Joy to the World

Christmas is right upon us.  I know some of you feel the sadness and grief still from the tragedy in Connecticut, as do I.  It is a little difficult for many of us to get into the proper spirit of Christmas with this kind of sorrow hanging over our country. 

And yet, the world that Jesus entered on that very first Christmas was also a terrible place.  Herod committed the same horrors at the birth of Christ (Matthew 2:16).  So how could the shepherds and the angels rejoice with such abandon?  Simply this: Christ’s entry into this tear-stained world was intended to transform a world under siege.  Christ came to transform us first, from the inside-out, then to change the world for the better and to wipe away every tear. 

And so He is doing!!  Do not hold back in your celebration!!  Joy to the World, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King!!! 

Further Thoughts on the Tragedy at Sandy Hook

This afternoon was another terrible day for watching the news. I saw an article on the web about Dylan Mockley, a six-year old boy who died in the arms of his favorite teacher during the massacre at Newtown, CT. It was offered as a small consolation to an otherwise horrible scene which left 29 children and teachers dead. I cried on-and-off for an hour after reading that story. It was little consolation.

In my last blog entry, I shared my anger over this mindless tragedy and the ease with which some people quickly blame God. My own thoughts on how we as a society have created a culture of death and then are surprised when someone actually takes our culture’s devaluing of life to its logical conclusion, is in my last entry. I also offered some ideas from the prophet Amos in the Old Testament in which God may be trying to get the attention of a nation through a series of calamites (see chapter four in the Book of Amos).

But, I am afraid I may have been slightly misunderstood. Some thought that I was directly blaming all citizens of the U.S. for this tragedy. Others asked whether this might be an argument that people might use to reject God. Another question was, “How do you assuage the fears of people who are faithful to God that their children might become ‘collateral damage’ as God disciplines a nation?” These are both legitimate misunderstandings and excellent questions. So, amidst the grief we are all feeling and our attempts to make some sense out of this horror, allow me to clarify.

1.  I don’t believe that every citizen of this country is to blame for this mess. Adam Lanza is primarily to blame. He made choices and they were horrible and evil choices.

2.  On a side note, I take offense at some of the reporting going on that directly or indirectly links Adam Lanza’s killing spree with being a boy with Asperger’s (a milder form of autism). As the parent of a child with autism (and having met hundreds of children with autism and Asperger’s), this is a reckless connection.

3.  I do believe that we as a society must corporately face the fact that we have become a culture of death and, as such, this is a major ingredient in the soup that we are all in. We don’t value life if we would honestly look at what passes for gaming, what passes for entertainment, what we are willing to do with an inconvenient pregnancy, what we believe about the human soul, about our origins, etc…

a) If we really are more highly-developed animals in the evolutionary process of natural selection with its survival-of-the-fittest mentality, then there is really nothing to be shocked about. The weak were weeded out, end of story.
b) If we are simply a by-product of our DNA then we are all programmed to do something quite apart from any antiquated ideas of morality. Adam Lanza just did what his DNA told him to do. If these are our beliefs, then why get angry or blame God?
c) If we are soulless beings who will one day die and then cease to exist, then Nietzsche was right and we are all the walking dead on a clump of dirt floating mindlessly through a dark, lifeless vacuum…and nothing matters because we will all eventually cease to exist with no memory of anything good or joyful or beautiful.

There are no morals in a godless society!! Morality and godlessness are mutually exclusive because it is ultimately illogical to be moral if nothing ultimately matters. As Mike Huckabee said during a television interview recently,

“You cannot expect a civil society inside a moral vacuum.”

Nor can we let ourselves, collectively, off-the-hook when our culture generates such an obsession over death. Lt. Col. Dave Grossman has written extensively on how the military trains its soldiers to mentally override our resistance to kill through simulation. Grossman then points out how the simulation in our modern video games is exactly the same stuff. Below is a link to one of Grossman’s articles.

http://www.killology.org/art_teach_virus.htm

So, yes, we as a society DO have to accept some responsibility for what is happening in our country even if individually, many of us lead very non-violent and decent lives. And mind you, none of this madness in our culture is advocated by God, yet He seems to be a magnet for blame.

4) So, what about the person who takes this argument and runs with it in order to reject God? HonestIy, I have no control over that. Chances are likely that anything we might offer would be used to reject God. The question is not what someone will do with an argument, but whether the argument is true and cogent. People do all kinds of things with truth. The prophets in the Old Testament said truthful, pointed things and they were a very unpopular bunch. Jesus said some very controversial, truthful things and shrunk a movement of thousands down to 12 and then down to nothing and then got Himself crucified.

5) The question for Amos chapter four is simply this: Is the biblical text offering us a principle for understanding tragedy on a national scale? And then, is this text applicable to our current situation?

6) How can I assuage the fears of the faithful who are fearful that God’s judgment will sweep away their children? Well, I think that this is too simple a way to look at God’s judgment for starters. God’s judgment is often the removal of His restraint on a society bent on rebellion against Him. Sometimes (often times) God’s judgment is little more than Him turning us over to our own ways and the natural consequences of our decisions (see Romans 1:18-32). We bring many of these calamities on our own heads and that is God’s judgment too.

7) Inasmuch, how can I assuage fears? I am afraid I cannot. Do we really think that evil discriminates between the elderly and the child? Or the guilty and the innocent? No- and that is what makes evil so EVIL!! That is why God hates evil. That is why we are called to holiness and to resisting evil and to transforming a world under siege!! But, I cannot promise anyone that if they go to church and read their Bible and pray that some person hyped up on the drugs we are legalizing and the violence that we are mass-producing won’t have a psychotic break and perpetrate some unspeakable evil. Read Lamentations!! Read the story of King Josiah in 2 Kings 22-23. Here was the most godly king to ever sit on the throne of Judah, yet because of the abject rebellion of the nation, Josiah was killed by Pharaoh Neco and the nation of Israel - men, women and children - were dragged off to Babylon in exile (see 2 Kings 23:25-29).

8) God is faithful, mind you. I am strongly convinced that so many more of these incidents should be happening save for the restraining work of God in society - something the Reformers called “common grace”. I do believe that prayer is a difference-maker. But, it is no guarantee. I believe that a godly lifestyle and a path guided by God’s wisdom will certainly sidestep the unnecessary troubles of this world.

9) I believe that the hope of a world restored and renewed at the return of Christ is our true comfort and it stands in stark contrast to the nightmare we have created.

My sole consolation in this grievous moment in time is that God’s mercy will see these children into the new heavens and new earth, and by the grace of Christ they will be held again by their loved ones and never experience these nightmares again. Here is my comfort and I hope yours as well:

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let those who hear say, “Come!” Let those who are thirsty come; and let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:13-17) 

Tragedy and the Questions of God

December 17, 2012 - Three days have passed since our country experienced one of the worst tragedies in recent memory. A young man named Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School and began shooting and killing teachers and children. In all, 29 people (including Adam Lanza) lost their lives during a time when everyone is gearing up for the most festive time of the year- Christmas. I heard the news around noon on Friday while in the car running errands. At first, I turned off the radio when I heard the initial reports. I would not hear such horrible pain. No, no. It cannot be. Not little children. The rest of the details began to come in like a dark overcast cloud that shut out the sun. I will not repeat them here. Today, I sit at my office desk. To my left are the pictures of many of those children and their teachers. The smiles, the futures, the hopes - all there in color on page A6 of the Wall Street Journal. And on the next page are the articles on renewed voices in our legislature on gun-control laws or what made Adam Lanza do what he did or what we could have done to prevent this. And, of course, the ever-predictable question: “Why did God let this happen?”

The day before, on Sunday, I felt the Spirit of God move me to ditch my sermon which I had prepared. It was going to be on the topic of the undignified and the chair at the table that God has for them as we looked at the shepherd story in Luke chapter two. Instead, God moved me to Amos 4 and the question of calamity.

One of my seminary professors - Dr. Walter Kaiser - was once asked about another tragedy. It was 1963 and President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. In the front row, “Bill” asked, “Why did your God do that?” The class erupted into many theories as to why God allowed the president to die - booze, womanizing, how the Kennedy family made their money. Donkeys and elephants ran all over the room, until Dr. Kaiser asked, “Maybe we should look at this a different way. Why did God let this happen to us? After all, we are Americans and this was our president.” The next question was, “Well, how do you know if God is trying to speak to the nation with tragedy?” Kaiser had been quite confident up until that last question, but was now pondering in his own mind, “Yeah, how do I know? I was dying to hear what I had to say.” But, then it hit him like a thunderbolt - Amos chapter four: “Here is how you know - if the tragedies come in a series - that may well be God trying to call a nation to repentance.” In our service, we then read Amos chapter four which talked of God allowing famine…but the people would not return to Him. And then, drought… but the people would not return to Him. And then, locust. And then, plagues like in Egypt. And then, war and military defeat. Yet, you would not return, would not return, would not return. Amos draws his prophetic utterance to a climax:

“Prepare to meet your God, O Israel” (Amos 4:12)

And certainly, this tragedy is not an isolated incident. Have we forgotten what happened at Chardon High School just under a year ago? What about in the theatres of Aurora, CO? Was Hurricane Sandy just an aberration, or a tragedy in a series of events? And now, Newtown, Connecticut, joins the list.

This Monday afternoon, as I ponder more images and more news and more “solutions” and more questions, I am feeling angry. I am angry that these children have been torn from their families in the most horrific and violent of ways. I am angry that these families will see under their Christmas trees packages that will never be opened by their intended recipients. And I am angry that we still keep asking questions like, “Why did God let this happen?” Yes, I am angry about that question, because we keep asking it and never bother to seek an answer. And perhaps the answer is, “Why is God to blame?” These thoughts have been uttered before, but since the question continues to be asked, the answer I’ll give need repeating.

• Was it God who began questioning His own existence for the purpose of being freed from a Judeo-Christian morality?
• Was it God who introduced the idea that humans were simply more-developed animals, that the soul was an antiquated piece of superstition, that life was merely a cosmic accident and our current state was the result of a mindless (and often bloody) process of natural selection? Did God eradicate the idea of us being made in His image or did we?
• Was it God who wrote the legislation to remove Him from our schools, from our courts, from the public square, from even the Nativity scenes that celebrate a “holy day”?
• Was it God who began to devalue human life to the point where six million died in concentration camps during WWII, 20 million died while Stalin tried to create a communist utopia in Russia, 50+ million died while Mao Tse Tung tried to create a communist utopia in China and 25 million babies have been exterminated in the wombs of their mothers, 94% of the time out for convenience’s sake?
• Was it God who produced sequel after sequel after sequel of the blood-thirstiest movies one could ever imagine? To watch even one of the “Saw” movies is to watch the simple shaping of a culture of death - human beings dismembered in the most ghastly and creatively macabre ways, solely for our entertainment!
• Was it God who then developed new ways to participate in this fascination with death, making the slaughter more interactive through the technology of gaming? Now, you can actually earn POINTS by killing! That, apparently, is the only value left in human life.

At every turn, our culture and our country have de-valued the sacredness of life and the goodness of God’s commands. We have lost our way and now we have lost our minds. And then, someone comes along and cashes in on our society’s values…AND IT’S GOD’S FAULT?!!!! Yes, this makes me angry!!

Amos’ answer to this question is this: why have you not yet returned to God? Why have you not yet repented of the world YOU have created? We as a country stand condemned by this horrible act!! The question is not,

“Why did God let this happen?”

The question is,

“Why did WE let this happen?”

And the answer is not, “Well, we need new legislation!” That may (or may not) be true to some extent but it is not the solution. Have we not yet understood the point of the entirety of the Old Testament?! They had laws on top of their laws!! And yet, those laws could not change the human heart. If anything, the laws simply inflamed more rebellion (Romans 7:7-25)!! The answer is not banning certain guns or certain video games or certain movies. That is treating the symptoms. No, we are called to prepare and meet our God. And that God is Jesus of Nazareth. When we meet our God, we meet a God who forgives sin, restores the soul, inscribes His laws onto our hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:22-28; 37:24-28). The answer is one of surrender. Allow God to reshape your understanding of life and sin and redemption and goodness through Jesus. Receive from God the beginning of a new journey by accepting His grace through trust in Jesus and His atoning death for your sins. Do not compartmentalize your belief about God, but allow it to reshape your worldview. Don’t accept the values of our culture simply because they are the values of the culture.

As I write this entry, I am looking at two pictures in particular. One of little Emilie Parker - because she reminds me so much of my own daughter - and one of Vicki Soto, a 27 year old teacher who died in that horrible massacre. One picture brings me profound sorrow. Emilie was supposed to be drawing Christmas cards for people with her crayon set today. But she cannot. She is gone. The other picture brings me hope. Vicki Soto lost her life as well. But, she offered what no one could offer holding a view that human life is of little-to-no value. She offered her life for her students. She acted as a human shield between the gunman and the children. She pictured for us something that is completely irrational if our culture is to be believed - self-sacrifice. She gave us a picture of Christ and a reminder that this culture of death has not completely enveloped us yet.

But, the choice, as a nation, is ours now. Can we stop blaming God enough to look at ourselves and what we have become…and return to God?

Needy Sinners and Fearsome Angels

The story of the shepherds at the birth of Jesus is one which we tend to romanticize, a part of the story that can become pale and lifeless if not seen through the biblical lens.

In Jesus’ day, shepherds were a scurrilous bunch, generally speaking. They were considered liars and thieves by the general public. They came to the manger in desperate need.

We also tend to downplay the fear that is in this story. The shepherds on the Hallmark cards are mildly reverent. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that we tend to come to this scene in the Christmas story and we “no longer feel the shiver of fear that God’s coming should arouse in us.”

This Christmas, make sure to paint the Nativity scene with needy sinners and fearsome angels. Paint your Christmas story with the bold colors that surround the coming glory of God veiled in flesh. Cast aside the tame and rather dull Christmas portrait and see again the Christmas story of the Bible - a wild, extraordinary, supernatural event that would turn the world upside-down!

Joy To The World

I don’t think I could say this any better than one of my true spiritual heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Concerning the joy of the Christmas celebration, Bonhoeffer says this:

“Joy to the world!” Anyone for whom this sound is foreign or who hears in it nothing but weak enthusiasm, has not yet really heard the gospel. For the sake of humankind, Jesus Christ became a human being in a stable in Bethlehem. Rejoice, O Christendom! For sinners, Jesus Christ became a companion of tax collectors and prostitutes. Rejoice, O Christendom! For the condemned, Jesus was condemned to the cross on Golgotha. Rejoice, O Christendom! For all of us, Jesus Christ was resurrected to life. Rejoice, O Christendom!...All over the world today, people are asking, Where is the path to joy? The church of Christ answers loudly: Jesus is our joy! Joy to the world!