Thoughts from Pastor Paul

You have heard it said, “Stuff happens.”  I say unto you, “Stuff is caused.”  These days everybody has an excuse as to why it isn’t their fault.  Well, the prophet Jeremiah tells us that it is our fault.  In fact, he says that in the coming days of the new covenant (days that we now live in) “everyone will die for his own sin” (Jeremiah 31:30).  The sour grapes of our own sin will set our own teeth on edge.  Stuff doesn’t happen … it is caused by our sin and God is holding us responsible.  What do we do now? 

The first step is to embrace personal responsibility.  We must own up to our sin and complete failure apart from God.  Then we must embrace God.  But as long as we continue to look at ourselves as passive victims of some externally caused sin, we will never find the freedom of forgiveness.  So, be response-able.  You are able to respond to God’s call … do so! 

Do some of you remember when Corelle Dinnerware first came out?  I do.  It was in the 1970’s and it quickly became highly sought after.  My mom got some for the family and made the mistake of telling us that it was “unbreakable.”  Well, actually mom might only have claimed that it was “break resistant,” but I did not always listen carefully to such subtle distinctions.  I soon discovered that a Corelle plate dropped on a hard concrete floor was really very breakable. 

God seems to imply that his “New Covenant” with his people (see Jeremiah 31:32) is unbreakable.  Is that true?  It would seem that we break the covenant all the time.  That is, we Christians regularly break God’s law and fail to live faithful lives as God’s people.  Yes, in Christ Jesus and by the power of the Spirit the law is in our minds and written on our hearts, but we don’t always live that way.  Is all wickedness really forgiven and all sin really forgotten?  Does everyone know the Lord? (see Jeremiah 31:34).  

Corelle was called “new” dinnerware and the “unbreakable china.”  Yet, just like the old china I managed to break it more than once.  What about the new covenant?  I wonder.  

Do you remember the first words that come out of God’s mouth in Exodus 20 when he is giving the Law (10 commandments) to his people?  Many of us do not, because usually when we hear the ten commandments read they are taken out of their original historic context.  But, if only we can hear again the first words of God when he gives his law and remember the historic context, it can change everything.
God’s first words are a self-revelatory statement of His identity in contrast to our identity.  He says, “I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God who brought you out of Egypt.”  He is the great “I am” who has saved ancient Israel from Egypt and saves us from sin.  His laws don’t bring salvation. They are not prescriptive for our salvation; instead, they are descriptive of what a life of salvation will look like.  Our obedience is responsive to what God has done.
Secondly, God says, “..( I am the God who brought you out of) the house of slavery.”  Here The Israelites are reminded that they had no status or standing in Egypt.  They were nobodies, with no legal standing, but now they are again part of the house of Abraham and the people of God.  So today, we are reminded that once we were not a people, lost in our sin, but while we were yet sinners Christ came to save us.  Thus obedience to God’s law comes out of a deep sense of gratitude for the new life that he has brought us to.
If we remember the location of the 10 commandments — in the midst of the great salvation story and in grateful response for God’s salvation — our obedience takes on a whole new grateful character.  Do you gratefully live in obedience to God?  Do you remember that in Christ you have been set free to live the life of obedience?
 

I came across the following prayer which I have been using in my morning devotions this week. “O God, My Father, whose grace and mercy flow like an endless river from your great being, help me now to place myself in the path of your rushing love and limitless compassion, that I may find my spirit renewed. Amen” 

I love that prayer! and have found it very rich in my prayer life this week.  So often we “place” ourselves in the path of rushing busyness and limitless work , so that we find our spirits shrinking. Under the weight of a weird combination of self-importance, guilt, hyperactive good works, and failure we collapse in frustration.  God says, “you are under grace.”  (Romans 6:14).  Why can’t we live that way?  If Abraham was saved by faith through God’s gracious call, why do we focus on his works? If the Law did not save Israel, why do we think it will save us?  The law and grace; good works and rest; failure and forgiveness; duty and gratitude … how does all this go together?  

Some people probably remember a 1996 book entitled, “The Rules.”  This controversial book was a guide to dating and courting for women.  It basically claimed that, in order to catch a man a women needs to follow the rules of a sexist and manipulative dating game.  Well, for the most part the book is garbage, although it was a bestseller.  But, it strikes me that the first “rule” of this book is exactly what we need to remember in our relationship with God.  The rule is: “Be a creature unlike any other.” I frankly don’t care exactly what this means when applied to dating, but when applied to theology I think it is brilliant advice. We are creatures who have been created by God.  Forgetting this simple fact is at the core of many of our difficulties today.  First and formost we humans need to know our place as creatures beholden to the creator.  At the same time, we must remember that we aren’t just any creatures. We are in made in the image of God and given responsibilities to fill, rule over, and subdue the rest of the created world.  God has crowned us with glory and honor. 

Forgetting our humble (mere creatures), yet exulted (unlike any other), place is tragic and deadly.  Take a moment to read Psalm 8.  The Psalmist puts it well.  ”What are mere mortals that you are mindful of them?” the psalmist asks.  Well, what are you?   

A friend wrote to me saying, “Today, in the Twenty-first century, we are so used to our egalitarian, anti-hierarchical mentality.  We even fit God into that mold; he, too, must become like one of us:  Equal to us in all respects, free from all shackles; no limits, nor boundaries.  Everything has to be on our terms … But He is God, almighty; He is King, and rules over all.”

What my friend writes is very true.  In fact, I would say that as long us we submit ourselves to this egalitarian, anti-hierarchical mentality of our culture, we will never be able to find our place in the truth of Scripture and certainly we will never understand our place in the great covenants of God.  Take a moment and read Genesis 1:26-31.  Sounds quite hierarchical, don’t you think?

When my family returned from missionary service in the Philippines, I was lost for a time.  I was American, a long time Detroit Tiger fan, and I loved the snow and cold that we returned to in December of 1979.  But having done so much of my growing up in the Philippines, I was lost in my own culture.  I had a classic case of culture shock.  But as I was immersed again in American culture, I slowly began to find my place once again in the American story. Perhaps you feel lost at times in a secular or even Christian culture that has lost touch with Scripture.  Perhaps you are a Christian, a long time believer in the Bible, and love your church, but feel you have lost connection with God’s Word.  If so, you are not alone.  Many people are in the same boat.  What we need to do is to re-acculturate ourselves into God’s Word.  A good place to start is with the Creation.  If we can find our place in creation, the rest of the biblical story starts to make sense. 

As I read Genesis 1:26-31, I wonder… What if God hadn’t created us?  That is, what difference does it make that we are creatures of God rather than gods ourselves? 

What does it mean to be created in God’s image and likeness?  Does “ruling” have something to do with it?  Why does God wait until after he has created humans to say that His creation is “very good?”  

 Hmm…I wonder…. Any thoughts? 

–Pastor Paul

We would like to welcome you to Brookside’s new blog: “Thoughts from Pastor Paul: What’s God trying to tell us?”.  We anticipate and look forward to God-honoring discussions, where we can all grow in our faith journeys. Again, welcome!