LIVING UNDER DARK SKIES

Kansas City, May 24, 2011  photo by Pastor Derrick

"You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day" - Psalm 95:1

Tornadoes! Wild, violent weather! Destruction of homes, entire communities. A death toll now over 100. This has been the reality of the USA in just the past 7-8 days.   Last Thursday many of us were glued to WGAL as it preempted prime time news and early evening TV to show us the ominous red lines marching across the screen bearing down on communities, threatening with more tornadoes or straight line winds sure to do serious, life-threatening damage. That night a wave of storms left Carlisle reeling and large parts of the Susquehanna Valley without power. No losses of life, but serious disruption of lives.

The next day, Dianne and I headed out for a Memorial Day Vacation trip down I-81 into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  The weather forecast was for more severe thunderstorms, some of them with tornadic potential.  We were traveling between 4:30-9:00 pm, prime time for such threats. Trust me I watched for dark skies and threatening clouds.  Near Chambersburg the emergency warning system captured my radio station broadcasting a tornado warning. One had been on the ground and was headed (and they recounted the path). Fortunately it was to the north and west of me by a number of miles but I saw the edge of the storm with its malevolent dark clouds and pushed my accelerator a little harder to distance myself even more.

Normally I tend to be detached from threats.  Each day our media pronounces still another threat from our food, the internet, a weather front, Islamic terrorists, a nuclear disaster half a world away.  But the dark skies brought this threat quite close to home. Exposed as I was on the highway (far from my basement), I found myself a little more alert to danger, praying a little more fervently and frequently.  And that's probably as it should be.    

Alertness and fear are two different things.  David writes: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23.4).  I might paraphrase, "There is no dark sky that you must live under that is greater than God;s protection."      

But more explicitly, awareness of the threats, alert to their danger, does not mean we need stop living or go into hiding.  David also wrote: "You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day ..." (Psalm 95:1).  Here he referred to those who must live in the battle zone, under the dark skies of this life's spiritual warfare and its physical counterparts.  The God who makes us alert to the threats, also gives us the protection and the power to live - and  thrive - and serve Him to the fullest.  That means we can keep on traveling down the road of his kingdom service, even when we must travel under dark skies.           

(C) 2011 by Stephen L Dunn    

TOO BUSY

Reading: Luke 10:38-42

"Most of us are far too busy for our own spiritual good." - Bill Hybels, Too Busy Not To Pray

 

Lately I have noted that there are a lot of tired people.  You can tell the signs ... glazed looks, irritability, negative attitudes; and, of course, the most tell-tale sign of all -- people nodding off any time they stop moving.  I understand the feeling.  There have been times when I had to put a car in park at a stop light because I might nod off and roll into oncoming traffic.  I once fell asleep when in conference with a staff member and I was talking.

Now that's tired.

Tiredness is often the result of busyness, especially extreme busyness. People who have too much on their plate and who are rushing to keep up usually wear out before they get everything finished.

This not only hazardous to our physical health, but is hazardous to our spiritual health, as well.  People mistakenly think that busyness is the new spirituality.  They engage in religious activity after religious activity but never slow down long enough to be still and know God.  (In fact, they are more likely to simply fall asleep in the pew and miss any message from the Lord.)

Martha of Bethany had that problem.  She opened her home to Jesus.  She created a place and a connection where people could hear the good news of the Kingdom of God.  But she was too busy being hostess to a religious teacher than to hear the message that teacher was bringing to everyone--including Martha.

"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”- Luke 10:38-42 ESV

We need to be careful that we are not too busy in the work of the Lord that we don't take to actually be with the Lord.

(C) 2011 by Stephen L Dunn

MUTUAL SUBMISSION

Text: Ephesians 5:21

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” 

     It was late in the afternoon.  I had stopped at the grocery store on the way home from the church to pick up some items Dianne needed to prepare dinner for our family.  In line in front of me was a mother, well-dressed, probably a professional of some sort.  With her were two children, each with something electronic in their hands. Each looking the image of bored affluence. 

     It was still early enough that a retired man was bagging groceries.  It was late enough in his shift, however, that he was obviously tired; but still trying to conscientiously do his work.  Mom observed his condition and so she said to her children, “Help the man with the groceries.”

     The girl just rolled her eyes in noncompliance and the boy responded, “That’s his job” and went back to his video game. 

     Mom paused a moment and then said to the bagger, “Step away, sir.  My kids will finish bagging those groceries.”  I wanted to cheer this mother’s actions out loud.  She knew pampered arrogance when she saw it and she was not going to let it take any deeper root in her kids.

     On the essential doctrines of the New Testament in found in Ephesians 5:21.  It is called mutual submission.  It is found at a pivot point between teaching Jews and Gentiles to work together in the kingdom of God and specific instructions about dealing with our relationships in Christ-like ways.  Unity does not come from agreeing to be agreeable or committing to working together for a common goal.  The unity Paul describes goes much, much deeper.

     In some translations submission is translated serve.  The lesson is clear, the heart of God is a servant’s heart.  And the motivation and measure for mutual submission is a direct outgrowth not from being agreeable or cooperative, but out of reverence for Christ.  Mutual submission is a direct outgrowth of the work of Christ found in Philippians 2.1-11.  “If we have any encouragement in Christ,”  i.e., if what Christ has done for you makes any difference in your life “each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (verse 4).  Our attitude should mirror that of Christ, “who being in the very nature God … made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant …” (verse 6).

     Our sense of entitlement, to deserving service and feeling exempt from serving is a foundation for sin in human relationships.  The corrective?  “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

© 2011 by Stephen L Dunn

JUSTICE IS NO SMALL MATTER

“For the Lord is righteous,
  he loves justice,
  upright men will see his face.”
      - Psalm 11:7

The Hebrew people believed the face of God was so holy, that sinful men could not look upon his face and live.  It was is why Moses hid his eyes when he knew God was going to pass by. God gave himself a human face when he and two other strangers sat in Abraham’s tent to announce that Sarah would conceive in her old age.

Quite correctly we make much of God’s love.  It is that part of his character upon which we depend for his grace.  But we should not forget that the Lord is justice, as well.  It is part of his nature that is not some conflicting impulse. It is the natural complement of love.  For love does not tolerate the injustice that victimizes and oppresses others.  He hates what injustice does to the unjust person, as well.  He may let injustice go unpunished for a time, but he does not ignore it or declare “no big deal, I’ll let this one pass.”

That is why God loves those who are honorable, people of integrity.  He loves people who do what is right and justice, no matter the personal cost. Our just-ness is an expression of his holiness at work in and through us. Those of us who live lives of holiness, lives that embody love and justice need not fear seeing the face of God.

And upright men will see his face.

© 2011 by Stephen L. Dunn