Where do you find your security? It is a question which resonates through the ages. At times, it was gathering within city walls. At other times it was within castles or keeps. At still other times, it was through force of arms. Today, it may seem very different, but the question of security bothers us every bit as it did the psalmist. Over the course of the past week, I have heard hysterical stories and noticed lots of attempts to increase security around us. Heck, even at church, Scott Shovar added some significant plating to the door on the shed to thwart the obvious efforts to break in out there. And we as church members have wondered “Should we lock our doors during worship or just during the week?” to cut down on the incidents of theft. Nationally, of course, we have had to deal with the increased threat to security posed by the killing of bin Laden. If I had a dime for every time ADT or some other outfit called with the line “we were going to be in your area installing security systems and wondered if we might protect you?” I would have a pretty good savings account. I would also have a heck of a lot more neighbors! We can even go to WalMart and buy “security cameras” which do not connect to anything to try that help convince would-be-thieves that our houses are secure. Where do you find your security?
The answer to the question, of course, gives us an idea of our spiritual health. There is no doubt that burglaries can unsettle us. Acts of terrorism or natural disasters, either domestically or internationally, can likewise destabilize society (think of the Fed’s response to 9-11 or Japan’s Fed’s response to the earthquake/tsunami). Even localized events, such as the death of a loved one, can cause us all kinds of angst. The world likes to give us the illusion that we can be the captains of our own ships, the masters of our own domains, but over and over again we discover that such a siren song is illusionary. All it takes is one intentional evil act or an unexpected disaster to remind us just how insecure we really are.
Our psalm this week, however, reminds us that God has assigned our portion and our cup and made us secure. Like everyone else who lives in the world with us, bad things can happen to us. You and I are faced with insecurities every day. Where will my next job come from? How will I keep my house? What if I get sick and lose my job and my family’s insurance? What if my company gets bought out or goes out of business? What if my plane is blown out of the sky? What if a tornado takes my family? What if my daughter or good friend discerns a call to mission in East Africa and is taken from us by an act of terrorism? What if people think I’m a religious freak for mentioning my faith as we talk about these fears at the coffee room or the water cooler? We share the same concerns as those around us.
The big difference, of course, is our response to those insecurities and vagaries and destabilizations. As a result of the Resurrection which we just celebrated and through the empowerment of the feast of Pentecost which we will celebrate in a few weeks time, you and I are commissioned and encouraged to seek Him and find where He has led the way, even if we stand at death’s door. You see, brothers and sisters, joy and peace are to be found only in His arms. We were created to rest in full communion with Him, to enjoy a delightful inheritance bestowed upon us by Him. And He makes that joy and inheritance possible. His victory over death reminds each one of us that nothing can hold sway over our lives for very long. True, the vagaries of life can be painful and seem extended oftentimes, but the truth is that they are only temporary. Only He and His gifts are eternal.
Where do you find your security? Brothers and sisters, if you think you are finding it in your own efforts or those of other human beings, you are too much concerned with things and circumstances and not enough with your Lord! Psalm 16 reminds us that when those security devices and efforts eventually fail (and the psalmist knows they invariably will), He still remains! He still protects! He still lifts up! Better still, unlike those who trust in themselves and their own strength and ingenuity, we can face the vagaries of life, and even death itself, certain in the knowledge that He will redeem us, just as He did our Lord. That, brothers and sisters, is a glorious inheritance. That, brothers and sisters, is a portion and cup worth sharing with others!
Peace,
Brian†
Monday, May 9, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Thoughts on bin Laden . . .
It is a question which has plagued many Christians since his death was announced Sunday night. But it is a question which has plagued many people outside our faith as well. Police Officers, members of AA, and AFMers have all asked the same question. Those who profess to have no faith in God cannot understand their own ambivalence or feelings of guilt. Some have felt joy at his killing, and then later they have felt guilty about the joy. Others have felt sadness at his death, and then later they have felt guilty for not being “American enough” in their own eyes. How should we feel?
There are no right or wrong feelings about his death, as it seems we have several competing ideas and virtues in light of his death. As Americans, we recognize our country’s right to seek to eliminate those who threaten us. One of the chief functions of civil governments is the protection of its people and its way of life. Certainly, through both word and deed, bin Laden demonstrated that he was willing to destroy lives and our way of life to achieve his own goals and objectives. Most of his public pronouncement included threats of destruction, and he certainly had resources, both financial and followers, to be a credible threat. For that, he earned, I believe rightfully so, the right to be considered a public enemy of the United States of America.
Of course, you and I are also Christians, which means we are only sojourners in this land. This land, the United States, is not the heavenly kingdom promised us by our Father. True, it is infinitely preferred to some places in the world; nevertheless, it, too, pales by comparison with what is being prepared for us. As Christians, you and are all called to proclaim our Lord’s love and His offer of forgiveness and salvation. Thus, gloating over the death of a man such as bin Laden might, rightfully, make us feel uncomfortable. It ought to make us squirm. After all, before our acceptance of His offer, before our baptism in the water and Holy Spirit, you and I were God’s enemies. As His enemies, we were right to expect such an ending. And so, impelled by joyous thanksgiving, we reach out to the hungry, the beaten, the enslaved, the forgotten and remind them of that same offer, hopeful that each one that we meet will make the same wise decision to follow where He leads.
Plus, you and I are told to set our minds on godly things. What if bin Laden or his close friends had repented and turned to the Lord and come down out of the mountains to accept their punishment by secular authorities? Can you imagine the glory and honor to God? It is for that reason that we, as a community, always pray the prayer for our enemies. We know the world would take notice, were the leaders of Al-Queda, North Korea, and Iran to repent publicly and turn to Christ. We also know that our eternal futures, and the futures of all those around us, depend upon our and their answer to His gentle “follow Me.” His followers get an amazing reward; those who refuse Him get anything but. And, having been shaped by the Holy Spirit, we know that God laments the loss of even one of our fellow human beings. The price of their salvation has already been paid, and still so many reject Him. So, in a way, we also feel some sadness and guilt when we see those who have rejected Him perish.
I say guilt over the deaths of someone like bin Laden because of several conversations these first few hours after his reported death. It is easy for us to see someone such as him as an enemy of God and deserving of death. After all, he has killed or inspired others to kill thousands of human beings. And certainly, some of our spiritual forefathers and foremothers inspired some of that hatred in their treatment of his own ancestors. We know those actions to be wrong, with certainty, just as we can easily identify others whom we would classify as evil. But what of those in our midst who do not seem so evil? What of those in our own families, our places of work or relaxation, our neighborhoods, our favorite hang-outs who “don’t have time for God and that religious stuff,” as some have put it? What of those whom we know who reject His call to “follow Me,” but try their best not to harm others, you know, “just in case that stuff is true?” Are we willing to let them stand before the same God as bin Laden without His body and His blood interposed against His wrath? Are willing to say, “I told them once or twice; it’s their problem now”? Are we that willing to give up so easily on those whom we profess to know and to love in our midst? Or, should we not be impelled with all the more urgency to remind them and ourselves that our choices in this life have consequences, eternal consequences when it comes to accepting or rejecting His offer?
There are no right or wrong feelings about his death, as it seems we have several competing ideas and virtues in light of his death. As Americans, we recognize our country’s right to seek to eliminate those who threaten us. One of the chief functions of civil governments is the protection of its people and its way of life. Certainly, through both word and deed, bin Laden demonstrated that he was willing to destroy lives and our way of life to achieve his own goals and objectives. Most of his public pronouncement included threats of destruction, and he certainly had resources, both financial and followers, to be a credible threat. For that, he earned, I believe rightfully so, the right to be considered a public enemy of the United States of America.
Of course, you and I are also Christians, which means we are only sojourners in this land. This land, the United States, is not the heavenly kingdom promised us by our Father. True, it is infinitely preferred to some places in the world; nevertheless, it, too, pales by comparison with what is being prepared for us. As Christians, you and are all called to proclaim our Lord’s love and His offer of forgiveness and salvation. Thus, gloating over the death of a man such as bin Laden might, rightfully, make us feel uncomfortable. It ought to make us squirm. After all, before our acceptance of His offer, before our baptism in the water and Holy Spirit, you and I were God’s enemies. As His enemies, we were right to expect such an ending. And so, impelled by joyous thanksgiving, we reach out to the hungry, the beaten, the enslaved, the forgotten and remind them of that same offer, hopeful that each one that we meet will make the same wise decision to follow where He leads.
Plus, you and I are told to set our minds on godly things. What if bin Laden or his close friends had repented and turned to the Lord and come down out of the mountains to accept their punishment by secular authorities? Can you imagine the glory and honor to God? It is for that reason that we, as a community, always pray the prayer for our enemies. We know the world would take notice, were the leaders of Al-Queda, North Korea, and Iran to repent publicly and turn to Christ. We also know that our eternal futures, and the futures of all those around us, depend upon our and their answer to His gentle “follow Me.” His followers get an amazing reward; those who refuse Him get anything but. And, having been shaped by the Holy Spirit, we know that God laments the loss of even one of our fellow human beings. The price of their salvation has already been paid, and still so many reject Him. So, in a way, we also feel some sadness and guilt when we see those who have rejected Him perish.
I say guilt over the deaths of someone like bin Laden because of several conversations these first few hours after his reported death. It is easy for us to see someone such as him as an enemy of God and deserving of death. After all, he has killed or inspired others to kill thousands of human beings. And certainly, some of our spiritual forefathers and foremothers inspired some of that hatred in their treatment of his own ancestors. We know those actions to be wrong, with certainty, just as we can easily identify others whom we would classify as evil. But what of those in our midst who do not seem so evil? What of those in our own families, our places of work or relaxation, our neighborhoods, our favorite hang-outs who “don’t have time for God and that religious stuff,” as some have put it? What of those whom we know who reject His call to “follow Me,” but try their best not to harm others, you know, “just in case that stuff is true?” Are we willing to let them stand before the same God as bin Laden without His body and His blood interposed against His wrath? Are willing to say, “I told them once or twice; it’s their problem now”? Are we that willing to give up so easily on those whom we profess to know and to love in our midst? Or, should we not be impelled with all the more urgency to remind them and ourselves that our choices in this life have consequences, eternal consequences when it comes to accepting or rejecting His offer?
Peace,
Brian†
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