The Great Throne Of God

John takes us now with him through heaven's open door. Immediately, at once, straightway John is in the Spirit. He has used that expression in the beginning at Revelation 1:10. Guided by the Holy Spirit John will now provide warnings and comfort to all who read this important letter. As with other Jewish teachers, John avoids any description of God other than that evoked by symbols.

 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. - Rev 4:3 ESV

All he dares to say is that the great, majestic God is like jasper and carnelian.  The High Priest's breastplate had these stones, representing the twelve tribes named after Israel's sons. Jasper, representing Reuben, the eldest of Israel's sons, was first. In Hebrew the word is odem, translated into Greek as sardius. Carnelian, representing Benjamin, was the last (Exod 28:17-21). Jasper is a variety of quartz able to take a high polish, clear as crystal (Rev. 21:11). Pliny the Elder, who lived around the same time of the Revelation's writing, described Jasper "as being green and often transparent." Carnelian, on the other hand, is an orangish red quartz, used as the sixth stone of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:20).

What do these stones imply about God? Certainly John's first stone refers to the glory of God (Rev. 21:11). That glory was revealed to Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus was raised from the dead (John 11:4, 38-44). This is the glory of Christ, the Word become flesh, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). God The same God who once said, "Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3), has  shined in our hearts to reveal the Good News of God's mercy toward us all in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). As He once raised Lazarus, so He will now raise our mortal bodies and we will dwell with Him to all eternity (1 Cor. 15:20-26).

The second stone, Carnelian, seems to burn with a fire within. Carnelian is the sixth stone adorning the foundations of the New Jerusalem. It was among the stones of fire that covered the "king of Tyre" described by the prophet (Ezekiel 28:12-19). That difficult passage probably refers to the fall of Satan, say many. I will not try to interpret it here. I only suggest that Carnelian points to God's holiness that burns in wrath against sin and rebellious angels. The stone completes an apt description of the God of mercy and holiness.

Casting Down Golden Crowns

Around God's throne was a rainbow "that had the appearance of an emerald" (Rev. 4:3). The rainbow has been a sign of God's mercy ever since the universal flood. After that flood God promised Noah that even though mankind might once more fall into great sin, "never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." As a promise of His mercy the LORD declared, "I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant" (Gen. 9:11-13). The Greek word for rainbow, halo or radiance is iris. This is not the Greek word used in the Septuagint-Greek version of Gen. 9. Instead the Greek word toxon is used, the word for bow, suggesting that the LORD has hung up His bow in the clouds as a sign that His anger has subsided—at least for the moment. The storm has passed. No flood will come again.

Earthly rainbows reveal the entire spectrum of colors, but the heavenly one John saw had the appearance of an emerald. Green, of course, is the soothing color of meadows and forests. God's comforting mercy arches above and over His holiness and burning wrath. And so we are comforted by the holy, merciful God.

But there is more . . .

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. - Rev 4:4-7 ESV

We'll take up a discussion of these other thrones and the creatures around God's throne in the next blog.

Hell Is Your Choice!

The Apostle Paul quickly learned that the questions about Christ's return would not go away in Thessalonica despite what he wrote and what I quoted in my previous blog. This busy metropolitan city with its intersecting roads to the rest of the Roman world had many intersecting ideas and thoughts rushing back and forth. And among those were some troubling thoughts about the return of Christ. Besides all that the church there was being persecuted. So Paul begins his response to all this troubling news like this:

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-- since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. - 2Th 1:1-12 ESV

As you can see, Paul did indeed have the return of Christ and the terrible Day of the Lord in mind. Destruction in the form of flaming fire is on the way. God will visit His vengeance on those who do not know Him nor obey—in the sense of pay attention to—the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be dealt with. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction! That's a strange phrase, because we usually think of destruction as something that happens and the person is gone, dead, destroyed.
But Paul says they will suffer and keep on suffering God's δίκη (dē'-kā), God's justice. The sentence will be carried out. That sentence, he writes, will be destruction, but not extinction. Everything that Christ's enemies trust in, everything they dream about, all peace and security, all their riches and power—everything will be wiped out and they themselves will be separated forever from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. They will eternally know nothing but despair, guilt, fear, anxiety and loneliness. As Paul wrote in his first letter,

. . . sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. - 1Th 5:3 ESV

But forever? Why? How can it be? That is a most difficult concept to take hold of. Men usually couch it in terms of the Lord Jesus being too vindictive. Won't his anger ever be satisfied? Will he forever demand punishment, justice—destruction!? But that's the exact opposite of what the Scriptures reveal. How dare you or I make such a mockery of our Lord's mercy and love? How dare we forget that Jesus became our High Priest and made Himself the one final sacrifice for the sins of all men (Hebrews 7:27; 9:11-14, 27-28)? How dare we not hear His loud cry for all humanity upon the cross, 

"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" - Mat 27:46 ESV

He stands before the world of men of all ages with his scarred hands held out. He longs to give forgiveness, but so many are like Jerusalem. He looks down upon them with tears in His eyes.

 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! - Luk 13:34 ESV

But like ancient Pharaoh and Jerusalem's Sanhedrin their hearts are hard, their eyes are darkened and they are not willing! Hell is their choice. The Lord cannot and will not deprive them of the freedom to choose their own destruction.

So it stands for each one of us. Make your choice! If you want hell, then that is what you will receive.

The Life-giving Power Of God's Mercy

The previous conclusion or therefore was an admonition, based upon the Law of God. Do this, do that, said the author, and you'll see some amazing things. It did not, however, offer the motivating power and energy to pull off such a life style. One doesn't help people to grow and change merely by threats and punishment. All that does is get their attention—and some temporary changes. The real spiritual power comes through the love of Jesus. This is why the Hebrews writer says,

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned." Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with fear." - Hebrews 12:18-21 ESV

The reference, of course, is to the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:1-23:33). It was a very frightening scene, with all the thunder, lightning and blaring of trumpets. Who wouldn't be scared? But, says the writer, that's not the mountain we've come to. No indeed. We've come to . . .

Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. - Hebrews 12:22-24 ESV

Here we encounter grace and undeserved mercy, all because Jesus has completed and fulfilled all that the bloody sacrifices of the Old Covenant pointed to. He is the mediator of a new covenant. His sprinkled blood, poured out on the altar of the cross of Calvary, shouts forever forgiveness, freedom and life for all who will accept it. It does not bring judgment, but rather justification.

This leads to the second great conclusion, the second therefore. 

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, - Hebrews 12:28 ESV

The shaking refers to this earth. God shook the earth once when He came down to Mount Sinai to pronounce judgment upon all who reject His commandments. The prophets announced again and again that there will be a final judgment day, a final shake-up of everything! At that time earth and heaven will pass away (Isaiah 13:13) and all will stand before the Judge who will separate the sheep from the goats, His children from those who have rejected Him (Matt. 25:31-34).

Therefore, says the Hebrews writer, be grateful, be excited and look ahead to what is coming. And let that be the motivation for the pursuit of a God-like, a godly, holy life.  And for those who question and doubt these words, listen again to a warning:

Our God is a consuming fire. - Hebrews 12:29 ESV (see also Isaiah 66:15). 

Pursuing The Christ Life

In the past couple blogs we've been looking at the issue of how the LORD disciplines his newborn children in Christ. We've been reminded of the sometimes harsh nature of that training and the resulting growth in faith and life it brings. Having explained this the Hebrews writer draws a couple conclusions, a couple therefores. Here's the first:

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. - Hebrews 12:12-17 ESV

Sounds like some football coaches I know. When the team is exhausted by the drills, with sweat pouring from every pore, he yells, "OK, sissies, ten more laps around the field!" That's what the LORD does with us at times. He pushes us beyond, making demands upon us to do things we absolutely are convinced are impossible.

"OK, sissies, weaklings, sinners! pick 'em up. Straighten those knees. Stand up and walk on you own two feet. It hurts? So what? Work through the pain. That's the only way to maturity, to wholeness, to becoming the man or woman you are called to be. 

"So you don't like that person with whom you've been quarreling. So she's mean, childish, narrow-minded. So? Get with the program. Your task is the pursue, chase after and grab hold of harmony, oneness with everybody, yes even with her. If you believe you are more mature than she is, act like it! Grow up! 

"And quit acting like the baby you once were. Remember how you used to pout and cry when things didn't go your way? Remember how you started a fight or crawled off into a corner to feel oh so sorry for yourself? Well, that was childish living. It only leads to more trouble.

"Holiness! That's the aim, the goal, the program. I want you to be holy, just as your heavenly Father is holy (Lev. 19:2). Consider again the words of the Apostle: 

'I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.'" - 1Cor 1:10 ESV 

Here's the secret. When you pursue the LORD's manner of living, when you submit to a life of forgiveness, forgiving even as we are constantly forgiven in Christ, then an amazing thing opens up. We begin to see God's grace at work. This business of love and mercy generates new life and love in the hearts of others. Getting even, running away, feeling sorry for yourself, etc., etc. only does the opposite. It only plants what the writer calls a "root of bitterness" that springs up, grows and causes even more trouble. Want an example from the Bible? Consider Jacob and Esau (Gen. 25:1-34; 27:1-28:10).

These two brothers, fraternal twins, never seemed to get along. Their talents and interests went in different directions from childhood. And they quarreled. And their parents chose favorites. Mama chose Jacob. Papa chose Esau. Stupid way to parent. Only caused more trouble. And Jacob lived up to his name, the trickster! He was smarter and sneakier than his brother. Mama encouraged him. And it led to more trouble. Read the story. Consider the example. Consider what happened to Esau and how he threw away his one chance for his father's inheritance and blessings.

That's what happens in life. The LORD gives us an opportunity. We waste it. It never comes again. Your choice. You allowed your sinful nature to take over. Think about it.

There's more in this chapter. We'll consider it next time.

I Am He Whom Thou Seekest

I was never much of a runner. The sport of competing against other runners never interested me. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I'm not very fast in the first place. But I have had some very good times playing other sports and I know that for many of them you have to strip down so that your ordinary street clothes don't get in the way. That's the image the Hebrew writer borrows as he opens chapter twelve with these words:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

His therefore connects us to the previous chapter's parade of men and women who walked in faith, but did not receive the better country they longed for. They are for us a great cloud of witnesses. In spite of their numerous frustrations, losses, grief and pain they did not give up their faith. They continued to believe that the LORD would one day somehow fulfill His promises. They surround us with their faith. They are our surrounding cloud. We live and breath their witness and are thus encouraged.

Therefore let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run the race that is set before us. 

Consider what he is saying.

Faith is not wishful thinking or whistling in the dark or crossing your fingers superstitiously. Faith is putting your trust in a person, a particular PERSON whom you are totally and completely convinced is able to and will keep  his promises. There is power in that relationship. The whole Bible is filled with stories of men and women who had this person to PERSON relationship with their LORD. The Hebrews writer has just been pointing to them.

A personal note here. I can still vividly remember how I was ushered into such a relationship during my final college year. I had already committed myself to preparing for the pastoral ministry, but I had deep-seated doubts. I was not convinced that the LORD wanted or even offered such a relationship. Yes, I knew many objective facts about Jesus, His birth, life, suffering, death and resurrection. But somehow I wanted more. I wanted to meet Him face to face, person to person. I was, in truth, running from Him. For a long time I was the young man Francis Thompson describes in his moving poem, The Hound of Heaven.

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes, I sped;

And shot, precipitated,

Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase,

And unperturbèd pace,

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,

They beat—and a Voice beat

More instant than the Feet—

"All things betray thee, who betrayest Me."

And then one day He found me, found me in the writings of C S Lewis, a man to whom I and thousands of others owe an eternal debt. My LORD took the Gospel and spoke it to me in the words of Lewis' stories. 

I can only pray that one day you too, my friend, will also stop running away from Him and find yourself surrounded not only with a cloud of witnesses, but also with that eternal cloud of His love for you, the same love that drove Him from the halls of heaven to be born of a virgin and laid in a lowly manger in a tiny town called Bethlehem. There love waits us all. 

Francis Thompson put it like this, 

Now of that long pursuit

Comes on at hand the bruit;

That Voice is round me like a bursting sea:

"And is thy earth so marred,

Shattered in shard on shard?

Lo, all things fly thee, for thou fliest Me!

Strange, piteous, futile thing,

Wherefore should any set thee love apart?

Seeing none but I makes much of naught" (He said),

"And human love needs human meriting:

How hast thou merited—

Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot?

Alack, thou knowest not

How little worthy of any love thou art!

Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,

Save Me, save only Me?

All which I took from thee I did but take,

Not for thy harms,

But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.

All which thy child's mistake

Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:

Rise, clasp My hand, and come."

Halts by me that footfall:

Is my gloom, after all,

Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly?

"Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,

I am He Whom thou seekest!

Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me."

Complete Rest Awaits All In Jesus

When you read the Gospels carefully you note that Jesus did some in-your-face things on the Sabbath. For instance, he said nothing when his hungry disciples plucked heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. But that was work and God had strictly forbidden anyone to work on the Sabbath (Exod. 20:9-12). So the proud fundamentalists, the Pharisees, challenged him and his followers. "Hey! your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. They're working!"

Jesus' replied,

"Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." - Mat 12:3-8 ESV 

The David story comes from that time when David and his men had to flee for their lives from the wrath of King Saul. Being hungry and without food, David begged Abimelech the priest for bread. All Abimelech had to give was the so-called "bread of the Presence." This was 12 loaves of bread baked each week and placed on a special gold-inlayed table in the Temple as an offering and memorial before the LORD (Lev. 24:5-9). Only the priests were allowed to eat it, but Abimelech broke that rule by giving it to David and his men.

Beyond that, Jesus continued, if you really want to talk about people not working on the Sabbath, consider the priests. They work every Sabbath, offering sacrifices and leading the congregation in worship in the temple. And yet they are not condemned. Two things were overlooked and rejected by the Pharisees—and the bulk of Israel's religious leaders.

• Something greater than the temple is here. What is at stake here is an understanding of what all the rules and laws about the temple and the worship of God were all about. These were all summarized by the prophet Hosea when he condemned the hypocricy of the priests and their sacrifices. Speaking for the LORD, Hosea said, "For I desire steadfast love (or mercy) and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." - Hosea 6:6 ESV

• Some-One greater than the temple is here. Standing before them was the Son of Man, the promised Messiah, sent by the Father in heaven to bring the mercy of God to all men. He is the One who correctly interprets the meaning of God's command about the Sabbath. From the beginning, the Sabbath day with all its demands to rest pointed to that Day when God would bring final rest to all His children. On that Day God will give His people total and complete rest, rest that includes forgiveness of all sins and the fulfilled promise of a new heaven and a new earth—all because of what Jesus was to accomplish by His sacrifice upon the cross of Calvary. 

It is to this that the Hebrews letter points. 

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. - Hebrews 4:9-11 ESV 

To strive here does not refer to rushing about trying to prove to God that you are such a righteous and holy person. Absolutely not! Instead it refers to humbly confessing your sins and throwing yourself upon the endless mercy of God now revealed in Jesus. And this you may do with utter confidence.

More about our great High Priest and the grace He brings next time.

Chief of Sinners Though I Be

Brother Tim,

One more thought before I end this week's correspondence . . .

In 1967 I enrolled in Chicago Theological Seminary's first Doctor of Religion class (now Doctor of Ministry), along with 15 other clergy of various denominations. It was a brand new and quite innovative program. I was the only Lutheran. The program I chose led to a doctorate in pastoral counseling. It began with a very intensive summer of training in hospital chaplaincy. Half of each day was spent visiting patients in The University of Chicago Hospital. I was assigned to the "dirty-gyn" ward (gynecology patients with cancer). The other half of the day we chaplains-in-training attended lectures and participated in a group where we made a verbatim, word for word report on the visits we made on patients in our assigned ward. Each one of us had his turn in the hot spot. During that time all the others in the group had opportunity to focus on the one whose report was being reviewed. What a frightening experience!

The questions came at you something like this.

You said what?! Why did you say that? She made you feel quite uncomfortable, didn't she? What were you feeling when you said that? Were you feeling anger? Did you realize what you were really saying? 

The approach was to get us to be in touch with our feelings and, in turn, to what was going on down deep inside. I have a very distinct memory of not knowing what they meant when they asked, "How did that feel?" I really didn't know how I felt. It was a brand new and most unsettling experience for me to take a look at what feelings, fears, doubts, anxieties, desires and all sorts of other feelings lurked below. I know now what my teachers were aiming for, but at the time I would walk away feeling attacked, despised, helpless, alone and incapable. On the weekends my wife was my sounding board. She told me that she had to work hard to "put me back together again" in preparation for another week of that training.

In one sense that summer was a law-Gospel experience that helped me to understand what the Apostle was getting at when he wrote these words in his first letter to his young apprentice.

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. - 1Tim 1:12-17 ESV

During those weeks I too came to realize what Paul was getting at when he was forced to take a deep and hard look at himself. His conclusion: I am chief or sinners! During the summer several of the women on the "dirty-gyn" ward left this life. They had to stand before their Maker. Did I have a message of mercy for them? For that matter, did I have a message of mercy and forgiveness for myself? Did I really believe in "the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus"? Did I truly know of the strength that comes only from Him?

Tim, I am convinced that we who are called to the pastoral ministry have nothing to share if we do not first know about that grace as it applies to us personally. I urge you to open your heart to the good and proper work of God's law. Learn from it what we all must. We are all by nature sinful and unclean. But learn also then to flee to Christ and the Gospel He has entrusted to us. In the years following that summer I have come to appreciate again and again the words of William McComb's hymn. I commend them to you as well.

Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed His blood for me;
Died that I might live on high,
Died that I might never die;
As the branch is to the vine,
I am His, and He is mine.

O the height of Jesus’ love!
Higher than the heaven above,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lasting as eternity;
Love that found me—wondrous thought!
Found me when I sought Him not!

Chief of sinners though I be,
Christ is all in all to me;
All my wants to Him are known,
All my sorrows are His own;
Safe with Him from earthly strife,
He sustains the hidden life.

O my Savior, help afford
By Your Spirit and Your Word!
When my wayward heart would stray,
Keep me in the narrow way;
Grace in time of need supply
While I live and when I die.

Hell Must Be Forever

The Christian church has always taught that hell is eternal, forever, unending. Holy Scripture quotes our Lord Jesus' reply to those who reject him in this life, contrasting hell with heaven.

Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." - Mat 25:45-46 ESV

John the Baptist is quoted as saying the same thing,

For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. - John 3:34-36 ESV

Yes, it is true that the term eternity is sometimes used in the weakened sense of long duration. For example,

"This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever (Hebr. 'owlam), you shall keep it as a feast. ... You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. - Exod 12:14, 24 ESV 

The Passover has been replaced by the Lord's Supper. Consequently the term forever does not mean eternal or without end in such references, but in all references to heaven and hell it does indeed mean forever. So the Apostle Paul also writes about the misery of those damned in hell.

Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-- since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. - 2 Thess 1:4-10 ESV

But why? Why? we ask again. Why would a loving God bring eternal destruction upon a world that he claims to love so much? The answer  lies in the very nature of God. He is totally reliable. You can always depend upon him and his Word. He never lies. He never changes. He is always the same. He is completely worthy of our trust. He does not change his mind. He will do what he has said he will do.

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. - 1 Thess 5:24 ESV 

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? - Num 23:19 ESV

There is but one God. To reject him is to reject life itself. This was so from the very beginning. And yet God loves us all, regardless of race, status, position or place. But there is not a just man among us who has loved God with all his or her heart, mind and power (Rom. 3:10-18). How can we possibly be reconciled to God? How can God remain true to himself and still forgive us and freely give to us eternal life? Only in Jesus Christ. In Christ God has reconciled us all to himself. So the Apostle writes of Christ,

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, - Col 1:19-22 ESV

It follows then that God has no other choice. To be who he is, both just, faithful and loving, he must pronounce judgment and eternal death upon  those who turn their backs upon his mercy and forgiveness freely offered in Christ. To quote John as I did above, "whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36).

Jesus Alone Restores The Image Of God

I write this on the day that Barack Obama was inaugurated into his second term of office as the 44th president of the United States. During the ceremonies the name of Jesus was sung and invoked several times. In the closing benediction The Rev. Luis León referred to the fact that we are all made in the Image of God. In my posts last week I wrote about that Image to point out that
Jesus Christ is THE Image of the eternal God, as the Apostle wrote,

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. - Col 1:15-17 ESV

We humans are made in that Image. We are not the Image Himself, but we are made to reflect the Image in all we do and say, in our thinking, acting and living. We were made to worship and commune with the Triune God, our Maker and honor Him in all we do. We alone of all God's creatures are made to rule over this earth. We are made to reflect the love and mercy of God to others and to all of God's creation. Our intellect, our morals, our relationships, our choices are all
meant to be reflections of God and the likeness of God that is ours. Sadly, tragically that is not what happens. The Image of God is darkened, muddied and covered over by our idolatry, greed and lack of true faith. It must be restored.

In order to understand in depth how that is happening I invite us to listen in detail to the ancient church father Athanasius of Alexandria (c.289-272) and to what he said in his little book On The Incarnation of the Word. I will not simply repeat everything he says. I urge you to read his words yourself. Here I lift up a few of his teachings for our consideration.

After showing us that Jesus is THE Image of God, Athanasius emphasizes that He is the only one who can renew and restore the Image within us. Only the Image of the Father can recreate the likeness of the Image in us men. How is He doing that? Athanasius points out that when an artist's portrait has been wiped out by stains on a panel, the artist asks the subject of the portrait to come and sit for it again so he may repaint the likeness on the same material. Even so Jesus, THE Image of the Father, came to dwell among us in order to renew all men in Him. 

He did this first of all by living, teaching and acting as a man who is made in the Image. Many Gospel stories illustrate this. For instance, consider how Jesus related to Zacchaeus, a Jew of Jericho, a public official who collected taxes for the Romans. His countrymen considered him a traitor to his country and a blasphemer of God. Nevertheless Jesus accepted his invitation to dinner. When Jesus did so the Jericho Jews denounced Jesus for having anything to do with such an unforgivable sinner. To them Jesus said,

"Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." - Luk 19:9-10 ESV

Here we see one major reason why Jesus took on human flesh. He came to demonstrate the love and mercy of God for all mankind by His teaching, healing and relationships. Mercy flowed from Him in everything He did. That mercy transformed Zacchaeus. God's Image began to be restored within him when he met Jesus. In humble joy he offered his penance as a sign of his renewed thinking and renewed faith in God as he confessed,

"Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." - Luke 19:8 ESV

Jesus began His work of restoring God's Image in Zacchaeus, the publican. Only Jesus can do that. Our sciences, our psychologies and our philosophies are all helpless to make it happen. We cannot put straight what is warped within us. Only Jesus, the Word of God and the Image of God, can do it. In showing mercy to Zacchaeus and to thousands of others Jesus demonstrates the mercy of God for all mankind. And so the process begins. The Shepherd has come to gather his sheep (John 10:14-18).

Beyond all that, however, a debt had to be paid. God must be God. He cannot go back on His Word. The soul that sins must surely die (Ezekiel 18:20-32). Yet God in His mercy does not find pleasure in the death of anyone. He longs in the depths of His Being for us to be one with Him for all eternity. There was but one way to reconcile that tension. That was for the Word to become flesh and dwell among us. In so doing He could stand as the Man before the judgment seat of God for us all and so die upon the cross for us all. This He did it so that the power of death might vanish. The devil can no longer accuse us. We are free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1).

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. - Hbr 2:14-15 ESV

As I've said often on this Blog and at the many Christian funerals over which I presided, that is why we no longer fear death. We are no longer condemned. In God's good time we will all be freed from our mortal bodies that belong to this present age so that we may obtain a better resurrection. Like seeds planted in the spring in our gardens, we do not perish and dissolve to nothing. Like seeds, we will rise again. Mortal must put on immortality.

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. - 1Cr 15:19-22 ESV

And then a bit further, the Apostle writes,

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." - 1Cr 15:49-54 ESV

In my next post I will draw again upon our venerable father Athanasius to reflect further upon the presence and power of the living Christ who is at work renewing and restoring His Image within us.

No Forgiveness Without Blood

A couple of weeks after hearing a sermon on Psalms 51:2-4, a man wrote the following letter to the IRS.

"I have been unable to sleep, knowing that I have cheated on my income tax. I understated my taxable income, and am enclosing a check for $2,500.00. If I still can't sleep, I will send the rest."

King David had the same problem. His guilt about his adultery with Bathsheba and the arranged murder of her husband kept him from sleeping.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. - Psa 51:2-4 ESV

David had sinned against Bathsheba's husband and against his own family. He had sinned against his nation and failed to provide the moral and spiritual leadership required of his office as king. But his sin ran even deeper and he knew it. He had sinned against the LORD God. Whatever happened now, the LORD would indeed be justified in doing it.

As he pondered his failings, David spoke of yet another troubling reality. This sin, this iniquity, was in him from the moment of his conception.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. - Psa 51:5 ESV

 Breaking God's commands, iniquity, transgression, depravity, sin, and the accompanying guilt—this theme  pervades and saturates the Biblical account from the Garden of Eden onward. It is an inner soul-sickness that passes on from one generation to the next. David saw it in his own miserable life. He had flaunted the commandments of the LORD to honor marriage and protect human life. Not only was he guilty, but so also was his family, his siblings and his parents. He had been conceived in sin and guilt! Inwardly he felt like all his bones were broken, so intense was his pain. Was there no way out of this misery and pain? He pleads with the LORD God to wash him and make him clean.

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. - Psa 51:6-9 ESV

He must not hide from the truth. He must admit his guilt and be prepared to accept punishment for what he had done and for what he had failed to do. This was the chokmah, the wisdom he pleaded for. This is the basic, practical skill that every sinner must learn. Each must face up to his/her personal failings and sins. No more secrets. Every layer of this perversity must be uncovered. Only then is purging and washing possible.

Notice David's strange prayer: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. What in all the world does a flower (hyssop) have to do with being purged and cleansed? Hyssop is an aromatic plant of the mint family. It has a strong wiry stem with bunches of flowers and leaves able to absorb liquids like water and blood in the same way as the natural and manufactured sponges we commonly use today. So hyssop was used in various rituals such as sprinkling blood on the doorposts at Passover (Ex. 12:22), blood and water on lepers (Lev. 14:4-7), on an infected house (Lev. 14:33-57), on a person who had touched a dead body (Num. 19:11-22).

These strange—at least to us—rituals were critical to the lives of these people. They were God's way of speaking to them through symbolical, ritual acts. And what was He saying? Death and disease is what you deserve. Separation from your family and homes is what you deserve. You deserve to be cut off from Me, your God, forever. You deserve death. But I forgive you and the blood of these animals who must die in your place, their blood sprinkled upon you with the hyssop, this blood is My word of grace and mercy to you. You are clean, you are washed.

The writer of the NT book Hebrews helps us to understand the significance of this cleansing. These symbolical rites and rituals were metaphors and parables that pointed to a deep reality: God does not desire the death of the sinner. He is a just God who demands that each and every command He has given must be obeyed, but He is also a God of mercy and forgiveness. How can these two contrasting realities come together? How can God be both just and merciful? All the OT sacrifices, with their accompanying rituals, point to the manner. Blood must be shed. Life for life. The animals—sheep, goats, cattle, birds— died instead of the people (Hebrews 9:9-10).

But were the deaths of animals truly sufficient to purify and cleanse the consciences of the sinner? For the moment it may have seemed so. But then sin came back and more sacrifices, more sprinkling and washing had to follow. Blood, blood, blood. Again and again. Sacrifices, rituals, sprinklings, washings. What did they all point to? What were these rites all about? The book of Hebrews interprets and clarifies it all for us. All the sacrifices and rituals were but copies of a greater heavenly plan. They pointed to that one, final and eternal sacrifice made by Christ. He is the world's High Priest who entered into the very inner Presence of God. There He has offered the final sacrifice, His life for ours, His death in our stead.

Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. - Hbr 9:18-28 ESV

Because of Christ the sinner may now be forgiven. I shall return to David and Psalm 51 in my next post.

Adultery: Easier To Commit Than Explain

MARITAL MATTERS are much on the American mind this month. Actually, make that extra-marital matters. Why? Well, adultery, it turns out, is much easier to commit than to explain. That’s particularly true if you’re a politician, because if you’re in public life, people sometimes expect more of you. Exactly why is a mystery, given the public’s generally low regard for the political species. And yet it nevertheless seems to be the case, especially when it comes to present, past, and aspiring holders of high office. - Adultery and the politician - Boston.com

The above piece was written a year ago. The comments remain relevant this year. They will be one year from now. Year after year, in places high or low, here in the United States and around the world, one political figure after another is toppled from his position by an extra-marital affair.

The most prominent Biblical member of that species was David, King of Israel. It happened on a lazy afternoon in the Spring, while David's army was away on another of the many skirmishes they had with the Ammonites, descendants of Lot's son (Gen. 19:38). David was lounging on his roof when he suddenly spied a beautiful woman next door taking an outdoors bath. Her name was Bathsheba, the wife of one of David's soldiers. David sent for her and thus began a very heated affair. Next thing you know, she was pregnant. In order to cover it all up, David arranged for her husband to be killed in battle. Shortly after that she became another of David's many wives (2 Samuel 11:1-27).

That story is behind one of the most prominent of David's Psalms. Psalm 51 begins with these words:

A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. —Psalm 51:1

Politician or not, cheating husband or wife, cheated-upon spouse or not, we all have much to learn from David's experience of adultery, confession and absolution. He continues his song.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. [2] Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! [3] For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. [4] Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. - Psa 51:1-4 ESV

Nathan was David's court prophet (dare I call him chaplain?). We know very little about him. He first appears as the one encouraging David's plan to build a temple to the LORD. The same night, however, Nathan receives a vision that plays on the Hebrew word bayit, house. The LORD, Nathan tells David, does not want him to build a house or temple for the LORD. Nevertheless David's house, his family, has an eternal destiny. From this family blessings for all mankind were to come. Nathan shares his vision.

He (David) shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.'" - 2Sa 7:13-16 ESV

Nathan was the channel for this astounding promise. And later, in spite of his fall into temptation, David did not forget Nathan's words. Nor did he forget that the LORD spoke through Nathan. Consequently, when Nathan challenged David for his adultery, David found courage in that Word from Nathan, courage to confess his sins and beg forgiveness. The Word of the LORD spoken by Nathan was a Word of love. David accepted Nathan in that spirit and prayed for mercy and cleansing.

This can be an important lesson for pastors, parents and friends. First make sure that you speak in the spirit of kindness and love, not in self-righteous anger or pharisaical snobbery. But then do not fail to confront the member of your flock, your son or daughter or your friend. Gently, but firmly show them their sin. When they repent and ask for mercy, remind them of the mercy and forgiveness available to us all in Jesus Christ and His cross.

More on Psalm 51 next time.

Jim Died A Most Prosperous Man

I am very proud to tell you I live in a house that Jim built. Jim was a builder from Michigan who arrived here in Texas in the early 1970s. The house building business in Michigan was at a standstill. People were leaving the state in droves, looking elsewhere for work. But in the Houston area things were booming. So Jim ended up here. Sylvia and I contracted with Jim to build us a new house.

Jim was a very devout Christian lay member of our congregation. During the days he worked on our house a very strange disease he had already in Michigan worsened. Blood circulation to his extremities was cut off for reasons the doctors could only guess at. Little by little the tips of his fingers and toes died and had to be removed. As the disease progressed he finally lost his hands and feet, then his forearms and calves. By the time he died—a little over a year after the disease began—he had but stumps where his arms and feet had once been.

BUT! Jim never lost faith in the mercy, forgiveness and love of God! Astounding. How was that possible? I learned so much from this humble man, so very much about real faith. Jim was my Job. It was as if Job were there in the hospital bed as I visited and prayed with Jim.

"Let me have silence, and I will speak, and let come on me what may. Why should I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hand? Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face." - Job 13:13-15 ESV

That was Jim. He believed that he was unworthy of God's love. He was a sinner and deserved, as we confess week by week in our liturgies, "Your present and eternal punishment." That prayer of confession continues:

"For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen."  

When Jim left this life, we joyfully committed what was left of his suffering body to the hands of his Lord in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. The congregation I served at the time later named a pre-school building in Jim's honor.

Here's where I return to my critique of the prosperity preachers.

Jim came to Texas to prosper. He believed in God and in His love. For a time he found work and gained money to care for his family. And then his illness. Why? I never heard Jim ask that question. He simply submitted and did his work until he had to be confined to a hospital bed.

It was as if God was hiding Himself—or at least so it seemed. In Martin Luther's terms, God was speaking from behind a mask. And what was he saying to Jim—as well as to all of us? Certainly that He has poured out abundance upon us, giving us all that we need in this life. We have homes, food, good weather, basically good government, protection from our enemies, friends and family. And what are we doing with all this? Honoring Him? Thanking Him? Serving Him? So often, so very often the answer is no, no, no. We forget about loving Him and serving Him with all of our being, with our hearts and minds as well as our bodies. We forget to reach out to share this abundance with the weak, needy and helpless.

So He spoke a word of warning to us through Jim's illness. He told us that this is what we each deserve—to die and to be separated from Him for eternity. BUT! Yes, but . . . He bent down low to speak to us another Word. And this is the good news, the most unexpected, wondrous news that ever there can be, the message that Jim believed and to which he clung until he drew his final breath. That Word is that the very WORD of God became flesh, incarnate in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He did what the ancient prophet Isaiah (to whom I referred in my previous post) said He would.

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. - Isa 53:3-5 ESV

From behind this wondrous mask, our hidden God has spoken His Word of forgiveness. It was all for us sinners. Because Christ died, we died. With His stripes our broken relationship with God is now restored.

Jim never became a prosperous man. He died from his sickness. His family struggled to recover from the loss. Yet we are all confident that Jim lives in the endless abundance of the Lord and God in whom he put his trust. He died in faith, faith given to him by the generosity of God, faith given to him by God's Holy Spirit at work in that Word spoken in Christ. Jim was unable to accept the bread of the Sacrament with his hand when we celebrated it in his hospital room. He no longer had hands. But he ate the bread and drank the wine and believed that in that precious gift of God he received forgiveness for all his sins. He believed that he received the very body and blood that Jesus offered up for him. And he rejoiced to know that by God's priceless grace he was God's child and would receive a renewed and eternal body on the great Day of Christ's return. He has been invited to the feast (Isaiah 25:6-8).

We thank you Jim. You are a saint, made holy by the blood of Jesus. And your works follow you.

I'll have a bit more to say about all this in my next post.

Rebel Son And Grieving Father

We're looking stories from Holy Scripture that tell us about the grieving of parents over the death of children. One such is the story of Absalom, son of King David, born in Hebron of Maacah the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur (2 Samuel 3-18 and 1 Chronicles 3:2). Maacah was one of David's six wives, women he married while at war with the house of Saul, Israel's first king. David married most of those women so he might establish political alliances. The anonymous writer of that history makes no direct judgments upon this practice. The history tells it all.

David's family history is filled with hate, war, murder, adultery, lies, intrigue, rebellion and political maneuvering. What amazes me each time I look at it is the patience, mercy and forgiveness of the LORD God who chose David to lead these people. Ultimately, the story brings us to an out and out rebellion against David, led by Absalom and Absalom's death during the final battle (2 Samuel 18:1-19:15). Absalom's pillar (2 Sam. 18:18) can be found in the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem to this day.

Lets look at a few details.

Absalom had himself crowned king. He mounted an army of thousands from the north to overthrow David. David's thousands met them in the oak and fir forest of Ephraim, east of the Jordan river, on the north bank of the river Jabbok and near the city of Mahanaim (two camps in Hebrew) in Gilead. It was here that Jacob had a vision of angels (Genesis 32:2) and gave the place its name. Here also was where David had set up temporary headquarters after Absalom's army had driven him from Jerusalem.

David's men defeated the Israelite army that day. Some 20,000 are reported to have died. ". . . and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword" (2 Sam. 18:8). Absalom, known for his beautiful long hair, fled on his mule. But as he rode through the woods his hair became tangled, trapping him in the branches of a great oak. Acting against David's direct command, Joab, David's commander, together with ten of his armor-bearers, caught up to Absalom and killed him. They threw his body into a pit and covered it with stones. At the news of his death Absalom's army scattered and fled.

A Cushite messenger made it to David with the terrible news. David asked, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" The Cushite replied, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man." At that, David was overwhelmed with grief. How often have parents made similar laments upon hearing of their child's death. David cried over and over, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

David continued to lament his son's death so strongly that his victorious army returned to camp as if they had been defeated. Finally Joab, fearing a worse rebellion, forced David to show himself to his people and resume his leadership. We hear no more in this history about David's grieving for Absalom.

There was more to David's grief than the death of his son. Through his own lust and folly David had earlier lost an illegitimate son after his affair with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12). Though that son had died shortly after birth, David was assured that the LORD had taken the baby to Himself in heaven. But Absalom—for him only hell awaited. David was the LORD's anointed king and in rebelling Absalom had rejected the LORD. Little wonder that David sobbed and cried at the news of his son's death.

Not only had Absalom gone to hell, David must bear great guilt for leading him in that direction. Contrary to God's clear plan for marriage, David had taken many wives and concubines. Absalom's mother was one such. David had played the game of thrones with Saul—and won. Besides all that, David was a murderer. He had arranged for the death of Bathsheba's husband and then taken her for yet another of his many wives. What a model for his children! David had failed as a father.

It is bitter indeed when parents learn that a child has died while rebelling against them, their life styles and their religious beliefs. For instance, you may know, as do I, of children caught up in the drug culture who committed suicide or were murdered by their peers or killed in an automobile accident. Bitter and unending is the pain when a parent realizes that this child will never be with them again, even in heaven. Bitter and unending is their pain when they realize that their parenting contributed to this rebellion and eternal death. 

What remains for such grieving parents? Only the confession of sins given to us by David in Psalm 51:1-12.

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

As David, this notorious sinner, was forgiven, so also may parents caught up in such grief. To them Jesus also says, " I have borne your grief and carried your sorrows. I was afflicted by God and pierced upon the cross for your transgressions, crushed for your iniquities. And now I bring you peace. With My wounds—and only with my wounds—are you healed. But you are and so rest in my peace, for I plead for you and all your family before the throne of my Father in heaven" (Isaiah 53:1-12). 

Worship In Spirit And In Truth

On Sept. 21, 1956 Navy test pilot Tom Attridge was flying Grumman’s new F-11F-1 Tiger. He fired a burst from his 20mm cannon while diving and accelerating and ran into his own shells. He had to crash land, because he had shot his own fighter down. When that happened I had completed my vicarage-internship and returned to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis for my final year. I was looking forward to beginning work in the pastoral ministry and getting married to my wife. My life was full of activity and moving fast. 

Sometimes life can be going too fast, so fast that we have no time for Bible reading, meditation and prayer. When that happens we are in grave danger of shooting ourselves down. We no longer hear the warnings from our God in His Word. We are in danger of crashing. 

The Gospel lesson for the second Sunday in Lent is from John 4, the story of Jesus meeting the woman at a well in Samaria. In that conversation Jesus touched upon the critical issue of worship. True worship, he points out, must happen in spirit and in truth. Those are the only worshipers the Father seeks. 

Samaria was the place name of a mountain, a city and a region. The word means "mountain of watching." Forty-two miles north of Jerusalem a hill protrudes from a broad valley that cuts across the central highlands of Israel. The city of Samaria in O.T. times had been the capital, residence and burial place of the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel. Following that kingdom's fall to Assyria in 721 B.C. exiles from many nations settled in Samaria. At the time of Jesus' earthly ministry people from many places still lived there. There had been much intermarriage between former Jews and the Gentiles that moved into the Samaritan area. This led to the widespread worship of strange gods. As you can imagine, there was much unresolved tension between the Samaritans and the orthodox Jews of Judea. 

Instead of going around, as was customary for Jews of his day, the Lord led his disciples straight through Samaria. The story picks up around noon as Jesus and his disciples paused at a well for a rest. While the disciples went on into town to buy some lunch, Jesus engaged a woman who had come to the well in a conversation. He immediately made it clear that he knew who she was, that she had failed in five marriages, been frequently abused and was even then living with a man to whom she was not married. In other words, her life was a mess and she undoubtedly carried shame, failure and guilt in her heart. The fact that she came out to draw water at noon further indicated that she was trying to avoid the other women of the village who would come in the morning. 

I've known many who avoid gathering with others in public, especially in public worship. They don't want to face the truth about themselves and about God. Some, like the Samaritan woman feel they've made a mess of their lives and will never measure up to the standards God has set. I've often heard them say that the church is all a bunch of hypocrites. Church people talk about religion and pretend to pray, but lead lives as flawed and sinful as everyone else. I've heard others say that the whole religion thing bores them. Their boredom is really a cry for people who will reach out to accept and care about them as they are. Of course, it is true that there are 'religious' people who worship with their mouths, but not in their hearts. They boast of being orthodox and pure and look down with loathing upon the Samaritans of our day. 

What kind of person was this man who asked the Samaritan woman for a drink? She knew he was a Jew by his dress and his accent. Since the Jews normally avoided the Samaritans she was surprised that he even talked with her. This led into a conversation about the living water that Jesus said he could give her. She thought he was talking about some kind of artesian well. That, in turn, is what led Jesus to confront her about her failed marriages and the abuse, shame and guilt she carried in her heart. 

The amazing thing is that Jesus did not shun her, even though he knew all about her. He continued to reach out to her. Shook up by such loving attention, the woman tried to change the direction of the conversation. He must be a Rabbi so maybe they might get into a conversation about the usual conflicts between Samaritans and Jews and avoid dealing with those most uncomfortable personal issues. So she asked his opinion about the correct place to worship. 

Samaritans identified Mt. Gerizim as the place God had chosen rather than the Judean King David's Jerusalem. They called Gerizim the "navel of the earth," because in their tradition Adam had sacrificed there. Further, they limited the Bible to the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, and taught that 6,000 years after creation, a Restorer or Messiah would arise to live on earth for 110 years. At the end of that period would come Judgment Day when the righteous were to be resurrected and the wicked roasted in eternal hell fire. 

Her attempts at redirection didn't work. Jesus turned the conversation back upon her, emphasizing that God looks not at where people worship. What He really seeks are those who worship Him in spirit and in truth, honestly and without lies and pretense. And since she asked about the Messiah he said right out that he was the Messiah, the Restorer. This changed everything for her. The Messiah had come, had known her and still accepted her. Without pausing further, she raced back into town to spread the good news. 

Here's the good news for us all. Regardless of our failures and sins the Messiah has indeed come and come for us personally. When you realize that Jesus is the One promised and that in him there is true mercy and forgiveness, fresh water does flow back into your life. That water is God's Spirit, His power and mercy flowing into all the dark corners to bring forgiveness and renewal. 

There are many places for worship. There are many styles of worship that reflect the many cultures and languages of people around the globe. But true worship is ever inward, spiritual. True worshipers hear Jesus speak to their hearts his blessed words of forgiveness and they respond with joy and thanks. Above everything, remember Jesus' words: "God is spirit and his worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth."