Procession or Parade?

It goes without saying that parents teach their children.  No matter what they do – more to the point, in everything they say and do – parents are teaching their children.  Perhaps then, it is easy for the “old, wise and learned” adults, to take for granted the fact that we also can learn a great deal from children.  Just spend a day with a preschooler or read Dr. Seuss again.  You can learn a lot from a conversation with the youngest among us.  For their youth is, by no means, an evaluation of their sublime intelligence and their unequivocal capability to learn the things we “wise” adults deem “too difficult” to understand.  

As we consider the topic of ritual and ceremony in the church – in particular, the procession at the beginning and end of the Divine Service and the Gospel procession - we do well to keep our children in mind.  Everyone, you see, has ceremonies or rituals – again, just spend a day with a preschooler.  Rituals are a part of our lives from the day we are born to the day we die (and even in heaven), not to mention in and outside of church.  But what does ritual or ceremony in the Christian Church teach our children to believe, teach and confess?  And what can our children teach us about the liturgy?  You can imagine the following conversation - between a parent and a child – at lunch or in the car on the way home.

Chloe:  Mom, dad?

Mom and dad:  Yes, dear?

Chloe:  Can I ask you a question?

Mom:  Of course, you may.

Chloe:  Why did we have all those parades in church today?

Dad (chuckling a little to himself): Well, that’s a good question, Chloe; but those weren’t exactly parades.  We call those processions.

Chloe:  What’s a procession?  It looked like a parade to me.

Mom:  Well, it’s kinda like a parade, but better.

Dad:  Chloe, you remember when we went to the Rose Parade last week?

Chloe: Yea, that was fun, can we go again?

Mom:  We’ll just wait and see.  Do you remember who was at the center of attention in the parade?

Chloe: Princesses and roses and horsies and men with shovels.

Dad:  Now, think about church this morning; who was the center of attention at Church?

Chloe:  Jesus!

Mom:  Are you just saying that because you know it’s almost always the right answer in Sunday School?

Chloe: No…I saw the pastors and the big kids holding candles and a giant book and they were all following the cross with Jesus on it.  Was that a Jesus parade?

Mom:  Well in a way it was, Chloe.  But not all parades are the same.  A parade is very different from a procession in church.  A procession happens during the Divine Service and points us to Jesus on the cross and His love for us.  What was the Rose parade celebrating?

Chloe:  Daddy says it’s all about football.

Mom (laughing to herself):  Yes, that’s part of it.  Parades usually celebrate something we do or someone important who has done something special.  But processions at church point to what Jesus has done for us.  Did you see Jesus on the cross at the Rose Parade?

Chloe:  Hmmm, nope.  Why would Jesus be there?

Dad:  Good question.  Of course Jesus is with us always, just like He promised to His disciples.  Where does Jesus come to us?

Chloe: At church?

Mom:  That’s right; Jesus promised to be there for us, In His Word and the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.

Chloe:  So, Jesus comes to us every Sunday?

Mom:  Yes, isn’t that good news? 

Chloe:  Yup! 

Dad:  Say, Chloe, this reminds me of a Bible verse we memorized at Christmass time; let’s see if you remember it.  “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” – John 1:14.

Mom:  Do you remember who “the Word” is?

Chloe:  It’s Jesus!!

Dad:  Right again!  Just like Jesus was with His disciples in real life a long time ago, He is with us on Sunday whenever the pastor reads the Bible, when we go to the Lord’s Supper and even on the day you were baptized!

Chloe:  Then, why don’t we have a pro…what did you call it again?

Mom: Procession.

Chloe:  Yea, why don’t we have one of those every Sunday.

Mom: Well, we certainly could, many churches do.  At our church we usually have processions on big church festivals: All Saints’ Day, Christmass, Easter, Reformation – and those are just a few.

Chloe:  Wow, we have a lot to celebrate at church; we should have processions more often.

Dad:  I agree.  What a great way to remind us that Jesus is with us and that His forgiveness won on the cross is the center of attention:  Jesus Crucified for you!

Chloe:  See, I told you Jesus was the right answer!  What’s for lunch?  Are we almost home?

Luther spoke of a similar presence of Christ in the Gospel, saying, “For the preaching of the Gospel is nothing else than Christ coming to us, or we being brought to him.”  Luther’s quotation is brought to life in the midst of the Gospel procession, where the Gospel reading is brought down into the midst of the people.  For here in the Word, as in the Sacraments, the Crucified and Risen Lord who was incarnate of the Holy Spirit by the Virgin Mary is the same Crucified and Risen Lord who is present in, with and under His Church.  Parades are nice, but they are not the Gospel.  Christ Crucified is not the focal point of secular parades.  If a procession is just like any other parade, then there’s no business doing it in the church.  A procession, however, points to Christ, His cross, His salvation and His Word given for us, spoken in the midst of the people.  What a joy!  What a confession:  Christ Crucified and His salvation are present here among us according to His Word and promise.  And any time Christ and His saving Word, life-giving water and forgiveness-bringing body and blood are present, there’s more than enough reason for celebration, thanks and praise. 

A Salty City Full of Light

5^th Sunday after the Epiphany – February 6^th, 2011

Text: Matthew 5:13-16

In the Name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit T Amen.

            You have to appreciate the irony: the same week the government issues a warning about your salt intake is the same week you hear from the Gospel reading: you are the salt of the earth.  And though today’s Gospel reading offers us an opportunity for several sermons, I promise to give only one. 

            Although that hardly makes Jesus’ teaching any easier to understand.  Light of the world – now that makes sense.  But sometimes He says the strangest things:  “you are the salt of the earth.” 

            Salt was sprinkled by the priest with the sacrifices of Israel.  Whether it was a bull or grain offering it was seasoned with salt, consecrated with fire and given for the holiness of the people.  Salt purifies, sanctifies, makes holy.  Where there’s salt, there’s a sacrifice – better yet a covenant, a testament cut between God and His people to purify, sanctify and make them holy.  And where things are made holy, God is pleased by the aroma.

            And there’s no greater sacrifice than the one cut between God and man on the cross – in Jesus.  Crucified.  Broken.  Beaten.  Consecrated in the fire of God’s divine wrath a perfect offering.  To purify, sanctify and make us holy.  He is the temple, the priest and the Lamb all in one perfect fleshly covenant.  Jesus’ death is a pleasing aroma, a suitable sacrifice, acceptable in God’s sight.  There’s even salt – mixed in sweat and blood –sprinkled in Christ’s sacrifice, flowing from His cross to atone for the sins of the world – for your sins.

            No wonder the early church used salt at baptism – a liquid covenant cut with water and Word and Spirit – pure, sanctified, holy.  A touch of salt on the tongue, oil on the eyes and lips and forehead.  What a confession!  Salted with Christ in the font – Baptized into His death. 

            And here you are today, the baptized, the salted, His holy people, His kingly priests, lighting the world around you with His light.  Salting it with everything you say and do in this world.  This is why He was preaching to His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount – for their sakes, yes.  For the world, yes.  But for you as well.  To bring that Word of salt and light – Christ’s perfect sacrifice, the radiance of His salvation – to you through water and Word and Spirit; through absolution and body and blood. 

            You went into the water a bland, tasteless, lukewarm dead sinner and you came out covered in the pleasing aroma of Christ’s death and resurrection – a holy, priestly, salty, lighty, blessed child of God.  Sprinkled – not just with water – but with the Spirit – the Lord and giver of life - and wherever the Spirit is present, there’s Jesus.

            You are who He says you are.  His proclamation lights you up. His words salt you. Salt in all His saltiness. Light in all His brightness. 

             And being the salt of the earth carries with it a responsibility.  Christ seasons us with His sacrifice and then scatters us throughout the world as a preservative.  You are Abraham pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah; you are Noah building the ark while the world carries on; you are John proclaiming in the wilderness: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  The world exists for the sake of Christ’s suffering church; and the church salts the earth with Jesus’ salvation and lights the way to the Crucified One with cruciform mercy.  There’s no running away from who you are.  To reject this salt and light is to reject Christ Himself.

            If salt loses its saltiness, it ceases to be salt; it has lost its purpose.  Hiding the light is as absurd as salt losing its saltiness.  It’s worthless, thrown out.  Trampled under foot.  No such thing as unsalty salt or hidden lights or invisible cities – or Christless Christian Churches or disciples of Jesus who do not believe, teach, confess in thought, word and deed.  The congregation that fails to carry out its purpose – of preaching Jesus Christ and Him Crucified - ceases to be the church.  The lamp-stand can be removed. 

Which is why Jesus’ warning horrifies you.  Or that it doesn’t scare you, horrifies you more. 

            For you aren’t salty by yourself.  You aren’t a light at all. Not even a flicker or a pinch.  You are blessed, holy, pure, sanctified because He is all the blessedness, holiness, purity and sanctification you need.

            And wherever Jesus is…there’s His salt and light – His sacrifice for sins and His life of mercy for those in need.  Your sins forgiven.  Mercy shown to the poor, food to the hungry, homeless given shelter, compassion for the needy.  Jesus’ teaching and good works go together – like a tree and fruit; He is the Vine you are His branches, fed and nourished in the Sacraments to feed and nourish the world – to salt the earth.

 

            Wherever the church is there will be care for the poor and the sick.  Salt of the earth preaching and teaching – Christ Crucified for you.  Light of the world mercy and love – Christ Crucified in the neighbor.  You can’t have one without the other.  Jesus teaching – the doctrine and good works go together: faith without good works is dead and yet good works without faith are meaningless, empty.  And in Christ you have both – faith and good works.  Jesus is the flavor of our saltiness, the brightness of our light, the foundation of the city of God.  You are His blessed ones, a salty city full of light.

            So that the world out there would see your lamp and glorify Him - not you. This hasn’t been about you at all, but about the One who brought you out of darkness into His wonderful light - your Father in Heaven.  A city on a hill shines. A lamp on a lamp-stand gives light to the whole house. And salt, it gives flavor - Jesus flavor. His sacrifice.  His forgiveness. His eternal life.

            He’s your salt. He’s your light. Given to you in His gifts. Gifts which salt you, light you, holy you, priest you, to salt, light, holy, and priest for others.  A living sacrifice – that’s who you are, St. Paul says…a pleasing aroma… Philippians.    Through your sharing the Gospel and your life of mercy – the world sees the God who is merciful to sinners.  These sinners see your good works and come to see that God is also their Father. 

            It is good to bear abundant fruit in your life as a Christian, but it is far more important to remain in the One who is the apple of the Father’s eye.  It is good to let your light shine before men, but it is far better to be sheltered under the shadow of your Father’s wing.  It is good to strive with all your might to keep the commandments of God, but it is of everlasting importance to know that all the commandments of God have already been kept for you by Christ.

            And so today, He sends you from here, given to, lit up with His light, and forgiven. His salt. His light.  Shining when you aren’t even trying to shine and salting everything you say and do with His Cross.  For the same lips that salt and light the earth are the same lips preserved by His New Testament.  Jesus’ great and never-ending covenant in His own body and blood – sprinkled – no, poured out, given and shed for you.  Pure.  Holy.  Forgiven.  Come, eat and drink.  See His good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

In the Name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit T Amen.

The Oratio, Meditatio and Tentatio of Jill Pole

Jill who?  Jill Pole of course.  We first met her on a dull autumn day crying behind the gym because some boys - as they are wont to do - were picking on her.  But not all the boys were picking on Jill.  There was Eustace Scrubb, however no longer one of the "bad sort" of boys.  After all, Aslan had changed Him, as He does for everyone who comes to Narnia and returns to know Him by His better name.  Jill wasn't the only one - everyone at school had in fact - noticed that Eustace was changed.  He called it Magic.  But it was really more of a Baptism, but that was in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, this is the beginning of the Silver Chair.  And Jill Pole is in for an adventure - not to mention a change that only Aslan can bring.

She has been called many things, compared to many Biblical figures (Jonah, women of the NT) but I think she is more like David.  And if not exactly like David at least one who follows in the footsteps of David who follows in the footsteps of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, David's son yet David's Lord.  The one who gives His Word to David, most notably in the Psalms especially, Psalm 119.  As I was re-reading The Silver Chair recently I couldn't help but notice that Jill (and Eustace and Puddleglum throughout the story) are ones who depend on (in fact you could say their very lives depend on these) words, words in which they live and move and have their being in Narnia as they embark upon the task for which Aslan had appointed them. 

Jill however is the only one to whom these words of Aslan, signs he calls them, are given:

"I will tell you, child," said the Lion.  "These are the signs by which I will guide you in your quest" (emphasis added).  First; as soon as the boy Eustace sets foot in Narnia, he will meet an old and dear friend.  He must greet that friend at once; if he does, you will both have good help.  Second; you must journey out of Narnia to the north till you come to the ruined city of the ancient giants.  Third; you shall find a writing on a stone in that ruined city, and you must do what the writing tells you.  Fourth; you will know the lost prince (if you find him) by this, that he will be the first person you have met in your travels who will ask you to do something in my name, in the name of Aslan."

..."Remember, remember the signs.  Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night.  And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the signs.  And secondly, I give you a warning.  Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia.  Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken.  Take great care that it does not confuse your mind.  And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there.  That is why it is important to know them by heart and pay attention to appearances.  Remember the signs and believe the signs.  Nothing else matters.  And now, Daughter of Eve, farewell - "

David is given the Word of the Lord.  Don't worry, I won't copy and paste all of Psalm 119.  Here's just a few of the signs given to David:

49 Remember the word to Your servant,
         Upon which You have caused me to hope.
 ⁵⁰ This is my comfort in my affliction,
         For Your word has given me life.

⁹⁷ Oh, how I love Your law!
         It is my meditation all the day.

 ¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet
         And a light to my path.

¹⁴⁷ I rise before the dawning of the morning,
         And cry for help;
         I hope in Your word.
 ¹⁴⁸ My eyes are awake through the night watches,
         That I may meditate on Your word.


¹⁷⁶ I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
         Seek Your servant,
         For I do not forget Your commandments.

Of course there is not a one-to-one correspondence between the story and the psalm.  The Silver Chair is not really an allegory of Psalm 119 either.  It could be that this is one facet of richness to be found, or one mine shaft to be explored in the vast caves of Narnian treasures.

Throughout the quest Jill struggled (as David did during his life as king) and even failed; forgetful of the signs, she wandered.  Through the snowy wastelands of the north to the halls of giants, from the fortress Harfang to the Queen of the Underland, Jill Pole (and company) was afflicted; for in the words of David, "they draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law" (vs. 150).  One could even say that Luther's theological insight into Psalm 119 - oratio, meditatio and tentatio - applies not only to Jill, but to all who call themselves Narnian in the best sense of the word.

Do not fret, however; I will not spoil much more of the quest and all its adventure.  If you've read The Silver Chairmarshwiggles await you - marvelous stories, full of insight and symbolism.  But, for now, it is time to go back to "our world" where all good Narnian tales point us, back to the Word of the Lord that came to David.  "Forever, O Lord, your Word is firmly fixed in the heavens...and fixed on the cross so that we, with David, may cry out together, "I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight" (vs. 174).

And in a similar way, Jill and Eustace were comforted unto the end.  "I have come," said a deep voice behind them.  They turned and saw the Lion himself, so bright and real and strong thast everything else began at once to look pale and shadowy compared with him.  And in less time than it takes to breathe Jill forgot about the dead King of Narnia and remembered how she had made Eustace fall over the cliff, and how she had helped to muff nearly all the signs, and about all the snappings and quarrelings.  And she wanted to say, "I'm sorry" but she could not speak.  Then the Lion drew them towards him with his eyes, and bent down and touched their pale faces with his tongue, and said:
"Think of that no more.  I will not always be scolding.  You have done the work which I sent you into Narnia."
"Please, Aslan," said Jill, "may we go home now?"
Yes.  I have come to bring you Home," said Aslan.  Then he opened his mouth and blew.

The Cross, The Crescent and The Cult

I know I'm not the first to notice this, but it occurred to me recently as I was preparing for a youth group bible study on world religions that Mormonism and Islam have a lot in common with one another..  I'm not speaking exhaustively or comprehensively, but perhaps more functionally with some specific examples aside from the classic nomenclature of religion of works (all world religions except one) vs. religion of grace (Christianity).  Or, in the words of Pastor Mark Jasa of the chapel at UCLA, free and not free.  The similarities between Mormonism and Islam, however, go deeper than this.  And yet they are at the core mutually contradictory.  They both require their followers to be wholly involved in the worldview of each.  Which should remind us that all religions do not say essentially the same things about God - as the PC crowd would have us believe - but rather, the thing that is most common to all religions in the world is their mutual incompatibility with one another.  That being said, there are many glaring connections between Islam and Mormonism.

But why you ask?  1 John reminds us to test the spirits that go out claiming to know and speak on behalf of God (1 John 4:1ff).  And it is equally important (so John says) to test these spirits on the basis of the same question that Jesus asked of Peter - who do you say that I am?  Do the Muslims and the Mormons confess the same Jesus as the New Testament?  What do they say about Jesus?  And how can that be used to share the true Gospel (not a false one delivered by angels or alleged messengers) with Mormons or Muslims we may meet and have an opportunity to speak the truth in love with (1 Peter 3:15). 

There really is nothing new under the sun.  You can't teach the devil new tricks.  Mormonism and Islam are - in part - re-used and recycled anti-Trinitarian and Christological heresies, albeit in new packaging.  Fun for the whole family...except the women.  Nevertheless, they are controversies which the early church (and our Lutheran confessions) have struggled with a great deal already and soundly answered (for example, Augsburg Confession, article 1 condemns the Muslims and the Arians and the Formula of Concord continues its defense of the New Testament witness of Jesus with sublime Christology).  This is all part of the apologetic task.  Of course, the issues needed to address both Muslims and Mormons in Christian evangelism and apologetics differ for both (intellectually and existentially), but the "homework" necessary for the Christian to answer and engage these objections/positions can be found under some common loci (or topics for those of you who don't sprechen sie Latin).  In no particular order.  Here. We. Go.

Eye-Witness Accounts.  Or rather, a lack there of.  This is especially helpful in the next section on the historicity and authority of the holy texts for each respective religion.  However, before the Book of Mormon and the Qu'ran were written, both Joseph Smith and Muhammad claim to have been visited by an angel - Joseph Smith by Moroni (and I will partially refrain from using a clever Latin ad hominem here) and Muhammad by the angel Gabriel.  Now, It is entirely possible that they were visited by an angel, but as with the textual problems in the next section, there are no eye-witness accounts to corroborate these claims besides that of the one alleging they saw the angel and that angel told them certain things.  I don't find it odd that men claim to have seen angels (to limit such a possibility would be no different than the pure naturalist).  Not all angels, however carry good news in fact Paul makes it pretty clear that they can carry other things.  So, it's possible that they did see an angel and just as likely that the angel could have been -hmmm, Satan?!  Thank you, Church Lady.  But more on what the angels said in a moment.  What a contrast when compared to the reliable and historically trustworthy eye-witness accounts of the NT and Jesus' claims vindicated by His death and resurrection.  Both Joseph Smith and Muhammad's story would not hold up under cross-examination.

Both Muhammad and Joseph Smith claim to have been told by their respective angels that the religions of their day were corrupt and that they were the chosen ones to usher in a new and pure religion.  Joseph Smith was allegedly told that he must “join none of them, for they were all wrong... that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight, and that all those who taught these religions were all corrupt...” (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith 2:8-19).  Similarly, the Qu'ran writes: "Yet the Sects are divided concerning Jesus.... Truly, the unbelievers are in the grossest error.” And in Surah 30: “Do not split up your religion into sects, each exulting in its own beliefs.” And in Surah 3 we read: “The only true faith in Allah’s sight is Islam."  Ironically, both Mormonism and Islam are just as divided as any other world religion in terms of sects and splits, many of which came early in the history of both religions.  Conveniently, these new revelations of both Joseph Smith and Muhammad earned them political as well as financial power, not to mention the "benefits" this had in their personal life (one man's benefit is another woman's degradation).

The Veracity and Historicity of the Texts.  In contrast to the overwhelming amount and quality (both in terms of content and dating) the NT manuscript far out weigh both the Book of Mormon and the Qu'ran.  As the eye-witness accounts go so does the veracity of these respective holy texts.  The aforementioned angels were the ones who allegedly delivered the message to write the new texts.  In the case of Mormonism it was the golden plates of Nephi (none of which have ever been found) given to Joseph Smith and then taken by Moroni back to heaven (isn't that convenient) and the "mother book" delivered through Muhammad in Islam which resides in heaven.
These men were also very good at redacting Scripture they had access to at the time - the Old Testament in particular.  One primary reason for such blatant redaction (if not out right plagiarism and then falsification) was the fact that they both believed the Bible - OT and NT - to be lost, corrupted, altered and defiled in transmission, therefore rendering it unreliable.  According to both Joseph Smith and Muhammad, their text was the perfectly translated, transcribed corrective.  And this is the objection many Mormons and Muslims throw at Christians.  "Our text is perfect, incorruptible, etc. yours has been altered and corrupted in transmission."  Both claims are hardly accurate.  In fact many apologists are looking forward to the critical edition of the Qu'ran.  Should be interesting to see what Muslim scholars run on the PR front when that gem hits book shelves.  And while I can only assert this here, the evidence for the veracity of the NT documents is anything but scant or circumstantial.  I recommend books such as John W. Montgomery's Tractatus Logico Theologicus (for this and any issue apologetically related), Richard Bauckham's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses and FF. Bruce's The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? Just to name a few!

Women.  Christianity is often - and unjustly I might add - associated with being patriarchal, misogynistic, etc., etc., etc.  In reality, the NT portrayal of women is a far and above anything in terms of the current practices at the time and greatly surpasses the treatment of women when compared to both Mormonism and Islam.  The first people to discover the empty tomb of Jesus were women, no small thing.  Many followers of Jesus were women - some of whom were significantly involved in His life and the life of the early church including deaconesses.  I would love to know where groups such as National Organization for Women are when little Muslim girls are being killed in "honor" ceremonies and undergoing clitoridectomy, or when they are scheduled to protest against the massive human rights violations and degradation of women in Islamic run, shariah law based societies throughout the world.  I guess the jury is still out on that one too.  Both Islam and Mormonism promote (to greater and lesser degrees) polygamy.  One of Muhammad's wives was even 6 years old.  And no, that is not a typo.  Polygamy does not create more love it destroys families and profoundly hurts women.  And if you've ever watched Sister Wives on TLC you know exactly what I mean.  But no shocker, after all, Mormonism also teaches that the only way a woman – who is intrinsically inferior to a man – can enter into heaven is by being married to a Mormon man. 

Alleged Miracles.  Unlike the miracles of the NT done by Jesus and vindicated by His resurrection from the dead the miracles in Mormonism and Islam lack both the eye-witness accounts and the historical analysis capable of either confirming or denying them. This relegates such events as the moon flying through Muhammad's tunic and the vision of the angels in the woods or the miracle of the seagulls to the logical positivists category of nonsensical truth claims (i.e. nonsense in the scholarly and junior high definition of the word).  And yes, that is a link to Mormonpedia.  Thank you, Micah!

Cult of Personality. Not much needs to be said here.  Suffice it to say that it seems to be no coincidence that the personality of both Muhammad and Joseph Smith had a great deal to do with the early expansion and continued theological devotion of their followers.  The chief difference with this kind of allegiance in distinction to Christianity is that Muhammad and Joseph Smith never claim to be god, but men who claimed to be appointed prophets of God in order to bring about their religious truth claims.  Much has been written about this aspect of both religions.  The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion by Robert Spencer is a good one for historical background and personal inquiry with regards to Muhammad and the beginnings of Islam.

Who Is Jesus?  This is the big one.  All theology is Christology.  This is where the early church is extremely helpful - battling Arians (not the hand-waving types), Nestorians, Eutychians and the like.  So, if you're going to spend some time with a Muslim or Mormon this - along with the reliability of the NT - is where you want to spend the time.  Simply because who Mormonism and Islam say Jesus is happens to be radically different than what the NT believes, teaches and confesses about Jesus Christ.  Both Islam and Mormonism have taken a similarly popular position on Jesus: He's a great prophet.  Now this is more nuanced in Mormonism.  But as C.S. Lewis reminds us Jesus did not leave us with that option - calling Him a great prophet.  He's either a liar, lunatic or Lord.  Islam's picture of Jesus is different than Mormonism in that He is a prophet of Allah, but not the Savior/Messiah that Christians make him out to be (Sura 61:6).  One wonders what kind of Christians were around in Muhammad's neighborhood confessing the kinds of things they did.  Perhaps it was Coptic - not known for their allegiance to Chalcedonian Christology or something else - but this is pure speculation on my part.  Islam's Jesus was totally human and that those who regard Him as divine are infidels for whom is reserved a special place in hell.  It's almost as if Jesus was some kind of Islamic John the Baptizer, a forerunner for Muhammad.  But the historical coup de grace is found in Surah 4:157: "They did not really slay him, neither crucified him; only a likeness of that was shown to them."

Whereas the Muslims deny that Jesus was the savior of the world, the Mormons use the terminology but mean something entirely different than orthodox Christianity does.  So, don't be fooled when they say things like: "Jesus was the son of God" and "he is the founder of the faith" and the "savior and redeemer."  Mormons reject the idea that Jesus' divinity implies that he is God, the Son, exclusive of all others.  Lorenzo Snow crafted this saying which reveals their true position on Jesus (and humanity for that matter), namely, that as man is God once was, as God is man can become.  This is a far cry from: There is one Christ, Jesus; yet He possesses two natures, human and divine which are inseparable, indivisible, unconfused and unchanging.  For that which God did not assume He did not redeem.

The other interesting point to make is that what both texts say about Jesus would be inadmissible in a court of law.  The author was not an eye-witness of the events in question and the texts they claim to have written were not anywhere near the time of the events they are want to describe.  These three views on Jesus are also contradictory.  Either Jesus is God Almighty come in human flesh to save the world or he's just a prophet of Allah preparing the way for Muhammad or he's some kind of strange first born spirit creature of God which you too can become with enough work and obedience to the principles and ordinances.  All 3 could be wrong but not all 3 can be right.  And as I've presented elsewhere the evidence points glaringly in the direction of Jesus and the NT.

Political Realm.  This is not meant to be a political position or commentary, merely an observation.  Both Mormonism and Islam rule by theocracy.  There is no separation of church and state.  There's also nothing even close to Lutheran's understanding of the two kingdoms.  Not to mention those who are not Mormon or Muslim are often ostracized in the places where these theo-political rules are the law of the land.

The Spin-Zone.  Glenn Beck.  Need I say more?  Regardless about how you feel politically, the fact that Mormonism (and Islam too) have gone mainstream is intriguing. What it all means is something to save for another day.  But both have undergone huge efforts to make themselves more palatable, more tolerant, less radical and family friendly especially in the United States.

Assurance of Salvation.  It comes down to one phrase:  "Free..and Not Free."  In Islam we hear: "To all those who believe and do deeds of righteousness hath Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward (Surah 5:9).  And according to Surah 10:109, a Muslim who hopes to escape the wrath of Allah and the torment of hell must diligently strive to fulfill the requirements set forth in the 5 pillars.  In Mormonism we hear these familiar words with a new twist: "We labor diligently to write, persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe Christ, and to be reconciled to God; For we know that it is by grace we are saved, after all we can do" - 2 Nephi 25:23.  In both, salvation is promised, but contingent; available but not given freely.  In other words it's entirely based upon works.  What a contrast to Jesus' life and ministry: "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many" - Matthew 20:28.

Furthermore, there is no assurance of salvation in either Mormonism or Islam.  How do you know you are saved?  How do you know if you've ever done enough to earn the great reward?  You don't and that's the problem.  No wonder we hear passages like this in the Qu'ran: "Allah will lead into error whom he pleaseth, and whom he pleaseth he will put in the right" - Surah 6:39.  If salvation is up to you, there is no assurance.  But if it's up to Jesus; it is finished.  His death atones for us and there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Revelation.  Both men also claimed that the version (of the Koran or the Book of Mormon) that we have in our possession today is identical to what God revealed to them – and that there are no parts that are lost, altered, or corrupted. Of course the proof that these claims are invalid is found in two books.  In terms of revelation one chief difference is found between progressive revelation in Mormonism and what is called abrogation in Islam.  The former adding new revelations (such as the 1970's proclamation that blacks can now be priests in the Aaronic order) and the latter removing passages previously held to be authoritative in Islam.

Well, congratulations if you made it all the way through this "Jedi training" of sorts.  Here are a couple other books I would recommend in this arena:

The Great Divide: The Failure of Islam and the Triumph of the West and How Christianity Changed the World, both by Alvin J. Schmidt.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects and World Religions by Larry A. Nichols, George E. Mather and Alvin J. Schmidt.

Theology of Glory Fail: Funeral Edition

Look up the theology of glory in the thesaurus and you might just find the word fail under the list of possible synonyms.  There are many things a theology of glory can do for you: fill an emotional vacuum (for a while) with optimistic flattery, satisfy a yearning for spiritual experience (at least until you have to come down from the mountain-top), and improve your self-esteem and self-worth (looking at your own works and not Christ's), not to mention create a frenzied music atmosphere that would rival Metallica (where the focal point is the drums and the screen not Christ Crucified) - and all in the name of relevance, mission and being authentic.  But there's one thing (actually one of many) I've found that the theology of glory cannot accommodate: death.  And more specifically comfort in the face of death.  Theology of glory and memorial services are about as antonym as you get.  Those who have been hoodwinked by the attractiveness of a theology of glory (and you don't even know it until you've left it) don't know how to handle death - what to do with it, how to behave, how to speak words of comfort in the midst of it.  Perhaps that's part of the reason why so many people had extreme emotional responses to Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ a few years back.  But I digress.

Funerals are hard enough to attend, let alone memorial services for children.  Theoden of Rohan was right, fathers aren't supposed to bury their children.  It's moments like those that you realize there is something deeply marred in this world - not just bad, as I heard from the pastor - but deadly and dark.  The word sin doesn't even begin to capture the ugliness.  Memorial services are not celebrations of life; we don't gather to honor their memory or praise what the person has done (save that for the reception) - that is a theology of glory.

He deserves to be called a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross.  Death is a damn shame - and that is the theology of the cross - calling a thing like it is.  This is not the way the Lord created life to be.  He created us to live forever (thankfully this pastor did get that right).  Sin is death and death is damnation but Christ has conquered both, for you.  But you will not hear much of this at a theology of glory funeral. Instead you will hear things like this: things were messed up and Jesus comes to make them better - True, but how?  The Law assumed is the Law avoided.  And the Gospel assumed is the Gospel denied.   Instead what I heard was, "we're here to celebrate life and memory and what this person has done...tell stories, eat and play video games...yea this is unconventional...this is for the kids and if you don't like it, deal with it." 

The most amazing thing of all is that the Gospel was still to be found - John 14 and Romans 8 were read.  John 3:16 was quoted.  That was the amazing thing, even in the face of a man's best attempt at making a theology of glory comforting in the midst of tragedy (which it is not).  Thankfully, Christ's Word of healing was still heard even if just for few minutes.  Today's real tragedy, however, was not what the pastor said: "God can work good out of any tragedy (true)...and this day would be a tragedy if you left here without knowing how to get to heaven."  That would be a tragic. But the greatest tragedy is what the pastor didn't say.  So you can work a mic stand...but can you proclaim the Gospel in the face of tragic death?  The theology of glory cannot; it has been weighed in the balance and found wanting.  Crux sola est nostra theologia - the cross alone is our theology.   To the Scriptures, my friends:

   Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.  Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?  She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.  And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.  Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.  The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.  Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.  And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.  Jesus wept.  Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!  And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?  Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.  Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.  Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.  And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. 

“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The "You-Are-Bless-i-tudes"

4^th Sunday after the Epiphany – January 30, 2011

Text: Matthew 5:1-12

Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ + Amen.

            Everyone loves the Beatitudes – presidents and pop-stars, Christians and non-Christians – they all jump on the beatitude-band-wagon.  However, Christians seem to have taken the reigns.  So many misuse and abuse the beatitudes as the duct-tape of Christian living. 

            Having financial problems? Don’t worry, there’s a beatitude for that: blessed are the poor in spirit, your guide to financial success. 

            Having anger issues?  Don’t worry, there’s a beatitude for that. 

            Struggling with your Christian living?  Don’t worry there’s a whole list of beatitudes for that – the perfect recipe for abundant blessings - the Be-Happy-Atitudes. 

            All of these things are not like the other.  Something’s missing:  Christ Crucified and His blessing.  That’s why you don’t do theology by Google search.  This is the trouble with the beatitudes - we think they’re all about us, what I must do and say, how I should live and act.  And if that’s all the beatitudes are, you don’t need Jesus.  You might as well stay home and watch Oprah.

            In doing this the beatitudes are turned into the be-curse-i-tudes.  Caution: beatings will continue until sanctification increases.   Our Old Adam is a pro at this, taking Jesus’ words of blessing and turning them into something we do to please God. 

            This is all backwards.  The beatitudes are less about what you do and more about who you are in Christ.  Less about the things you do to bless God and more about Jesus blessing you by His life, death and resurrection.  He must increase; I must decrease.

            Jesus comes to bear your guilt, not to leave you feeling guiltier going home from church than when you came in this morning.  Jesus didn’t come to guide and coach you into living the abundant Christian life but to place His Name upon you and create new life in you; in Him.  He comes not to curse, but to bless.

            That’s what that little word – beatitude - means.  Blessing.  Not do this and then God will…not a merit, checklist or a recipe.  The beatitudes are a declaration, a promise, a pronouncement – a Blessing.  Jesus opens His mouth and blesses.  Plain and simple.  Of course God’s Word tells you how you live – but that’s no place to start. 

            Jesus is the beatitudes.  That’s where you start.  The beatitudes begin and end in Him.  He is the merciful, the righteous, the peacemaker, the pure in heart – all the things that you and I are not.  For that is what you need most of all, a God-man who is everything that you are not so that you can be given everything that belongs to Him: the kingdom of heaven and all that is His is now added unto you. 

            Jesus opens His mouth and teaches with perfect meekness for you who are rebellious.  He gives the kingdom of heaven away to those who are poor and beggarly in spirit.  Blessed are those who have nothing but sin and death and know it and hate it.  The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as you – spiritually impoverished, meek-and-thirsting-for-righteousness-in-Christ sinners.  Blessed are you - empty of all checklists and rulebooks and sucking up to God.  Jesus doesn’t need your blessing, or your offering or your worship.  And yet for our sakes He offers Himself, He serves you, He blesses you.

            And that’s where you start - with Christ: He is the beatitudes and so are you. 

A new identity in Christ.  You are what He declares – poor in spirit, comforted, merciful, peacemakers, inheritors, blessed.  Blessed are you who have washed your robes in the blood-soaked waters of the font.  Blessed is every man, woman, child, infant who is planted like a tree in the stream of blood and water pouring out of Jesus' side.  Your roots travel through the font to His cross – grafted into the Crucified Vine.  The same Vine that yields heavenly fruit.  Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for His body-and-blood righteousness.  You shall be satisfied in the Supper.

           

            Blessing from the cross.  You are blessed because Jesus was cursed.  The Kingdom of heaven is yours because a crown of thorns was His.  You are called sons of God because Jesus death brought peace between God and man.  With Roman nails He has inscribed our names in bloody ink upon His palms.  Blessed is He who was persecuted for our righteousness’ sake.  Christ Crucified blessing.  It may sound utterly foolish to the world.  The cross is a stumbling block

            You can no more take Christ away from His cross than you can take Christ out of the beatitudes; Christ and the cross and blessing are inseparable.  That’s why the beatitudes aren’t some checklist of things to do, but who you are in Christ.  Not “do this;” But, “you are.”  Blessings.  Not curses.  Take Jesus at His Word.  You are blessed.      

            From the first Word of preaching to His last Word on the cross, Jesus is living and suffering and obeying, healing, saving and teaching for you.  Jesus opens His mouth and gives you life, saves you, rescues you, forgives you, blesses you.  And so in this way you too are inseparable from Jesus; Christ, His cross and blessing and you.  Christ comes as mercy, for mercy, unto mercy. 

            His cross changes everything.  Christ has taken away your sin; it is no longer yours.  And all that remains is His holiness – you His holy ones, His saintly ones, His meek and poor in spirit, comforted in mourning, peace-bearing blessed ones.  Now you see all of daily life through Christ Crucified. 

            Through Christ Crucified to the neighbor in need of mercy. 

            Through Christ Crucified to those in need of consolation. 

            How beautiful are the feet and lips and mouths that bring the peace of Christ…declaring the kingdom of heaven for those who are poor in spirit.  Blessed.  It’s simply who you are in Christ.

            You are the righteous man of Psalm 1; the robed saint of Revelation; the just and righteous Israelite of Micah.  Now you have a new Name written upon you, inscribed in water and blood upon your forehead and upon your heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the Crucified.  Called to be a blessed, merciful, compassionate disciple of Jesus.  Just like Andrew and Peter and James and John, the only difference is you don’t leave your nets; You go where Christ has stationed you – mother, father, teacher, nurse, salesman, CPA member of Redeemer... 

            He calls you to the altar and He sends you out – forgiven, redeemed, holy.  All that you have is His and all that is His is yours.  You lack nothing.  You are blessed.  Saved.  Free.  Sent out as mercy, for mercy, unto mercy.

            And so Jesus’ cross also marks our whole life.  This new Name of Christ upon you will cause the hearts of wicked men to revile you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on Jesus’ account.  Blessed are you when you are persecuted for this Gospel, honored to suffer for the Name.  Rejoice and be glad?  Yes.  For that is what it means to be in the Kingdom of God; to be Crucified with Christ; to share in the suffering of Christ even as He continues to bear our suffering.  It is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you.  Rejoice.  You are blessed.  And great is your reward in Heaven.  

In the Name of Jesus + Amen.

The Ballad of Ricky Gervais

I don't usually watch the Golden Globes.  I love watching movies.  I enjoy several of the television shows that were nominated this year.  But for whatever reason it was, I found myself flipping back and forth between the Golden Globes and whatever sports I could find on at the time.  Ricky Gervais was the comedic host again and while some thought his lines were too harsh (I could care less about Hollywood elites getting their ego bubbles bursted), he wasn't nearly as big of a blooming arse as Russel Brand.  Mr. Gervais is normally a very funny bloke.  The Office (British version) is hilarious.

Which reminds me, the Brits have some great things going...wonderful humor (thank you Monty Python, Mr. Bean, etc., etc., etc.), delicious beer, fun words like "git" and "sod."  And we definitely cannot forget about Harry Potter (pronounced potta), football without pads and my personal favorite, the Inklings of Oxford.  Finally, after all his cheeky jokes were done his closing line caught my ears:  "and I'd like to thank God for making me an atheist."  Which reminded me of his awful movie The Invention of Lying, a movie so bad it doesn't even warrant a review much less a Golden Globe. But this little stunt is nothing new.

Back in December, Mr. Gervais wrote a little piece that found its way into the Wall Street Journal entitled, Why I'm An Atheist.  If you'd like to read the article you can find it here.  In it he tries to answer the question he is frequently asked, "why don't you believe in God?"  There are several things to address.  Many of the things he says are common objections from unbelievers.  Which, by the way, you can listen to on Issues Etc. with the premiere apologist, Dr. John Warwick Montgomery.  He has done several segments on The Existence of God, Miracles, the Scandal of Particularity and Alleged Contradictions in the Bible.  Too bad Mr. Gervais did not hear that from his mother instead of whatever was being taught around the Gervais household or in the church he grew up in.  Instead of commenting on all this and making you drool on your keyboard from dozing off.  I'll focus on one quote in particular:

"Science seeks the truth. And it does not discriminate. For better or worse it finds things out. Science is humble. It knows what it knows and it knows what it doesn’t know. It bases its conclusions and beliefs on hard evidence -­- evidence that is constantly updated and upgraded. It doesn’t get offended when new facts come along. It embraces the body of knowledge. It doesn’t hold on to medieval practices because they are tradition. If it did, you wouldn’t get a shot of penicillin, you’d pop a leach down your trousers and pray. Whatever you “believe,” this is not as effective as medicine. Again you can say, “It works for me,” but so do placebos. My point being, I’m saying God doesn’t exist. I’m not saying faith doesn’t exist. I know faith exists. I see it all the time. But believing in something doesn’t make it true. Hoping that something is true doesn’t make it true. The existence of God is not subjective. He either exists or he doesn’t. It’s not a matter of opinion. You can have your own opinions. But you can’t have your own facts."

Well, I wonder where the objectivity of science was when our good friend (and non-Christian, ftr) Ben Stein went around interviewing so-called objective scientists on scientific theory in regards to Evolution and Intelligent Design (not creationism).    But never mind the bollocks; that's another topic altogether.  Mr. Gervais wants facts.  Agreed.  Nothing but the facts, sir.  And when it comes to the facts, Christianity is far and above any other world religion.  Furthermore, Christianity is the only religion that openly invites investigation (see 1 Corinthians 15).  I'm not sure if they talked about that at Mr. Gervais' Sunday school, but they should have and so should we.  Christianity, unlike the other religions of the world is verifiable.  St. Paul even seems to think it's falsifiable.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead, what does this mean?  But the critic has to answer the other side of the question, if Jesus did rise from the dead what would that mean?  

This kind of clarity, and openness to true scientific, historical, investigative, evidential inquiry is exactly the reason why Christians can rejoice that science and history, faith and fact, belief and reason are not necessarily at odds with one another.  Rather, as Lewis reminds us, in the Gospels, myth and history have met; the Gospels do not have the sound of myth, but of primary history, eye-witness accounts.  The question is not, first and foremost, "how does that make you feel?'  But rather, "is it true?"  Ironically, as much as Mr. Gervais talks about reason and logic he cites no evidence for his disbelief anymore than his mother did for her belief.  Both are grievous errors.  Logic and reason and good science would also dictate that he examine the evidence before making a conclusion, rather than launching into presuppositions before any evidence is given.  And yet this is precisely what Mr. Gervais has done.  You can't have it both ways: claiming to be logical and reasonable and yet ruling out certain conclusions beforehand even if they do have metaphysical ramifications.  You can't claim to have reason and science on your side and not do the investigation of the evidence for Christianity, evidence which, by the way, would pass the bar a court of Law beyond a reasonable doubt.  In other words, you can not claim to have the facts on your side and ignore or dismiss certain accounts that claim to be facts.  That - thanks to Spock - is illogical.
So, for the benefit of Mr. Gervais and others who might be interested in facts and reason.  And for those Christians who are seeking to make a reasoned defense in truth and love (1 Peter 3:15) here are some facts that both Christian and secular scholars (read: atheistic, without agenda or bias, i.e. the hostile witness) agree upon.  If science truly did embrace the "body of knowledge" they would not, for example, rule out miracles as a priori simply because they are recording supernatural events and have eternal consequences.  C.S, Lewis dealt with this in his smashing success, Miracles.  Here is a reliable "body of knowledge," what Gary Habermas calls the "core resurrection data."  This is a minimal base approach, meaning, that there are more items agreed upon and no scholar grants only these.  Do not be fooled by their brevity.  They are multifaceted and complex, full of history, evidence and facts, beyond what is listed.  Sometimes he lists 6 things, other places he lists 9, 10 or 12.  Here are two such lists.

1. Jesus died due to the process of Roman crucifixion.
2. Once a persecutor of Christians, Paul became a believer because of an experience that he believed was an appearance of the resurrected Jesus.
3. The disciples had already experienced what they also thought were actual appearances of the risen Jesus.
4. The apostle's proclamation of the resurrection dates from an exceptionally early time after Jesus' death.
5. James, the brother of Jesus and a skeptic, was converted after experiencing what he also thought was an actual appearance of the risen Jesus.
6. The disciples were utterly transformed by their conviction that they had seen the risen Jesus, even being willing to die for this belief.

1. There was an empty tomb thought to be Jesus'.
2. Believers and unbelievers alike had access to it.
3. The earliest reports are too early to be legendary (mythical).
4. The account is simple, showing earliness and accuracy.
5. Women were the first to declare that Jesus rose.
6. The unbelieving Jews knew they had to come up with a counterclaim.
7. Many Jews in power converted to Christianity, weakening their story.
8. The disciples went from being scared, depressed and disorganized to confident, assertive and willing to risk everything on this one single claim, namely that Jesus died and rose from the dead.
9. The disciples were certain they had seen the risen Christ.

You see, facts are stubborn things.  It may even sound strange - a God who takes on human flesh, enters history, time and space, dies on a cross, and rises from the dead appearing to hundreds in the flesh - too good to be true perhaps.  However, in the words of Sherlock Holmes, "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."  Please, parents, pastors, Christians, teach your children and parishioners and friends about these things so that when they are asked the question, "why do you believe in God," they are able to give a ready answer and defend the faith once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).