This Sunday in church, we sang a new hymn. Actually, it's not a new hymn, per se, just a new hymn for our congregation. Its words were written almost 250 years ago by John Newton (who also wrote Amazing Grace and many other hymns).
In an age where so many in the church seem to promise nothing but smiles and happiness for those who follow Jesus, our own experiences can quickly disavow us of such thinking. Sanctification is a struggle and the march to humble holiness is a long, hard, and (at times) painful one. For this reason, hymns like this one are necessary. I know it speaks to my experience. Perhaps it speaks to yours as well.
If my wife were to tell me that she doesn't feel loved by me, my response ought not to be to share anecdotal and empirical evidence with her, excusing my actions and thereby disproving the validity of her perception. To even attempt to do this is to actually verify that her perception, as it turns out, was accurate. Rather, my duty in such a situation is to listen to her concerns and work my hardest from this point forward to demonstrate my love to her in such a way that she might indeed know that it is real.
When my African American brothers and sisters (who I claim to love) tell me that they feel marginalized, oppressed, devalued and threatened by the larger culture of which I am a part, in the same way, it ought not to be my response to share anecdotal and empirical evidence with them, excusing our actions and thereby disproving the validity of their perception. Rather, my duty in such a situation is to listen to their concerns and work my hardest from this point forward to demonstrate my love to them in such a way that they might indeed know that it is real.
By the blessed Spirit; who is called the "Spirit of
grace," because he is the spring of all grace (Zech 12:10). Faith is the
chief work which the Spirit of God works in a man's heart. In making the
world God did but speak a word—but in working faith he puts forth his
arm (Luke 1:51). The Spirit's working faith is called, "The exceeding
greatness of God's power" (Eph 1:19). What a power was put forth in raising
Christ from the grave when such a tombstone lay upon him as the sins of all
the world—yet he was raised up by the Spirit. The same power is put forth by
the Spirit of God, in working faith. The Spirit irradiates the mind, and
subdues the will. The will is like a garrison, which holds out against God:
the Spirit with sweet violence conquers, or rather changes it; making the
sinner willing to have Christ upon any terms; to be ruled by him as well as
saved by him.
It was still dark Sunday morning as I drove to church, when my eyes beheld the most beautiful sight. Hanging against the backdrop of a black
sky, a big, beautiful full moon shone brightly. To be sure, there was an attractiveness that the moon had in and of itself, but it was made all the more luminous in contrast with the darkness of the morning sky which surrounded it. I wondered at its beauty there, the only celestial object my eyes were able to behold at this early morning hour, and then the enigmatic truth struck me: Even as my world was shrouded in darkness and the sun was at this moment obscured from my eyes, it was still the source of the light that made the moon so radiant.
As I continued on my way, it occurred to me that we too, as Christians,
are to shine brightly against the backdrop of our setting. We live in a world
which is at times exceedingly dark, and people should note the contrast when they see
our lives. It should be a thing of breath-taking beauty. This is only possible because (just like the moon) the light with which we shine does not emanate
from within us. Rather, it is a reflection of the Son, who (for a time) is also hidden
from our sight. But his light shining in and through us is a reminder to ourselves and to others that he
will return; light will overcome darkness and it will be day once again.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9)
With the confluence of the Advent season and mass shootings occurring at (what should be) alarming rates, I am reminded of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Christmas Bells." It was penned during a time of great personal pain for Longfellow. As the Civil War raged, Longfellow lamented the loss of his wife to a terrible accident and the near-fatal injuries his son had sustained in battle. He described the dissonance within his own heart at hearing Christmas bells wring out, "Peace on earth, good-will to men!" while his own experiences demonstrated anything but.
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
But even as Longfellow's circumstances truly were terrible, they would not get the final word. Instead, he turned his attention to what he knew to be true about the loving God who superintends those circumstances:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."
This Christmas season, may the bells (and all the other trappings) of Christmas remind us that just as Jesus came once, he is coming again. And when he does, he will set all things to rights, for it is his heart that there should be "peace on earth, good-will toward men." In a world filled with so much Wrong, I can think of no greater encouragement than the knowledge that the Right will indeed prevail!
But let's take it a step further, shall we? For if this idea of "peace on earth, good-will to men" is important to Jesus, then it should also be important to those of us who are his followers. Therefore, let us take tangible steps to promote peace, to demonstrate good-will:
Love your neighbor, even when they're not very lovely
Forgive those who have wronged you, even though they don't deserve it
Seek reconciliation with those with whom you are at odds
Focus less on how we've been wronged (be it as individuals or as a group) and spend more time prayerfully considering where we might have been wronged by others
Humbly seek forgiveness from others regardless of whether they're willing to admit the wrong that they've done
Pray (really pray) for those who are your enemies
Show
respect to everyone, as those who bear the image of God, even if you disagree
vehemently with them on the most fundamental and important of issues
In doing these types of things, we will truly be followers of Christ, those who are about "peace on earth, good-will to men."
"It will be seen that the fundamental difference between various
kinds of prayer is in the fundamentally different images of God which
lie behind them. The tragic mistake of Pharisees and pagans, of
hypocrites and heathen, is to be found in their false image of God.
Indeed, neither is really thinking of God at all, for the hypocrite
thinks only of himself while the heathen thinks of other things. What
sort of God is it who might be interested in such selfish and mindless
prayers? Is God a commodity that we can use to boost our own status, or
a computer that we can feed words into him mechanically."
Westminster Seminary Bookstore is running a great special right now. Get a case of 40 Bibles for $40. At our church, we keep a bunch of these on hand so we can give them to visitors or anyone else who might have need of a Bible. The ESV is a great translation (my preferred one, in fact) and you'll never beat the price. The special only runs while supplies last, so be sure to act now!
"The prayer for bread in this petition should be allowed to remain, first of all, a prayer for bread. At times in the church's exposition this bread has been turned into spiritual bread...It is possible to be more spiritual than God. Why would Jesus who fed his five thousand not want us to pray for the feeding of our six billion? And while Jesus says that man does not live by bread alone, he is too realistic to say that man does not live by bread at all."
“But if God knows what things we have need of, before we
ask him, where lies the advantage of prayer? If he is ready, of his own
free will, to assist us, what purpose does it serve to employ our prayers,
which interrupt the spontaneous course of his providence? The very design of
prayer furnishes an easy answer. Believers do not pray, with the view of
informing God about things unknown to him, or of exciting him to do his duty,
or of urging him as though he were reluctant. On the contrary, they pray, in
order that they may arouse themselves to seek him, that they may exercise their
faith in meditating on his promises, that they may relieve themselves from
their anxieties by pouring them into his bosom; in a word, that they may
declare that from Him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for
others, all good things. God himself, on the other hand, has purposed freely,
and without being asked, to bestow blessings upon us; but he promises that he
will grant them to our prayers. We must, therefore, maintain both of these
truths, that He freely anticipates our wishes, and yet that we obtain by prayer
what we ask. As to the reason why he sometimes delays long to answer us, and
sometimes even does not grant our wishes, an opportunity of considering it will
afterwards occur.”
John Calvin
Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, volume 1
You and I might very well come from different types of
cultural backgrounds. Your skin color may be different than mine and we might
be different genders. We might disagree on sports, art, politics, morality, religion, and
just about everything else. We might each live our lives in a totally different fashion, with completely different understandings of what’s right and wrong, even true and
false.
I want you to know something about me though. Even though I passionately
hold to those things which I believe to be true, I am 100% committed to this fact:
No matter who you are or how you live your life, you are created in the image of God, fearfully and
wonderfully made, and worthy of my respect as such. Please forgive me when I fail to
live up to this ideal, and know that those who do not espouse such belief, do
not act in the name of Christ, no matter what they may claim.
I'd love to really get to know you, and have you know me. Where we differ, let's at least try to better understand one another. We don't need to agree in the end, but perhaps we can avoid the almost reflexive vilifying of each other that is all too common in our culture. And where we do happen to find common ground, let's commit to working together for what we agree is the common good.
No doubt, we will continue to disagree on any number of issues, ideas and areas of belief. But if such a mindset and practice as I've outlined here were to become commonplace, the world--though still far from perfect--would certainly be more pleasant. That would be nice. And I think that's something about which we can all agree.
“When I started
reading (The Descent of the Dove by Charles)
Williams, I was a sectarian, ‘related’ only to a small coterie of people who
lived and thought and prayed like me.
When I finished, I was part of a congregation centuries deep and
continents wide.”
