Wednesday’s Text: Psalm 30

1 I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3 O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O LORD,
you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
8 To you, O LORD, I cried,
and to the LORD I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me!
O LORD, be my helper!”
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
(NRSV)

How do we help others recognize the kingdom of God in our midst? Certainly, recognizing God’s kingdom at work ourselves is an important part. But equally important is our praise and thanksgiving. The heading in my Bible above this psalm says, “Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grace Illness.” The psalmist was ill, perhaps to the point of death. He cried to God for help, and God healed him. God rescued him from the grave. And because of that, the psalmist not only praises God, but encourages others to join him in lifting praise and thanksgiving to God.

There is a word that many in the Evangelical church tend to shun. It is a word I wish we would recover. It’s a Greek word that come to be used to refer to the communion event. In our Evangelical tradition we prefer phrases like “Lord’s Supper” or “Communion.” And those are okay (especially “communion” –koinonia). But this Greek word should become part of our vocabulary again. It is the word Eucharist. The word simply means “thanksgiving.” When we come to celebrate communion/the Lord’s Supper, it is a Eucharistic event. In it we express in a visible and public way our thanksgiving to God for rescuing us from the grave. Viewed as Eucharist, it becomes as much a statement of faith as a means of grace.

I’m going to give everyone plenty of notice this time. On July 11th we will celebrate the Eucharist together. I invite you to once again write a short psalm of thanksgiving of your own to share as part of our Thanksgiving service on the 11th. Everyone did such a spectacular job last time, perhaps we can include this as part of our monthly Eucharist celebration. I think it would be a good thing. It would certainly help us to recognize the kingdom of God in our midst. And if we recognize God’s kingdom as work, we can help other recognize it as well with our praise and thanksgiving.

Tuesday’s Text: 2 Kings 5.1-14

5 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
(NRSV)

How can we help others recognize the kingdom of God in our midst? Today’s text from 2 Kings hold quite a contrast in it. First we have the young servant girl who recognized the power of God’s kingdom at work in the and through the prophet Elisha. By pointing Naaman to the prophet Elisha this young girl was in fact helping Naaman recognize the kingdom of God. In contrast to her response we have the response of the king of Israel. He couldn’t see the kingdom even though it was active right there in his land. He couldn’t see the kingdom, so he was unable to help others recognize it. He was concerned only with his own skin, his own reputation.

Finally, when Naaman makes his way to the prophet’s home, he is disappointed. His disappointment is not really with Elisha’s willingness or unwillingness to help. As a matter of fact, Elisha very much desired to make God’s kingdom recognizable to Naaman. Naaman’s disappointment, though, had to do with his own self-importance—not unlike the king of Israel. Naaman figured since he was such an important person, traveled such a long way, carried a letter from his own king, Elisha should have some sort of special ritual or something. But it wasn’t about Elisha; it wasn’t about Naaman. It was about the kingdom of God and the power of that kingdom. God chose to heal without any fanfare so that there was nothing around to distract from the kingdom. The kingdom of God was recognized most clearly in the ordinariness of all that Elisha required of Naaman.

In order to help others recognize the kingdom of God in our midst, we must first recognize it ourselves. The problem, though, is when we become too preoccupied with ourselves, our position, our reputation, we can’t see it. The only way to truly recognize the kingdom of God is when our focus is turned toward others. When we become more concerned with the well being of another than with saving our own skin, that’s when the kingdom seems to manifest itself. Similarly, we tend to miss the kingdom when we look for it in the spectacular. The kingdom of God seems most at home in the ordinary. It seems to prefer stables over palaces, serving over being served, fisherman and shepherds over princes and kings. It seems to become most active among the downtrodden, the forgotten, the marginalized. It seems to become most powerful in the cup of cold water handed to the thirsty, the food provided for the hungry, the clothes given to the naked. The kingdom of God is recognized among the least, the last, and the lost.

Monday’s Text: Luke 10.1-11, 16-20

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’
________________________________________

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
(NRSV)

As I mentioned on Sunday, chapter nine of Luke signals a turning point. Whereas the first 8 chapters seem to highlight the miraculous work of Jesus, especially in fulfilling the Isaiah passage, with the beginning of chapter nine the emphasis turns more to the sayings of Jesus, as well as the involvement of the disciples in the ministry. Chapter nine begins with the sending of the twelve, here at the beginning of chapter 10 that ministry is expanded as Jesus now sends out the 70. The allusion to Moses appointing 70 elders is clear and keeps with Luke’s general theme in presenting Jesus as a prophet like Moses. Beyond that, it’s difficult to discern any additional meaning to the number seventy (which has been the subject of much speculation, though little real research stand behind most of it). Anyway, the general point of the story seems to be Jesus’ expansion of his ministry to the outcast and the lowly.

Two things jump out at me. First, is the recognition that even though their message is one of peace, one that offers healing for the sick and good news for the poor, there will be those who reject this peace. They go as lambs into the midst of wolves. Yet even in the midst of this rejection, they are to have confidence that the kingdom has indeed come near. That seems significant. In a day and an age where success is something measured by statistics and visible growth, Jesus seems to be saying that success in the kingdom is about something different. Even when met with rejection, the kingdom is still successful. It doesn’t depend on the same indicators that we depend on.

The second thing is a warning against pride. Or at least that’s how I take it. These 70 people had been privileged with great power. It would have been easy to let the results of that power get to their heads. The minute we forget that it’s not about us, we become in danger. As Christians we have been given much. But we have been given this not for ourselves, but for others. We rejoice not in the gift, but the giver. And we desire to help others encounter the giver of all good gifts.

I suppose if there’s one thing that would be good to think about as we read through the different Scriptures this week it would be, “How can we help others recognize the kingdom of God in our midst?”

Friday’s Text: Galatians 5.1, 13-25

1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
(NRSV)


Some of the images here in this piece from Paul’s letter to the Galatians are quite poignant, but perhaps none as much as the idea of freedom as slavery to one another. The idea of freedom is so often filled with self-serving concepts. We think of freedom in terms of ‘freedom from’—free from slavery, free from school, free from sin, free from having to listen to our parents, freedom from… Such a view of freedom becomes self-indulgent. It sets my own personal, individual happiness up as the source and measure of my freedom. I am free so long as I can do whatever I want… whatever makes me happy. But Paul is saying that true freedom—the kind of freedom that Christ has brought—is not freedom from, but freedom for. It is a freedom for love. Paul says that the entire law is summed up in love.

Dr. Oord defines loves this way: “To love is to act intentionally, in sympathetic/empathetic response to God and others, to promote overall well-being.” I think that is a pretty good definition. I’ll leave it to you to unpack (If you want to read more let me recommend the book, Relational Holiness, that he coauthored with Michael Lodahl). Suffice it to say that love defined in this way is not self-seeking or self-indulgent, nor is it wimpy. Dr. Oord talks about this love as a kenotic love—a self-giving love. The idea comes from the hymn in Philippians 2. Charles Wesley includes this idea in one of his hymns saying that God “emptied himself of all but love.” Love is God’s way; it is also the way in which God calls us to follow. It must become our way as well.

Jesus calls us to follow in the way of love. The hope of the future is that we (the church) learn to live out this love the way Jesus wants us to.

Thursday’s Text: 1 Kings 19.15-16, 19-21

15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.
19 So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. 20 He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Then Elijah said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” 21 He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
(NRSV)

The parallels between this text and Monday’s text from Luke are hard to miss. Elisha seemed willing to follow, but first wants to go back and say his good-byes. Elijah’s response is somewhat puzzling. It’s hard to tell if he is giving permission to Elisha to return and kiss his father and mother, or if his answer is more like saying a sarcastic, “whatever.” There does seem to be something acidulous in Elijah’s words. “What have I done to you?” seems to have a bite to it. Almost like, “Well, if you think kissing daddy and mommy goodbye is more important than following God, go ahead. It’s your choice. It’s not like I’m not forcing you to do anything.” It seems Elisha understood. The text doesn’t say he ever returned to say goodbye to his parents. Instead, he shows his utter devotion by killing the oxen, and using the plow and the yoke to build a fire and cook it.

Following unconditionally into the future seems to involve more than a half-hearted devotion and sacrifice. I think of the Jerusalem church in the book of Acts, and how “they would sell their possession and goods” (Acts 2.44, see also4.32-34, and 5.1-11) for the sake of realizing the kingdom of God. There was a greater vision and mission that stretched out before them that made sacrifice easy. To follow unconditionally into the future is a call to live sacrificial lives. I just read a paper entitled, “’Crucified to the World’: Suffering, Itinerancy, and Transitions in American Methodist Ecclesiology” (Wesleyan Theological Journal: Volume 43, Number 1, Spring 2008) The main thesis of the paper was that in the early days of American Methodism there was a prevailing understanding that, in the words of Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury, “Our aim, in all our economy and ministerial labors, is to raise a holy people, crucified to the world and alive to God.” But as time went on, and numbers grew, and there was a general accretion in the economic base of the Methodists, being ‘crucified to the world’ started to be less about real sacrifice and more about a spiritual disposition.

It was out of this tempering of the early zeal that holiness movement like the Church of the Nazarene grew. They sought to recapture holiness as being crucified to the world (a caveat: being crucified to the world meant (1) a very different economy than society’s emphasis on goods and possessions, and (2) a missionary orientation toward the world rather than a withdrawal from it). It seems to me that today we stand at—or very nearly at—the same place as Methodism did nearly a century ago. I don’t say this to be overly critical, or to insinuate we need to sacrifice more. My concern is somewhat deeper. Do we today have the same passion, vision, and conviction to the mission of the church as the early Methodist, or the early Holiness movement did? The problem (as I see it) is not one of greater sacrifice, but one in which we no longer see the hope that tomorrow holds for the gospel. We have lost the vision of hope. And without that vision sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice holds little appeal. My hope and my prayer and my goal is to rekindle that vision in the life of the Shelton Church of the Nazarene. There is hope for the future. It’s called Jesus. And Jesus calls us to follow him into the hope-filled future.

Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be…

Wednesday’s Text: Psalm 77.1-2, 11-20

Wednesday’s Text: Psalm 77.1-2, 11-20

1 I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.

11 I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD;
I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all your work,
and muse on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you have displayed your might among the peoples.
15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
the very deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies thundered;
your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
your path, through the mighty waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(NRSV)


Following unconditionally into the future… This Sunday’s PowerPoint background is going to be a picture of a door. I thought, “what better image of following into the future than a door?” The picture, though, is unique. It’s a red door, propped up by some cinderblocks on the front porch. There is no house with the door, just the door. It’s the door of the childhood home of a friend of mine. He was born there, grew up there, brought his wife and kids there for family get-togethers. Now it’s all gone. The tornadoes that hit the Midwest a number of weeks ago tore through the home. Nothing was left. Total destruction. Yet when I look at this red door standing in the middle of the total devastation left behind by that tornado, I see hope. I see an invitation, an opportunity. I see that red door standing there calling us to step beyond the circumstances that seem so bleak into a future that burgeons with promise.

The psalmist is in the midst of some tragedy. He cries out night and day for God to hear him and answer. It is like a tornado has torn through his life and it seems like everything is in total ruins around him. Comfort does not come. He reaches for God, but God seems to elude his grasp. God seems distant and unapproachable. Yet, in the midst of this distress, there is a red door standing. The psalmist says, “I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; / I will remember your wonders of old. / I will meditate on all your works, / and muse on your mighty deeds.” He recognizes God’s power and majesty: “Your way, O God, is holy.” And then he lists all sorts of ways God has worked to redeem the people. And then, in what is perhaps the most amazing thing in the whole psalm, he says, “Your way was through the sea, / your path through the mighty waters; / yet your footprints were unseen. / You led your people like a flock / by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” For all God’s might and power and majesty, God has chosen to work through people who have decided to follow God unconditional into the future.

There is a red door standing there in the midst of our today calling us into tomorrow. It stands in the middle of great devastation calling us to hope. It stands defiantly among the rubble and the collapse of all that it broken and fractured in our world. It stands there to remind us that God is calling us to become part of co-creating a better tomorrow, one where God’s kingdom comes and God’s will is done here on earth just as it is in heaven. I don’t know about you, but I am willing to follow unconditionally into that kind of future.

Tuesday’s (6/22/2010) Scripture: 2 Kings 2.1-2, 6-14

Tuesday’s (6/22/2010) Scripture: 2 Kings 2.1-2, 6-14

Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. (NRSV)
2 Kings 2:6-14
________________________________________

6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10 He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.


So, where do you see the theme of following unconditionally into the future in this text? Certainly, Elisha is persistent in following Elijah, even when Elijah tries to turn him away. But of course, following involves more than just walking after someone. It is about more than simply “tagging along.” To follow involves aligning one’s life with the life of another. It means adopting and assimilating their passion, vision, and mission into your own life. When Elisha requests a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, it wasn’t a self-serving request, one motivated by a desire for prestige, honor, or power. We need to remember that Elijah’s career as a prophet was that of “the troubler of Israel.” It was hardly one of prestige, honor, or power. Elisha’s request was that he may follow in Elijah’s calling as God’s prophet. Before Elisha ever caught Elijah’s spirit, he caught Elijah’s passion, he caught Elijah’s vision; Elijah’s mission had captured Elisha and he desired to extend that mission into the future.

It is interesting that after Elisha watches Elijah being taken up into heaven, he doesn’t linger long. He doesn’t build a monument or a memorial, lamenting the way things were. There is remorse at his loss—he tears his clothes in two. But that remorse doesn’t keep him locked in the past. Instead, he picks Elijah’s mantle and walks into the future. Elisha not only continues the mission, he extends it. You see, to carry the mission into the future isn’t about repeating the past; it’s not about doing what has already been done. It’s about finding new ways. It’s about creating new venues for God’s Spirit to be encountered. It’s about opening up new opportunities to engage our world with the transforming message of God’s love.

To follow unconditionally into the future presupposes two interrelated things. First, that we believe the future is something that holds enough hope and possibility that we are willing to walk into it. And second, that we have something/someone worth following. Personally, I believe the answer to both is an unequivocal ‘yes.’ The passion, vision, and mission of Jesus contrasts sharply with the prestige, honor, and power that drives our culture. It is that passion, vision, and mission that fills me with confidence that our future is full of promise and potential. It is that passion, vision, and mission that is worth risking everything to follow. It is that passion, vision, and mission that is worth any sacrifice no matter how great, no matter how radical, no matter how ridiculous.

Monday’s (6/21/2010) Text: Luke 9.51-62

Monday’s (6/21/2010) Text: Luke 9.51-62

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53 but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then they went on to another village.
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Ooo… what a juicy piece of Scripture. It is just dripping with theological implications. It is oozing with theological overtones that challenge us in so many ways. It is so packed full of theological demurs that it should cause us to pause and reconsider our own position. The overarching theme, though, is unmistakable what does it means to follow Jesus? Following Jesus is not an easy task. We don’t set the terms. That’s one thing that really stands out in these verses. We are called to follow. We are not given the option for setting our terms or for establishing the conditions of our following. One finds Jesus destination offensive, another wanted 5-star accommodations, another had to settle some unfinished business, still another was unwilling to move forward without longing for the way things were. All illustrate the impossibility of following Jesus conditionally. They all also illustrate that Jesus call to fallow is a call to a destination.

That destination is ahead of us. It lies in the future, and it can never be arrived at by going back, by returning to some past or former place. To follow we must go forward. Going forward, though, is itself rife with danger and uncertainty. The future is unknown. It is unsettled. It is open to possibility. The potential to shape and transform the future is why Jesus leads us there. We have the opportunity to make our tomorrows into truly something amazing. Jesus leads us into the future, because we have the opportunity to shape that future, to influence our tomorrows with the kingdom of God in such a way that that kingdom becomes actualized—even if in only some small way. By refusing to move forward, by attaching ourselves too rigidly to the past, we can unwittingly hinder the coming of God’s kingdom. Something none of us, I’m sure, want to do.

Throughout the rest of this week’s Scripture readings, keep an eye out for this theme of following unconditionally into the future.

Friday’s Text: Galatians 1.11-24

Friday’s Text: Galatians 1.11-24

11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; 12 for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. 15 But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days; 19 but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother. 20 In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, 22 and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; 23 they only heard it said, “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

Galatians is an interesting Epistle. Many have called it a mini Book of Romans because of its deep and rich theology, touching on many of the same themes as Paul does in Romans. Galatians, though, carries a much stronger polemic tone than does Romans. Here Paul is confronting a critical issue. Even his salutation seems heavy and confrontational. Rather than his typical greeting acknowledging his apostleship, here Paul inserts the polemically loaded words, “Sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” Paul comes out with guns blazing. And he doesn’t let up, calling them bewitched, accusing them of deserting Christ in order to follow a perverted gospel, which is no gospel at all. Two times he says that anyone who preaches such a perversion should be accursed. These are some pretty strong words from Paul. But like every piece of Scripture, there is a specific context and situation that is being addressed. It is imprudent and irresponsible to interpret Scripture outside of that context and situation. When Paul talks about “a different gospel,” he has something specific in mind.

The specific issue in this case has to do with the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning death and the degree of salvation that is provided by that death. Paul had preached that Christ’s sacrifice provided all one needs to receive the fullness of God’s grace and forgiveness. Paul preached that not only was Christ all sufficient, but any attempt to add to it derogated God’s free gift. But after Paul left, a group of “super-apostles” showed up saying that Paul only had it partly right. After all, he was a newbie, hardly experienced enough to get it all right. He didn’t fully understand all the traditions involved. Certainly, Jesus saves, but only so far. If you want to be really saved, you need to become practicing Jews as well. At issue, then, is ultimately the source and means of salvation. When Paul speaks of a different gospel, he is talking about a different way of being saved. It has nothing to do with peripheral issues such as forms of worship, ecclesial practices, or doctrinal issues such as those that have so divided the modern church. Paul’s invective, instead, is concerned with purely soteriological issues. Paul’s message was simple, concise, and straight forward: Christ crucified. The working out of that salvific event, however, is far more detailed and nuanced (as is evidenced by the variegated views presented in the NT).

In the above text Paul defends his apostleship, not in order to justify himself, or to set him and his ministry over and against the ministry of any other. Instead Paul is pointing to the divine origin of his apostleship—the fact that it didn’t rest on “human origin” but on God. Paul is an apostle because God sent him. It was God who revealed his Son, Jesus, to Paul. It was God who set him apart to proclaim Christ to the Gentiles. Because the gospel has divine authorship, it also has a divine authority and commissioning. In pointing out the divine authority of his apostleship, Paul is setting the foundation for the divine authorship of his message.

Care must be taken here, though, so that we don’t wrongfully interpret Paul’s words about “not confer[ring] with any human being” and receiving his message directly from God as arguing for a purely fideistic understanding of revelation. Paul’s erudition is without question. What changed, though, was now all that learning and theological brilliance found a new center—Jesus. It’s not that Paul had to unlearn everything, and then God supernaturally downloaded a whole new operating system into his head. In the revelation of Christ, everything Paul already new found its one true source, meaning, and purpose.