Preaching through Philippians

For a while now at Palo Verde we have been working our way through Paul's letter to the Philippians. It has been an exhilarating journey for me and my prayer is that it has been a blessing for those who have accompanied me. Philippians with its delicate interplay of joy, suffering and unity within the colony of God makes it a wonderful resource for addressing contemporary Christians within a postmodern sea. A practice I have had with Philippians is simply reading the letter orally several times a week beginning on Tuesdays. This has been a wonderful blessing to me and helped me to "hear" the word. I believe that "hearing" was the primary context of the letter in the first place.

I have found several works helpful that I come back to on a routine basis. The commentaries by Gordon Fee, F. F. Bruce and P. T. O'Brien are the best you can get in my opinion. The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters has not left my desk in months. Peter Oakes' Philippians: From People to Letter has been rich with insight into the social context of the letter. Here are a few other resources that have made my study and hopefully my preaching better.

Jack Reese, The Broken Body: Embracing the Peace of Christ in a Fragmented Church (not limited to Philippians but a pastorally rich work)

Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity

David deSilva, Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture

Matthew Bunsun, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire (especially the article on Colonies)

Paul Achtemeier, "Omne Verbum Sonat: The New Testament and the Oral Development of Late Antiquity" JBL 109 (1990): 3-27

David Black, "Paul and Christian Unity: A Formal Analysis of Phil 2.1-4" JETS 28 (1985): 299-308

John Gibbs, "The Relation between Creation and Redemption according to Phil II.5-11" Novum Testamentum 12 (1970): 170-183

Paul Sampley, Pauline Partnership in Christ: Christian Community and Commitment in Light of Roman Law

P. T. O'Brien, "The Fellowship Theme in Philippians," Reformed Theological Review 37 (1978): 9-18

N. T. Wright, "Paul's Gospel and Caesar's Empire" ... online

Working through Philippians is an ongoing process right now. But the prayer, the meditation, the wrestling with the text has resulted in mediocre attempts at preaching the epistle here at Palo Verde. So far eight of these lessons have fallen upon the ears of my fellow travelers at PV ... they are:

Thanksgiving the Heartbeat of the Kingdom, 1.1-11
The Silver Lining, 1.12-18
Jesus, Let Us Come to Know You, 1.27-30
What Would Jesus THINK?, 2.1-11
No Complaining, 2.12-18
No Pedigree, 3.1-11
Freshness for the Far Journey, 3.12-20
A Savior From Heaven, 3.17-4.1

For the brave at heart these sermons can be accessed online HERE. The lessons begin on 3/7 (March 7) to the present. You will need to click on the individual title to download the MP3.

It has been my prayer that God would use me to be a blessing. Fortunately his word empowered by his Spirit does its thing with or without me of this I am convinced. So I repent of all the shortcomings and give praise for anything that is true to what the Spirit said through Paul.

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The Last Word: Grace for a Sinful People, Amos 9.11-15

This is my final installment of a series of ruminations on the prophet Amos. What a challenge he has been to me. My cage has not only been rattled but it has been put through the wringer ... Previous reflections are

Amos at a Glance: Redefining Righteousness
Amos: The Crimes of Nations
Amos: Judgment on the Church's Sin
Amos: The Tragedy of Complacency, 6.1-7

Beginnings ...

For nine chapters Amos has put God's People under the microscope. He has proclaimed divine judgment for sin/crimes committed during periods of war. He has called them out for failing to love their brothers and sisters and neglecting the poor (violating the second great commandment). Amos has examined unethical business practices practiced by folks who dismiss justice. Many are wealthy and consumed with leisure so he calls them the "cows of Bashan" oppressing the needy and desiring only another martini (4.1ff). Israel had interpreted their wealth and prosperity as signs of divine blessing and approval for their way of life. After all they were very religious and even "went to church" a lot. They observed the sabbath days and feast days (5.21ff) but in "church" they were thinking ...

"When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?
skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating
with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the
needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings
for the wheat"
(8.5-6)

Gathered worship became a mere pause in the scheme to maximize profits and reduce costs regardless of the impact on those with less power and status. It is because of the spirit exhibited by God's people here that Amos promised them nothing but heartache, and even destruction. God's people, the redeemed slaves of Egypt, were beyond hope!!! Or so it looked to the human eye. They are beyond the point of turning back Yahweh's just wrath upon their avarice. The blood of too many innocent people was crying out from the ground. One too many persons had been sold into slavery ... Yahweh had had enough!!

Judgment was coming. It was to be a severe winnowing of the people of God so much so that Amos himself plead that God relent in mercy from particular plagues (Amos 7.1-6). The amazing thing here is that God ... listened!

Middles ...

God is not man ... praise God that he isn't! One ancient Israelite in the nadir of destruction caught a glimpse of something ...

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness ..." (Lamentations 3.22, NIV)

All is not as it seemed. In chapter 9 the tone of the Prophet changes dramatically. Suddenly there is a message of gracious hope. It was (and is) a message God's people did not expect nor did they deserve it. It was simply a message of God's unending grace for his people. So sudden and radical is this change in tune that some modern scholars do not believe Amos actually said it. It is contrary to the message of the whole book and is a later addition. It is hard to conceive of a message so unprecedented ...

But a couple of brief observations need to be made here. First, God's last word for his people is never judgment. Rather God's last word is always gracious hope! Second, the canonical prophets all end with a word of grace, a word of hope, not judgment! Hosea's last word to Israel is hope and blessing (ch. 14). Joel's last word is to bless God's people (4.17-21). Micah promises Israel will rise again in God's grace (7.8-20). Even little overlooked Obadiah ends with the word of grace (vv.15ff). And so the list goes. It is breathtaking indeed but it is so true to the God of the Bible that Amos ends with the message of grace for God's Sinful People. God is in the habit of doing things that boggle our human minds.

What is the Last Word? Message of Grace to Sinful People??

In chapter 9 ... to cap of his book of sermons Amos ascends the pulpit and stuns us with his poetic word ... we are not beyond hope:

In that day I will restore David's fallen tent.
I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and
build it as it used to be, so that they may posses the
remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name,'
declares the LORD, who will do these things.

The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when the reaper
will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by
the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the
mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring
back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild
the ruined cities and live in them. They will
plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will
make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel
in their own land never again to be uprooted from
their own land, never again to be uprooted from
the land I have given them,' says the
LORD your God."
(9.11-15)

First thing we need to let happen here with this oracle is simply "SOAK IT UP!" Let it sink into our consciousness. Let the word wash over us and overwhelm us in its unbelievable goodness. Let the grace of God take our breath away!

Once we have just sat in awe of these words we need to let their radical nature begin penetrating our psyche. This restoration blessing oracle is predicated on one thing only ... not Israel's sudden goodness, not her sudden faithfulness, not her righteousness. This blessing of grace is rooted in one thing only ... Yahweh's love for his people. It is an expression of his undeserved grace.

The oracle itself is divided into two parts. First there is the promise of restoration (exile does not end God's relationship with Israel) and power over enemies. Second there is the promise of unbelievable bounty ... a return to a land flowing with milk and honey! Yahweh bluntly states he will plant Israel like a garden, once again, in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He has not cast them off, as Paul would later put it.

Yahweh will rebuild David's tent and repair its walls. Scholars are divided as to what this actually refers to. But the explanation that makes the best sense to me is Richardson's. The word translated "tent" is the Hebrew succoth. This was also a city on the east bank of the Jordan that served as an important base for David and symbolized the stretch of his military power. It was from here that David was able to unify (= rule) the enemies of Israel. But now Succoth lay in ruins and was a desolate place symbolic of the fallen state of the divided kingdom and the people of Israel. The rebuilding of that place symbolizes the return of the glory days of David. Reunification of the divided people of God is frequently associated with a new David who would shepherd God's people (cf. Mic 5.2-6). Edom had been a bitter enemy of God's people but in this day of grace Israel will fear Edom no more.

Notice the emphasis that Amos gives to God's divine activity in this restoration saying it is the "LORD who will do these things." There can be no misunderstanding here, says Amos. Israel, you only deserve punishment. You actually deserve exile. You have broken the covenant of love with Yahweh. Israel, don't ever dream for a second that you are somehow "contributing" to your "salvation." Amos says in essence, the only thing you have contributed was your damnation! Sometimes we talk of the divine side of salvation and the human side of salvation but in the Hebrew Bible there is only one side ... Yahweh's! Remember the prophets thunder: Exodus (salvation) comes before Sinai! Calvary comes before Pentecost! Grace comes before faith. Always has and always will!

Looking further into verses 13-15 Amos strains to communicate the bounty of God's grace to his Sinful People. Using images of agricultural bounty Amos impresses upon our minds what life in the kingdom of God will be like. Things are going to be so radically different on that day of grace that harvests will be so rich and abundant that the reaper will still be in the field trying after many months to collect the crops. Barley and wheat are harvested in early May in Palestine and grapes are picked in early September. Ploughing begins in October, followed immediately by sowing. In the day of grace sowing and reapoing will blend together in a near constant harvest. The harvester cannot keep up!

God's bountiful grace rains down the mountains in a mist of wine. This grape harvest, a symbol of richness and extravagance, covers the land in wine that gladdens the heart. Amos is of course using hyperbole to demonstrate that the day of grace is one of grace to the excess! In that day God will bring back his people from exile, they will rebuild and replant ... and BE replanted by Yahweh. These are images of life being restored to the way God intended it to be. God's People had lived far beneath what they were called to be. The Lord rescues them from their self-centered lives to ones lived to the full. He will plant them in the land like a new Garden of Eden. No one can take them from his hand.

Endings ...

God did redeem his people from exile and even useless self-centered lives. Peter addressing a different set of exiles along the Black Sea encouraged them with these words "you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers" (1 Pet 1.18). The promise of Amos to God's sinful people is, we believe as Christians, fulfilled in the Jewish Messiah Jesus of Nazareth. Yes God did bring his people back from exile in the days of Ezra but the promises are so rich and abundant that they bloom in Jesus and what he intends to do in and through Israel for the nations.

Yahweh's amazing grace brought a message of desperate hope for people under the gun. His promise allowed us Gentiles to be counted among the saints. Because of the promise we have received a name, a heritage and a purpose to live in our world. Our lives are not meaningless pursuits of self-aggrandizement but share in the mission of gracious restoration.

Amos brought a message of judgment to Israel. First on their sins of the nations in war, of injustice, for their complacency, for their abuse of the poor, and for going to "church" without their lives being radically altered by the encounter with the Living God. Yet we have seen that the last word with Yahweh is the word of hope. It is a word of grace to a sinful, a nation full of sin. Perhaps Amos 9 could serve as a wonderful illustration of the truth testified to by Paul in Romans 4.4-5 ...

"Now when a [people] work, [their] wages are not credited to [them] as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the [people] who do not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, [their] faith is credited as righteousness."

Indeed God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are far above our thoughts. Make Amos a regular part of your Bible reading. God will bless you as you put his word in your heart.

Tolle lege

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Grace THROUGH Communion ... Mediation on Dining with the Savior

As I reflected on the awesome privilege of gathering with the brothers and sisters at PaLO VErde around the family table today some things came to my mind. What rich, what incredible grace we experience through communion. Let me share a few things I have thought about today. This is not a complete theology (many dimensions not touched on) of the Supper but just some things that came to mind after Mike led our thoughts today. So here are a few of my "grace through communion" thoughts ... after the fact.

OPENING

Is it not strange, even bizarre, at first glance, that Christianity which promises us life, should present for our contemplation the emblems of death and sorrow? The primary reason for our gathering on the Lord's Day is to celebrate and remember the tragic scene of Christ Crucified. In the first Christian century, and especially in our own of the 21st, it is stranger still that death should become a subject of commemoration.

Death! The very consummation of human fears! That death should become a source of voluntary reflection, even a source of happiness and hope; is this not a "contradiction" in terms?? Stranger still, we have met together today to celebrate the death, not of an enemy, but of the very best friend we could ever have. Two of the most significant events that any Christian will ever participate, her baptism and taking the Lord's Supper, are both reenactments, rituals if you will, of the Passion of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. In baptism we die with Christ to start our Christian journey and we take the Supper to renew our gracious covenant with him every resurrection day. Both proclaim our transformation by his sacrifice and blood that was shed on the Cross of Golgotha. Both proclaim the fathomless depth of God's grace.

ROOTS OF THE SUPPER

I have titled this blog, "Grace THROUGH Communion," because every time we gather together and celebrate the Eucharist we are renewed in spirit by his wonderful loving Spirit and grace. To understand more of what I speak we must back up and talk about the justification of sinners by our Holy Father. We will do this by exploring a few key concepts in Romans 3. We will briefly at the SOURCE of our justification; the GROUND of our justification; the MEANS of our justification; and the EFFECTS of our justification.

The Source of our justification is stated by the apostle Paul in no uncertain terms: we are justified by grace! "[We] are justified freely by his grace . . ." (Rom. 3.24). According to Paul we are justified wholly and totally by God through his unmerited favor. There can be no debate here. God alone gets the glory for our salvation (justification). Paul declares that no one is righteous, not even good church folks (3.21). This knocks the props out from under any efforts at self-justification. It is a sheer impossibility (3.10). Only God can justify us according to Paul in Romans 8.33; and he does it "freely" (= dorean, "free gift," or "gratis"), not because of any works of our own, but because of his decision to be gracious.

We have looked at the Source of our justification but what of the Ground of our justification. How can God be just while justifying the sinner? The answer that Paul gives to these questions is we are justified BY Christ's blood. "Since we have now been justified by his blood . . ." (Rom. 5.9) Justification is not a synonym for amnesty. No, justification is an act of justice, of gracious justice. There was and is still a penalty to be paid for our sin. Jesus paid that penalty and continues to pay that penalty with his meritorious blood -- not any human deed on our part. There could not be any justification without the atoning death of Jesus the Christ.

The Means of our justification is through faith (Rom. 3.28; Gal 2.16; Phil 3.9). Grace and faith are linked together and cannot be separated. Faith's sole purpose is to receive what grace freely provides. We are not, therefore, justified "because" of our faith in the sense that faith has merit. We are justified "because of" God's grace and "because of" Christ's blood, that is where the ONLY merit is. Faith is, however, the Means of our justification. Our faith has its focus in the Crucified One who died in our place, only then is it of value. Here the words of Paul, "God presented him [Jesus Christ] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood" (Rom. 3.25).

Now we can ask what are the Effects of our justification? The effects of justification is to bring us into a community of believers called the church of Jesus Christ. Justification puts us in a fellowship of "Cross-bearers" who devote themselves to do good works and the pursuit of holiness and the character of God (Eph. 2.10). This community helps each other, bears one anothers' burdens, gives each other hope.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE SUPPER?

You may be asking yourselves, "This is all good but what does this have to do with the Lord's Supper, Communion, or Eucharist?" It has everything to do with the Supper. Just as baptism is where justification by faith is actualized for us (Rom. 6; Tit. 3.3-8); it is in communion that all the benefits of Christ's death are renewed in me. In baptism I am crucified with Christ, I am buried with him in water, I am raised with him to a new life -- all through faith in God's power to raise him from the dead. Paul declares these truths in Colossians 2, "having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (v.12). In other words I "participate", or share in the gospel story through baptism. Now Paul says that is exactly what happens in communion as well. Listen carefully:

"I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup Thanksgiving [where we get "eucharist" from] for which we give thanks a PARTICIPATION in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a PARTICIPATION in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." (1 Cor. 10. 14-17)

In celebrating the death of our friend, Jesus, we become an actor in the divine drama of the Gospel in both baptism and communion. To become a Christian I must participate in the drama of baptism, and to constantly grow, to be healthy, and renew my "vows" (covenant) with him I "participate" in the Gospel story again. We do this each time we have communion -- fellowship with his blood, fellowship with his body. It points me back -- as the Passover did -- to where I came from and how I got here, that this is about God's work and not mine. Nothing could be more central than the Lord's Supper.

BENEFITS OF "PARTICIPATING" IN THE DRAMA OF THE SUPPER

In communion, in the Supper, in the "Thanksgiving" (Eucharist), I am reminded that I am truly accepted by God through his Son. One of Satan's most effective tools with Christians is to get them to doubt their salvation. But in the Supper we have a visible reminder that "Yes! I am in right standing with because of the atoning death of his Son." The Italian reformer, Don Benedetto, said "God did not give us a certificate but a sacrament that gives our soul the assurance of eternal salvation" (Juan de Valdes & Don Benedetto, The Benefit of Christ, pp. 145-146). This is one reason we celebrate the Lord's Supper each Lord's Day. Because the Enemy throws anxiety in our path. During the week we may be assaulted by his fiery darts, we begin to fear! In Communion with the Lord, and with our brothers and sisters, we are affirmed in our faith. We again hear by faith the Gospel story. We again are reminded of the power of God. We confess with Benedetto,

"I have deserved a thousand hells and eternal deaths because of the great sins I have committed. But when I reflect on this heavenly sacrament which I now receive, I am assured of the forgiveness of all my past misdoings and of my atonement with God" (The Benefit of Christ, pp. 146-147).

In the Lord's Supper the mysteries of Christianity are very deep indeed! Communion is a means of grace also because it is "spiritual food." Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."(John 6.53). Now we do not literally drink and eat Christ's flesh and blood. However we do "participate" in that body and blood in some mysterious way. Mysterious in the sense that I believe what the text says but I do not fully grasp. The same mystery surrounds baptism -- we do not literally get washed in the blood but somehow we "participate" in it. Now our point is more simple. If we are to thrive spiritually we need spiritual food. It is only by taking of that bread which came down from heaven, and which was given for the life of the world, that we can live eternally. How precious then, is the life this spiritual food imparts.

Look at the ironies we find in communion, the Lord's Supper. It is participating in death that we get what we need most, LIFE! Jesus in giving his life for us, gave us a life to live for God. Indeed, God's ways are not man's ways.

Let's notice one more thing about the cup. F. W. Krummacher in his devotional classic, The Suffering Saviour notes that the Lord did not select water but the fruit of the vine for the symbol of his shed blood. Christ is,

"the real vine, and we possess divine life only in so far as we, like the branches, grow through Him, and are pervaded by His influence. Besides, the cup reminds us of the wine press of torture and agony, in which the Son of God was to become our Saviour and Mediator, while the bread represents His body, offered for the deliverance and blessedness of His believing people" (p. 53).

Everything about the Supper reminds us that our God loves to give to his people and he loves to be with his people. What amazing grace we find with him.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Every time I take the Supper -- if I listen and discern -- I hear the message that says:

"'I LOVE THEE MORE ARDENTLY THAN THOU HAST LOVED THY SIN.' I know how I have loved my sin. I know how I have clung to it. I know how I have yearned after it. I know what illicit pleasure I have found in it. I know I have pursued it at any cost. And now, in the school of Calvary, My Master takes up this, my so strenuous and overwhelming passion for sin, and contrasts it disparagingly with his passion for me: `I HAVE LOVED THEE MORE THAN THOU HAS LOVED THY SIN.'" (quoted in
Jim McGuiggan's awesome book, The God of the Towel, p. 26).

When I participate in, share in, the gospel drama of the communion, it is THAT message that confronts us. It is haunting but it is compelling. It is gut wrenching but it is so life changing. It is for this that we gather together each Lord's Day and here the voice of the savior assures us of his infinite love when we have fellowship with him at his Table. In the breaking of the bread he is made known to us. In the Supper he renews his covenant with me and showers rich blessings of mercy upon us. He reminds us that I am saved and he
loves us more than we love our sin.

Grace through communion, that is what we find as we gather together on Sundays in the name of Christ. He took us sinners and allowed us to participate in baptism with him and he allows us to continue to have fellowship with him at the Table each week. If that is not grace, I fail to comprehend what it is. Thank him for all he has done for you. Thank him for all the sisters and brothers we have through him. Thank him for the unity we celebrate in the Supper of the Lamb for sinners slain.

Blessings,
Bobby Valentine
Ut omnes unum sint (John 17.21, Vulgate, 'that they may all be one')

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Bill Hybels & Bono 1

If you are over the age of 50 the name "Bono" or "U2" may have no meaning to you at all. But I am fairly sure that those who are younger than 45 and came of "age" in the 1980s, 1990s and beyond then these names are known better than the Vice President, Speaker of the House and a host of other lights. I have loved U2 since I became aware of them when "Joshua Tree" came out. I neither understood nor appreciated the depth of meaning in the music then. But I do now. Bono is a gadfly. He makes some Christians squirm and others want to praise God. He has something to say and I encourage you to listen to his voice. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear.

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Amos Redefines 'Righteousness': The Tragedy of Complacancy, 6.1-7

This post continues my series on the Prophet Amos and his mission to redefine "righteousness" as many of the fervently religious ancient Israelites (and contemporary Christians) practice it. The previous posts are:

Amos Redefines Righteousness: Amos at a Glance

Amos: The Crimes of Nations, 1.1-2.5

Amos Continues to Redefine Righteousness: Judgment on the Church's Sin

Amos 6 ... A Rumination

"What then is permanent? What do I have that is mine forever? Of what can it be said, this will not be lost or taken away? May answer is: the promise of god to be with us always. That is the ONE THING which the brevity and impermanence of life will not take away." (Gene Zimmerman)

An outline of our text of reflection.

6.1 Summons to appear in court before Yahweh
6.2
6.3-7 Tragedy that is ignored by the complacent

Studdert-Kennedy has a disturbing poem about Jesus. In the poem he asks how would our world respond to Jesus if he came today? Our world that has no great passion. Our world that has no great "sin" (in its own eyes). People today would pay the Savior no mind at all Studdert-Kennedy imagines.

Oh, we would listen politely, but his words would simply fall to the ground. We simply would not care. The poem ends, hauntingly, with Jesus leaning against the wall crying out for Golgotha. What a disturbing scene!

Indifference. A cold blase attitude has come to dominate our materialistic, individualistic culture. Elie Wiesel, the great Jewish philosopher/theologian, argues that the opposite of love is not hate. He says the opposite of love is indifference. Indeed, according to Wiesel, indifference is the greatest crime/sin humanity can be guilty of. Writing against the backdrop of Nazi Germany, he says that for a person to sit and let another human being get carried away to a death camp; or a person's business to be shut down or their home taken away simply because their blood is "different" -- to be capable of watching this and not get involved is to cease being human! When cold hearted complacency can keep us from doing the right thing 'because its not my fault' or 'not my business' is to cease being a living person.

Martin Niemoller, the great German pastor, wrote of his own complicity ...

"When they came for the Poles, I did nothing because I wasn't a Pole. When they came for the unions, I did nothing because I wasn't in a union. When they came for the socialists, I did nothing because I wasn't a socialist. When they came for the Jews, I did nothing for I wasn't a Jew. When they came for the Gypsies, I did nothing for I wasn't a Gypsy. When they came for the intellectuals, I did nothing for I wasn't an intellectual. When they came for me there was no one left to do anything."

The Text

The text for our rumination is addressed to those who are materially well off. But being well off was not their sin. The problem, the sin, was what we have been attempting to describe through Wiesel and Niemoller. These Israelites let wealth make them complacent and indifferent to the needs of the poor around them. They just did not seem to care, or worse "notice" as long as it did not affect them. Read carefully the text ...

Woe to you who are complacent in Zion
and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,
you notable men of the foremost nation,
to whom the people of Israel come!
Go to Calneh and look at it;
go from there to great Hamath,
and then go down to Gath in Philistia.
Are they better off than your two kingdoms?
Is their land larger than yours?
You put off the evil day and bring near a reign of terror.
You lie on beds inlaid with ivory
and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves.
You strum away on your harps like David
and improvise on musical instruments.
You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
Therefore you will be among the first
to go into exile;
your feasting and lounging will end."
(Amos 6.1-7)

The chaos of the average Israelite lives in can exist because those with means allow it to exist. The avarice described in vv 3 & 4 is stunning when we realize that the typical Israelite only ate meat three times a year. The complacent are lost in their leisure pursuits ... God cares if we care.

Ruminating on Us

I recall a story from when I lived in Mississippi of Oseola McCarty of Hattisburg which made national headlines. She was a simple poor house keeper. She cleaned the homes of wealthy white folks her whole life. She never made more than 20,000 dollars in a single year. But at the age of 75 she donated her entire life savings to the University of Southern Mississippi, a sum of 150,000 dollars. She said it was her dream to make a difference in the lives of young African-Americans. She wanted them to have chances that she was never allowed to have -- go through high school and college. This materially poor woman was rich in care and abundant in love for her fellow image bearers. She believed she could make a difference. She believed that even she could help some one else. So she saved. She quietly worked in her housekeeping. She did not let the complacent self-absorbed world or her circumstances make her indifferent. Now a dozen students each year receive an education -- one she made possible -- because she cared.

Ms. Mcarty shows us that each of us can make a difference in this world. We do not have to be the mayor, the governor, school principal, or one with clout. The key is simply "griev[ing] over the ruin of Joseph" enough to put love into action. We must realize that wealth is not a badge of approval before God (regardless of what Joel Osteen says). God grants us blessings not so we can live in avarice or be a leisure culture but so we can do what Ms. Mcarty did. God gives us money so we can ... give it for kingdom purposes.

As we reflect on how Amos redefines righteousness and says it has everything to do with how we use our resources there are questions that come to mind ...

Why do I have these "seemingly" natural talents?
Why do I have the job I have?
Why do I have this education?
Why do I have money?
Why do I have my house?
Why do I have ... (fill in the blank)

The materially comfortable and individually concerned of Amos' day seem to answer by saying "So I can live a comfortable life. It is proof of God's approval of me. I deserve it." Amos rattles their cage with the thundering words you will be the first to go into exile in Assyria! God's answer to these questions is that he has given us talents, jobs, education, money, etc so that we can be a kingdom blessing to those around us. This it would seem is the sole reason Yahweh has granted us wealth.

I believe that Wiesel is essentially correct. Complacency means death. It means to cease functioning as the Creator God intended image bearers to function. Complacency is the opposite of God. God cared enough about the literal poor to have his Son incarnate as a poverty stricken man.

His parents had to make the sacrifice of the poor (doves)
He took advantage of the provisions encoded into the Torah for the poor (gleaning)
He never owned a home (he was homeless)
He lived off the generosity of others (see Luke 8.1-3)
The poor man died on a cross because he cared for those who didn't. The poor man was not indifferent and it cost him his life.

Jesus was among the ones who were ignored and even oppressed in Amos' day. He was among the despised slaves in the South. He was in the death camps among Wiesel's family in Nazi Germany. He was with the blacks who had dogs turned loose on them in Birmingham. Perhaps, just perhaps, that is why these folks have been treated as they have been treated. During his public ministry we treated HIM the same way. We haven't changed that much.

This text in Amos haunts me. It really does. The reason it does is because I know, inspite of all my denials, I live in avarice compared to the rest of the world. We are consumed with leisure as Americans ... even Christian Americans! But Amos challenges us to gain a new ... a righteous perspective ... on materialism, individualism, and wealth.

One last rumination that I will simply throw out there. Those who would like to dismiss Amos because it is "Old Testament" should never read James ... especially 5.1-6.

"O gracious Lord grant us eyes to see and ears to hear what you see and hear. Grant us the Spirit to be moved with compassion and a willing heart to hear Amos' hard words (and Lord they are hard!). And grant us the strength to do as Ms. Mcarty had done. Help us, O Lord, to be a blessing in your fallen world. We pray in Jesus', the poor man, name. Amen."

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The Hairbrush Song

I thought of this song today ... I love it ...

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Valentine Happenings ... Marriage; Travel; Pepperdine; Iron Man

Wow! Lots has happened since last time I wrote on this blog...

Well probably the most important, and the most significant, happening that is that Bobby Valentine and Tifani Napier have officially become Mr & Mrs Valentine. We were married in a very small private "ceremony" at Magnolia Church of Christ Tuesday, April 27 by Joe VanDyke. We have been carrying on our long distance relationship for over a year now. LOOOOONG phone conversations. Criss-crossing the country via Delta, AA, and whoever would fly us. We finally decided that we just need to "do it." So we did! We are still in limbo on some things but one thing is certain ... the future is "us." Tifani is living proof that God will in fact work in the evil of this world to bring about something not only beautiful but even "good." In our "ceremony" the great prayer of Tobit 8.4-8 was read as our promise and prayer together.

"Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors,
and blessed is your name in all generations forever.
Let the heavens and the whole creation bless you forever.
You made Adam, and for him you made his wife Eve
as a helper and support.
From the two of them the human race has sprung.
You said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone;
let us make a helper for him like himself.'
I now am taking this kinswoman of mine,
not because of lust,
but with sincerity.
Grant that she and I may find mercy
and that we may grow old together."
And they both said, "Amen, Amen."
Then went to sleep for the night."

We went to Huntsville for our "Honeymoon" (well it was not our real honeymoon) and had an awesome time. We laughed the night away. We held hands as we walked and talked. We ate in the newly wed booth at the Melting Pot ... and we got caught in that torrential downpour in Nashville on I-65 and sat on the hwy for hours. But even there God brought a blessing ... Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death ... many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away" (Song of Songs 8.6ff).

The Pepperdine Lectures were this past week as well. Pepperdine continues to impress me with the diversity of speakers they bring in. Africa, Asia, and even North America was represented. The classes as well as the keynotes were top notch. John Mark Hicks and I continued the tradition of doing the "Late Night" with our class being on "A New Hope" for three nights. You can buy either a CD or MP3 of all three classes from Pure Logic Video HERE. Just scroll down till you see our mug shots ...

At Pepperdine I always run into old friends too. I saw friends from Milwaukee, old college class mates, former students, teachers and many others. I love it. This year one treat I loved was the "St. John's Bible Exhibit" in the Art Gallery & Rare Bible room. The St. John's Bible is the first illuminated, hand written Bible of "monumental size" in 500 years. It contains the entire RSV text (Hebrew Bible, NT & Apocrypha) ... the art work is stunning. You can see portions of it HERE

I got Rachael and Talya on Saturday for a while. One thing we did was go see Iron Man 2. I love the character and think Marvel has done a good job with the movies. Stark is hopelessly self-absorbed and has an ego that is super sized. But in the movie he learns that there is value in partnership and he may not have all the answers. The sound track is full of classic rock tunes basically all AC/DC tracks I believe. I liked it. The girls liked it. It was not quite as good as the first but it was still good. I will get it when it comes on Blu-Ray



The picture is our mini-honeymoon. A police officer offered to take a few for us and the one on the bottom is one of them ...

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