Sermon Recap for November 29

Two things: First, the buzz is back on the video. I thought I had it fixed, but apparently it’s coming from another place on the sound system. Second, I’m trying to work on the pacing back and forth, but I’m not getting anywhere. Take both ways. I can’t break the habit, but I also don’t get anywhere. I walk half a mile a sermon, and always end up in the same place.

Morning Sermon: The King is Promised 2 Samuel 7 (audio)

Evening Sermon: Prepare the Way of the Lord (audio)

Book: Dinosaurs: Marvels of God’s Design

Dinosaurs: Marvels of God’s Design is the latest book on my shelf that works to harmonize the fossil evidence of dinosaurs with a Creationist view of the earth and its age. The challenge for Dr. Tim Clarey is that he approaches the issue from a perspective that is outside of the normal scientific view. Given the publisher of this book is Master Books, Dr. Cleary works with the Institute for Creation Research, these presuppositions are clearly on the table.

Knowing the purpose of this book, let us evaluate it from there. Clarey (who I keep mistyping as “Clearly,” and the spell-check doesn’t catch that) aims to provide the “science of the Biblical account.” The fundamental problem with this aim is found in the definition I learned of science. There is, and will be, great difficulty in finding either replicated results from Clarey’s work or other scientists from outside his circle. The trust factor is strong here, as is the confirmation or dis-confirmation bias.

On to the material: we are looking at a full-color printing in a hardcover book. It feels durable and will hold up well to repeated readings and leafing-through. The print quality is good, the colors are vibrant. It looks good and feels good as a book, except for the presence of endnotes rather than footnotes. If it’s a science book, then the research aspect should be considered alongside design. Not being able to easily look up the notes is a problem.

Contents: Clarey begins with a look at the Biblical account and how dinosaurs can fit within the scope of the Old Testament. This includes a look at the Ark and other aspects of historical investigation into dinosaurs. For example, how were dinosaurs understood initially? What are some of the historical finds that suggest dinosaurs living at the same time as humanity?

From this, Clarey then builds his case for dinosaur life fitting into a timeline using only thousands of years rather than millions. This is, of course, the most controversial aspect for the book. If you approach it with a theistic view, that God makes it all work, then you’ll have no problem with this conclusion. If your view is atheistic, or that God does not make it work (either one), then you’ll disagree. I’d be surprised if those in the non-creationist views found Clarey’s view persuasive. It supports those who hold the idea in the beginning, but I don’t see it working well to change minds.

As is frequently the case, the strength of the Creationist argument is the holes in the evolutionist argument. For example, Clarey points out the difficulty with soft tissue finds in dinosaur fossils. This is a still-debated point, but is a problem for the view that those fossils are 65 million years old. Does that overcome the other evidence? That is the question you’ll need to answer from what you’re able to assess.

In all, Clarey presents his case clearly. I find it well-stated and informative. Overall, I like it and will put it on the shelf with the other dinosaur books that come from the non-creationist perspective. It’s useful to put the two philosophical views together, because that’s where the difference truly is. It’s not just about the bone in the ground, it’s about the lenses through which it’s viewed.

So grab a copy and put this on the shelf with your dino stuff. It’s not perfect, but it’s worth having.

I did receive a free book in exchange for the review.

Book: What the New Testament Authors Really Cared About

We’re into the Christmas gift-giving shopping season. Here’s a book for the budding Biblical student in your life.

One should always be wary of someone who claims to know what another person cares about…but editors Berding and Williams have a good presentation of the methodology here. The goal is to examine what each author wrote as a body of work and analyze it. Obviously, we won’t find here that the Apostle Paul really cared about pizza, but that’s not really an area of New Testament study anyway.

So what is What the New Testament Authors Really Cared About? In a nutshell, it’s a survey of the New Testament like you’d find in either an undergraduate introduction course or a deeper study at church. You have the basic breakdown of authorship, date, and location of writing for each New Testament book. These follow the conservative end of the spectrum, without dealing greatly with the extreme end of the other view—you won’t find a lot of effort to correct ideas like placing authorship of Pauline epistles in the second century.

I like the approach. I was a fan of the first edition, which was a softcover, and greatly enjoyed the Old Testament companion volume. The full-color approach is also great for engaging attention and the charts help make some information clear. I remember having to hand-draw charts of where Paul was when he wrote what…or which Old Testament book was quoted most often.

Writing style is easily accessible. Rather than aiming for the ceiling or the highly academic, the collection of authors have aimed for the general public. The learning here is not out of reach—it’s not easy level, but it’s not impossible level.

Conclusions? As always, there’s a theological bent to everything in the Biblical Studies world. The writers here come down more toward the Reformed theological side, but the facts are not warped to meet that point. The leaning is clear, but that does not detract from the value of the book.

I especially like the presentation of the New Testament out of the normal sequence. This challenges the reader to think a little more deeply. All in all, a great book for the growing New Testament student.

 

Free book received in exchange for the review.

Gratitude

If you went into aviation, one thing you would learn to use is called an altimeter. It's the instrument that tells you how high your aircraft is--usually above sea level, but some of the really fancy ones can tell you both above the ground and above sea level. It's been a long time since I even read a basic aviation textbook, considering it made no mention of GPS and computer navigation back in those days. So I may not be exactly right.

What I do know is that you need help in keeping up with where you are while in flight. "Looks like it" is just not good enough and often leads to disaster. What does that mean for us?

Simply this: if you're flying, watch your altitude.

If you're not flying, you're good. Wait, that seems like a pointless blog post, doesn't it?

How about this instead: just as altitude checks are important for flight, gratitude checks are important for life. They keep us up from crashing, even if just barely.

And like the two forms of altimeter--above sea level and above ground level--there are perhaps two main forms of gratitude. Let us explore them and express.

Above sea level, or absolute, or standard, or fixed-point gratitude would be the gratitude we feel toward the immovable realities of life. This starts, as a Christian, with my gratitude to God for all that He has done. For making a world in the first place. For not scrubbing the whole thing when humanity brought sin into it. For not scrubbing the whole thing every time humanity mucks it up again.

For salvation through Jesus and the reality that He died for sinners--and I'm a sinner, so He died for me. For the blessed truth that He was greater than all my sin and rose again, that the gift of God is salvation by grace through faith. And that God has not left us alone on this earth.

Then there are the smaller realities. I'm thankful for those who founded an imperfect country and left us with the means to make it better. I'm thankful for those who have laid their lives on the line to keep us in that country.

I'm thankful that Carl Hibbard, Sr., decided he wanted a different life than the Kentucky/W. Virginia coal mining life.That Harry Rose decided Pennsylvania was too cold and moved to Florida. That the Army let Dad out a year early, For all the things that came before, setting the stage for the blessings of life I started with.

Then, there's the other form of gratitude. Like the above ground level altimeter, this one reflects on what is going on right here, right now. In that department, we find the gratitude for how we are where we are, and how we make it any further.

Like having a very gracious and loving wife. Being grateful that we all get choices about what to eat, rather than not having enough food at all. For 3 kids who are, generally, pleasant to be around. And for all the little things that are underneath that concept.

For a church family that loves us and prays for us. For a job. For clothing to wear.

On down to the finer details, like being thankful for good coffee.

The key is this: how much do I have that is beyond what I deserve? Or, truthfully, beyond what I could do for myself? The more we realize just how much we need each other, the more we express gratitude, the better our lives work in community.

So take time and work on that idea for a little while. What are you grateful for?

Sermon Recap for November 23

I know, I said these would move to Tuesday. Well, indecision is the key to flexibility. This is a different kind of week, which gives us a different kind of blog schedule.

November 22 AM Sermon: Thankful for the God of the Storm: Psalm 29 (audio)

 

Text: Psalm 29

Date & Place: Nov 22 EEBCAR

Title: Thankful for the God of the Storm

1. Worship the Lord

2. The Storms come....

3. Worship the Lord

4. The Storms rage....but God is greater

November 22 PM: Psalm 30 (audio)

Book: Rediscovering Discipleship

Today’s book is brought to you by Zondervan.

What does it mean to “make disciples?” That’s one of the key questions that Robby Gallaty’s book Rediscovering Discipleship seeks to answer. Further, Gallaty works to address what it looks like to actually do the work in our churches.

First, let’s look at the structure of Rediscovering Discipleship. Gallaty gives us thirteen chapters, broken in two major sections. The first section, comprising seven chapters, looks at how Jesus made disciples. The second section parlays that into how we can emulate Jesus.

Second, let’s look at the rightness of the overall premise. Has the Church neglected discipleship such that it needs rediscovered? Gallaty makes the case well that this is true, at least of those parts of the church in the United States of America. He’s right—both the witness of the Church in the world around us and the experience of those within the church support the lack of depth in our discipleship.

Third, let’s consider his recommended solutions. He recommends such ordinary means as time, Bible reading, and personal relationships. Since his concepts are based in the same practices that we see Jesus use in the Scripture, it’s hard to argue with that idea. Some of his suggestions stem from ideas used by Wesley in the development of the Methodist way, which is not bad unless you turn legalist with it. This is, honestly, the biggest threat to most discipleship groups and plans. The step from “accountable” to “control” is a short one in the wrong direction. This is one of the main killers of discipleship these days, the trip and fall into legalism—or the fear of doing it so that you never start!

The above fear is why we need community and not commanders in the church.

How practical is this book? Immensely. I would highly recommend this as one of the better practical books on church growth I have seen. What is the one major flaw? Zondervan saddled it with endnotes instead of footnotes. Beyond that, it’s well worth the time and study.

I did receive a free book in exchange for the review.

Wise Men: Matthew 2

In Summary:

Matthew 2 gives an extended look at the Christmas story. Sort of, that is. Jesus is already born by Matthew 2:1. We have some guesses about how much time intervened between the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Magi in Jerusalem, but we are doing just that: guessing. It is reasonable, based on the tragedy of the later verses and the slaughter of the innocents, that it has been somewhere in the range of two years.

The Magi come to Jerusalem, find their way on to Bethlehem, and then go home. In the midst of this, they present gifts to the Child Christ and worship Him. We then see Joseph take His family and flee to Egypt, knowing the wrath of Herod was coming. This is probably the first time we truly see Joseph, Mary, and Jesus travel on their own—though our picture of the “Flight to Egypt” is still heavily Americanized. The Holy Family most likely joined with a group of travelers headed to the parts of Egypt where Jews already lived.

The chapter passes through the wickedness of Herod as he orders the slaughter of the little boys of Bethlehem and on to Joseph and Mary’s return to Nazareth. Matthew presents the move to Nazareth as unplanned, though Luke gives Nazareth as Mary and Joseph’s original hometown. Perhaps their intention was to remain in Bethlehem, but they went back to extended family. There are some uncertainties, because the text gives us the current motivation: avoid dwelling in the district of Judea, because Herod’s son had taken his throne.

In Focus:

Turn a close eye not a specific verse, but at the wise men of the story. True, we do not have a count of how many there are. There are at least three, and could be more than that. The unnamed wise men are the Magi (though tradition gives us three of them, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar), while we know one more wise man by name. His name? Joseph.

How do these display their wisdom? The Magi see the signs in the heavens and follow them. As people without the Word of God to understand, they followed the light they had, in this case a literal star, to worship the One True God. Their testimony stands to convict those who claim the world did not provide enough light to seek Jesus. It took one star.

Joseph reveals a different wisdom. Knowing that danger will soon engulf his family, he flees. Scripture does not tell us this was done in fear, and so we can speculate that it was done in wisdom instead. He wisely knew that God had warned him to get away, and he obeyed. Further, when it was time to return to the land, Joseph heeded the warning of God again and settled his family back in Nazareth.

In Practice:

Practically, then, what should we do? We cannot run off with the Baby Jesus. Unless you’re the prankster of the local Nativity display…

Instead, let us examine a few things to be and not to be. First, let us take a page from the Magi and be wise about the world around us. There are evidences of God working in the world all around us. Follow them the best you know how, and find those who will help you follow better. The Magi did that, though it led them to one of the “unwise” of the story.

Second, let us examine the unwise men of the story. These were the Jewish scribes and chief priests, who saw the Word of God as cold and dead. Rather than seeing the coming of the Messiah as even possible, it was simply a fact to dispense and dismiss. We should let the truth transform us rather than simply treat truth as a commodity to be distributed.

Third, let us examine the named wise man of the story, Joseph. We see him listen to God and avoid coming danger. We should seek God for guidance in all that we do. And whatever we do, we do not allow the Gospel to go unproclaimed. While Joseph had the responsibility to care for the Baby Jesus, we have the responsibility to proclaim the full truth about Him. This, and without bringing disrepute on the name of the Lord through our lives.


In Nerdiness:

Less than nerdiness, which could be expended on Magi and identities and Egypt and Herod and Archelaus and his banishment to France/Gaul, let us look at the really hard part of this chapter. Why does God allow the slaughter of the innocent baby boys of Bethlehem?

No amount of academic dismissal of the size or scope of the moment reduces its tragedy. At the least, two families were deprived of their sons in this moment. True, it is likely not the “thousands” of legend, but what is that to the families who lost one? It is no less tragic. On this, I have no great answers. It is troublesome that God allows human evil to go forth, sometimes unchecked. Perhaps there is a grace here that Jesus is born in Bethlehem, a smaller town, and not Jerusalem. Perhaps there is a grace that we do not see in Scripture, that warnings came to the people and they fled.

Perhaps there is a confluence of prophetic word and event, as Jeremiah predicted this and the people of Israel lived it in the Exodus era. Perhaps it just reminds us of how evil people can be.

I don’t know. I want a cleaner answer, and there isn’t one. I know that, in due time, Herod’s people (the Roman government) got the baby they were looking for and nailed Him to a cross. Eventually, the sin-soaked world with death all around wins the battle. God, though, wins the war. In His resurrection we find our hope, even if we don’t find our answers.