I realize there are a lot of doomsayers out there when it comes to environmental issues. I also realize we only have about 150 years or so of precise weather data which, given the length of the history of the world, isn't enough data to really predict trends. Still, the prospect that there won't be any ice at the north pole this summer is alarming to me. This could just be a blip and we might have huge increases in the north pole ice volumes in the next 50 years or so, but the current situation is alarming nonetheless. I'm not much of a preacher, but I whole-heartedly believe the words I preached a couple of weeks ago. Here's the sermon audio. One of the strongest reasons I stay in the Restoration Movement is because we have a heritage of unity.
In matters of faith, we have unity. In matters of opinion, we offer liberty. In all things, we love.
Creation's Role in the Psalms: A Creation That Worships Its Maker
In this class we've had a great deal of conversation about the purposes of God's creation. The Psalms seem to indicate that one of the primary purposes of the creation is to worship the Lord. Consider Psalms 96 and 98:
Creation is trying to cry out in praise, but is hampered by man's sin.
Another theme of these Psalms is that the earth rejoices at the coming judgment. Most people have fear at the coming judgment. Even the believers who have hope in Christ, know that the day of judgment will be a bittersweet day. So why does the earth rejoice at the approaching day of judgment? And does the earth have any role to play in that day? Is there such a thing as the salvation of the earth?
John 3:16, 17 says: For God so loved the cosmos that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the cosmos to condemn the cosmos, but to save the cosmos through him.
Does that only refer to the people that live within the cosmos?
Maybe salvation of the earth is a setting things right; a return to the Creator’s ideals; a removing of sin and defilement. Sin invites pain and suffering and hampers the full revelation of God’s glory. Salvation will loosen the tongues of God’s creation to sing his praises. Perhaps the earth looks forward to that day when it can more fully echo God's glory.
This conversation can't honestly be held without asking some straightforward eschatological questions as well...
An Allegorical New Heaven and New Earth? If this world is not my home and I'm just a-passing through, and if this world is just going to get burned up and disappear one day anyway, then should we really care about what happens to the earth? Will the earth be destroyed?
Some passages like 1 John 2.15-17 are misapplied to this sort of discussion. This passage is using "the world" to talk about "sinful desires". Still there are other passages like 2 Peter 3.10-13 that seem to indicate the world will be destroyed.
A good point was made in class that the world was "destroyed" during the flood but did not cease to exist.
A larger theme of Scripture seems to indicate a healing of God's creation.
Consider Jesus' inauguration of the Kingdom of God on earth. He had great concern for healing pain in this world. Jesus wanted us to love our neighbors on earth. His prayer sought the Father's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Lastly, read Revelation 21.1-5. Verse 1 says heaven and earth have passed away and then in the next verse, the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven... which heaven is that? The one that was just destroyed?
Of course Revelation does rely on metaphors a great deal, but what does this mean? If you read Rev 19-21 you'll notice a lot of language about heaven coming down to earth. It's true that the Jewish worldview consisted of three heavens (first heaven = atmosphere & sky; second heaven = outer space; third heaven = dwelling place of God), but I've wrestled with this a great deal over the last few years and here's my conclusion (which could very well be wrong): earth refers to the dwelling place of humanity and heaven refers to the dwelling place of God. There will be a day when those dwelling places overlap so that we will physically be in God's presence here on earth.
We finished the class with this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
Thank God for John, who centuries ago out on a lonely, obscure island called Patmos caught vision of a new Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, who heard a voice saying, "Behold, I make all things new; former things are passed away." God grant that we will be participants in this newness and this magnificent development. If we will but do it, we will bring about a new day of justice and brotherhood and peace. And that day the morning stars will sing together and the sons of God will shout for joy.
What are your thoughts regarding the end of times?
Is investing in the earth a waste of time and energy?
Is our only incentive to steward the earth based on our love for our kids' kids?
William P. Young's "The Shack" has created quite a stir. It's been a fairly popular read, at least in the Christian fiction genre. I hardly read any Christian fiction, so I'm probably not the best judge of this book, but I thought I would drop a quick post on it since this one has gotten so much attention. In fact, I didn't especially want to take the time to read this book, but I do like to stay up on culture and this story has had a big influence on a lot of Christians this year.
I was even more reluctant to read it, because of the praise it received from David Gregory, author of "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger." Gregory's book's only saving grace was that it was really short. Still, "The Shack" had endorsements from the likes of Eugene Peterson as well, so I thought it might have some value.
The first 70 pages of the story set up the tragic context for the main character's (Mack) faith crisis and subsequent encounter with God. There were a couple times during that section of the story that I just wanted to put the book down and be done with it. The gut wrenching story evokes tough questions from any God-believing parent.
The remainder of the book describes a supernatural encounter with God that allows Mack to question God and experience His love in a new light. He converses and eats with the three characters of the triune God and even the Wisdom Of God personified. Through his weekend with God, he eventually finds peace and closure from the tragedy in his life.
The book definitely has some bright spots and some parts that border on cheesy. There are some pictures of unity among God, Jesus, and the Spirit, that rely on the author's creativity to give the reader a new insight into God's perfect trinitarian being. Then there are some conversations that seem more like "bumper sticker" Christianity slogans. I really appreciated and related to the imagery of the Spirit's constant gardening work as she tills our souls to prepare us for our unique purposes and circumstances. But I didn't really like some of the explicit and simple explanations God (Papa) offered for His love of his children. It just seemed a bit too obvious in some situations.
I think I prefer stories about Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity, than this narrative about Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu. To me, Aslan's rescue of Narnia seems to tell deeper truths than does Papa's constantly restated desire for reconciliation with the world. In the end, I think The Shack relies too much on transparent dialogue to tell Mack's story. The direct and overstated conversations seem to not leave room for any mystery of God.
I recognize that this is a moving story and has affected lots of people - so take my review with a grain of salt. For me, I just prefer stories that require the reader to do a bit more imagining. This narrative seemed too straightforward and controlled to leave the reader any space to do much wrestling on their own.
Each day we study a new way that God uses people in His Kingdom and then we give the kids a chance to participate in that method of glorifying God. On Monday, we learned about the Good Samaritan and our craft for the day were aprons that go on the front of walkers. We decorated the aprons and made cards for some of the folks at a nearby nursing home. After the VBS day, we had a big group of kids and parents caravan over to the nursing home and deliver the aprons, the cards, and lots of smiles.
On Tuesday, we learned about Jesus feeding the 5,000. Our craft time consisted of the kids assembling sack lunches, assembly line style, which we then took down town and shared a meal with the kids at Stewpot's Neighborhood Children's Ministry.
Today, we learned about how Naaman had to trust God, even in something small, and then God healed him. We practiced our faith by making pillows and blankets and delivering them to a local children's hospital where children are seeking healing.
It's been a great adventure of learning about God, playing, singing, and loving, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the week! It's great to see my own children learning what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world.
Last week a young couple at church lost their five day old baby. The baby was so precious, but had some health problems that could not sustain life. So on his fifth day, I sat with his parents and we cried as he breathed his last.
Let me confess that I felt totally inadequate at trying to offer comfort. What words can one offer to a mother holding her baby who has returned to God? I had none. I sat with them in silence part of the time. I cried with them. And I prayed with them. Hoping, begging that God would offer some sort of supernatural comfort, some sort of peace that passes our understanding.
I'll say this too: no matter how secure you are in your faith, experiencing the death of a baby makes you ask tough questions that rattle your faith. How is God faithful in this tragedy? Why does God allow this kind of hurt? Where is the blessing in this? What are God's purposes?
I think I am still in a bit of a grieving phase for this family's loss. And then I remember that my grief can't compare to their's. I know that their struggle with these questions must dwarf my own. So I continue to pray that they will find God's shalom. Pray with me that they will cling to each other and draw strength and courage from their faith.
The only answer I can fathom to these unmentionable questions is "not yet." God dreams of perfection for us, but we don't have that yet. God has healing waters in store for us soon. God's Kingdom is here and now, but not fully revealed yet. His goodness and faithfulness are not yet fully known. And so we faithfully wait on the Lord. Our souls wait, more than watchmen wait for the morning. More than watchmen wait for the morning.
We've already deviated from the syllabus a bit, but next week, our class will get back on track with week 3.
This Sunday we reviewed our previous discussion about the value of God's creation and speculations about His purposes.
We then read the remainder of the second account of God's creation, found in Genesis 3. From that reading we considered the following ideas: 1. What was the first sin? Disobedience? Consumption? Greediness? Misuse of earth’s resources? 2. Talk about the Garden of Eden. How do you imagine it? Climate? Water? Ground? Plantlife? Animal life? Food? 3. What is our relationship with God's creation in Eden? 4. What is our relationship with God’s creation, post Eden? 5. What is our relationship with God’s creation in today’s Western society?
Then we meditated on this video, considering the artistry and creativity of God in His creation. Maybe this video gives new insight into the "good" of God's creation. Creating people from dirt is impressive.
We took an ecological literacy quiz: What type of soil is local to where you live? What type of agricultural plants grow near you? What type of birds light in your yards? What animals share your land? Name 5 trees that grow in your neighborhood. How many days until the next full moon? How many stars and constellations could you see last night? How many stars and constellations could you not see due to light pollution? Where is your food grown? What is your primary water source? To where does your trash go?
And finally we closed with 5 reasons, according to environmentalist David Orr, to improve our ecolacy (ecological literacy): 1. "We need a broad understanding of how people and societies relate to each other and to natural systems, and how they might do so sustainably." That is, we must understand creation's interdependence. 2. "We need to know something of the speed of crisis that is upon us." This of course, assumes there is a crisis, but even arguments against a current crisis proposition that there is not enough data to make a case one way or the other. Then, we can all agree that we ought to be in the business of collecting data to help steward our environment. 3. "Ecolacy requires a comprehension of the dynamics of the modern world." What historical, political, economic, religious forces have molded the condition of the modern world? 4. "Ecolacy requires broad familiarity with the development of ecological consciousness." This goes to the heart of the ethics of nature – What has value? Do we use and abuse resources or do we steward? 5. "We need alternative measures of well-being." For instance the popular production measuring stick, the GDP, omits the depletion of nonrenewable natural resources and the costs of water and air pollution. We need measurements of production that take these factors into account.
Now here's the danger: We could read that list and say, "this is a secular discussion that ought to be held in our governments and in societal forums." I argue against that. Learning, respecting, and loving God's creation is fundamental to our faith. Creation is always the starting point for anyone coming to a faith in God. In the Garden is where we first know God. Any misreadings we have of the Garden lead to misunderstandings about our Father. He first reveals himself in His creation, and then gives a broader glimpse of himself in Christ. We spend many resources developing our Christology and unfortunately tend to neglect our creation theology. If we love God, then we must love his creation.
This past Sunday I began teaching a new class at church on ecology theology. I plan to post an update each week in this space about some of the things that came up in our class discussion. The goal of this discussion is to cause us to start thinking about how our lives relate to God's creation. As part of His creation, what are our responsibilities to the earth? As disciples of Jesus does our abuse of the earth's resources have any intersection with our love for our neighbor?
There will be a total of 12 of these posts about our class. To find all the posts, click on the label "in the beginning" at the bottom of a post. I'll likely post other entries about the environment but those won't have the "in the beginning" label. Hope this journey causes you to carefully consider how you live in God's creation.
Last Sunday we read Genesis 1:1 - 2:3, and then considered some of the following: 1. Why is creation good? 2. What does it mean to subdue the earth v. 28? a. Surely God doesn’t create goodness and then hand it over to mankind for its abuse at any whim. 3. Was God tired after 6 days of creation? Rabbinic traditions state that God created rest, serenity, and peace on the 7th day. Where do you incorporate these blessings into your life?
Then, we read the second account of creation in Genesis 2:4-2:25, listening for God's purposes in His actions. 1. What does it mean to work (avodah) the ground and take care of (shamar (guard)) it (v. 15)? 2. Side Bar: v. 18 'helper suitable' for... 3. Why is God doing any of this?
We spent a good deal of time on that last question. Why did God create the world? We offered a few different explanations: 1. God's creation is an outpouring of his love. 2. God is seeking relationship and love from free willed creatures 3. The beauty and artistry of God's creation is a literal outpouring of God's glory that could no longer be contained in his other realm. 4. And then Lisa Cantrell offered a beautiful answer that I had never before considered: Perhaps God didn't want Jesus to be an only child. That really moved me. God's love for his son was so great that he created us out of his love for another part of himself. And then Jesus came to the world to reveal the fact that (as Jesus says, in his prayer in John 17.23) God loves us as much as he loves his son.
As a homework assignment, I asked the class to start paying attention to the news about the environment. Avoid the politics of it. Don’t listen to political debates, policies, or candidate positions about the environment. Listen to stories about our demand for oil, the weather, water shortages, food shortages, etc. Pay attention to our relationship to God’s creation.
Next week, we'll continue with Genesis 3 and think about how our relationship with the earth changed after the fall of man.
Feel free to leave a comment if you like. Why do you think God created the world? What do you think about our stewardship responsibilities? Why do you think God commented that his creation was good?
Last week I met a woman who needed help paying her rent. After some digging we determined that the cause of her financial crisis was the used car she had just recently purchased. She used her tax rebate as a down payment on a car that www.kbb.com appraised at about $8200. She paid $10500 for the vehicle, which meant after her down payment she had to finance between 8k and 9k. She financed the rest at 24% interest with the car dealer, meaning she owes 48 payments of about $275 a month on a car that is already 5 years old. Over the life of the loan, she'll pay $13,300 for a car that is now worth about 8k.
Adding in her cost of insurance and gas, she needs about $500 per month just for transportation. She makes $8 an hour (about $16k per year) which means even if she manages to get 40 hours a week (unlikely, given that employers don't usually allow hourly workers to work full time) then her monthly income is $1333.33. It quickly follows that she is spending 38% of her budget on transportation. After she pays her apartment rent of $490, she has $343 for utilities, food, medical (of course she doesn't have any insurance), dental, and any other expenses that might come up. In reality, she probably will only be scheduled to work about 30 hours a week, so her income is really 25% less than the figures here.
She made several bad decisions here. She shouldn't have over paid for the car. She shouldn't have financed the loan through her car dealer. She shouldn't have been buying that expensive of a car to begin with - she should have paid cash for more basic transportation with the money she used as a down payment. Hopefully she has learned some important and expensive life lessons.
But there's another side to the story here. The car dealer intentionally ripped her off. He overcharged for the car and then stuck it to her in the financing. A 24% car loan should be illegal. Period. That's just ridiculous.
I understand that free markets are important to create incentives for entrepreneurs, who create wealth which then trickles down to the commoners. But there ought to be some sort of checks and balances in the system. Our government recognizes that need and regulates many industries. Unfortunately it just has not yet stepped into the small loan industry. Hopefully this will come soon. People who are stuck in poverty will never improve their life circumstances with people like this car dealer and payday loan operators who are looking to take advantage of them.
I realize there are a lot of doomsayers out there when it comes to environmental issues. I also realize we only have about 150 years or so of precise weather data which, given the length of the history of the world, isn't enough data to really predict trends. Still, the prospect that there won't be any ice at the north pole this summer is alarming to me. This could just be a blip and we might have huge increases in the north pole ice volumes in the next 50 years or so, but the current situation is alarming nonetheless.
