On the Way to Wonder

Romans 3:23-25

²³ since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 

²⁴ they are now justified by his grace as a gift,

through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 

²⁵ whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood,

 effective through faith.

He did this to show his righteousness,

 because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed;

This verse was a deal breaker for Luther.  I have broken up the passage to focus on various ideas that explain grace.  Our world is a tit for tat place.  Actions have consequences and our experiences of grace may not be many.  In fact many suffer from abuse and persecution for being a woman, a person of color, for having no protector…many suffer unjustly.  We seek and long for justice.  Ultimate power rests with God.  Ultimate authority rests in the words he speaks.  We access it through faith.  Only God can bring justice.  So what is grace?

         We have all sinned.  We would like to think by pointing our finger at anther we deflect the guilt of our own short-comings.  I like the explanation that we are all sinners with a capitol “S”.  We are all separated from God as we are born into this world.  Sins, small “s,” are the bad things we do, the bad choices we make, the bad attitudes we have that only speak to our separation, “S”.  Somehow we just can’t do right…all of the time.  Last Sunday in our Gospel text a religious man who stood in the Temple or church thanking God that he was so wonderful and not like that horrible sinner standing on the fringes.  Meanwhile the tax collector stood in a corner and cried, “Lord, have mercy.”  Jesus said the tax collector went home “justified.”  God gifts us, graces us with forgiveness when we turn to him in humility.  Not because of our works but because of his choice.  Faith is that turn to God and away from self.

         So we come to the big theological term “atonement.”  Merriam Webster says atonement is like “reconciliation.”  I was surprised there is a award winning film called Atonement.  In a convoluted life long story a younger sister ruins the love between her sister and her love and the two lovers die without being able to marry.  The younger sister, old and sick, writes a story in which the couple is united and live happily ever after.  The imaginary story atones for the real wrong of life.  The author opens the way to happiness. 

         Because in Eden humanity turned away from God, in the cross, where God as Jesus suffers all the evils humanity could experience, God opens the door for atonement, an opportunity for us to turn back to him.  Only God can atone.  The saints cannot share their goodness with us.  We must ourselves turn to God through faith.  It is a gift we receive with open hands.  We need not worry about being skeletons or bodiless spirits wandering this world in penance for our sins.  God offers us a gift by his grace, not because of our goodness but because of his grace.

         As we approach Halloween and Reformation Sunday, may we focus our attention on the grace of God’s goodness to us even when we can’t be good enough to deserve it.  Let us say prayers of thanksgiving for forgiveness as a gift!

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith,

and this is not your own doing;

it is the gift of God— ⁹ not the result of works,

so that no one may boast.

         Reformation focused on Scripture (inspired, infallible, inerrant) as the ultimate authority in maters of faith, not tradition.  Jesus Christ is the ultimate power as God and also human through the incarnation.  He was the God/man.  All others people are mortals.  Jesus Christ has the power to save.  Saints, living and living eternally, have the power to stand with us in prayer but they do not save us.  So today we come to our third point of tension and controversy, the role of faith and works. 

         One of the spiritual practices at the time of Luther was the selling and buying of indulgences and the honoring of relics.  It was believed that an indulgence could remove years in purgatory, between heaven and hell.  Saying a certain number of prayers honoring a relic also removed years in purgatory.  Luther struggled to find a loving God and not an angry God who had to be appeased and for whom the human was always trying to do enough good works.  For many of us we live in the tension of faith and works.  The book of James tackles this tension because faith without works is dead but works alone without relationship with God is just being a do-gooder.   Luther had an epiphany when he read Romans 1:16-17,

            ^“16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for       salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the        Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith          for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith”

         Hebrews 11 is called the “Faith Chapter” as it goes through the lives of the heroes of the Bible of every generation who lived by faith.  The author defines faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews (11:1).”  After reading about the men of faith, the author concludes “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better (verse 39).”

         At Halloween the tradition of giving candy to children was originally a way of appeasing spirits who might be looking to do you harm.  Good works appeased spiritual wrath.  Luther would say no.  Good works are products of our love for a God who saves us.  We give candy out of love and not out of fear.

         The image that has helped me put my limited mind around this great foundational concept is electricity. Electricity runs through our house and cannot be seen but can be experienced at heat in the stove, as sound from the radio, and as light from the bulb.  We talk about God as a Trinity but One.  All are experiences of electricity.  Faith is the switch turning on and tuning into each aspect of electricity, connecting us with God.  It is Christ who saves but it is faith that accesses that truth. Perhaps let us look at Hebrews 11 and choose just one hero that inspires you.  What inspires you by this person’s life?  Spend a moment in prayer to talk with God about that characteristic in your life.

Acts 17:16-34

As children we often resort to “my father’s stronger than your father” as an appeal to ultimate authority.  As we age and face our mortality, the discussion evolves to which government has authority to decide fates and ultimately to beliefs about which gods have the most power over a situation.  During the Reformation big existential questions of faith were debated.  Yesterday we looked at how Luther claimed only Scripture that is “inspired, inerrant, and infallible” has authority over traditions that arise from humans who are fallible.  He did not accept the infallibility of the Pope or Councils.  Ultimately Scripture inspired by God gets the last word.  That opened the door for denominations to disagree about interpretation and it opened the door of translation and the putting of Scripture into the language of the people.  We live with those tensions and arguments today.

         The second point of tension is summarized in “Christ Alone.”  Jesus Christ and not Mary, some saint or some other deity, only Jesus is the sole mediator between God and his creation.  Christianity is monotheistic, meaning that we only believe in the existence of one God and Jesus was the God/Man that opened the way of salvation to all by his death on the cross.

¹¹ This Jesus is

“the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
    it has become the cornerstone.”

¹² There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’ (Acts 4:11 -12)

         In Acts, Paul visits Athens and sees all the idols to the various Roman and Greek gods.  Paul stood and addressed the Aeropaus.  The statue dedicated to the “Unknown God” he equates to the God, the creator, and savior through Christ.  We don’t use the word idol today but we look in various places for authority and power to resolve conflict.  We spend much energy over politics, education, and the hunt for wealth.  We are tempted to idolize that which is not a god.

         At Halloween the tradition of wearing costumes originated in the belief that on the eve of All Saints day, spirits could roam the world and harass people they had trouble with in life and so wearing costumes was to deceive these spirits. Christ Alone says that we need not fear the spirits of the dead.  Dead people do not return to life.  Christ is stronger than all evil that can seek to undermine our faith.

         Today we might reflect on what we look to when we feel anxious, insecure, or vulnerable.  Is God our “first port” in a storm or an afterthought?  There is no other name under heaven… Let us thank him that we can be on first name basis with him and because of his incarnation, his taking on of humanity, he really understands us.  Thank you, Lord.

Psalm 119

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path (v,105)

Your word, Lord is eternal, it stands firm in the heavens (v.29)

Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,

your salvation according to your promise.
⁴² Then I shall have an answer for those who taunt me,

for I trust in your word.
⁴³ Do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
    for my hope is in your ordinances.
⁴⁴ I will keep your law continually, for ever and ever.
⁴⁵ I shall walk at liberty, for I have sought your precepts.
⁴⁶ I will also speak of your decrees before kings,

and shall not be put to shame;
⁴⁷ I find my delight in your commandments, because I love them.
⁴⁸ I revere your commandments, which I love,
    and I will meditate on your statutes. (v.41-48)

Most think of this week as building up to Halloween next Monday, the 31^st of October.  October 31, 1517 is famous because Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, inviting debate on points he disagreed with the dominant Catholic Church at the time.  October 31 is generally considered the beginning of the Reformation.  Out of the Reformation came multiple protestant denominations and Catholic reform.

         In Luther’s thinking there were four pillars around which his theological thinking developed: Scripture alone (over traditions), Faith alone (not works), Grace alone (not indulgences), and Christ alone (not saints).  These named the four tensions he felt with Rome.  We will look at these four “Sola” or “Alone” foci this week. 

         The verses above were written by King David. Christian lore has it that David used Psalm 119 to teach his son Solomon wisdom.  The whole psalm is an acrostic poem built on the Hebrew alphabet and speaks of the delight of living by Scripture, the Torah, sacred law, and its value for our lives.  Jesus is famously quoted as saying during his temptation by the Devil in the wilderness after his baptism, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on ever word that comes out of the mouth of God.”

         God’s word is a “light,” “eternal, ”trust worthy,” hope giving, and give liberty and honor to those who know it.  It is not a bonfire we burn at Halloween to light the way for the dead or a candle we put in a pumpkin to make a scary face to scare away evil visitors.  God’s word lightens our way every day and is reliable showing us the way to life.  Spend a moment reflecting on the blessing God’s word has been in your life.  Perhaps you can name a verse that has been light to your path!  Amy Grant sings a worship song around Psalm 119:105.  Enjoy.

by Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin

This week we pondered references to trees found in the wisdom literature in the Bible: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon.  The song 100,000 Reasons also commonly called Bless the Lord was released in 2011 and is the most popular worship song today.  It was inspired by the opening verse of Psalm 103, “Praise the Lord, my soul, all my inmost being, praise his holy name,” and is based on the 19^th century English hymn “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven.”  It does not talk about trees but it does turn our eyes upwards to God even as looking at a beautiful tall tree will draw our eyes upward.  May we take a moment and just enjoy this beautiful worship song that is enjoyed by many.  Blessings.

Song of Solomon 2:3

“As an apple tree among the trees of the wood,

so is my beloved among young men.

With great delight I sat in his shadow,

and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”

We have been enjoying wisdom literature this week from the Bible.  Much of it is poetry or like Proverbs, short sayings.  Song of Solomon is a love story that uses the language of eroticism of couples in love.  Many think this book speaks to the deep love that God has for his people, his creation.  Solomon likens the beloved to an apple tree among the “trees of the wood.”    I’m not that familiar with apple trees but I know they are not fir trees and they are not bushes.  An apple tree in the middle of the Redwoods would look unique indeed.  Nor do we decorate an apple tree at Christmas, only for a special occasion.  Finding an apple tree in the middle of a woods and finding it full of apples would be unique and delightful.  Love is like that.  Human love like the apple tree has fruitful times and dry times.  God’s love is always producing.  Relationship with Christ is like an apple tree in the woods of life.

         I have sat at the airport and watched the couples walk by and pondered their stories of being drawn to each other.  The saying is “love is blind” and that describes God’s love.  He isn’t looking for the perfect model, the perfect whatever but his love sees the other as perfect and unique.  God sees each of us unique among the trees of the woods.

         Those first introductory experiences often erupt in long conversations with friends about “is he the one?”  The delight of sitting In his shadow and allowing the relationship to grow is like the growth of faith.  Faith has questions, doubts, hopes, fears and all the aspects of getting to know the other.  Perhaps years later we look back at the growth and delight in those shadow times.  God’s love also shades us during the heat of the experiences of life.

         And yes, there is the delight of the first kiss or the first hug or the first note.  An apple tree would look unique in the woods, would be delightful to sit under in its shadow, and its fruit would be sweet to taste.  An apple tree is a nice description for the growth of relationship with a God who delights in you.  May we sit back and say a prayer of thanks that God sees us as unique, shades us, and feeds.  Thank you Lord.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-5

12 Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say,

‘I have no pleasure in them’; 

² before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return with the rain;

 ³ on the day when the guards of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the women who grind cease working because they are few, and those who look through the windows see dimly;

 ⁴ when the doors on the street are shut, and the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low; 

⁵ when one is afraid of heights, and terrors are in the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along and desire fails; because all must go to their eternal home,

Solomon paints a tender picture of old age using multiple images.  He admonishes us to enjoy the Lord while we can for our eyes dim, our hands shake, we loose teeth, hearing fails us, we fear falling, our hair turns white, sexual desire declines and we go to our eternal home.  “The almond tree blossoms” I would understand to be our hair turning white.  But why might Solomon have chosen the almond tree?  Of course I looked to the Internet.

         The Hebrew word for almond also means watchful.  In Numbers 17:8 Aaron’s staff spouts, blossoms, and bears fruit affirming Moses’ leadership when the people grumbled.  The almond tree is the basis for the creation of the Menorah, seven pronged candle stick.  As an elder now, I like the Ecclesiaste’s use of the almond tree blossoming to speak of aging and probably the coming of white hair.

      The context of the passage is an admonition to enjoy God while we can and enjoy the experiences of God that our senses allow us while we can.  I think of the men in one of the parables, when invited to a banquet, begged to be excused – “I have married me a wife, I have bought me a cow, I have fields and commitments that cost me a petty sum.  Please hold me excused I cannot come to the banquet now.”  I suspect Solomon would not agree.  May we enjoy expressions of our faith as we are able before age diminishes our ability.

         So how do you enjoy your faith?  Let us think of how our sense of God is heightened by our five senses.  Take a moment to list something that comes to mind that encourages your faith because of vision……, hearing….., smell……, taste……, and touch……..    Thank you Lord for our ability to appreciate your creation and help us be alert to your presence.  May we accept the limitations of age and know you are there with us as we walk towards you.

Ecclesiastes 11:3

3.  When clouds are full,
    they empty rain on the earth;
whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. (NRSV)

3. When the clouds are full of water, it rains.
When the wind blows down a tree, it lies where it falls.
Don’t sit there watching the wind. Do your own work.
Don’t stare at the clouds. Get on with your life.  (The Message)

3.  When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down; when a tree falls, whether south or north, the die is cast, for there it lies. (The Living Bible)

Ecclesiastes follows Proverbs, was written by Solomon probably, and is part of the wisdom literature.  My mother taught me using riddles.  I can remember her pointing her finger at me and saying, “A stitch in time saves nine,” and I knew I was to obey now and not put off something.  Tackle a small task so it does not become big.  “An early bird catches the worm,” was her admonition to be industrious.  So this wise saying from Ecclesiastes about trees I find intriguing.  What was Solomon trying to tell us?  Sometimes when a passage is unclear, I look it up in a more modern translation to see if I can grasp the content better.  So I looked up Ecclesiastes 11:3 in the Message and in the Living Bible to see if I could get a clearer picture.  This is how it might be speaking into our world today.

         Sometimes we see warning signs, take heed and act before the small tear becomes a big rip and a dress is ruined.  We see the clouds and we take an umbrella to work because the odds are it will rain.  Recently the weather-man said that hurricane Ian was coming.  We did not know the exact path but we moved furniture inside, parked cars in safe places, made plans for the single women to stay together so no one would be left alone.  We filled water containers and bathtubs and had cash for dealing with electrical outs.  Seeing the warning signs, we took precautionary action.  When we see a tree start to fall, we best move out of the way for once it starts to fall, it will not change its mind.

         This is also true spiritually.  We have times when we see the signs that tell us we are headed into a storm and we need to double check our spiritual disciplines.  If we are loosing our temper too quickly, crying too quickly, despairing too quickly, we need to spend time in prayer, praise, reading, singing or whatever discipline that fortifies us spiritually.  When a tree of disaster like a medical situation occurs, for sure we follow medical advice, but we also call friends and get prayer chains informed. Even as we set our actions by what is going on with a tree, we can proactively care for our spiritual lives.  Lord, help me be alert to warning signs!

Proverbs 27:18

¹⁸ Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
    and anyone who takes care of a master will be honoured.

The next reference to trees in Proverbs likens caring for a fig tree with caring for a “master”.  Loyal care results in fruit from the tree and that is likened to honor that comes from a master.  It is interesting that the word “master” is used and not a relationship that draws positive emotions.  Perhaps that is why Solomon likens care for a master to care for a tree.  Trees don’t emote and express thanks for the gardener’s work of watering, weeding, and pruning.  We don’t think of trees as being appreciative.  The word “master” also connotes contractual relationship as opposed to a warm fuzzy relationship like spouse or friend.  Master-servant relationship implies work, hierarchy and perhaps lack of appreciation.

         So when we look at relationships that are not governed by a code of love and appreciation but are more work or business oriented, we might well reflect on how we care for those relationships.  These are the people outside our friendship group.  It might include people who have the power to harm us like a boss or who have offended us like an enemy.  Dare we mention people of the opposite political party or a different denomination or ethnicity?  It could be the neighbor who parties too loud and too long on the weekend.  This proverb calls us to care for these relationships with the same concern we would give to our fig tree that produces fruit to feed our family.  The wise person is a loyal relationship with all encountered even as he loyally tends the fig tree that feeds him.  Lord, help me to be loyal in all my ways and treat others the way you treat me.

Proverbs 15:1-4
15 A soft answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.
² The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge,
    but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
³ The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
    keeping watch on the evil and the good.
⁴ A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
    but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

         Solomon likens a tree to a gentle answer in a disagreement.  Mouth-in-motion is certainly a disease that our culture struggles to balance with freedom of speech.  How we express our truth to another can be a deal-maker or a deal-breaker.  So how does that relate to trees and why does Solomon give us that image to think about?  Interesting.

      Trees do not force themselves on us but grow tall, presenting their truth.  When watered, green leaves spread out.  When neglected and forgotten, some trees and plants wilt and die.  Some trees can withstand fire and drought but not most.  Perhaps we need to take a lesson from the tree and ponder if our speech is demanding, critical, harsh and belittling or are we building the other with our response and treating the person respectfully?

         I love this quote from the internet, “According to the Arbor Day Foundation , in one year a mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen in exchange. So next time you take a deep breath of air give credit to a tree or hug a tree in thanks for what it gives us – the very air we breathe.”  A gentle answer sucks the carbon dioxide out of an argument and tries to give oxygen.

         Let us pray today that our words will be like life-giving trees and not be tools to break someone’s spirit.  Lord curb my tendency to mouth-in-motion and encourage heart-in-motion!