Gaudete Sunday

Today is Gaudete Sunday. During this Advent Sunday's readings is the scripture from Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, Rejoice!" In it we remember the message of the Angel of the Lord and the Heavenly Host as they announcement to coming of the Messiah, "Fear not because I bring you good news of great joy!"

I recently came across a 16th Century Christmas carol entitled "Gaudete" which is a rejoicing song about the coming of the Messiah.

Here is the text with a loose translation.

Gaudete, Gaudete! Christus et natus Ex maria virgine, Gaudete!	Rejoice, Rejoice! Christ is born Of the virgin Mary, Rejoice!
Tempus ad est gratiae, Hoc quod optabamus; Carmina laetitiae, Devote redamus.	Now is the time of grace That we have longed. Let us sing songs of joy! Let us render devotion!
Deus homo factus est, Natura mirante; Mundus renovatus est A Christo regnante.	God was made man; Creation marvels. The world was renewed By Christ who is King.
Ezechiellis porta Clausa pertransitur; Unde lux est orta Salus invenitur.	The closed gate of Ezekiel Has been passed through; From where the light arises Salvation is found.
Ergo nostra cantio, Psallat iam in lustro; Benedicat Domino: Salus Regi nostro.	Therefore let the assembly, Sing in the brightness of dawning; Let it praise the Lord: Greetings to our King.

I love the language and what I think is a reference to Ezekiel 46. The imagery captures the true worship led by the King in the Restored Kingdom in which the Eastern gate is not only opened to the direction of the dawn but also to direction of those who are in captivity in Babylon. The passage reads:

“Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened. The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside, and shall take his stand by the post of the gate. The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening."

I also love the imagery of light -- a light that is not mere inner illumination or enlightenment but is of a cosmic dawning that banishes darkness.

At any rate, I first came across Steeleye Span's version of the carol which climb the music charts in England in the 60's. Here's their recent anniversary edition.

And a much more polished version by another choir here:

All in All: The Message of 1 Corinthians

Rather than spend a lot of time introducing 1 Corinthians, I thought I'd comment on a few things about the setting of the letter as well as to help give you a good pair of lenses by which to view the letter.

Concerning the Corinthian church...

The apostle Paul planted the church in Corinth on his second missionary journey which you may read about in Acts 18:1-17. One of the things we learn from Acts is that Paul had a hard go of it. In fact it was difficult enough, that he may have considered abandoning the effort. However, we read in Acts 18, that Jesus appeared to Paul to comfort him, saying, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack or harm you, because I have many people in this city.” Though this may not have been all Jesus told Paul, it was significant and encouraging enough that Paul remained, and in the midst of more opposition, continued to preach. Eventually, Paul was publicly charged with sedition by the Jews before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia. Though Gallio dismissed the charges, Sosthenes who was both a convert to Christianity and the synagogue ruler was beaten before the town.

Concerning the occasion and content of 1 Corinthians...

Paul, at the writing of 1 Corinthians, is living in Ephesus. He had written an earlier letter which they misread, and have both written back to Paul and sent members of the church with the letter of questions regarding the current circumstances. In addition, Paul has received verbal reports of trouble and unrest in the Corinthian church. Both to answer their questions and to deal with his own concerns for them, Paul has written the church. 

In 1 Corinthians, there are a number of questions and issues which Paul raises and speaks to that may sound very obscure, outdated, irrelevant, or just ridiculous such as his discussion on gender roles and head coverings. As you read, resist the urge to discount what he is saying. Reflect on the context of the circumstances into which he is writing, understand, and then seek to apply it to today. Just because he is speaking to a specific circumstance does not mean it is irrelevant. Indeed there is much in 1 Corinthians which could've been written today.

Among those questions which Paul addresses are the following:

1. The ongoing denial and refusal to confront or repent of sexual sins,
2. Division and bi-partisanship (Peter, Paul, Apollos, Christ...),
3. How a Christian is to handle conflict, 
4. Spiritual-gift snobbery; super-apostleship, elitism, giftedness,
5. Idolatry and compromise with the culture,
6. Significant confusion about their view of the people especially as how their view relates to the dignity of the human body.

Lastly, Concerning what you need to need to know about Corinth and the church in Corinth...

There are peculiarities to the specific situation which, if we understand them, we will better be able to apply the letter to our lives. Here are a few thoughts:

1. Corinth is a CROSSROADS. The city is situated at the isthmus which joins the southern half of Achaia with the European mainland. At this point the isthmus is 3 miles wide, and narrow enough that dragging your cargo ship along a causeway from the Aegean to a gateway to the Adriatic was thought to be a brilliant idea which of course they did.
2. Corinth is NEW. It had recently been destroyed in the Roman conquest of the Mediterranean and rebuilt as a Roman colony.
3. Because of there was not a long-standing social order. Corinth was a city of serious OPPORTUNITY. Corinth had been repopulated by Roman citizens and freedmen and so, it did not have time to develop an established noble class. Because the social order was determined more by merit than by class, Corinth was a place of great potential for an unconnected Roman citizen or a freed-man.
4. This new city of great opportunity attracted many who were DRIVEN TO SUCCEED. Achievement and notoriety become extremely important for multitudes of achievers who need to set themselves apart from other gifted achievers. This is a kill or be killed, entrepreneurial city.
5. Because of the urgency of opportunity and success, Corinthian culture was all about the IMMEDIATE. 'Right now' is the most important time and consequently the immediate is more REAL than any long-term commitment or discipline this leads to financial, relational, and moral blindness and compromise as its citizens are driven to 'get it while you can'. 
6. All this money and opportunity grew an AFFLUENT AND EXCLUSIVE society. Corinth was highly focused on the outward appearance and both the display of your material wealth as well as your social connection demanded that you work your relationships to your advantage by getting into some circles while keeping others out of yours.
7. Lastly, Corinth was a PROMISCUOUS. society. As  a center of opportunity and affluence the society was decadent. In fact, to Corinthianize became a bi-word for the decadence of the wealth and moral permissiveness which worked in its citizens.
8. All of these traits were being brought into the church.

I hope this helps. You can read 1 Corinthians in 45 minutes. Take some time and do that while keeping these thoughts with you. See you Sunday!

The Four Holy Gospels

Fujimura - 4 Holy Gospels from Crossway on Vimeo.


Makoto Fujimura is illuminating The Four Holy Gospels in conjunction with a project at Crossway Books to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.
(H.T. Justin Taylor)

Ecclesiastes Wisdom

Began studying today for next Sunday's sermon. I've been working on paraphrasing Ecclesiastes 7:1 which reads: "A good name is better than fine perfume."

Here's my exposition: People will receive a stinking fool if he smells of fine perfume, but they will keep company with an honorable man even if he stinks. When the perfume wears off, all that is left is a stinking fool, but an honrable man always has his wise heart.

Existentialist Firefighter Postpones the Death of Three

(via The Onion).

When asked if he felt something, anything, after briefly extending the lives of three human beings, Farber replied in the negative.

"I was doing what, at that moment, I was doing," he said. "Tomorrow, if there is another fire, I will do the same. Perhaps in that fire, I will be the one who is killed. Or, on the other hand, perhaps I will not. Either way, there will be anguish and sorrow at some unknown point."

 Well, that pretty much sums it up for Qohelth, too.

"Martha, Martha"

Calvin in speaking of Jesus correction of Martha has this to say,

"Though the hospitality of Martha deserved commendation, and is commended, yet there were two faults in it which are pointed out by Christ. The first is, that Martha carried her activity beyond proper bounds; for Christ would rather have chosen to be entertained in a frugal manner, and at moderate expense, than that the holy woman should have submitted to so much toil. The second fault was, that Martha, by distracting her attention, and undertaking more labour than was necessary, deprived herself of the advantage of Christ's visit. The excess is pointed out by Luke, when he speaks of much serving; for Christ was satisfied with little. It was just as if one were to give a magnificent reception to a prophet, and yet not to care about hearing him, but, on the contrary, to make so great and unnecessary preparations as to bury all the instruction."

John Calvin, on Luke 10, Harmony of the Evangelists

Yet I will....

Habakkuk 3 is Habakkuk's response after being in the presence of the Lord. The genre of chapter 3 is unlike the previous two chapters. Both the language (the words employed) and the form (the way in which the words are put together) reflect the worshipful heart of Habakkuk.
If you have a reference Bible and look up the references in chapter 3, or if you are familiar with the psalms, one of the things you will note is that much of Habakkuk's prayer contains phrases and expressions of the Scriptures. That is he lifted many of his phrases right out of other passages of the Bible.
Habakkuk's use of the language of the scriptures reveals the value of memorizing Scripture or even hymns. Songs, I believe, provide a language for the heart to express itself. You see that Habakkuk knew the psalter and relied upon it's language to express his faith. We would benefit from a ready language to express our heart, especially in times of trouble . We need to be steeped in thelanguage of other's expressions of faith and devotion not merely because it is useful, but because without that language, our worship and devotional life will be impoverished. The gospel is not merely 'good news', but it is beautiful news. The gospel is not merely news for our generation, but has been news which has been good from generation to generation. In relying on the words of others, I think we will find strength and conviction in the truth of those words because in employing them, we stand with them in our faith--and they with us--as we rejoice the Lord who delivers and strengthens.

"I will look to see what he will say to me."

C.S. Lewis as he worked through the grief of losing his wife, Joy, to cancer, wrote the following,

Meanwhile, where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be—or so it feels—welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more em­phatic the silence will be come. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? It seemed so once. And that seeming was as strong as this. What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?

I tried to put some of these thoughts to C. this afternoon. He reminded me that the same thing seems to have happened to Christ: ‘Why hast though forsaken me?’ I know. Does that make it easier to understand?

Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about Him. The conclusion I dread is not ‘So there’s no God after all,’ but ‘So this is what God’s really like. Deceive yourself no longer.’

This captures the struggle in Habakkuk. Josiah's reign has ended in defeat. Jehoiakim has been installed as king by Pharaoh Neco who has taken his younger brother back to Egypt. By Jeremiah's account and those of Kings and the Chronicler, Jehoikim's reign was oppressive and cruel. Would the Lord let it stand? Would he answer the defiance?

Habakkuk gets his answer from the Lord in the form of the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzer has inherited his father's throne and has subjugated not only Assyria, but these Chaldeans have driven Neco back to the Sinai peninsula. The cruelty of this new hoard was worse than the oppression of Jehoiakim. And for Habakkuk, it all seems too much, too hard, too cruel. It is from the vantage point of the rampart of the wall of Jerusalem, that Habakkuk asks, "Why Lord? Why?"

Lewis, was caught in a similar trap. Facing the reality of a spouse being diagnosed with cancer, the cancer going into remission, the joyful days of companionship, the shock of cancer's tenacity, and his wife's body succumbing to terminal illness, Lewis found himself on the ramparts calling out to God and waiting for the reply.

Lewis, as he says, was not so much in danger of ceasing to believe in God. The temptation, he said, was in coming to believe such dreadful things about him. Lewis knew though, God was God and he was not. Lewis knew about suffering and loss and forlorn hope and death. Lewis also knew that he was part of an army--a soldier who must obey his commander, take his post and be ready to do what he was commanded.

In "God in the Dock", Lewis gets at how the contemporary world would deduce that the cruelties of circumstances or the presence of evil were either license for unbelief or vindication for it. Lewis did not think so because he realized that if evil existed and was hated, then it's counter-part, it's antithesis, must also be real. The reality of evil is not proof of the non-existence of good, it is the contrary: proof that good must exist. And so, the real fight in the soul of the believer is to trust and obey and love God in spite of circumstances of one's life.

Habakkuk is not "calling God out" like some ANE Bruce Almighty, Habakkuk is taking his station as a faithful soldier. In days when it seems that the world is falling apart around your head, the station--the place where the faithful make their stand is on the rampart--to watch and wait--"to look to what he will say to me."

What Days are These?

Well, I haven't posted in month. I've been back in the office two days after a three month sabbatical. And now I'm getting cranky. We're scheduled to sing this Sunday, "Days of Elijah" a worship song by Robin Mark. Here are the words:

These are the days of Elijah,
Declaring the word of the Lord:
And these are the days of Your servant Moses,
Righteousness being restored.
And though these are days of great trial,
Of famine and darkness and sword,
Still, we are the voice in the desert crying
'Prepare ye the way of the Lord!'

Behold He comes riding on the clouds,
Shining like the sun at the trumpet call;
Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee,
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

These are the days of Ezekiel,
The dry bones becoming as flesh;
And these are the days of Your servant David,
Rebuilding a temple of praise.
These are the days of the harvest,
The fields are as white in Your world,
And we are the labourers in Your vineyard,
Declaring the word of the Lord!

There's no God like Jehovah.
There's no God like Jehovah!

Copyright © 1997 Daybreak Music Ltd.

I'm put off a little. These are not the days of Elijah nor are they the days of Ezekiel. Matthew writes in his Gospel, (Matt 11:11) "I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." So, if you can bear it, anyone in the church is greater than Elijah or Ezekiel. Why? Because we enjoy that for which they hoped but did not receive: salvation through the Gospel of Jesus and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit who convicts, calls, renews, counsels, empowers.... Indeed, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers in piece-meal ways, but in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son...."

These aren't the Days of Elijah nor Ezekiel. These are the Days of the Kingdom of Heaven -- the days in which all things are made new.

Hebrews Poetic Commentary: Hebrews 1:1-3

In an attempt to distill my thoughts and engage creatively in the communication of the gospel, I've been attempting to write a poetic commentary (since '96 actually) on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Here's a renewed first stab at Hebrews 1:1-3

Today, the last day
God said it all
Through the Heir of Everything.
Who is no mere approximation, but Is
The Only representation of His being,
The Glory, unfading, unbearable, but personal;
The Word who speaks, to make that which is not, become
That which is, remain
-- or not remain;
The Purifier, who cleansed, finally, sin's stain in a cathartic effusion of blood; and
The Seated, who sat on the Majesty's right, at last --
Period.
Forever.

Top Ten

From the home office in East Brumsick, NC, it's the Top Ten Least Popular Church Outreach Programs from the Book of Judges.



10. Pass out bobble head idols with the church name and address with the invite, "Come one, Come Baal!"

9. Delilah billboard campaign in which she asks passing motorists, "Hey strongman, wanna tell me a secret?"

8. Pass out WWED bracelets. (What would Ehud do?)

7. Sponsor the Gideon Leadership Conference: Learn to lap your water like a dog.

6. Group Singing with Jael, "If I Had a Hammer," "Hammer and Nail," etc...

5. Sponsor a benefit 10K road race: Wives for the Benjaminite's Fun Run.

4. Host "Tola's Parenting Seminar: My Dad's Dodo."

3. Put on the musical pageant, "30 Donkeys for 30 Sons"

2. Offer a city walk with Jephthah's mother.

1. Offer the Samson's one-night stand -up comedy school's: "How not to die on stage," "Kill 'em Laughing," and "Bringing Down the House."

Living in Ashkelon

I don't know what to think about all this? That's a lie. I do know, and I no likey. I hope that's not racist.

I've been preaching out of Judges lately, and this is the kinda stuff that makes me think our desire to be relevant merely confirms the suspicion that Christians are a bunch of wackos! So ironic is the willingness of Israel to be subjugated by Philistia (Israel was quite happy to be dominated) and contemporary, evangelical Christianity's need to "be relevant."

This sooooo misses Judges. Samson wasn't a super-hero -- he was a wreck! I don't think Samson's imprisonment was a good hair day -- or an any hair day for that matter. Let alone, do I believe he looked either so Caucasian nor so, er, clean.

Zondervan is currently publishing a Manga Bible. Manga is the stylized Japanese cartoons you see on late night. Check out the Manga Bible here.

Proverbs 5 and Great Poetry, Part 3

A VALEDICTION FORBIDDING MOURNING
by John Donne

As virtuous men pass mildly away,
And whisper to their souls to go,
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
"Now his breath goes," and some say, "No."

So let us melt, and make no noise,
No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ;
'Twere profanation of our joys
To tell the laity our love.

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ;
Men reckon what it did, and meant ;
But trepidation of the spheres
Though greater far, is innocent.

Dull sublunary lovers' love
—Whose soul is sense—cannot admit
Of absence, 'cause it doth remove
The thing which elemented it.

But we by a love so much refined,
That ourselves know not what it is,
Inter-assurèd of the mind,
Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss.

Our two souls therefore, which are one,
Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion,
Like gold to aery thinness beat.

If they be two, they are two so
As stiff twin compasses are two ;
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show
To move, but doth, if th' other do.

And though it in the centre sit,
Yet, when the other far doth roam,
It leans, and hearkens after it,
And grows erect, as that comes home.

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
Like th' other foot, obliquely run ;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,
And makes me end where I begun.

Proverbs 5 and Great Poetry, Part 2

Here's another John Donne treasure. In it Donne employs his mastery of conceit. By conceit, we mean a cleverly employed metaphor which is unusual. Here, comparing his beloved to fish bait.

The Bait

by John Donne.

Come live with me, and be my love,
And we will some new pleasures prove
Of golden sands, and crystal brooks,
With silken lines, and silver hooks.

There will the river whispering run
Warm'd by thy eyes, more than the sun;
And there the 'enamour'd fish will stay,
Begging themselves they may betray.

When thou wilt swim in that live bath,
Each fish, which every channel hath,
Will amorously to thee swim,
Gladder to catch thee, than thou him.

If thou, to be so seen, be'st loth,
By sun or moon, thou dark'nest both,
And if myself have leave to see,
I need not their light having thee.

Let others freeze with angling reeds,
And cut their legs with shells and weeds,
Or treacherously poor fish beset,
With strangling snare, or windowy net.

Let coarse bold hands from slimy nest
The bedded fish in banks out-wrest;
Or curious traitors, sleeve-silk flies,
Bewitch poor fishes' wand'ring eyes.

For thee, thou need'st no such deceit,
For thou thyself art thine own bait:
That fish, that is not catch'd thereby,
Alas, is wiser far than I.

Proverbs 5 and Great Poetry, Part 1

In preparation for Valentine's Day and in partial fulfillment of Proverbs 5:19, it's time to do some work studying some of the great master's endeavors on, er, "seeking satisfaction." John Donne is one of my favorites. Here is a poem he wrote for his wife, Anne.

ELEGY XX.
TO HIS MISTRESS GOING TO BED.
by John Donne

COME, madam, come, all rest my powers defy ;
Until I labour, I in labour lie.
The foe ofttimes, having the foe in sight,
Is tired with standing, though he never fight.
Off with that girdle, like heaven's zone glittering,
But a far fairer world encompassing.
Unpin that spangled breast-plate, which you wear,
That th' eyes of busy fools may be stopp'd there.
Unlace yourself, for that harmonious chime
Tells me from you that now it is bed-time.
Off with that happy busk, which I envy,
That still can be, and still can stand so nigh.
Your gown going off such beauteous state reveals,
As when from flowery meads th' hill's shadow steals.
Off with your wiry coronet, and show
The hairy diadems which on you do grow.
Off with your hose and shoes ; then softly tread
In this love's hallow'd temple, this soft bed.
In such white robes heaven's angels used to be
Revealed to men ; thou, angel, bring'st with thee
A heaven-like Mahomet's paradise ; and though
Ill spirits walk in white, we easily know
By this these angels from an evil sprite ;
Those set our hairs, but these our flesh upright.
Licence my roving hands, and let them go
Before, behind, between, above, below.
O, my America, my Newfoundland,
My kingdom, safest when with one man mann'd,
My mine of precious stones, my empery ;
How am I blest in thus discovering thee !
To enter in these bonds, is to be free ;
Then, where my hand is set, my soul shall be.
Full nakedness ! All joys are due to thee ;
As souls unbodied, bodies unclothed must be
To taste whole joys. Gems which you women use
Are like Atlanta's ball cast in men's views ;
That, when a fool's eye lighteth on a gem,
His earthly soul might court that, not them.
Like pictures, or like books' gay coverings made
For laymen, are all women thus array'd.
Themselves are only mystic books, which we
—Whom their imputed grace will dignify—
Must see reveal'd. Then, since that I may know,
As liberally as to thy midwife show
Thyself ; cast all, yea, this white linen hence ;
There is no penance due to innocence :
To teach thee, I am naked first ; why then,
What needst thou have more covering than a man?