Wilderness Wanderings

When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words. (Luke 19:45-48)

Immediately following Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Luke tells us that he went to the Temple and began to drive out those who were selling. Matthew tells us that Jesus started flipping over the tables of money changers and the benches of those selling doves. John goes even further, telling us that Jesus made a whip out of chords to help speed the cattle and merchants out of the Temple courts.

In the tradition of the church, this scene has been referred to as Jesus' "cleansing the Temple." The center point of Jewish worship and the place God caused his name to dwell, the Temple was to be a place of prayer and a witness to all nations.

Instead, it had become a good place to fleece the sheep and cash in on the foreign currencies brought by the nations. The religious establishment had become quite a lucrative enterprise, driving the economic wheels of commerce.

Jesus, invoking the prophet Jeremiah, called it a "Den of Robbers." The Executive Management of the Temple called Jesus bad for business and were looking for any opportunity to kill him off.

Today we in Hamilton go back to gray in the colour-coded pandemic restriction regime. We're quite done with this whole business of being restricted and long for the day when we can go back to normal. In our lives, but also at church.

But what if "normal" as we knew it in 2019 isn't what Jesus is hoping for for our church? If he arrived at Immanuel CRC in 2019, what tables might he have overturned? What kind of "cleansing" might he have he worked to restore the vision of a house of prayer among us?

In fact, our pews have been overturned (tables sit in their place!), and our worshiping community on a Sunday, decimated. We won't get into wondering if God meant to bring some kind of judgement or cleansing through the pandemic, that's not terribly helpful. But it may be worth wondering what kind of "normal" should mark the life of the church after this. How might Jesus be calling our church to live differently coming out of this pandemic than when we went into it? In what areas might he ask for our repentance? In what areas might he offer a commendation and an invitation to continue or go deeper?

Of course, you can ponder those questions for your own life too.

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Luke 7:11-17 from the New International Version of the Bible (though, this time you'll have to look it up yourself!). Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

DIVE IN QUESTIONS

1. "The mass of [people] lead lives of quiet desperation." Does this describe you? Does it describe people close to you? If so, why? What is it that you or others want that cause this anxiety?
2. What kind of king did the crowds want? Are you "seeking the God you want instead of the God who is"? Write out your description of Jesus. Now check with the gospels to find out if your description is accurate.

1. Read Ephesians 2:11-16 and Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 106-107. How much of this kind of peace is living in your heart? What kinds of hatred still linger there? What kinds of people can't you get along with?
2. What things have caused your heart to harden towards God? In what ways are you disappointed in him? Ask God to soften your heart and to help you seek him.

For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:7-9).

It used to be that Christian preachers loved to preach about Jesus second coming; not so much anymore. Christ's return was often compared to a thief in the dark. As one never knows when the thief will come, we do not know when Jesus will return. This imagery was frequently used to scare Christians into behaving. We would not want Jesus to show up when we are doing something wrong. Would that keep us from heaven?

I am not sure that this preaching devise lines up well with scripture. In our text, the apostle is writing about Jesus' return because the Christians are worried about it. They are worried about the judgement that will be part of this final event of world history. Paul desires to alleviate their fear.

He is using the common imagery of light and dark. Good things are done in the light where they are visible to all, while bad things are done in the dark so they will not be visible to all. Isn't this still true today?

But then he continues, "since we belong to the day". This is key. Why do we belong to the day? Because we have been called out of darkness into God's wonderful light. Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God; once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy (cf. 1 Peter 2:9-10). Once upon a time we lived in darkness, but now God has, through Christ, brought us into the light.

Since this is true, writes the apostle, let us be sober, that is, 'let's not live in fear.' If we are in the light, which we are if we belong to Jesus, then there is no need to fear his return. Rather, we are to put on the armour of faith and love. We do good not out of fear, but because its our nature to do good. The spiritual armour is a metaphor Paul liked using; he did feel free to mix it up, altering it for different purposes.

Our lifestyle, in fact, our very deeds, are rooted in faith and motivated by love. Recall, that biblical love is primarily action; action that is sacrificial. Love costs us. How can we love this way? Because of our faith in God. We follow the example of Jesus who humbled himself even unto death on the cross. It was God's ultimate act of love. But he did not stay dead. God raised him to life to bring salvation to the world. Christ's death has huge benefits that continue to ripple out from the past, through the present and into the future.

We act in love because we believe that God uses our sacrificial love to benefit others. He uses it to establish his kingdom. This is our breastplate, the armour which protects the soldier's vital organs.

But that leaves our heads exposed. So, Paul encourages us to use hope as a helmet. God has appointed us for salvation, not judgement. Christ died so that we may live with him. That is the purpose of salvation. That is our hope. So, do not be afraid, trust in God. And since we have been rescued from darkness, let us live in the light.

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)

While church shopping, Jews demanded signs: what (miraculous) sign will you give us to prove that you are the Messiah? Greeks looked for wisdom: proofs, arguments, and apologetics. Air-tight defenses of the faith.

In our church shopping today, we look for all sorts of other things too.

We look for purity of doctrine and practice: where does a church stand on issues and ethics, like human sexuality or loving their neighbours through action?

We look for relevance: what kind of music and ministries does this church have for me and my children, and do I feel "fed" (whatever that means) by this particular pastor's preaching?

Jesus didn't give signs to the Jews who asked. Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection was foolishness to the Gentiles. Jesus has never been particularly relevant to those seeking relevance, and the people he calls his own are those he died for while they were still impure, self-interested sinners.

What the church is firstly about at its most fundamental level then, is not any of these things. Not signs, wisdom, relevance, purity of ethics or practice. No, the church's one foundation is Jesus Christ its Lord: crucified and risen.

Without relevance: the church is still the church. Without purity: the church is still the church. Without practice: the church is still the church. It may not be much of a church without these things, but it's still a church. Without Christ however? There is no church.

In times of deep division we can get caught up and distracted by many secondary things within the church. Important things to be sure, but secondary. And as we do, the rumblings of churches splitting or of members splitting away from churches to go "church shopping" can grow.

At times like that. Times like this: we do well to hear the simple, unvarnished call of the Gospel once again. It's nothing more nor less than Christ crucified. There lies all the power and wisdom of God. And starting there, there is much else to work out in how we live our lives, meet our culture, and disciple one another. But it has to start there. With Christ. Always.

It is in him, and him alone, that our hope is found.

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3).

Many Christians are familiar with the triad of faith, love and hope as found at the end of 1 Corinthians 13 where it is written, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (13).

What we may not know is that these three appear several other times in the letters written to the early church. In our text the apostle is telling the Thessalonian church about how he and Silas are praying for them. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

John Calvin once wrote that these three, faith, love and hope, are a brief definition of the Christian faith. Here, we discover just how valuable they are to us Christians. Each of them pulls us out of ourselves into different directions. Faith directs our attention towards God. Christian faith is, of course, faith in God. But it is worth noting because we are easily tempted to have faith in ourselves. We live as if our survival depends on us, not on God.

Love directs our attention towards other people, our neighbours, as Jesus once said. Again, it should be obvious, but it always bears repeating, Christians are called to love both those of the Christian fellowship and our neighbours beyond the church. This love is concrete. It is not a feeling, it is action. So, at the end of the day we need to ask ourselves, "How have I loved the church today? How have I loved my neighbour today?"

Hope directs our attention towards the future. This is not the same as an optimist who believes everything will turn out alright. Rather, it looks for signs of the emerging kingdom of God and participates in activities that bring that kingdom. Christians act in compassion not for simple humanitarian reasons, but because we long for the kingdom. It is our desire to lay up treasures in heaven.

This hope also helps us keep going when we face opposition or even indifference. Hope gives us endurance. It seems to be human nature to question ourselves when things don't go our way. But we believe the kingdom of God is coming so we continue on even when there are no results. We persevere in loving difficult people because we do so out of faith, not for results. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. Because of his death and resurrection, the kingdom will come.

These three are all evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. They are part of our sanctification, that goal of the Christian to become more like Jesus. As sinful humans, we tend to become self absorbed: life is about me. The Holy Spirit leads us out of ourselves towards God, towards others and towards the future.

These three are not abstract. They are productive. Faith produces work, love labours and hope endures. True faith in God leads us to love others with real deeds. Otherwise, it is mere sentimentality, which often passes for love these days. These three together, faith, hope and love, make us a God orientated community.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:27-31)

Maybe it's too early to be writing this devotion, but with a warm sunny day outside, I can't help but think ahead.

Early on in this pandemic, there was a mad scramble to get ahead of the curve: think through what the next weeks or months would require of us and act on it. We looked for wise experts who could tell us what was coming.

Now Spring is here in 2021 and I'm thinking ahead again. It was one thing to pivot into the pandemic. It'll be another to pivot out of it. Sure the end is a long way off yet and will probably happen more gradually than suddenly, but it will eventually come.

When it does, we'll again have to make decisions in our lives about when to re-engage with social activities, and which ones. When to do something in person rather than online. Eventually we'll even have to decide as a society when it's time to rescind the mask mandate.

As a church we'll also have to think about pews and tables, worship services, youth and children's programs, meetings, technology, Wilderness Wanderings devotions, and much more. All things that have shifted during the pandemic. We'll be tempted to take the shortest path back to normal.

But actually, there never was really was such a thing as "normal." Our lives change constantly, as any healthy living thing does. If you don't believe me, just wait until you see families reappear in church with toddlers that didn't exist this time last year! The church we left, is not the church we'll return to.

In the last year, our church has changed. Our lives have changed. Our world has changed. The idea of "normal" itself has changed. Though, none of us are quite sure how just yet. And so again, we'll be looking for wisdom to help inform our "pivoting" out of this pandemic.

But what kind of wisdom will we look for? The kind that will help us to be the strongest, the best, or the most secure people and church that we can be? That likely wouldn't be far from the truth.

But Paul reminds us here today: our hope is not in the strong things, or in going back to the "normal" things, or even the most sure and secure things that already are. Our hope is in Christ. The invitation is to become fools in the eyes of everyone else as we entrust ourselves and our plans to this God who has brought about our righteousness, holiness, and redemption, and who isn't finished with us yet. He continues to move, doing new things. And he beckons us to follow: stepping into things unseen, the things that are not, so that in the end, all the glory and boasting goes to him.

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore, you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore, your pursuers will be swift!' (Isaiah 30:15-16).

We return to this passage from Isaiah. The reflections I offered last Thursday went in a different direction then I had anticipated. I'd like to flesh out some of my original thoughts. These will follow up nicely on Pastor Anthony's reflections on Friday, creating an unintended book end around the weekend. There is a fancier literary term for such things. If you are interested, you can google it.

Our theme for Lent has been hope. Our text implies that hope produces patience. You may recall that I referenced several situations in the Bible in which God's people had to wait for him to act. Whether it was waiting for a promised child, or rescue from enemies, waiting was the key. Abraham and David are probably the best-known examples of this kind of waiting.

Think about David waiting for the crown and the throne. Samuel had anointed him as the next king of Israel. Soon after, he had access to the current king and several stories are told in which David has opportunity to kill him. But he declines, insisting that God must give him the throne; he will not take it.

While David waited, he tended sheep, ran errands for his dad, played the harp for king Saul, fought as a soldier in Israel's army and killed a giant. Instead of scheming to get the throne, David put his hand to the tasks in front of him.

God is reminding Israel of David in our text for today. Israel is called to step back and let God do his thing. But instead, she kept running around, trying to do the God stuff herself. It was a mess.

Waiting for God is not a passive activity. Its active. David worked. We ought to as well. The Bible regularly blesses our daily labour. Waiting for God as we work helps us remember that wealth creation is a God-given ability and command. It is part of our creational task which God gave us in the beginning.

Waiting on God also helps us avoid the temptation to depend on our wealth and hoard it. Instead, it gives us the freedom to share our resources as Paul says, "Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need" (Eph. 4:28).

The New Testament command to give generously and with a grateful heart means that we should not be asking "How much should I give?" but rather "How much do I need to keep?"

But this kind of life is only possible when our hope is in the Lord. As Pastor Anthony said on Friday, it's a gift that God gives. It's a gift we need to desire and reading the stories of God rescuing his people whets our appetite for it.

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Luke 7:11-17 from the New International Version of the Bible (though, this time you'll have to look it up yourself!). Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

DIVE IN QUESTIONS

1. What are the things you've been grieving and lamenting, or could, right now?

2. Have you had an experience of being told hurtful or insensitive things while grieving or of saying something hurtful or insensitive yourself? Are there more gracious ways to understand our lack of helpful words at the time of death?

3. What do you make of what Jesus says here in Luke 7 when he says "Don't cry"? What makes it ok for Jesus to say something like that? Does he mean to say that we shouldn't cry in the face of death or other troubles in this life?

4. Do you recognize the doubts and reservations of John the Baptist upon hearing the story of Jesus' miracle? In what way does Jesus invite us to trust this foretaste of his Kingdom all the same?

5. Our hope rests in Jesus' promise to be the Lord of Revelation 21: God with us, making death untrue, mending all things now broken, healing all things now hurt, and wiping our tears away in peace and joy. How can you bring lament and hope together this week before this coming Lord in your praying and living?

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13)

Some of us have had the experience over this pandemic time of being run ragged, laid off, fighting over too little technology and bandwidth, juggling work and school at home, just scraping by. Others of us have seen a boost in our bottom line, enjoyed the freedom and flexibility of working from home, have discovered the perks of connecting with family far away through video chats, and have enjoyed the leisure of more down time.

In other words: some of us have lived in plenty, and some in want. The pandemic has not impacted us all the same. And that's true for our neighbours too.

Paul seems to think there's a common thread that runs through both of these experiences, however.

Some of us are absolutely anxious and harried when the storms rage, the future is uncertain, and the bank account low. Others have an odd peace. Some of us have peace when the bank account is full and life seems otherwise picture-perfect. And others are absolutely anxious and harried.

What Paul has noticed is that the externals of our life no matter how bad or good, how hard or easy, how plentiful or wanting are not the final arbiter of our internal reality. There is a secret to being content in any and every situation. Though, it's not much of a secret. The secret is Christ.

It's shortly before this that Paul pens his famous words: rejoice and entrust everything to God in prayer, and "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

From that peace that passes understanding comes the discovery that we can face down any challenge of this life, of plenty or want, of joy or of sorrow, through him who gives us strength. Because our life and security against the future are not ultimately determined by the stuff we have, the stuff we do, or even the stuff we can see. Our hope for the future is in Christ. Our peace is given and secured by him. Not even a pandemic has shaken the reality of his loving work for us. It remains firm. Our place with God, secure.

So today, give thanks to God and ask for his peace. It's strange, but it's enough.

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore, you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore, your pursuers will be swift! (Isaiah 30:15-16).

John Wayne exemplifies the American way. If its in your way, hit it or shoot it. He's got lots of followers: from Captain Kirk to James Bond to Terminator to… insert your favourite character. Get 'r done, don't worry about who gets pushed aside.

There is a lot of talk about bullying these days. We don't want our children to be bullied. Studies are constantly being conducted to figure out how to prevent bullying. We want our schools to be bully free zones. A good goal.

Yet, it seems to me that too many adults are guilty of this crime. We get ahead by pushing others aside. Do I dare say, 'it's the American way'?

I remember attending a megachurch conference early in my years as a minister. There was a lot to learn there. Yet, I felt uncomfortable. The leader seemed like a bully. It was his way or the highway. But that was in the days before we had learned to name this. As it turned out, he ended his ministry in disgrace because, he was a bully.

One thing that lies behind a lot of bullying behaviour is fear. We need, all of us in one way or another, to be in control of our lives. When we aren't, we become afraid and strike out at those we can intimidate. We control other people to give ourselves a semblance of control.

As Christians, we are called to a different life. One, in which we do not strive to control our lives. A significant antidote to bullying and this striving to control is hope, Christian hope that is. Out text for today does not use the word hope, but its in the background.

Israel has been running around on wild horses trying to secure themselves. They attempted to control their national fate by making alliances with other nations and by relying on their own military. It wasn't working for them.

So, God reminds them of the way things were supposed to be. They were supposed to trust in God. Their salvation was in him, not in other nations and not in their own military. God called them to repentance and rest. In other words, to turn back to him and wait for him to bring security.

But they were impatient, and they had forgotten their history. Abraham and Sarah waited decades for Isaac. Jacob spent 20 years with Laban. Joseph languished 17 years in slavery and prison. Moses shepherded sheep for 40 years. David waited 15 years from anointing to crowning; many as an outlaw.

In all these situations God worked in peoples lives, preparing them for what lay ahead. They waited. They put their hope in God and he secured the outcome. And it was good.

As we near the end of this pandemic it becomes more difficult to be patient. There are stories of people bullying their way to the front of the vaccine line. If its your turn for the vaccine, my counsel is to go get a shot. But let's not put our hope in this vaccine. And let's not be bullies.

Let's remember that our true hope in God. He has our future secured in Christ. Our inheritance is guaranteed. Thus, we can continue to look out for those falling through the cracks; to lift up those who have been bullied.