The Word and the World

And Sitteth on the Right Hand…

                  “… and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;  from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”

          Many people, both Christians and non-Christians want to forget that Christ is co-eternal, and co-equal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  We don’t believe in three gods, just one God.  And God has chosen to reveal Himself to us as the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.  We do not believe that there is a ranking or priority within the godhead.  Instead, we believe they are all equal.  For many people this is one of the hardest things to comprehend in all of Christian faith.

            For me, the only challenging part of this section in the Creed relates to the fact that there will come a time when we each will be judged by God.  For some, this is a scary proposition, for others it is a time that we anticipate with joy.

            It is not that I have lived a perfect life, far from it.  The truth of the matter is that I am as much of a sinner as any one else.  Just like any sinner, I only deserve God’s judgment. 

The 18^th century preacher Jonathan Edwards explained it better than I can in his sermon titled:  “Sinners in The Hands of an Angry God.”  In this work, Edwards stated our condition this way:  “There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.”

This is the truth and it helps me find hope and comfort in Christ’s coming judgment.  I know without a doubt that only Christ’s mercy and grace keeps me from the fate I deserve at any moment in time.

I am often asked about the criteria we will be judged against.  I cannot answer that with absolute certainty.  However, Scripture does give us some clues.  Psalm 15 states:

 “ O Lord, who may abide in your tent?  Who may dwell on your holy hill?  Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors; in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the Lord; who stand by their oath even to their hurt; who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent.  Those who do these things shall never be moved.”

-Psalms 15:1-5 (NRSV)

            There are other Scriptures that say this just as well.  But in every case the underlying message is the same.  We are judged not on how we live, but in how we live in response to the love we show for God and one another.  Micah 6:8 states it this way:

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

-Micah 6:8 (NRSV)

            The ultimate focus is not so much when is Christ coming to judge, but the knowledge that he will come and judge.  Until that day arrives, our sole responsibility is to live in the way we know we should as an outpouring of our love for God and for one another.

 Merciful God, we are nervous to be judged by Christ, scared that we will never measure up.  But at the same time, O Lord, we know that you are full of mercy and grace.  Help us, Lord to find comfort in the knowledge that you love is bound less for all you children.  This we ask in the name of Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Podcast coming soon!!!

He Ascended…

“he ascended into heaven…”

            One of the greatest challenges, when trying to study sections of the Creed, is:  “Where does one separate the thoughts?”  This is no exception.  We could have included this with Christ’s resurrection, but I believe the Ascension needs some attention of its own.  Christ arose, we have no doubt about that.  But then, there was another action that was unheard of in human experience.  He ascended in to heaven.  Luke records it this way:

“When they were together for the last time they asked, “Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?”  He told them, “You don’t get to know the time.  Timing is the Father’s business.  What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit.  And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”
These we^“re his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud.  They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared—in white robes!  They said, “You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left.””

-Acts 1:6-11 (MSG)

            In all of Scripture, there are only two incidents of someone lifted bodily in to heaven.  The first is Elijah and the second was Christ.  Christ’s Ascension state quite clearly for anyone who has ears to hear that Jesus was not just a holy man.  Indeed, he is God Incarnate.  

            As people of faith, we don’t often give enough attention to the Ascension.  We are either people who focus on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, or people who focus on the empty tomb and the resurrection.  But it is the Ascension of Jesus that tells us without a doubt that Christ will return!

            The debate continues today as to when Christ will return.  For some it will be following the Rapture, others take it on a more individual basis.  To be honest, it matters not how or when, just knowing that Christ will come.

            That great hymn of faith, “How Great Thou Art,” puts it this way:

“When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation,   And take me home, what joy shall fill my Heart!” 

            And the Book of Job states it thus: 

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”

-Job 19:25-27 (NRSV) 

           The point for me is this, when Christ returns does not matter.  What matters is the knowledge that Christ will return.  And the knowledge that even though he ascended, he is still here, alive and watching over each of us every minute of every day!  And the best news for me is that when my life is over, I will behold my Savior forever!

Loving God, thank you for your Son and the promise that because he lives, so shall we.  Bless us each day and give us the courage and strength to live boldly as your children.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Podcast coming soon!!!

The Third Day…

“the third day he rose again from the dead…”

            In the course of the Apostle’s Creed most everything that was said about our beliefs was pretty normal and straightforward.  At least up until now.

            Think about it, God created and that’s normal.  Jesus was conceived and born.   Again, that’s pretty normal, even though the means seems a bit different.  He was tortured, killed, and buried.  Once again, all within the norms of human experience, even though it seems extreme. 

            Now we get to the part of our beliefs that sets Jesus apart from anyone before or since.  The part of what we believe that defies human comprehension and illustrates God’s action and identification of Jesus as the Son of God beyond a reasonable doubt.

            From time to time, we hear of people who are comatose for a long period, or perhaps actually are clinically dead for a short period.  We are amazed and astounded when they seemingly come back to life.  However, we recognize it was only a brief period.

            Jesus was very different.  Many people witnessed his execution.  He was stabbed, just to ensure his physical body was truly dead.  Then, cold and lifeless, his body was placed in a tomb.  And to be sure that no could disturb the body, a stone was rolled across the entrance and an armed guard posted.

            As we know, the story doesn’t end there:

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.  So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”  Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.  The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.  Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.  Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead… But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.  They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”  When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!”

-John 20:1-9, 11-16 (NRSV)

            In the movie “The Greatest Story Ever Told” John Wayne has one line as the guard who administers the death blow to Christ on the cross.  His line is:  “Truly this is the Son of God.”

            When we consider Christ’s resurrection that is all I can say.  For someone to rise physically from the tomb after 3 days is well beyond our understanding.  It is truly an act of God and only known to have happened one time in recorded history.  The amazing truth of this event is not to be found in the act itself, but the effect of the event on those who witnessed it and on believers in every age since.  Peter and the disciples, went on to do amazing things after the resurrection that were totally alien in contrast to their life before.  Even today, believers undergo transformative events, all because they believe in Christ who was raised from the dead!

Loving God, you brought Jesus from the dead and raised him to new life.  Help us, we pray to be transformed through our belief, to do your Will this day.  We ask this in the name of our Risen Lord.  Amen.

Podcast coming soon!!

He Descended…

“…he descended in to hell…”

            For many of us, this short phrase in the Apostle’s Creed is troublesome.  The very idea that our Lord and Savior descended in to hell does not make much sense.  If Jesus is truly the Son of God and is sinless, then why did he descend to the place of eternal punishment?  What useful purpose could this serve?

            In many denominations and congregations, this part of the Creed is omitted.  Personally, I feel that is a mistake.  Following Christ is never easy.  Jesus himself told us that we would be challenged, persecuted, mocked, and ridiculed for his name’s sake (Luke 21:12).  Sometimes that comes about by not being able to adequately explain or rationalize, tough aspects of what we believe.

            So then, what does this little phrase say about our faith?  How do we get it to make sense?  For the most part, I would suggest we should not worry about it.  Jesus gave us an answer for that situation.  He said: 

“This will give you an opportunity to testify.  So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.” 

-Luke 21:13-15 (NRSV)

            As always, Scripture has to provide us with the first clue to our answer.  I feel the passage above serves to give us the courage to not be afraid when we are asked to explain aspects of our faith.

            Throughout the millennia, scholars and theologians have had many answers and opinions concerning this little phrase in the Creed.  For some, it represents the time when Christ, gathered all the people of faith from the Old Testament and took them to heaven.  For others, including John Calvin, this passage has another meaning.

            Calvin felt that this phrase referred to something special in our relationship to Christ and Christ’s work on our behalf.  And it is an action that expresses God’s love for us like no other.

            In my own walk of faith, I have come to believe that God will ever abandon us.  It is a fundamental part of Reformed Christianity to believe that God’s love never fails or falters.  Paul wrote:

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our  Lord.”

-Romans 8:37-39 (NRSV)

            So then, how does this relate to the passage we are considering?  Calvin suggested that the three days between Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection were spent completely cut off from God.  In other words, Christ paid the price we deserve for our sin for three days.  And he did so, in order that we would not have to!

Almighty God, we give you thanks for the work of your Son.  We praise and bless you for the price he paid for our sin and we seek you forgiveness, grace and mercy each day.  May we always recall what you do for us and never forget your lace in our lives.  Amen.

Podcast coming soon!!!