Unexpected Blessings

Out of the blue some friends from home Facebooked me on their drive from Switzerland to Frankfurt.  They drove out of their way to Landstuhl, and we were able to spend some time together.  Juli's ancestors are from nearby Otterberg, so we spent most of the evening there.  We found the Cathedral that was originally Catholic but turned Lutheran with the Reformation.  Eventually, the Catholics and Lutherans agreed to share the building.  It took many years to iron out the details, but in time they found harmony and it is still shared to this day.  That kind of cooperation is virtually unheard of in our age, let alone ca. 18th century when the preferred method of theological compromise involved the wrack.

If you know me, you know that I firmly believe in theological conviction.  I hope you also know that I firmly believe in civil conversation, even constructive debate.  The differences between theological camps are significant enough they should not be overlooked in the name of unity.  We need to wrestle through the tough issues of justification, election, communion, and so on.  If the Reformation taught us anything, it is that Truth is worth dying for.  But, we need to hold these convictions with the Spirit of Christ seeking harmony when unified melody is simply not possible.  If you know the Jarvis family, you know that this ancestral spirit of peaceful cooperation has survived the generations and geography separating them from this Cathedral where it all began.  If you know them, you'll also know that Chris had equipment suitable for photographing Otterberg in the low light, so check out his Facebook page, or Juli's blog for more pictures and stories coming soon (I'm pretty sure).

Dinner, where Juli strategically positioned herself in view of the Cathedral.

Juli and Chris in my office at 2:00 AM.  Never a dull moment around here!

Today I went to Kirche...

This morning I walked down to the Protestant Church (Kirche) in Landstuhl.  The steeple in the picture below adorns the beautiful building.

 I got there at 10:00, and saw that the service started at 9:30.  Given my Baptist heritage I assumed I missed the hymns and got there in time for the preaching.  Not that it mattered, the whole service was in German anyway.  I went on in and slipped quietly into the back pew.

 This sanctuary could easily seat 200+.  To my left were two young ladies and a group of elderly folks numbering roughly what you see in the picture above.  They sang a hymn, the pastor stood and I assume prayed (again, it's all in German), and then walked out.  It was now 10:05 and church was over.  So...

I walked down a block to the cafe and enjoyed this cup of coffee.  I wish the picture did justice to the setting.  It was a beautiful sunny morning, about 70 degrees.  At 10:20 the bells from both the Protestant and Catholic church started ringing.  Apparently the Ecumenical movement has brought some harmony to the German churches, because the bells were tuned to each other.  The tones resonated through the streets, bouncing off the stone buildings.  I posted a video below, but in person it was much easier on the ears.

I did some reading, thinking, and relaxing.  Not a typical Sunday morning for a preacher, but I'll take it.

Why I Still Love the Hymns

I am of the generation that bears the greatest culpability for the Church moving away from hymns.  This isn’t all bad.  There are many wonderful contemporary songs that speak truth to our souls and lift our eyes to Christ.  Songs like “Blessed Be Your Name,” or one of our new ones, “Your Great Renown,” keep us in our place of humility before an Almighty, Benevolent, Praiseworthy God.  It doesn’t get more worshipful than that.  I love contemporary music, but not to the exclusion of the great hymns of the past.  One of the things I love about Grace Fellowship is the variety we enjoy in the music portion of our services.  As I like to say, “If you don’t like the music come back next week because it will be entirely different.”  When the schedule puts Juli on the piano or Dennis at the podium I know we are going to be singing hymns, and I rejoice for many reasons.  I’ll share just a few of them with you now:

1. Hymns are a great source of sound theology.  Your theology is what you believe to be true about God.  We are all theologians.  It is in our best interest to be good at it.  Hymns help. 

           

Martin Luther’s, “A Mighty Fortress,” is in my estimation the best teaching on demonology to be found outside the pages of your Bible.  “The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him – his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure: One little word shall fell him.”  Contrasted with, “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing.  Dost ask who that may be?  Christ Jesus, it is He – Lord Sabaoth His name.”  Lord Sabaoth is an Old Testament reference meaning, Lord of Hosts, or Lord of Armies.  James borrows this Hebrew phrase to comfort persecuted Christians, reassuring them that “Lord Sabaoth” has heard their prayers.  No song encourages me more in spiritual battle than the theological precision of “A Mighty Fortress.”

            

“I Know Whom I Have Believed” is another powerful hymn that condenses theology into poetry.  “I know not how the Spirit moves, convincing men of sin, nor how believing in His Word wrought peace within my heart.”  And then, right out of 2 Timothy 1:12, “But I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.”  There are mysteries beyond the scope of our intellect.  Good theology is honest about that while grasping firmly to what we know – to what Scripture reveals.  This hymn anchors us to the biblical truth of Christ.

2. Hymns are communal.  Sunday evening a handful of folks came out for our hymn-sing.  The attendees ranged in age from Lucas to Chet Firnekas.  The Grace Fellowship tenure ranged from Joan Crowe to Les Hunt.  Every person present knew every one of the songs.  That would not be possible during a Praise and Worship jam-fest (as fun as that would be!).  Across generational and geographical lines hymns draw us together in a way that is truly unique.

            

Hymns speak the language of the Church.  Joel helped me lead during the hymn-sing and it was obvious that in his 9 years of life he’s picked up at least a cursory knowledge of many hymns.  He can walk into any church and know the hymns.  He can go with me to Amie Holt and sing along with 90-year-old saints who can only mouth the words.  When he is 90 and residing in an assisted living facility he’ll be singing “In the Garden” while his great-grandkids groan under the weight of an ancient hymn, “Grandpa, that song is so old!”  But, it still speaks the language of the church.  Always has, always will.  “Blessed be the tie that binds.”  Few things do that more than music; no music does that more than the hymns.

3. Hymns have stood the test of time.  And Can it Be, Come Thou Fount, It is Well.  Isaac Watts, John and Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby.  These names will be with the Church for eternity – most likely quite literally.  This is not to say that “In Christ Alone” won’t stick around for generations to come.  It is to say that a true classic, a true great hymn of the faith, will make its way into the annals of hymnody and your great-great-grandchildren will find themselves humming it around the house.

            

Many contemporary songs that were popular 5 years ago have faded away.  We’ll be singing a thousand variations of “Amazing Grace” for another thousand years.  I tend to think that “Blessed be Your Name” is here to stay, while “Jesus, You’re My Super Hero” has just about ran its course.

            

The reason why #2 is true is because #1 is true, which is also why #3 is true.  A song with powerful lyrics will find itself sung by the faithful who will pass it on to grateful generations to come.  “Be Thou My Vision” will never be trumped.  These timeless words, transcending generational and cultural categories, speak to Christians of every age.  “Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, Thou mine inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.” 

What are your favorite hymns and why?  What would you add to this list of reasons why you love the hymns?  

Warrior Shepherd

Today my morning prayers focused on a variety of people.  Some sick, some hurting, some mourning loss.  Others facing big decisions, some making poor decisions, some just confused, whose confusion spilled over into my prayers.  I wrestled with how to pray, which in turn naturally called into question my proficiency as shepherd of this flock.  My thoughts then went to my co-laborers on the elder board - how should we, Grace Fellowship's shepherds, pastor these people in our care?  Sometimes the hows, whos, and whys get a little messy.

God graciously allowed my mind to wonder to a passage I read the other day.  Micah 5:1-5 tells us about the One who would come from Bethlehem, the shepherd who will "stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God."  I usually picture ancient shepherds more like Little Boy Blue than a fierce warrior standing in the strength of Yahweh, reflecting His majesty.  But that is our Shepherd.  A Warrior Shepherd.  I'm just a hireling, an under-shepherd.  I don't need all the answers.  Our elders aren't expected to be Christ.  Our leadership falls short of the glory of God.  Our calling is to faithfully point Christ's flock to their true Shepherd.  He alone can lead us to the green pastures our souls crave.

To those of the flock who read this, I urge you to look to Him.  I pray that you find us, your fellow sheep, simply pointing Christ-ward.  To the under-shepherds who read this I encourage you to look to the Shepherd for your source of motivation in the task entrusted to us.  And, never forget, that not unlike one of Israel's shepherds, King David, the Lord is our Shepherd too.  We lack nothing.  There are green pastures and still waters to be found for all of us, overflowing, and free, and only in the person of Jesus Christ.

Melchizedekian Tithe or a Living Sacrifice

What does Melchizedek teach us about tithe? Those who confine the principle of tithing to the Old Testament do so (usually) by pointing to its Mosaic Law origins. Under grace we are not bound by law, so why would we insist that this one piece of the law is binding now? On the other side, some who believe the principle of tithing is for the church, point to Melchizedek as proof that tithe predates law. If tithe predates law then it is a constant principle, not belonging to one era or one people. But what does the Genesis 14 actually have to say about tithe?

Who was Melchizedek? Whether or not he was preincarnate Christ is irrelevant for our study. (Although, I would like to point out that the definition of his name – “King of Righteousness” – isn’t much help in that debate. My name means “My God.”) Abram saw Melchizedek as either God, or at the very least, a representative of God. So, when tithing to him, Abram was, any way you slice it, tithing to God.

But why? What was Abram’s motive? Tithe was a common cultural practice in the suzerain/vassal society of the land. The vassal tithed as payment for and demonstration of the suzerain’s protection. In rescuing Lot, Abram also rescued the five kings of the five cities, which had been captured along with Lot. In gratitude, the king of Sodom approached Abram, we learn later, to shower him with the goods won in battle. Had Abram accepted his offer it would have been a demonstration of humility by the king of Sodom as vassal, and Abram, suzerain. It is in the middle of this encounter that Melchizedek appears and Abram demonstrates to these four pagan kings who the real Suzerain is. He uses a common expression from their culture to honor his God as the one who “delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” This is why Abram refused the offer. It would have distorted the message he was preaching. He would have communicated, “I serve the Most High who alone can deliver us, but I’ll take your cash too.” No, Abram was no suzerain. He saw himself a vassal, and also demonstrated himself to be a one through his humbled posture. The act was not one of obligation, but gratitude. It was not one of necessity. It was not what the law teaches for Levitical provision. It was not the storehouse tithe of Malachi for temple maintenance. It was a one-time act, not the regular giving a church needs today. It was a ceremony borrowed from pagans to show those same pagans who they should be serving.

The tithe sermon I have heard several times goes something like this: We take “storehouse tithe” from Malachi (which appeals to law), point to Melchizedek to prove its timelessness (which was not storehouse tithe), go to Jesus’ conversation with Pharisees for confirmation (which was actually confrontation), and finally appeal to Paul for regularity (which was actually a one time gift for a specific situation and organized for convenience). God’s Word has a much simpler plan for the church. But I’ll worn you, it’s much more demanding (Romans 12:1-2). But, that’s a whole sermon, not a blog.

Church Music

God created us with a wide range of emotions. These emotions are all good and all have a proper expression in a proper context. These emotions are part of the image of God that we have the distinct
privilege to reflect and enjoy. To say that something is evil simply because it appeals to the flesh is to deny the innate goodness of these emotional (fleshly) feelings. Remember, context is the key in indulging these emotions, but also remember that theologically and biblically speaking, these emotions do have their proper place and bring glory to God when enjoyed there (and only there). Music, perhaps more than any thing else, powerfully connects with these emotional feelings.

I do not believe that we can categorize music as right and wrong based on the way it sounds or how it makes us feel. I do believe we can categorize music as appropriate and inappropriate for a given context based on the way it sounds. Let me explain. Chris Tomlin writes some of my favorite contemporary songs ("How Can I Keep from Singing," "Mighty Is the Power of the Cross") but, in my opinion, he makes a big blunder with "All Bow Down." The music is praise music - joyful, uplifting, makes you want to move - but the words are worship. The feeling associated with praise is obvious; the feeling associated with worship is humility. The lyrics say, "here comes the King, all bow down" (worship, humility), but the music makes me want to celebrate. That doesn't work. I'm not saying it's sinful, I'm just saying it doesn't work. I understand that there is a certain degree of subjectivity in that statement, but musicians agree that there are some universals here as well. If you don't believe them just ask a two-year old why he dances to some songs and not to others.

We have the liberty and biblical precedent to enjoy a wide variety in our church music. Psalm 150 names basically every instrument in existence at the time. We are to use all of our resources for the glory of our God. Surely this principle does not exclude musical ability. Music is meant to praise God, worship God, stir our hearts for action, and turn our hearts toward reflection. If we are serious about this, our music needs to make sense. I don't get into the old/new, hymn/chorus debates. Church music should touch on all of the Christian life, and to do that, it must make sense both lyrically and musically. There is good and bad in just about every genre and era of Christian music out there. My aim is to use the best I can find to bring glory to God. My view of music in a nutshell: the church should do music on purpose.

Worship

Is worship what happens when The David Crowder Band and Chris Tomlin get together in a stadium full of college students? Is worship what happens on Sunday when we sing together... when we pass the offering plate... when the pastor preaches... when we skip church to pray in our boat at the lake? Worship is clearly a huge part of our Christian vocabulary - so much so that we can lose its meaning in our familiarity with it. So, what does the Bible say about worship?

While there are a handful of Greek and Hebrew words commonly translated as worship in our English translations the overwhelming majority of these references come from the Hebrew, shachah, and the Greek, proskuneo. These words almost synonomously mean "to bow down," or "to prostrate oneself." One lexicon explains the idea as, "to express in attitude or gesture one’s complete dependence on or submission to a high authority figure." Thus, the meaning appears to be very broad in terms of form, but very narrow in terms of substance. The important thing is the attitude of the heart. For clarity it is helpful to look at this meaning in contrast with another Greek word often translated as worship in the New Testament. Sebomai is used only 10 times. The word refers to expressing worship through acts of ceremony. Jesus used sebomai in Matthew 15:9 and Mark 7:7 where he said the Pharisees worship him in vain "teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." In other words, "lacking the humility of true worship their ceremonies mean nothing." Or, "true worship strips us of our legalistic pride in thinking that these ceremonial acts impress God." Worship is not about the event, especially when the life style is not in agreement with what is said in the worship act.

So what does Biblical worship look like? It looks like a penitent heart humbly expressing to God a desperate need for Him. This can and should be communicated through silence, prayer, song, reflection, study, preaching, giving, serving, and every thought or action we give ourselves to in a particular day. It can and should be done corporately but that event only means anything if it is done first privately on a consistent basis. Sunday morning worship only works if the worshipers have been worshiping Monday through Saturday. If not it is sebomai, not proskuneo. Sunday should be the overflow, not the goal. Sunday should be an expression to God of our corporate need for him and submission to him, not an experience we wish to get something out of.

Obviously, this has direct implications for church music. But, that will have to wait for the next post.

Church and Culture

A website asks the question, "Is your church reflecting the culture or shaping it?" It is a fair question, but my response is different than what they are going for. The American Heritage Dictionary defines culture as, "The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought." That is more or less all inclusive of a people group. Does the church necessarily want to change all of that about every culture? By this definition things that influence culture will be industry, climate, history, and many other factors just as morally benign. Culture is who people are. So I ask, "If your church does not reflect elements of the culture, aren't you potentially legalistic?" Is it necessary or even preferable for a church to have their own style of music, dress, art, communication... that is totally foreign to the community in which they exist? We don't ask this of our missionaries. In fact, we strongly discourage this in missionaries. We expect them to learn their new culture and contextualize (please don't read too much theology into my use of that word) the Gospel into it as seamlessly as possible. Why do we think ministry should be any different state-side?

I understand that the doctrine of separation demands abstanence from certain elements of culture. Our society is increasingly sensual in entertainment and dress. But, this does not mean that we must never watch TV or should dress like the Amish. Our society worships recreation as a god. But, this does not mean that Christians can never play video games or go to the lake. Our culture produces a lot of music that is contrary to Biblical morality. But, this does not mean that guitars and drums are evil.

We need to remember that everything we hold traditional was once new and probably very contraversial. We also need to remember that to reach our neighbors we have a Biblical precedent to think like missionaries. The Great Commission demands it! We also need to remember that we are all probably emersed in the Christian subculture more than we think and need to extend grace and patience to other Christians as we progress together towards Christ-likeness.

Translations

Having once held to the KJVO position I am well aware of the difficulty surrounding this topic. There are textual issues, transmition and preservation issues, translator issues, and faith issues, to name just a few. Frequently there is also a strong emotional element as seen in some of the book titles from this point of view such as, "Touch Not the Unclean Thing," and "Settled in Heaven." I am not even going to attempt to resolve such issues in a blog format. If we agree, great. If we strongly disagree I am not going to try to change your mind. If you are kind of KJV, or KJV and not sure why, send me an e-mail. I'd love to discuss this with you. For every one else here is where I stand without (too much) additional commentary.

My absolute favorite translation to date is the English Standard Version. I like the New American Standard, the Revised Standard, the Holman Christian Standard, and the New King James pretty well. I'm not particularly fond of the NIV for various reasons, but, I think the translators did a great job in what they set out to do. I don't have a problem preaching from the old KJV where the congregation uses it as their standard. The KJV has a beautiful history and tradition that I do not wish to diminish, but for the sake of the modern reader I acknowledge and appreciate the wonderful contribution of contemporary scholarship. Regardless which translation is read during the preaching, the preacher has a responsibility to the Word of God as it exists in the original languages. So, NIV, KJV, ESV... the important thing is to understand what God said and what that means in real life.

The simplicity of the Gospel

If you are reading this you are most likely familiar with the line, "I love to tell the story, for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest." I never got that as a kid. But now that I find myself falling into the Galatia trap of thinking that my salvation begun in grace through faith is now made better by finite me. What kind of spell comes over us to have such thoughts? I hunger for a steady diet of the simple Gospel that reminds me that grace does not require a suit and tie. It does not require ourtward forms of piety. It does not require "churchianity" - that confusing language only other evangelicals understand. The Gospel was never intended to morph into a culture cold to outsiders. It was intended to soften hearts to the point of loving others cross-culturally. The Gospel abhores my tendency to pretend that I'm OK when we all know that I am a sinner. The simple Gospel is the easy yoke and light burden of Jesus' teaching that defines sin not through the culture of established religion, but through Scripture alone. I love to tell that story. I need to hear that story. The Church is to be the medium of that story. Our lives are to be the testimony of that story.