Category: Caesar

The Debates Go On, Part 2!

The recent Presidential debate so inspired me, that I decided to look into famous debates that have happened over the centuries in the Christian Church. My previous blog began that study, looking at issues the Church faced in its first few centuries, deciding a number of doctrines in the light of various heresies which cropped up and threatened to destroy the Gospel. For example, the debate whether Jesus was just a divine being that only had the appearance of man (the Docetists) or a mere human who had been endowed with some divine attributes (Arianism). The Church rejected both ideas, affirming that Jesus was both true God and true man, as stated in the Nicene Creed.

Coincidentally, the Christian satire site, The Babylon Bee, just posted an article with the headline, “Scholars Now Believe Apostle Paul Spent Five Hours Per Day Arguing Online With Other Christians.” Considering all the problems his letters to the churches address, if the internet existed back then, he could well have spent that much time trying to correct them!

Before we consider the Church in the Middle Ages, there is one more ancient debate to consider: the Donatist Controversy. The question here was what happens when a priest is forced by the Roman Emperor to make a “donation” to a pagan god under punishment of law: does that render the acts of that priest (baptism and communion) invalid? The Church decided that no, the Christian sacraments are still valid, regardless of the priest’s sins or even lack of faith. This means that even today, the means of grace are still valid, even if the pastor is a fraud and an unbeliever. It is God who makes the sacraments valid, not the man.

But, now we leave the ancient church and move into medieval times, to see what debates the Church had to resolve. Unfortunately, some debates were not resolved in universally accepted manners, leading to church splits and the rise of new denominations that are still with us today.

1. First, there was the debate over the preeminence of the Roman Pope.  When the Bishop of Rome tried to assert his authority over the entire Christian Church, his claim was rejected by many bishops in other regions of Christendom, such as in the areas which came to be known as the Eastern Orthodox Church, and in the Northern African Churches, all of which had their own bishops. The split was formalized in the Great Schism of 1054, when East (Greek) and West (Latin) churches condemned each other and broke communion. This condemnation was not removed until the Catholic-Orthodox Joint Declaration of 1965. The split, however, continues to this day.

2. The debate over predestination.  Most theologians of the medieval Church  believed in predestination, the doctrine that God determines ahead of time who will be saved (Ephesians 1:11, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. . .”). The debate arose over what came to be called double predestination, whether God had also predestined certain people to damnation. According to this, a person’s faith was irrelevant, other than God determining whether that person would have faith. This debate arose as early as the 800’s, but continued through the Reformation (which we will consider in the next blog).

3. The debate over Holy Communion. What do we receive during Holy Communion? Do we eat bread and wine, or the actual flesh and blood of Jesus? Do the elements miraculously transform on the altar by the priests’ words? Or is what we eat merely symbolic of Christ’s body? This became an important debate in the Church. One view was called the “realistic” view, which said the bread and wine turned miraculously into actual flesh and blood (transubstantiation); the other, the “symbolic view,” said that the elements remained bread and wine and gave spiritual benefits when eaten.  This debate arose in the 850’s, and continues to this day, even though the Roman Church decided on transubstantiation.

4. The debate between Faith versus Reason. As a result of the Crusades beginning in the 1o00’s, the works of ancient Greek philosophers became known through the Arabs who had preserved them. One that had an enormous impact was Aristotle and his call to reason. The impact this had was on the question reason played in our faith. Eventually this would give rise to the Enlightenment (1700’s), and to humanism, which made man the source of knowledge and truth, but for centuries before that, there was a huge conflict between truths learned through reason (including science and philosophy), and God’s revealed knowledge through the Scriptures. That’s why Galileo could be imprisoned for his scientific discoveries as being “opposed to faith.”

In the Catholic Church, St. Thomas Aquinas formed what became known as “Scholasticism” that employed a critical method of philosophical analysis predicated upon Aristotle’s teachings. By doing so, scholars sought to learn all attainable truth, whether revealed or not. Many of the universities of this time were founded on such teachings and philosophical methods. One of the products of this school of thought was the theory of transubstantiation, which used the Aristotelian categories of “essence” and “accidents” to describe the mass. In that view, the elements, when blessed, retained their accidents -(their physical form) but changed their essence (their actual nature). Luther argued against this view, saying that the Church should not base its doctrine on a pagan philosopher, but on the words of Christ in Scripture. Luther recited Jesus’s words at the Last Supper, when Jesus said, “This is my body, this is my blood,” as proof we receive Christ’s true body and blood.

5. The debate between Church and State. The Christian Church went from being persecuted, to tolerated (Constantine’s Edict of Milan in 313 AD), to become the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD with the decree of the Edict of Thessalonica. But when the Roman empire was sacked by the barbarians, the Christian Church became the default unifying force in Europe. For one thing, it was a Pope (Leo I) who saved Rome from Attila the Hun in 451 AD, not by force of arms, but by prayer and persuasion. Also, when Europe was united under the Emperor Charlemagne, it was another pope, Pope Leo III, who crowned him Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day in 800 AD. That set the pattern for the church as supreme over state.

However, throughout this period, tensions and struggles for power between kings and Popes continued. Part of this was philosophical/theological, but much had to do with money and political control. For example, German bishops of the period had castles and lands, and could enforce taxes and river tolls on boats.

Problems occurred when the Church tried to enforce allegiance to the faith or to religious authority by the power of the State, such as through various Inquisitions,  and when the State claimed power over the Church, such as when Henry VIII of England formed the Church of England and declared himself as the head of that Church (and disbanded Catholic convents and monasteries in England, Wales, and Ireland, and seized their wealth and assets).

One doctrine which arose was the idea of God’s two hands: his right hand the church, and his left hand the state. Each had its own God-ordained roles to play in the affairs of men. One to proclaim the Gospel, the other to use the Law to refrain evil. Luther called this division the “proper” work of God (by the Church’s proclaiming salvation through the Gospel), and the “alien” work of God, restraining evil by the power of governments. This is also called the “Two kingdoms” theory. Both are instituted by God to do his works and must be respected. (Romans 13:1  “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.“)

These and other debates continued through the medieval period, and affect us even today. Our First Amendment addresses the Church/State debate by establishing freedom of religion, saying: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” However, most recently, the State ordered churches to be shut down for the COVID pandemic, citing public health reasons. Some churches refused to do so, claiming freedom of religion, which is in keeping with the “Two kingdoms” doctrine.

We have now come to the end of medieval times. Before us now are the debates of the Reformation, which we will consider in the next blog, known, to no surprise, as Part 3 of The Debates Go On!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Romans 13:1-7; 1 Corinthians 11:22-24; Ephesians 1:11-14.

 

 

 

 

 

Deliver Us From Evil

There is a famous line from Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, in which Marc Anthony speaks at the recently murdered Caesar’s funeral. He begins his eulogy with the words:

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones;

In his speech, Anthony cleverly turns what he says about the evil that Caesar had done, to a condemnation of the evil that the murderers had done in killing Caesar. No one is free of guilt; all are evil in one way or another.

Though probably not on purpose, Shakespeare’s lines echo what Scripture claims: “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. . .” (Romans 3:23). Sure, we all sin, but what about real evil? Does it really exist, or is it just the clever wording of a long-dead poet whose works were not “interred with his bones”?

Let me see. . . is there evil in the world today? How about Russian troops attacking Ukraine, bombing its cities and killing its civilians? Or, what about our country killing babies before they’re born, in the name of “reproductive rights”?* Or the U.S. droning an innocent man and his son during the pull-out from Afghanistan? Or elected leaders who lie and enrich themselves at the expense of those who elected them to office? Or drive-by shootings that kill bystanders along with their targets? Or mobs that loot stores with impunity? Or insurance companies that find loopholes to not pay claims? Or businesses that gouge their customers with inflated prices? Or people who abuse children, spouses, or the elderly? Or gangs who sell drugs that kill or leave users homeless? Or. . . or. . .or. . .

I could go on, and so could you. There is much evil in the world today, as there has been since the first humans took that bite from the forbidden fruit so long ago. We are reminded of the words of Genesis 6:5,”The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Evil is real, and its effects do live on after the evil has done its worst. People are harmed, societies crumble, and even nature is diminished by what people do. God warned Adam not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; before Adam and Eve ate of its fruit they knew good, but ever since they ate, they and we have known evil as well (Genesis 2:16-17).

 The Bible does not shy away from the reality of evil. It speaks of it some 539 times, including in the prayer our Lord Jesus taught us to pray, “. . . and deliver us from evil.”

What is the evil of which the Lord spoke? I can think of three ways our prayer for deliverance applies:

1. It is a prayer for protection from the bad things other people do to us, whether intentional or not, and from the dangers of the natural world. It could be a robbery, an assault, a car accident, infidelity, a flood, tornado, or earthquake; in other words, anything that would harm us. Just because we didn’t cause what hurts us doesn’t mean we won’t be harmed. We look to God to deliver us from all such evil events.

2.  The word “evil” in the Lord’s Prayer can also be translated, “evil one,” meaning we are praying for God to protect us from Satan. Evil is not just a term we use to refer to unhappy events; it also applies to a spiritual being, to the one who first tempted Eve and Adam to sin and who desires our destruction. Satan has been active in the world since the beginning, destroying people’s lives through his lies. In fact, Jesus called him “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Peter says of him in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Fortunately, Satan and his demons are not omnipotent gods; they can only do what God allows them to do, so we pray for God to protect us from them. (See Job 1:6-12, where Satan needed Gods permission to afflict Job.) Satan tempts us to do evil, beginning with separating us from God’s Word (Luther).

3.  Unfortunately, there is another source of evil, and that is us. As fallen, sinful creatures, we don’t need the devil to harm us or lead us astray. We can do that quite well all by ourselves. We are especially adept at rationalizing our evil actions – “I deserve this,” or “They have insurance,” or “They had it coming!” or “It’s just a white lie,” or “No one will know.” Jeremiah 17:9 proclaims,  “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Or as Walt Kelly put it in his 1970 cartoon, Pogo, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” That’s why the Lord’s Prayer also contains the petition, “And lead us not into temptation”; we are asking God to keep us from doing evil ourselves by giving in to our wrongful desires.

This three-fold problem has been called, “The world, the flesh, and the devil,” first described by Thomas Aquinas in the 1500s as “implacable enemies of the soul,” though also seen in the temptations which the devil threw at Jesus in the wilderness: 1. gaining the kingdoms of the world by tempting God (the world); 2. satisfying his hunger by turning stones to bread (the flesh); and 3. worshiping Satan (the devil). See Luke 4:1-13. Jesus refused to give in to any of  those temptations, preserving his sinless nature and thus his ability to take our sins upon himself at the cross.

Jesus remained sinless, but we are inherently sinful, so what do we do about sin and the evil it causes?

1. As Jesus told us, we pray for deliverance from evil, and from the temptations to think and commit evil ourselves. We need God’s help!

2. We resist Satan. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

3. Read the Scriptures, so you know what God considers right and wrong. This makes it harder to rationalize our actions as “not so bad.” or “I’m only human” when we see that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

4. Remember the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” When you feel tempted to do wrong, look for the way of escape God provides you.

5. Psalm 34:14 says, “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Don’t put yourself in situations where you know you will be tempted; seek what is good and wholesome. Guard your thoughts: as Philippians 4:8 tells us, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” In other words, get your mind out of the gutter!

But what if we do these things, and evil still comes our way? Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Our Lord said, “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39) and also “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44), a lesson repeated by Paul: “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all” (Romans 12:17). This is not to say we must let evil have free rein in the world, it does have to be opposed and stopped; the point is that we are not to stoop to the level of the evildoers, but to recognize them as people who are also loved by God.

Ultimately, our deliverance from evil has been provided for us by Jesus Christ, who died on the cross so that the evil we have done will not “live after us” into eternity. We not only have the strength of the Holy Spirit now in this life to resist sin, but also have full forgiveness of all our sins and the evil they cause, for all eternity. That is our hope, and we look forward to the day when evil is banished and only good remains.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Job 1; John 8:34-47; Romans 12:9-21. 

* 41.9 million since the Roe v Wade decision in 1973.

New Year, New Names

Happy New Year to you, my readers, as we begin what we all hope will be, in so many ways, a better year. As for me, after waiting up until midnight on New Years Eve to welcome in the new year, I didn’t notice any dramatic changes in anything: in fact, if I hadn’t known the date, I wouldn’t have known the new day was any different from the previous one, except that my wife and I toasted the arrival of the new year with glasses of sparkling apple cider.

And yet, we have a new name for these new days: we call them 2021 and give their new name some significance because, well, the number comes after 2020. And yet, it doesn’t feel any different. There’s still a pandemic, still a shutdown, and we’re still here. And I’m still retired*, something for which I am grateful, seeing all the restrictions and hoops my former pastoral colleagues have to go through to continue their ministry.

But in the culture around us, much is changing, based on new social attitudes, growing secularization, and political polarization. And much of the change has to do with language. Certain words are created, others are banned, and new meanings are given to old terms to agree with new sensitivities. What was perfectly acceptable speech when you said it can now get you fired, shunned, or even attacked, no matter what good you have done with your life.

One example of such changes came in the mail as a questionnaire from a health care provider. There were two questions on it that caught my attention (other than the usual ones about whether I ever had leprosy, bubonic plague, or Ebola). The first question was, what sex was I assigned at birth, and the second: what are my preferred pronouns?

I haven’t answered those questions yet, because I really want to give some crazy answers as a protest against using those terms. For example, I wanted to cross out “at birth” and change it to “at conception” because that is when I received the chromosomes that determined my sex (gender is a grammatical term – or at least used to be until it was redefined). I also thought of putting down, “Other,” or “Hermaphrodite” but that sounded like an answer a junior high boy might give. (And I am far too mature and serious to stoop to that level!)

As for the second question about my preferred pronouns, I’m thinking of answering: “Me, myself, and I” and let them wonder whether I’m really that self-centered. Or, “thou, thy, and thine,” and tell them that’s from my days as a pastor in case they question it.

Yes, I considered such shenanigans, but I’m worried that if I ever need medical attention, the health professionals will read my answers and take appropriate measures in retribution. So I’ll probably skip them or play it safe with standard answers.

But there’s another area where some renaming is long overdue, though I realize my ideas will have little or no impact, nor cause any change whatsoever. This idea came with the turn of the calendar page last Friday to the month of January. I stared at the page, and asked, “Why do we call it January? January is named for Janus, a Roman god with two faces, one looking back at the old year, and one looking forward to the new. Is that what we, especially as Christians, actually believe? If not, then why do we keep repeating the name of a Roman god every time we speak of this month?

Consider that all our names of months through August come from Roman gods, leaders, or celebrations:

  1. January – Janus (Roman god of beginnings and endings);
  2. February – Februalia (festival of purification)
  3. March – Mars (Roman god of war – the month when armies went to war) [See 2 Samuel 11:1 – “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle. . .]
  4. April -Aperio (Latin word for opening or budding)
  5. May – Maia (Roman earth goddess of plants)
  6. June – Juno (Roman goddess of women and marriage)
  7.  July – Julius Caesar (Roman dictator who named it after himself!)
  8. August – Caesar Augustus (Roman emperor who decreed all the world should be taxed [Luke 2:1])

And then there are the numbered months: September (7th), October (8th), November (9th), and December (10th), Which would be fine, except those numbers are all wrong in our current order, since September is actually month number 9, and so on with the others. We could put them back in their right place, and call the eleventh month “undecember” and the twelfth month “duodecember” in keeping with the Latin numbering.

We could, but I have a better idea. There are twelve months in the year (based on twelve cycles of the moon), and we Christians have no shortage of twelves to work with that are not based on Roman gods or rulers. How about, naming the months after the twelve apostles? After all, the Book of Revelation 21:14 says that their names will be inscribed on the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem. So the least we can do is honor them now**:

  1. January becomes Johnsmonth
  2. February becomes Philipsmonth
  3. March becomes Matthewsmonth
  4. April becomes Andrewsmonth
  5. May becomes Matthiasmonth (who replaced Judas Iscariot – Acts 1:26)
  6. June becomes Judesmonth
  7. July becomes Jamesmonth
  8. August becomes Alphaeussonsmonth (James, son of Alphaeus)
  9. September becomes SimontheZealotsmonth
  10. October becomes Thomasmonth
  11. November becomes Bartholomewsmonth
  12. December becomes Petersmonth (because “the first shall be last” -Matthew 19:30)

Notice that when possible, I kept the first letter of each name the same, to help people learn the new format. I will expect my readers to begin the trend beginning this Johnsmonth!

Or, if you want to “go Old Testament” on me, you could name the months after the twelve tribes of Israel, since Revelation 21:12 says their names will be inscribed on the twelve gates entering into the walls of the New Jerusalem. The months could be named: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Dan, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin. So, June could become Judahsmonth and July Josephsmonth!

But I’m not done with renaming, since we have the same problem when it comes to the days of the weeks. Unlike the languages that follow the biblical naming of the seventh day of the week the Sabbath, such as sabato in Italian and sábado in Spanish, and shabat in Hebrew, English names that day after Saturn – not the planet, but the Roman god. So, whenever we use the standard English days of the week, we are honoring the following:

  1. Sunday – after the sun and the Norse goddess Sunna
  2. Monday – after the moon
  3. Tuesday – after the Germanic god of war – Tiu, son of Odin
  4. Wednesday – after the Germanic supreme deity – Woden (or Odin)
  5. Thursday – after the Norse god of thunder – Thor (not the movie guy)
  6. Friday – after the Norse goddess of love and beauty – Frigga (or Fria)
  7. Saturday – after Roman god of agriculture – Saturn

Even under the atheistic Soviet Union, the Russian name for Sunday remained Christian: voskresen’ye (Воскресенье) which literally means, “Resurrection Day.” How awesome is that! Soviet commissars would greet each other with, “I’ll see you next Resurrection Day!” But we say, I’ll see you next sun’s day? What’s wrong with this picture?

Again, we Christians have no shortage of 7’s to work with in renaming the days of the week. I think we should keep Sabbath for Saturday and Lord’s Day for Sunday, but otherwise, we can draw from other biblical sevens:

  1. The seven last words from the cross (“Forgive Them Day” sounds good)
  2. The seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2 (Ephesus, Smyrna, etc.)
  3. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (such as wisdom, understanding, might, fear of the Lord, etc. from Isaiah 11:2)
  4. The seven virtues (such as patience, kindness, humility, etc.)
  5. The seven deadly sins (actually, not a good idea: we shouldn’t have a greed-day, a lust-day, an envy-day, etc. Though a gluttony-day is worth considering . . .)
  6. The seven seals, trumpets, and bowls in Revelation 6, 8, 11, and 16
  7. The seven miracles in which Jesus healed on the Sabbath (7th day):  a man with a deformed hand (Matthew 12:9-13); a man possessed by an unclean spirit (Mark 1:23-26); Peter’s mother-in-law with fever (Mark 1:29-31); a woman crippled by a spirit (Luke 13:10-13); a man with abnormal swelling of the body (Luke 14:1-4); a lame man by the pool of Bethesda (John 5:5-9); and a man born blind (John 9:1-7).

There you have it: seven possible lists of seven which would be an improvement on our current names of the days of the week. (After reading the seven bowls of wrath in Revelation 16, I’m starting to wonder whether we’re already somewhere on that list!)

Now that I’ve solved the naming of the months and days quandary, I’m ready to take on even more linguistic challenges. But that’s enough for now. After all, tomorrow’s a new day, and I have plenty to do to be ready for – Wisdom Day, or is it Patience Day, or is it Giving Sight Day, or . . . .  ..

Whatever you call it, may God bless you in the days, weeks, months, and year ahead!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Matthew 12:9-13; Isaiah 11:1-3; Acts 1; Revelation 21

*Yep, I began my fifth year of retirement on Friday, and this is the anniversary month of starting my blog, and the 142nd article since I began! And to think my second blog expressed my concern that I wouldn’t have anything else to say!

** For the final list of the Apostles from Scripture, see: Acts 1:13.

Contactless Faith?

Thanks to new restaurant dining restrictions here in California, I went to pick up a meal from one of our favorite restaurants for us to eat at home. As I stood outside the restaurant’s front door, waiting for my order to be brought to me, I read the various signs posted around the entrance: “Mask required,” “Maintain six feet of social distance,” and “Contactless Curbside Delivery Available.” I wondered about the last one; wouldn’t some contact be needed, since the food is handed from one person to another? Or do they just throw the food out the window like someone feeding bread to the birds?

I also began wondering about other areas where “contact” between people is discouraged. Schools, grocery stores, parks, sports events, and even churches. The last is especially troubling; it’s one thing to warn people about packing together in small spaces, and another thing to have “Caesar” intervene in matters of the free practice of religion, which is supposedly guaranteed by our Constitution.

And now, with the current three-week restrictions on gatherings, we are being told to stay away from church services even through Christmas.

Which got me thinking even more: is faith possible without contact? Can we really have or practice “contactless faith”? How would this have changed the history of our faith, if today’s rules had always been in force? Just imagine:

  1. If Adam and Eve had kept social distancing, none of us would even be here.
  2. Mary and Joseph would have sung in the stable, “A way we’re in danger, no mask for our heads.”
  3. The wise men wouldn’t have been allowed to travel across national boundaries to visit the infant Jesus. We’d be singing, “We three kings of Orient are, staying home, can’t travel too far . . .”
  4. Other Christmas songs we’d be singing: “Deck the Halls with Rolls of Plastic,” “Edicts we have heard on high, telling us to stay inside,” and, “O Quarantine, O Quarantine, your rules are always changing. . .”
  5. Pontius Pilate would have not just washed his hands at Jesus’ trial, he would have washed his face and used sanitizer, too.
  6. Martin Luther’s famous defense at the Diet of Worms would have been: “Here I stand, six feet apart from you.” Then he would have self-quarantined at the Wartburg Castle for the next year.
  7. And finally, we’d have to revise the old Twelve Days of Christmas to go something like, “The Twelve Months of Covid.”*

On a more serious note, the biggest change would have been in our Lord’s earthly ministry, which was all about making contact with us and all the people around him. Just consider:

  1. Jesus had contact with lepers, who were the most socially-distanced people of his day: they were required to call out when they walked so other non-infected people could avoid them. When a group of them saw Jesus, they “stood at a distance” and called to him. Rather than running from them, he healed them, resulting in one falling at his feet (Luke 17:11-19).
  2. Jesus associated with sinners, including tax collectors and prostitutes, who were the “social lepers” of his day. “And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?'” (Mark 2:16).
  3. Jesus touched several dead people (just before raising them to life), something that was socially and religiously forbidden in his day. Numbers 5:2 ordered, “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead.” (Talk about social distancing!)
  4. And just imagine the Last Supper, with Jesus instituting a “drive-through” Communion service as the disciples filed in and out of the upper room.

But the whole point of Jesus coming to earth was to make contact with us, the “apple of his eye” (Psalm 17:8) to save us from our sins (Luke 19:10, etc.). Rather than “staying at home” in heaven, safe from all the ill effects of the deadly disease of sin, he came down to us to suffer and die for us. He didn’t just “Zoom” us from heaven; he showed up in person, freely accepting not only the risks, but the certainty of his death. And because he did, we have eternal life – free from any future diseases!

Jesus made contact, but what about us today? Can we have faith and maintain that faith in our “contactless” society? Can we have “contactless faith”? Well, the answer is both yes and no.

“Yes,” in that we all have God’s Word available to us in many forms, both printed and electronic, so that we need never lack for his saving Word of life. God’s law and his gospel are in our hands, though we be shut away from contact with each other. As God’s Word promises, it will not return empty, but will accomplish its purpose (Isaiah 55:11).

And “no,” in two senses. First, because even when separated from each other, we are not separated from God in Christ. His Holy Spirit has come upon us and remains with us no matter what. Jesus spoke of this Spirit in John 14:17, “You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” No distancing there. And, even when Jesus was about to “distance” himself physically from the disciples at the Ascension, he promised them, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This was consistent with God’s promise made in several Old Testament Scriptures that he would “never leave you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 13:6-8, Joshua 1:5, 1 Kings 8:57, 1 Chronicles 28:20), as well as in the New Testament book of Hebrews (13:5). Even if we were locked up in solitaire, in a prison cell, or in a cage, Christ would still be with us. Apart from him, we have no faith, for it is his gift by his Holy Spirit that we can believe. As Luther’s Small catechism states, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”

And second, though we find ourselves separated right now by circumstances, this situation is not normal and cannot continue. Christians are by nature called to come together, to be the Church, called out from the crowd and joined in fellowship. Hebrews 10:25 tells us to not neglect meeting together, “as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Faith when isolated and neglected can grow cold. We can get too comfortable not going to church, that we forget to hold up Christ as the center of our lives and as the core of all our decisions. We begin to look at the world in the same secular way that we hear and see espoused all around us. We forget that “though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.”** We need the fellowship, teachings, sacraments, and sharpening of character that only the Church, by the power of God himself, can provide.

Therefore, join with me in praying for relief from this pandemic, from the sickness and death it causes, and from the social, economic, and spiritual damage our response has caused, for “contactless faith” is a contradiction in terms.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lit up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Mark 2:13-17; Luke 17:11-19;  John 14:15-27 

*See the next blog for a full rendition of this slightly warped song.

** From the hymn, This Is My Father’s World, by Maltbie Babcock, 1901. 

Statues of Limitation – Part 2

Last time I began addressing the issues surrounding the current smashing and toppling of historical statues, and made the first two of four points: First, that such statue smashing is wrong, and second, that all the people represented by such statues were flawed sinners (with feet of clay) who overcame their flaws to accomplish significant things (whether we like what they did or not). Now, I continue with the final two points:

3. Should we erect any statues at all? While I recognize the value of holding up certain people as examples to us of flawed individuals who nevertheless accomplished great things in their lives, my musings have led me to ask the question, “Should we erect any statues at all?”

My question is based on the commandment given by the LORD on Mount Sinai: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4 and Deuteronomy 5:8).

The reactions to this commandment have varied by religious communities over the centuries. The Israelites broke it even before Moses delivered it to them when they made a golden calf and worshiped it as their deliverer from Egypt. Later, the Jews prohibited any statues as idolatry, and rose up in armed rebellion against their enemies who put idols in the Temple: first against the Greek rulers in the days of the Maccabees (167-160 BC) and then against the Romans in 66-73 AD. During the Exile in Babylon, the captive Jews refused to bow down to the golden statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had erected on the Plain of Dura; the story of faithful Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is told in Daniel 3. Today, orthodox and some conservative Jews practice what is called aniconism (from “an” meaning “not,” and “iconism,” meaning the use of images). They prohibit any 3-dimensional representations of people, animals, or God, but allow pictures that are 2-D. Additionally, strict Muslims prohibit use of any images, which is why their mosques are decorated with geometric figures and “arabesque” swirls.

Christians have varied their observance of this commandment. Some have propagated such statues as honoring saints and instructing often illiterate populations in biblical and Church history, while others, known as “iconoclasts,” have forbidden and destroyed any such human forms for being “graven” or carved images and thus prohibited.

Today, the idea that statues are forbidden by God seems to have faded away among Christians in this country. We look at the verses following God’s prohibition against carved images and read the ban in context: “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God. . . ” (Exodus 20:5a). I think we have generally reasoned that as long as you don’t worship the image and call it a god, you’re okay. (Even though we watch television competitions that tout their winners as “American Idols” – something I’ve never been comfortable with.)

I understand God’s commandment to be against worshiping anything or anyone but him, but I still think we should be careful not to invest any hero-worship in our heroes, whether “statued” or not. This applies to all famous people, celebrities of all kinds: athletes, movie stars, musicians, politicians, pastors-emeritus, etc. This concern came to mind in 1990 when I stood in front of the Novosibirsk State Polytechnic University in what was the Soviet Union. Standing with me was a Russian student who pointed to the huge statue of Vladimir Lenin that rose before us. The student leaned toward me and said, “Our last idol.” I hoped right then that I would never consider any statue to be an idol of mine.

4. Finally, what about statues of Jesus? What about the crucifixes that bear his form on the cross? Since we do worship Jesus as Lord and Savior, as the Son of God and the Second Person of the Trinity, are such images prohibited? I actually have mixed feelings and thoughts about this.

On the one hand, we must not worship the image, whether as a crucifix, a statue, or a drawing/painting. We worship the One that such art represents. We don’t know what Jesus looked like for sure, and I think that was God’s intention. Therefore people around the world have pictured him as looking like them, whatever their race or ethnicity. We can worship Christ without any artistic rendering, and must realize that whatever image we have in mind when we think of Christ will be inadequate. How can we describe the risen and glorified Christ in mere human terms? The Apostle John tried in Revelation 1:13-16, saying, “one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.”

On the other hand, I don’t want to criticize the faith and devotion of those who adorn their homes with pictures of Christ or crucifixes that bear the dying form of our Lord. They see his face or form daily, and are reminded of his sacrifice for their salvation. Like crossing oneself or wearing Christian jewelry, their faith is on display, and I commend them for it – as did Luther when he returned to Wittenberg. In defense of such images, while God cannot be confined to any finite image, Jesus did come to earth and become one of us, taking human form and life (Philippians 2:7-8).

I remember as a child (and later as a Sunday school teacher) using the old flannel graphs to tell Bible stories. Some of the flannel figures represented Jesus – walking on the water, healing the sick, sitting with the children. It’s hard to think that those pictures were idolatrous, since they presented visually what we were learning and teaching verbally. Even today, there are non-literate people who cannot read Bible stories in their language who can benefit from such visual representations.

So where do I stand after all these considerations? I think my title for these blogs, “Statue of Limitations,” says it pretty well. God’s prohibition against carved images is to prevent us trying to represent him by anything he has created. As Paul said, wicked men have exchanged true worship of the Creator with worship of his creation: “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:22). Therefore, we who worship the true God must not hold up any statue or image as sacred; Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Our God is greater than any thing we might use to represent him. That is our limitation. But, if a statue or other image can be used to instruct, inspire, or encourage faith, then let it be used for that purpose, for God knows we need it!

And as far as a statue of me is concerned: God knows we don’t need that!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5; Romans 1:18-32; Philippians 2:5-11.

Statues of Limitation

To my many friends and admirers who have wanted to erect a statue of me, whether on the front lawn of my church, in front of City Hall, or in some national park known for its oversized presidential heads, I say: just wait awhile; now is not the time for such an honor to be bestowed. There is just too much statue- and monument-smashing going on right now, and I would hate for your investment to be wasted. I would hate to see my bust get busted. I suggest waiting until the current anti-statue fervor dies down.

Like you, I have watched the news and seen videos of recent vandalism and mob violence directed against many monuments: first, against statues of Confederate generals, then against founding fathers, explorers, and pioneers, and finally even against statues of abolitionists and black soldiers who fought against the Confederacy. The message is clear: “It doesn’t really matter whom the statue represents; if it’s part of American history, it’s evil and needs to come down.”

As I watched these acts of destruction by mob violence, I have considered various aspects of what’s going on, and among my many thoughts, have come down to four issues I would like to share with you.

1. The actions are wrong. They are just senseless acts of hatred against our country. While supposedly motivated by the failures of our society to live up to our proclaimed noble ideals, these violent actions against people, property, and the duly instituted authorities of our country, violate those very same principles. The smashing of monuments and statues are attacks on our country and its history, and attempts to destroy our common identity. The range of targets by the mobs betrays any virtue in their actions. The point is destruction, not improvement. Not to mention the admonitions by Scripture to respect our authorities and render to the government what is due it (Matthew 22:21, Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-4)

It’s not that I’m approving of statues of men who defended slavery; my great-grandfather, Leander Allen Eddy, fought against the Confederacy, spent time in a prison camp, was wounded in action, and carried a bullet (a Minie ball) in his leg the rest of his life. I’m glad “our side” won. But the Civil War happened, and the generals and soldiers who fought on both sides are part of our heritage. They – and the slaves who were freed – are part of who we are as a nation.

Statues which were erected by communities to commemorate some event or person who positively affected those communities can certainly be removed whenever those communities no longer revere those people or events; but such removals can be done by vote and consensus and not by violent actions of a few people who have no regard for the wishes of those communities. This is not even taking into account matters of private property. If you don’t like someone, buy or build your own statue and destroy that; your protest would actually cost you something and carry more weight.

Interestingly, the start of the Reformation in the early 1520’s brought  about a period of statue-smashing, as well. While Martin Luther hid out in the Wartburg Castle, some of those who were won to his cause back in the town of Wittenberg decided to show their new-found faith by smashing the symbols of the old faith in what had been the Roman Catholic churches. To that end, the religious rebels smashed statues of Mary and the other saints, broke stained glass windows, and tore down other religious images. Luther was horrified to learn of the destruction, and returned to Wittenberg to help stop such actions. He spoke against what he saw as the desecration of people’s faith as well as images.

2. All statues have “feet of clay.” The saying, “feet of clay,” comes from the book of Daniel, chapter 2, describing a dream of the king, Nebuchadnezzar, in which he saw a statue made up of different metals, but with feet of iron and clay. The clay symbolized a vulnerability in a future kingdom, and since has come to represent any vulnerability in a person who otherwise is strong and capable.

So, when I say all statues have feet of clay, I mean that every statue today represents a person who has flaws and faults (except for statues of Jesus, but that’s another topic – see my point #3 below). There is no one who is righteous, not one (Romans 3:10); rather, all have sinned (Romans 3:23). There is no one who could be honored with a statue if sinless perfection were a standard. Nor, with changing attitudes, could the hero of a past era or event by considered a hero today. Thus, Kate Smith’s statue was removed from the Philadelphia Flyers’ arena, even though she inspired millions of Americans through World War II and beyond with her recording of God Bless America, because someone found her recording of a racist song from the early 1930s. (The Flyers had a win record of 100-29 when they played her recording instead of the national anthem before their games; hence, the statue being erected there in the first place.)

George Washington had slaves. Thomas Jefferson had slaves. Cinque, the African slave featured in the movie Amistad, won his freedom, then went back to Africa where he joined the slave trade capturing other Africans to be sold into slavery. Martin Luther wrote horrible things against the Jews which were used by Hitler to justify his persecution against them. John Sutter mistreated the local native tribes in Sacramento, numerous U.S. presidents have had mistresses and adulterous affairs, etc., etc. All our heroes (and villains) have or had feet of clay. We can find fault with each and every one of them because they, like us, were sinners.

So why do they get statutes and we (I’m speaking of me as well) don’t? Because those people, in spite of their sins, flaws, and shortcomings, rose to face the challenges and circumstances of their times and places, and in the process, overcame difficulties to accomplish things, to establish societies, to change people’s lives, to make history, or to win conflicts. They were giants in their effect on their part of the world, even standing on feet of clay. That doesn’t always make them heroes, but it does warrant some recognition, because ultimately their story is the story of mankind: people facing life and striving to overcome difficulties to accomplish something good. The goal is that we, who also have feet of clay, will rise above our shortcomings and flaws to make life better for us, our families, and our communities.

To be continued next time . . . . in “Statues of Limitation – Part 2”

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Matthew 22:15-22; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-8

 

 

Let My People Go!

It’s Sunday today, and once again Karen and I are attending church: on YouTube on our TV in our house. Since March 22 (for 2 months now), this has been our modus operandi – our way of doing things when it comes to worshiping and participating in the life of our church. That, and dropping off our offering envelopes (with the offerings in them, of course).

We’re not worshiping/participating this way because it’s our preference (because it’s not), nor because it allows me to sleep in on Sundays and still attend church (though that is a nice thing). Nor is it because this method of church is better than an in-person service (it’s not, though the pastors and staff are doing a very good job in both content and video quality). We are doing church this way for one reason: it’s the law.

Not that the law requires us to hold such online services, but the governor and other government officials have prohibited church gatherings as part of the closures and social distancing ordered to slow or stop the spread of the coronavirus. In other words, the government has stopped us from holding church services in person.

Which is a problem.

Setting aside the statistics that half of all churches in the U.S. have less than 80 attendance on a Sunday, or that precautions could be taken to limit actual physical contact within sanctuaries, there are serious issues of state interference in the religious freedoms guaranteed to Americans by our Bill of Rights. Of the many freedoms enumerated in the Bill, the very first one cited – before speech, the press, assembly, trial by jury, or arms-bearing – is the freedom of religion. It was that important to our country’s founders, and it is still that important to us today.

While most people have accepted such government interference on a short-term, emergency basis, and churches have cooperated for the love of the people who could die from this nasty virus, we are now seeing protests and lawsuits against religious restrictions. Even the US Justice Department has joined one lawsuit against a state that was overly zealous in persecuting its churches for holding services. One example of such excessive state control is the state that fined people who attended a drive-in service where everyone stayed in their separate cars: the police even recorded the participants’ license plates. Such selective and over-zealous enforcement does seem like persecution when liquor stores and cannabis shops remained open as “essential” businesses.

Our own governor has recently announced some easing of restrictions regarding retail businesses, but still categorizes churches as a “Phase 3” group of activities that must remain closed for weeks – or months – to come until the government decides they may re-open.

Which, as I said, is a problem.

Upon hearing that, I was reminded of the old African-American spiritual song, “Go Down, Moses.” I would sing it for you, but that would be banned by every government in the world and not protected by the Bill of Rights. Here are the words:

When Israel was in Egypt’s land,
Let My people go!
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let My people go!

Refrain:
Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egypt’s land;
Tell old Pharaoh
To let My people go!

This anti-slavery song is based on the events just preceding the Exodus, when Moses went before Pharaoh and told him God’s command that the Egyptian ruler allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. This command begins in Exodus 5:1  “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” As we know, Pharaoh refused God’s command numerous times, in spite of the plagues the Lord sent upon Egypt. Not until the final plague, when all the first-born males died, did Pharaoh relent and let them leave.

Hmmm – a deadly plague that killed people who were not sheltering at home? The call on the authorities to let the people go out and worship God? Interesting similarities, for sure. Of course, there are huge differences, too – the people were ordered in not by Pharaoh, but by God, and they were protected by the blood of the lamb on their doors (a symbol of Christ and his shed blood) and not by face masks. Still, as I hear the song in my head, I can’t help but say to our rulers:

Let my people go!

It’s time to reopen our churches, or more correctly, to be allowed to do so. This is a civil rights issue, of course, and an expression of our rights as Americans, rights endowed to us by our Creator, and not by government, according to our Declaration of Independence. But as always, we cannot separate our social realm from the biblical and spiritual. So consider the following:

1. The Church is an essential service. Humans are by God’s design spiritual beings, and need the hear his Word and comfort at all times, let alone in high-stress times of danger. Bottles of water and rolls of Northern tissue* have their roles (or rolls), but are no substitute for the encouragement in faith provided by believers gathering and carrying out the public ministry which Christ entrusted to his Church. Even those most in need of spiritual care – the sick in hospitals, the lonely seniors at home, the grieving families who have lost loved ones – have been shut off from personal in-person ministry by their pastors.

Not only are churches vital to their members, they are also essential to their communities. People are so used to there being social services and agencies, they forget that most such care-providing organizations (and their workers) only exist because of Christians who put their love into practice to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked. Food and clothing banks, housing, night schools, relief efforts during catastrophes, and even hospitals, have their origins and major support from churches and individual believers.

Many of our national founders, including John Witherspoon and Ben Franklin, spoke of religion’s value in maintaining a self-governing republic. George Washington said in his farewell Address, “religion and morality are indispensable supports” for “political prosperity.” He said, “Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.” The very ability of a society to survive is the self-regulation of faith and obedience to godly commandments. There aren’t enough police or jails (as we are learning) to control everyone who might do evil. Only the fear of God allows us to serve and not harm each other.

2. God commands us to respect and obey government. This is true, even when we don’t like our government or didn’t elect it; after all, how many Christians in biblical times actually voted for the Roman emperor? Key Scriptures tell us,

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

“Jesus said to them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.'” (Mark 12:17)

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. . . . For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (Romans 13:1, 6-8)

Lutherans especially have recognized the two ways in which God provides for his people: through his “proper work,” symbolized by the right hand, which is the Church and its proclamation of the Gospel; and his “alien work,” symbolized by the left hand, which is the government, which acts to protect people and punish evil (Romans 13:3-4). Note that Moses appealed to Pharaoh to let the people go, and they did not leave until Pharaoh allowed it. They didn’t rebel or fight their ruler, but obeyed God and let him handle Pharaoh to get them permission to leave. Likewise, we must pray and let God change our leaders’ hearts when he knows the time is right.

3. But God also commands a higher authority: himself. Note that when Jesus said to render to Caesar, he also said to render to God that which is his. When the two commands conflict, as they have throughout history, the obligation to God is greater than our obligation to government. That is why Christians have always met to worship, hear God’s Word, and receive the sacraments even in times when Christianity was outlawed, Christians were persecuted and even martyred, Bibles were burned, services and catechism were banned, and priests/pastor jailed.

We have a higher calling to obey God and not men. When the authorities ordered Peter and the other apostles to stop preaching in Jesus’ name, he replied in Acts 5:29-30, “We must obey God rather than men.” When the Chinese communist government expelled all foreign missionaries and banned churches, believers formed churches in their homes and the faith grew exponentially. When the Nazis tried to run the churches in Germany by assigning approved “bishops,” believers formed “The Confessing Church” and remained loyal to Christ. When ancient Rome called Christianity an illicit religion and banned it, the faithful still met to worship and pray, even if the location of their final church service became the arena. As you can see from these examples,  obedience to God is not contingent on happy and easy times. As the Lord said in Deuteronomy 4:30, “When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice.”

4. When we re-open, we must still obey the greatest commandment: to love God with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves. We still have the obligation to each other which Christians have always had, to protect and care for each other. This means we should still follow the components of preventive health: physical separation, masking, cleaning of surfaces, and frequent hand-washing. We can find ways to have church that take these principles into account. We can pass the peace without shaking hands or giving a “holy kiss” (2 Corinthians 13:12). We can commune safely while spaced apart and the pastors using gloves (though we may need to drop our masks to actually partake of the bread and wine!). Because we care about each other, we can take the right steps to protect each other, but that should be our responsibility, and not by the government’s permission.

This is a difficult time for the Church, and for Christians who long to gather once again. We need each other; we are all parts of the body of Christ which need each other to function (See Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12). At some point, we need to stand up and assert our rights as believers, acting respectfully and peacefully toward the government, yet standing firm in fulfilling our greater obligation to God, even should it cost us penalties, for as Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men.”

So, to all those who wield authority over us during this pandemic and beyond, I repeat, “Let my people go!”

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Romans 13:1-9, 1 Corinthians 12, Acts 5:17-29, Exodus 5-12

* Like my previous blog in which I cited Charmin, I am just being fair, and am not endorsing Northern nor receiving any payment for naming or using it. Although, if rolls of either (or both) showed up mysteriously on my doorstep, I would be tempted to keep them . . . 

Letters From Prison, Part 2

As I stated in the previous blog, I am in prison.

But as I also pointed out, I’m not locked up in the state penitentiary, nor in the local hoosegow (yes, that really is a word!). Rather, like millions of Americans and others around the world, I am “sheltering at home”as ordered by the authorities to prevent or at least slow down the spread of the coronavirus in our communities. I guess you could call it a “virtual” prison.

In keeping with the example set by other, more famous personages throughout history, from the Apostle Paul to Martin Luther King, Jr., I thought I might take advantage of this enforced isolation to write some “Letters from Prison” about our current situation. Enough has been said by pundits on TV about the political, medical, and economic aspects of the coronavirus pandemic, but not much about the spiritual and religious considerations.

So, in light of that oversight, let me share a few thoughts with you.

1. Today I heard of a teen who complained about the cancellation of things he wanted to do, thanks to the sheltering-in-place order. He said, “I didn’t ask for this.” To which I reply, “Duh!” No one asked for this. No one wanted to get sick and die, no one wanted travel restrictions, job losses, business and school closures (well, maybe the school closings), or orders to stay home. But it happened. So do all other interruptions of life, from car accidents to cancer to acts of violence. No one gets married because they want to get divorced later, but it happens. Close friends and love interests break up, and people get fired. Natural events such as tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, etc. claim lives, destroy homes (no sheltering at home possible!), and change futures. We have had the luxury of living privileged lives in this country during this century, but nothing on this earth is guaranteed or permanent. Like the farmer who built bigger barns to hold his wealth and boasted that he could eat and drink and be merry with all he had accumulated, we must be ready for the Lord to tell us that tonight our soul may be required of us, when all we desire in this life will be taken away (Luke 12:20). So no, we didn’t ask for this, but it comes with living in a fallen world.

2. Even though our world is fallen and dangerous, it still has much beauty and goodness in it. God’s divine nature, power and wisdom are still seen in what he has created (Romans 1:20). He designed our immune systems and our bodies’ ability to heal. He gave us intelligence and the raw materials for us to devise and use treatments and vaccines. And there is great beauty in most of life that lies beyond today’s viral concerns.

Even among us fallen sinners, enough of God’s image remains to move us to compassionate works, caring for those who are afflicted and suffering. We hear of people selling fakes cures on Amazon and shake our heads; we hear of a 72-year old priest in  Italy giving up his respirator to save the life of a virus-afflicted younger person, and we wipe tears from our eyes. We see videos of someone licking public surfaces and we get angry; we see medical staff working diligently and risky themselves to help the sick, and we feel very grateful. I urge you to look for what beauty and goodness remains in nature and humanity for your daily encouragement.

3. During this time when we are told to avoid personal contact, to practice social distancing, and stay home, only those businesses and jobs that are deemed “essential” are being allowed to operate. The government has listed specific essentials such as groceries, pharmacies, medical practices, first responders, utilities, radio stations, and banks. It makes sense, since there are services and goods we need in order to stay safe and healthy and in touch. But I have noticed one glaring omission from the list of essential services, and that is “church.” What is more essential than gathering to worship our Lord and Savior under even the best of circumstances? And what about now, to worship the One who has the power and wisdom to protect and guide us through these difficult times?

Throughout history, believers have gathered to pray for deliverance from whatever was threatening them, whether the enemy was human or disease. They did so because they called on God who provided all their needs and promised never to leave them or forsake them. And at times, the Lord did deliver them in answer to their prayers.

When the Mongols threatened to overrun a defeated and undefended Europe in 1241, the people of Europe gathered in their churches and prayed. Suddenly the Mongol Great Khan died, and the invading leader rushed his horde back to Mongolia to seek election as his replacement, sparing Europe. When the plague struck the German town of Oberammergau in 1633, the people gathered to pray for God’s deliverance. After they prayed, people healed, there were no more deaths, and the next year they began the ten-year cycle of Passion plays in thanksgiving. (Which play for this year has been cancelled due to this new plague, and moved to 2022). And the Apostle Peter was quickly freed from prison in answer to the prayers of the Jerusalem church – before he had time to write any letters from there. The people were still praying for him  when he walked in and joined them! (Acts 12:6-17) As Christians, we are called to pray for our deliverance whatever is facing us.

4. But the question arises during this time of social-distancing, whether we can still worship God, pray as a community, and be the Church when we are all scattered to our individual homes. The answer is yes, though we would much rather gather as the Lord tells us in Hebrews 10:25, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. . .”

a. The Church is not a building, nor one location, but rather is the collection of believers around the world, wherever and whenever they be. We will always be absent from most of our fellow believers in this life, yet are joined with them in faith by one body: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

b. Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession (the basic Lutheran doctrine) states, “The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered.” In our day of enhanced communication over the internet, we are able to hear the Gospel being preached, even by our own congregation’s pastors, and to hear and see the liturgy of worship, a liturgy based on Scripture. So in that way, at least part of the definition of a local church is met.

c. As far as the Sacraments, that could be more of a challenge, though with some careful adjustments, the elements of bread and wine could be administered. It could be done as a drive-through procession, or even online*: the pastor could institute communion at a specific time, and the congregants (that is, non-congregating congregants) could self-administer their own bread and wine (or grape juice) at the direction of the pastor. After all, it is not the pastor who actually institutes the communion, but Christ, whose words are spoken by the pastor; nor is the church-owned bread and wine any more holy than what we have at home. Likewise, it is not the pastor’s touch of the elements that sanctifies them, but the Word of God. As Luther said in the Small Catechism about the benefits of communion: “It is not the eating and drinking, indeed, that does them, but the words which stand here, namely: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins. Which words are, beside the bodily eating and drinking, [are] the chief thing in the Sacrament. . .”

d. If the mandated shut down of people-gatherings were actually government persecution of churches specifically, then I would say to resist the order and accept the consequences that disobedience would cause. Christians have done that over the centuries under many regimes that sought to stamp out the faith. Literally millions of martyrs testify to that fact. They sought to honor God, “rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17), and they chose to “obey God, rather than men” (Acts 5:29). But this situation affects everyone and every institution, not just the churches. Here the question the churches must answer about gathering in person goes to Christ’s statement on what is the greatest commandment. He said the greatest commandment is to love God, and secondly, to love our neighbor. Our local congregation, as well as most others, recognize that for the sake of loving our neighbors (not to mention our brothers and sisters in Christ), we will support the social-distancing for now to protect our neighbors from becoming sick from gathering with others who might be infected. Fortunately, because of our technology, this is possible without losing all contact.

There are two more points about the current pandemic I would like to make, about (1) whether this pandemic is a harbinger of the end times, and (2) about what passages of Scripture comfort us in these times, but as I look at the clock and at my word count for this blog, I realize I need to break here and write a Part 3 for the next blog. So now, while you wait with bated breath for the next installment,

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Mark 12:13-17; Acts 5:17-42; Ephesians 4; Ephesians 5:22-33

P.S. An alert female reader reminded me to finish the passage I started last blog where I quoted Ephesians 5 about wives submitting to their husbands . . . Too bad I’m out of time and space to do that now. Maybe later . . .

*Disclaimer: Online communion is not an acceptable practice according to the Executive Committee of my denomination, The American Association of Lutheran Churches (AALC). Our Presiding Pastor issued that statement the day after I first posted this blog. As a member of the AALC’s clergy roster, I would not practice what my denomination rejects, but still believe it warrants discussion.

 

The Real Chief Justice

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS for short) issued some new rulings. As always, I held my breath, waiting to hear what that nine-member judiciary decided was proper and legal for our country in the particular cases they reviewed. Even though I grew up watching and enjoying old Perry Mason episodes, and generally enjoy courtroom movies (My Cousin Vinnie comes to mind as one of those movies), I find myself always nervous and a bit trepidatious when it comes to decisions reached by the “Supremes.”

For one thing, their decisions are far-reaching and the “final answer” to almost everything in our country. Without getting too political, I can say that the Court’s power has grown to such an extent that it can override laws, actions, and policies enacted by both other branches of the federal government. Not only that, it does the same for state laws and even social organizations. It can decide issues of guilt in appeals cases, and direct even social norms and practices – often by split 5-4 decisions. No one else in the country has authority to say “No” to what SCOTUS decides. It is indeed, supreme, and that makes me nervous.

Now, having a supreme arbiter is bad enough, but the problem that compounds my anxiety is that the Court so often gets it wrong. And this is not a political statement: judges appointed by presidents of both parties, judges who are black, white, and Hispanic, male and female, conservative and liberal, Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish, and older and younger have together rendered some absolutely horrific decisions which have negatively affected the lives of millions of Americans. Consider the following decisions, for example:

1. Dred Scott v. Sanford, 1857. Ruled that a slave (Dred Scott) who had resided in a free state and territory where slavery was prohibited was not thereby entitled to his freedom; that African Americans were not and could never be citizens of the United States; and that slaves were the property of their owners.

2. Wickard v. Filburn, 1942. Ruled that an Ohio farmer who grew wheat for his own animals, and not for sale, could still be regulated and fined for affecting interstate commerce because he wasn’t buying his feed wheat on the open market, thus reducing interstate sales.

3. Salinas v. Texas, 2013. Ruled that the Fifth Amendment does not bar using a suspect’s silence as evidence of guilt.

4. Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 2005. The Court ruled that police do not have a constitutional duty to protect a person from harm, even a woman who had obtained a court-issued protective order against a violent husband which made an arrest mandatory for a violation.

5. Kelo v. City of New London, 2005. SCOTUS ruled that it was a valid public use for the government to take land from one private party and give it to another for “economic development.” In this case a woman lost her home to what eventually became a barren, unused field.

6. Roe v. Wade, 1973. The ruling that legalized abortion in the US as a protected “right” has led to the legal killing of over 60 million children ever since.

7. Overgefell v. Hodges, 2015. Overriding state laws and prior SCOTUS decisions (not to mention Scripture and all human history), the Court ruled in a 5–4 decision that all states must grant and recognize same-sex marriages.

8. And last, but not least, as far as this list goes: Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana, 2019. The Court ruled that abortions are legal for any purpose, even gender selection. Where we once criticized China for aborting its girl babies, now we can do the same here.

Those with different political and social leanings than I have will doubtless compile a different list of terrible decisions than what appears here, but they would have to agree, if even for different reasons, that SCOTUS is not infallible. On the contrary, it is a flawed, human institution that is subject to the same political and social winds that blow through our country, and too often makes bad decisions regarding important matters that affect us all.

Which brings me to the point of all this: what we call “The Supreme Court” is not really supreme at all. It is not infallible, it is not all-knowing. It is subject to the same failings every person and every human institution faces. If we want to find true justice and true, perfect decisions, we have to look elsewhere.

We have to look to God.

When we do, we discover the awesome way Scripture describes him as the Righteous Judge who renders his judgments according to perfect truth and knowledge, a Judge who is just, fair, and incorruptible.  From Abraham’s plea to God in Genesis 18:25, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” to the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20:11-15, God is the supreme and perfect judge of all mankind (and all spirit beings as well).

Psalm 9:8 proclaims, “and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.” Psalm 96:13 says, “He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.” There are many other verses extolling God’s righteous judgments, but let’s consider some reasons that make his judgments so perfect:

1. God is omniscient. He knows all things, and knows the end of a thing from its beginning. There is nothing hidden from him: he knows our actions, our thoughts, and our motives. He sees through our excuses and rationalizations.

2. God cannot be fooled. He knows not only what we do outwardly, but also sees our motives and inward thoughts. Nothing we do will be hidden from him but will be revealed in the Day of Judgment. Luke 12:2 “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” And 1 Corinthians 4:4-5 warns us to leave judgment to God, “It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” 

3. God is not swayed by political considerations or the social position of the ones he judges, “For God shows no partiality” (Romans 2:11). He is not swayed by the outward appearance of people, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

4. He can not be bribed or bought. Deuteronomy 10:17 proclaims, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.” 2 Chronicles 19:7 repeats this truth: “Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.” It’s amazing how often we try to bargain with God (that is, bribe him), by offering him some incentive to take our side in a matter. “If only you do this, I will tithe! If only you heal me I will never take those drugs again! If only you help me I’ll start going to church again!” and so on. God doesn’t need anything from us, and will not change his commandments based on what we offer him in exchange. Everything already belongs to God; what can we offer him Psalam 50:10-11, the Lord says, “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.” and in Haggai 2:8, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.”

5. God’s commandments and judgments are permanent. What he says is true always was and always will be. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 12:8). “There is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). And finally, Numbers 23:19 tells us to remember, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

God’s perfect knowledge of our sins and his awesome righteousness and power to judge and condemn us for them can scare us – and it should. Imagine standing before any human court, Supreme or otherwise, knowing that the prosecutor has every word you’ve ever spoken, every text or email sent, and video of everything you’ve ever done. You might start hoping for a plea bargain! Now imagine standing before God who has all that and more- even your most private thoughts and wishes. It should terrify us and cause us to lament and wail our lost condition. Like the congregations that cried out in despair at Jonathon Edwards preaching, we too are “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God”* and know we have no defense. The Law – God’s perfect Law – has rightly condemned us. As Jesus himself said in Matthew 10:28, we should not fear the one who can only destroy our bodies (human judges) but rather the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell (that be God). We stood condemned, awaiting our just punishment.

But thanks be to God, that he sent his Son into the world, not to condemn us, but to save us. While we were his enemies, guilty as sin and deserving his righteous judgment and condemnation, he sent his Son to save us, that we might not perish but have everlasting life, reconciled to him. His love and mercy for us triumphed over his judgment (James 2:13). By faith in Christ our sins are forgiven, and we stand justified, righteous before God in spite of all we have done. In Christ we have an advocate  (that is, attorney) before the Father.

Why would God do such a thing? How can he let us go when we are so guilty? For only one reason – his great love for us. He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone, but desires we to turn to him and live (Ezekiel 33:11). We come before God trembling, and he lifts us up, calms our fears, forgives us, and calls us to his side.

No human court, no matter what we call it, can do the same. Thanks be to God, our true and ultimate Judge, the real Chief Justice of the ultimate Supreme Court, whose rulings we need never fear. The Judge of all the earth shall do right – and not just by a 5-4 decision!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Genesis 18, Romans 8:1-34

* Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon from 1741 which described God dangling us over the fires of hell like a spider on its thread. Edwards was interrupted many times during the sermon by people moaning and crying out, “What shall I do to be saved?”

 

The Taxman Cometh

“Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry. Better not pout, I’m telling you why: the tax man is coming to town . .  .”

Okay, I know that’s not how the song goes. And I know the arrival of Santa is much more joyfully anticipated than the metaphorical coming of the taxman. It is after all, more blessed to receive than to give – at least in this context. But we are now in what is known as “tax season” (“To everything there is a season,” as it says in Ecclesiastes 3?). Which means that millions of us are negotiating the impossibly complex world of the US tax system to file tax returns (or extensions) by April 15th.

It’s not that paying taxes is wrong; the Bible tells us that it is proper we pay what we owe. When Jesus was asked whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, he pointed to the image of Caesar on the coin and commanded famously, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:15-21). Later, Paul said, “For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed . . . ” (Romans 13:6-7). And apart from paying the imperial taxes levied by the Romans, every Jewish man over the age of 20 also paid an annual half-shekel Temple tax to support the upkeep of the Temple. Throughout history, the words of Ben Franklin have been true: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” (By the way, Ben died five months after writing that. I wonder what his estate tax was?)

It’s not so much that taxes are wrong; after all, someone has to pay for the protections and services that governments provide. But there are problems with our taxes, which make the annual April 15th deadline so unpleasant.

First, there is the complexity of our system, or should I say, systems. There are local, state, and federal tax codes and requirements. The federal code alone is over 10 million words and 71,600 pages long. It is so complex that no one really knows what all is in it: when people call the IRS to get help with tax questions, they get different answers depending on who answers the phone. Entire industries of tax preparers, attorneys, and software engineers exist solely to help people and companies navigate – and pay – the right amount of taxes.

This hit home recently while Karen and I were preparing our tax returns. After careful reading I learned that we cannot claim our cat as a dependent. Nor can we claim cat litter as a medical expense, though it would make us sick if we didn’t scoop or change it often. Similarly, I cannot deduct my haircuts, even though keeping my hair at a good length is a community service: I am helping to keep California beautiful by doing so. At the very least, this blog should be a charitable deduction; it is after all, non-profit. But I won’t try slipping anything past the IRS – they have guns and prison cells, after all.

Second, there is the vast amount of government waste of our taxes. One sore point we have about paying the taxes we pay is that so much of it is wasted in corruption, boondoggles, bad choices, and political favors. There are so many inefficiencies, duplications, and overpriced purchases, not to mention the billions of dollars that just vanish without a trace. This is not just the loss of money – it is the squandering of human effort, labor, and resources which are taken from us “for the greater good,” but which never get used for what they are intended to help.

Just a few examples, courtesy of The Waste Report*: $50,000 given to the Georgia Christmas Tree Assoc to run commercials promoting Christmas trees at Christmas; $158 million in federal lunch money diverted by LA schools to pay for lawn sprinklers and TV station salaries; $188,000 to study why Americans don’t want to use the metric system;  over $250,000 for Pakistani kids to visit Space Camp and Dollywood; and $15 million to study the effectiveness of golf equipment in space. Seriously.

Even when our tax money is spent where it is supposed to be, we have to wonder whether the programs we fund actually accomplish what they are supposed to. And this is an issue regardless of one’s political leanings, because the benefits of spending as much as we do in any area can be questioned, whether it is for welfare, farm subsidies, the military, or education. If we knew that every cent we paid was doing some good, we probably would feel better about paying what politicians call our “contributions.” But we know it’s not.

Third, there is the conflict between what is Caesar’s and what is God’s. The third level of disquiet I have when it comes to taxes is with the conflict between what government demands and what God demands. I will gladly render to Caesar what is his, but if it conflicts with what I owe God, then there is a problem. Here I am thinking about a range of things: the funding of abortions and abortion providers; the persecution of Christians who stand up for their faith in the workplace, in school, or in their businesses; government agencies suing people for following their consciences when baking wedding cakes; the denial of tax-exempt status to religious organizations; the carrying out of wars and assassinations for political reasons; and the censoring of speech by government-funded colleges.

I could cite many examples of this God/Caesar conflict, but my point is not to argue over specific cases but to address the bigger question: what if Caesar commands me to do something, or to fund something, that is in direct conflict with what God commands? Here are some thoughts to consider:

    1. The physical and spiritual realms overlap. We can’t just divide things neatly into two piles, one for spiritual activities such as worship, prayer, fasting, and scriptural study, and the other for secular things such as school, work, sports, and taxes. Jesus always directed us to the spiritual application of every area of life. He didn’t say to withdraw from the world like a hermit, but to be active as God’s children in all we do. This makes it harder to divide Caesar-things from God-things, but that’s just the point: everything belongs to God ultimately, and the way we act toward everything in our lives is how we are acting toward God. Do we care for the poor and oppressed? Then we are caring for Jesus (Matthew 25:40). Do we “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23)? Do we approach all areas of our lives with thankful hearts, seeking to please and honor God by what we do? If so, then we have to view our relationships to the governing bodies in our lives in terms of how God would view our actions.
    2. God himself has instituted all authority. He has done so to establish order, restrain evil, and ensure justice (Romans 13:1-4). Likewise, Peter commands us, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:13-17). How we act toward authorities shows how we act toward God, for he is the Supreme Ruler over all, and our actions and attitudes are visible witnesses to the world. Therefore, we are to respect the people who serve in government and treat them as people who themselves have duties to perform.
    3. We are part of the problem. In our country (and state and city), we have a role as citizen-voters to speak up and vote our consciences. Too long too many good people have sat back and allowed others to make bad governing decisions. Too many times we have just shaken our heads and said, “Isn’t that terrible!” and just gone back to our own selfish pursuits, rather than standing up and speaking out. We hear about “activists” who shape public policy and the use of taxes; why are we not as active in voicing our concerns? When our forefathers rebelled against British rule, one of the main issues was “taxation without representation.” Now we have representatives whom we elect, but are they representing our values?  Not if we don’t speak up. Likewise, how many of our voices have been “bought” by politicians through government payments, grants, and subsidies? It’s hard to speak out against misuse of money when some of that money goes back into our pockets.
    4. At some point, we may need to just say “No.” God’s law is greater than man’s, and there may be a point when obedience to God means saying no to government demands. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statute (Daniel 3). Daniel refused to cease praying to God in spite of Darius’ forbidding it (Daniel 6). John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed for speaking against the ruler named Herod, and Peter and the Apostles were arrested and beaten for speaking about Jesus (Acts 5). And so on. Throughout history, Christians have suffered persecution and martyrdom for refusing the commands of anti-Christian rulers to deny Christ and worship the approved gods. We may face the same dilemma: do we keep quiet and go with the flow, or do we stand up for what we believe. Before we do, there are certain criteria we must take into account if our protest is going to be God-honoring.

What are those things? Tune in next week for Part 2 of this article . . . In the meantime:

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Daniel 6, Acts 5:17-42

 

*The Waste Report, issued annually by Sen. Rand Paul.