so because I now want to tell you something very important: I have every intention of continuing to have fun, as I journey towards the finish line but I want to do it at a slower pace. It is kinda’ like when someone places a piece of Syd’s homemade carrot cake in front of me, when I am craving a piece of her carrot cake but I also know I probably won’t get anymore for a long time. I feel like scarfing (if that is a good word) the entire piece down but I know I must apply the brakes in order to slowly savor each bite, trying to make it last forever.
Well, that is kinda’ the way I see the rest of my journey. There are some experiences I really want to enjoy. Why I am even find myself tempted to “scarf them down” but I am realizing that I must apply the brakes, so I can slowly savor every moment, hopefully making them last forever.
Yes, I have already had some good times but I believe the best is yet to come and I really do not want it to pass by so quickly (like the rest of my life) that I miss most of it. I have the feeling that I am going to want to slowly savor each moment! You can bet that I will give it my best shot!
Anyway, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I hope yours is the best yet AND the next day is my 64th birthday and I am planning on, well, I don’t think I will make any plans and wait to see just how the butterflies fly.

Two Strange Stories

There are two stories in the Bible that have captured my attention over the past several days; the first one being the story of God’s calling Abraham to sacrifice his son, and the second one being the story of God’s calling Hosea to marry a whore. Anyway you cut this “pie,” the end result is the same—God is sometimes strange, even weird. To say the very least, He does not fit into the narrow parameters we use to define Christianity!
Suppose for a minute that you are a member of the First Local Church in Somewhere, Alabama, and you go to your pastor seeking his confirmation concerning what God has recently told you, namely, that He wants you to sacrifice your son in order that some folk over in Georgia and Mississippi might be blessed. What do you think his response might be?
Take another minute and pretend that you are the chairman of the Board of Deacons of the First Local Church in Macon, Georgia, and you go to your pastor to seek his confirmation concerning something God has recently told you, namely, that He wants you to marry a whore. What do you think his response might be?
Unless you opted out of church at age three and have had no more contact with it, I feel confident that you know the responses of both these pastors! The former would probably say something like this: Are you crazy? God did not tell you to sacrifice you son! The voice you are listening to is the voice of the devil! Surely you know that one of the Ten Commandments clearly forbids murder! You will not only wind up excommunicated from our church, but you will also land in jail, or maybe even in the death chamber!
The latter’s response would be something like this: God did not tell you to marry a whore and you know it! You are listening to the voice of the devil, and you know that, too. You do this and I will excommunicate you from our church.
Can you see what I am trying to open up for you? God does not fit into the narrow parameters we use to define Christianity! I recently read this in one of Preston Gillham’s newsletters: God created man in His own image, and man has returned the favor! Now, wasn’t that nice of us! I doubt, however, that He caters much to our fanciful notions! To be sure, He will not be defined, not by the likes of you and me—period.
By the way, I am very thankful that Abraham and Hosea put more confidence in God’s opinion for the way their lives should be lived, than they put in the thousand’s of opinions they probably received from their respective religious communities. Sometimes (probably often) it is better (much better) to be excommunicated from the local church than to be controlled by the opinions of those so foolish as to believe that they know God’s will for your life.
And one more thing: I have willingly excommunicated myself from this monstrous fiasco we call “Christianity” and have subjected myself to the freedom of pressing on to know Him, whom to know is eternal life. I choose to graze in His green pastures, drink from His still waters, and rest beneath His pinions, rather than beneath your opinions!
I just thought I would remind you that His ways really are bigger (much bigger) than our ways AND I also thought I would remind you that most of what we know about Him really isn’t about Him at all. It is about our efforts to fit Him into our pea-brained notions of who we think He should be.
I will conclude with this: I can only trust that He won’t ask most Christians I know to do something anywhere near as bizarre as what He asked Abraham and Hosea to do because it, simply, will not get done, not by them, anyway! Their “image” of Him will not allow it!

A Fresh Expression of Love

As you know, February is not only the month when loving, caring, compassionate, tender people are born, e.g., yours truly, it is also the month of love and romance, the month we celebrate Valentine’s Day.
As I have written in an earlier article, most (probably all) of the holidays we celebrate are merely a means to keep the economy running at full-speed ahead, and this one is certainly no exception. There is no telling just how much money will be spent on candy, cards, flowers, and jewelry by those who are attempting to express love to a lover (or, more probably, to stay out of the dog house).
What you might not know is this: my birthday, the day after Valentine’s Day, serves as the day when things return to the status quo. The candy will have been eaten, the cards will have been either discarded or carefully stored, the flowers will have already begun to wilt and fade, and the jewelry will have already begun to tarnish—a short-lived expression of love, at best.
Have you ever allowed your mind to wander just a bit outside the proverbial Valentine’s Day box, and to wonder what would happen if we decided to declare a moratorium on the giving of candy, mass-produced cards, flowers, and jewelry on Valentine’s Day, allowing only verbal or written-from-the-heart expressions of love? My guess is this: the stress and anxiety levels of most people would increase markedly (including of course the business owners who would miss the financial windfall) because it is one thing to buy a card that someone else has written, or a box of Whitman’s chocolates, or a dozen roses, or a piece of jewelry and give it to another as an expression of love, but it is quite another to come up with something on your own, especially something of lasting value (I feel confident that the candy-makers, card producers, florists, and jewelers need not worry about job security!).
Anyway, I love the Song of Songs and one of the reasons I so love it is that it is Jesus’ personal, verbal, God-breathed, expression of His love for you and for me. WOW! What an incredible love—no limits, no conditions, just pure unadulterated love—pure! Listen to these words: Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along. For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines, and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has ripened it figs, and the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along! O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place of the steep pathway, let me see your form, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your form is lovely (2:10-14). Now, you tell me, would you be willing to exchange this for a freight-car load of boxes of candy, or the entire card-rack at Hallmarks, or eighteen dozen roses, or a 10 caret diamond?
Oh well—I just thought I would see if I could make you think outside the proverbial Valentine’s Day box, AND I thought I would remind you that with Him there is no status quo!