Sunday, February 13, 2022
THE SCRIPTURES
“…the heart is deceitful above all things anddesperately corrupt…Who can understand it?”(Jeremiah 17:5-10)
“…he is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yieldsits fruit in season…”(Psalm 1:3)
and a spiritual reflection
[“…if you look at a tree and see a tree,
you haven’t really seen a tree…when you look at a tree and see a miracle…then, at last, you have seen…”]
(Rabbi Abraham Jacob Heschel)
“…if Christ has not be raised,your faith is futile—you are stillin your sins…then those also whohave fallen asleep in Christ arelost…if only for this life we havehope in Christ…we are to be pitiedmore than all human beings…”(1 Corinthians 15:17-19)
“…the people tried to touch Him,because power was coming fromHim and healing them all…”(Luke 6:19)
Would you pray with me?
Good morning, God! It is my sincere desire and joy to giveyou hearty praise and thanks for your blessings showeredin abundance upon me. Today I acknowledge the preciousgifts provided by you which allows me to think like you, to love the way you do, and to place things not related to you behind me. I don’t want to wear blinders in my relationship,but I do want to put first things first, and thus, come whatmay, to acknowledge and implement the priorities in mylife that will bring me personal peace and profound joy inmy daily living. Help me to find content and satisfaction in reaching out to others and to constantly grow spiritually tolearn the secrets of the Kingdom. Forgive me all my sins.Thank you for “eternal life” which will begin with me this very day. You are the source of my happiness and joy.
In Jesus’ name,Amen.
the message
In the midst of pre-occupation with precaution—and fear— related to valid concerns regarding the present pandemic, I must say, these are exciting as well as distracting times.The positive things which happen in taking precaution and developing new ways to communicate — and reaching out to those in need — have the effect of advancing in ourminds what is possible for us in difficult times.
So…
Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Currently the Winter OlympicGames are on in China. Our hearts speak to us in our hopetjhat we will not have to fight in Ukraine. I was so pleased to hear of Simone Biles comforting note to Mikaela Shiffrin upon her failed attempts to get Gold during the games. I love this sort of “reaching out”.
After being militarily in Afghanistan for over twenty years, we’ve disengaged. In addition, for the first time during our lifetime we’re seriously considering the value of a constitutionally democratic republic. Sometimes we’ve wondered if our people are ready to discuss and understand the issues involved. The conversation nationally has become literally explosive. All of us know what’s been going on! As we consider both sides oftoday’s issues thoughtfully, we often fear the worst will happen.The times have the function of bringing us to our knees.
We may be wrong but there seems to have been a decline inbeing informed about government, how it works, what partwe play in it, and what we need to do to preserve a wonderfullegacy of government in the country we live in.
At Holy Cross we’ve attempted to prepare our people(and those in our area) for this time and moment. We’vepresented annually for decades “Independence Sunday”.We’ve invited the finest nationally-known Christian scholars in the areas of Political Science and American history to give solid informative, inspirational messages with the colorful format for worship. Judge Quentin L. Kopp, bless hisheart, has been a regular speaker for literally over a decade.We usually have a jazz band on hand to liven things up, playingmusic essentially, not only American, but also sacred.
It seems also that our national governmental traditions have lost meaning to a certain extent in more recent times amongthe vast number of our people.
Are we wrong? Do school systems really teach “Government”the way they used to when we went to school in the 50s…?
I suppose we could go on…
But…
…from my point of view, there is something which underlies the issues involving government, and sports, and international intrigue, and revolution, and entertainment, and the music that moves us…
There’s something that causes us to, all of a sudden, sit up and say, “Ah-Ha!” Is it the new “franchise” of language now permitted on television, in the movies, on the radio…language used, not only by the rappers, but also by our senators, our national and state representatives, and even our American president?
Can we really have leadership in high places withlittle or no background in political science? Can wedepend upon well-known personalities governing usplacing political ambition and affiliation above the basic principles of our form of constitutional government?
Is it just a coincidence that a group of baboons arecalled a “congress”? (…that was meant as a joke…)
Is the obvious confusion our people have over the way we are governed—maybe—what the Founding Fathershad in mind to address in providing us with the Constitution?
How about “too many incidents” taking place regardingprominent people, that being, dishonesty, corruption and sexual misconduct. We’ve been cut to the heart to hear about unacceptable behavior even within the leadership even with the Church. We turn-on our television every day in trepidation. Who can we trust anymore?
Our neighborhood used to be “safe haven”…just recently we’ve had two burglaries and several incidents of people trying to open doors and looking in our windows right within blocks of our house.
It causes a person to ask—What is going on these days?
Hold on! Pause for a moment…
These are not just the behavioral patterns of our time only,nor our views of the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of ourgovernment and our representatives in Washington D.C.This kind of behavior, these attitudes toward the obviousshortcomings of our government have been around eversince the establishment of the United States of America. The men who founded this nation upon the principles of the American Constitution, as well as a Bill of Rights,were persons of keen awareness of the human condition. They were men (backed by profound women as wives) who were grounded in Scripture—and therefore produceda document to curb the power-hungry, greedy persons who would seek to destroy what they had wisely birthed.Chief among them was James Madison of Virginia, who’drecently translated the Holy Bible from the original languagesinto the English language at Princeton University some time before the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. He was the prize student of the “grandfather” of the Constitution, theReverend Dr. John Witherspoon, teacher of fifty-two of the signers of the Constitution, and fellow signer.
As a nation we have departed from the remarkable spirit of theAmerican Constitution based upon the Judeo-Christian faith andits presuppositions regarding society and human conduct.In one sense, we can read the words of the sacred document, indeed, we can be educated and have other sophistication, but we cannot conceive of the more profound underlying meanings therein without a biblical mindset.
We need to consider an essential underlying factor—biblical faith.
Furthermore…we need the biblical mindset.
So, do we really go back and start over. Do wedemand of those who don’t understand or haveinsight into the very real facts of American historyand our former dependence upon the Bible.
The answer is No.
We don’t go back because we can’t go back. We need to move forward recognizing where we are, whether folks around us are churched or not. I’m going to say something that will get me in trouble with some people. We need to start where we are and do what Christians need to do, first and foremost—that is—become profound students of the Bible. Too many Christians these days are influenced by clergy and lay leaders who teach and preach usingtheir own material, though they claim otherwise with bibles in their hands.
Sunday worship alone will not do the job. We need to read our bibles together from cover to cover, using the method known as “exegesis” (interpretation of the text). We need to pray our American people back into a biblical lifestyle without being critical of them or hiding the fact that we are biblical Christians ourselves. Weneed to recognize what is true Christianity and whatis not. We need to get back to the Bible and understandwhat it means.
Too many believers these days have had to say, “I really don’t want to be called ‘Christian’ any more, because of the example of too many of those who call themselves Christians without applying the principles of the Bible—and I know—none of us are perfect. However, I’m comfortable declaring that I am a serious follower of the Lord Jesus Christ!”
“That’s alright with me—you know, I follow Jesus, too!”
Let the chips fall where they may…
Please let me share some insights from the Scriptures for this Sunday.
As we turn to Jeremiah 17:9,10, I cannot tell you how powerful a verse this was for me when I finally—really—looked at it and thought deeply about it. I had not thought the Church was correct in saying that humanbeings were desperately sinful from birth. After all, consider a newborn baby, so sweet, so innocent—but then—if baby doesn’t get his or her milk bottle on time, basically, watch out! Millions will not accept the teaching.
“…the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately corrupt…”
“Who can understand it?”
We are not in a position to improve our situation alone.
We need the God of the Bible.
The way things are going in our world and country these days, my decision to accept this biblical point of view regarding our human nature has been a continuing revelation. It is a truth which—overdecades—has never proved false, which means, the Bible speaks the truth within the prophetic voice.This shocking statement in Jeremiah’s prophecy, especially, as it applies to me, and with others who are supposed to provide an example for us, makes clear the overriding thing to observe. I can never be disillusioned. Through this verse, the “illusion” is gone forever. We need to be vigilant watching over the “human heart”. The Founding Fathers were quite sufficiently schooled in this notion. They knew and understood that humankind withoutGod are destined to fail personally and politically.
Politicians and political scientists these days know nothing about it. Enough said.
Also, in addition, a point of transition for me in faith was being “riveted” by Saint Paul’s second letter tothe first-century Christians at Corinth, in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:1-1-58. Go ahead and read theentire chapter. Carefully consider the content..
Personally, I have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I know that He died on the Cross of Calvary for my sins. I know that He has the authority by His suffering and death to forgive, cleanse, and renew me in the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, I know that He rose from the dead, descended into Hades to announce His victory over sin and death, and then ascended into heaven. He will return soon to draw us all unto Him.
What I noticed over the last half-century, as a pastoral counselor, were the large number of people who needed great clarification regarding this particular chapter of the Bible…and how it impacted them and their destiny…
The phrase in verse 14 is pertinent to explain my concern. Here’s how it’s rendered:
“….and if Christ has not been raised, ourpreaching is useless, and so is your faith…”(1 Corinthians 15:14)
As I’ve sat at the bedside of many who were about to leave this world, (and I can think of two memorable conversations) many believers I’ve counseling with, in preparation for theafterlife, didn’t realize how important it was to have come toterms with the issue Saint Paul stresses to the sophisticatedmembers of the mission church in Corinth. Those of courseare recorded in the Corinthian manuscript we have.
Paul stressed how “essential” it is to receive the ResurrectedLord Jesus, both with heart and mind…”otherwise you havebelieved in vain” (verse 2). To many, the death on the crossis all there is to the heart knowledge of our faith in Jesus. The Church needs to reconsider the foundation of what isessential in order to have the assurance of everlasting life.
No.
1 Corinthians makes it clear that we need to come to termswith the proposition that is essential and evidently more difficult than Christ dying for our sins on the cross. That is, having diedon the cross, Jesus was “raised from the dead” by the powerof the Father. It is an important thing to consider seriouslyafter all these years, and after all these other details.
A person very dear to me confessed not being able to accept the fact of the Resurrection upon the very hour of his death.I invited him (within less than sixty minutes remaining in hislife) to receive Jesus as the Resurrected Lord of his life, notas he should, but as he was able. He died with the assuranceof faith and, dear friends, I will see him in the sweet by and by.
In short, we need to continue in prayer for all personsand their needs we are aware of, more focused in on praying aright, and expecting God’s intervention, simplybecause we’ve asked. On the other hand, despairing because of a nightly encounter with the breakdown of the latest news is never going to essentially change anything. To live up to the principles of the authors of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers, we need to have the same mindset they had. We need to take back the Church and our nation, re-investing our lives and fortunes in the Word, taking ona biblical mindset. There is a huge difference between venturing here, and just being religious per se and allowing ourselves to be surface-oriented without insight.
Blessings in abundance as we take on the challenges andjoys of life with courage, peace of mind, and joy.
Cordially,
Tom
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