God's Sovereignty

In the third chapter of Joshua, we encounter the Israelites on the banks of the Jordan for the second time. Across this obstacle lies the land of promise, the place dreamed about while in captivity, a place of beauty, peace, and plenty just a few yards across a swollen stream. The first time they were here, the obstacles were too great, too frightening. The people failed to trust God and were destined to wander for the next forty years. This time they come to this same river but choose to trust and to follow God. As we read of this event we must take note of a few subtle but powerful facts as we relate something that took place thousands of years ago to our present circumstance. For clearly God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And both too often and sadly, so is mankind. We frequently arrive at the banks of our own Jordans of frustration, addiction, disappointment, or whatever obstacles continue to separate us from our dreams and the landscape that God has promised us. What was required of the Israelites remains required of us today. In the text we note that the Ark of the Covenant, the symbolic physical presence of God, goes before the Israelites. Their task is simply to follow. As soon as the priest carrying the Ark step into the water, the river “piled up in a heap” and there was God standing in the middle of a flooded river on dry land summoning the people to cross over and take possession of his promise. We all have our own Jordan Rivers to cross. Such obstacles as frustration, disappointment, addiction, failed relationships, etc. can be deep waters and strong currents to overcome. But like the Israelites in Joshua’s time, the God of the universe goes into these troubled waters before us and stands on dry land summoning us to simply follow him. As we trust rather than doubt we find ourselves on the other side standing amidst the good, the true, and the beautiful promise of an abundant life. Our success, our happiness, our fulfillment depend on this willingness to follow the God that steps in the water before us and prepares a way out of what sometimes seems like no way. There will be other Jordan Rivers to cross and there will be God again and again standing in the middle of the torrent calling us forward. Cross over your Jordan and step into the land, into the life prepared for you by the God of the universe.

Here we are in the early spring of the year 2020 gripped by fear of a silent organism transported by droplets of water unseen through the air from one human to an unsuspecting second or third and maybe more. We might take comfort in the statistics that suggests only a few of the thousands that are infected by this stealthy menace will suffer death, but we cannot find adequate comfort. The media saturates us with little more than the frail attempts of scientist, doctors, business people, and ever present politicians to create cures, vaccines, protocols, and even laws that will keep each of us safe. And yet, we continue to feel at risk when we walk through the grocery store or sit in a doctor’s waiting room. We avoid assembling in groups of more than ten. We even avoid worshiping together. It seems we are in need of encouragement, in need of a breakthrough event that will assure us we are safe. We grow weary of fear and become consumed by anxiety. Then we recall the words of encouragement from Paul to a young pastor in Ephesus; “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). Fear is not a gift from God. Of what should we be afraid? His gifts are power, love, reason, sound thinking, … Some have suggested that this virus is sent to earth as a punishment for the sins of mankind. Hear me when I say: this is absurd! And how can I be so sure? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak I rest in the powerful and loving arms of God who came to earth to save me from an eternal death. I embrace his gifts of fearlessness, power, love, and soundness of mind. I trust his faithfulness. So where does one place his trust? From where does ultimate power emerge? Where can one find love motivating our thoughts and our actions? If I have to choose between the God of John 3:16 and the COVID-19 of the nightly news, I’m all in with John. Live fearlessly. .

Being a disciple of the risen Lord makes radical demands upon us. Sometimes these demands are absolute. In the opening verse of Matthew 7, Jesus makes such a demand. We are coming to the end of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus has gone up on a mountainside, sat down, and begun to teach the crowd. He begins by encouraging them to consider how fortunate, how blessed they are when they are poor in spirit, when they are mourning, when they are meek or engaged in peacemaking, when they are merciful, and even when they are persecuted because of their righteousness. He suggests to his followers that they are the salt of the earth, the light of the earth. Then around 5:17, Jesus begins to share his demands upon their lives as they choose to follow him. He redefines murder and adultery and tells us to turn the other cheek when wronged. He even tells us to love our enemies. Again, let be reminded that we are suggesting that Jesus is making radical demands on us, both then and clearly now as we experience the present culture of division. We come to verse one in Chapter 7 and hear an expectation that causes us to pause a little longer as it is prone to confuse us. Does Jesus really mean we should never judge others? Imagine I walk out a building in downtown Atlanta on a very hot night in July at 2:00 AM. I am immediately lost as I have exited the building into a very dark street. As I look to my left I observe a figure walking toward me in a dark trench coat and notice what seems to me to be the barrel of a shotgun protruding from the sleeve of the coat. Am I allowed to form a judgment here? Certainly I should. With this scenario in mind and considering his messages to us in totality, we can hopefully better understand what Jesus is commanding us to do. It seems he would have us refrain from condemning others as a result of their sin. Instead we should consider our own disobedience, also worthy of condemnation by the holy God, and find ourselves loving others. Surely we can remain discerning of circumstances that may bring us or our loved ones harm and act appropriately. But we must never condemn our brothers and sisters as a result of their sinfulness. Instead, we model Christ who, while we were yet sinners, loved us and now commands us to love our fellowman, not condemn them. All of us have heard the phrase; “love the sinner, hate the sin.” We would do well to simply focus on; “loving the sinner.”

Matthew 8: 23-27 It has always fascinated me to read passages in the Gospels where the disciples are in the presence of God incarnate and yet fail to comprehend just who he is. I am especially fond of the passage in Matthew 8 where we encounter Jesus after his Sermon on the Mount, the healing of a man with leprosy, the faith of the Centurion, and a warning to those that would follow him. And then, he gets into a boat with his disciples in order to cross to the other side of the lake. Without warning a storm arrives. The waves were sweeping over the boat and everyone feared for their lives … except Jesus who was asleep. The boat’s passengers, who by now should have developed an appreciation for the power possessed by this man they had chosen to follow, wake him up and cry, “Lord, save us!” Once awake, he admonishes them gently with the question, “Why are you afraid?” The poor disciples must have shared a few incredulous glances with a few likely saying, “Is he serious?” I have been on the Gulf of Mexico when an August storm would suddenly roll up and land is not in sight. And yes, I went looking for Jesus. Lord, save me! I have also been threatened by the winds and waves of life, as we all have, to the point of desperately calling out, “Lord, save me!” Whether restlessly pacing in a hospital waiting room or anxiously anticipating the fallout of bad decisions made by myself or my children, or any of a dozen other times the winds and waves of life seemed to be washing over the sides of my boat and I was in fear of drowning, I would wonder, is Jesus sleeping? Where is he? Fortunately, Jesus was in my boat. Obviously I made it back to land in Florida. But, I have also been frequently reassured that the one who commanded the waves and the winds of that Galilean storm is always with me. With the passage of time, and the faithfulness of the one who commands the winds and waves, I have come to trust the power of God to deliver me from whatever storms may arise in this life. Still, occasionally I cry out, “Lord, save me,” and soon I hear his voice ask, “Why are you afraid?” Indeed, what should we fear if the God who spoke the universe into existence is in the boat with us?

Matthew 10: 34-36 Christmas is without a doubt a wonderful time of year. We march from Thanksgiving through December with greater and greater anticipation of the day when most of us forego work, assemble with friends and family, exchange gifts, eat more ham and turkey than should be lawful, and occasionally sing carols familiar from our childhood when life was simpler and Christmas was magical. As Christians we are especially excited by this approaching day as it is a collection of moments in the year that we light Advent Candles, sing songs we can’t sing any other time of the year (I’m not sure why this should be so), attend candle light services on Christmas Eve while holding a lit candle and singing Silent Night, and, O yes, celebrate the coming of God to Earth. Isn’t it wonderful to think of a baby “asleep on the hay,” of a young woman gently caressing her new born child while shepherds from the nearby hills descend to see this miracle? Indeed this was the entry of God into human history in a way we struggle to this day to understand. Why did he come? What can a baby do to influence the hearts and minds of mankind? As I reflect on the celebration of Christmas as practiced in my past, I have come to wonder if I have lost sight of its meaning as I wrap lights around a tree, purchase presents for family and friends, and dutifully sing “O Holy Night” at the morning worship service the Sunday before Christmas Day. Of course we should be filled with hope, peace, joy, and love for this is what God brought with him as he entered this world and enters our hearts. But I cannot stray far from Jesus’ words in Matthew 10: 34 where he tells us “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” A sword, not an olive leaf. God came to earth to do battle with evil. Even at Christmas I cannot remove myself from the shadow of the cross where a sword was drawn and death was defeated. And with his strength and by our faith, we too are called upon to “draw our swords” and battle evil even when it is not a popular thing to do. The baby in the manger in Bethlehem came as a warrior. What does this mean for us?

Isaiah 7: 1-17 O Come Immanuel Forgive me as I have been away from the keyboard for several months. Today let’s consider what I perceive to be a misunderstood passage from the Old Testament. Rather, I think it is a passage that is under-understood; one of those rich opportunities for deep insight that we allow to breeze by with too little effort to rest quietly and linger long as we allow the Holy Spirit to whisper gently a truth much grander than the one we too quickly assume is intended. The seventh chapter of Isaiah opens with King Ahaz and the people of Judah shaking with fear like the “trees of a forest are shaken by the wind” (Isaiah 7: 4). The kings of Aram and Israel (Ephraim) have joined forces to invade and “tear apart” Judah and establish a king of their choosing. God encourages Ahaz to “not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood.” The Lord instructs Ahaz to ask him for a sign but Ahaz refuses. So, God gives him one anyway. “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14b). In the Hebrew language, the word translated into the Greek and later into English as “virgin” is alba , or young woman. And many of us already know that Immanuel means “God with us.” It seems that God is telling his people that he is present, that he will deliver them from these “smoldering stubs of firewood” in short order. And indeed he does as the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) is captured just a few short years later by Assyria. God brought salvation to his children in the eighth century BCE. Yet we have come to frequently interpret verse 14 as prophesy of the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary. And we should! Indeed, the God who delivered Judah from Aram and Ephraim 2600 years ago is the same God who again brought salvation to the world almost 2000 years ago by his presence in Jesus. God has been actively redeeming us through his presence since Adam. God has “been with us” through the ages and in Jesus he chose to become flesh and dwell with us. And through Jesus, God has brought salvation to the world in a miraculous way that requires from us only our belief. And wonder of wonders, God continues to be with us. O come Immanuel, come holy God and be with us always, even this very day. So let’s not be surprised by his presence. Rather, let’s embrace it and rejoice in it. Joy to the world, Immanuel!!!

I am normally loathe to react to the rhetoric of politicians and pundits encountered daily on the airways and in print. But the recent tragedies in El Paso and Dayton and the continued vitriol with which many of our would-be leaders publicly reacted have moved me to enter the arena. First, the loss of lives in these two cities, and just as tragic in my mind, the loss of lives in Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, … during the same weekend, cause my heart to weep for the humanity caught up in the evil so pervasive in our world. Yet I have yet to hear anyone address the root cause of these events. Instead, each commentator positioned themselves to continue the deterioration of public discourse and fuel the flames of hatred and dissension for those who think, believe, or speak differently than they do. Each in their own way proclaimed the failure of those with different party affiliations or different electoral strata suggesting remedies that thoughtful men and women know will result in futility. Rather than react to one person’s response by calling it BS and another by claiming it as evidence yet again of racism while yet others call opponents clueless and unintelligent, maybe, just maybe, our world needs leaders that will stop the inflammatory rhetoric and instead, establish a tone of love and peaceful respect for each other and for the lives entrusted to their authority. It is my hope that these men and women will begin to understand and then to tell us that all men, all women possess a divine and sacred spirit. Possibly they can establish for the communities and the nation they represent a town square where differences of opinion or philosophy are debated by men and women whose first response to all people, opponents and colleagues, is love rooted in the acknowledgement that we are all children of our common Creator. I am quite sure he too is weeping and has been for some time. Today I pray for the transformation of the hearts of my political leaders and for the transformation of the hearts of us all. Can we replace the destructive forces of evil with genuine love? Did not Jesus do precisely this? It is a choice we have the innate capacity to make if only we exercise the will to so choose. We might begin by accepting the gifts available from those with whom we differ as opportunities to grow closer to the divine intent of God for his creation. His wisdom and will are pure and perfect and worthy of pursuit by all of us, yes, all of us.

1 John 1: 5-10 Long ago, and I do mean a long time ago, I was a serious Boy Scout; hiking, camping out, performing service projects, the whole nine yards. One particular camping trip stands out above all others, however. We were exploring a cave in Marion County Tennessee called Nickajack Cave prior to its partial flooding by the TVA in 1967 (I told you it was a long time ago). Several of us attempted to prove our bravery and decided to spend the night deep in the cave’s interior. At some point the last flashlight and carbide lamp was turned off and we experienced darkness like never before. One could hold their hand directly in front of their face with eyes straining to see, but there was nothing but darkness. There was no electromagnetic energy to stimulate the rods and cones in our retina. There were no action potentials sending information to the brain for identification or interpretation. There was nothing but the absence of light. But this is the definition of darkness isn’t it, the absence of light? And haven’t all of us experienced times in our lives when we were among shadows, and sometimes when we looked out from our circumstance and experienced only darkness? Yet we are encouraged by this brief passage in 1 John to remember the message Jesus brought to the world; “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). In my own experience I have experienced what Saint John of the Cross called “The Dark Night of the Soul,” a time when I attempted to pray for deliverance but it seemed as if no one was listening. It was a time when hopelessness seemed near and God seemed so remote. Yet during this time of darkness, I slowly came to perceive the presence of Jesus weeping with me over the tragedy that had brought on this darkness. As soon as my mind rested on him, the darkness began to dissipate and was replaced by the brilliance of his presence. There is still pain. But I know he is always present just as I knew my hand was there in the darkness of Nickajack Cave. I simply needed a little light. Oversimplified? Maybe. But as real to me today as the love of my wife, my daughter, the love of my Lord. Now I know he is my light, and in him there is no darkness at all. What a comfort this truth is. By the way, Nickajack Cave was and remains the home to thousands of gray bats that are apparently somewhat active at night. I and my fellow scouts agreed that one night in the cave was sufficient to establish our bravery.

John 14: 15-31 “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” ( Genesis 2:7). This single verse from the creation story in the second chapter of Genesis has come to my mind many times over the years. It reminds me of the divine presence within each and every one of us and the sacred nature of life. More than biological beings, we are possessed by the very essence of the omnipotent creator. We are destined by this created nature to encounter the spirit that dwells within us as it is the distinguishing characteristic that makes humanity. It cannot be denied without consequence. In John 14 we are instructed by the Son of God who has brought the Kingdom of Heaven to the Earth. He begins by telling us “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14: 15). His commandments are quite simple; we are to ‘…l ove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ And on the same plane we are to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Matthew 22: 37-38). Simple enough it would seem, and yet we resist. I can’t help but hear in Jesus’ voice a hint of longing …”if you love me…” Later Jesus will ask Peter three times “Peter, do you love me (John 21: 15-17)? And in the quite of the evening if we will but be still and listen, we too will hear; “Do you love me?” And if we do, we are to keep his commandments, to love God and to love those who possess the breath that has made them living souls. But how is it possible, how can this weak and frail vessel love so much and so freely as seems to be the expectation? If Jesus loves the little children, must I? That's easy enough. If Jesus loves the neighbors who own the dog that keeps digging up my vegetable plants, must I? If Jesus loves the homeless, the criminal, the deviant in society, even those that would do me harm, must I? How can we do this? Fortunately we have not been left alone. Jesus promised his disciples and us an advocate to help us and to always be with us … the Spirit of Truth (John 14: 16-17). And Jesus informs his disciples and us that: “I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14: 20). Wait? The Son of God lives in me? It just may be possible to love God and to love others. Yes, the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the divine breath that made you a living soul lives in you. And me too. Yawp! With this help, I am able to love.