When John Wesley was trying to clarify a position to a correspondent about the importance of Scripture, he cried out, “God himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it; here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri (literally, “a man of one book”).”
Wesley’s point was simple. When one looks at all the possibilities from which to base one’s life upon, all the writings, all the research, all the learning, for him, Sola Scriptura was all that was necessary. The primacy of scripture is all one needs in order to find the plumb line of faithful living. (Wesley would later define the importance of reason, tradition, and experience as substantive in the formation of Christian character; but Scripture would always be primary.)
In a conversation with some colleagues a few years back, a question was asked about what sources one should use to begin a dialogue between Islam and Christianity. The obvious answer to the one who posed the question was to take the Koran (to represent the views of Islam), and the Gospels for Christianity. The response we received from the one whom we believed had the knowledge we sought was rather surprising.
“Don’t use the Gospels to define Christianity. Use Jesus Christ himself. He is the truest representation of the Christian Ideal. Nothing else will do. All others fall short.”
The concept of placing Jesus himself up against the Torah and the Koran as a plumb line hadn’t ever occurred to us as an option. However, the more we thought about it, the more we came to realize that any other depiction of Christ would obviously fall short. Jesus is the only one who can stand up to the arguments of other world religions. His life, teachings, healings, miracles, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension are unparalleled in every other religious tradition. Others come close in a few areas, but all fall short.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth.” The living presence of God; the divine Reality, manifest in the flesh; the Real Presence. These are but a few of the experiences of the living, breathing, suffering, dying, rising, eternal love of God; incarnate for you and me – to raise us from sin and death.
These are not just theological ramblings – this is the love of God, that it should be made manifest in the form of an infant born to an unwed couple in a distant village in a backwoods section of the world. God’s love became flesh, and dwelt among us. To give us grace, hope, love. LIFE. Eternal. Everpresent. Now that’s what I call Christmas.
See you in Church!
Grace and peace,
Brad
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Home for the Holidays...
He was tired. They both were. Traveling is never easy. The trip was long, and they didn't really want to go. But alas, when life tells you to go, you go.
It wasn't an easy trip. He hadn't been back home in years - not since he was a little boy. Going home to visit the relatives. Did they even remember him? He wondered. A lot of water has passed under that bridge. But it was time, and they had to go back home.
They say you can't really ever go back. I remember one time when I had traveled back to one of my many childhood homes. The house that I thought was so huge, wasn't. The tree that I remember being planted - it was just barely a twig - was now so large, I couldn't get my arms around it's trunk. The neighborhood had been developed - there were empty lots all the way around when I was growing up. Now it was a fully fledged neighborhood. I almost didn't recognize it. I imagine that's what he was feeling when he had to go back home.
I can see him as he entered town. His face was searching for something - anything familiar. When he finally came to the street he sort of recognized, that's when it happened. IT happened. And he was totally caught off guard.
Oh sure, he had known it was going to happen - eventually. But this was IT! It was happening NOW! Nine months before, it was a different situation. He hadn't known anything about a visit from an angel. She just came and told him - "I'm pregnant." They weren't even married yet. The talk around town was that she was "one of THOSE girls," or that "he must not be very smart." It wasn't supposed to be like this. There was supposed to be a small house, a couple of years to get to know one another, a raise in pay, a small nest egg, and then they would think and talk about starting a family. Sure, he had a job, but it didn't pay much, and besides, the taxes were always eating away most of his take-home. They were young, and on the road, and now they were going to be parents. Right now.
And they were strangers in town - searching for any place that would have them. Oh, and did I mention there's now a child on the way? Trying to find a place to rest from a long journey, and get a bite to eat. Trying to do what they were supposed to be doing - registering for the census. And now this.
It is interesting when God gets in the way of our plans. God has a way of doing that. But there was something that was more important, more significant, more profound, that had to take place. A world needed to be saved. Saved from the sin that was consuming it more than an out-of-control wildfire consumes a desert-dry forest. And the only way to do this once and for all was for God to come down from on high, and become one of us.
In the Exodus story, God told the Israelites to build for God a tent - a tabernacle - so that God may come and dwell among them. I like that word "dwell". It is a simple word. It means to "pitch a tent and live alongside of". God wants to come and camp with us - among us - as one of us.
And the fascinating thing about all of this is that it doesn't matter how much this salvation plan interferes with our own plans - God's plan is what makes our plans make any sense whatsoever. God's plan is what gives purpose to our lives.
So, they found a place to stay, and on that night so long ago, in a far away place, God drew near to dwell among us. And in that simple moment in time, the God of all eternity made sense of our lives. I would invite you to come home for the holidays this year. I mean - come HOME to God's house. Visit the New Tabernacle - the Child born in a stable. That is the dwelling place of God that is among mortals. Find yourself by the manger, and know that you, too, have come home.
See you in Church!
Grace and peace,
Brad
It wasn't an easy trip. He hadn't been back home in years - not since he was a little boy. Going home to visit the relatives. Did they even remember him? He wondered. A lot of water has passed under that bridge. But it was time, and they had to go back home.
They say you can't really ever go back. I remember one time when I had traveled back to one of my many childhood homes. The house that I thought was so huge, wasn't. The tree that I remember being planted - it was just barely a twig - was now so large, I couldn't get my arms around it's trunk. The neighborhood had been developed - there were empty lots all the way around when I was growing up. Now it was a fully fledged neighborhood. I almost didn't recognize it. I imagine that's what he was feeling when he had to go back home.
I can see him as he entered town. His face was searching for something - anything familiar. When he finally came to the street he sort of recognized, that's when it happened. IT happened. And he was totally caught off guard.
Oh sure, he had known it was going to happen - eventually. But this was IT! It was happening NOW! Nine months before, it was a different situation. He hadn't known anything about a visit from an angel. She just came and told him - "I'm pregnant." They weren't even married yet. The talk around town was that she was "one of THOSE girls," or that "he must not be very smart." It wasn't supposed to be like this. There was supposed to be a small house, a couple of years to get to know one another, a raise in pay, a small nest egg, and then they would think and talk about starting a family. Sure, he had a job, but it didn't pay much, and besides, the taxes were always eating away most of his take-home. They were young, and on the road, and now they were going to be parents. Right now.
And they were strangers in town - searching for any place that would have them. Oh, and did I mention there's now a child on the way? Trying to find a place to rest from a long journey, and get a bite to eat. Trying to do what they were supposed to be doing - registering for the census. And now this.
It is interesting when God gets in the way of our plans. God has a way of doing that. But there was something that was more important, more significant, more profound, that had to take place. A world needed to be saved. Saved from the sin that was consuming it more than an out-of-control wildfire consumes a desert-dry forest. And the only way to do this once and for all was for God to come down from on high, and become one of us.
In the Exodus story, God told the Israelites to build for God a tent - a tabernacle - so that God may come and dwell among them. I like that word "dwell". It is a simple word. It means to "pitch a tent and live alongside of". God wants to come and camp with us - among us - as one of us.
And the fascinating thing about all of this is that it doesn't matter how much this salvation plan interferes with our own plans - God's plan is what makes our plans make any sense whatsoever. God's plan is what gives purpose to our lives.
So, they found a place to stay, and on that night so long ago, in a far away place, God drew near to dwell among us. And in that simple moment in time, the God of all eternity made sense of our lives. I would invite you to come home for the holidays this year. I mean - come HOME to God's house. Visit the New Tabernacle - the Child born in a stable. That is the dwelling place of God that is among mortals. Find yourself by the manger, and know that you, too, have come home.
See you in Church!
Grace and peace,
Brad
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