Why are you keeping your distance?

With few exceptions (for example, Abraham, Jacob, and Moses), the Old Testament “believers” didn’t get too close to God. Do you remember how afraid the Israelites were at Mt. Sinai?  They said to Moses, “you go, and we’ll stay here," (Ex. 20:21), preferring to maintain a safe distance.  Even the “High Priest” entered the Holy of Holies once a year with feelings of trepidation, taking the blood offering to God on behalf of those who remained in the outer court, at a safe distance.

So it was an extraordinary event when Jesus was crucified and the veil that separated the worshippers from God was torn in half, signifying that believers now have the privilege of worshiping God up close and personal.  The distance between God and man was at once and forever eliminated.

I once saw a bumper sticker that read, “If you’re feeling far away from God, guess who moved?” Don't let your feelings keep you away from God.  James promises that if you “draw near to God, He will draw near to you.” (4:8) And the writer of Hebrews says "let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water" (10:22).

Drinking from a Fire Hydrant

One of my professors wrote a note on the electronic blackboard this week, saying “By now you may think you are “drinking from a fire hydrant,” referring of course to the volume of reading assigned to us. The “drinking from a fire hydrant” word picture brought to mind my experience in India (so many years ago). Every day the police would uncap a fire hydrant (I never knew why) and immediately hundreds of men, women and children would come running to get a wet, cool break from the sticky 100 degree weather—both drinking and bathing. And, for the homeless, their only bath of the day.

I think our modern American churches foster this “drinking from a fire hydrant” way of thinking, herding the ‘sheep’ into auditoriums where all drink from the same stream. You may recall from an earlier post “Don’t Drink the Water”, January 28, I mentioned that sheep won’t drink from running, but only still water. I wonder if that analogy can be carried over here—that we “sheep” cannot retain much of the water we drink from the hydrant on a Sunday morning service!

I am certainly not condemning the practice of public teaching and worship, but as I sit in our Sunday morning congregational service, I can’t help but wonder how many of the sheep sitting around me on any given Sunday have spent time alone with God, sitting and sipping and taking in their fill of His Word? Or, how many ‘bathed’ from their private well before coming to church?

Waiting for Christmas Day

The word “Christmas” is a compound word made up of the name “Christ” plus the word “mass”—which means celebration. "Christ" is not a name as much as a Greek word or title, meaning "anointed"—equivalent to the Hebrew word "Messiah." Based on the words of the prophets, the Jews of Palestine were waiting for the day they would celebrate the promised Messiah—they were waiting for Christmas.

Although Jesus came 2,000 years ago to deliver us from sin, we are yet waiting for His second coming when He will truly be celebrated by Israel (and the whole world) as the Messiah. It is then we will truly celebrate Christ—it will be the authentic Christmas! And that ‘day’ will go on forever.

But that Christmas day will only be celebrated by those who love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8), who have been eagerly waiting for His glory and to be revealed as His sons (Rom. 8:18-19). On that Christmas day death and sin will be no more (1 Cor. 15:54). On that Christmas day we will be changed forever (1 Cor. 15:51), and receive eternal rewards (1 Cor. 3:14; Rev. 22:12). On that Christmas day, we will be given to Jesus by the Father as His long-awaited present—His virgin Bride (2 Cor. 11:2). We are still waiting for that Christmas—when the curse will be lifted, the saints glorified, Christ worshiped, and the whole creation liberated.

What a sadly watered-down version of Christmas day most people (even Christians!) will be celebrating tomorrow—without fully appreciating the one yet to come: the Christmas day we are waiting for.

“The King of Pop is Dead, Yet His Spirit Lives On” : a Perspective

Reading these headlines caused me to consider what is the ‘spirit that lives on’ that makes Michael Jackson the center of worldwide attention and praise.

MAN NEEDS TO WORSHIP. In the beginning, God created man to worship excellence—His Glory and His Creation (Ps. 19). Sin did not remove man’s desire to worship excellence, but it did change the object of his worship. No longer worshipping the God who made the heavens, he worships the creation and the creature (Ro. 1:25). He worships every day. And if not worshipping God, by default, will worship anything.

Celebrity—in sports, entertainment, or power—provides men with something to believe in greater than themselves. Not unlike those of Noah’s time, they are drawn to “men of renown” (Gen. 4:23-24). They thrive upon the glory of their heroes who give them hope that they are not the fallen, broken, helpless children of Adam. They surmise: ‘if our heroes can overcome their obstacles to greatness, maybe we can too.’ Or, if not, they settle for living vicariously.

Don’t get me wrong: Michael’s musical talent was arguably unmatched. But the incredible grieving of his death and exaggerated celebration of his life is a revealing commentary on the condition of man and his pursuit of excellence.