Category: Creation

Total Eclipse of the Son

Last weekend, Karen and I flew to Dallas, Texas to be in the totality zone of  this year’s total eclipse of the sun. We weren’t so sure it would work out, given weather forecasts of clouds and possible storms for the Dallas area. Indeed, when we arrived there Sunday evening, it was overcast with clouds. But on Monday, the day of the eclipse, the sky cleared and we were blessed with a warm (but not hot), sunny day with light, cool breezes. On top of that, we had a great viewing venue at a cousin of mine’s church grounds. Our relatives and we had an unobstructed view, and enjoyed snacks provided by the church to all attendees: Sun Chips and Moon Pies. It was a perfect day, ending with a great dinner out with the family at a local restaurant. This is one of the pictures of the eclipse at totality*:

To celebrate the event, I wore a t-shirt given me for the occasion by friend Dave. The shirt summed up the experience: “Traveled Miles for Seconds of Darkness Worth Every Penny.”

At the end of that wonderful day, my cousin sat down with us, and becoming very serious, told us the news of the diagnosis they had just received just days earlier, that her husband had advanced melanoma cancer, and if untreated, had about six months to live. They had kept the news to themselves all day so as not to spoil our eclipse!

The next day, my cousin, her husband, Karen, and I toured a local creation museum (ICR Discovery Center**) in Dallas, which is a Christian ministry that researches and advocates the connection of true science to what the Bible teaches about the creation. My cousin and her husband are strong Christians, which is a major factor in how they are dealing with the devastating diagnosis. We are joining them and our churches in praying for his healing and their peace.

When I thought about their faith and the sureness of all our hope in Jesus Christ and what he has accomplished for us now and for all eternity, I wondered as I often have at the difference it makes in having Christ when we face difficulties and tragedies in life. My cousin and her husband have Christ and it will make a huge difference for their coming journey, wherever it leads. But what about those who don’t have the promises of Christ? What about those who don’t have the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to work in their spirits to face all that life brings?

You might say that those without Christ are suffering from “A total eclipse of the Son.”

Not knowing Christ’s love, they face life on their own. They have only a few fallible or fickle people to turn to when troubles happen, and facing the end of life they have nothing sure to anticipate. No “better place” to go to, no eternal life or fellowship with God.

Unfortunately, our society, once founded on the Christian faith (Harvard was originally a seminary for training Christian pastors!), has done all it can to block out the Son of God from our lives and thoughts. Consider:

  1. Renaming of time periods from B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini = Year of our Lord), to B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era). Why should we date everything from the most important event in all history?
  2. Complete omission of any reference to the biblical account of creation in our schools or public life. Only secular explanations are allowed, even when the evidence supports creation. (Hence the need for creation organizations such as the one we visited.) An example of what happens when you go counter to the narrative: the California Superintendent of Schools tried to shut down the Institute for Creation Research for not teaching evolution, even after an accreditation  committee approved the Institute. (Which is why they moved from San Diego to Dallas!)
  3. Separation of church and state used to mean non-interference of government in religion, now it means the government stamping religion out of the public life. Example: The state of Washington was giving out college scholarships for any kind of degree – except for a Christian student applying for seminary studies. And the courts upheld the denial, saying such a grant would be the state supporting a religion.
  4. Most Hollywood TV shows and movies mock religious people as ignorant hicks, or as charlatan preachers, as violent racists, or as criminals wearing crosses. One example was the first episode of a new show on British security services, where the villain was a pro-life American who was going to bomb an abortion clinic. Watch carefully the next show you see for similar themes!
  5. And need I say anything about shows celebrating “the true meaning of Christmas” without even mentioning Jesus?
  6. The FBI was calling devout Catholics terror threats, and placed undercover agents in churches to spy on them. The FBI called conservative Catholics, “Radical-Traditionalist Catholics.”
  7. The LA Times published an article about the growing godlessness in America, and said, “This increasing godlessness in America is actually a good thing, to be welcomed and embraced.”***
  8. Our Secretary of State called for a cease-fire in Israel and quoted the Quran (Surah 5:32) rather than Jesus’ words about peacemakers (Matthew 5:9).
  9. In 2022, the Justice Department prosecuted a record 26 pro-life advocates. Meanwhile, last year, nearly 100 attacks against pregnancy resource centers and churches went unpunished.
  10. The arrest of pro-life activist Mark Houck while at home with his wife and children. A SWAT team burst in with automatic weapons drawn and arrested him in front of his children.His crime was praying in front of an abortion clinic and defending his son from an attack. Charges were later dropped.

I could go on, but you get the point. Not only is Christ excluded from public life, society is aggressively counter to Christian faith and his Church, and has tried in many ways to suppress, ostracize, and (ironically) demonize it.

But for us who believe in Jesus Christ, and the words of Scripture that give testimony to him, we see such events as the solar eclipse just one more reason to glorify our Creator. Hear what God’s Word says about creation:

  1. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1).
  2. “God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:16-18).
  3. “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.” (Genesis 2:4).
  4. “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”  (Psalm 8:3-4).
  5. “Through him [the Word = Christ] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3).
  6.  “For in him [the Son] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17).
  7. “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.”   (Hebrews 3:4).
  8. “Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”  (Jeremiah 32:17).
  9.  “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”  (Psalm 121:1-2).
  10.  “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” (Psalm 33:6).

In a way, all of Scripture is built around the fact that God created all things, including us, whom he made in his image, whom he gave the breath of life, and for whom he sent his own Son to redeem from the curse of sin and death. It’s amazing to realize that the greatest of all miracles, beyond even the stars, sun, and moon (and their eclipses!), is our redemption and new life in Christ.

And for my cousin and her husband, there remains the following words from Psalm 124:8, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Amen!

Now may our Creator 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 1; Psalm 8; Colossians 1:15-23

*Photo of this eclipse by Brian R.

**See the website at https://discoverycenter.icr.org

*** LA Times, by Phil Zuckerman,

 

You Are a Chimera!

A faithful reader of this blog responded recently to my article, “Male and Female,” which I published on September 25. Having worked in the medical field, she had witnessed individuals who were born with both male and female organs, and wondered how that fit in with God’s creation of us as male or female (or pertinent to her question, male and female).
 The condition she spoke of is called a  chimera (kī-ˈmeer-ə), named after a mythical beast that was part lion, part goat, and part serpent. It happens (the human condition, not the mythical beast) when fraternal twins begin forming in the womb, but one dies and the other absorbs its DNA. The result is a person with two sets of DNA, which can mean both a female and a male in one body. (I first heard of this on an episode of the TV  show, House, when a female cheerleader came down with testicular cancer.) This can certainly cause social and emotional issues for an individual who has two sets of sexual organs. But spiritually, I think the concerns are the same as for any person. As with all people, a chimera is a sinner in need of forgiveness, and Christ died for him/her as well as for you and me.
Several things came to mind when I read her question. There are the sayings of Isaiah 29:16 and 64:8 and Romans 9:21, which speak of God as the potter and us as the clay, and that he has the right to make us as he wishes. We are all different and yet are all his workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), and all in his image (Genesis 1:26-27). Also, we know that God loves each of us, no matter how we are born, and therefore we must in turn love each other. No accident of birth, or defect, can change God’s love or our duty to love and respect. Certainly, we must be especially compassionate to people born as chimeras, for they will face social and physical challenges. Another reality is that we live in a fallen world where we all suffer, all  have handicaps (some visible, some hidden), all face illnesses and injuries, and all die. We also know from Jesus’ own words that someone born with a defect is not being punished by God for his or her (their) sins. neither the twin that died nor the one who was born is being punished (John 9:3).
At this point you might by thinking, “Okay, this is interesting, but what has it to do with me? I’m not a chimera.” To which I answer, “Oh, yes you are!”
Maybe not a chimera in the medical sense (or mythical sense), but there are two ways that anyone can be considered a chimera in the spiritual sense.
1. First, all people incorporate in their one being, two opposite natures and sets of characteristics. On the one hand, we were created in the image of God and retain much of the glory which he instilled in us: the ability to love, to create, to give, to help, and to fellowship with God and with each other, among other lofty traits. Unfortunately, because sin entered into the world and into us, we suffer under its curse, and therefore embody all that is bad in human thought, attitudes, and actions: we hate, steal, harm, kill, cheat, and deny the God who created and loves us. Because of this, everything we do is tainted; even the most altruistic acts can carry the blemish of pride and self interest. (I’m especially proud of my humility!)
I’ve seen this many times in our modern world, though this is not a new phenomenon. There is no invention or development so wonderful or beneficial that it can’t be turned by sin into something harmful. Had any spam calls, email scams, or identity theft lately?  This goes beyond the unintended negative consequences that good intentions can have, such as wind turbines chopping up birds that get too close, or oil drilling that leaks oil and damages wildlife along beaches. It involves people willfully using technology to harm others. For example, think of the amazing development of airplanes for long-distance travel, only to see them used for bombing, drug-smuggling, and crashing into buildings.
This dual nature of mankind is clearly seen in today’s “cancel culture,” when people who otherwise do admirable things get caught saying or doing something that is either unacceptable or outright terrible. A sports announcer says something insensitive in the heat of an exciting play; a great teacher loses his or her temper at a student, a pastor butchers Martin Luther’s reputation by dressing up like him and speaking in a fake German accent*. Every person we respect or admire is capable of, and has already done, something that is cringe-worthy. Think of Kate Smith, who inspired millions of Americans over the decades with her rendition of the song, “God Bless America”; but also recorded several blatantly racist songs. Or of Martin Luther himself, who both restored the true Gospel to the Christian Church, and advocated burning synagogues. Two natures, indeed.
The problem is that everyone does things that are good and things that are bad. If we cancel everyone who has ever said or done something stupid or nasty,  there won’t be anyone left. Even Robespierre, a leader of the French Revolution, went to the guillotine when the mob turned against him.
So then, all people struggle with this dual identity as both exalted and fallen beings. But what about us Christians? Does this struggle also apply to us? Or are we better than that?
2. This brings us to the second way in which even Christians are chimeras. As believers in Christ we are reborn children of God and inheritors of eternal life (Romans 8:6-7), but while we are still in this body, we retain our fallen natures as well. We are both saint and sinner. We have been redeemed by Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, yet we cling to the old sinful nature, even when we abhor it. The Apostle Paul lamented this duality in Romans 7 when he said,
” 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”
Paul does not use this as an excuse to go on sinning. He doesn’t give the lame excuse, “Well, I’m only human, after all!” No, instead he admonishes us not to keep on sinning, even though God forgives us by his grace. He wrote in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”
The Apostle John put it this way, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). See similar teachings in Hebrews 10:26 and 1 Corinthians 15:34.
The point is that even as Christians who are born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:3), we struggle to be faithful to the new spiritual life which God has given us in Christ. The old nature clings to us, tempting us and going against what we know God desires for our lives. We backslide into the old ways, due to social pressures or our own sinful desires, and fall short of God’s will and the new man or woman God has created in us. Then we get discouraged, with Satan whispering in our ear that we are failures, and that all this “God stuff” just isn’t for us.
So, what do we do about this chimeric split personality within us? First, we recognize it exists, so we don’t get blind-sided when we or someone else disappoints us. Second, we thank God for his grace, by which the sinner in us is forgiven, and the saint in us is proclaimed by his righteous decree. Third, we study the Scriptures to know what behavior and thought is consistent with God’s nature and the image he desires in us. Fourth, we seek out others who also strive to be faithful disciples of Christ -in church, Bible studies, charitable ministries, and other common places. Fifth, we pray for God’s strength, knowing that he has given us his own Holy Spirit to convict and guide us, to strengthen and comfort us for our life’s journey. He has promised to provide us a way out from the temptations to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13), even if it means giving us to the strength to run away from it! (1 Corinthians 6:18).
So, my fellow chimeras . . . let us thank God for blessing us with his own image, and for forgiving that other side of us. For in Christ, we are all being made whole again.
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 7 – 8:11; 1 Corinthians 10:12-14
*Hypothetically, of course.

A World Without God?

What would the world be like without God?

Besides the fact there wouldn’t even be a world or anything else without God (Colossians 1:17 – “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”), what if God just “walked away” and left the world to its own devices? What if no one knew God or called upon him, or believed in his Son, or lived under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit?

The Bible has actually given us powerful examples of times and places that the world lived in ignorance of, or rebellion against God. There were our first parents, Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God and tried to put themselves in his place – the result was the death sentence on them and all their descendants (including us). Then came the days of Noah, when the entire world apart from Noah’s family (eight souls) was so hopelessly evil that God regretted having created mankind, and wiped the slate clean with the Great Flood (Genesis 6:6 and following). Then there were great cities filled with evil, such as Sodom and Gomorrah (which God destroyed) and Nineveh (which he spared when they turned to him; see the book of Jonah).

But mankind’s disregard of God is not limited to a few dramatic times and places; it can be seen throughout the world and throughout history wherever people have tried to live without him. The disbelief in God is so pervasive, Romans 3:11 says, “no one seeks for God.” The absence of belief in God or obedience to his Word manifested in ancient times before Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit came into the world:

  1. Constant wars and killings.
  2. Slavery, usually of conquered peoples or the poor.
  3. Abortion and Infanticide: the ancient Romans would toss unwanted children onto the city dumps (only to later have Christians rescue them). Canaanites would sacrifice children to their god, Molech, in a heated iron idol.
  4. Sexual licentiousness. There was an entire ancient Greek regiment made up of male pairs, and it was accepted for tutors to teach their young students more than the three R’s. Cults and religions had temple prostitutes and men could legally kick out their wives for  younger women. God forbidding such behavior is found in God’s law given to the Israelites in Leviticus 18:23, Exodus 22:19, and 1 Corinthians 6:9, among numerous places.
  5. Worship of nature rather than its Creator. Cults thrived that sought to control nature through magic, and gods were invented to represent forces and objects. Wind, rain, land and sea, stars and planets, the sun and moon: all were deified and worshipped.
  6. Selfishness and seeking material wealth and power at the expense of other people.

I’m sure glad we’ve gotten past all that foolishness in our modern world! No, wait, we haven’t, have we? We are every bit as sinful in all those areas as the world ever was:

  1. There are wars between tribes and nations, and hundreds of killings in our own country every week.
  2. Slavery still exists in what is called “human trafficking” as well as in outright servitude of some people to others.
  3. Abortion is rampant, protected, and even publicly funded in our country, with over 600,000 a year (down from 1.5 million due to fewer pregnancies). Now, two governors have spoken in favor of infanticide right after a child is born.
  4. Homosexuality is praised and taught to school children, and no negatives about it, or transgenderism or bestiality are allowed in the public arena. TV, movies, and online videos are filled with sexual innuendo and explicit acts. Acceptance of people is made contingent on accepting any sexual behavior those people do, regardless of what Scripture says about it.
  5. The new nature god is Science, and nature worship continues. Whatever the latest theory is, gets support and funding, and people speak of the planet being alive, self-evolving, and “all there is.” People who would never speak of Father God freely speak of Mother Nature.
  6. And as for selfishness and seeking after material wealth and power, do I really need to give examples?

So how is it that we see the same effects today of a godless world, when God himself came to earth to save us, and left his Spirit with us to guide and strengthen us? You would think things would be different. I think there are three points to make about that:

  1. First, things are different for those who believe in that Savior and trust God’s Word, both his Law and his Gospel. The Spirit does work through the believers to soften the effects of sin and the Fall, both in changing lives and providing remedial care for those suffering the consequences of a sinful world. The Holy Spirit is still active, calling and enlightening people to faith in Christ, and then moving them to show God’s love in Christ to the world. The world would be even worse without the Church being in the world.
  2. Second, even though Christians have brought blessings to the world, we are still sinners, and find that we don’t live up to our calling as well as we should. At times we have contributed to the world’s problems through wars, slavery, and greed, but these were not caused by faith, but by failure. At least our sins are confronted by God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, so that we can, and have, repudiated many social sins.
  3. Third, most of the world does not believe in God, and therefore is living in a “world without God.” Their own perceived needs and desires drive their actions, and social pressures drive their beliefs. Even if they have heard about Christ, they don’t believe. Their hearts are hard, their pride is in control, and they don’t want to submit to divine authority and change their lifestyles. They say in their heart, “There is no God.”

Of course, those who say there is no God are just deluding themselves. Psalm 14:1 and 53:1 say, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” There is a God (the God of the Bible), whether or not people believe in him. He does not derive his existence or power from his creation or his creatures; he is what philosophers call, the only “necessary Being.” The rest of us are all “contingent beings.” We depend on God for our existence; he does not depend on us. He existed self-sufficiently from eternity past without us. He did not need to create us, but freely chose to do so out of love.

That God’s existence is real can be known by his creation, especially in his creation of us who were made in his image. Paul wrote in Romans 1:20, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” The rest of that passage (verses 18-25) reveals God’s judgment on those who would deny his existence:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 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. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

Regardless of what people believe, or think they want, God is in the world. The world cannot shut him out, it cannot kick him off the throne and put themselves there, no matter what they want. He is still in charge, and now, just as in the days before the Great Flood, he has allowed the world to follow its own path, a path that leads to destruction. Each of us will face the reality of a righteous and holy God when our lives here end, and one day the entire world will face its day of reckoning. On that day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

So, what would the world be without God? Bleak and doomed. But fortunately, those in Christ will never have to know such a world, for God has promised never to leave or forsake us. Amen thank you Lord!

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: Colossians 1:15-20; Psalm 53; Romans 1:18-32.

Male and Female

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27 ESV)

Quick quiz: What do “ze, ne, ve, xe, zir, hir, nirs and eir” have in common? Answer: they are pronouns invented to refer to people who no longer want to be classified in the traditional and so-called “restrictive binary” designations of “he and she.” After all, if your gender identity is fluid, and you can be whatever you want to be on any given day regardless of your physical attributes (and thereby have the right to choose which bathroom you use), why not make up a word to go along with your self-understanding?

When I read articles and hear stories about such developments in our society, and about governmental units threatening fines and lawsuits against those who don’t go along with the most extreme attacks against traditional gender identity and sexuality, I have to ask, “What is our world coming to?”, “Are people crazy to take this seriously?”, and “What do I do about this . . . get angry or learn some new vocabulary?”

The answers begin with setting aside my own feelings and attitudes, because they can be flawed, culturally influenced, and sin-tainted. Instead, I need to go to the Scriptures to see what God has to say on this subject, and let His Word guide both my attitudes and my response. While a full exegetical study of everything the Bible says is beyond the scope and space limitations of this blog, there are a few key passages that are very helpful.

We begin in the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. His final act of creation is summarized in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This one verse is loaded with important lessons. First, God is the Creator, and he determines what we are. Second, God made us male and female – the “restrictive binary” categories are from God; he did not make us with the 56 different gender options used by Facebook. His design was for intimate, complimentary companionship  (Genesis 2:18, “It is not good that the man should be alone. I shall make a helper fit for him.”), and for making babies (Genesis 1:28 “Be fruitful and multiply.”).

Third, God made us, whether male or female, equally in His image: “in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This is important to remember, for no matter how flawed we become through sin and the curse, we still retain some of that image. All people, male and female, have been made in God’s image even if they deny God and His creation categories.

Other biblical passages make it clear that God’s male/female designations are important to Him and are not to be confused: He prohibits cross-dressing (Deuteronomy 22:5); detests homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:26-27); and limits certain roles in the church to men (1 Timothy 2:12). We do well to hear what God has to say about what it means to be a man or a woman, and about how we express our God-given identity.

But having considered aspects of the Law – that God expects us to uphold his sexual standards – I would like to consider what the Gospel teaches us about what God has done for us in this area. First, inasmuch as we are in God’s image and God did send His Son to die for all of us, we will extend His grace to those who disagree with us. Therefore, even gender-benders are to be treated with love and respect. As Luther said in the Small Catechism, the Eighth Commandment’s prohibition against false witness means: “We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, think and speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.” Christ came to call sinners to repentance, and he died for all of us because we are all sinners; none of us can boast in our own righteousness.

Second, rather than feeling upset and angry with what the world is doing, let us rejoice and proclaim the gift which God has given us in making us male and female. Let us celebrate every biblical wedding, every marriage, every anniversary, and every birth as fulfilments of God’s loving plan for our lives here on earth. And let us agree with God who pronounced as he looked upon his finished creation, which included his “restrictive binary” man and woman, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

There remains one more question regarding gender, and that is: what gender is God? This question was first posed to me back in the late 1970’s when one of my camp counselors questioned our calling God “he.” In her view, that made women second class by identifying God as male. Her assertion shocked me, because everything I had learned about God was that he was our Father, not our “Mother and Father” as the counselor preferred.

As I’ve considered this question over the years (decades) since then, I have come to two basic conclusions. First, God is above and beyond our human concepts of sexuality, and embodies in his person all the good attributes that we normally associate with both men and women. He is strong and powerful, a warrior and a judge (Psalm 7:11). He is also compassionate and nurturing, one who would gather the children of Jerusalem as a mother hen would gather her children (Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34).  God is love, which knows no gender, but is true of both make and female identities. No person, male or female, should feel in the least inferior because God is our Father.

Second, the main reason we use male pronouns and titles for God is because that is what God says about himself. God’s own Word refers to himself as “he, him, and his.” Gender is a grammatical term, and in both Hebrew and Greek grammar, God’s pronouns and titles are male. It is the way he wants us to speak of him. Unlike many pagan religions, our Godhead is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), and not a gathering of male and female deities who give birth to people and more gods and goddesses. He creates outside of himself like a father, not birthing us as a mother. Add to that the fact that Jesus was born literally a male, and you can see that God wanted no confusion about the Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all spoken of as male in their gender, though again, their qualities embody both male and female goodness.

Amidst our present day confusion and conflict over “gender issues,” we can take comfort and assurance that with God, there is no confusion. Let us rejoice in who God is, and in the fact that he loves and died for all of us, male and female alike.

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 1 and 2; Romans 1

Those Pesky Weeds!

This morning I grabbed some cottage cheese for my breakfast and stepped out to enjoy it on the veranda (also known as our concrete slab back patio). As I sat there enjoying the fresh air and listening to the sounds of nature (not to mention the drone of an airplane and the clanging of a neighbor’s back yard building project), I let my eyes wander around the yard and took in our tastefully-done landscaping.

There was the orange tree, festooned with young green fruit; the row of rose bushes holding on to a few withered petals; and a Lily-of-the-Nile bush resplendent with its purple flowers. The mostly-green grass was the final note in the visual symphony. Yes, a pleasant and harmonious opus of nature before my eyes!

But then, as I focused my vision more closely, there arose a few discordant notes: a prickly, leafy stem sprouting from the middle of the lawn; a medley of unrecognizable leaves spreading across the top of the garden mulch; and some huge plant that looked like a small tree – but which my wife assured me was not planted by us. In other words, we had weeds!

Those pesky weeds! I thought we had eradicated them by a combination of weed-killer, digging, and deft knife-work. We had even laid down weed- barrier fabric along one long strip, but that had not stopped the sprouting of noxious plants. Why are these undesirable plants so robust in spite of drought and all we do to try to remove them and prevent their return? Why do most of the flowers and vegetables we plant, water, and fertilize wither and die, yet these uncultivated little monsters thrive? It’s just not right!

While shaking my head at the prospect of having to crawl around the yard with my knife and trowel (or with a chain saw to remove the previously-mentioned tree-like weed), I began thinking about how sin crops up in our lives, spoiling our peace and introducing harmful “weeds” into  our souls. And with that thought there came remembrance of some biblical teachings about weeds, and the thorns that often accompany them.

Before digging into the comparison of sin to weeds, let’s define what a weed is. One of my teachers once said that a weed is any plant that grows where it is not wanted. Therefore, even an apple tree is a weed if it grows in the middle of a farm field. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a weed is “a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth, especially: one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants.” That part after “especially” is an important point that will help us see the effect of sin as we consider it below.

Why do we have weeds? It is interesting to see the connection between sin and weeds, all the way back to the first humans. In the beginning, God created all plants and pronounced them to be “good” (Genesis 1:11-13). Then, God put his highest creation, man, in a garden of those good plants. God charged the man to cultivate that garden to care for the life-sustaining fruit those plants provided: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). At that point there was no sin, nor any noxious weeds.

But then, Adam and Eve sinned. Part of their punishment was having to deal with weeds in order to eat: God said, “. . . cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field” (Genesis 3:17-18). And thus began the connection between sin and weeds.  

Jesus talked about the symbolism of weeds when it comes to sin and its effect on our lives. In Matthew 13, he told two parables, both of which included weeds as metaphors for sin and sinners. The first parable is known as the Parable of the Sower. In it, he describes a sower who sows seed that falls on various soils. Some of the seeds “fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them” (verse 7). When Jesus explained the meaning of that verse, he said, “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” The problems of the sinful world and the sinful desire for wealth above God’s word, act like weeds to choke out what is good and righteous in that person’s life.

The second parable is actually known as the Parable of the Weeds (“tares” in King James language). In it, Jesus contrasted weeds with desirable wheat; at the judgment the wheat (those who are righteous) will be gathered to the Lord, while the weeds (unrepentant sinners) will be cast into the fire. His message was clear: there will be judgment, but leave it to God and his timing (Matthew 13:24-30).

Why are weeds (sins) so hard to remove? As far as botanical weeds go, I have no idea why they are so hard to remove, except for being tough, sometimes spiky, and so quick to spread. And in some cases, they are actually beautiful in appearance, disguising themselves with desirable flowers; I have at times gathered a cluster of dandelions to present to Karen as a bouquet – much cheaper than a dozen roses and almost as pretty!

Come to think of it, sins share some of the same resistant traits as weeds. They grow so strong because the soil they spring from is by nature sinful and unclean. Sins are the product of our very natures, and thus grow strong. They are also, like weeds, prolific: one sin leads to another, and another, until they take over, crowding out the good. After a while we don’t even see them. And just as I have a weakness for dandelions (my wife, not so much), sins can appear attractive to us at first glance. We enjoy our sins and don’t want to root them out. They seduce us with promises of happiness and fulfillment, but in the end destroy us. Like a poisonous mushroom that looks as pretty as an edible one, sins that look good can kill.

Beyond the weed analogy, sins are also so pernicious because there is a spiritual battle raging constantly, in which the devil tempts us to sin with his lies. Whether tempting Eve to eat of forbidden fruit, or tempting us to think and act in forbidden ways, he uses every trick in the book to lead us away from God. In the Parable of the Weeds, Jesus attributed the appearance of weeds in the wheat field as the work of the devil (Matthew 13:39).

What do we do about our weedy sins? The first step is to recognize what is sinful by studying God’s Word. The Ten Commandments are a good place to begin. Second, is to recognize sins as harmful to our spiritual health and future; we must learn to not wink at sin, but to grow to hate it with all our heart as the destroyer of all that is good. Third, we turn the noun “weed” into a verb, and “weed” our garden by digging out our sins by the roots. This can only be done in the power of God, whose Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and drives us to the Cross of Jesus Christ. In Christ we have forgiveness of our sins (spiritual weed-killer!) and a new life no longer in bondage to sin. As Paul wrote, “you are no longer your own; you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20),and therefore are no longer a slave to sin (Romans 6:15-22). You need not live a weed-choked life; let God, the True Gardener, begin a cleansing work in you. The weeds of sin spoil our ordered lives; it’s time to get rid of them.

And now, I’ve put off attacking those weeds in my yard long enough; time to put down my pen (keyboard) and pick up my knife and trowel, and get to work on those pesky weeds!

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 3; Exodus 20; Matthew 13; Mark 4

A Skunk in the Works

There is a skunk in the works.

I mean that literally. We have a skunk that has decided our back yard provides a handy path for it to travel from its den to our back-fence neighbor’s yard. Karen discovered this not long ago when she stood on our back patio one evening. As she looked around at our yard, suddenly a large (she emphasizes large) skunk came sauntering around the corner of the house, just a few feet from her. She stepped quickly into the house, then watched the critter (also known as a polecat) calmly make its way across the yard. The next day, we checked the fence line, and found the places where it had dug underneath the fence.

This began a series of efforts to keep the skunk out of our yard: spreading so-called skunk repellant at the entry points, blocking the holes with hard and heavy objects, and driving tent stakes along the fence line. But after all these efforts, the skunk just keeps digging new holes and getting through. There’s still a skunk in the works.

And, because skunks are famous for their ability to spray a horrible stench, the idiom, “skunk in the works,” refers to something that messes up a situation that is otherwise good. But, as I pondered the situation with our cute, but persistent, furry critter, it occurred to me that the term, “skunk in the works,” also has a deeper meaning.

When we look around us at the world, both the natural creation given to us by God, who proclaimed it “very good” (Genesis 1:31), and mankind itself, created in God’s own image (Genesis 1:26-27), we have to admit that things are not as good as they once were, or should be. There is a skunk in the works. Or rather, two skunks, both which begin with the same letter as skunk.

The first skunk is sin. It’s almost beyond comprehension how badly sin has infected and distorted the world ever since the first act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. The effects on mankind have been devastating, in the way our attitudes, desires, words, and actions have brought so much misery to ourselves, to other people, and to the natural world. Crime, wars, lying, stealing, racial and tribal animosities, adultery, and sexual perversions have brought sorrow, division, and death on a massive scale. It had become so bad in the past that God once sent a great flood to wipe the earth clean: “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. And the Lord  regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart” (Genesis 6:5-6). The way things have gotten these days in this country, and around the world, the fact that God hasn’t yet acted similarly is amazing! It must be as Peter explained, that the Lord “is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

We have to remember that sin is not just bad things we do or think, but is an innate part of us. We are tainted by sin from the moment of our conception; as David wrote in Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” It’s like a birth defect that stays with us our entire lives; in fact, birth defects, sickness, injuries, and death are all consequences of sin. Not every sickness or injury is from us committing a sin, but all are part of the curse which God pronounced on us and all his creation as a result of Adam and Eve’s fall into sin and disobedience (Genesis 3:14-17). But note that we can’t just blame our first parents for the consequences of sin; The Apostle Paul explained in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”

Sin has such a natural hold on us that Paul says we are slaves to sin. Only through faith in Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in us can we be freed from that bondage to be free indeed. And for those who are in Christ but are troubled by the hold that sin still seems to have on them, we are comforted by the Prophet Joel: “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster” (Joel 2:13). Sin need not control us; even though the stink of sin is all around us, we need not fear this skunk, for in Christ, all our sins are removed from us, as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) . . . which is a lot better than we’re doing with our furry friend so far!

The second skunk is Satan. I know it was a serpent that tempted Eve in the Garden, but it could easily have been a skunk, for the devil has certainly played a huge role as a “skunk in the works” to mess up our lives. Not only did he lead that first couple into the sin that brought them hardship and death, he also continues to plague us. As 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” He crafts temptations in ways that make sin appealing and not so terrible. He knows each of our weaknesses, and seeks to exploit them to separate us from God. His desire is to sear our consciences, alienate us from Christ, and cause us to despair by accusing us of the very things he led us to do.

What should we do about this evil, spiritual being, whose name literally means accuser or adversary?

  1. First we recognize that such a being exists, and that he is powerful and very skilled in deception.
  2. Second, we avoid having too much fascination in him; rather, our focus should be on Christ our Redeemer, and not on our enemy. The Christian writer C.S. Lewis wrote in the  preface to his 1942 book, The Screwtape Letters, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”
  3. The devil does not look like the red-suited, pitch-fork-carrying, horned goat-like monster so often depicted in comics. The Bible tells us that he “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). How often do the temptations of the world appear so deceptively attractive to us?
  4. Satan is a liar, and “the father of lies” (John 8:44). As the saying goes, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Satan’s lies may sound good, but they lead only to destruction.
  5. Through faith in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can resist Satan and his lies. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
  6. Last, but not least, Christ defeated Satan. Christ beat his temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), he defeated him when Peter suggested Jesus avoid the cross (Mark 8:33), and he finally overcame Satan in the crucifixion and resurrection. You might say Christ “skunked” the devil. Christ has been exalted and glorified, and will be forever, while Satan and his demons will burn in the lake of fire for all eternity (Revelation 20:10). Because you are in Christ, you share in his victory, and need not fear the evil one.

Yes, when we consider life in this fallen world, we recognize that there are “skunks in the works.” But fortunately, life’s skunks of sin and Satan have been overcome through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. As Luther wrote in his Small Catechism, Jesus has “saved us at great cost . . . from sin, death, and the power of the devil.”

Now, if only Karen and I can overcome our polecat, we’ll be just fine!

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 1:6-12; Matthew 4:1-11; Romans 5; 1 Corinthians 15; Revelation 20.

P.S. The phrase, “skunk in the works,” is not to be confused with Lockheed-Martin’s secretive, advanced airplane development operations known as “the Skunk Works,” in Palmdale, California. 

Our Father’s World

Some of my favorite memories as a child are about the times I spent at our YMCA’s summer camp in northern Wisconsin. From swimming and boating, to great food and fun campfire programs, to trail rides on the camp’s horses, to catching frogs and toads, there was almost always something going on that I now look back on with fondness.

Some of my memories go back to Sunday mornings at the camp, when all the campers would gather at the outdoor chapel for a worship service (the Catholic campers were taken into town for mass, and the one Jewish counselor had the morning off!). Besides the beautiful, peaceful setting looking out through the trees to the lake below, there was one more thing that made those services special: my dad was worship leader and preacher.

Although he wasn’t an ordained minister, my dad was devout in his faith and always involved in some church or lay ministry. In fact, since the YMCA was in those days a lay Christian ministry, he saw the purpose of his work as implementing the organization’s purpose of furthering Christian values and building a Christian society. So, as our Y’s Youth Director, he would come to the camp on Sundays to see how things were going (and to check up on me?), and to lead the worship.

The one thing I remember most from those Sunday services was my dad’s choice of hymns, which always seemed to include the old hymn, This is My Father’s World.* It always inspired me, sitting surrounded by the beauty of nature, hearing birds, feeling the gentle breeze, and seeing the trees and shimmering lake down below. Add to that, the fact that my own father was up front leading the service, and you can see why even today I have such fond memories and an appreciation for that hymn. I still affirm that this is indeed my Father’s world.

But in what way is it my Father’s world, speaking as the song does, of God, being our heavenly Father?

  1. At the time, and for most of my life, the hymn has spoken to me of the natural world which God designed and created by his power. How beautiful his creation is, from mountains to oceans, to rivers and lakes; from trees and flowers to rocks; from sun and moon to stars; and most amazing, creatures from the small frogs I would catch at the camp, to the horses we rode, to the birds, and yes, even to the mosquitos we swatted. Everything in nature that shouted “God!” was praised in the hymn, which reminded us that this world is indeed a gift from God and from him alone.  This world is from him and belongs to him. We just get to live in it.

Think of the ways God has reminded us of this fact. Genesis 1 recounts the creation of all things in the heavens and on earth by God, who sums up his work in verse 27: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Psalm 8:3-4 says, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” Romans 1:19 says, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Colossians 1:16 reminds us that by Christ, “all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” Hebrews 3:4 says, “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.” Jeremiah 32:7 proclaims, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” There are more verses which proclaim God as Creator, but let me add this one more from psalm 90:2, “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” This is truly our Father’s world as proclaimed in the first two verses of the hymn:

This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas–
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass, I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

From both the affirmations of Scripture and my own senses, I have never doubted that God is real, that he is all wise and powerful, and that he is the Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists. This is my Father’s world – and universe.

2. But recently, I have had to look closer at the hymn’s third verse, which asserts that this is God’s world, regardless of its problems and challenges. With all the horrible things going on in the world, and especially now in our country, it would be very easy to think that everything is out of control, that our faith has lost the battle, and that the forces of evil have taken charge to remake everything in their own image. God’s commandments are thrown out, people look to the material world as all their is. As Carl Sagan put it, “The universe is all that is, ever was, or ever will be.” As Paul put it in Romans 1:25, “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!”

But no matter how discouraged we might be, or how dominant the anti-Christian forces seem to be these days, we must not forget the truth which the hymn proclaims in its third verse:

This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!

God alone raises up rulers and brings them down. He alone sets the time span for nations and empires, for the righteous and sinners alike. He is the sovereign, in-charge ruler over all. Though we don’t know his purposes in the events we see or the struggles we face, we must remain confident that in the end, God’s will, will be done on earth as it is in heaven. He will judge us all with perfect justice, so those who mock him will not prevail: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”(Galatians 6:7). And above all, God’s love and mercy will triumph over all (James 2:13b), for not only is he the all powerful Father, he also loves us more than even our earthly fathers can.

For that I am grateful, to my earthly father for his love and Christian testimony, and to my – our – heavenly Father for all he has done, and will yet do, in this, his world.

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: Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 66:2; Revelation 4:11; Isaiah 45:18

*Public domain, written by Rev. Maltbie Davenport Babcock, published in 1901 as a poem, and in 1925 with the music.