February 21, 2020

Psalm 33:1

We are homo adorans. We are called this because we adore something (or someone). Buddhists do. Muslims do, and rabid NFL fans do. The Bible never simply instructs us to worship. It always explicitly tells us to worship rightly – i.e., to worship God. As Psalm 33 states, “it is fitting for us to worship God.” This is because God is worthy, and worshipping is part of what we were created to do.[i]

Religion vs. Gospel:  Religion = I obey God to get things from him. Gospel = I obey God to get God.

A Bad Trade: As Mark Regernus and others have documented, the Sexual Revolution didn’t work out as planned. It was supposed to allow women to be as casual about sex as men, but apparently sex isn’t casual. (Note: if you think it is, you are doing it wrong). I’ve been following Regernus’s work for a while (for reports click here, here or here). He is not without his critics, but that is mostly because his findings are unpopular and politically incorrect.

Speaking of Sex: Starting in the mid 80s, many Christians began “kissing dating good-bye” and taking purity pledges. I was married by the time Purity Pledges became a thing, so I did not think about them. But that changed recently when some of those who had taken them began offering thoughtful critiques. I think this piece by Tim Higgens – a former Christ Church intern who now pastors a church just down the street – is both thoughtful and helpful.

Two Lessons from Last Week:

Learning from Job’s Friends: A woman called asking what she should say to a neighbor who’d just lost a child. “I don’t want to say the wrong thing,” she said. That is a legitimate fear. Think of Job’s friends. My advice in these situations? The worst thing you can say is, “I know how you feel.” It’s best to say little or nothing. Just show up and cry.

Without Comment:  The “average” 65 year old has a couple hundred thousand dollars saved for retirement. But that is misleading. Some have millions and many have just a few thousand dollars. BTW, the CDC recently reported that a 65 year old American should expect to live another 19 1⁄2 years.

DV:  A few times a month I have to ask Google to decipher a meaningless series of letters.  I’m not talking LOL, BTW or IDK, but HMU, MFW and SMH? If you’re hip, you know these last three mean: “Hit Me Up,” “My Face When,” and “Shaking My Head.”  But if you’re hip, you’re probably not reading this email, so I’m asking you to join me in fighting back. It’s time to counter every BRB (be right back) and TL; DR (too long, didn’t read) with DV. As you may know, DV abbreviates Deo Volenti – which is Latin for “If the Lord Wills.” I think the world would be better off with more DVs and less HMUs. And if we all join together, we might be able to pull it off. DV.

America 101: Saying much about politics today is an act of courage, a declaration of war or a flirtation with foolishness. I am neither brave nor belligerent. You can decide for yourself if I am a fool. I only wish to offer a few points of clarification: 1) In spite of claims otherwise, the US was not founded as a Christian nation; however, virtually all of the US’s founding fathers were deeply shaped by a Judeo-Christian worldview (as were the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution); 2) the 1st amendment –the non-establishment clause which delineates the separation of church and state – was not designed to keep the church from influencing the state, but to keep the state from controlling the church (and to protect religious minorities from state persecution); 3) there is a difference between Freedom of Worship and Religious Liberty. China has the first. We want to reinforce the historic commitment to the second.

Quotes Worth Requoting: Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God’s plans, but God is not helpless among the ruins. Eric Liddell

Ash Wednesday: This Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent – the 40-day period leading to the crucifixion of our Lord. It was established 1,000 years ago to invite those following Him to reflect on how their sin led to His death. It’s not just that Christ died for the sins of the world, it is that Christ died for my sin. He died for my pride, my greed, my lust, my anger and my smallness. Lent is also a time to stare death in the face. In a culture that ignores sin and death, we make a statement when we acknowledge both of them. And we make a bigger statement when we take the blame. As everyone who has passed through Lent to Easter already knows, our story has a glorious ending. But now is not the time to look that far ahead. During Lent we are to ponder this ugly truth: my moral debt caused my wonderful king to suffer.

Closing Prayer: The Serenity Prayer – which was written by American Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr  – is popular in many circles. So much so, that it can feel more generic than Christian. The full version provides a bit more depth. It follows:

God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.  Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is – not as I would have it – trusting that You will make all things right, I surrender to Your will. I do this so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen. (Reinhold Niebuhr 1892–1971).