Fear and Honor

Deb preached on the ominous story of the writing on the wall from Daniel 5, helping us consider the story from the perspective of Babylon’s Queen Mother, Nitocris. This scene is like something out of a horror movie, and the emperor Belshazzar was indeed terrified. Deb, however, imagined a more appropriate response from his mother:

But there is another kind of fear, a fear that’s more like respect. When the Hebrews say they fear God, they don’t mean that they are cowering in a corner because they expect to be harmed, but that they have a healthy respect for his power, for his authority, for his holiness. They can live and move and make decisions bearing in mind that they are under his authority, that they must answer to him. That is what it means to fear God.

Tumbling toward Justice

Many people take a look at the news today and wonder: Is God really in control? The book of Daniel was written to help answer that question. It teaches people to see God at work at times when things seem decidedly out of control. Preaching on chapter 4, Erik showed how God is the author of history and that his favorite plotline is knocking down the high and lifting up the low. But this leads to much different expectations about the course history will take:

Part of our problem is that we confuse progress and providence.  There is a famous Martin Luther King, Jr., quote, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice”? People hear this and imagine steady handed progress: every day, every month, every year things getting a little better. And then we despair when history doesn’t seem to be moving forward anymore, but rather sideways or backwards. Think of how many people today are paralyzed because evils they thought were defeated—from racism to measles—are gaining strength again. But read the full quote, and you can see that King wasn’t talking about progress, but providence, and providence doesn’t move in a straight line:

Those of us who call the name of Jesus Christ find something at the center of our faith which forever reminds us that God is on the side of truth and justice. Good Friday may occupy the throne for a day, but ultimately it must give way to the triumph of Easter. Evil may so shape events that Caesar will occupy a palace and Christ a cross, but that same Christ arose and split history into A.D. and B.C., so that even the life of Caesar must be dated by his name. Yes, "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

That’s not a straight line of progress. Providence bends, twists; spirals, turns upside down. Providence tumbles. Providence is cross shaped.

Thin Ice

With storms, literal and figurative, raging across the country this weekend, we took a break from Daniel. David preached on true peace, taking as his text Jesus’s calming of the stormwaters in Mark 4:35-41. Here, God’s word teaches us that true peace is not the absence of conflict, but rather a solid footing that allows us to face conflict without fear. David contrasted this with human peace using the image of ice:

Human peace is like thin ice. Even before tasting the joy of peace, we become anxious to keep the fragile peace, and this makes us even more anxious. This is false peace. False peace comes when we rely on false God.

Knowledge is Power

David preached on Daniel 2, one of many dream scenes in the book. He showed how Daniel teaches us that true power resides in knowledge of God:

The language of worldly power is violence and fear. It frightens people and shuts their hearts. In this sense, Nebuchadnezzar is not a real king who is supposed to shepherd his people. But Daniel, though he was a powerless captive, is a real king through his influence. As he had God’s truth and love in him, he had the real power to open people’s hearts and move their minds. God rules people in the world through his Spirit and his angels, inspiring and influencing them and moving them as he desires. For this work, God also uses humble people whom God can use freely as his instruments.

Stolen from God

Deb introduced our new series on the book of Daniel. Daniel 1 begins with a catastrophe for the people of Israel: conquest by the empire of Babylon. For God’s people, exile wasn’t just an effort to take them away from their land, but to take them from their God. Deb called attention to the names of the characters:

Many Hebrew names end in -el, such as Daniel, or -iah, such as Isaiah and Jeremiah. The Hebrew meaning of El is God, and -iah is the first syllable of God’s name, Yahweh. So, just as the Temple bears God’s name, so his people also bear his name. Daniel’s name means God is my judge. Hananiah means Yahweh has been gracious. Mishael means who is like God, and Azariah means Yahweh has helped. The Babylonian names they were given made reference to Babylonian gods. By replacing their Hebrew names, their captors were taking away their Hebrew identity and pushing them to assimilate into the Babylonian culture, including its religious practices.

Astronomer's Gospel

Merry Christmas from ICC! Erik preached on John 1, where the evangelist tells the Christmas story though a kind of metaphysical poetry. Here is Erik’s conclusion:

In Revelation, John describes Jesus as the bright morning star that will eventually shine so brightly that the sun and the moon will become invisible. But until then, there is a strange sense in which we need darkness the same way astronomers and navigators do. The darker things are, the easier it is to see the light incarnate in Jesus’s life, and to see it for what it is: our salvation. Christmas is an acknowledgment is Christ’s life finds us less like sunlight than starlight: it doesn’t arrive as a light that dispels the dark, but rather a light that leads us through the dark. Yet God’s promise to us is that death has no more power to extinguish that life than all the darkness in the universe has to extinguish the light of a single star. The first axiom of divine physics: a light shines out of the darkness and the darkness has not, will not, cannot overcome it. Has not, will not, cannot. 

Light among lights

David preached on Jesus’s promise that he came as a light in John 12. Many fail to see this light not because of too much darkness, but competing lights. To illustrate this, David drew from the film Papillion about two men imprisoned on an island:

Dega found life in the island, giving up the hope of escape. He learned how to survive in the island. The more he learned, the more he loved the life in the island. He settled there. In his eyes, it was death to get out of the island. To him, the island and everything in it was his life and his light. Papillon had an exactly opposite perspective. To him, the island and everything in it was death and darkness…His life was on the other side of the sea…To him, the sea was not a boundary confining him within the island. It was a passage that would set him free and lead him to the other land. Papillon had this hope in his heart, and he believed the hope. And this hope was his light. This hope opened his eyes and gave him wisdom on what to do. He made a float that would save him from the violent sea water.

***

Papillon made two floats, one for himself and the other for his friend Dega. And he invited Dega to join his journey for freedom beyond the sea. In a sense, Papillon was Christ for Dega. But Dega, complacent with his life in the island, rejected the invitation. Although the two had long been close friends, the time came for them to part from each other.

David concluded his sermon with Jesus’s warning in Luke 17: “I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

Life to the Full Includes Death

Erik preached on Jesus’s promise in John 10: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Yet in this passage about abundant life, Jesus also prepares his followers for his own death, teaching them that the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. What does death have to do with abundant life? Here’s part of Erik’s answer:

Last week, we dedicated a baby, and one of the questions we asked the new parents was: “Will you raise your child to take up her cross and imitate Christ.” It’s such a strange thing, to wish a cross on this child. Part of me wants all that other stuff for her: health, wealth, relationships, achievement. But we know that Christ is the source of life. Thus, true life is found in following him to his cross so that we might join him in his resurrection…This is in fact a Christmas theme, though not one you’re likely to see in many advertisements or holiday cards. We sang “What Child is this?” this morning, which is about Mary holding her newborn child, but looking forward to his death: “Nails, spears shall pierce him through, the cross he bears for me, for you.” But that death meant life. And so it is that we find fullness of life not by building it up for ourselves but by laying it down for others. This is the narrow gate through which the good shepherd leads.

Seeing is not Believing

Deb preached on John 6, where Jesus declares that he has come to do the will of the father. This includes feeding, healing, and other miraculous signs. Sometimes it feels like it would be easier to believe in Jesus if we saw his power with our own two eyes, yet Deb noted how many who saw these signs failed to see where they were pointing:

These people had all seen firsthand the feeding of the 5,000 the day before. Yet, they ask him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” They seem to have come away from the miraculous feeding . . . not terribly impressed. What will Jesus’s next trick be? They may still have bread crumbs in the folds of their tunics from one of Jesus’s most well-known miracles, but that wasn’t enough for them to believe.

The key to seeing and believing, Deb suggested, is gratitude.

The Prince of Peace Carries a Sword

Continuing our series on Jesus’s “I Have Come To…” statements, Erik preached his surprising, disconcerting clarification: “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” How could the Prince of Peace promised by Isaiah say this? Because true peace is divisive:

There’s an illustration from the book of Jeremiah: “They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” If you break a bone and don’t re-set it, your body will heal around it. It’s called “malunion” and often you can just live with it, though the bone will never work like normal and is prone to reinjury. The only way to fix a malunion is to re-break the bone and re-set it – a corrective osteotomy. People with malunions are understandably hesitant to have them fixed: easier to live with a broken bone that’s healed than re-break the bone. Jeremiah tells us peace is like this. Sin breaks our relationships with God, one another, and creation, but we find ways to build peace for ourselves around those broken relationships: from avoidance to violence; don’t-ask-don’t-tell or mutually assured destruction, ideological sorting to well-armed police. It happens in families, communities, nations, and churches. Understandably, we prefer this peace to fixing what is broken. But it is “healing wounds lightly,” and saying “peace, peace” when there is no peace.

Defying Gravity

David preached on Jesus’s declaration in Matthew 9, “I have come to save sinners.” He described sin as a law like gravity, and then contrasted the way people try to defy this law by their own power and those who look to Christ for transformation. To do that, he drew an illustration from the profound children’s novel Hope For the Flowers by Trina Paulus":

In the book, Hope for the Flowers, caterpillars climb up a high column, which is actually a pile of squirming, pushing caterpillars. They do in order to find a more meaningful life. They believe that if they reach the top of the pillar, which is hidden in the cloud, they will see something awfully good. So, they climb up and up without knowing what they will have up there. And they are all under the law of gravity. They try to get higher, pushing, kicking, and stepping on others. But even if they get higher through all these efforts, they are still under the law of gravity, and they cannot defy the force. In fact, if they get higher, they are in higher risk of falling. A caterpillar cannot escape from the law of gravity even when it reaches the top of the pillar. And there is nothing awfully good there. So, even the best caterpillar is in its worst. But when a caterpillar becomes a cocoon and then a butterfly, its life is changed dramatically. It comes to have two wings, with which it can fly, defying the law of gravity. For the butterfly, being high or low doesn’t mean much. Its life itself is already beautiful and glorious. It doesn’t have to push and kick others in order to get higher. It has its own wings that bring its body up high. Although it is still under the influence of gravity, it can defy the force and fly with its wings.

The Glory of the Lamb

David preached on the first verses of Revelation 22, focusing on Jesus’s title: Lamb of God. Many rightly associate this title with Christ crucified, since it indicates weakness and vulnerability. David, however, notes that when Christ comes in power, he remains the Lamb of God:

Even after his resurrection from death, ascension to heaven, and glorious enthronement as the everlasting Lord, he still keeps his look as the Lamb slain and this is his everlasting look. This suggests that the Lamb is the most essential and substantial nature of Jesus Christ. All of his power, authority, and wisdom originate from his being the Lamb. All of his words and deeds, all of his teachings and instructions, all of his promises and prophesies are understandable only through the lens of Jesus’ being the Lamb. All of his glories shine from the truth that Jesus is the Lamb.

God's City and Ours

Erik preached on the vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21. Although the city comes down from heaven fully formed, there is evidence of human fingerprints, such as the names of Israel’s tribes and the twelve apostles. We might say that God made the city out of human history and faithfulness. Here is part of Erik’s conclusion:

There is a passage in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians that captures all of this: “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and each will receive wages according to their own labor. For we are God’s coworkers, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.” Look at how Paul moves from garden imagery to building imagery, capturing the whole biblical narrative from Eden to New Jerusalem. Then at its center, this stunning claim: God has created us to be his co-workers. And then surrounding this claim, the reminder that only God can take our work and grow good fruit and build eternal kingdoms. I think when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven, we will recognize our work, our lives, our history in it. And we will be amazed at the new creation that God has made out of them.

The Joy of Being Together

Deb preached on the New Heaven and New Earth described in first verses of Revelation 21. She connected this vision of re-creation with the image of God taking a Sabbath rest at the end of the first creation:

In verse 6, the Lord again identifies himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who holds the flow of time in his hands. As he rested after the creation in Genesis, he is now proclaiming his work to be finished with the completed re-creation. It is time for him to enjoy fellowship with his people in a place that is free from pain, free from want, free from death, free from sin. 

Be Cold or Be Hot

David preached on Christ’s letter to Laodicea, focusing on his famous condemnation of the church’s “lukewarm” faith. But why isn’t lukewarm better than a cold faith? Here is part of how David answered that question:

Many people waver between the Lord and Baal, between God and money. At a glance, they seem to have a heart divided between God and money. But this is not true. Their heart is not divided. Their heart is wholly absorbed in money. God is merely a “means” or “instrument” for wealthier life. In this sense, when they bow down and pray before God, their hearts are actually worshipping and seeking an idol. We become lukewarm toward God when we objectify or instrumentalize the Lord. An object or instrument is not for love and respect. We don’t love it. We don’t fear it. We don’t hate it. We just take a neutral attitude, neither cold nor hot. And this is most abominable in God’s eyes.

The Light of the World, Holamn Hunt

Hold On, Coming Soon

Erik preached on Christ’s letter to the church in Philadelphia, a small but faithful congregation. He focused on Christ’s assurance to them, “I’m coming soon.”

“Soon” is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s a promise: not long! But on the other hand, it’s an acknowledgement: not yet! Not long but not yet. When you tell someone “soon,” chances are you’re actually asking for patience. It’s a way of buying time If you’ve managed children, you know: “soon” is one of the most powerful tools available to you when you’ve got impatient kids. The “not yet” is easier to accept when it’s paired with “not long!” I think that’s what’s happening here. Jesus acknowledges that the Christians in Philadelphia have been “enduring patiently” all the threats and temptations of the Roman empire. But he needs them to be patient a little longer. To buy a little time, a little patience, he offers them this double-edged word: Hold on, I’m coming soon. Not long, but not yet. Be patient.

tombstone from the Church of st. john in philadelphia

The Only Program

David preached on Christ’s letter to the church of Sardis in Revelation 3. This church looked healthy, but Jesus saw that it was spiritually dead. What can churches learn about revitalization from this example?

 Our attention should always be paid to Jesus, what he said, and what he did. We should hear the word of the Lord, receive it by faith, and obey it carefully. This is the only program of revival and revitalization that God gave to us.

"I know your deeds"

Deb preached on Christ’s fourth letter to Asia Minor in Revelation, finding both troubling judgments and extravagant promises. Addressing the question of how Christians can know they haven’t fallen prey to false teachings, she offered this as part of Christ’s answer:

Woven throughout this letter to Thyatira is the word “works” or “deeds.” We see it repeated four times. At the start, in verse 19, Jesus commends the church by saying “I know your deeds,” or I know your works of love and faith. When speaking of next-generation Jezebel in verse 22, he refers to “her ways” or literally “her works.” In verse 23, we read that the believers will be judged according to their “deeds,” or their works. And in verse 26, the one who “does my will” or, literally, “keeps my works” to the end will be rewarded. Deeds, or works, or acting rightly out of faith is an important indicator that our beliefs are genuine. Our works are the dashboard showing the evidence that our beliefs are sincerely held, that we take seriously the fact that we’re one of God’s people. The things we do - the choices we make every day - they matter.

Loyalty Tests

Erik preached on Christ’s letter to Pergamum. Pergamum’s Christians were faced with the question of whether or not to sacrifice to the Roman Emperor and Roman Gods. This question can seem removed from the issues modern Christians face, but Erik described these rites as fundamentally loyalty tests, not at all different from the loyalty tests Christians face regularly today.

When Christians burned incense to emperor before finishing a business deal or joined their neighbors at the temple meat markets outside, they were a pulling capital G God into the pluralistic, polytheistic pantheon of lower case g gods, where the empire could manage Him alongside all the other cultures, interests, and gods encompassed by the empire. Sacrifices tested and revealed loyalties. 

Between Creation and Recreation

David preached on Christ’s letter to Smyrna in Revelation 2. Our series on the Bible’s first and last books has emphasized themes of creation and recreation, but David called our attention to an essential element of the transition between the two: destruction.

Jesus death on the cross and his resurrection provides us with “mighty power” to live heaven on earth right now. As in the lives of Jesus and his disciples, this power is quite destructive, destroying every chain that binds us to the world and demolishing every obstacle that stops our journey to follow Jesus. Through his death and resurrection, we are renewed everyday away from the world and closer toward Jesus.