The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. ~  Isaiah 43:19

I am conflicted today because of tension between upbeat and troubled feelings. I’m happy because we, the Shiloh family, have reached a place in our journey where we can see a bright, new season of preparing and planting for the LORD’s harvest. My hopes stem from faith in Christ to revive the hearts of His people and open the eyes of those who don’t yet know Him. My fears stem from many years of experience with church folk and keen interest in society and geopolitics. The famous introductory words of Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Tale of Two Cities” seem to apply to our times. 

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Pandemic, politics, economy, church attender losses, war in Europe, liberals, progressives, conservatives, traditionalists, disaffiliation and its fallout, hurricanes, supply chain issues, poverty, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran…and “winter is coming.” Seems like the “worst of times”, doesn’t it? Another literary source, “Game of Thrones” by George R. R. Martin, fancifully, but accurately presents a world like ours wherein worldly ambitions, fleshly indulgence, and fearful supernatural forces crowd together in subtle and overt battles for supremacy, all while the inevitable long, dark winter draws nearer.      

When is upheaval and chaos ever “the best of times”!? Well, for example, after the hurricane, rescuers will seek those who suffer; the government will do some things we’re glad to help pay for; communities will unite for a common good, if only briefly. It turns out that the worst of times often brings out the best in people. It turns out that troubled seasons make it easier to see who the givers and takers are. When circumstances threaten their interests, the takers abandon others and retreat. Givers adapt and strive to relieve suffering and end chaos. It’s as basic as it gets; one can either be egocentric or others-oriented. Ironically, one can do good works for others and still be egocentric. The Bible calls us to be God-oriented, which leads to other-orientation for His sake. So, when the worst of times come, it’s more important than ever to be God-oriented, rooted in God’s Word, and united with like-minded Christian Believers. 

Should it surprise us when hard times highlight selfishness, childish posturing, and general wickedness in some? What if such seasons turn out to be defining moments that show us what matters most? All of Jesus’ apostles, even Judas, experienced it. Therefore, they lost friends and family, worldly security, and eventually their lives because of what mattered the most to them. Why shouldn’t we, Jesus’ disciples, expect the same? Fear, suppressed by faith; self-interests abandoned to Christ’s motives, and an eternal perspective changes our priorities and frees us to join the LORD in whatever He is doing, whatever the circumstances.

I’ve heard that many Shiloh folks want all the talk of disaffiliation to stop so we can get back to “church” again. I understand the sentiment because I too, am weary from the struggles. However, I fear that getting back to “church” means something I’d rather not go back to. If it’s about personal interests, tastes, and comforts, we should not go back to it. If it is a call to stop talking about denominational politics, I’m right there with you. Let’s get busy being the best of Christ’s people whatever the times seem like. Let’s never again come to worship so we can get what we want or receive services we feel entitled to. Worship is, after all, about the LORD and serving all that He is entitled to. When we are not adoring, praising, and submitting to Christ, let us be sources of grace and mercy to those for whom He suffered. Let us dedicate our whole lives worshiping and serving Christ, our King; doing all the good we can by all the means at our disposal so that people who don’t know Him might meet Christ through us.

The Power of Suggestion

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. ~  John 1:12

I have a small decorative plate hanging on a wall in my office that was a gift from my mother when I was a young teenager. She’d found it at a yard sale and bought it for me. An image of Daniel the prophet sitting in front of a lion fills the middle and the words “Daniel the Courageous” arches up from the bottom like a smile. It’s been in every bedroom I’ve occupied and then every office I used as a pastor. The plate reminds me of some very significant aspects of my life. First, my mom saw that plate and wanted to give it to me. Did she buy it so you could say, “Be courageous, Daniel”? Or was it because she saw courage in me and the plate reminded her of it? I’ve asked her about it and she just says, “It just made me think of you and I wanted to give it to you.” For a boy trying to figure out who he is, there are no more important influences than his parents. So, what happens when a father expresses love poorly and it seems entirely conditional because of mania? Maybe a sympathetic mother counters with ridiculously unconditional love. 

“Daniel the Courageous” became my secret identity after Mom whispered it in my ear. She may not have known the power of her deed, but she’s seen many expressions of it over the years. I won’t list them because one does not speak of such things without the risk of pride. The most courageous moments in life are very private as anxiety and strain sucks inwardly. Bold, public fearlessness does not define courage, but the opposite, risk without trepidation often slides into stupidity. A decision to go against fear marks each courageous moment. Even after reason reduces fearful things to calculated risks, there is an inevitable leap of faith. Mom saw courage in me way back then, and her faith in me breathed greater life into it. She nurtured seeds of leadership and perseverance that still serve me today. Thanks, Mom. I love you. 

Trusting the LORD takes courage that starts with a leap of faith. You will think it through as far as possible for a calculated risk and then you must step into the unknown. Is the LORD real? Will the LORD speak? What if the LORD changes me? Can I live with the change? The only way to know is to bravely press on toward the uncertainties. Need a little help? 

You may not know the LORD, but He knows you. The LORD has a secret name for you that reveals who you really are in His eyes. Embracing that identity releases you from all others and frees you to become all the God created you to be. It will take courage to move into your new life in Him, and as you do, fear will tempt you to think the LORD’s love is conditional and His moods will swing unpredictably like a maniac’s. Trust the LORD with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. His love is constant and His faith in you is greater than your faith in yourself. Ask the LORD to reveal your special quality to you. What will the plate on your wall say about you?

Be Still, and Know

Come rest your head upon His breast

Listen to the rhythm of

His unfailing heart of love

Steven Curtis Chapman ~ “Be Still, and Know” 

(CCLI Song # 2758912; CCLI License # 1252648)

My lower back sank deep into an old couch in an unlit wood paneled room. The young woman sitting next to me held my hand as we listened to music and talked. Suddenly, she let out a quiet squeal as if someone startled her. “What is it?” I asked. She pulled my hand to her belly, saying, “I just felt the first flutter.” It was the first movement of our baby growing in her womb. 

A few weeks later, we were in an obstetrician’s office listening to the little tugboat sound of the baby’s heartbeat — “chug-chug-chug-chug-chug.” I marveled at the sound as I imagined my bride’s heart beating stronger and slower just a few inches above; the steady whoosh of air entering and exiting her lungs as her diaphragm gentle, rhythmic rocking of the tiny child inside her. My wife’s heart pumped life-giving blood through her body and the baby’s. The baby’s life depended upon the rhythm and flow of its mother’s life. 

When God birthed creation by the Word of His heart and mind, a barely perceptible flutter preceded the rhythm of life we so often take for granted. Creation utterly depends on the heartbeat of the LORD and the tempo of His breath, the Holy Spirit. God’s blood pulses through all creation, sustaining and ordering it with cosmic harmony. Like the baby in a mother’s womb, all creation rocks gently within the LORD’s deepest being. He is the creator and sustainer in whom we live and move and have our being (see Psalm 104, Acts 17:28). 

God’s Enemy is the author of chaos and oppression. He would have you believe that being carved in the palm of God’s hand (Isaiah 49:16) is unfair confinement. He would tempt you to view the LORD’s rhythms and patterns as restrictive limits. But, the baby who rejects the sustenance of the one upon whom its life depends dies. When the child is ready, the mother pushes it from within her to live into its own breath and heartbeat, body and mind. The child is the image of the parents and yet she is synced rhythmically with them. 

Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son illustrates the LORD’s pain and loss at losing one who was part of His very being and then regaining him through repentance and grace that lead to new life and harmony. (Luke 15:11-32) Therefore, when you feel out of step with any aspect of creation, it is a sign of dissonance. It can be because of sickness in the body, mind, or spirit. In that moment of reckoning, stop. Be still and listen to rhythmic sounds wherever you are. Watch the rhythm of light and movement. Feel the rising and falling of your chest as you breathe; the pulse in your wrist or neck. Then, pray in sync with the rhythms saying something like, “LORD, I am still, and I know you are God.” “I repent of too much dissonance” “I want to come home” “Hold me close” “Beat and breath threw me.”  

Embrace rhythm as you seek harmony with God, and each other and you will notice His heartbeat everywhere. Consider the amazing relationship we all have with music, especially percussion. See how we cannot resist the urge to keep time with fingers, toes, and bobbing heads. Isn’t it amazing how the LORD’s rhythms affect the tribal drums of pagans? Even those who do not know the true Creator feel his thrumming pulse. The most primitive peoples felt the cadence of God’s creation and mimicked by beating logs and stretched animal hides as they swayed and hummed in resonance with God’s myriad frequencies. Magnificent orchestral works use vibrating strings, buzzing lips, and intricate tempos undergirded by drums, symbols, wood. A noisy punk band or metal rock band relies on electrical impulses, vibrating strings, pounding drumbeats and varying vocal ranges. The celestial throng joins even the one who sings or whistles in solitude as all echo the Creator’s heart and breath. God’s majestic grace and sustaining rhythms burst from His being so that even those who reject Him reflect Him. Their rhythms are echoes of God reverberating from outside space and time. How much better will it be when we join the LORD of the dance? The One who gave all that only He could give to bring you back into harmony with Him is He “who laid [earth’s] cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.” (Job 38:7)

Reframing Our Current Situation

 A young Christian packing his bag for a journey said to a friend, "I have nearly finished packing. All I have to put in are: a guidebook, a lamp, a mirror, a microscope, a telescope, a volume of fine poetry, a few biographies, a package of old letters, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer, and a set of tools."

"But you cannot put all that into your bag,'' objected the friend. "Oh, yes,” said the Christian.

"Here it is." And he placed his Bible in the suitcase's corner and closed the lid. ~ Author Unknown

(Wallis, C. L., & Hopkins, C. (1982). Words of life: A religious and inspirational album containing over 1000 quotations from the minds and hearts of writers of twenty centuries. Harper & Row.)

The Shiloh family made a courageous decision to cut its branch from an unhealthy tree, like I did long ago (see last week’s post). We’ve chosen to graft our Christian family to a new, healthier paradigm so that vitality and fruitfulness are hallmarks of our devotion to Christ. Some will rightly ask, “What are we grafting too?” “Is it another denomination?” 

To answer that, I’d refer you to the story of my new paradigm, first, because it had more to do with internal change than with external appearances. I did not stop working in environments that tempted me to return to old ways of thinking. I still kept up with relationships that reminded me of past hurts and presented difficult circumstances. Focusing my thoughts on the long-game and gradual, permanent transformation caused me to reframe feelings and facts regularly. Reframing requires a new set of raw materials and skills. If you take an old photo to the craft store for framing, the expert will choose suitable matting layers and then draw stock for the outer edges. She will cut perfect miters and carefully fit them together. In time, the old photo in its new frame becomes a thing of beauty. 

“Ok, Dan. You’re doing that thing where you mix metaphors and create cognitive dissonance.” So, I will now attempt to tie it all together. First, I’m proposing that we should not think of our breaking and grafting as a matter of denominational affiliation. Second, I’m encouraging you to join me in carefully reframing our situation. 

It will be necessary to attend to practical matters as we move forward. Therefore, some of us will need a means of maintaining polity and doctrine (governance and religious standards). Likewise, there will be fiscal matters associated with operating an institution like ours. Alignment with another denomination offers viable options for meeting such needs. It would be reckless to associate with an entity that does not represent our core values, no matter the benefit. Isn’t that why we left the other one? So, we must feel sure about that next affiliation for the sake of our reputation and representation of Christ’s family. 

Remember, we’re reframing… Once we’ve found a suitable partner for temporal needs, the primary focus of the Shiloh family is… what?

Our journey of discernment has revealed that our Shiloh family thrives on three essential ingredients and their elements: The Bible, family, and community. 

• The Bible is a gift from God, whose Word (heart and mind) is unchanging, perfect, and true. It informs our relationship with God and each other. 
• Family, in our context, is the intimate, committed bond of Christian Believers who share the One Holy Spirit because of the sacred blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, our Christian family shares common spiritual DNA. Family unity is not dependent upon common lifestyles, languages, tastes, and traditions. We are all sinners saved by grace and born again in the same Holy Spirit. 
• Community is the place and people with whom we live, work, and serve outside the Shiloh family. We look upon our community with the love of Christ and deeply desire its salvation and well-being. We understand that our Christian witness derives from personal discipleship and holiness.

Shiloh Church of Jasper will accomplish these goals by: 

• Letting our light shine, free from worldly religion
• Worshiping God because we just can’t help it
• Loving the LORD with heart, mind, and soul
• Loving our neighbors with the grace of God

So, how does the old photo look in its new frame?