Living in his presence

Texts: Exodus 34.1-17, 1 Thessalonians 2.13-20, Matthew 5.21-26

Commemoration: Catherine of Siena

Everlasting God, who so kindled the flame of holy love in the heart of blessed Catherine of Siena, as she meditated on the passion of your Son our Savior, that she devoted her life to the poor and the sick, and to the peace and unity of the Church: Grant that we also may share in the mystery of Christ's death, and rejoice in the revelation of His Glory, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

A major theme which runs throughout 1 Thessalonians is “the coming of the Lord.” It is a theme which encapsulates the section covering 2.17-3.13. In speaking of his longing to see the Thessalonians, Paul asks, “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before the Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy” (2.19-20). Then, at the close of the section, he prays for the Thessalonians, that God “may establish [their] hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (3.13).

Many contemporary interpretations leave readers with little or no practical application for the Scriptures in question. This shortcoming is due to an over-reliance on a chronos (linear or horizontal) view of time. Biblical time, however, is not so easily charted. Quite often, Paul and other New Testament writers view time in terms of kairos (seasonal or vertical). Chronologically speaking, “the coming of the Lord” is the final consummation, the end, or outcome, of all of history, at which time all of history will be understood. Kairotically speaking, “the coming of the Lord” is always an imminent reality. For Paul, his Thessalonian congregation, and all believers who are in Christ, the final outcome of history is already known because the “end” of history has already taken place in the midst of history through the ultimate kairotic event of the life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. It is upon this “world-ending” event that we base our hope for a blessed future in a creation restored to its original perfection, with the personal, healing, redemptive presence of Jesus himself in our midst.

Yet, for the believer in Christ, that future has already begun. The Greek term usually translated “coming,” is parousia, meaning literally, “presence.” It is one thing to ponder and cast your thoughts afar toward “the coming of the Lord.” It is quite another to realize you are, at this very moment, in the presence of the Lord. Such a realization brings both comfort and concern. We can take comfort in knowing that our Lord has promised never to leave us nor forsake us; that in the power of his Holy Spirit, he is with us at this very moment and whenever two or three are gathered in his name, there he is in our midst. But we ought also to be concerned, lest his coming catch us unaware. Not knowing the day or the hour of his coming, but knowing every day, every hour, every moment we are in his presence, we ought to live our lives accordingly.

Rejoice, the Lord is King

Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Mortals give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,
And bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He all His foes shall quell, shall all our sins destroy,
And every bosom swell with pure seraphic joy;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!

• Charles Wesley

The Thessalonian guide to church planting

Texts: Exodus 32.21-34, 1 Thessalonians 1.1-10, Matthew 5.11-16

The congregation at Thessalonica was planted during Paul’s second missionary journey, after the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) and his separation from Barnabas in a dispute over John Mark. At the time of the writing of his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul is accompanied by Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy (1.1). It is believed by many to be the oldest of the New Testament documents, possibly written as early as 20-25 years after the death and resurrection of Christ.

The planting of the Thessalonian congregation is recorded in Acts 17.1-9. It is a mixed congregation of Jews and Greeks, including some prominent women and a man named Jason, who acted as host to Paul and Silas during their stay in the city. As Paul recounts in his letter, affliction and conflict accompanied the proclamation and reception of the Gospel in Thessalonica (cf. 1.6, 2.2). A group of “jealous” Jews “formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason” (Acts 17.5). It is in Thessalonica that Paul and his companions are referred to as “These men who have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17.6). The Greek term Luke employs for “turned the world upside down” is a form of “anastasis,” literally “resurrection.” Earlier on, when the original disciples were still in Jerusalem prior to the stoning of Stephen, Luke records that the leaders of the temple establishment were “greatly annoyed” with Peter and John “because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4.2). By the time Paul and his company reach Thessalonica, the message that had at first “greatly annoyed” the Jerusalem establishment is now said to “have turned the world upside down,” and, much to the annoyance of the Jews in Thessalonica, the men who have been proclaiming it throughout the region “have come here also.”

The message of Jesus and the resurrection is bound to cause an uproar and those who proclaim it can expect fierce opposition. This was certainly the case with Paul and company in Thessalonica. Despite affliction, however, the Thessalonians received the message “with the joy of the Holy Spirit” and “became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia” (1.6-7). In spite of the fierce opposition, which included being dragged before the city authorities and charged with sedition (Acts 17.6-7), the believers in Thessalonica had persevered and become a model congregation, not only hearing the word, but putting it into practice.

The antiphonal structure of 1 Thessalonians 1.1-2.16 is an illustration of how a congregation is formed, nurtured, and grown. Paul offers the Gospel (1.1-5, 2.1-12); the Thessalonians receive it (1.6-10, 2.13-16). But not only do the Thessalonians receive the Gospel message, their testimony reverberates “in Macedonia and Achaia” and their “faith in God has gone forth everywhere,” so much so that Paul and his companions “need not say anything” (1.8). The Thessalonian congregation is a community invited into the faith by the proclamation of the Word, established in the faith by the reception of the Word, and sustained in the faith by becoming an incarnation of the Word. As it became an example to believers then, so it remains an example to believers now. The faith and perseverance of the believers in Thessalonica is precisely the kind of faith and perseverance required of us today if we hope to once again “turn the world upside down” with the Gospel of our crucified and risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Church's One Foundation

The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From Heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died.

She is from every nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.

The Church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain, and cherish,
Is with her to the end:
Though there be those who hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against both foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed:
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song!

’Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won,
With all her sons and daughters
Who, by the Master’s hand
Led through the deathly waters,
Repose in Eden land.

O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with Thee:
There, past the border mountains,
Where in sweet vales the Bride
With Thee by living fountains
Forever shall abide!

• Samuel J. Stone

You are what you worship

Texts: Exodus 32.1-20, Colossians 3.18-4.18, Matthew 5.1-10

I have long believed the adage, "You are what you worship." Whatever you establish in your life as your god, you will eventually become like it. When the Israelites grew weary of waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain they rebelled against God and created for themselves a golden calf to worship. When Moses finally did come down, the Israelites were behaving like the animal they were worshiping. The same is true whenever people turn from the worship of the living God and turn instead to the worship of created things.

Psalm 135.15-18 confirms this:

The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them!

It is sheer folly on the part of fallen human beings to think we can create a god in our own image. The end result is not a living god who frees us to become all we were intended to be, but a mute, blind, deaf idol who enslaves us to our basest instincts and vilest passions. The god we thought we had created in our image conforms us, instead, to its image: mute, blind, deaf, and dead!

Conversely, when we turn from false idols to the true and living God, worshiping him in spirit and in truth, loving him with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, we become like him: holy, righteous, loving, and truly alive!

Indeed, we are what we worship. Whether or not we worship the Creator or the creature, we cannot ultimately escape the reality that we are created beings who bear the image of Whoever or whatever we place at the center of our lives.

O For a Heart to Praise My God

O for a heart to praise my God,
A heart from sin set free,
A heart that always feels Thy blood
So freely shed for me.

A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
My great Redeemer’s throne,
Where only Christ is heard to speak,
Where Jesus reigns alone.

A humble, lowly, contrite, heart,
Believing, true and clean,
Which neither life nor death can part
From Christ who dwells within.

A heart in every thought renewed
And full of love divine,
Perfect and right and pure and good,
A copy, Lord, of Thine.

Thy tender heart is still the same,
And melts at human woe:
Jesus, for thee distressed I am,
I want Thy love to know.

My heart, Thou know’st, can never rest
Till Thou create my peace;
Till of mine Eden repossest,
From self, and sin, I cease.

Fruit of Thy gracious lips, on me
Bestow that peace unknown,
The hidden manna, and the tree
Of life, and the white stone.

Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;
Come quickly from above;
Write Thy new name upon my heart,
Thy new, best name of Love.

• Charles Wesley

Setting the story right again

Texts: Exodus 20.1-21, Colossians 1.24-2.7, Matthew 4.1-11

Jesus, fresh from the cleansing waters of baptism, when the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove and a voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” was led up by that same Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Now, the Old Testament is replete with stories of trial and testing in the wilderness—from Moses to the Israelites to Elijah. So, it is not at all surprising that Jesus would be sent to so desolate a place. But it’s not simply because the wilderness happens to be a good place to be tested. The wilderness is a recurrent theme in Scripture because it is the place where humanity, because of Adam’s sin, has been left to wander since being cast out of the garden. Adam and Eve wanted to see with their own eyes and know good and evil on their terms. But after eating from the forbidden tree, their eyes were opened and they beheld not the beauty of a garden, but the ugliness of a barren wilderness. They saw not a creation redeemed by their own efforts to better themselves, but a creation utterly devastated by their naked act of rebellion. Jesus is led into the wilderness because the wilderness is where the fallen race he came to save now finds itself.

In the generations following Adam, the crafty serpent never changes his playbook. Every time humanity stumbles over its own fallenness, it is because of the same old lie, the same old exploitation of the human desire for self-preservation, self-gratification, and self-exaltation. Jesus in the wilderness faces the same temptation as Adam and Eve. It’s repeated three times, but it’s really all one temptation.

Turn stones to bread and feed yourself.

Jump off the pinnacle of the temple and call attention to yourself.

Bow down and worship me and you will have all the kingdoms of the world for yourself.

Self-preservation.

Self-gratification.

Self-exaltation.

“Eat from the tree, and you will be like God.”

It’s the same old lie; the same old empty promise. Satan yanks God’s own word out of context, perverts its meaning, and seeks to confuse us and exploit our fears. But why do we keep falling for it?

We keep falling for Satan’s lie because, like Adam and Eve, we forget the context of the story. Adam and Eve fell because they lost their perspective on who they were and for what reason God created them: not to gain glory for themselves, but to give glory to God; to enjoy perfect fellowship with the One who created them in his image and likeness.

The serpent’s words are enticing because, with our perspective clouded by a misguided desire for something other than the way God has provided, the lie sounds like the simplest explanation.

“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’ Did he really make life so difficult by imposing such a rigid standard?”

“Well, actually, no. He didn’t forbid us to eat from any tree, only the one in the center of the garden. But since you did remind me of how stern God is with his rules and regulations, I’m not even going to touch that tree, lest I die.”

You see, now, how the serpent’s lie has complicated things. The context has been lost. The perspective has been distorted. God has become the taskmaster who imposes impossible burdens. Freedom has become slavery. But Adam and Eve will not be slaves anymore. They will seize the power themselves. They will decide what is good and what is evil, on their terms. They will decide what is best for themselves. They will eat from the tree and become like God, and they will control their own destiny.

And there you have it: the root of the problem which has been our downfall ever since.

Self-preservation.

Self-gratification.

Self-exaltation.

The gospel according to me, myself, and I.

It is this misplaced, out of context, “me first” orientation, the root cause of our dehumanizing self-centeredness, that Jesus confronts and challenges—not in the pristine beauty of the garden, but in the arid ugliness of the wilderness: the serpent’s home turf. But where Adam and Eve failed miserably, Jesus triumphs victoriously because he will not allow the tempter to take his focus off the big picture.

“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”

“Sorry, Satan. That’s not the whole story. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

“Hey, Satan. Why don’t you let God’s Word be its own best interpreter? Don’t just throw out a couple of proof-texts and expect me to take the bait. Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

“You see all these kingdoms? All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

“Be gone, Satan! You may have fooled some into thinking you control the world. But I know the whole story. I know its beginning, and I know its end because I wrote it, and you’re nothing but a footnote. For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

From the manger to the Jordan River to the wilderness to Galilee to Jerusalem to Calvary to the empty tomb to the ascension to the right hand of the Father: in Jesus, the story is put back in context. Through Jesus, we begin to understand the story from a proper perspective. And with Jesus, alive in us in the power of his resurrection and the working of his Holy Spirit, our self-centeredness is being replaced by Christ-centeredness; our desire for self-exaltation is being replaced by a passion for Christ-exaltation; and our appetite for self-gratification is being supplanted by a hunger for righteousness and holiness as we offer ourselves in thanksgiving as a living sacrifice to a loving God, who through his Son Jesus Christ has set us free indeed from the law of sin and death and given us the promise of eternal life as the free gift of his grace.

I Love to Tell the Story

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.

Refrain

I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems
Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;
And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.

Refrain

I love to tell the story; ’tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.

Refrain

I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.

Refrain

• A. Katherine Hankey

Humble shepherds and sheep

Texts: Exodus 18.13-27, 1 Peter 5.1-14, Matthew 3.1-6

Commemoration: Alphege of Canterbury

O loving God, whose martyr bishop Alphege of Canterbury suffered violent death when he refused to permit a ransom to be extorted from his people: Grant that all pastors of your flock may pattern themselves on the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep; and who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Shepherding the flock of God is a calling which one does not enter into for any reason other than sheer joyful obedience. Peter exhorts those who have been thus called to carry out their task of pastoral oversight "not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."

The sheep, likewise, are exhorted by Peter to "be subject to the elders." A humble shepherd will be loved and respected by the sheep. Humility is to be the order of the day for the whole household of God.

Jesus himself, "the chief Shepherd," stands as the ultimate example. Just as he submitted to the will of the Father and, after enduring suffering and death, was exalted and glorified, so all who follow his example of humility and suffering will, at the proper time, share in his glory.

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us

Savior, like a shepherd lead us, much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us, for our use Thy folds prepare.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

We are Thine, Thou dost befriend us, be the guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us, seek us when we go astray.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Hear, O hear us when we pray.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Hear, O hear us when we pray.

Thou hast promised to receive us, poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us, grace to cleanse and power to free.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! We will early turn to Thee.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! We will early turn to Thee.

Early let us seek Thy favor, early let us do Thy will;
Blessèd Lord and only Savior, with Thy love our bosoms fill.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Thou hast loved us, love us still.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Thou hast loved us, love us still.

• Dorothy A. Thrupp

Worthy is the Lamb!

Texts (Sunday Eucharistic Lectionary): Jeremiah 32.36-41, Revelation 5.6-14, John 21.1-14

Third Sunday of Easter

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The most amazing, and comforting, message of the gospel, driven home repeatedly by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; by Paul and all the New Testament writers is that salvation by grace through faith is God's idea, God's prerogative, God's initiative. That which we cannot possibly accomplish, for all our intentions, good or bad, God, through Christ, has accomplished, is accomplishing, and will accomplish for us. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and has redeemed us unto God by his blood! Through his death and resurrection, Christ has opened the door. In fact, Christ is the open door. At the beginning of chapter 4 of Revelation, John writes that he looked and saw "a door standing open in heaven." The nuance which we don't capture so well in English comes through in the original Greek as meaning this door now stands open and remains open as the result of some past action. The implication is quite clear--that through his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has become, for all who will believe in him, an open door into the very throne room of God, where we may live forever in the presence of the Lord.

Now there is no human language which can adequately describe what John sees in his magnificent vision. But, for all of its bizarre imagery, Revelation is, after all, a book of worship. It is the liturgy of the New Heaven and the New Earth. It cannot be understood outside that context. It is not a book of doom and gloom, death and destruction, at least not for those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. It is a vision of the church doing what God created it to do for all eternity: worship and praise his holy Name!

"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" shouts the great throng around the throne of God (Revelation 5:12). This is sevenfold praise: complete, full, and perfect adoration of Christ the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. It is the eternal proclamation that Christ--the Lamb that was slain--has won the victory and is worthy of all the praise and adoration that is due him. Indeed, all these things belong to him, but even so, he gave himself up willingly and was slain for the redemption of the world. Hence, all the more reason we should join with every voice in heaven and on earth to proclaim, "Worthy is the Lamb!"

But wait a minute. We are not living in this kind of heavenly environment. We are living in the midst of a broken, fallen, rebellious world. We are living in a society which will not long tolerate our being too vocal in our worship and in our witness for Jesus Christ. We are living in the midst of a world in which the mere mention of the name Jesus invites persecution, derision, and ridicule. How could this vision possibly have anything to do with us in our present situation? Isn't it just a vision of how it will be when we are finally taken out of this world and carried away to be with God forever? Or are we, the believers of today, who seek to live holy lives in the midst of an unholy world, participating even now in this magnificent, continuous act of worship before the throne of God?

"And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, 'To him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.' And the four living creatures kept saying, 'Amen.' And the elders fell down and worshipped." (Revelation 5:13-14).

Every created thing in heaven and on earth, the four living creatures surrounding the throne, and the 24 elders representing the whole of God's covenant people are all united together in a continuous act of adoration and praise. This is not just some lofty vision of a future paradise. Worship is, for all of God's redeemed people, a continuous, active, and vocal response to his mighty and gracious acts in Jesus Christ; the highest service we can render to him who is eternally Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even as we live in the midst of a broken, fallen, rebellious world. Even when it seems we are surrounded by an army of evil forces which persecute, deride, and ridicule us because of "the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ," let us be assured that the throne of God is not just a lofty perch upon which God gazes down on us from heaven. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, there is an open door into heaven and we are in the presence of Christ, and Christ is present among us, even when our visible surroundings bear no resemblance to those of the great heavenly throng. Because the Lamb has been slain, the victory has been won--and our continual, active, and vocal response to this marvelous act of grace is to join with every creature in heaven and on earth in everlasting song, proclaiming with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb!" All the saints in heaven above and on earth below, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, join together in this endless hymn of praise!

True and genuine worship is an attitude of the heart; an inner posture of yieldedness to the God who is, who was, and who is to come. It is the attitude expressed by the elders who "fell down and worshipped." The image of falling down illustrates that posture of yieldedness, willingly submitting to the one true, eternal, and triune God; submitting to his will and purpose, knowing full well that his purpose is accomplished through the death of the Lamb, a death which we ourselves experience. Through our yieldedness, our worship before the throne of God, we participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We become partakers in the suffering and the tribulation that is bound to take place when we take our stand for Christ in the midst of a broken, fallen, rebellious world. To proclaim with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!" is to ascribe ultimate majesty and worth to the God whose great purpose is accomplished through being slain, and to give ourselves over in absolute obedience to that purpose, even if it means we will have to experience the same suffering, the same death, at the hands of the world which Christ, the Lamb, suffered to purchase our pardon and salvation.

But, through all the suffering, we know we are the ultimate victors because, having died with Christ, we have also been raised with him to life eternal. We have already experienced the worst the world has to offer us. And while our present, visible surroundings may appear to be no different than before--still there are the scoffers, the persecutors, those who ridicule us for having the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ--we know, and can take comfort in knowing, that all around us, though not visible to the human eye, is the great multitude around the throne. We walk every day in the presence of God. We are a part of the great throng of every creature in heaven and on earth, continually proclaiming, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever!"

Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

• Reginald Heber

"The end" is near

Texts: Exodus 17.1-16, 1 Peter 4.7-19, John 16.16-33

For Saturdays

Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all you works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“The end of all things is at hand,” writes Peter. This does not mean that he believed “the end of the world,” popularly portrayed as a cosmic cataclysm, was about to take place at any moment. Rather, it is another way of saying, like Paul in his letter to the Philippians, “The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5). Peter is stressing the importance of persevering in prayer and holy living because Jesus Christ, who is “the end of all things,” is always near, having inaugurated his reign as Lord of heaven and earth through his death and resurrection. The day will come when that reign will be realized and consummated in all its fullness. It will be a day when heaven and earth alike will be permeated through and through with righteousness, peace, and joy; and Christ himself will be personally present in the midst of this glorious new creation.

In the meantime, however, Peter encourages his readers to “be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers,” making real in the present the hope they have for the future. “Above all,” Peter says, “keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” This is not cheap, sentimental love. It is unconditional, sacrificial love. It is the same kind of love Christ himself embodied when he laid down his life for his friends.

During their wanderings in the wilderness, the Israelites never seemed to tire of grumbling and complaining. This is not to be the case with the people of God’s New Covenant. Peter instructs them to “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” By his grace, God redeems the fallen and bestows upon them various gifts for the benefit of the whole community. Grace, poured out in love, enables all who hope in Christ to live holy and righteous lives, always giving thanks and praise to God for the gift of his Son and the blessing of his Holy Spirit.

Sing with All the Saints in Glory

Sing with all the saints in glory, sing the resurrection song!
Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story, to the former days belong.
All around the clouds are breaking, soon the storms of time shall cease;
In God’s likeness we, awaking, know the everlasting peace.

O what glory, far exceeding all that eye has yet perceived!
Holiest hearts, for ages pleading, never that full joy conceived.
God has promised, Christ prepares it, there on high our welcome waits.
Every humble spirit shares it; Christ has passed th’eternal gates.

Life eternal! heaven rejoices; Jesus lives, who once was dead.
Join we now the deathless voices; child of God, lift up your head!
Patriarchs from the distant ages, saints all longing for their heaven,
Prophets, psalmists, seers, and sages, all await the glory given.

Life eternal! O what wonders crowd on faith; what joy unknown,
When, amidst earth’s closing thunders, saints shall stand before the throne!
O to enter that bright portal, see that glowing firmament;
Know, with Thee, O God immortal, Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent.

• William J. Irons

More than mental recall

Texts: Exodus 16.23-36, 1 Peter 3.13-4.6, John 16.1-15

Commemoration: Bernadette of Lourdes

Gracious Father, whose Son Jesus Christ went about healing the sick: We praise you for the gift of healing, whether granted directly or through the work of dedicated physicians, surgeons, and nurses; and we pray you to keep us always grateful for deliverance from illness whenever it pleases you to heal us, and patient and cheerful in affliction when for any reason you call us to endure it; and this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen.

In the Gospel readings this week, Jesus has had much to say about the coming of the Holy Spirit.

In promising the Holy Spirit to his disciples, Jesus said, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14.26). To the Western mind, "remembrance" means mental recall, thinking back on some event from the past. But in the Hebraic culture of Jesus and his first disciples, "remembrance" had a much deeper meaning.

To "remember," in the Hebraic sense, is to have the event constantly before you. In bringing to their "remembrance" all that Jesus had said to them, the Holy Spirit would not merely remind the disciples of Jesus' teachings. He would be keeping them aware of the very presence of Jesus constantly in their midst and leading them into a deeper understanding of the truth God the Father had revealed in and through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son.

God's true dwelling place is with his people, those redeemed by the blood of Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. In "remembering" the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, continues the work of salvation which Jesus began, to the end that, in all things, God may be glorified.

Spirit of Faith, Come Down

Spirit of faith, come down, reveal the things of God,
And make to us the Godhead known, and witness with the blood.
’Tis Thine the blood to apply and give us eyes to see,
Who did for every sinner die hath surely died for me.

No man can truly say that Jesus is the Lord,
Unless Thou take the veil away and breathe the living Word.
Then, only then, we feel our interest in His blood,
And cry with joy unspeakable, “Thou art my Lord, my God!”

O that the world might know the all atoning Lamb!
Spirit of faith, descend and show the virtue of His Name;
The grace which all may find, the saving power, impart,
And testify to all mankind, and speak in every heart.

Inspire the living faith (which whosoever receive,
The witness in themselves they have and consciously believe),
The faith that conquers all, and doth the mountain move,
And saves whoever on Jesus call, and perfects them in love.

• Charles Wesley

Abiding in Christ

Texts: Exodus 15.22-16.10, 1 Peter 2.1-10, John 15.1-11

In Christ, we can do all things to the glory of the Father. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing and, in fact, are nothing. At the end of the day, there is no middle ground. We are either in Christ or apart from Christ. We cannot pretend to live partially in Christ and partially in the world. To abide in the world is to be apart from Christ; a fruitless branch to be taken away by the vindedresser and tossed into the fire. To abide in Christ is to shun the world and its enticements and bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

To abide in Christ, to have his life in us, is to participate in the very life of God. "Abide in me, and I in you," Jesus says. This is union with Christ which makes us one, also, with the Father through the Holy Spirit. The one who so abides in Christ cannot help but bear fruit to the glory of the Father because the same Spirit which is in Christ is also in everyone who abides in Christ. It is for this reason that we were created in the image and likeness of God, that God might be glorified through us. But the fall has cut us off from a perfect relationship with God. The only way to restoration is through Christ.

To seek a relationship with God apart from Christ is sheer foolishness. In fact, it is impossible. The only "god" we can seek apart from Christ is one we make in our own image to satisfy our own carnal desires. Whenever we think we can make the first move toward God, we inevitably end up with a god of our own making.

Here is the difference between the Christian faith and all others. In Christ, God is making the first move toward us. We are not seeking him; he is seeking us. We do not choose him; he chooses us. We are not called to strive under our own strength to find a god of our own imagination. We are called, instead, simply to abide in him whom God the Father has sent to draw us back to him. The God who seeks us is the God who created us to bear fruit for his kingdom and glorify his name. Our sins have cut us off from him, but he desires to restore us and make us whole again.

All he asks of us is that we abide in the life-giving, sacrificial love of his Son and keep his commandments. To do this is truly to live the life that pleases God and glorifies his name. To live such a life is true, full, and complete joy.

I Am the Vine

“I am the Vine; My Father is the Gardener.
Each branch that bears no fruit, He cuts away;
While every branch that yields good fruit, He trims and cleans,
So that it will still more produce each day.
Now you are clean because of My Word’s work in you.
Remain in Me, and I’ll remain in you.
Just as a branch without the vine can bear no fruit,
So you must stay in Me if you would bear fruit too.

“I am the Vine; if you, like branches, stay in Me
And I in you, you’ll bear much fruit in turn.
Apart from Me, you can accomplish naught for God;
You’re like a branch that withers and is burned.
But if you stay in Me and I in you each day,
Ask what you wish; it will be given you.
God will be glorified because you bear much fruit,
For thus you show yourselves to be disciples true.

“Just as the Father loves Me, so I love you too.
Obey My Word, and you’ll stay in My care,
Just as I too obey My Father God above,
And in His love remain fore’er and e’er.
I’ve told you this so that My joy may be in you,
And that your own joy may now overflow.
Here’s My command: Love others just as I’ve loved you;
To die for friends—this is the greatest love you’ll know.

“You are My friends if you do what I now command;
You’re not mere servants, knowing not My will.
I’ve called you friends, for everything I’ve learned from God,
I have made known, and now I tell you still.
You chose Me not, but I have chosen each of you,
To go and bear much fruit that will remain.
Then God will give you all you ask in My own Name.
Love one another; hear now My command again.

• Susan H. Peterson

Faith that is so absolutely necessary

Texts: Exodus 15.1-21, 1 Peter 1.13-25, John 14.18-31

"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God," writes John in his first epistle (5:1). Faith, according to John, is the fruit of the new birth; a spiritual re-orientation of our whole being which enables us to love the Father and all his children, obey his commandments, and overcome the world (vv. 2-5).

True faith, faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, is not a natural human inclination. To have faith, we must be "born of God," that is, "born again," as Peter writes in today's epistle lesson, "not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." For God alone is able to create faith within us, graciously drawing us away from our sins and toward his merciful, loving embrace; and it is God alone, revealed in his Son Jesus Christ, who is the beginning and the end of our faith.

It is only when we place our faith in God and God alone that our faith becomes real. A faith placed in the things of this world is no faith at all. You are not truly born of God if you still rely on your own strength, your own mind, and your own will. Neither are you truly born of God if you look to human institutions for security, protection, and livelihood. It is easy to fall prey to the temptation to trust in those things which are visible and tangible. Faith in a God we cannot see is indeed wrought with many uncertainties. But it is precisely those uncertainties which make a constant and abiding faith in the God who created the heavens and the earth so vibrant, so alive, and so utterly necessary.

Take Time to be Holy

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

• W.D. Longstaff

A "sad" misunderstanding

Texts: Exodus 13.17-14.4, 2 Corinthians 4.16-5.10, Mark 12.18-27

Saturday in Easter Week

We thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered us from the dominion of sin and death and brought us into the kingdom of your Son; and we pray that, as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his love he may raise us to eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Skeptics who deny the resurrection of Jesus will often employ a classic "straw man" argument. It goes something like this: the resurrection could not have involved the "bodily resuscitation" of Jesus, since such a feat is "scientifically" impossible. This argument, however, is based on a flawed premise.

The message of Easter is not "Christ has been resuscitated," but "Christ is risen!" It is the skeptics, not those who by faith proclaim this fundamental truth of the Christian faith, who reduce the resurrection to mere "bodily resuscitation." The resurrection was and is so much more than the re-animation of a corpse. It is the transformation of Jesus' whole person--spirit, soul, and body--into a higher state of existence.

The message of Easter is not merely that one Man has been raised from the dead but that, in that one Man is embodied the transformation of all of history--past, present, and future--toward the redemptive purpose and will of God. Indeed, Jesus Christ--crucified and risen--embodies the hope of all creation.

The biggest problem skeptics have with the resurrection is not that it involves the body of Jesus coming back to life, but that it involves a far greater reality than their feeble minds are able to comprehend. So, in an effort to downplay its true significance, they reduce it to a "bodily resuscitation" and then proceed to engage it on the level of scientific naturalism.

The Sadducees, of course, lived in what is often called the "pre-scientific" era. But their objection to belief in the resurrection of the dead involved much the same kind of naturalistic (mis)understanding. Their primary problem with the resurrection was that, according to their interpretation, it was not taught in the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, which were the only Scriptures they recognized as authoritative. They did not accept the writings of the prophets as equal to the writings of Moses; and since they were bound by a wooden, literalistic interpretation of Moses, they found there no evidence for belief in the resurrection.

The Pharisees, on the other hand, accepted both Moses and the prophetic writings and looked toward the day when God would act to restore his creation and, yes, raise the dead to new life. On the question of the resurrection, Jesus sided with the Pharisees. But, as all of the Gospel writers make clear, he had serious differences with them over just how God would usher in his kingdom.

While their rejection of the resurrection left them with few, if any, followers among the common people, it earned the Sadducees the favor of the Romans, who were fearful of popular uprisings by zealous disciples of the Pharisees. This was precisely what the Sadducees feared about Jesus. Certainly, resurrection was at the heart of his message. Such a message was, in the minds of the Sadducees, politically dangerous. It might inspire revolution. So, the message and the messenger had to be discredited.

The encounter between Jesus and the Sadducees, as recorded by Mark, is almost comical. In fact, Mark may have intended it to be that way. Here come the Sadducees, the elite priestly aristocracy, presenting Jesus with an utterly ridiculous scenario which, in their minds, illustrates how utterly ridiculous belief in the resurrection is. But Jesus quickly corrects their flawed interpretation of the law. The resurrection, he tells them, is not merely a resuscitation of a bunch of dead bodies which will then resume life as they have always known it. The resurrection is/will be a complete remaking of life, a complete reworking of creation. The institutions which sustain and perpetuate life in this world will no longer be necessary. The question involving the woman with seven husbands will be entirely irrelevant.

But misunderstanding the nature of the resurrection is not the only problem with the Sadducees' interpretation of the Scriptures. Bound as they are to a naturalistic worldview that they completely miss the references to the resurrection in the very books they consider authoritative. Moses himself was looking toward the resurrection of the dead. God spoke to him in the burning bush, identifying himself as "the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Only a dead faith, like that of the Sadducees, would teach that these great Patriarchs were dead and gone forever. "He is not God of the dead," Jesus declares, "but of the living."

What, after all, does the very provision of the law cited by the Sadducees point toward, if not the resurrection? Children perpetuate life, and the resurrection is all about life, life, and more life.

Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above

Come, let us join our friends above, who have obtained the prize,
And on the eagle wings of love to joys celestial rise.
Let saints on earth unite to sing with those to glory gone,
For all the servants of our King in earth and Heaven are one.

One family we dwell in Him, one church above, beneath,
Though now divided by the stream, the narrow stream of death;
One army of the living God, to His command we bow;
Part of His host have crossed the flood, and part are crossing now.

Ten thousand to their endless home this solemn moment fly,
And we are to the margin come, and we expect to die.
His militant embodied host, with wishful looks we stand,
And long to see that happy coast, and reach the heavenly land.

Our old companions in distress we haste again to see,
And eager long for our release, and full felicity:
Even now by faith we join our hands with those that went before;
And greet the blood besprinkled bands on the eternal shore.

Our spirits too shall quickly join, like theirs with glory crowned,
And shout to see our Captain’s sign, to hear His trumpet sound.
O that we now might grasp our Guide! O that the word were given!
Come, Lord of Hosts, the waves divide, and land us all in Heaven.

• Charles Wesley

Supernatural vs. ultimate reality

Texts: Exodus 13.3-10, 1 Corinthians 15.41-50, Matthew 28.16-20

Thursday in Easter Week

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

I am not a fan of the word "supernatural." I hear it often enough, usually in a religious context. The problem I have with the word is that it is not Scriptural and is wholly inadequate to describe those things associated with the Christian faith that we cannot explain as naturally occurring phenomena. It was the Enligthtenment which created the categories of "natural" and "supernatural" with the intent of discrediting the latter as having to involve the violation of the "laws of nature." Hence, the major doctrines of the Christian faith were to be abandoned or, at least, radically revised because they were based on a belief in the "supernatural" and, therefore, not sustainable under the scrutiny of scientific naturalism.

Scripture, in contrast to Enlightenment rationalism, takes a dim view of the word "natural." It is used almost exclusively to describe the fallen condition. It is synonymous with "mortal." A "natural" person is a "mortal" person, living in open rebellion against God, destined for the grave. A "natural" body is a "mortal" body, inclined toward sin, destined to return to the dust from whence it came. A worldview which holds the "natural" in such low esteem would hold the "supernatural" in even lower esteem. If "natural" means fallen, "supernatural" could only mean fallen to the fullest.

The biblical opposite of "natural" is not "supernatural," but "spiritual." In the resurrection, the natural, mortal body will be transformed into the spiritual body. This does not mean an ethereal, ghostly existence. Rather, it means a change from the natural inclination toward sin and disobedience leading to death to the spiritual inclination toward holiness and obedience leading to life.

This is the hope of every believer, made certain through the death and resurrection of Christ, a transformative event which is not to be described as "supernatural" in that it would have involved a violation of the laws of nature, but as "eschatological" in that it involved the bringing forward of God's ultimate future into the present. What happened for Jesus will happen for all believers on the Last Day. The natural, mortal body will be transformed into the spiritual, immortal body. In and through Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, God will make the whole creation new. This is not a violation of the laws of nature. This is the ultimate reality which will give meaning to all of life and all of history.

The Day of Resurrection

The day of resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad;
The Passover of gladness, the Passover of God.
From death to life eternal, from earth unto the sky,
Our Christ hath brought us over, with hymns of victory.

Our hearts be pure from evil, that we may see aright
The Lord in rays eternal of resurrection light;
And listening to His accents, may hear, so calm and plain,
His own “All hail!” and, hearing, may raise the victor strain.

Now let the heavens be joyful! Let earth the song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph, and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend,
For Christ the Lord hath risen, our joy that hath no end.

• John of Damascus

Adam and the resurrection

Texts: Exodus 12.28-39, 1 Corinthians 15.12-28, Mark 16.9-20

Tuesday in Easter Week

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen.

There is a logical contradiction between evolution and the biblical account of creation which is often overlooked. Evolution teaches that man evolved upward from a lower form of life. Scripture teaches, conversely, that man fell downward from a higher form of life. These are two irreconcilable points of view which cannot be glossed over by any hermeneutical, theological, or biological gymnastics. Accepting the premise of evolution has significant negative implications for the whole Christian salvific scheme. Ultimately, it would call into question the very veracity of the Gospel.

Among the many unnecessary concessions which many otherwise “conservative” or “evangelical” scholars have made to revisionists in recent years is that the Genesis account of creation and the Fall are only metaphorical stories to explain a deeper spiritual truth. What such scholars do not realize, apparently, is that by so conceding, they are undercutting the very foundation of the faith.

As has often been the case with some of the more hardcore fundamentalists, it is possible to become so obsessed with the historicity of a particular biblical story that the deeper truth conveyed through the story is marginalized. This is a pitfall which must be avoided, but not at the expense of history itself. Christianity is, first and foremost, a faith rooted in history; which makes the bold claim that it is the only lens through which all of history can be understood and the final outcome of history will be the realization of the hope which the Church has clung to tenaciously in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword.

The irony for present-day revisionists is that in their upside down attempt to redefine the faith through the lens of history, they have created both a faith which has no basis in history and a history which has no basis in fact. Both faith and history have become whatever any individual wishes them to be. A faith isolated from history and a history isolated from fact inevitably produces, among those who cling so foolishly to both, a considerable number of individuals who are isolated from reality.

Christianity, properly understood, views all of history through the lens of one man’s life, suffering, death, and resurrection. Through the Incarnation, Jesus Christ brought to fulfillment the hope of the people of Israel and ushered in the reign of God which will, in the end, fill the earth and the heavens—that is, all creation—with righteousness, peace, and joy. The Church, having been established in history through Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, carries on the work of redemption which Christ began. In contrast to the radical individualism of the revisionists, the Church exists not in isolation from history or reality, but in the very midst of history as the vital link between past and future, experiencing the still unfolding reality that defines all realities: resurrection; the presence of the Risen Christ in the midst of a redeemed creation.

Revisionists argue that a faith rooted in a “supernatural” event such as the resurrection cannot have any historical validity. They proceed from the flawed assumption that the resurrection is a “supernatural” event, that is, something involving a violation of the laws of nature. The categories of “natural” and “supernatural,” as defined today, are largely a product of the Enlightenment. In the biblical worldview, no such dichotomy exists. Those who believed that the hope of Israel had been fulfilled in Jesus would not have seen his resurrection as involving in any way, shape, or form the violation of some vague set of concepts known as the laws of nature. Rather, they would have seen it for what it truly was: the climactic event of Israel’s history, taking place in the midst of history, and pointing to the end of history. The resurrection, then, is an event best described not as supernatural, but as eschatological.

Paul was keenly aware of the importance of the resurrection to the faith of the fledgling Christian community in Corinth. In the most detailed discourse on the subject in the entire New Testament, the apostle refutes the claims of those who say there is no resurrection of the dead. He draws the logical inference that if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised then the hope which believers have placed in him is in vain and “we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

But the Christian hope is not in vain because, “in fact,” as Paul so resolutely declares, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 20). With the resurrection, a new era of human history has begun. But it is not really new. It is a restoration of the perfect order which existed in the beginning. In Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, is embodied the hope of all creation which has now been entrusted to the Church and will at last be fully realized in the consummation of history.

To make his point clear, Paul draws an analogy. “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” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). The significance of this analogy is Paul’s underlying presupposition that humanity’s death “in Adam” is an historical reality. For Paul, “Adam” is no mere metaphor. He is the actual “man” who, through disobedience, brought “death” upon the human race. Adam embodies death, just as Christ embodies the resurrection. Therefore, if Christ truly lived, died, and rose again, then it necessarily follows that Adam truly lived and died.

Paul’s analogy leaves us with only two options. If Adam is only a metaphor, then Christ is only a metaphor. But if Christ is an actual, historical person, then Adam is an actual, historical person. Our faith in Christ as Risen Lord and Savior, the embodiment of God’s new, redeemed humanity, is rooted either entirely in metaphor or entirely in history. It is either fantasy or reality, depending on which view you take. A faith rooted in metaphor cannot look to the consummation of history with any sense of hope. But a faith rooted in history looks to the future with the assured hope of redemption, restoration, and resurrection.

Low in the Grave He Lay

Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior,
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Refrain

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my Savior;
Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!

Refrain

Death cannot keep its Prey, Jesus my Savior;
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

Refrain

• Robert Lowry

Waking up the dead

The Sunday of the Resurrection

O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord's resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in security and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The joyful message of Easter is, “He is risen!” Yet, we become so caught up in the joy of that message that we miss another important detail of the story. When you read Luke’s account of the resurrection, when the women come to the tomb, the angels say, “He is risen!” But before that, they ask the women a question, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

That question is a challenge to all of us. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

When we hear those voices that tell us that, as a church we need to accommodate, compromise, and surrender to the world, it is a sign that we, as a church, have become comfortable with living among the dead. If we have no message of hope, no message of mercy, no message of forgiveness and grace, then we have nothing to offer the world but a eulogy.

Yet, there’s more to the resurrection story. In Matthew and Mark, the women are told that Jesus “is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him.” When the disciples do see Jesus in Galilee, he gives them a job to do: “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” In other words, “Go out there and wake up the dead! Go out there and tell them that there’s a new life available to them. Tell them that they don’t have to remain dead in their sins, but they can live again.”

Jesus Christ has opened the door to a new life. Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen. And he has gone before you into Galilee. Go, catch up with him. Go and see him. Listen to his voice. He is calling us, not to become comfortable among the dead, but to wake up the dead. Wake up the dead with the message of resurrection, of forgiveness, of love and joy and peace.

What do we say to the voices that would have us abandon our message of forgiveness and mercy for a message of accommodation and compromise? To them, we say this: Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, laid down his life for those who are lost and hurting and suffering, in bondage to sin. He has entrusted to the church the only message that will bring those lost, hurting souls new life; and that message begins with the gracious invitation, “Repent and believe.”

If the church has lost its passion for that message, then the church has ceased to be the church. May it never be! May we never lose our passion for speaking the language of the Shepherd: the language of forgiveness, the language of hope, the language of grace, and, most importantly, the language of uncompromised and unconditional love.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is o’er, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

• Charles Wesley

Good Friday: The Solemn Collects

Almighty God, we beseech thee graciously to behold this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified; Receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before thee for all estates of men in thy holy Church, that every member of the same, in his vocation and ministry, may truly and godly serve thee; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

O Merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, nor desirest the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live; Have mercy upon all who know thee not as thou art revealed in the Gospel of thy Son. Take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy fold, that they may be one flock under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

The life-transforming nourishment

Texts: Lamentations 2.10-18; 1 Corinthians 10.14-17, 11.27-32; Mark 14.12-25

Maundy Thursday

Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner," Paul writes, "will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11.27). It is unfortunate that many have cited this passage as an excuse for abstaining for receiving the sacrament of Lord's Supper. "I can't take communion," they say with a feigned piety. "I'm not worthy." Such an attitude misses the point of Paul's admonition. Paul does not say one must be "worthy" before receiving the body and blood of the Lord. If that were the case, no one would be eligible to come to the table, for no one is "worthy" of so extravagant a gift from God. The very fact that Jesus gave his body and shed his blood on the cross makes this point clear enough. If we were "worthy," there would have been no need for our Lord to sacrifice himself for our sins.

Paul's admonition is not so much about the manner in which we come to the table, but the manner in which we leave the table. None of us are worthy to come, but Jesus invites us to the feast, nonetheless. His righteousness, not ours, is sufficient to bring us into the presence of God by faith. But will we receive the gift of his body and blood in a manner which gives due reverence to the grace he imparts through them? That is Paul's concern. The bread and the cup are symbols, but they are not "bare symbols," as some have erroneously claimed. They are visible signs of the grace of God poured out most extravagantly in the broken body and shed blood of his Son. As such, they point us to the power of the cross to save us from our sins and create in us new and unending life in Jesus Christ.

It is the manner in which we respond to such an extravagant act of grace on the part of God which is judged either "worthy" or "unworthy." Will we go away from the table, having received this life-transforming nourishment, as new creatures, walking in the ways of Christ toward holiness and righteousness; or will we merely continue to follow the ways of the world, taking the grace of God for granted, and thus making a mockery of the gift he has so freely given? To partake of the Lord's Supper "in an unworthy manner" is to receive it in such a way that ignores the transforming power of God's grace. To refuse such grace in the first place is perhaps the most "unworthy manner" of all.

Jesus invites us to his table. We come as we are, unworthy and burdened with sin. We go, having been in his presence and transformed by the power of his grace.

(Originally published in Columbia Faith and Culture Examiner, 4 September 2009)

Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast

Come, sinners, to the Gospel feast;
Let every soul be Jesus’ guest.
Ye need not one be left behind,
For God hath bid all humankind.

Sent by my Lord, on you I call;
The invitation is to all.
Come, all the world! Come, sinner, thou!
All things in Christ are ready now.

Come, all ye souls by sin oppressed,
Ye restless wanderers after rest;
Ye poor, and maimed, and sick, and blind,
In Christ a hearty welcome find.

Come, and partake the Gospel feast;
Be saved from sin; in Jesus rest;
O taste the goodness of your God,
And eat His flesh, and drink His blood!

You vagrant souls, on you I call;
(O that my voice could reach you all!)
You all may now be justified,
You all may live, for Christ hath died.

My message as from God receive;
Ye all may come to Christ and live.
O let His love your hearts constrain,
Nor permit Him to die in vain.

His love is mighty to compel;
His conquering love consent to feel,
Yield to His love’s resistless power,
And fight against your God no more.

See Him set forth before your eyes,
That precious, bleeding Sacrifice!
His offered benefits embrace,
And freely now be saved by grace.

This is the time, no more delay!
This is the Lord’s accepted day.
Come thou, this moment, at His call,
And live for Him Who died for all.

• Charles Wesley