HERO!

I saw Casino Royale the other day. Superman Bond! He comes through every conceivable disaster and contemplated destruction untouched, unscathed, intact, invincible. Neither the most shocking assaults on his person—poisonings, tortures, imprisonments, gunfire, knifings—nor the most devious and despicable schemes of a host of gangsters, malefactors, and other insalubrious opponents of the worthy Double-O-Seven can touch the guy. Superhero incarnate.

Nonetheless, unlike previous Bond movies, this one shows the MI6 agent more vulnerable, darker, and intense, even falling in love. Human! While Bruce Wayne pretends to be Batman, and Peter Parker pretends to be Spiderman, James Bond really is 007 … and human. And so Casino Royale, making our man more human than superhuman, succeeds in portraying an attractive protagonist—“like” one of us, yet beyond all of us.

How we yearn to see these knights accomplish their world-saving missions successfully. Whether it be James Bond, or one of your other favorite strongmen du jour, there is a hunger in mankind for these folk heroes and their fantastic fables that transcend reality as they combat the nefarious purposes of noxious predators. If only such a person were real, rescuing us from the evils and evildoers of the universe!

The Good News is that He is! Real. Skin and sinew. Bone and blood. Mortal flesh! But also King of kings and Lord of lords. Immortal God!

And the Word became flesh,
and dwelt among us,
and we saw His glory,
glory as of the only begotten
from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

[Jesus Christ] emptied Himself,
taking the form of a bond-servant,
and being made
in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:7

And He became man in order to rid the universe of sin and Satan.

He appeared in order to take away sins.
1 John 3:4

[God sent] His own Son
in the likeness sinful flesh
and as an offering for sin ….
Romans 8:3

Like the fictions of some of our concocted heroes, this unparalleled True Story—the Greatest Story ever told—depicts a Savior who is fully human, grieving, rejoicing, eating, weeping, and undergoing the agonies of a crucifixion. For me. For you.

He Himself bore our sins
in His body on the cross,
so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness;
for by His wounds
you were healed.
1 Peter 2:24

But God demonstrates
His own love toward us,
in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

And as with the ongoing sagas of Bond, Kent, Parker, Wayne, et al., as they capture viewers with a story unfinished, a finale yet to be finalized, so also His Story continues, as God beckons our participation, calling upon us to join our Hero, in the furtherance of His Kingdom, where He will reign forever and ever.

Indeed, the battle is as good as over, the victory as good as won. Our Superhero never loses. What a blessed assurance, as we step into a new year of our lives this week. No matter what might happen, no matter what unknowns we may encounter, we can rest assured in the knowledge that our Lord lives, our Savior loves, our King reigns. Our Hero has conquered!

For we do not have a high priest
who cannot sympathize
with our weaknesses,
but One who has been
tempted in all things
as we are, yet without sin.
Therefore let us draw near
with confidence
to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help
in time of need.

Hebrews 4:15–16

RICH!

Christmas 2006 is in Scotland for me. Most of the previous ones I have spent with family, but this year all of them absconded, leaving me homeless! (They’re in India—hopefully thinking of me frozen stiff and subsisting on peanut butter, while they’re enjoying a piping 85° F and engorging upon delicious festal South Indian concoctions!)

But I’m all set. Out of the kindness of their good hearts, taking pity upon this nomadic waif, demonstrating bounteous mercy to this starving bachelor, a fellow postgrad and his wife have invited me to their home for Christmas dinner. (Thanks, David and Angela!)

When I mentioned this invitation to a friend in Dallas a few days ago, she was relieved: “I’m glad you don’t have to stay at home by yourself. Everybody should have somewhere else to go for Christmas—to family, to friends ….”

Most of those who celebrate Christmas will be where they are wanted, welcomed, warmed, and watered. Ironic, isn’t it, that the one for whom Christmas is named, had no such place to go to?

How should a King come?
On a star-filled night an unlikely pair
Trudge into town, God's Son to bear;
And the only sound in the cobble-stoned street
Was the shuffle and the ring of their donkey's feet
And the King lay there in the virgin's womb,
For the Ruler of heaven, in the inn no room.
No coaches of gold, no purple-clad horsemen,
Just a babe in a manger, a few cows, and some oxen.
(Original version by Jimmy and Carol Owens, 1980)

No post-natal care, no newborn baby check, no proper baby clothes, no diapers, no shelter appropriate for a mother and child, no sanitary environment, no fireplace, nothing. Just a feeding trough.

For you know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though He was rich,
yet for your sake
He became poor,
so that you
through His poverty
might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9

And indeed, we have so become. Rich, because of a God …

… who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places in Christ …
Ephesians 1:3

Rich, because of a God …

… who is able to do
far more abundantly
beyond all that we ask or think …
Ephesians 3:20

Rich, because of a God …

… who according to His great mercy
has caused us to be born again
to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead,
to obtain an inheritance …
reserved in heaven for you.
1 Peter 1:3–4

Rich, indeed! And not just spiritually.

Now He who supplies
seed to the sower …
will supply and multiply
your seed for sowing and
increase the harvest …;
you will be enriched
in everything for all liberality.
2 Corinthians 9:10–11

God’s giving to us ungrudgingly and unsparingly is to enable us, in turn, to give to others. As did David and Angela. As did the Macedonian church that Paul applauds.

… in a great ordeal of affliction
their abundance of joy
and their deep poverty
overflowed in the wealth
of their liberality.
For I testify that
according to their ability,
and beyond their ability,
they gave of their own accord,
… but they first gave themselves
to the Lord and to us
by the will of God.
2 Corinthians 8:2–3, 5

Rich brothers and sisters in Christ, giving ourselves first to the Lord, dedicating our all for Him, let us also give liberally. And may we adopt it as a lifestyle, for Christmas, New Year, and beyond.

GLORY!

Our church had its Carol Services last Sunday evening—a service made up Scripture readings, songs of celebration, and a sermon. A wonderful time of meditating upon the significance of the season. (I hadn’t experienced many of these services since my days in India decades ago, so this was especially enjoyable, a Christmas tradition I was returning to!)

Up in the front of the church was a delightful nativity scene that caught my attention with the fascinating plays of brightness and shadow upon the silhouettes of those in the manger. Chiaroscuro, the scintillating artistic dialogue between contrasting light and darkness. And quite appropriate, I thought, for the Scriptures declared, almost seven centuries before Jesus Christ, …

Arise, shine,
for your light has come,
And the glory of the LORD
has risen upon you.
For behold,
darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the LORD will rise upon you
And His glory
will appear upon you.
Isaiah 60:1–2

The plays of light and darkness. Only, in this case, the Light completely trumped darkness. It was the victory of the chiaro (brightness) over the oscuro (darkness). Glory overwhelmed evil.

I will make darkness into light ….
Isaiah 42:16

And it did happen. Two thousand years ago. God became man. Eternity intersected temporality. Immanuel. God with us. He has come! To us, the ones enshrouded in “deep darkness”, the ones enervated by the wickedness of the world, our own sinful flesh, and the wiles of Satan. He has come to the ones entrapped in sin, to the ones entombed in death.

The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
Isaiah 9:2

The Light of the world. The glory of God has appeared in the form of the God-man Christ Jesus, He whose robe is the light.

And the Word became flesh,
and dwelt among us,
and we saw His glory,
glory as of the only begotten
from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

On that silent night, that holy night, the Son of God, love’s pure light, indeed, became man. The glory of God shone as radiant beams from His holy face, and there dawned that day the new morn of redeeming grace. Christ the Savior is born. He has come. Light has been crowned!

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”
Charles Wesley, 1739

No wonder the Nicene creed declared in 325 A.D. that Jesus Christ was the “Light of Light, very God of very God”, manifesting the fullness, essence, and glory of deity. Shadows dispelled. Glory triumphant!

“I am the Light of the world;
the one who follows Me
will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12

Rejoice! The glory of the LORD has been revealed in the incarnation. And soon it will be revealed in all its magnificence at the Second Advent of Christ.

… the glory of the LORD
will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD
has spoken.
Isaiah 40:5

And on that day and thenceforth …

… you will have the LORD
for an everlasting light,
And your God for your glory.
… and the days of your mourning
will be over.
Isaiah 60:19–20

Rejoice! The end has begun!

RESCUE!

Last week, at quite short notice, my services were commandeered to preach Sunday evening at church. I decided to stick with the Christmas theme, but from a different angle. I preached on the five women in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Several years ago, I had done each of these personages one sermon at a time—“Ladies-in-Waiting”. However, this time around, not having the luxury of five occasions to repeat this exercise, I collapsed the five sermons into one. Bold me!

The inclusion of these rather unlikely, uncongenial, unusual, and unflattering characters (and that’s putting it mildly) in the lineage of our Lord is, I believe, clear indication of the truth that God can use anybody … even you and me! God can use us, no matter who we are, what we are, and where we are; so let’s do something bold for Him this Christmas.

Do something bold for Christ. That was something I needed to hear. Especially in the arena of being a witness for the Lord. Do something bold for Christ. Go rescue some souls! The pathos of Fanny Crosby’s hymn hits hard. Let me quote it in full ….

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;
He will forgive if they only believe.

Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.

Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.
Fanny Crosby, 1869

Or as the Scriptures enjoin us …

And have mercy on some,
who are doubting;
save others,
snatching them out of the fire ….
Jude 22–23

Boldly engage the world. For the ministry of reconciliation has been entrusted to us …

… namely, that God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself,
… and He has committed to us
the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are
ambassadors for Christ,
as though God were making
an appeal through us:
“we beg you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.”
2 Corinthians 5:19–20

Boldly we must engage the world. Not that we accomplish anything on our own, of course.

For God, who said,
"Light shall shine
out of darkness,"
is the One who has shone
in our hearts to give
the Light of the knowledge
of the glory of God
in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure
in earthen vessels,
so that the surpassing greatness
of the power will be of God
and not from ourselves.
2 Corinthians 4:6–7

May He take what we have to offer—our pitiful portions, our trembling testimonies, unpolished, unskilled, and unsound—and utilize them for the furtherance His Kingdom, for exaltation of His glory.

Boldly engage the world. And why not do so this Christmas?

P.S. That picture is not a recent one. Just looking at it warms me up in these dreary, dull, dark, damp days of winter.

TIME!

One fateful day in 1987, while negotiating for the release of Western hostages in Beirut on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Terry Waite, the Anglican prelate’s representative, was himself taken hostage. He remained in captivity for 1,760 days, many of which were in solitary confinement. In the account of his ordeals, Taken On Trust, Waite wrote:

The thing I find most worrying
is not being able to measure
the passing of time.
If I am to keep myself together,
I must find some means of doing this.

Imagine navigating through life without access to a clock or calendar of any kind. Total disorientation! Chaos! Human functioning is utterly dependent on time-keeping. We have watches, clocks, calendars, schedulers, and all kinds of gizmos and gadgets to keep us on the track of time. So it is not odd, then, that Christians, too, through the centuries have considered spiritual time-keeping to be critical to their identity and activity in this world. But even more than that, believers have found it helpful—even essential—to keep track of time in special ways that bring to memory God’s activity among us, the intersection of the eternal with the temporal, God’s work in time. The spiritual clock that churches have followed has been the church calendar. Weekly, Christians gather to worship and remember the Lord’s resurrection. And through the year, believers remind themselves of God’s acts in their midst—Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Epiphany, Lent, Advent.

Unfortunately, churches seem to be more diligent about celebrating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day than Advent or Pentecost or Lent. We need to rethink spiritual time-keeping to focus our otherwise scattered attention upon the confluence of the work of God and the world of mankind, forcing us to reckon with the acts of God on a time-line.

Today, of course, is the First Sunday of “Advent” (“coming” or “arrival”). Because it precedes Christmas, many have understood Advent to be exclusively a time to get ready to celebrate the coming of the Christ Child in Bethlehem. Actually, the focus of Advent is not only on the First Coming but also on the Second! It is also the celebration of the promise that Christ is coming and that this will bring an end to all that is contrary to the ways of God; the Great Reversal is at hand. Advent—He’s coming! Rejoice! We’re out of here!

Therefore be patient, brethren,
until the coming of the Lord.
The farmer waits
for the precious produce
of the soil,
being patient about it,
until it gets the early and late rains.
You too be patient;
strengthen your hearts, for
the coming of the Lord is near.
James 5:7–8

We are not aimlessly wandering in a wilderness, even though it often seems as we are. We are not meandering in this world lost, orphaned, and alone, though it might appear to be the case. Rather, history is headed somewhere, directed by God, orchestrated by Him, choreographed by Him, clocked by Him, and Advent is a signpost to that end—the central focus of the glorious purpose of God: the Great Reversal. The reign of God is coming. Prepare ye the way of the Lord! Soon, and very soon, we are going to see the King!

For the grace of God
has appeared,
bringing salvation to all men,
instructing us
to deny ungodliness
and worldly desires
and to live sensibly,
righteously and godly
in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope
and the appearing
of the glory
of our great God and Savior,
Christ Jesus.

Titus 2:11–13

HEAVENS!

One of the delights in attending worship at High Hilton Church, here in Aberdeen, is the music. Quite a change from the mélange of styles that I’d been accustomed to in the U.S. Actually this is a harking back to the sounds and strains from my growing-up days in India. Organ music and some terrific, “old-fashioned” congregational singing. Marvelous. Not that I have anything against amplified instruments, but, honestly, I really don’t mind the break. No, not at all!

And Drew! A gem of an organist, he’s been in the business of producing music for churches for decades. His operation of the keys and pedals is sensitive, skilled, stylish. Stirring with the voluntaries. Sparkling in his improvisation. Serious about Bach. What more could one want! Oh, and did I mention spiritual?

The other day, Sunday morning fell as usual upon Aberdeen, dreich (damp and dismal), rainin’ auld wives and pipe staples (coming down in gallons); it was right attery (stormy) that morning with the tousle (blustery) wind rather snell (biting), making everyone fair jeelit (icy cold). In other words, it “stunk” (from the Latin “stink, stank, stunk”)!

There was the usual hubbub in church before the service commenced—some folks catching up on the week’s happenings, other folks (yours faithfully, for instance) complaining bitterly about the weather and bemoaning their fate (and missing the glorious 100°F / 38°C mercuries of Texas). All of a sudden … did I hear it right? Yes, Drew was playing. No, it couldn’t be that. Not today. Not this morning of all mornings. Yes, it was! Indeed, it was!! Praise God, it was!!!

Franz Josef Haydn (1732–1807). No. 14 from his oratorio The Creation. The mighty chorus (with soli) “Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes” (“The heavens are telling the glory of God”). Grand and glorious. Click here for a minute of this great piece!

The Heavens are telling the glory of God,
The wonder of his work displays the firmament.
In all the lands resounds the word.
Never unperceived, ever understood.
The Heavens are telling the glory of God.

Taken straight from Psalm 19.

The heavens are telling
of the glory of God.
And their expanse is declaring
the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech,
nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Psalms 19:1–3

And I couldn’t help wondering that dank, damp, and dreary morning—What a choice of a prelude! And how true! Reality is what is beyond vision and sense, what is beyond cloud and storm. Reality is who God is, what God says, where God is. Truth!

Therefore, the Scriptures enjoin us …

Set your mind on the things above,
not on the things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2

For we are now partakers of a new Reality, a better Reality, an eternal Reality. That is why in these days of darkness, dire situations, and desperate happenings, we are bidden to be of good courage. We belong elsewhere.

… knowing that while
we are at home in the body
we are absent from the Lord
—for we walk by faith
not by sight—
we are of good courage ….
2 Corinthians 5:6–8

The heavens may be gray and dull, hard and unyielding, thundering and sleeting. But with one voice they are declaring the glory of their Creator, our great God. He reigns! Child of God, be of good courage! And let’s join the heavens to proclaim Him!

BRIDE?

Nope! Not me!

In case you were hoping to be receiving a wedding invitation shortly, forget about it. I ain’t invitin’ nobody. Cos’ I ain’t getting’ married.

Nope! Not me!

I have no clue how that bridal garment turned up in my closet in the Morgans’ household—my dwelling place in DFW during these peripatetic days of my life. I didn’t do it. Honest! It just showed up there.

You can rest easy. You are not going to have to shell out cash for the wedding gift. Neither am I, for rings and roses, photographers and preachers, hairdos and honeymoons, and other such paraphernalia and personages that are the staple accompaniment of nuptial rites.

Nope! Not me!

But come to think about it, that white outfit with a long train is not a bad one for a Christian. For you, see, the Christian, as part of the church, is part of that corporate body considered the “bride of Christ.”

In his treatise on marriage, Paul writes to husbands and wives, often comparing their relationship to the one between Christ and the church.

… as Christ also is the head of the church …
… as the church is subject to Christ …
… just as Christ also [...] the church.
… with reference to Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:23, 24, 29

Husbands are enjoined to love their wives …

… just as Christ loved the church
and gave Himself up for her;
that He might sanctify her,
having cleansed her
by the washing of water
with the word,
that He might present
to Himself the church
in all her glory.
having no spot or wrinkle
or any such thing;
but that she should be
holy and blameless.
Ephesians 5:25

(No spots? No wrinkles? We dermatologists will go bankrupt!)

Anyway ...

That remarkable metaphor of the church being the betrothed bride of Christ is carried through to the end-times. The book of Revelation suggests that there is going to be some kind of magnificent wedding feast—the marriage supper of the Lamb—to celebrate this grand union.

Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God,
the Almighty, reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give the glory to Him,
for the marriage
of the Lamb has come
and His bride
has made herself ready.
Revelation 19:6–7

That’s interesting. The “bride has made herself ready.” Christians ready themselves to be with their Savior. The next verse tells us how.

And it was given to her
to clothe herself in fine linen,
bright and clean;
for the fine linen
is the righteous acts
of the saints.
Revelation 19:8

While it is Christ Himself who cleanses us (Ephesians 5:25–27), it is also the responsibility of the bride to live righteously. This is akin to the “paradox” found a little earlier in Ephesians.

For by grace
you have been saved
through faith …
it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works ….
Ephesians 2:8–9

Yet there is a responsibility that falls upon the believer.

For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus
for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10

And this let us do, as the “bride of Christ”, taking care to walk by faith, trusting in His grace that enables us to responsibly conduct ourselves in a manner pleasing to our Lord.

… walk in a manner
worthy of the Lord,
to please Him in all respects,
bearing fruit in every good work ….
Colossians 1:10

Let us make ourselves ready! No spot. No wrinkle. Blemishless.

KING!

I was there all of last week. In Midland, TX, approximately 300 miles west of our fair city, Dallas. The former is a metropolis about 100,000 strong that sits on the Permian Basin—source of a fifth of the nation’s petroleum and natural gas. It also has the distinction of being the hometown of current U.S. President, George W. Bush, and his wife Laura. Actually the President was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but was raised and married in Midland (to a local lass, Laura). And it was in this town that I had the delightful privilege of seeing dermatology patients for five days, filling in for a fellow-physician on vacation (Thanks, all of y’all, office and clinic staff, for the pleasant and productive week!)

The fact that I set foot upon soil trodden by a sitting President is, of course, not a big deal. No credit accrues to me. No honor spills over upon me. No luster is lent to my reputation for having had a connection, and that a rather tenuous one, with the hometown of the chief executive of the United States. Nothing for me to boast about.

There is, however, another association I have with another Executive, the Chief of all other chieftains, sheikhs, tsars, bigwigs, and potentates—an association that I can proudly boast about.

But He who boasts
is to boast in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 10:17

… for he is Lord of lords,
and King of kings.
Revelation 17:14

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I am a child of God, a son of the King.

See how great a love
the Father has bestowed on us,
that we would be called
children of God.
1 John 3:1

Indeed, the Bible asserts that all believers, as children of this Real King, the True King, the Only King—the King who never loses referendums, elections, or battles—are corporately a kingdom of priests, a royal priesthood.

… and He [Jesus Christ]
has made us to be a kingdom,
priests to His God and Father ….
Revelation 1:6

But you are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for God’s own possession,
so that you may proclaim
the excellencies of Him
who has called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9

A singular calling indeed. A unique honor. An august entitlement. A calling that has some magnificent consequences.

You have made them to be
a kingdom and priests to our God;
and they will reign upon the earth.
Revelation 5:10

The children of the King will rule! What a glorious privilege. But this honor is not without present responsibilities.

… you also, as living stones,
are being built up
as a spiritual house
for a holy priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5

Spiritual sacrifices comprising our talents, gifts, resources, means, time, and, indeed, our own lives, our—everything.

Therefore I urge you, brethren,
by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies
a living and holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service
of worship.
Romans 12:1

This is the will of God. This is the inescapable duty that accompanies our calling.
His pervasive “kingship” includes everybody, overshadows everything, owns all. Therefore to Him, everything is owed. We and all ours. A living and holy sacrifice to the King.

BOTH!

I had Tex-Mex last night at that notable institution in Dallas, Luna de Noche. For those of you non-connoisseurs of that delectable branch of gastronomic delights, Tex-Mex is an odd juxtaposition of culinary characteristics creating something entirely new … and mucho delicioso! For those of us, its ardent aficionados, it is a regional American cuisine with roots going back to the hybridization of Texas/native American and Mexican influences over several centuries, a mélange characterized by cumin, chiles, cabrito, carne, and lots of cheese! Not something one can lay hands upon with ease in Scotland, I engorged myself on this coalescence of the idiosyncrasies of Texan cooking and Mexican cuisine.

As I write this, I am reminded of another “mixture”, one of tremendous significance for the followers of Christ: we claim that Jesus Christ was both human and divine, two natures in one person. How exactly can one speak of the divinity and humanity of Christ? Is the nature of Christ a new product, a tertium quid, a third other—the “humandivine” amalgam (“texmex”)? Is He more human than divine (“TEX-Mex”) or more divine than human (“Tex-MEX”)? Does both human and divine natures undergo some change in the blending process (“txe-mxe”)? Or perhaps Christ’s human and divine natures remain separate and isolated (“Tex / Mex”)?

What do the Scriptures assert? Of course, there is no formal statement that defines the nature of Christ in a particular chapter and verse. Instead, Christ’s nature is in “solution” form in the Bible and must be “crystallized” out from various texts.

He is God:

Christ according to the flesh,
who is over all,
God blessed forever.
Romans 9:5

For in Him
all the fullness of Deity
dwells in bodily form.
Colossians 2:9

… our great God and Savior,
Christ Jesus.
Titus 2:13

He is man:

For there is one God,
and one mediator
also between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 2:5

God sent forth His Son,
born of a woman.
Galatians 4:4

Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:3

The formal proclamation of this bedrock of doctrine dealing with the humanity and divinity of Christ was hammered out at the Church Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451). In carefully chosen terms, Chalcedon defined the biblical and orthodox understanding of what it meant to say that Jesus Christ was both human and divine: “We confess that one and the same Christ, Lord, and only-begotten Son, is to be acknowledged in two natures without confusion, change, division, or separation.”

A mystery—fully God and fully man, a 200% person, the God-man! How a single person can possess two natures is beyond our comprehension. But this is the testimony of the Bible and we must hold it to be true. If Christ were not divine, he couldn’t have saved us—only God could have been perfect enough to pay the infinite price to purchase our salvation. If He were not man, he couldn’t have died for us, in our place, substituting His life in place of ours, when we were the ones who deserved the punishment for sin.

Praise God! Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. Our Savior, our Redeemer!

He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient
to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
For this reason also,
God highly exalted Him, …
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow …
and that every tongue
will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:8–11

Tex-Mex will never be the same again!

ALWAYS!

Last week was a special one for the “Dawgs”—the motley bunch of (mostly) divinity postgrad students who get together for prayer weekly (another posting on the aBeLOG a while ago portrayed those canines). Our high chief Dawg—top Dawg?—is now done with his studies. Tom is now Dr. Dawg! He blazed through his viva voce, with his examiners requiring hardly any corrections to his thesis, outside of the obligatory typos and such.

The rest of us are still humble Dawgs, barking and growling our way to a hopefully successful conclusion to this dog-fight. Every Dawg, they say, has its day.

The interesting thing about these Dawgs—current and erstwhile: the strong bond that developed during student days here at the University of Aberdeen, continues to glue the whole kennel together; the Dawgs of the Diaspora still keep in touch, the emails roaming across the globe from one Dawg to another; the congratulatory missives to the latest Dawg to acquire a Ph.D., Canis helveticus (Tom is Swiss), came from several continents.

You see, Once a Dawg, always a Dawg! Undogging is an impossibility. Canis medicus, I’ll always be!

There’s one other thing that I’ll always be. SAVED! An always-saved Dawg!

God is so good to have once for all taken care of my sins—past, present, and future.

Therefore there is now
no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1

In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all my sins, as the song goes, have been washed away in the blood of lamb. And once washed, always washed. Eternally secure, praise God! Secure in the hands of a mighty Savior, who said …

"This is the will of Him
who sent Me,
that of all that He has given Me
I lose nothing,
but raise it up on the last day."
John 6:39

Secured not only from condemnation, but secured unto eternal life.

"My sheep hear My voice,
and I know them,
and they follow Me;
and I give eternal life to them,
and they will never perish."
John 10:27

Indeed, the Bible affirms, eternal life is actually a present possession for the one who has placed one’s trust in Jesus Christ as God and Saviour.

He who believes in the Son
has eternal life.
John 3:36

What a joyous truth is eternal security, sustaining, succoring, and stabilizing one amidst the vagaries of life and the vicissitudes of living. What a blessed hope is that of eternity secure! A glorious day about to dawn in the future. In Christ that life, forever sure.

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
J. Wilbur Chapman, 1908

And why do I hold all this to be true? Because it is guaranteed in the Scriptures …

… the hope of eternal life,
which God, who cannot lie,
promised long ages ago.
Titus 1:2

What can we say to these things then? Nothing much needs to be said, except to echo, on bended knee, the words of Peter …

Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according
to His great mercy
has caused us
to be born again
to a living hope
through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to obtain an inheritance
which is imperishable
and undefiled
and will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you,
who are protected
by the power of God ….
1 Peter 1:3–5

Always, always a saved Dawg!

SHEPHERD!

That’s Peter and his wife, Eleanor. Pete is the minister at the church I attend here in Aberdeen. A remarkable couple, they have been at our church for a little over a decade, and God has been doing some wonderful things in this local body of Christ through the hand of this one, His shepherd. A vitality of faith, a vigor for evangelism, a vision for the world, a vibrant orthodoxy, and an enviable volunteerism marks this assembly of believers. In no small part, Pete’s leadership has played a significant role in the building up of the church.

We have been blessed by our shepherd, our minister. His heart is huge, his smile warm, his loyalty staunch, his encouragement heartening, his humility genuine, his passion for the Word contagious, his perseverance dogged, his home and table open. The God he serves must be a God of love, the Shepherd he emulates must be a God of tenderness, the Lord he is devoted to must be a God of grace, the Master he obeys must be a God of mercy … for Pete’s God is visible in his life.

This is the God of whom Isaiah writes …

Like a shepherd
He will tend His flock,
In His arm
He will gather the lambs
And carry them
in His bosom;
He will gently lead
the nursing ewes.
Isaiah 40:11

That’s what all of those the pastors, ministers, and elders are to be exerting themselves to do—shepherd. This is the task of our leaders—shepherding. This is why they have been gifted by Christ to the church—to shepherd.

To shepherd enthusiastically …

Shepherd the flock of God
among you,
exercising oversight
not under compulsion,
but voluntarily,
according to the will of God …
1 Peter 5:2a

To shepherd eagerly …

… and not for sordid gain,
but with eagerness.
1 Peter 5:2b

To shepherd exemplarily …

… nor yet as lording it
over those allotted
to your charge,
but proving to be
examples to the flock.
1 Peter 5:3

That’s Pete, right there! Great will be his reward!

And when
the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive
the unfading crown of glory.
1 Peter 5:4

(No, Eleanor hasn’t promised me cheesecake for writing this—she does create a great concoction—but, should she feel like making one for me after reading this, I will not be so ungracious and discourteous as to decline her magnanimous offer!)

And the rest of us—the sheep—are called to honor these leaders of ours.

The elders who rule well
are to be considered
worthy of double honor,
especially those
who work hard
at preaching and teaching.
1 Timothy 5:17

This matter of honoring goes beyond an attitude of respect and an affectation of reverence towards them. We are called to do no less than imitate them—in the Christlikeness they manifest.

Remember those who led you,
who spoke the word of God to you;
and considering
the result of their conduct,
imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:7

And the writer of Hebrews exhorts us in that same chapter with verbs some might call “politically incorrect” …

Obey your leaders
and submit to them,
for they keep watch
over your souls
as those who will give an account.
Let them do this with joy
and not with grief,
for this would be
unprofitable for you.
Hebrews 13:17

May God help us to do that—honor, imitate, obey, and submit. And let's not forget to pray for these our shepherds, as well, often and regularly. May we be blessed and profited through their self-sacrificing lives, as they model Christ for us, for the glory of God!

FEAR!

Initium sapientiae timor domini it proclaims proudly in gold from the fancy arch in regal Latin. The motto of the University of Aberdeen (est. 1495). Impressive. Especially when one figures out that it translates a verse of Scripture.

The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 9:10

Appropriate for an institution of learning. Appropriate for such an establishment as this that was essentially founded by a religious office: Bishop Elphinstone (1431–1514), bishop of Aberdeen, inaugurated the University’s King’s College which houses the Department of Divinity and Religious Studies—my current home base. Appropriate that we tread this acclaimed ground, traverse that august quadrangle, and trace those ancient cobblestones remembering that the first (initial) step of obtaining wisdom is developing a fear of the LORD. The divine origin of wisdom is explicitly affirmed in the book of Proverbs.

For the LORD gives wisdom;
from His mouth come
knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:6

This “fear” that is spoken about in Proverbs is, in essence, reverential awe. It doesn’t stop with a respectful attitude to deity, though, for the fear of the LORD always results in a code of conduct appropriate to that deferential disposition.

Abraham, in the era of that patriarch, disparaged the moral atmosphere of a local ruler’s court by declaring

There is no fear of God in this place ….
Genesis 20:11

And take the midwives of Egypt, commanded to kill Israelite babies, in the days of Moses’ birth; they refused to commit infanticide because, Scripture tells us twice, “they feared God” (Exodus 1:17, 21). The fear of the LORD has some protective effects, undoubtedly. It keeps us on the straight and narrow.

By the fear of the LORD
one keeps away from evil.
Proverbs 16:6

No wonder we are highly recommended to obtain this kind of wisdom—the acquisition of which commences with the development of the fear of the LORD. Indeed, God desires that we fear Him, for our own sakes. He wishes …

Oh that they had
such a heart in them that
they would fear Me, and keep
all My commandments always,
that it may be well with them
and with their sons forever!
Deuteronomy 5:29

Keeping us from evil, keeping us close to God, and, interestingly, keeping us close to our fellowmen, as well. For, you see, such a fear of the LORD also manifests in our interpersonal relationships.

So you shall not wrong one another,
but you shall fear your God;
for I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 25:17

A remarkable cure for the ills of the world! The fear of the LORD.

And if we think such a God cannot be loved, we are mistaken.

… what does the LORD your God
require from you,
but to fear the Lord your God,
to walk in all His ways
and love Him,
and to serve the LORD your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 10:12

All of this begins, of course, with a recognition of His holiness, a comprehension of our sinfulness, and a location of our trust in the LORD Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin. The fear of the LORD should lead us to that point of faith and belief.

And thence to continue in a life marked by a fear the LORD, …

… you shall not fear other gods,
nor bow down yourselves to them ….
But the LORD …
Him you shall fear,
and to Him
you shall bow yourselves down ….
2 Kings 17:35–36

We worship you, O God, the LORD we fear … and love!

FELLOWSHIP!

Hey, did you hear the joke about the Irishman, the Englishman, and the American?

We won’t go there!

I confess it might be hard on the surface of things (i.e., based on cutaneous melanin distribution) to figure out who’s who in the picture—who is the Irish, the English, and the American. There’s David (the Irishman) and his wife Angela (and another incubating), Ro and Rita (all English), and yours faithfully sworn to fidelity to the good ole’ US of A.

All three of the guys are working on their PhDs in New Testament here at the University of Aberdeen. And we attend the same church. Fellows in the same ship. It does something to the shipmates and to their relationships with one another, especially when tempests rage and tumults roar (read “advisors disparage and workloads soar”).

But it is even better to know that in the same ship is the One who created it all and us all.

Whether the wrath of the storm-toss’d sea
Or demons, or men, or whatever it be
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies!
Mary A. Baker, 1874

The fact remains, however, that unlike Christ’s physical presence with the disciples in the sinking boat, God’s tangible and visible presence is not with us. I can’t help but think that that is what makes koinonia (fellowship) even more powerful—the presence of Christ with us … in our brothers and sisters.

Right after Paul affirms to the Philippians …

I can do all things
through Him [Christ]
who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

… he asserts …

Nevertheless, you have
done well to share [koinoneo]
with me in my affliction.
Philippians 4:14

The one who asserted he could do all things through Christ declares his need of support from his fellow-Christians! Hmmm…. Perhaps the strengthening by Christ occurs both through His indwelling Spirit within us and through Christ within our fellows-in-the-same-ship. No wonder believers need each other. No wonder believers cannot do without one another. No wonder Paul exhorts …

Therefore since there is …
that fellowship
[created by] the Spirit,
… make my joy complete
by being of the same mind,
maintaining the same love,
united in spirit,
intent on one purpose.
Philippians 2:1–2

It too easy to surmise that we can do it all on our own—we don’t need any help, we don’t need a hand. We’re heroes, not helpless humans.

Or so we suppose!

Listen to what Paul tells Philemon:

Yes, brother, let me
benefit from you
in the Lord;
refresh my heart
in Christ.
Philemon 20

We need one another. We need others’ help. We need their refreshment, encouragement, and investment in our lives. That is certainly one of the ways God works in and for us. Let us always recognize the presence of Christ with us in our fellow-Christians—for they are His arms, His hands are theirs, and His heart, and His mind, and His love, …

… so that there may be
no division in the body,
but that the members
may have the same care
for one another.
1 Corinthians 12:25

No, parts of the same body cannot survive independently. So let’s commit ourselves to fellowship, to thrive in it, to relish it, to be ministered unto by Christ … in our fellow-believers.

… let us consider how to
stimulate one another
to love and good deeds,
not forsaking our own
assembling together, …
but encouraging one another;
and all the more as you see
the day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24–25

NOW!

Nope, that’s not a fine exemplar of the Aberdeen-Angus variety of the genus Bos, subfamily Bovinae, family Bovidae, a.k.a. “cattle”. This beast with the beady eye and baleful glance, bearing those bent things on its brow, was betraying a less-than-benign bias against me, and so, before it began to behave in bellicose fashion, and before I was beset by bane, I put distance between us. Beware! This is a Texas Longhorn!

All this to say, in other words, and to make a long story short, I was home this past week. One last chance to soak in some of the blazing North Texas summer heat before facing the frigid onslaught of another North Atlantic winter.

Of the martyrs that came out of the great tribulation and were now before the throne of God serving Him, John tells us in Revelation what an “elder” reported to him:

“He who sits on the throne
will spread His tabernacle over them.
They will hunger no longer,
nor thirst anymore;
nor will the sun
beat down on them,
nor any heat ….”
Revelation 7:15–16

“Any” heat? I sure hope it ain’t cold out there; hyperbole, I hope it is, on the part of the elder. And does no more hunger mean no more food, water, and other culinary concoctions? Of which, needless to say, I had my fill and more on my recent trip, thanks to the exquisite epicurean enchantments in the homes of family and friends. Believe it or not, it wasn’t hard to keep off JIF for a few days!

I like the following bit though.

“… for the Lamb
in the center of the throne
will be their shepherd,
and will guide them
to springs of the water of life;
and God will wipe
every tear from their eyes."
Revelation 7:17

That’s good stuff. No more sad tones. Except for those who like beaches. To them, my condolences!

And I saw [John writes]
a new heaven and a new earth …
and there is no longer any sea.
Revelation 21:1

It’s interesting, but other than generalities like this—and how much of that is figure of speech?—God has chosen to leave us mostly in the dark about the afterlife. Enough to make us yearn. Enough holes in our souls to enable us to realize there is wholeness only sometime later, somewhere there, with Someone. But hardly enough to whet our appetites or sate our curiosities. And I suppose, there is good reason for this divine reticence.

Though the future should spur us on, we must not forget we live in the present, here on this planet, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, amongst our fellow-humans. We live in the “now,” not in the “then.”

In a letter intended to correct the misunderstandings of the Thessalonians regarding the “end”, Paul wrote about this “now.”

… we command and exhort [you]
in the Lord Jesus Christ
to work in quiet fashion and
eat [your] own bread .... [and]
do not grow weary of doing good.
2 Thessalonians 3:12–13

So let our lives now be characterized by sobriety, hard work, and well-doing.

Therefore be careful
how you walk,
not as unwise men but as wise,
making the most of your time,
because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15–16

Short days. Brief days. Transient days. Let’s be wise in their expenditure, utilizing them maximally to serve God with all He has given us, for His glory, for the furtherance of His kingdom, for the edification of His people.

YOUTHS!

It was a terrific time. Florida. And West Palm Beach, to boot! With a bunch of energetic, effervescent, ebullient college kids. What fun!

Last week was Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) University’s Christival, where I had the delightful privilege of bringing God’s Word to these young adults in five sessions over three days.

Leading them in worship each session was a great band. Quite a change from the pipe-organ accompanied congregational singing I’ve gotten used to in Scotland. (The thumps of the bass drum and bass guitar gave my heart a good workout! I can indulgently go back to my JIF diet now!!).

That’s the band, a couple of the student leaders, and the campus pastor, Bernie (a DTS alumnus), in the picture.

It was, for me, a rare opportunity to connect with young adults both in the large gatherings and over dinner and a Q&A session with a group of guys who meet weekly at 6:00 am for a Bible Study on campus.

If you didn’t know it already, let me tell you that zeal for God, and passion for Christ, and fervency in Spirit, have not died out and will not die out with us old fuddy-duddies! A vital faith, a vigorous belief system, a conviction not lacking in verve, all centered around God and His work in His world, characterizes these youngsters. It was refreshing to hear of what our great God was doing on that campus as, I’m sure, He is in many other campuses across the country and across the world. Praise God!

For what thanks
can we render to God
for you in return
for all the joy with
which we rejoice
before our God
on your account ….
1 Thessalonians 3:9

Spare a prayer, often, for these students will you? They are the ones who will bear the burden of broadcasting the blessings of Christ and brightening a bleak world with the beacon of the Good News. It’s a tough life for these young ones on college (and high school) campuses amidst the current agnostic and antagonistic climate pervading most educational institutions, not to mention the inimical wiles of the evil one that they have to withstand.

May our great God bless their endeavors to live lives pleasing to Him.

In this you greatly rejoice,
even though now
for a little while, if necessary,
you have been distressed
by various trials,
so that the proof of your faith,
being more precious
than gold which is perishable,
even though tested by fire,
may be found to result
in praise and glory and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ ….
1 Peter 1:6–7

And it would be exceedingly remiss of me not to mention the self-effacing, self-denying, self-sacrificing team of men and women mentoring and guiding these students in colleges and academies like PBA and elsewhere. Three cheers for these dedicated souls—the campus pastors, faculty resource persons, administrative aides, student leaders, and others of that notable ilk, laboring hard and striving behind the scenes to point and direct many to a closer walk with God.

We give thanks to God
always for you all,
making mention of you
in our prayers;
remembering without ceasing
your work of faith,
and labour of love,
and patience of hope ….
1 Thessalonians 1:2–3

Their reward will be great.

For God is not unjust
so as to forget your work
and the love
which you have shown
toward His name,
in having ministered
and in still ministering ….
Hebrews 6:10

May there be many more of these—mentors and maturing believers, Pauls and Timothys—and may God’s blessings be richly upon them all!

BIRTHDAY!

It’s been about a year. As I prepared to depart for places beyond the Atlantic this time last year, the aBeLOG was launched as a tool to apprise well-wishers of my goings-on, whereabouts, and antics. I must confess I have enjoyed finding my cyberspace “voice” over the ensuing months of blogging, the pressure of filing a post weekly, the attempt to be a creative chronicler.

And barely is one week’s item docked, when next Sunday rolls up, without fanfare, warning, or excuse. Sundays just keep on a-comin'!

So, perhaps the best lesson I’ve learnt from twelve months in the blogosphere has been the one about keeping my eyes and ears open to God and His activities and presence all around me, in my life, with my work, on my travels …. To remember what God has done, to remember to attend to what God is doing, and to remember that God will continue to do.

Always working, He is, indeed, even when our bodies are frail, our limbs fatigued, our feelings frayed, our minds frazzled. He still works … in and through it all.

He who keeps you
will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 121:3–4

In fact, the gracious God that He is, this unsleeping one, is even “en-gracing” us while we slumber. Therefore, the psalmist admonishes us, “Relax!”

It is vain for you
to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread
of painful labors;
For He gives
to His beloved
even in his sleep.
Psalm 127:2

This is a God who constantly cares for each of His children, lavishing the length and breadth and height and depth of His magnificent love upon us in Christ Jesus, from which love nothing—NOTHING!—can separate us. And, if we keep our senses attuned to God and His love, we can see His fingerprints in our lives—moments of His grace, mementos of His mercy, motions of His power, mentions of His peace. We can catch glimpses of the very image of God in our fellow humans, the mind of Christ in our fellow believers, and the fruit of the Spirit in our fellow pilgrims walking with us on this journey called life. And most clearly of all, in the Word, the inscripturated text of the Bible, we discover the Way of salvation, the absolute Truth, and the true Life we can be a part of.

And I am learning to watch for these. From the despair of leaving all, to the delights of finding new friends in Christ. From the disasters of missed flights, to depth of God’s love shown to me from unexpected quarters. From the discouragements of life in foreign lands, to the dazzling glimpses of God’s grace in and through difficulties. I am learning to watch. I am beginning to see. I am teaching myself to share. And you know what? All of this helps me trust when I can’t follow what He’s doing, can’t fathom why He’s doing, can’t feel when He’s doing!

So let’s continue to look for Him all around ourselves. Rumors of the immortal. Radiance of the invisible. Revelation of the God only wise.

For since the creation of the world
His invisible attributes,
His eternal power,
and divine nature,
have been clearly seen ….
Romans 1:20

Great Father of glory;
Pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore thee,
All veiling their sight;
All laud we would render;
O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor
Of light hideth thee!
Walter C. Smith, 1876

MISSED!

This week it’s been 22 years. Two decades and more, since she left us for places better, for a land that is fairer than day.

22 years. Significant for me. You see, I’m 44. She’s been gone now … half my life!

Still loved. Still remembered. Still missed. Affectionately. Achingly. Agonizingly.

A month or so after my mother’s death, a friend asked me over coffee, “So, Abe, hope you don’t mind my asking: How is life, after your mother’s passing?”

I didn’t know what to say. “Life after Mom,” I said, “is like … life after Mom.” There is nothing it can be compared to, no analogy, no likeness. It’s one of a kind. Life will never be the same. A life after Mom!

Wishing you were somehow here again
Wishing you were somehow near
The Phantom of the Opera
Charles Hart, 1986

But the God who took her home at the age of 51, to people eternity with tender and gracious ones like her, has been faithful. He is the one who always consoled His chosen people, Israel.

"As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you;
And you will be comforted
in Jerusalem."
Isaiah 66:13

And surely, He comforts us who are bereaved.

Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies
and God of all comfort,
who comforts us
in all our affliction ….
2 Corinthians 1:3–4

Though we address God as “Father,” just as our Lord did, it must not be forgotten that frequently God takes on maternal characteristics.

… He brought us forth
[gave birth to us]
by the word of truth ….
James 1:18

How precious is
Your lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men
take refuge
in the shadow of Your wings.
Psalm 36:7

God as mother? No, more than mother, for God declares ….

"Can a woman
forget her nursing child
And have no compassion
on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
but I will not forget you.
Behold, I have inscribed you
on the palms of My hands …. "
Isaiah 49:15

Hart’s lines (set to music by Webber) are depressing ….

No more memories, no more silent tears ...
Help me say goodbye ....

To that I say one word: NEVER!!!!!

Always remembered, she will be. Always missed, she will be. And “Goodbye?” Nonsense! Maybe “See you later”! For see her later, I will. As a matter of fact, come to think of it, “later” is very relative, isn’t it? In the light of eternity that is drawing nigh, “later” is just round the corner. Maybe better is, “Good night!”

Sleep on, belovèd, sleep, and take thy rest;
Lay down thy head upon the Savior’s breast;
We love thee well, but Jesus loves thee best;
Good night!

Only “Good night,” belovèd—not “farewell!”
A little while, and all His saints shall dwell
In hallowed unison indivisible—
Good night!
Sarah Doudney, 1871

We will meet, we will reunite, we will rejoice again, this time forever, in the presence of our Savior.

... and God Himself
will be among them,
and He will wipe away
every tear from their eyes;
and there will no longer
be any death;
there will no longer
be any mourning,
or crying, or pain;
the first things have passed away.
Revelation 21:3–4

Amen and Amen!

Sometimes I can hardly wait
For that sweet, sweet someday
When I'll be swept away
To another time and another place.
Sandi Patti, 1973

Come, Lord Jesus!

BABIES!

Babies. There are lots of things we like about them.They are cute. Playful. Their smiles. Innocence. Affection. So also in the Bible. Children, babies, and others of that tender age are lauded.

Without the simple faith of a child, an attitude of trust in Christ, salvation, Jesus says, is not possible.

“Truly I say to you,
whoever does not receive
the kingdom of God
like a child
will never enter it.”
Luke 18:17

In that sense, every believer is a child before God.

The Spirit Himself testifies …
that we are children of God.
Romans 8:16

Babies and children. Delightful. But, needless to say, there are also things we don’t like about them. Lots of things. They can be petulant. Noisy. Demanding. Selfish. Immature. (Just like adults!) The Scriptures do not hesitate to exhort each believer, every child of God, “Grow up!”

… like newborn babies, yearn
for the pure milk of the word,
so that by it you may grow ….
1 Peter 2:2

Growth is not the verses we know by heart or the hymns we can sing from memory. Growth is not the size of our checks in the offering basket or the years we have attended church. Growth is not the comprehension of the nuances of doctrine or the big names whose teaching we’ve imbibed. Growth is not the theological degrees we hold or the Sunday School classes we have taught.

Because we are, or should be, greedily devouring the living and abiding Word of God, the milk that enables us to grow in the Christian life, Peter exhorts us …

… fervently love one another
from the heart ….
1 Peter 1:22

The practical outworking of growth, that comes from the consumption of the milk of the Word—the food for babies—should be love for one another. The tangible fruit of growth must be love. It is not a doctrine-gauge or theology-assay or ministry-scale that measures our growth, but a love-meter. If I am a growing baby, I must be loving. If not …

… I am nothing ….
[Everything else] profits me nothing ….
1 Corinthians 13:2, 3

If we have not love, we are still babes—abnormal and aberrant—for we have not grown. How many years have I been a Christian, and how much have I grown, or … how much do I love?

Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is from God;
and everyone who loves
is born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:7

If we are truly children of God, we can love because we have been born again, this time not into a physical family, but into a spiritual one. And just as we naturally love those in our physical family, we must love those in our spiritual one.

The one sitting next to us in church, or the one we don’t like very much, or the one who looks down at us, and the one with whom we don’t have much in common, or the one whose name we’ve forgotten, the one who said something nasty to us 17 years, 3 months, and 4 days ago which we still haven’t forgotten. We think we can’t stand them? Listen, we are stuck with them for eternity. Let’s start loving them now …

… until we all attain
to the unity of the faith, …
to a mature man,
to the measure of the stature
… of Christ …
for the growth of the body,
the building up of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:13, 16

The growth of babies. Drink His Word in! Pour His love out!

MONEY!

Act I, Scene II, of Macbeth mentions “ten thousand dollars”. See, I knew there was a Scottish connection to the coinage of the USA (and to that of the Australians, Canadians, Bahamians, Fijians, Singaporeans, Liberians, Namibians, Zimbabweans, et alii)!

Some kind of money called “dollar” appears to have been extant in this bonnie land of Scotland in the 17th century; nonetheless, the reference in a play that is supposedly based on an 11th-century Macbeth MacFindleach (?) is quite anachronistic.

This Dollar (in the picture), however, is a small town (pop. 2,759) in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, the proud location of Castle Campbell, where Mary Queen of Scots once lived in the 16th century.

(I gave the castle a miss! And the town as well; I drove right through it, without even seeing it. I turned around just for the photograph. The sign was far too intriguing to skip.)

The name of this town apparently comes from the tale of a princess who died in the castle of a broken heart—so, ”Dollar,” derived from dolor, grief. Or perhaps from the Gaelic doilleir, dark and gloomy.

Appropriate, I figured. $$ brings dolor, making life doilleir.

For the love of money
is a root of all sorts of evil,
and some by longing for it
have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves
with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:10

By the way, this monetary focus of the Bible is quite telling: 288 verses in the four Gospels—a full 10%—deal with this issue. There are more verses on this topic than on heaven and hell combined! The Bible has about 500 references to prayer, about 500 to faith, but over 2,000 references to money and possessions! Money, folks, is a major spiritual issue, and usually in the negative sense.

No wonder Scripture casts a jaundiced eye upon lucre (always prefixed in the KJV New Testament with the adjective “filthy”).

Explicitly, Paul rules out of leadership those who are possessed by the love of money. Elders, he asserts, must be …

… free from the love of money.
1 Timothy 3:3

All believers are, instead, bidden to be content; the reason is forcefully brought home with a cascade of five negatives (in the original) in a single verse!

Make sure that your character is
free from the love of money,
being content with what you have;
for He Himself has said,
“I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU,
NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU” ….
Hebrews 13:5

The sufficiency of God, His supply of our need, the succor of His grace, the security of His love … what more do we need?

For we have brought nothing
into the world, so we cannot
take anything out of it either.
If we have food and covering,
with these we shall be content.
1 Timothy 6:7–8

Money doesn’t relieve dolor. Money doesn’t alleviate doilleir. Money doesn’t even last.

When you set your eyes on it,
it is gone.
For wealth certainly
makes itself wings ….
Proverbs 23:5

How true! So, rather than chasing after the monetary dividends of market and the mercenary dealings of mammon, Paul exhorts, …

… you man/woman of God, …
pursue righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, perseverance
and gentleness.
1 Timothy 6:11

For, indeed, great gain is to be gotten by being godly, both in this world and the next.

… godliness is profitable
for all things,
since it holds promise
for the present life
and also for the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:8

So let godliness constantly be our quarry. And quiet contentment consistently our character.

KIDS!

Last weekend I made a pilgrimage to the Athens of the North, Edinburgh (“Embra” to locals; known in times past as “Dunedin” [Dùn Èideann = fort of Eidyn]), where I was meeting a good friend from my Dallas days, a fellow-Indian, and a fellow-physician, who was visiting the U.K. on business.

Last weekend also marked the beginning of the Edinburgh International Festival. Which meant one thing—crowds! And more crowds!

We milled through the millions, mulled over the possibility of doing something else, and then, being the malleable minds that we were, gritted our maxillae, and decided to make the best of it. It was good exercise, walking all around town, I admit, catching the odd performer of mellifluous bagpipe music (an oxymoron?) along the way. We had no agenda. No plan. No goal. It was nice being “kids” again.

We hit pot gold, though, when we came upon a street of half-a-dozen used bookstores. Needless to say, we also spent pots of gold there, pillaging and plundering, mollified finally that there was some benefit, beyond fellowship, in having made the expedition to yon marvellous city.

Ye olde castle? Not us. Other miscellaneous historical concoctions of architecture and slices of art there were aplenty. Nor for us. We were kids again. Browsing … and buying. Books = Bliss!

We did what we wanted. No more. No less. That night we even ate like kids: Chocolates, sodas, two bananas, and half a bag of spicy potato chips, apiece! Considering that what I usually consume for dinner is JIF, this was a balanced diet. Seriously! (Never trust two doctors together, behaving like kids!).

Oh, and by yon bonnie banks and braes of Loch Lomond, we drove. (Just because we wanted to—kids!) Pretty spot. Lots of water. And people. We took the high road and headed back to town and to remain close to the bookstores! Kids!

I thought about life as a kid on my drive back to Aberdeen. Care-less. Concern-less. Complaint-less. A far cry from the tumults and turbulences of adult life.

But should it be so different? Aren’t we still kids? Children of the Almighty? Heirs with Christ? Begotten of the Spirit? Indeed, we are, those who have placed their trust in Christ as their only God and Savior.

But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the right
to become children of God,
even to those
who believe in His name.
John 1:12

And, if children, well, then we can surely be care-, concern-, and complaint-free, can’t we?

Look at the birds of the air,
that they do not sow,
nor reap nor gather into barns,
and your heavenly
Father feeds them.
Are you not worth
much more than they?
And who of you
by being worried
can add an hour to his life? …
for your heavenly Father knows
that you need all these things.
Matthew 6:26–28, 32

If you … know
how to give good gifts
to your children,
how much more
will your Father who is in heaven
give what is good
to those who ask Him!
Matthew 7:11

... for the Father Himself loves you.
John 16:27

… we are children of God,
and if children, heirs also,
and fellow heirs with Christ,
if indeed we suffer with Him
so that we may also
be glorified with Him.
For I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory
that is to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:15–18

Care-less! Concern-less! Complaint-less! Just … kids!

And don’t forget …

Therefore
be imitators of God,
as beloved children.
Ephesians 5:1

ARMED!

Relax! It’s only a paint-ball gun!

Your favorite homiletician (hopefully!) hasn’t suddenly developed homicidal tendencies. That picture was a condescension on my part to the indefatigable exertions on the part of my nephews to give their uncle a “cool” look, which, apparently, in their collective (but erroneous, of course!) consideration, I lacked.

Haven’t I always been cool?

(You don’t have to answer that. And I don’t want any wisecrack comments either! They will forthwith be deleted by the Master of the Web!)

I was reminded of the mug shot of menacing-looking me, as I pondered about warfare, not the physical kind, but the other, the spiritual, variety. As I survived a recent stint of non-stop preaching for four weekends in a row in three different pulpits, I was grateful to God for His protection from the wiles of the evil one. Which wiles, I might add, have been known to come my way, especially in times of busy-ness in ministry.

For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood,
but against the …
rulers of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces
of evil ….
Ephesians 6:12

Scripture seems to indicate that this waging of warfare is with us daily; these battles are baiting us all the time; these skirmishes are always skulking in the background; these hostilities are hot on our heels constantly. If spiritual warfare is a constant accompaniment to the Christian life, then we must be always armed, appropriately armed, adequately armed, … armed and alert.

Put on the full armor of God,
so that you will be able
to stand firm against
the schemes of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11

And that full armor? Spiritual battles against spiritual foes call for spiritual weapons. Here they are …

Loins girded with truth
Breastplate of righteousness
Shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of peace
Shield of faith
Helmet of salvation
Sword of the Spirit, the word of God
Prayer, persevering in it at all times, for all the saints
from Ephesians 6:14–18

I’ve gotten into the habit of consciously running through the list of these paraphernalia each morning in my prayer time, to remind myself how much in need I am of supernatural help to withstand those forces of evil. The battle does belong to the Lord! Without His help, we would succumb to the sallies and sorties of Screwtape that seek to surmount us from all sides, to shock us by surprise, to scare us into submission, and if we are not “sober”, to successfully scorch us. To render us attacked … and fallen!

May that never be, for any one of us, for any believer, for any Christian. For God, Himself, who indwells us by the Holy Spirit, is our Protector, our Shield, our Guardian, our Comforter.

You are from God,
little children,
and have overcome [the evil ones];
because greater is He
who is in you
than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

Therefore we can go forth into the world, the war is as good as won, Satan is already subjugated, victory is guaranteed. The final triumph, of course, we all await, but not with bated breath. For there is no uncertainty about how it’s all going to end. No suspense. No surprise. We know the result. We have won! Already … but not yet.

Let’s hang in there! Armed and ready! For soon …

… the God of all grace,
who called you
to His eternal glory in Christ,
will Himself perfect, confirm,
strengthen and establish you.
To Him be dominion
forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:8