Make All Things New

I had the opportunity to preach the last time our church was able to meet (due to the 24 inches of snow in Philly last weekend). The text was John 11. I’d love your feedback.

John 11 – Extraordinary Hope

One of my favorite spots on the web is my good friend Larry’s blog, Redemption Groanings. Of particular interest to me is a recurring series entitled “Don’t Forget to Groan”. These post are based in the biblical principle of our groaning here as we long for Christ’s restoration and making all things new. These short posts are a reminder that we ought to be prayerfully tethered between the now (our world broken) and the not yet (our world redeemed/restored). You can read Larry’s excellent explanation here.

Being reminded to groan implies at least two things: 1) We are aware of the pain and suffering in broken earth, and 2) We long for the shalom found in the New Earth. The pain we see and experience in this world leads many Christians to remove themselves from it. To stop reading the papers or the watching the news. To spend most of their time with Christians or to only be with Christians. In short, to isolate themselves to avoid facing the pain of this world. But I believe we should see the pain, we should suffer with those that suffer and mourn with those who mourn. For we have a hope that far exceeds the suffering in this world. The apostle Paul refers to the pain here as “a light and momentary affliction” (2 Corinthians 4:17). When Jesus makes all things new, the suffering and pain of this world will seem insignificant when compared to the immeasurable glory to come. And knowing that, believing that, SHOULD cause us to groan.

So, I am thankful for brothers like Larry who remind me not to dismiss the suffering; not to look past it, but to see it in view of the restoration that is to come. So that in the suffering, a longing for Christ to establish His Kingdom grows.

Saw a couple screaming at each other in a truck on a busy road. She got out the truck in traffic yelling at him. Realized that as bad as it was with him, it was safer than being in the street, so she got back inside…. This world is so broken.

There have been multiple robberies at gunpoint in the neighborhood next to us. People are looking for peace…. This world is so broken.

The Northeast’s largest strip club recently opened just blocks from our church. Many will seek satisfaction in things that don’t satisfy. Many families will be destroyed because of this. How many kids won’t have their daddy tuck them in tonight because they are paying a woman to undress? How many women will feel unwanted because of man’s sin? How many women will falsely feel wanted when it is only to satisfy sinful urges of cowardly men…. This world is so broken.

There’s a guy typing this blog who thinks, even for a second, that because he doesn’t go to these clubs, he is somehow better than the guys that do…. This world is so broken.

There’s a God who created the universe simply by speaking it into existence and Who upholds existence by the Word of His mouth…. This God is so holy.

There’s a God who created man and woman to live in perfect peace and harmony; in shalom. A God who Himself lives in perfect shalom in three persons…. This God is so holy.

There is a God who in his infinite perfection has “eyes too pure to look on evil, and you cannot tolerate wrong.” (Habakkuk 1:13)…. This God is so holy.

There is a God who uses even our own evil to vindicate His great name (Ezekiel 36:22, 23)…. This God is so holy.

There is a God who is so incomprehensibly perfect that even beings created to worship Him must cover their eyes in His presence as not to be struck down by His glory (Isaiah 6:2-3)…. This God is so holy.

There is a Savior who was separated from His Father so that His enemies might be reconciled to Him and each other…. This Gospel is so sufficient.

There is a Savior who gave up shalom so that those in pain might find shalom…. This Gospel is so sufficient.

There is a Savior who went to the places “good people” didn’t, seek the broken, the prostitute, the orphan the widow, the drunkard, to offer them living water that truly satisfies. (John 4:13-14)

There is a Savior who lived a perfect life, died a brutal death and rose again in victory over Satan, Sin and Death…. This Gospel is so sufficient.

There’s a Savior who, even though perfectly righteous, takes your sin as His own and gives His righteousness to those who believe…. This Gospel is so sufficient.

About a month ago, I picked up this new CD by Page CXVI entitled “Hymns”. It could be described as old hymns for modern ears. The name, as it says on the website, comes from:

a reference to page 116 in our copy of The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. It is a poignant passage where Aslan begins to sing Narnia into creation out of a black void.

It starts, ‘In the darkness something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing. It was very far away and Digory found it hard to decide from what direction is was coming. Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once. Sometimes he almost thought it was coming out of the earth beneath them. Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself. There were no words. There was hardly even a tune. But it was, beyond comparison, the most beautiful noise he had ever heard. It was so beautiful he could hardly bear it.’
~ C.S. Lewis

I would recommend supporting this project and getting a copy. While I claim no musical ability or gifting, I do love music. But more than my love for music is my love for solid theology. This is why I am so blessed by hymns. A good hymn, to me is the place where the grandeur of artistic beauty (music) meets the wonder of Christ-exalting study (theology).

So while I was excited to listen to the Page CXVI album, when I first heard their arrangement of “Joy”, I was initially quite disappointed. The song has a mood that is more severe than just melancholy. In a somewhat depressing tone, the vocalist sings, “I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.” And I was thinking, “yeah right!” Truthfully, I just skipped over it and listen to the other six tracks again.

A few days later, I was listening to the album in my car and let the song “Joy” play all the way through. Now, I know that the track didn’t change, but my view of it did as I listened to it. The vocals aren’t depressing, they are haunting. They are a reminder of what it truly is to be a Christian in this sin-soaked world. Truly, you would have to hear the song to get a deeper understanding of its irony. I started asking myself, “What does joy sound like to a Christian?”

People experience tragedy all the time. I’m not trying to minimize this. Pain and suffering hurt, and are real. Perhaps it is from some sin committed against us or maybe it is the results of our own sinfulness. Attempting to dismiss this pain would be, in my opinion, foolish. And as a Christian, I don’t have to try to explain it away or distract myself with platitudes and lies. The pain I feel, the pain you feel, is due to sin and experiencing pain and heartache should drive us to loathe sin all the more.

Sure, lots of people might hate sin but for the believer in Christ, the story does not end there. Through the gospel of grace we can see that no matter how devastating the effect sin has had on us, it is no match for the unfathomable power of the gospel. And through this gospel our sin is atoned for, we are washed clean and Christ’s record is given to us! One of the result is that no matter how badly things are going, sin does not have the power to steal our joy. We can truly be sorrowful yet always rejoicing! That is what I was reminded of while listening to Page CXVI’s version of “Joy”. We can sing of our great joy, even when we don’t feel joyful (or sound it) because the truth is the truth whether we feel it or not! As believers, we can and should set our hope on things above and can be firmly rooted in the truths of the gospel.

So, I think joy sometimes “sounds like” being enabled to stand, and through the tears, proclaim the joy we have in our heart even though it may not look or sound like it. Perhaps joy isn’t just heard in the sound in our voice but in the weight of our words. Jesus, through his glorious gospel, infuses our sorrow with an abiding hope here and now. And even still, promises an eternity without sorrow when he returns to set things right and make all things new!

Joy, sounds a lot like the gospel.

“When people, especially those who love rap music, when they hear Christian rap, it’s just an automatic respect if the quality is good,” Gray, a biblical counseling major, said. “… People stop in their tracks, and they lend you an ear. It’s almost like Mars Hill, the Areopagus. It’s just this marketplace where people want to hear your ideas.”

“When they hear relevant metaphors and similes that are from the culture but are affiliated with God’s Word and the Bible, it’s just a wonderful tool in the hands of God,” he said. “And I’ve seen so many people, I’ve just seen their jaws drop and I’ve seen the Holy Spirit dig inside of their heart and start to remove that stony heart. And they hear the Gospel through rap music.”

And those are just two of the great quotes from a Townhall.com article on Flame preaching the gospel through hip hop. It is well worth your time.

Last Saturday could have been a very difficult day. In fact, in many ways it was difficult. Friends whom I dearly love, had come to the culmination of a challenge that God has taken them through. Last year they experienced the joy of expecting their sixth child – six times blessed by our Lord. This joy was soon turned to sorrow as they were told that the baby had serious malformations, ones which cause nearly all expectant parents to abort. They chose to turn the sorrow of this news into delight for the Father as they affirmed that life is only the Lord’s to give and take away. They would love and care for this baby as any other for as long as God willed.

I have been greatly encouraged with how they have responded to this situation with trust in God’s sovereign plan and goodness. It has been challenging for them to be sure. But I will never forget the times I have seen them, through tears, proclaim that “He is good.”

My understanding is that the doctors had never had anyone who did not have an abortion in this situation so they didn’t know what to expect throughout the pregnancy, birth and beyond. A C-section was planned for Wednesday but she went into labor yesterday. By God’s mercy, she delivered a baby boy. I don’t yet know the details, but Caleb died shortly after birth. I have not spoken with my friends yet but I do mourn with them while also joining them in praises for our good and merciful God.

When I found out late last night about this situation, I was also told that the father (who leads our church’s men’s ministry) would obviously not be preaching this morning at our men’s breakfast. So, I was asked if I had anything to share with the men. I got home kind of late and started praying and studying as well as talking with Jill. Around 11:30 pm, God put a passage on my heart that initially struck me as odd. I shared from John 11:17-53, the resurrection of Lazarus.

In times of suffering, loss and trial, looking at Christ and resting in His promises is a source of hope. I shared with the men how Jesus is so focused on sharing truth (He is the Resurrection and the life), sharing tears (He enters into our pain perfectly), being appropriately angry (angry at sin and death that has set this world wrong), and offers grace (His life for ours). He will not just make up for, but actually undo all the suffering in this world. Things aren’t the way they are supposed to be but through faith in Christ, we have a hope in the Day when all will be set right.

I know my friends know this and that is good. However the fact that they BELIEVE it is even greater. Their believing in the promises of God through such difficult times not only encourages others around them, it magnifies the worth of Jesus Christ and offers true hope and healing for themselves and those who might see.

Thank you Father for your goodness seen most clearly in your Son. Thank you Jeff and Carol for being mirrors that reflect the value of Christ to all around you during this time. In what could be the saddest moment of your life together, you have pointed us to Christ and reminded us that there is hope. Hope in a day when there will not only be “no more crying” but no memory of what was sad. Things will not only be made new, but sin will be undone – as if it never happened. Christ will be recognized as enough then and I thank God for your reminding me that He is enough now!

From Dan Edelen

Overheard countless times in the last two months: “I am concerned about the poor performance of my investments and savings.”

Not heard even one time in the last two decades: “I am concerned about my poor performance in laying up treasure in heaven.”

Michael Wittmer, author of Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God, has another book coming out in December. The title is: Don’t Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus Is Not Enough, if it is like his first book then I am sure it will be a interesting read.

His first book was challenging to me and was in a way instrumental in my growth in understanding the biblical narrative.  While I didn’t particularly care for HOW he said some things, I was interested in WHY he said what he did.  This interest led to further study and this study to prayer and growth.  So, I am looking forward to the new book.

(H.T.: DashHouse.com)

Gentrification and Real Renewal

In the book I am currently reading Urban Ministry, I was challenged to rethink my view on gentrification.  I had always looked at gentrification as a postiive thing, even an evidence of renewal taking place in some small measure.  The restoration of homes into more comfortable and esthetically pleasing dwellings has always appealed to me.  To see a whole neighborhood made better always seemed to be good to me.  And there lies the challenge.  For whom is this better neighborhood actually better?  Is it better for me and people like me who may be able to afford a nice home in an up-and-coming neighborhood?  Is it really better for the poor who can’t afford to purchase a home pre-gentrification and certainly not after their neighborhood is “renewed”.  This type of urban renewal has two sides and I have really tended to focus only on one.  Making things newer, cleaner, safer, nicer is good but without addressing the displaced, is it just?

Now I am not totally opposed to gentrification, I am just admitting that I have really looked at it from only one side.  Renewing an area might raise the real estate prices but without caring for the people that are pushed out, is that really renewal?  Thinking about all of this just made me love Jesus even more. For He plans to not only make “all things new” but he also promises to “wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying,nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  He promises real renewal. Renewal that provides both beauty and freedom from the sins of crime and decay while also providing justice and freedom from the signs abuse and forced poverty.

It is somewhat odd to think that having a greater understanding of the complexity of the problems still does not deter from having a greater desire to be a part of the solution.  But that’s what Jesus does.  He renews our hearts and shows His glory — even veiled now — and we are captivated.  Knowing what he has done at the cross… and in my heart… and what he promise to do at his return, that drives me to want to put him on display, regardless of how impossible the task may appear.

rock on the wissahickon creek

I took this picture while on a date with Jill a couple weeks ago (not bad for a phone, huh?). We took it while walking through Valley Green along the Wissahickon Creek. The picture hardly does justice to the beauty of the sight. We were walking along and – POW – we see this rock. In an already breathtaking spot, there is this one place that outdoes the others. That made me think of the New Earth where everything will outdo all that I currently see. That’s cool.

A side note for the fellas. If you are in the Philadelphia area, I highly recommend taking your love to Valley Green. Talk and walk along the trail and perhaps have lunch at the Valley Green Inn. It’s always a nice time.