The Grand Miracle

The story of the Incarnation is the story of a descent and resurrection. When I say 'resurrection' here, I am not referring simply to the first few hours, or the first few weeks of the Resurrection. I am talking of this whole, huge pattern of descent, down, down, and then up again. What we ordinarily call the Resurrection being just, so to speak, the point at which it turns.

Think what that descent is. The coming down, not only into humanity, but into those nine months which precede human birth, in which they tell us we all recapitulate strange pre-human, sub-human forms of life, and going lower still into being a corpse, a thing which, if this ascending movement had not begun, would presently have passed out of the organic altogether, and have gone back into the inorganic, as all corpses do.

One has a picture of someone going right down and dredging the sea-bottom. One has a picture of a strong man trying to life a very big, complicated burden. He stoops down and gets himself right under it so that he himself disappears; and then he straightens his back and moves off with the whole thing swaying on his shoulders. Or else one has the picture of a diver, stripping off garment after garment, making himself naked, then flashing for a moment in the air, and then down through the green, and warm, and sunlit water into the pitch black, cold, freezing water, down into the mud and slime, then up again, his lungs almost bursting, back again to the green and warm and sunlit water, and then at last out into the sunshine, holding in his hand the dripping thing he went down to get. This thing is human nature; but, associated with it, all nature, the new universe...

A man really ought to say, 'The Resurrection happened two thousand years ago' in the same spirit in which he says, 'I saw a crocus yesterday.' Because we know what is coming behind the crocus. The spring comes slowly down this way; but the great thing is that the corner has been turned.

-C. S. Lewis

Trees, Fruit, and Work That Endures

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

1 Corinthians 3:11-13

The foundation of salvation is Christ. There is no other name given under heaven. Every disciple must enter at the same gate and begin at the same place.

Salvation is not just something that happened to you once-upon-a-time. Of course, it is that too, but it's also an ongoing process, incremental and cumulative. Some people say "I was saved" as if that settled the matter. We don't even treat ice cream that way. If you tried ice cream once when you were eight, would you be satisfied for life? I doubt it.

The question is not "Were you saved?" but "Are you saved today?" Salvation is a foundation, yes, but it is also what we build on that foundation. (Phillipians 2:12) It's pursuing the likeness of God daily, taking up your cross, building with gold and silver and precious stones.

We can't just "know what we believe" and do the Christian thing to satisfy the status quo. That's wood and hay and stubble, and it's going to burn up. What we need is a vital awareness of God's love, God's holiness, and God's will, to empower us everyday to live sacramental lives of worship.

But wait: this sounds awfully like doing "works." We can't do "works", because we believe in "grace", and "works" and "grace" are not compatible.

Really?

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:14, 17

There is no such thing as faith without works. It's like marriage without love or the ocean without water. We need to get our faith into our lives somehow. We need a faith that is lived forward, not analyzed, because sometimes what we think is analysis may actually be nothing more than an autopsy.

This brings us to another realization, which is that the whole debate about faith and works is a mirage. If we couch the question in terms of whether we are saved by grace or works, we will succeed splendidly in spinning our minds in circles, but I don't think we will find many helpful answers.

It isn't our good works that make us Christians - it's our good works that show that we are Christians. (John 13:35) Our good works do not establish or create our Christian identity, they only validate it. Indeed, they must.

You will recognize [false prophets] by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Matthew 7:16-20

For a tree to produce good fruit does not make it a good tree, it merely shows that it is a good tree. Similarly, the good works we fulfill (Ephesians 2:10) do not make us righteous, they simply show that we are righteous. And that righteousness, though it must and will produce good works, can only have its beginning in grace. (Ephesians 2:8)

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift. Amen.

All scripture quotations from the ESV

Image courtesy of fwco.com

A Forum for Hope

Exclusive Oakhurst news preview! The article below will run in the Sierra Star next Thursday, covering the Town Hall For Hope event being hosted in Bass Lake.

Over the last few months, there's been a lot of talk about the economy. Everyone has something to say: investors, politicians, business owners, and taxpayers. Despite the wide variety of theories and opinions being expressed, all of this talk has one thing in common.

It's all negative.

Layoffs and deficits and business failures dominate the headlines, but there's no reason they need to dominate your mind. If you're tired of the pessimism and ready for something different, you're not alone.

On Thursday, April 23rd, area residents are joining together to focus on a different message - a message of resiliency and confidence and optimism. In a nationwide event called Town Hall for Hope, national radio show host and New York Times best-selling author Dave Ramsey will be streamed live from Oklahoma City, sharing his vision of hope for America's financial future and answering questions from viewers all over the country.

It's time to stop talking about how bad the economy is and start working on making it better. Come and listen as Dave Ramsey shares real strategies and real answers you can use to better your financial situation and negotiate these challenging economic conditions.

Town Hall for Hope will be hosted at 7 p.m., April 23rd at The Little Church in the Pines, Bass Lake. To learn more, contact Jeremy Becker at 760-7522 or visit TownHallForHope.com.

Image courtesy of jonathanignacio.files.wordpress.com

Musings on a Dying World

And the world is passing away along with its desires...

-1 John 2:17

Very quietly
The world loses blood overnight
Without a fight
And in the morning
The sickness will hide in the light
Out of sight

-Mark Heard

The world is dying. Little by little, moment by moment, the vigor of the planet is draining away into the channels of space, never to be regained. Time is a hard master, carving even rock and stone with its inexorable weight.

The world began in a place called Eden. Eden means pleasure and delight. It means joy, color, beauty, virginity. Some people say Eden is still out there somewhere. I don't know. All I know is that the world isn't virgin anymore.

The scriptures describe the promised land as a land flowing with milk and honey; the spies harvested a cluster of grapes that was so large it had to be carried on a pole between two men. I traveled to Israel last year, and I can say pretty confidently that it isn't like that today.

Driving through the America southwest, I can't help but wonder if the rest of the world was at one time more Edenic - full of green oases and roaring waterfalls. The first time the word desert shows up in the NIV Bible is Genesis 14:6, so I don't suppose my little theory has much meat on it. Still, it's interesting to speculate about how all the people groups of the world ended up living where they did. Was there a lushness in the ancient world that attracted them to an environment that later turned harsh and austere?

I wonder.

Image "Barren Fields" by Vincent Van Gogh, courtesy of vangoghgallery.com

Purpose Check

The purpose of this blog is not...

• To cater to "the cutting edge."
• To anticipate sociological or theological trends.
• To impress anyone (except my wife).
• To offend anyone.
• To fight the culture war.
• To waste time throwing fits.
  
• To waste time with gossip.
• To be merely clever.
• To be narcissistic.
• To be popular.
  

This purpose of this blog is...

• To lift up Jesus.
• To allow me to write about what I'm thinking about.
• To talk about good books.
  
• To share anything of value that is happening in my life, big or small, practical or spiritual.
• To encourage the Church.
  
• To spread the Good News of the Gospel.
• To overturn tables.
• To lift up Jesus.
  
• To make you think.
• To make me think.
• To stimulate constructive dialogue.
  
• To lift up Jesus.
  
• To tell the truth.

Image courtesy of solarnavigator.net

Young Writers and a Teapot of Tea

Writing skills should begin early. Children need to read and write from a young age to develop the kind of familiarity with words and sentences necessary to write confidently and well.

This is an essay written last week by my 8-year-old sister Chloe. I thought it was good so I asked her if I could post it here. Enjoy.


Teapot of Tea

It all started when Peter got into tea.
Because when Peter got into tea, he got into loose tea and he decided it was the best tea.
But we (The Telian Family) did not have very many.
In the meantime he got me into loose tea and I liked it. :)
Then we found a website called Grace Rare Tea & Co..
They sell all kind of loose teas.
So he got four 8 ounce tins.
These are the ones he got:

• Flowery Jasmine - Before the rain
• Winey Reemun - English Breakfast
• Connisseur - Master Blend
• Formosa Oolong - Champagne of teas

There are a few more from Grace Rare Tea & Co. that Peter didn't get, but mommy got samples of.

• Earl Grey - Superior mixture
• Darjeeling - Superb 6000
• Gunpowder Pearl - Green tea

I really like them all except for Gunpowder pearl.
Daddy's favorite is Formosa Oolong.
I make a pot of loose tea almost every day.

-Chloe F.T

Image courtesy of farm1.static.flickr.com

Calvin Miller, Celtic Prayer, and Quiet Earth

Calvin Miller is a pastor-turned-professor with more than forty books to his name and a readable, uncluttered writing style similar to that of Max Lucado. Miller was first recommended to me by Jessica's mother Karen for his poetic retelling of the redemption story in three volumes, The Singer, The Song, and The Finale, collectively known as The Singer Trilogy.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Singer Trilogy, and subsequently ordered and read Miller's book The Path of Celtic Prayer. Though not as rich as some of Miller's other works, The Path of Celtic Prayer addressed several intriguing themes relating to our experience of God.

I. The Spirituality of Nature
From St. Francis to Thoreau to Wendell Berry, I have been attracted to authors possessing a strong sense of the spirituality of nature, blazing a middle-ground between pagan pantheism and fundamentalist utilitarianism. To recognize and appreciate the creation as the handiwork of the Creator is not nature-worship. We ought to know Psalm 19 both from reading the text and gazing at the sky.

II. The Power of Raw Scripture: Lectio Divina
The contemporary Celtic scholar Thomas O'Laughlin described Scripture as "literature born on the high ledges between this world and the next." I believe we need to cultivate a renewed appreciation for the reading of mere Scripture - raw and unadorned. "The Celts... seemed to believe there was a deliberate power for living in allowing the Bible to have its own majestic voice without the clutter of human chitchat trying to explain it." (53)

III. Liturgy as High Praise
There is a renewed interest in liturgy in the Church today that I think stems from a dissatisfaction with the irreverence of impromptu, colloquial devotion. I believe there is a place for spontaneous, spirit-inspired prayer, but I also believe it is untrue that the only "real" prayer is merely praying whatever comes into our heads.

The secular mind sometimes tries to fashion prayers and generally ends up with a divine headache. But the heart in love with God cheerfully labors over gladsome poetry. The heart is the place of prayer rehearsal. It is the editing room for dialogue with royalty... It is a foundry of intensity that smelts the ore of our devotion till it is fine enough to be formed into the highest kind of praise. Then, and only then, is the word beautiful enough to be spoken.

-40

Other high points in the book include an incisive discussion of the Trinity (33-35), a thought-provoking definition of confession ("It doesn't mean so much that we are informing God of our sins as it is agreeing with him that we are sinful... confession is that bold step by which we stand with God, look at our dark side and agree with all that he has said about it in his Word." -140), and a description of the pagan Celtic concept of spiritual energy referred to as the neart (21) - similar to the Chinese tao as described in C.S. Lewis's The Abolition of Man.

The old Celtic prayers and runes are easily the best part of the book, almost to the point of giving Miller's commentary the flavor of filler. The prayers are encased in beautiful poetic forms and are of a reverence, depth, and simplicity that is timeless.

I leave you with an old Irish prayer we have hanging in our home just inside the door:

Deep peace of the running waves to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the smiling stars to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.

Image courtesy of journeywithjesus.net

Tenth Avenue North and Self-conscious Rock Bands

Amidst the glut of mediocrity that goes under the heading of Contemporary Christian Music, there aren't many voices that blend raw honesty and real talent. (I know I say that a lot, but it's true: usually you have to pick one or the other.)

Tenth Avenue North is one of those voices.

I need Your strength to feel this weak
I need Your touch to fill my need
I need Your strong hands to carry me
Take me, break me, set me free...

I think the best way to describe Tenth Avenue North is as a less self-conscious version of Kutless. I don't know about you, but in every Kutless song I seem to hear them saying "We're Kutless! This is our sound! Don't you like it... don't you like it?!"

Frankly, that's annoying, and, I think, juvenile.

It's refreshing to hear a band that isn't so interested in their own stardom and just wants to share truth and encourage others. Vocalist Mike Donehey's statement about the band's purpose is worth quoting at length:

At present,
We're just trying to find our way in the Christian music industry
"dodging traffic at the intersection of art, faith, and commerce,"
as Jon Foreman once put it.
We all come from church backgrounds and families, and therefore,
are not satisfied saying the same old things in the same old ways.
What we're hoping for with this music that we're making is to not just entertain people.
I think it's safe to say that we already have plenty of that.
What we're wanting is to see people encounter truth.
Remember, we all worked at a church for some time,
and there we saw plenty of emotion. We saw plenty of people having a good time,
but it wasn't long until we realized that if emotion isn't being evoked by truth,
well, then it just doesn't last. And we want this love in hearts to last.
I guess you could say we're done just trying to get emotional from blast beats
and hip guitar lyrics. Instead, we desire to be cut to the heart.
To be honest, genuine, and faithful to what we believe is truth.

Nobody said it would be easy,
but if easy isn't true, then who wants it?

The songs are passionate, honest, and artistic, with clean, strong melodies and solid instrumentation. These guys can rock the house ("Break Me Down"), but they also aren't afraid to do some quieter songs ("Times"). They have a vision for the Kingdom alive here and now, ("Love Is Here") and a burden for the purity of the Church ("Beloved").

Give a listen; I think you'll be blessed and challenged.


Go here to download Tenth Avenue North's full-length album Over and Underneath for $6.99.

Image courtesy of ignitechicago.com

Eating Jesus, Part 2

Go here to read Part 1.

Eating is one of the great unifying experiences of humanity. Everyone does it. Three times a day, most of the world sits down to some kind of meal for health, strength, and enjoyment. In many ancient cultures, sharing a meal together was the epitome of fellowship, and even in modern-day America, when we want a real conversation with someone, we have them over for supper or go out to a restaurant to talk.

Jesus invites us to share his table - to eat his flesh like bread and drink his blood like wine. Some of us have learned to sit quietly and eat what is put in front of us, and have discovered great peace in so doing. Some of us still behave like brats and get into food fights. (I know I've certainly been in more than my share.)

I don't have enough Jesus inside me. I need more. That is the supremely important thing. "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." And we can't partake of Jesus if we're always flinging him in one another's faces. The Eucharist is a sacrament of humility and devotion, a reminder of the massive mystery of redemption. It is an invitation to noisy children to quiet themselves before their Father, let go of their pet doctrines and personal vendettas, and experience the beautiful unity of Psalm 133.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.

For years I thought it was zealous to go around telling other Christians what was wrong with their theology, when Jesus just wanted me to love them and rejoice together in our common inheritance - salvation through the blood of the Lamb. "Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand."

Jesus is not a weapon. I know about the scourge and the temple and the overturned tables. I know there's a place for rebuke and repentance. I know that Jesus said that he didn't come to bring peace but a sword. But he also prayed we would be one.

I don't think the sword is supposed to be slashing around within the Church. The Church is a place of healing, safety, encouragement. The Church is a place where tears are dried and feet are washed. The Church is where the wine is poured, the bread is broken, and Jesus is shared.

Image courtesy of believingthomas.files.wordpress.com

Back to Blogging

So, I've been married for 10 days. You might expect me to write about marriage, but I'm not going to. Not yet. I think I'm still too close to it - too overwhelmed still with the grandeur and beauty of it all. There's too much to say - my heart is too full.

But I do want to get back to blogging. Whenever I'm away from sentences for too long, I start missing them, like some people miss their Pilates or their pets. And there's more to write about than ever. We live in an endlessly interesting time. There is change all around us, and there is need for alertness and courage, for the Church's responsibility to interact with culture in a sanctified and meaningful way is still the same.

So in my spare time between kisses, I'll once again be contributing my trademark blend of sagacity and simplemindedness to the bloated bucket of nonsense we call the blogosphere. Stay tuned.