LEARNING!

Some time ago I came into possession of a second-hand book. Law’s Empire, by the noted legal philosopher Ronald Dworkin. (Why I am reading legal philosophy is another story.) I got it off eBay’s half.com for $6.53. I expected it to be in poor shape. It was!

It had obviously been in the hands of a reader who treated books like I did. To put it mildly, it was annotated. (“Desecrated” was the other word that came to mind.) Armed with the formidable weapons of pen and pencil and highlighters (yellow and blue), the owner emeritus of Law’s Empire had—and I’ll say this for that person—read the book thoroughly!

Oh, well! That’s what you get for six bucks, I figured, resigning myself to overwriting the other’s marginalia with my own interjections of wisdom. Perhaps I could use another color. Purple? Pink?

As I began plowing my way through the dense tome (it was written by a lawyer, after all), I realized another thing. Whoever the previous owner was, that one knew his/her stuff; probably a law student. The annotations were crisp, precise, and, to my puzzled mind, a beacon of light on Dworkin’s otherwise cryptic verbiage. It was like I was reading both RD and AA (Anonymous Annotator) at the same time. Often they agreed, sometimes they fought, occasionally AA was baffled (Whew! I wasn’t the only one!), frequently AA added comments and glosses that clarified everything.

What a blessing it was to have a commentator!

Even more of a blessing it is, to have available to us so much help with Scripture. Just this week, a trip to the library and a glance at some commentaries helped me to polish off a sermon I was working on. I am indeed thankful for all the dedicated scholarship that has gone into the making of books on the Bible. Two millennia or more of hard work by scholars. Fancy that, I get to take advantage of two thousand plus years of the Holy Spirit’s illumination of men and women wiser than I, godlier than I. We, living in the twenty-first century, are the privileged recipients of the distilled wisdom of the ages.

What a blessing, indeed! How much we learn from others!

And then there are those who labor daily in our churches—pastors, Sunday School teachers, leaders of groups (small/big; young/old), and many others of that brave ilk—to expound God’s Word to us. Their wisdom and their knowledge and their love for the flock, make the Word come alive in our hearts, as they, relying on the Holy Spirit, pour out truth that has already been at work in their own lives.

What a magnificent blessing! Praise God for their obedience to the commandment to …

… preach the word …
2 Timothy 4:2

Spare a prayer for these diligent and godly ones, won’t you? May they be given much grace to persevere in this hard work for God’s glory. These are worthy ones.

… worthy
of double honor,
especially those who work hard
at preaching and teaching.
1 Timothy 5:17

And not only that, not only are we to pray for them and honor them, we are to follow them as well.

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

We follow them, so that our lives may be commentaries on Scripture to others. Those are the best kind. Commentaries that are walking, living, breathing, and showing Christ. So that our leaders, like Paul, can affirm …

You are our letter …
known and read by all men …
a letter of Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:2–3

LIGHT!

23½°. It’s tilted 23½° off its axis. Planet Earth. Causing that strange phenomenon of seasons. And equinoxes. And solstices.

Thus it happened that last Wednesday, June 21, the day of the summer solstice, was the longest day of the year for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere. And if you live as far North as I do (Aberdeen is 57.13°N, just a few paltry degrees below the Arctic Circle), it can be long indeed. There is always an eerie glow in the sky, even past sunset, all through the night. That picture was taken last Wednesday, shortly before 10:00 p.m.; sunrise that morning was at about 4:00. Praise God for thick drapes—sleep-savers!

I wonder if they have thick drapes in heaven. I wonder if we’ll sleep at all in heaven. For in yon place of glory, it is said …

… there will no longer be any night;
… because the Lord God
will illumine them;
and they will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:5

An eternal solstice in the presence of the One whose robe is the light and whose canopy space—the great God of glory, pure God of light, whose angels adore Him, all veiling their sight. The resplendence of His glory and the radiance of His presence! Will we, can we, should we, sleep?

With all that reigning going on, I suppose we might be too busy to sleep? Sounds like there’s work there to be done. Might as well catch a few Z’s here on earth then?

At any rate, the thrust of the Scriptures on this issue is not the availability of snoozes and slumbers or the necessity of grabbing forty winks or taking a nap. Rather, the eternal light signifies the dissipation of darkness, the dispersion of evil, the dispelling of gloom, the destruction of the forces of Satan.

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

And it has, praise God! The end has begun! Matthew 4:16 cites that verse from Isaiah as being fulfilled in the ministry of the Lord Jesus. The Light of the world has arrived on planet Earth! The One who stepped out into darkness to take away the bleakness of night from our lives.

But true it is, that while we yet live on earth, while we are yet shackled to bodies flawed and desires fallen, while we are yet bound to the ticking of time, we are not yet in solstice. All is not complete daylight … not yet. But solstice is coming, a perpetual one! Soon we’ll be so far “north” that …

… your sun will no longer set,
Nor will your moon wane;
For you will have the LORD
for an everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning will be over.
Isaiah 60:20

No more mourning. No more the sequelae of sin. No more the laments of loss. No more the woes of wickedness. Only rapture, joy, and bliss ... and LIGHT!

But the Lord expects us, despite our temporality and our fallibility, to walk with the Light in our days here on earth, in anticipation of our eternal days there in heaven.

… you were formerly darkness,
but now you are Light
in the Lord;
walk as children of Light ….
Ephesians 5:8

May His Spirit strengthen us to do that, until that day when …

… in the heav'nly country bright
Need we no created light;
Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,
Thou its Sun which goes not down;
There for ever may we sing
Alleluias to our King.
William C. Dix, 1860

FATHERS!

I’ve always been a bit miffed about it. Proverbs 31:10–31. The fact that it has been appropriated exclusively (and rightly, I grant) by women. What a terrific chapter of the Bible! But not for us 46XY-ers. (Or, for that matter, us singles.)

After all, the word that is translated “excellent” or “of noble character” (Proverbs 31:10, 29) is a masculine noun usually used to describe valor and might.

Through our God we shall do valiantly
And it is He
who will tread down our enemies.
Psalm 60:12

No question. However you translate it, valor and excellence and might and nobility, all cometh from the Lord. It is through His grace we are able to excel—both women and men. So just you wait. One of these days, I’m going to preach Proverbs 31 … to men! On Father’s Day. One way or another! (“Homiletical acrobatics” you could call it.)

All the good stuff in there about dependability, tenacity, loyalty, charity, capability, … I want to use some of that!
Oh, and that power-packed pronouncement on her comportment concerning coming days …

And she smiles at the future.
Proverbs 31:25

Isn’t that terrific! I love it!

But there’s no reason why all of those remarkable qualities should remain the exclusive domain of the other gender. Why, did King Lemuel (and/or his mother) think there weren’t any men around who exhibited these characteristics?

I know of one.

With a hearty interest in life. Devoted to family with intensity. Still carrying himself with dignity.

From playing cricket with his kids (and quite well, too, I might add) to meeting every need of his terminally ill wife in her last years, from leaving the comforts of homeland for places foreign in the late forties, to being the twenty-first century globetrotter that he is today, he has ever been the model of stability and solidity.

I speak of my father, of course.

Impeccable morality. Comfortable with frivolity. Thoroughness in practicality. Loves to laugh. Delights in banter. Quick to forgive. Tolerant of all.

Utter dependability. Sacrificial generosity. Exuding encouragement. Exhibiting contentment.

All with an eye on eternity. Like the other lady. For his future is secure.

For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven …
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain
will be caught up
together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air,
and so we shall
always be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17

It is not often we of the old school and old country talk about love. There’s nothing in Proverbs 31 about love either. But one does not doubt its pervasive presence in that chapter. So also in our home. Never a question. Never a moment to doubt this faithful man’s heart for his own. And without the blessings of his love, all of us (and I speak for family, near and extended) would be severely impoverished.

Every good thing given
and every perfect gift
is from above,
coming down from the Father ….
James 1:17

He is most certainly one of those gifts. And so we thank our Father for our father. Would you remember to do that for your own as well?

It says …

Her children [and grandchildren]
rise up and bless her …
Proverbs 31:28

We do, too. We bless you! We love you! Happy Father’s Day!

DISPLACED!

Last week I preached at the Baptist Church in Elgin, about 65 miles northeast of Aberdeen. Elgin (57°N 3°W; pop. 21,000) is a quaint town in Morayshire, not too far from the North Sea, with a history (and the ruins to prove it) dating back to the 11th century.

Sunday morning, one of the good folks at Elgin Baptist had the name of my hometown pasted prominently on a bulletin board in the Sunday School hall, with a map of India showing the location of Thiruvananthapuram (8°N 76°W; pop. 1,000,000).

There I was in Elgin, about 7000 miles away from Thiruvananthapuram. And I got there via Dallas, TX, and Aberdeen! Along the way I also managed to hit Houston, TX, and Boston, MA, for a few years. Oh, and Charleston, SC (that’s another story). And did I mention I was born in Kuwait?

Talk about displacement. Someone asked me the other day where “home” was. On a plane, I said. In between continents. 36000 feet above terra firma. Eating airline food. (Don’t they serve any peanut butter?)

I kinda know what the original recipients of Peter’s First Letter must have felt.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to those who reside
as aliens,
scattered throughout
Dallas, Aberdeen,
Thiruvananthapuram,
Elgin, and Kuwait …
Abe’s exceedingly unrestrained paraphrase

And then those glorious words …

… who are chosen …
1 Peter 1:1

Alien I might be, but I’m chosen. Displaced? Perhaps. But I’m chosen. Disoriented? Disquieted? To be sure. (And oft the suggestion has been made that I add “Disturbed” to the list!) No matter. I’m ...

… chosen
according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father,
by the sanctifying work of the Spirit,
that you may obey Jesus Christ
and be sprinkled with His blood….
1 Peter 1:2

And, therefore, I am no longer “alien-ated”; I am no longer landless; I am no longer displaced.

For our citizenship
is in heaven ….
Philippians 3:20

What a remarkable truth! Believers in Jesus Christ of all stripes, makes, and brands, from every tribe and tongue and nation, in every era, age, and day, united as one body by virtue of the One whose name they bear and by whose Spirit they are indwelt.

So then you are
no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are fellow citizens
with the saints,
and are of God's household.
Ephesians 2:18–19

And so, like my namesake, we believers exist in these intervening moments between the “already” and the “not yet,” awaiting our restoration to the polis where we truly belong.

By faith [Abraham] lived as an alien
in the land of promise,
as in a foreign land …
for he was looking
for a city
which has foundations
whose architect
and builder is God.
Hebrews 11:9–10

May those days soon be here! But until then, Peter continues, we have a responsibility, as those bearing “alien” status here on earth.

Beloved, I urge you
as aliens and strangers
to abstain from fleshly lusts
which wage war against the soul.
Keep your behavior excellent
among the Gentiles,
so that … they may
because of your good deeds,
as they observe them,
glorify God ….
1 Peter 2:11

An ambassadorial, testimonial, witnessing responsibility. May our lives speak for the land from which we hail, to which we are headed, for which we hope. For the glory of God, may we be faithful in doing so, till He call us HOME.

We are not Home yet
Keep on looking ahead
Let your heart not forget
We are not Home yet.
Steven Curtis Chapman, 1997

GOTCHA!

They came for me the other day. Knock. Pause. Knock-knock-knock. Pause. Knock-knock. Pause. Etc. Pretty official sounding. Two guys. Flashing badges. Somber. Polite. Clean-shaven. Dark jackets. Opaque shades. Oily. Wiry. Drab. Grim. May we take a look, sir? Oh, and one question, sir. Was I watching TV, sir?

Let me have men about me that are fat;
Sleek-headed men
and such as sleep o' nights:
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;

He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.
The Bard
J.C. (Julius Caesar, that is, not our J.C.)
Somewhere in Act I

I couldn’t have said it better. Dangerous. Messrs. Cassius and Clay.

They were the Television Police. (For those who missed the scoop on those nefarious characters, click here.) These men, with the l. & h. look, were representatives of that august body known as The TV Licensing Board of the United Kingdom. Probably armed. Who knows? These intrepid door-knockers toiling faithfully for H.R.H. E.R. II may have had to mow down a whole tribe of recalcitrant, obstreperous, bellicose couch potatoes who refused to give Her Majesty, Her Majesty’s due. TV addicts who think nothing of watching the tube for free! Free? How dare they? BBC for nothing? What impudence! The gall!

So there I was, my liver all a-quiver. Sometimes it causes me to tremble. Where was I gonna run to? What would they do to me? Confiscate my Bach? Or, God forbid, my peanut butter?

That got me thinking.

What’s the worst thing that can happen on earth? Dreadful torture, life imprisonment, horrible disease, death itself? Take your pick. The good thing is that all of these will come to an end. Sometime. None of these can last for ever. It might be death itself that provides blessed release from these agonies. But they will all end. That’s why eternal punishment is so unfathomable. Eternal! ETERNAL! Never ending! Eternal separation from God. With no end in sight. Ceaseless condemnation. Perpetual perdition.

And so I thank God for ETERNAL salvation. For Jesus Christ who died for me on the cross to pay for all my sins, past, present, and future. His resurrection proves the efficacy of His sacrifice. Now sin is no longer an issue between me and God. Where once sin separated me from my Creator, now a Savior has provided access to Him. No longer need I fear the eternal and dreadful consequences of sin. Instead, I’m assured of an eternity with God. Saved! And this salvation is free. FREE! (Unlike BBC!) And all it takes to partake of this free gift is to place one’s trust in Jesus Christ, believing in Him as one’s only God and Savior, who paid the price for one’s sin, fully, finally, forever!

For God so loved the world
that He gave His one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish,
but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

I don’t know where you stand on this issue. But if this act of faith is something you haven’t undertaken yet, may I urge you to do that as soon as possible. The most important decision of life. But simple. Believe! In the quietness of your heart. Take that step of faith. Place your trust in Christ for your eternal salvation. Would you?

PS: They left. The TV militia. The unsung knights of the United Kingdom. Peacefully. No guns drawn. No daggers unsheathed. No blood spilled. They agreed that I didn’t have time to watch TV. Enjoy your Bach, they said. And don’t overdo the JIF, they advised. No TV either, they warned. I saw them out. Jail will have to wait. For I still have to dissertate.