Life in the Whispers

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is about a prophet of God named Elijah.  He was often harassed by the wicked king of Israel, Ahab, and his even more wicked wife, Jezebel.  In spite of this formidable opposition, Elijah experienced more than a few victories for the Lord.  One of those included an impressive victory over the prophets of a pagan god Baal on Mount Carmel.  He challenged the false prophets to a divine duel and the Lord showed up  big-time displaying his power by sending fire from heaven. 

It was certainly a highlight of Elijah's ministry, but his celebration was short-lived as Ahab and Jezebel ramped up their efforts to silence this prophet of God.  Elijah, running for his life, found himself alone and depressed in a cave in the wilderness.  God, who had seemed so present on Mount Carmel, seemed all too silent as Elijah moped in the cave. He needed a fresh revelation of God and God gave it to him - but not in the way he expected.

The Lord instructed Elijah to go to the mouth of his cave hideaway because He was about to pass by. A great and powerful wind, an earthquake, and a fire all appear but neither of these carry the presence of God. Following these action-movie-like demonstrations quietly appeared a gentle whisper, and it is in this gentle whisper that God is present!

The lesson Elijah needed to learn was that God is in the simple, quiet, routine facets of life. That is a hushed message that speaks deafeningly to me every time I read it.

In college I saw a production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town that has left an impression on me that lasts until this day. The story is of a simple New Hampshire town, Grover's Corners, at the turn of the 20th century. It reveals a rather dull story-line with rather dull characters living rather dull lives. Wilder's purpose for this play begins to unfold when Emily, one of the major characters, dies in childbirth and in the realm of the after-life is given a chance to relive one day of her rather dull life.

But as she returns to Grover's Corners everything that was dull is full of life and excitement, not because anything had changed but because even though it was dull it was LIFE! As she says her goodbyes she tearfully bids adieu to the simple things in life - things like freshly ironed dresses and warm baths. And then she utters words that still ring in my mind - Doesn’t anyone realize life while they're living it? Every, every minute.

Wilder has taught us a valuable lesson - life is only dull when we fail to realize that the beauty of life is gift-wrapped in the gentle whispers all around us! Likewise Elijah teaches us a valuable lesson - God is found as we appreciate all the simple beauties surrounding us.  He is not only present in the dramatic, fire-from-heaven scenes; He's present in those gentle whispers.

Anyone who has lost someone they love longs for all those simple treasures - a soft caress, just hearing their voice, the twinkle in their eye, a simple meal together. Perhaps one of the secrets of life is to appreciate those simple treasures while we have them. Perhaps one of the secrets of life is to be perceptive enough to see God in all the gentle whispers of life.

May God grant us the ability to live life - every, every minute!

A Back To School Prayer

A Back To School Prayer

(Offered at the Park Avenue Church of Christ as all our school staff was called to the front of the worship center)

Lord, I pray your blessing and favor over this school year.

I pray that as these young minds explore the wonderful world you have made that at every turn they may see You.

May they see you...

...in the beauty of art and music and literature

...in contemplating the marvelous universe you have created

...in the complexities of the human body

...in the struggle of competition

...in the reassuring logic of mathematics

...in the study of human behavior

...at work through the centuries of human history

...in the intricacies of information and technology

...in all the vastness of knowledge and truth

But above all...

...May they see you through these Christian teachers, administrators, and staff.

...Bless these people, your servants who stand before us this day, that your glory may shine through them.

...Grant them all wisdom and patience and love.

...Use them not only as disseminators of knowledge but as vehicles of truth, your truth.

We thank you for their hearts;

We pray for their protection;

We lift them up to you.

In the name of Jesus, through whom we see you most clearly, we offer this prayer.

Amen

The great ocean of truth

This Pluto stuff amazes me!  Ever since I was a child I have been intrigued by our solar system and space itself.  I remember staring up into the sky wondering how big the universe was and debating whether it went on forever or had some end.  Neither option really made sense to me which just added to the wonder of it all.  So to see pictures of Pluto like we've never seen before has just been simply fascinating.

Pluto is far away.  The New Horizons space probe left Earth nine years ago and has traveled some three billion miles at a speed of about 36,000 miles per hour.  It takes about four and a half hours for radio signals from the probe to get back to earth.    That is a long way away, but in comparison to the size of the universe, it's not very far at all.

For instance, the nearest star to our solar system is over four light years away.  In other words, it takes light four years to travel from the nearest star to earth.  That translates into more than 25 trillion miles.  Comparatively, that makes Pluto right next door.  If the distance to the nearest star is compared to a road trip from New York City to Los Angeles (approximately 2800 miles), Pluto would be only 1/3 of a mile into the trip!  It took New Horizons nine years to get to Pluto.  At the same speed it would take the probe 75,600 years to get to the nearest star.  And that's the nearest star!

New Horizons has turned my eye back to the sky and whenever I do that I feel a sense of awe, and I am not alone.  Scripture urges us to look beyond our ten foot ceilings and artificial light and stare in wonder at the universe.  And when we do we echo the Psalms:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.

Creation has always inspired awe and worship, not arrogance and pride, and so should this recent jaunt to Pluto. 

The great physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton is regarded as one of mankind's most brilliant minds.   Yet, as  much as he discovered he realized that his knowledge was practically immeasurable compared to the vastness of truth.  He once said,  “I was like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”

I appreciate all the science and technology that has allowed mankind to search space, but let's not think we have this all figured out.  Mankind has only scratched the surface.  So as we high-five our accomplishments let's also bend our knee in awe of the vastness of creation.   If, as our Bible claims, God created the heavens and the earth what a God He must be! 

Good to see you Pluto!  Welcome to the chorus of planets, moons, and stars that burst forth in praise of the One who spoke it all into existence.

The power of a symbol

There certainly has been a lot of discussion, debate, and diatribe concerning the Confederate flag recently, hasn't there?  I grew up in the north so I was more likely to see a Canadian flag than a Confederate one, and even though I have lived in Texas for quite some time I'm hardly the one to chime in on the issue.  So I'm not going to weigh in on that debate, but I will say that the whole discussion has served to remind me of the power of symbols. 

While nary one word is displayed on that flag it speaks volumes.  To some the voiceless emblem tells a story of a bygone era of a simpler and sweeter time.  To others the wordless banner tells a story of horror and oppression.  The flag, a mere symbol, evokes powerful emotions.  The very sight of it can call to mind memories both good and evil.  The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Perhaps a symbol is worth far more.     

One thing for sure we have learned is this:  never underestimate the power of a symbol.

Christianity has its fair share of symbols and perhaps those outside of the faith fail to grasp the significance of these emblems much like I failed to understand the significance of the Confederate flag.  Some may even scoff at our silly symbols and ridicule us for embracing with such love and devotion the seemingly irrelevant tokens of our faith.  Some may not agree with us, but certainly the powerful and provocative debate over a flag serves to remind even non-believers that these symbols are likewise powerful.

What may be of more concern, however, is that some believers (present company included) may have allowed these symbols to drift into irrelevance.   Could it be that we have become so familiar with the tokens of our faith that they have lost their power and their meaning?  The current debate has called me to consider that very question.

One of the most meaningful symbols of our faith was initiated by Jesus himself.  Shortly before his death, he gathered at a table with his group of twelve celebrating the Jewish Passover.  He interrupted the normal course of the meal and gave special significance to the bread and the wine.  "The bread is my body," he would say.  He followed that with, "The wine is my blood."  From that night on believers have gathered throughout the centuries - billions of us - and eaten bread and drunk wine and remembered.  These inanimate objects, normally too small to be of any real physical satisfaction, have fed believers in a way no feast could.  These voiceless tokens tell a story.  A story of sacrifice and of love.  A story of forgiveness and hope.  And as each believer eats and drinks who can say what emotions are evoked as the emblems pass through the confessing lips of Christians?

Sadly, these symbols of our faith can lose their power, but thanks to a provocative flag perhaps all who believe can recapture their meaning.   Shouldn't the symbols of our crucified Lord engender the same passion and fervor as a flag?  I suspect that's what Jesus had in mind.

Believer, never underestimate the power of the bread and the wine - potent symbols of an indescribable love.  

Small Church. Big Heart.

This summer while on vacation my family and I worshiped with a small congregation of about 50 people at Port Isabel, Texas.  We sang old songs out of song books, there were no video screens or projected presentations, the auditorium was small and showing signs of old age.  In many ways I was tempted to worship with a critical eye assured that this congregation was never going to be highlighted by church growth magazines.  It was not even close to cutting-edge and my fleshly side saw my attendance as more of an obligation rather than an opportunity to worship and learn and to grow.

Thankfully the Spirit got hold of me sometime in between the parking lot and the opening song (even though I must admit the Spirit himself must have been tempted to scram during the announcements), and even in the less-than-dynamic time of song, communion, and sermon I found myself being blessed; being edified; being fed.

It got me to think.  Maybe we make too much out of style.  Maybe we get distracted evaluating the "how" of worship and miss on out the "who" of worship.  Maybe worship can be cutting edge yet empty and meaningless and void.  It doesn’t have to be, but it could.

I'm reminded that worship really doesn’t find its power in songbooks or video projection.  Cutting edge doesn’t transform and new buildings don’t revive.  It really boils down to the Spirit and my heart.    I know the Spirit shows up every Sunday.  I guess the real question is has your heart come along with you?