Thinking about Bill Maher's Faith

Awhile back I watched Larry King interview Bill Maher, a really funny comedian and very controversial commentator.  I can’t help but like Bill. Although I disagree with most of what he says, I admire his passion. When you listen to Bill Maher you never walk away wondering where he stands.  He’s like the atheist version of the Apostle Paul.

During this particular interview he told Larry King about a documentary film he produced called Religilous (a combination of the words “religious” and “ridiculous”).  I can’t really comment on the film because I haven’t seen it.  From what I understand, it has stimulated some discussion; maybe even influenced the spirituality of some people.

According to Maher, the film is designed to show how ridiculous it is for people to practice religion or have “faith.”  But here’s the obvious irony; Bill Maher is a person of faith.  He is a religious person.  He simply follows a different religion than I follow and he places his faith in a different belief system than mine.  Bill stakes everything on the belief that there is no God.  In the name of his religion (atheism) he hopes to stamp out other religions and he pursues this objective with great fervor.  All of this causes me to wonder about a couple things.

1.      I wonder why Bill so desperately seeks the “demise” (his word) of other religions.

He rightly observes that there has been (and continues to be) much violence done in the name of God.  But in all fairness, most of the major religions in the world do more good than bad in God’s name.  Christianity is a prime example.  Think of how many refugees are cared for, hungry are fed, homeless are housed and sick are healed because millions of people are living out a faith that calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

I can’t help but think that there is more to Bill’s animosity.  Maybe it comes from a bad religious experience (he was once a catholic) more than his sense of justice.  Perhaps he is trying to convince himself more than others that there is no God.  Otherwise why invest so much into the cause?  I don’t believe in unicorns but I don’t feel compelled to spend a lot of money producing a documentary designed to “prove” they don’t exist.

2.      One more thing I wonder about Bill. I wonder how he lives without hope.

With all due respect to Bill Maher, I can’t help but feel sorry for him.  Bill’s religion leads him to believe that when his time on earth is over there is nothing more.  There is no hope.  Honestly, as I watched the interview with Larry King I could hear the hopelessness in Bill’s voice.

I can’t imagine leaving this world in that frame of mind. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.  

Here’s the central message of Christianity.  There is a sovereign creator who cares deeply for his creation, including human beings.  The universe and all that is in it is not a cosmic accident.  God’s beautiful and good creation was broken and marred by the rebellion of created beings. 

Yet God is undaunted.  He has embarked on a redemption/restoration project of universal proportion.  The apostle Paul reflected this deeply held belief in a letter to some young Christians.  “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we are saved.”  (Romans 8:22-23)

So God set out to rescue his creation through the life, death and miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ, God incarnate.  “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”  (1^st John 2:2)  He is the one who resurrects a dead and broken world. 

In the last book of the Bible the final scene begins to unfold.  John sees the new heaven and the new earth.  He sees the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven.  Then he says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’  He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’”  (Revelation 21:1-5)

We’re invited to embrace, to live into, this story.  This is the story of rescue, of redemption, of re-creation.  It resonates with the innate, intuitive need that humans feel for forgiveness and healing.  I believe we feel the need because the need is real.   

With all due respect to Bill Maher and others who believe and share a different story, I have chosen this one; Jesus Christ, the hope of the world!

One final note; as always I'm happy to interact with other people who have different opinions.  I promise to listen and respond respectfully.

Questions about Chick-fil-A Fan Fare

Now that the Chick-fil-A thing has had a chance to die down a little bit I thought I might reflect on some questions I have.  Maybe you can share some insight. (If you don’t know about the “chick-fil-a thing” stop reading now!)

Truth is, I couldn't resist… I tried.   For those of you who are just tired of reading about it, I totally understand.  So if you would rather read a blog that has pics of cute puppies or fluffy kittens that can get their whole body inside a toilet paper roll, be my guest.

For the rest of you who can’t look away from a wreck on the highway, here are a few questions from a fellow rubberneck.

1.      What were we thinking?

I mean that question literally.  When Christians responded the way we responded (whatever way that was) what was actually going on in our heads?

I like Dan Cathy.  I think that he is an honest person.  He hasn’t yet learned how to play politics.  I hope he doesn’t.  He doesn’t seem interested in giving interviews without actually saying something. 

So when he stated his views about traditional marriage I don’t think he was trying to be controversial.  I think he was just being honest.  I don’t know Cathy, but if I had to guess I would say that he probably wasn’t looking for the kind of public attention his comments received… from either side.  I’m guessing that the fan fare was not only unsolicited.  It was unwanted.   But I’m just guessing.

So when the Christian community turned out to patronize Chick-fil-A, I wonder what we were thinking.  Were we thinking, “We’ll support him!”  Or were we thinking, “We’ll show them.”  Seriously… honestly… what were we thinking?

I guess it's fine to show our support for a fellow Christian by giving him our patronage.  The gospel writers, however, seem to go to great lengths to describe Jesus as a bipartisan patron.  He ate at feasts hosted by the most prominent religious leaders.  He also ate and drank at the parties thrown by the most publically ridiculed sinners. 

I think motives are important. So I think followers of Jesus should not only ask, “What should we do?”  I think we also have to ask, “Why are we doing it?”

So what were we thinking… what were our motives?  Whatever our response, did it reflect the heart of Jesus?  Did it demonstrate his love?  Did it share his story?  Did it move people closer to him or push them further away?

In the middle of all of the hoopla around Chick-fil-A I heard about a man who was standing in line to buy his meal on “Chick-fil-A appreciation day.”  Of course there were also protestors there as well.  While waiting to be served the man yelled at the protestors, “Eat more chicken!”  So here’s my question, “What was he thinking?”

2.      Who do we think we are?

I mean that question literally too.  When we look in the mirror who or what do we see?  Here’s another way to ask the question.  Do we view the world in “us and them” categories? 

In my opinion, one thing that the biblical revelation makes really clear is that there is no “us and them.”  There is only us. 

This world is populated by broken people who, deep in our being, long for healing, redemption, restoration.  To put it another way, we are all sinners. To quote the apostle Paul, (who was, in part, quoting several Jewish poems/Psalms)

“What shall we conclude then?  Are we any better?  Not at all!  We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.  As it is written:  ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’”  (Romans 3:9-12)  You gotta love Paul!    

So when we think about who we are as human beings what is our default way of viewing ourselves? Do we see one group of people who all struggle in our sin?  Or do we tend to divide people into categories of our own creation.

The truth is, if I understand the Bible correctly, we are all sinners.  I’m a sinner.  You’re a sinner (sorry to be the one to break it to you).  Your sin, whatever it is, is no worse than mine.  Mine is no worse than yours.  We are all people who all need God’s forgiveness and healing which is freely extended to all of us.

To be honest, I sometimes wonder if we miss the healing of God because we don’t really see ourselves as patients.  Who do we think we are?  

3.      What about next time?

Here’s what I mean by this question.  The next time the Christian community has the opportunity to make a very public statement about a very public controversy, what do we want to say?  What will we do next time?

What messages will our fellow sinner citizens get?  Will they be blown away by how gracious we are?  Will they be captivated by our warmth, our love, our kindness, our gentleness, our compassion?  Will they be uncomfortably drawn to Jesus Christ, so much so that they are compelled to start asking questions about him?  Will they be troubled by how humble followers of Jesus are?  Will we all have a God moment together?

I don’t know… I’m just asking.

JESUS: The Ultimate Party Person!

Let’s talk about parties!  There’s a pretty impressive party story recorded by the Apostle John in the second chapter of his gospel.

In this text John describes the first miracle Jesus performed.  Now, if you’re going to present yourself as the Jewish Messiah in the 1^st century, you want to be sure that the first public demonstration (John called it a “sign”) of your power summarizes what your Kingdom is all about.

With that in mind, it is interesting that Jesus chose a wedding feast as the context for his first miracle and the miracle he chose was to turn water into wine.  He could have healed someone who was born blind or even raised someone from the dead.  But instead, for his first miracle, Jesus chose to supply a party with wine.  Why?

When Jesus came to them, the Jewish people had been oppressed for many years.  Amos’ vision of the land of Israel being a place where “new wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills” must have seemed like a distant memory.  (Amos 9:13-15)  But those attending the wedding feast that day saw a Messiah who could make wine flow from water jars.  Over 120 gallons of wine! Now that’s some party!

I believe there is something very important going on here.  I think this miracle is a definitive statement about the nature of Jesus’ ministry.  Ultimately Jesus Christ came to host a party.  Jesus is the Lord of the feast and those who come to him are invited to taste and see that he is good. 

Over and over again in the gospels Jesus describes the Kingdom as a party to which all are invited.  In the book of Revelation, John (the same one who wrote about the wedding feast in his gospel) describes “the wedding supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:6-9)

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I forget that the story we’re living in now ends with a really big party where “the dwelling of God is with men…” and “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Perhaps you and I need to re-read the story of the wedding feast from time to time. Maybe we need to read it and remember that Jesus is the Lord and the Life of the party… literally!  This is the Jesus we walk with every day!  This is the Jesus whose Spirit lives within us!  This is the Jesus we tell people about!  This is the Jesus who invites us all to the party!

Revenge and the shooting in Aurora Colorado?

Every parent of more than one child has had a conversation like this.  Question: “Why did you hit your brother?”  Answer:  (You know what’s coming) “He hit me first!”

Deep in the human psyche is the ingrained, knee jerk kind of tendency to get revenge; what we might call “retributional violence.” 

In the Bible we read about how the law of Israel put limits on retributional violence.  Apparently the human tendency to react with violence is so strong that laws were needed to restrain it.  So, for example, if someone wounded you and you lost your eye or a limb you could only wound them to the same extent.  (Exodus 21:24)

This actually seems like a pretty good system.  I could see a parent saying to his kid, “okay, he hit you on the shoulder so you hit him back on the shoulder… but not in the eye!”  (Actually I think in a moment of weakness I may have done that with my two children years ago before I was more spiritually mature.)

It seems reasonable, fair, the right thing.  But then Jesus came along and messed it all up.  He said stuff like…

-  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’  But I tell you; Do not resist an evil person.  If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”  (Matthew 5:38-39)

-  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven”. (Matthew 5:43-44)

Sadly, I think that many who profess to be Christians, are moving away from the teachings of Jesus and reverting back to retributional violence.

If you’re on facebook you know this is true.  Some time ago I saw a post on an evangelical Christian’s facebook page expressing his desire to shoot illegal immigrants.

In an interview with Alan Colmes a former vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention stated that he prayed for the death of the president of the United Sates. 

Apparently, the justification for this kind of vitriol grows out of the fairly recent teaching that all scripture should be interpreted basically the same way.

So when the Psalmist describes how happy he would be to dash the heads of his enemies’ infants against the rocks, (Psalm 137:8-9) some would interpret this ancient Hebrew poetry the same way they would interpret the teachings of Jesus.  

This seems to be a growing trend, so much so that a term has been coined to describe it.  It’s referred to as “Bible based hate speech.”    

This idea was endorsed (perhaps unintentionally) by Southern Baptists when The Baptist Faith and Message was revised in 2000.  The Baptist Faith and Message is a document originally drafted in 1925 with the intention of describing some commonly held beliefs and distinctives among Baptists.  It was revised in 1962 and again in 2000.  The 2000 revision removed one statement that I think is critical to proper biblical interpretation.  The statement that was removed simply says, “The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.”  (page 18 of the 1962 edition)

I am a Baptist and I love my Baptist family.  I also know that in this context I am oversimplifying the issue.  But I believe that the basic argument is valid.  For thousands of years Christians interpreted scripture through the filter of the teachings and actions of Jesus Christ.  For some that filter has been removed.

So what does all this mean for followers of Jesus?  Perhaps we can reflect on a specific application.  

On July 20^th, during a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora Colorado, the unthinkable happened.  I know I don’t need to replay the details for you.  You already know.  Twelve innocent human beings are dead, including a six year old little girl named Veronica.  Another 58 were wounded, some critically.  And the entire country watches the TV in stunned silence.

So how will the Christian community respond?  What example will we set?  Will we call for the death of the perpetrator?  Will we go on facebook and describe in some detail the kind of revenge we pray for?

I have to admit that I experience some of the same emotions that most other people do when I watch the reports about the shooting in Aurora.  Anger wells up inside me and part of me (a really big part) wants to exact revenge. 

Although it is natural to feel this way, it needs to be stated clearly that this is not the way of Jesus.  According to the teachings and the example of Jesus Christ, retributional violence is simply not an option available to followers of Jesus.  I need to say it again.  Christians don’t get to do revenge! 

We are called upon to actually follow the example of Jesus.  One dark Friday his enemies took him outside the city of Jerusalem and crucified him.  After being nailed to a cross Jesus looked out on those who had given full vent to their violent rage, who had beaten him mercilessly, whipped him ruthlessly and crucified him unjustly. 

And as he looked out over that crowd he did not follow the example of countless other Jewish victims of crucifixion by praying for the death of his enemies.  He prayed, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

When you and I intentionally throw down our squirt guns of revenge and take up the powerful artillery of love, then and only then will we win over evil. 

How to Observe Sabbath

If you haven’t read last week’s blog you may want to go back and review.  Here’s the condensed version.  The average 21^st century human being is caught in an endless cycle that is, to say the least, destructive.

What I call the Sabbath-less Cycle looks something like this.  Everybody is busy.  But uninterrupted busyness causes most people to feel constantly hurried.  Being “in a hurry” all the time is a very short step from being “borderline angry” all the time.  Inevitably, the end result is a pervasive feeling of emptiness.  Most people try to fill the emptiness with more busyness and the cycle continues. 

The biblical prescription for breaking the cycle is designating one day of the week for rest. The Bible refers to it as the “Sabbath day.”  (By the way, the word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew root word that means “repose” or “rest.”)  

Sounds simple, but just because something is simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. 

So, how do we get at it?  In this 24/7 world, how do we actually observe Sabbath?  Is it realistic to even try?  I would argue that it is not only realistic, it is critical…as in “a matter of life or death” critical.

A side note before we get to the practical part.  If you were diagnosed with a very serious disease, say cancer, and the doctor prescribed a rigorous regiment of treatment combined with a strict diet and exercise program, what would you do?  Well, chances are you would say, “Okay, you just tell me what I need to do to beat this thing and I’ll do it!”  Even if you weren’t that proactive, I doubt you would say, “Well, even though this is very serious and my health is at stake, I’m just too busy to do what you’re telling me I need to do.”  (You might be looking for a new doctor if you did.) 

I guess we might begin, then, with a question.  Do you and I (the average person) even realize just how serious this disease is?  I’m convinced that if we do not start observing Sabbath our physical, emotional, and spiritual well being is in jeopardy!  I’m talking complete systematic break down.  I’m also convinced that intuitively we know it is true.  So let’s do something about it.

First, we need to change our way of thinking.  Psychologists tell us that people change through two primary means; altering the way we behave and altering the way we think.  (They use the term “cognitive behavioral therapy” because it addresses the “cognitive” part, the way we think, and the behavioral part, what we do.)  You may have heard someone on a diet say, “To lose weight I had to change the way I think about food.” 

When it comes to Sabbath, people in our society desperately need to change the way we think!

Most of us are products of families that had a very strong work ethic.  Rightly so, our parents and grandparents honored work as a good thing, the “right” thing to do.  However, in our zeal to honor the ethic of work we have sometimes been guilty of putting it on a pedestal it was never intended by our creator to occupy.  The result is that the value of “rest” has been sacrificed on the altar of “work.” 

By the way, we also project our parent’s work ethic onto our heavenly Father.  That’s why “church people” are some of the most faithful Sabbath breakers around.  Church becomes just another way to work!

I suggest that we begin with the intentional practice of reprogramming our minds about rest.  Keep telling yourself that rest is a good thing, that rest is a gift from God to be received and honored.  Remind yourself that rest is sacred, so sacred that it gets its own designated day!  Rest is the right thing to do!

Carl Hayes, a psychologist, makes this observation.  “One very important aspect of mental health and well-being is simply allowing the mind time to do nothing. It is in this process of not being busy that one is free to contemplate, meditate, recharge and generally appreciate the world around them… Idleness is often frowned upon in modern society, yet it is an important part of human mental health. It allows people to gather thoughts, to gain perspective, and to relieve stress. A certain amount of being idle is essential to a happy, fulfilled life.” http://psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/health_benefits_of_rest

Second, obviously we must change our behavior.  Sometimes we have to behave our way into feeling differently. 

From time to time I try to get away for a few days to do nothing but rest and recharge.  One of the best ways for me to do that is to go into the mountains, set up a tent and then force myself to sit down.  At first I can hardly sit still.  I keep thinking of things I need to do; build a fire, brush the dog, adjust the tent ropes, anything!  But the longer I sit still the stiller my soul becomes.  Slowly I behave my way into feeling differently.

I would argue that Sabbath is all about behaving our way into feeling differently.

I know, I know.  I’ve heard (and said) all the objections.  You don’t know what my schedule is like right now!  There is just no way that I can sit down and do nothing!  I have small children, I have teenagers, I have grandchildren, I have aging parents, I have a demanding job!  I hear you and I share your angst.  That doesn’t change the fact that you and I must discipline ourselves to begin behaving our way into feeling differently. 

Here a few behavioral changes I would suggest.

1.      Choose a day of rest and advertise it.  Let everyone know which day of the

week is your Sabbath day.  And for faithful, busy, overcommitted church people it may not be Sunday.  If your dominant activity on Sunday is not rest, then Sunday is not your Sabbath! 

So choose a day.  Be specific.  Nail it down.  Tell your family and friends.  Let the world know.  Post in on your face book page.  And then respectfully say don’t call me, don’t text me, don’t email me, don’t drop by, don’t invite me to functions on my Sabbath. 

By the way, my Sabbath is Monday.

If you currently have commitments on every day of the week, choose your day of rest anyway.  Then systematically, one at a time, start eliminating commitments in order of priority, beginning with the least important, until you have freed up enough time to observe Sabbath. (Go back and re-read that paragraph.)

2.      Rest on your day of rest.  We need to be careful not to make the same mistake

some 1^st century devout Jews made and become legalistic about Sabbath observance.  It is possible to throw out the baby with the bath water, I know.  But we must be diligent about protecting Sabbath for the purpose of rest.

Any activity that does not create a sense of restfulness in the depths of your being is not a Sabbath activity. 

Working in the flower garden does not create a sense of restfulness in the depths of my being.  Therefore it is not a Sabbath activity for me.  Oddly enough, working in the flower garden does create a sense of restfulness in the depths of my wife’s being.  Therefore it is a Sabbath activity for her.

Sleeping creates a sense of restfulness in the depths of my being.  Therefore it is a Sabbath activity for me.

3.      Start today because there will always be a reason to start tomorrow and tomorrow never gets here.   

I think Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Matthew 11:28-29 resonates deeply in our souls.  Please hear these words as, I think, Jesus intended them to be heard; his message of rest for weary people. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace."

(The Message p.1766)

The Danger of Living in a Sabbath-less Cycle

The fourth of the Ten Commandments reads…

 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.  Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.  (Exodus 20:8-11)

For the next couple weeks I’m going to talk about the biblical concept of Sabbath.  Sabbath, according to the scriptures, is a day (originally Saturday) each week of mandatory rest.  It is an intentional interjection of rest, reflection, recreation (re-creation) and restoration into our regular routine of work.

This week I want to think about the danger of ignoring Sabbath.  Next week I’ll try to reflect on some practical ways for 21^st century people to practice Sabbath.

If I remember correctly I first heard Scott Scruggs describe what I call “the Sabbath-less Cycle.” (Say that three times fast.)  I immediately searched my car, house and office for hidden cameras and microphones.  I figured Scott must have me under constant surveillance.  See if this cycle is a description of your life.

BUSY is the first stage of the cycle.  In our world (maybe I should narrow that down to our Western world) I think we wear “busy” like a badge of honor. Someone will ask me, “How you doin?” and I’ll say, “O pretty good, just way too busy!”  And I don’t really say it with regret or genuine sorrow that my busyness has jeopardized my health or robbed me of valuable time with my family.  I say it with a kind of self-satisfaction, like being “way too busy” is a good thing.

But if, for example, I had a drinking problem and someone said, “How you doin?,” I can’t imagine saying, “O pretty good, just drinking way too much!”  The shame associated with self-destructive behavior would keep me from confessing, or hopefully cause the confession to be a genuine expression of regret.

The next stage is HURRY.  Being busy leads to being hurried.  In my busy lifestyle I typically feel like there are lots of tasks being left undone so I pick up speed in a vain effort to “catch up.” 

Work is a gift from God.  But when my work turns into a hurried frenzy of activity it yields little satisfaction with “a job well done.”  I just hurry to the next thing I need to do.

And hurry is habit forming. 

Not long ago I was mildly delayed in traffic.  Although I wasn’t late for any appointments and had no real reason to feel hurried, I still found myself trying to think of a way to take a different route around the traffic and began to feel anxious when I wasn’t able to. 

Which leads to the next stage, ANGRY.  Think of your last “traffic jam” type experience.  Did you begin to feel your temper rising?  Have you ever done something you later regretted because of unreasonable anger?  Have you ever wondered why you were so angry? 

One more traffic story.  My wife, Cindy, and I were on an interstate highway that suddenly turned into a parking lot.  Right away I started doing the lane change thing.  You know what I’m talking about.  The lane beside me started moving, so I quickly shifted into it. Then it stopped and the other one started moving.  So I switched to it.  This went on for a while.  But I noticed there was another car that stayed in the same lane.  He didn’t do the lane change thing.  All the time I’m switching lanes tying to get ahead but I’m actually getting father behind the guy who didn’t switch lanes at all.  The longer this went on (I couldn’t make myself stop) the angrier I became.

I find that when I am too busy with too many tasks I start trying to hurry in order to accomplish those tasks.  Inevitably hurry leads to anger, and most often I project that anger onto another human being who doesn’t deserve it. This anger creates a kind of vacuum in my life; a vacuum of love, joy and peace.

Which leads to the last stage in the cycle, EMPTY.  Is it possible for our schedules to be full but our lives empty?  Is it possible to be doing many good things and doing a lot of damage to ourselves and others at the same time? 

For many, the cycle of busy, hurry and angry ends with empty.  Actually, emptiness is not the end.  Unfortunately, we usually try to fill the emptiness with more busyness – and the cycle continues.  Many people (most people?) in our society are on the Merry-Go-Round and can’t seem to get off.  

The commandment to observe a day of rest is actually a gift from God because is breaks the destructive cycle of busy, hurry, angry and empty. 

Jesus once said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28)

The Sabbath (one day out of seven set aside for rest) forces a break in the Sabbath-less Cycle.  It is an intentional interjection of rest, reflection, re-creation and restoration into a cycle of busyness, hurry, anger and emptiness.

So here comes the “preachery” part.  Are you observing the Sabbath?  Are you obeying the fourth commandment (one of the top ten)?  Are you intentionally sabotaging the Sabbath-less Cycle?

Reflections on the C-130 Crash, Josh Marlowe, and the Sovereignty of God

I'm working on this blog while lying on my office floor.  Why?... you ask?  Well, I have this weird back problem.  Not often, but once in a while, my lower back just decides to rebel, go on strike, stage a "sit in.”  I end up on the floor rolling around like a "professional" wrestler. It's really quite embarrassing!

At any rate, laying here on the floor I'm reminded of how little control we have over our lives.  One little back spasm, one little diagnosis, one little accident, one little market "realignment" and suddenly we get a sobering reminder that we are really not in the driver's seat.

We’re really not the master of our own fate, the captain of our own ships.  We are definitely not in control!

This past week, while flying a mission to help extinguish wild fires in South Dakota and Wyoming, a C-130 plane went down.  Tragically, the crash killed four men.  Two others were critically injured.  One of those men was Josh Marlowe. 

I had the privilege of providing premarital guidance and conducting the wedding ceremony for Josh and his wife, Cindy.  Just a couple weeks ago I was blessed to participate in the dedication of the newest addition to their family.  I’m really grateful for the opportunity to get to know them both better and even more grateful that Josh’s recovery has surpassed everyone’s expectations.

Along with thousands of other global incidents, this plan crash is yet another reminder that human beings are ultimately not in control of our lives no matter how much we would like to think we are.  Control is an illusion. 

This brings us to a doctrine that is central to both Judaism and Christianity, the sovereignty of God.  Simply stated, we believe that God is in control.

And this brings us to a difficult question, one for which I don’t claim to have a completely satisfactory answer.  If God is in control then why does he allow bad things to happen to good people?  

If God is sovereign then why do thousands of children die of starvation every day?  If God is sovereign then why do thousands of people battle cancer, or mental illness, or addiction?  If God is sovereign then why did four men die in a plane crash while two survived?

I haven’t had a chance to talk to Josh yet but my guess is he has asked himself the same question. 

I know I can’t offer the families of those who died any consolation with my ramblings but I would like to explore something that I think is central to the biblical revelation.  The reality, the one I think we all know deep in our being, is that we live in a broken, imperfect world.  We live in a world where, in some places, there is not enough clean drinking water for the people there to survive.  We live in a world in which human beings do violence to one another.  (Very early in the Bible we read about a man who killed his brother.)  We live in a world where fires destroy wild life, whole forests, homes and human beings.  We live in a broken, dysfunctional world.

Why?  Here’s the biblical answer.  The Bible teaches that the sovereign God loved his creation enough to give the human beings he created freedom; freedom to do great good and freedom to do great harm.  Like any good parent, he loves his children enough to let us make our own mistakes.  Those mistakes, what the Bible calls sin, quickly led to the disintegration of human society.  According to the Bible, eventually sin had seeped so deeply into the human soul that “every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5)

Yet this same sovereign God would not sit by and watch his world sink deeper into sin.  So he descended, he came down to us.  The central message in the Holy Scriptures is that God came to us in Jesus, the Christ – the deliver, the redeemer.  No one ever taught like Jesus.  He taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to bless those who curse us, to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.  He lived what he taught and in love for this world he gave his life.  Through his death and resurrection he defeated evil and launched a movement that is bringing the light of God’s love into a very dark and dysfunctional world.

On their mission, Josh Marlowe and five other brave men (some possibly without even realizing it) were acting out the teachings of Jesus and modeling his life giving nature.  In selfless, sacrificial service they were working to bring relief to suffering people that they didn’t even know.  In that effort some lost their lives.  They lost their lives because the world we live in is still broken and in darkness even though the light of Christ is piercing the darkness every day.   

But here’s the good news.  One day God’s redemptive movement in this world will be brought to completion.  The sovereign God will reign over a new heaven and a new earth free from tears, free from pain, healed and restored. 

Laying here on the floor reflecting on all of this I know that my answer is woefully inadequate for the families of those who didn’t return from their mission over the fires in South Dakota.  I really can’t tell you why some lived and others died.  All I can do is offer the biblical hope, the assurance, that in the end God wins back his creation.  The invitation to those who suffer now is to trust the one who, through his life, death and resurrection is bringing new life to a broken world.

On behalf of the Zoar Church family, I extend our deepest gratitude to all of these men and their families.  In this most difficult time, may you feel the peace of God and the warmth of his love for you.