Advent 1 2008

Sermon Texts: Isaiah 64:1-9; Mark 13:24-37

Today is the first Sunday of Advent – Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year in which Christians take time to reflect on the coming of Jesus Christ into the world – both in the past tense and in the future tense. It also marks a time of renewed hope and anticipation of Christ coming and the expectation that God will fulfill his promises to us both in the present and in the future.

There are four main themes highlighted during the season of Advent – Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. Each of these is related to different aspects of Jesus’ coming into the world. The promise of his coming brings hope and expectation to our hearts of God fulfilling his promises to us and setting things right in the world. Peace is state of our hearts and minds when we realize Christ has already come and will yet come once again into the world. Love is the reason he came into the world and the reason he will come again. Love is also our response toward God when we realize all is promises to us are “Yes and Amen” in Christ Jesus. Joy – inexpressible joy is what fills our hearts knowing Christ came to save us from our sins and will one day come again to set up his permanent Kingdom rule on the Earth.

Our texts for today reflect the theme of hope and expectation. Anticipation. Hope conveys the idea of expectation and waiting. The expectation and waiting are in relation to the coming of Christ. In Isaiah 64:1-9, we hope expressed even in the first verse when it reads “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence.” Jerusalem had been sacked and its people hauled off into captivity in Babylon. The people had sinned against God and had broken the Covenant – God had finally had enough. He withdrew his covering over them and allowed them to become slaves to the Babylonians. With the Temple destroyed and the people broken and yearning for redemption the prayer in Isaiah 64 is cried out asking God to do something about their desperate situation. They admit they blew it and in many ways deserve God’s withdrawing from them – but even so they want to see God bring deliverance to their desperate situation. They recall God’s awesome power and deed from the past and want him to do them again.

Yet, at that point he hadn’t delivered them – so there is the sense of hope and expectation that God will save them and restore them and their nation.

Hope and expectation these have to do with looking forward to something with some reason for confidence respecting fulfillment. I think hope and expectation is getting harder for us as Christians sometimes.

I like to say that we tend to live in an instant society – or a microwave society – we want things to happen quickly – we hate waiting in line and in general we hate waiting.

We are a society that tends to avoid suffering of any kind and when someone commits a crime or has some sort of moral failure, often folks want restoration quickly. Instead it needs to be realized that restoration takes time and effort on the part of those needing it and those helping with the restoration. Israel sinned against God and against his Covenant – they sinned against God’s prophets and against those who gladly do what is right. These kinds of things can’t be fixed overnight. Waiting is required – like being in the waiting room. But it isn’t a passive non-active waiting – rather it is an active waiting that is full of hope and expectation. God has promised to bring deliverance to those who wait on him.

Psalm 25:3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame,

Psalm 65:5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,

Psalm 146:5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God.
Isaiah 49:23c those who hope in me will not be disappointed.

Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 8:24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?

Advent is about waiting on the Lord for him to fulfill his promises. But it’s important to know that he does not always fulfill them as soon as we would like or even in the way we would like. Even so, we can expect that he will carry out his promises to completion. And in the case of Israel in Isaiah – he acted on behalf of those who waited for him. Anna the prophetess waited on the Lord in the Temple to see his Messiah and he acted on her behalf. It was the same with Simeon. In the fullness of time, God sent is Son into the World so that he might save the world and bring forth his kingdom rule into the world.

Isaiah engaged in prophetic intercession for God to rend the heavens and come down in holy visitation to make his mighty name known to the nations (v2) and to do “awesome things” (v3) on behalf of his people (v4). This is intercession similar to what we see in the Lord’s Prayer when Jesus prays “your kingdom come,” which Jesus teaches us to pray daily. God promises to act on behalf of those who wait for him (v4). God promises to do great things for those who wait for him. He can intervene in the events of human history so as to cause people to perform his will. Believers must wait patiently and confidently for God’s great interventions from heaven, even as they persevere in faith, hope, love and every good work that his grace makes possible.

In this season of Advent let’s wait upon the Lord with a sense of hopeful expectation that he will come and meet us in our need and bring about the fulfillment of his promises in our hearts and lives.

In the second passage, the one on Mark 13:27-34 – Jesus speaks of his second coming. I believe much of the things Jesus says here in Mark 13 were fulfilled when the Temple was destroyed in AD 70. However, there is still some things to be fulfilled such as Jesus’ second coming. Again, I think we find it hard to wait and I think many have struggled to keep their eyes fixed on the Lord and his return. Some have moved on with all that and have not paid much attention to the signs of Jesus coming again.

Some have been burned out by much of the hype around end-times. It seems like whenever a crisis breaks out somewhere in the world another book comes out to explain all the details about what is going on and how the end must surely be near. It is. But I think rather than wrestle with the ambiguities and uncertainties of the text we want to be certain about how it will all come about. I think too, many got all caught up in the Left Behind books and in the end found them to be wanting and began to see through the sham that lead to empty hopes empty pockets.

It’s hard to maintain true hope when it seems there is so much hype. If all these end-times teachers keep crying wolf too long, soon no one will listen. Then what? But Jesus warns about of some of this. What’s his warning? Keep watch! Stay awake and stay aware! Again, there goes the waiting theme! But it is not an empty waiting – is it a waiting that involves Watching, which means Jesus wants us to be in constant readiness, to be on the alert. Why? Because the day and the hour is unknown and we can’t be sure when the Lord will return – but we can be ready and expectant!

I think of what it was like when I was a child and knew Christmas was coming. Gosh, I could hardly stand the wait. Kids just get so excited about Christmas, the wating, the anticipation, the expectation, they can often hardly stand the tension. Are we like this today in reference to the coming of Jesus – or have we “grown up”? Is there less excitement about the coming of Jesus? Perhaps during the Advent season we can allow God to restore in us a sense of expectation and anticipation about Jesus coming into the world once again.

During this season of Advent, let’s allow our hearts to be full of expectation, awe, and wonder at the soon and coming return of Jesus Christ once again into the world – then all will be right and as it should be. Let us wait in hope for the Lord to fulfill his promises and bring about his purposes in our lives and in the world.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

do you know, to what, they refer?

Okay, fine.   No one has responded so here goes.

We sing the song ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas” before Christmas but in actuality it refers to the 12 days following Christmas day (between Dec 25th and Jan 6th) to the beginning of Ephiphany.  The twelfth day is believed (?) to been when the Magi visited the baby Jesus in Bethleham and gave him their gifts of gold, incense and murrh. 

This also means that in the Christian year, Christmas is not the time before Dec 25th but the time after it.

The time before Dec 25th is known as Advent, the time Christians take to reflect upon the coming of Christ.  Then, from Dec 25th to Jan 5th Christimas is celebrated, thus the Twelve Days of Christimas my true love gave to me…..  There is even the whole question of singing Christimas carols before Dec 25th.  Some find it odd to sing, Joy to the World, the Lord has come… before he has come (meaning before Dec 25th).  This might be getting a little picky but that’s how some see it, so instead they sing Advent songs such as “Come Thou Font, Come thou King,” or “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” for example.

Advent Themes

So far it seems to me there isn’t really one consistent stream of thought on what the four themes of Advent are or how to express them.  If I am wrong let me know.  So far, I have determined that at least (as far as the advent wreath goes, the four candles are: hope, peace, love, joy.   But I know others speak of expectation, and other themes. 

I did not grow up celebrating it or practicing it so I don’t know much about it and am teaching myself. 

If you know of either a set theme for advent or something related let me know.  Thanks.

Isaiah

Recommend a solid commentary on Isaiah.

Two I have my eyes on are:

John Oswalt Isaiah, in the NIVAC series (Zondervan 2003).

J.A. Motyer The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary (IVP, 1993).

Book of Common Prayer

Anyone know of a copy of the Book of Common Prayer that isn’t thousands of pages and easily portable?

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!

Following is the text of the sermon I gave at our community wide Thanksgiving service last Sunday evening.  There’s plenty to critique but it is what I gave. 

Thanksgiving Sermon:

 

Contemporary connection:

 

When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock over 300 years ago, they knew nothing of the affluent times which you and I enjoy today in this great country of ours.

It is easy in the affluent culture in which we live to find ourselves to sometimes give in to complaining about our own financial situations or even the financial situation of the American economy or about inflation, increased taxes, gas prices, food prices, and such.  

 

During this thanksgiving season let’s reflect on the life of those who have gone before us: 

During that first long winter at Plymouth Colony, seven times as many graves were made for the dead as were homes for the living.

The ship which was to bring food and relief brought 35 more mouths to feed, but not an ounce of provisions.

One evening, Pilgrim William Brewster, rose from a scanty Plymouth dinner, consisting of a plate of clams and a glass of cold water, to thank God “for the abundance of the sea and the treasures hid in the sand.”

The Pilgrims, did not have much, but they possessed a great “attitude of gratitude” and it was upon this very “attitude of gratitude” that America was built. These stalwart people, strong, devout and sincere were the timbers upon which our nation was founded.

It is said they had a custom of putting 5 kernels of corn upon each empty plate before a dinner of “thanksgiving” was served.  Each member of the family would pick up a kernel and tell what they were thankful for.  It was to remind them that the first Pilgrims were in such dire straits that their allowance was only 5 kernels of corn per person each day.

Today many years latter, we have many reasons to be thankful.  Today, let’s take 5 grains of corn, and using Psalm 103:1-5 as a basis, consider 5 things are thankful to God for.

 

 

First, I want us to notice how this Psalm starts out.  David starts out praising the Lord, or rather he is telling himself to praise the Lord.  It says, Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—” (or, never forget the good things he does for us). 

Some translations have praise and some have bless, these are pretty much the same thing.   What does it mean to praise the Lord?  It means to declare God the reason and the source for all that we have in our lives!  To bless the Lord is to direct our praises to him in worship and adoration for who he is and the good things he has done in our lives!  He then tells us the benefits of knowing God!

So what are some of the things King David gave thanks to God for and that we also should give thanks to God for?   In line with the five kernels of corn the Pilgrims had prior to their “thanksgiving dinner” I want to suggest five things we can be thankful for this holiday season:

 

1. The Kernel of Forgiveness:

            The first is the kernel of forgiveness.  Psalm 103:3 starts the list of things we are thankful for.  It says God forgives all our sins!  I think this is one of the most important things we can be thankful for in our lives above all else – that we have been forgiven of our sins! 

 

Psalm 32:1 declares “Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Happy are those whose sin the Lord will never count against them”!

 

In Psalm 86:5 it states, “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.”

 

Ephesians 1:7 tells us “in Christ we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins”!

 

In 1 John 2:12 John tells his readers “I write to you, dear children, that your sins have been forgiven on account of his name”! 

 

I don’t know about you but knowing I am forgiven of my sins is great thing!  It allows me to live a joyful life – living a life of sin is just too hard!  It leads to a heavy heart, depression, despair, hopelessness and can lead to sickness and even disease in people’s lives! 

It’s a wonderful thing to be forgiven!  In fact it is the key to a happy life!  As I noted in Psalm 32:1, “Happy are those whose sins are forgiven!”  If there is any question in any person’s heart today as to if you are forgiven, I want you to know that through Jesus Christ there is forgiveness of sins!  Open your heart and receive God’s forgiving love today! 

So let us be thankful and rejoice tonight that we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ because God has forgiven all our sins! 

 

2. The Kernel of Healing:

            Next, there is the kernel of healing! With the forgiveness of sins, the Bible says God heals all our diseases!  While not every person is healed they we might want or expect, there is no disease that God is not able to heal!  There are a variety of ways God wants to bring healing in to the lives of his people and in to his creation. 

 

2 Chronicles 7:14 states, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  

 

Although this text is speaking to an Israel recovering from 70 years of slavery in Babylon and God is speaking to the people to exhort and encourage them to pray for forgiveness and healing.  I think it has a timeless quality to it.  As a people of God, when we, together, seek God with all our hearts, he can bring healing and forgiveness to our lives and to our land.

 

In Psalm 30:2 the Psalmist cried out “LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.”

Psalm 147:3 tells us God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

 

Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

 

The parallelism here in here in verse 3 is interesting to think about.  Is the psalmist implying there is a connection between forgiveness and healing?  The Bible does not teach explicitly teach this – but I think there can be times when this can be true.  

In the story of the paralytic in Mark chapter 2, when the friends of the paralyzed man lowered him through the roof of the house Jesus was in, when Jesus saw him, he first told the man his sins were forgiven, then, against the interest of the Pharisees, he told the man to take up his mat and walk.  With forgiveness came the healing.  Later in that chapter Jesus tells those who opposed him, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Jesus seems to be comparing sin with sickness, that many are sin sick and need of Jesus’ healing touch.

 

James 5:13-16 exhorts us,

 

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make them well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

 

There seems to be a connection between receiving forgiveness of sins and receiving healing in one’s life be it physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual healing.  When we receive forgiveness from God and from one another, healing comes to all those involved! 

In Exodus15:26, God himself told the Israelites he was to them Jehovah Rapha the Lord that heals them.  He had just decimated Egypt with the ten plagues and delivered the people of Israel across the Red Sea and they were at the waters of Marah.  The water was bitter, but God cleansed the water as a symbol of his willingness and power to heal.  Heal has to do with restoration, and wholeness.  The benefit of knowing God is that through the forgiveness of sins there is healing, restoration and wholeness!

Let us be thankful and praise the Lord tonight because God is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals all our diseases!

3. The Kernel of Redemption

            Third, there is the kernel of redemption!  With healing and forgiveness come redemption or perhaps, an outworking of redemption comes forgiveness and healing. 

 

Psalm 34:22 “The LORD redeems his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.”

 

Psalm 130:7 “Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.”

 

Isaiah 49:26 “I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then the whole human race will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

We can be thankful that when we find ourselves in a bad spot, we can cry out to the Lord our redeemer who has and will meet us our time of need!  The ultimate display of God’s act of redemption was the cross of Christ on Calvary when Jesus Christ gave his life as a ransom.  He died that we might have life and life abundantly!

 

Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,  while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

In this thanksgiving season let us be thankful that we have redemption though the blood of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins!  Let us be eager to do what is good! 

 

 

4. The Kernel of Love and Compassion

            Fourth, there is the kernel of love and compassion.  Some translations have steadfast love and mercy.   These are just other ways of saying the same thing. 

 

The fact that we have been redeemed, forgiven and healed, should lead to a life filled with love for God and love for others.  As implied in the story of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet in Luke chapter 7, the demonstration of her love towards Jesus was evidence of her having been forgiven.  Jesus told Simon the Pharisee:

 

Luke 7:47 “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown.  But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

 

This love is coupled with compassion, as God has had compassion on us to redeem our lives from the brokenness of sin, so we too should have mercy and compassion on others and especially those whose lives are broken by sin and its consequences.  Does this mean we are condoning the sin?  No, it simply means that we are modeling ourselves after the Lord who saved us.  He showed compassion and mercy on us, let us show compassion and mercy on others. 

Philippians 4:5 “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”   Let’s make sure our lives are full of gentleness (and thankfulness), so full that we can’t hide it, especially during this holiday season that is to be a season of thanksgiving and joy, which, sadly, is not always the case for many people.

 

5. The Kernel of Satisfaction and Renewal.

            The fifth kernel is the kernel of satisfaction and renewal. 

 

Psalm 107:8-9 “Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

 

Colossians 3:10-12 “put on the new self which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him– a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free, but Christ is all, and in all.  Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

 

Titus 3:5  “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”

            I see many of these things overlapping.  There is the kernel of forgiveness, healing, redemption, love and compassion.  As we experience all these things, they lead to deep levels of satisfaction and renewal in our hearts and lives – knowing that we’ve been forgiven, healed and redeemed allows us to have a compassionate heart as a demonstration of the love we have received from God and are to now extend to others! 

 

Isaiah 40:31 “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

The eagle is known for three things: size, strength, and longevity. This is the result of living a fulfilled, satisfied, spiritual life that puts hope in the Lord.  As we do so we will have strength and longevity because our hope in the Lord constantly renews, refreshes, and revives our lives, our relationships, and even in our spiritual communities!

A few questions we need to ask ourselves this thanksgiving season.  Are we thankful for the things God has done in our lives or have we run the risk of taking them for granted? – are we grateful for our great salvation such that we live out our gratefulness in a way that is evident to all we interact with?  Are you experiencing these things in your life today?  If not, please know that you can!  There is no sin too great, no situation too horrible that God cannot forgive and redeem – taste and see that the Lord is good – open your heart and receive God’s forgiving love into your life today!

This thanksgiving season, let’s join with King David in saying, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!”

Bill Mounce Responds to Mark Strauss on the ESV

Bill Mounce Responds to Mark Strauss on the ESV 

Gosh, this is just getting so heated – the difference between the translation philospohy of the ESV and the TNIV – I mean, really, someone shot a bullet through a TNIV Bible and sent it back to the publisher?!!  Dang, talk about hostile bibliolatry!  I suppose Dr. Strauss may have not needed to use such strong language in his criticisms against the ESV, but some of this is just getting out of control.  It will be interesting to see Dr Mounce’s paper at the next ETS.  

Okay, so one side sees functional equivilence as the effective means to translate the Bible and make it readable and meaningful, another side sees the essentially literal approach as the way to go.  Fine, I can respect their opinions – I tend to the functional side but like Mark Strauss encourages, folks should have one or more of each (and probably the Greek and Hebrew as well) when doing study. 

Is it really worth it to take sides?  Is how the Bible is translated really so important that people can barely even (if at all) fellowship with one another over the issue?  Are we so given to the “authority of the Bible” and “the integrity of Scripture” that we decide it is an either/or situation? 

I hardly think the folks who put together the NRSV (a Bible most Evangelicals generally don’t use) were somehow intending to “undermine” the authority or integrity of Scripture when they went with the Hebrew over the LXX in Isa 7:14 or with “wind” in Gen 1:2 and so on.   Bruce Metzger was as devoted to the Lord as any other and was a world renown text critic. 

I am in danger of taking the easy way out and pulling a Michael Jackson: “Can’t we all just get along?” but I won’t – instead I think like the meat/no meat situation Paul dealt with at the end of Romans – Romans 14:1 Paul says, “Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.”  I think we need to follow some of the advice in this chapter, if you have an opinion, cool, but don’t refuse others who have a different one.  Accept one another as Christ has accepted you.

Am I missing the point of all this?  Did I still pull a Michael Jackson?

on Movies

So I was just browsing through the Yahoo Movies page and, gosh, there was not one single movie that is either out or coming out that piqued any interest from me, not one.  Usually the Holidays are a time when at least a movie or two comes out that is good – but not this Holiday, not so far.  At least, that is, in my opinion.

Book Reivew: A Little Guide to Christian Spirituality

Thanks to Anderw Rogers for this review copy of Glen G Scorgie’s A Little Guide to Christian Spirituality: Three Dimension of Life with God (Zondervan, 2007).

I learned of Dr. Scorgie and his work through the Koinonia blog when he had posted a while ago on issues related to Chrisitan Spirituality, the Disciplines, the Saints, the quest for significance, and integrated spirituality.  So I asked if I could get a copy to review and Andrew contacted me and sent it along.  He’s also checked up on me to see if I got the review out (which I appreciated and needed).  So here it is! 

_____________________

Spirituality is really popular today, especially in an ever increasing spiritually eclectic America.  The problem is, what exactly is spirituality?  The lack of clear definitions, or explanations have lead to all kinds of dangerous choices for people.  Bruce Waltke once said in a lecture on Proverbs, The problem in America is that we are open to everything but committed to nothing.  Wisdom, he said, would save us from destruction.   Reading Dr. Scorgie’s Introduction to Christian Spirituality will set you on the path to rightly understanding what spirituality is, and more specifically, what Christian Spirituality is. 

There is such a thing as a distinctive Christian spirituality.  It is one that Scorgie lays out as involving three essential dynamics: the relational dynamic, the transformational dynamic, and the vocational dynamic. 

As I noted, there is a great deal of interest in spirituality today.  It is important that Christians have even a basic understanding of the issues so they are able to engage such issues competently so as to help others and to grow spiritually in their own lives. 

If we ask the question, what is spirituality?  One answer could be, as Scorgie’s daughter said, “it’s about encountering the transcendent and being changed by it” (25).  Christian Spirituality then, would be to encounter God and be changed by him.  So leading into Christian Spirituality then, Scorgie writes:

Authentic Christianity has always celebrated the possibility of experiencing God in [a] direct and interactive sense.  At the same time it has insisted that there is more to being a Christian than this.  And this brings us to the holistic definition of spirituality.  Such spirituality is about living all of life before God.  In its full sense [Christian] spirituality is synonymous with the Christian life lived with God.  It involves more than experiences, although it has an important place for those.  It also encompasses things like repentance, moral renewal, soul-crafting, community building, witness, service, and faithfulness to one’s calling (26). [brackets and bold marks mine]

So Christian Spirituality then, is about living all of life before God in the transforming and empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. 

Scorgie lays out three essential dynamics of how this can happen.

The first is the relational dynamic, or Christ with us.  The relational dynamic involves knowing that we are not alone – that, in the words of Francis Schaeffer, “there is a God, and he is not silent.”  Through the work of Christ on the cross and through the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, God brings us into a dynamic relationship with him – that relationship then flows into our relationships with others and with the creation – in following the sacrificial love of Christ for us, we are to imitate that in seek to love others sacrificially through displays of grace and mercy to those who need it.

The second is the transformational dynamic, or Christ in us.  The ultimate goal of the Christian life is the inner (and outer) transformation of sin sick hearts and minds in to hearts and minds that reflect the holiness of God.  One can encounter God but ultimately, that encounter, like Isaiah when he saw the throne of God in Isaiah 6, should bring a deep level transformation and healing to our hearts and lives.  If we encounter God and there is no transformation, have we really encountered God?  God wants us to be both holy and whole – the transformation that happens in us, through the work of the Holy Spirit, should move us toward holiness and wholeness, both in our own lives and in our relationships.

Finally, the third is the vocational dynamic, or Christ through us.  Frequently one will hear that the Christian life is more about being than about doing.  The emphasis is placed on being in relationship with God.  We tend to shy away from the doing aspect for fear of legalism or a works righteousness.  Scorgie argues differently.  He argues that the Christian life involves connecting, becoming and doing.   It needs to be remembered that Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  God hasn’t called us simply to exist but he has called us to purposeful living, to contribute to a cause greater than ourselves.  To understand this we need to align ourselves with God’s invitation to steward the creation (that means take care of it), to evangelize the nations, and to build his kingdom.  If this is the case, we’ve got a lot of work to do! 

In closing, it is important that we live an integrated spirituality that encompasses all three relational dynamics. Our ultimate goal is to live a Christ-centered, Spirit-filled life characterized by a sense of relating to God and other, being transformed by these encounters and living out our lives accordingly.  As we do this we’ll live a spiritually healthy life.  To do so we must live with disciplined intent, which involves keeping in step with the Spirit and intentionally creating space for God in our daily lives realizing that the Christian life is really, as Eugene Peterson puts it, “a long obedience in the same direction” – this is Christian Spirituality.

2 Peter 3:3-4

 2 Peter 3:3-4:

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.  They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?  Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.

As in “there have always been earthquakes,” “there have always been natural disasters, Tsunami’s, Hurricanes, fires, etc,” ”there have always been evil,” “there’s always been abuse,” “there’s always been abortion, homosexuality, licentiousness, greed, selfishness, etc,” and so on.   Some think things “appear” to be getting worse and worse, though many scoff even at this notion saying things like, “It’s just more noticable now with global TV and the Internet and all..” and that it isn’t really that much worse per se, etc.

So, who are the “scoffers” in this case?