Tag: peace

Isaiah 25:1-5 – Against Violence

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

“Violence brings only temporary victories; violence, by creating many more social problems than it solves, never brings permanent peace”. —Martin Luther King, Jr.

AgainstViolence

Lord, you are my God.
I honor you and praise you,
because you have done amazing things.
You have always done what you said you would do;
you have done what you planned long ago.
You have made the city a pile of rocks
and have destroyed her walls.
The city our enemies built with strong walls is gone;
it will never be built again.
People from powerful nations will honor you;
cruel people from strong cities will fear you.
You protect the poor;
you protect the helpless when they are in danger.
You are like a shelter from storms,
like shade that protects them from the heat.
The cruel people attack
like a rainstorm beating against the wall,
like the heat in the desert.
But you, God, stop their violent attack.
As a cloud cools a hot day,
you silence the songs of those who have no mercy. (NCV)

These wonderful words of celebration were uttered not in a time of peace and plenty but in an era of hardship and loss. It seems the Jewish people have always faced a plethora of others who would rather see them wiped off the face of the map than existing with their own customs and religion. It was in one of those times of experiencing problems from Gentiles that this poem was crafted. It is precisely in the adverse times that we need to flee to the open arms of God and enjoy the divine embrace of security. In the sixteenth century, John Calvin reflected on these verses:

“When our minds are perplexed by a variety of uneasy thoughts on account of numerous distresses and afflictions which happen daily, we ought immediately to resort to God, and rely on his providence; for even the smallest calamities will overwhelm us, if we do not betake ourselves to him.”

God Almighty is the One who intervenes on behalf of the poor and helpless. The Lord God is the divine Protector who hears the voice of those overwhelmed with a crushing load of hard circumstances. The great “I AM” is the ultimate refuge and shelter for the vulnerable who possess no resources of their own. There is no bully, whether in the form of a person, an institution, or a government which can stand against the God who bends his ear to listen on behalf of the forgotten and the faint-hearted. Brutality and arrogance might touch our lives, yet it is the Lord to whom all those who exploit others must give an account. The violent, using cruelty and ruthlessness, shall not survive under the shadow of the Almighty God.

The poor and the needy may have no apparent chance against abusive persons and systems of the world. However, no power on earth can take on the Ruler and Sustainer of all creation and expect to have their way. God is the defender of the powerless. He specializes in tearing down the walls of oppression and lifting-up those in need of mercy.

So, then, I shall be explicit about the ancient and almighty God and our present circumstances:

  • Pandemic is a ruthless enemy which knows no pity from both rich and poor, the healthy and unhealthy; and, God is a merciful Deliverer who transcends all disease.
  • Poverty is a cruel master which is never satisfied; and, God is benevolent, bringing both spiritual and material satisfaction to life.
  • Patience is a virtue exemplified and amplified through the divine who desires to see all persons realize new life; and, impatience is a vice of the arrogant who demand their needs be met immediately without any regard to the common good of all.
  • Peace is a harmonious and wholehearted life gifted by God, even despite the surrounding storms of hardship; and, pride is the stance of the privileged who either cannot or will not see those who are underprivileged, and, so, they live in a constant state of unrest and disunity.

Wherever you find people speaking of their individual rights without emphasizing their communal responsibilities, there you will find a situation ripe for God to destroy the walls built by the selfish in order to create a safe place for the afflicted.

The Lord will silence the songs of the unmerciful; and, shall allow the shouts of the ones crying out for mercy to be heard. And he will do it in his own good time and grace.

Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you that through your death on the cross you disarmed the powers of evil. Help us, we pray you, to enter your resurrection victory and to stand in your authority against all evil. Send forth your light and your truth. Bring to light the deeds of darkness and let plans of violence be revealed. Through the power of Holy Spirit, almighty God, disarm every evil power and influence in your good world; and, bring loving connection where there is hatred and cruelty. Amen.

Galatians 5:16-26 – Being Led by the Spirit

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

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“Be guided by the Spirit and you won’t carry out your selfish desires…. the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit.  Let’s not become arrogant, make each other angry, or be jealous of each other.” (Common English Bible)

I’m the youngest sibling in my family.  So, I know what it feels like to be a third wheel with things.  When I was a kid, it always seemed as if everyone thought I was too young to do anything or engage any of the real fun stuff, like watching Mannix, Sanford and Son, or Love American Style past my bedtime like everyone else was doing (I was fascinated with TV as a kid).  Now, much older, I have a larger context for understanding all of that stuff.  Yet, the fact remains that I really was a third wheel lots of times.

Sanford-and-Son

Sometimes I think we treat the Holy Spirit of God somewhat like a third wheel.  We pray to Almighty God; we pray in Jesus’ blessed name; and… what of the Holy Spirit?  Sometimes, even many times, the Spirit gets the short end of the stick.  In fact, I’ve been in some churches where I think their understanding of the Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Bible; the Spirit is nowhere to be found.

Maybe, because we can never predict what in the world the Spirit is going to do, we send Him off to some metaphorical bedtime so that we watch and do whatever we want.  Or, perhaps we really are diligent about the Christian life.  We strive, work, and wrestle to live a good life.  But, somehow, we fall short and feel like a failure far too often.  Why is that?

Could be that we’ve looked at the Holy Spirit as the third wheel.  We believe in Him, have faith that He’s there, but don’t have any idea how to relate to Him.  God is big and sovereign; Jesus has a real body and blood; and, the Spirit… well, He’s really out there, man – like, He’s too cool for school and would be one of the characters on The Mod Squad, or something.  How do you have a relationship with someone (and often we refer to the Spirit as some “thing”), that is, with a person (and the Spirit is fully a person) who is so crazy ethereal and seemingly other than you and me?

the mod squad

The Holy Spirit is the power source of the Christian life.  Without him, we can easily degenerate into all kinds of illicit thinking and behavior – including things like “sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good, idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry, jealousy, drunkenness, partying, and other things like that” (verses 19-21).

It is the Spirit who helps us, comforts us, provides strength for us, and enables us to replace old habits with new ones and dead practices with solid “Spirit”ual action.  The Christian virtues which flower and produce the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control occur through a close intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit helps us in our weakness when we pray and act.  The Christian enjoys such a close affectionate association with the Holy Spirit that it is as if we are a building, like a temple, and the person of the Spirit has taken up residence within.  The person of the Spirit is the person of God the Father’s, and the person of God the Son’s gift to the people of God.  By means of the Holy Spirit, God is always with us and continually at-this-moment working within us to make the redemption given in Christ an actual real-live encounter.  In other words, the Spirit gives us feet to walk among this world armed with the implements of God’s love.

fruit of the spirit

I’m going to make a simple observation about the Galatians text for today.  All of the spiritual virtues expressed are the “fruit” of the Spirit, not “fruits.”  The nine ethics are a package deal.  When you have the Spirit and spiritual fruit, you possess all nine Christian values.  If we look at the list and say something like, “Well, Tim, I’m pretty good at kindness and goodness, but I don’t have much peace or patience.”  What that really means is that you are probably doing kindness and goodness from a different place than by means of the Holy Spirit because when the Spirit manifests Himself in us we exhibit the fruit.  You can’t separate the nine spiritual virtues any more than you can separate the Trinity.  They are all one spiritual fruit cultivated and produced inside you by the agency of God’s Spirit.

Maybe it’s time to back up the truck and take a look at the shadow side of our lives.  It could be that we are, for example, far more driven by our anxiety about most things than about genuine altruism and love.  The same result might seem to appear through our words and actions, but it will not last if it is generated from a place of worry – and it is not of the Spirit.

So, what do you do about it?  You must put to death (mortify) the deeds of the sinful nature.  You have been crucified with Christ and you no longer live but Christ lives in you by means of the Spirit He has given to us (Galatians 2:20).  If you have C-clamped your heart so tight that the Spirit can’t get in, then it’s high time to loosen the grip and enable God to do His gracious and merciful work within you.  It is the only way to go about genuine transformation of life.

two wild and crazy guys

Yes, it is scary.  Letting go of control is very hard for many people, including me.  But the results are worth it.  The Spirit knows what He is doing.  He might work in wild and crazy ways.  He might show up on Saturday Night Live where you least expect him to be.  The way we go with God is by going with the Spirit and being led by Him.  Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent” (John 6:29).  The Spirit always points us to Christ, the one who has delivered us from the realm of sin and brought us forgiveness.  This work of Christ sets us up for the work of the Spirit who now makes our deliverance practically and effectively a reality in daily relationships and experiences.

streets of san francisco

The Holy Spirit is not a third wheel.  He’s the real deal.  When you open your heart to Him, you expose yourself to the wideness of God’s mercy which results in the wonderful fruit of the Spirit.  And when you experience the Spirit working inside of you, it makes the car chase scenes in The Streets of San Francisco look not so dramatic.

May the Spirit of the living God be with you now, and forever.  Amen.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All?

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
It was the prophet Micah who prophesied that the Messiah would come from the small village of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-5).  In Micah’s day there was no “peace on earth, goodwill to all.”  It helps to have some historical context in order to understand and appreciate the promise of God.
 
            Ever since the time of Solomon the kingdom was divided between north and south:  the northern kingdom of Israel with Samaria as its capital; and, the southern kingdom of Judah with Jerusalem as its capital.  In the 8th century B.C. the powerful Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel.  They deported many of the Israelites and re-populated the cities with their own people.  This is why the Jews in Jesus’ day looked down on Samaritans.  They pejoratively viewed them as “half-breeds” who were a mix of Jewish and Assyrian descent.
 
            The Assyrian takeover of Israel not only left the northern kingdom in shambles but had a large impact on the southern kingdom of Judah.  All of Judah and Jerusalem were in extreme duress.  Even though Judah had not been conquered and was intact, they were still forced to pay tribute to the Assyrians in order to keep them at bay.  The problem became even more exacerbated because the leadership of Judah wanted to maintain their power and lifestyle.  They expected the poor to shoulder the burden of the tribute to the Assyrians.
 
            In addition, thousands of refugees from Israel were flooding into Judah and Jerusalem.  They had lost their homes, their land, and had nothing but their lives.  So, the already scant resources in Judah were pushed to the brink.  Judah was a mess.  Those in authority and power, the ones with the resources that could make something of a difference, ended up taking advantage of the situation by buying fields and land at a fraction of its worth because people were just trying to survive.  In some cases the leadership leveraged their power by pushing people off their land and taking it over.  It was anything but a time of security, peace, and actions of goodwill.
 
            Into this terrible situation of hardship and survival Micah’s message was that a new kind of leader will come.  He will have humble origins, just like the common oppressed people of Judah.  The refugees, the displaced farmers, and the poor will have a champion.  He will feed them and shepherd them, leading them to green pastures.  This leader will serve the people instead of the people serving the leader.
 
            As Christians, we understand this prophecy to speak of our Messiah Jesus.  This is why we look at Scriptures like this one during the season of Advent.  Just as the ancient Jews needed hope and the promise of a different ruler, so today we, too, need hope and the anticipation of the leader who will come again with an agenda using power for security, peace, and goodwill.
 
            Jesus is the promised one to come.  His exercise of leadership and power is different than earthly politicians and officials.  Israel and Judah had been so filled with bad kings and self-serving leadership over the centuries that Christ’s disciples could barely conceive of a different kind of rule.  This is why Jesus called his disciples together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-43).
 

 

            The greatest Christmas gift we can give this season is the gift of our lives to Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah.  When we see that God always keeps his promises; when we gain the understanding that Jesus is the fulfillment of all those good promises; and, when we receive the gift of the Spirit, it is not a duty but a delight to give ourselves to the triune God who has orchestrated salvation for us.  Since Jesus loves and serves us, it is a small thing for us to give ourselves to him in return.  May this be the reason for your joy, peace, and goodwill this season, to the glory of God.

Take the High Road

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
            When I was younger I thought my Dad was too wishy-washy when it came to political allegiances.  He was always fiercely independent, never declaring a political party or a particular platform.  His two favorite presidents of all-time were Franklin Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, two men that could not be more different and opposite.  Now that I have a few years under my belt (not to mention a few pounds) I am beginning to see the approach and wisdom of my late Dad.  Dad was no stranger to politics and dealing with people.  He served for many years on the local school board and presided as its president through some mucky issues of the school system.  Through it all he was able to maintain his convictions without estranging others.
 
            Within my local congregation there may be very little ethnic and racial diversity, but it is more than made up for in political diversity.  Right-wing conservatives and left-leaning liberals populate the church, with everything in-between.  Within my sphere of social media friends the differences and diversity is even more pronounced.  Just a quick glance at Facebook, I would never know that it is the holiday season where we celebrate peace and goodwill toward our fellow humanity.  Heated polemics and sarcastic rhetoric seem to be everywhere.  It is one thing for the world to act in such a way, it is quite another for people who profess the name of Jesus Christ to act with hate-filled speech.  When unthinking Christians splash their spiritual immaturity in public for all to see, it is time for us to take the high road to Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.  Lately, I’ve been thinking that maybe my Dad was onto something after all – remaining calm and carefully engaging in political talk in ways that are helpful, not hurtful.
 
            It was our Lord Jesus Christ who clearly taught us that it is the peacemakers who are blessed and are called children of God (Matthew 5:9).  Jesus had some strong words for those who would stoop to name-calling (Matthew 5:22).  What is more, Christ our teacher clearly instructed us his followers to love and pray for our enemies, to forgive those who have wronged us, and not to judge them (Matthew 5:43-48; 6:14-15; 7:1-5).  The gospel that Jesus and Paul proclaimed was one of peace, not wrath.  Our Lord did not go to the cross in order to give us ammunition to blast others who disagree with us; Jesus died to bring peace and to completely eradicate any us-versus-them mentalities.  The warped compulsion we have to divide the entire human population into good and bad misses the mid-point of history where Jesus stands to bring peace, having abolished our predilections for separating others (Ephesians 2:11-18).
 

 

            It is time to take the high road.  It is not wishy-washy to pray and work toward peace.  I have come to see that my Dad showed more courage in not taking sides than aligning himself with a certain group of people.  Our focus is more out-of-whack than we probably know.  It is high time we get our heads and our hearts back on the One who will ultimately come and consummate God’s benevolent and peaceful reign upon all creation.  By adopting Christ’s kingdom values we are being faithful subjects in a rule that is meant to transform the world, not through fear and hostility, but by the grace of King Jesus.