5:30 Coffee: February 2009

Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Prodigal Father...

I am struck by the idea of the prodigal father. The story from Luke 15 gets titled the prodigal son because the son is a spendthrift... he is wasteful and spends the money extravagantly - and quickly it seems.

The definition of prodigal is: : “ wastefully or recklessly extravagant.” “A person who spends, or has spent his or her money with wasteful extravagance.” Isn't that a description of how God has spent his wealth on us? And the father in the story... he takes this wayward son in without even hearing his excuses and beyond that he gives him a new robe, ring on his finger, sandals, and throws a big party which starts by butchering the best animal. The elder son says, "You didn't even give me a goat" so I think we can assume that to kill a fatted calf would be of more value. The father is spending wastefully on the son! He has spent extravagantly and wastefully on us. Not wastefully on us in the sense that he didn't know what he was doing... but with reckless abandon!

Another thing that epitomizes God's pursuit of us is that He doesn't wait for us to come crawling back... he approaches us and gives to us lavishly. I am reminded of Thomas in the upper room. Remember the story. Thomas gets called (for all of history it seems) "doubting Thomas" because he said, "If I can't put my fingers in the nail holes or my hand in his side I won't believe. I think I might have been more like Thomas than the others. In any case, when Jesus shows back up he immediately says, "Thomas come here and put your fingers in the holes and your hand in my side! Stop doubting and believe. I think that more than anything else Jesus WANTS Thomas to believe... I don't think he came scolding.... I think he comes hoping that Thomas will draw near. I love this story. Jesus doesn't wait for Thomas to sweat... the Jewish Father doesn't wait for the son to get back before running... the shepherd doesn't wait for the lost sheep to wander home... the woman doesn't wait for the lost coin to turn up... God doesn't sulkily wait for me to see the error of my ways... he's pursuing me with lavish and extravagant love!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Divine Embrace

A student in our church made the comment about the elder brother in The Return of the Prodigal Son that, "It looks like the elder brother is looking somewhat longingly at the embrace that the father is giving to the younger son."

Without a doubt the elder brother is incredulous about the father's behavior, but I was taken by the comment. I think it makes sense to a degree when you look at the bigger context of the passage. The first couple verses in Luke 15 are the Pharisees saying... "Look at this guy (Jesus) he's hanging with sinners and tax gatherers." That's not something they would have done, and it doesn't resonate with them in the least that Jesus is doing it.

What's at a premium for the Pharisees? Keeping the rules... following the law... every bit at least as they see it. When that characterizes our relationship with the father then it seems to me that we miss the divine embrace that the younger son is getting. Our relationship with the father, in that environment, is based upon our goodness... our doing the right things... our being the right sort of people. It's like payment for a task. The elder brother says, at the end of the parable... "I've been slaving for you all these years, doing whatever you asked" and by implication he's saying "you owe me." The beauty of the embrace that the younger son gets is that it's an embrace that isn't owed... in fact what the younger son is owed is to be run out of the family... tossed into the street... at the very best to be a slave. The sweetness and strength of the father's embrace is rooted in it's being freely given. The elder son isn't feeling it.

Throughout scripture God says to his people (see Isaiah 1 or Malachi) that he's not interested in rule following, rather he's interested in a heart that truly wants Him! Of course he's interested in obedience - there's no shortage of that message in either the Old or the New Testament. But he's not after the rule... he's after the heart that is obedient out of love for him rather than an empty hearted adherence to duty.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Older Brother

One particular idea that challenged me in The Prodigal God by T. Keller is that we're probably the older brother. That is to say, I think that most of us tend to identify with the prodigal son, the younger son. Keller challenged me to think, to some degree, that I'm probably closer to the older brother, at least as a religious guy.

In so many ways the church is the older brother. We see ourselves as having kept the rules, followed the right path, done the right things, been faithful, etc, etc. When people come toward the church we may not be accepting because we see them as the younger brother coming back after being away and getting the inheritance.

The older brother is clearly annoyed that the father is accepting the younger brother back and throwing him a party... "What's all this about? I've been serving you all these years and have been faithful, and now you're throwing a party for this knucklehead whose been squandering your money on hookers!"

One really interesting reflection made by "Jordan" at church last Sunday when I asked our congregation to reflect on the Painting (I had a huge framed print in the worship area) is that the older brother may be looking on the scene between the father and the younger son and wishing that he was feeling that embrace of the father. I hadn't looked at it that way.

Notice the servants (in the background) looking on incredulously. Have they ever seen anything like this? It's the story of the gospel... while were were still knuckleheads..."

Thursday, February 5, 2009

I'd love to read your reflections on this painting: The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt

I just finished the book The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller last week, and I'm digging into The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen this week. Keller's book is fabulous, and I've heard Nouwen's is amazing. What are your reflections on the painting... what do you see in it? Any part of your story you'd like to tell... leave it in the comments!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Augustine - The Confessions

"... for you have made us for yourself and our heart is restless till it finds its rest in you.”

In the very first section of The Confessions Augustine gives us this treasure. Speaking apologetically this short quote resonates with the message of the gospel. That is to say, Paul writes in Romans chapter one that no on has excuse - all know, intuitively, that there is a creator, and there is some desire to know this one. For me it's encouraging to know that when I'm thinking about sharing my faith I can have confidence that God is also pulling those with whom I'm sharing my faith, into His presence. That means that I am only one of the players on the stage of reaching those who are outside of Jesus Christ.

As I see the struggle and striving for meaning and fulfillment all around me I'm struck by the reality that everyone is working (unless they're in a covenant relationship with God through Christ) to fill that God shaped hole in their lives. We seek relationships to fill it; careers to fill it; other people to fill it; wealth to fill it. Time to rest in HIM.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Ok, I've been away for awhile

Sorry that I haven't kept this up... not that there are millions of disappointed blogmeisters out there thinking I've been lazy and who are hanging on every hope that soon I will make another scintillating contribution to their lives through my blog. But I'd like to get moving ahead again. Hopefully it will be so. I guess we'll see.

Wish I was more profound... life has just been busy.
Hope you're well,
John

Life and Ministry

I've been alive for 46 years... I know that's not much compared to some people, but it's enough that I realize I'm on the downhill side, probably, unless I live past 92! That would be interesting I think. Otherwise, however, I'm at a point of deep reflection... how will the rest be spent. I've been in the same spot for 20 years now, doing pretty much the same work, so it's time for serious evaluation.

There are two things that have challenged my thinking... one old, one new. First, the 9th stage of Eric Erikson's psycho-social development; "Integrity vs. Despair." It struck me twenty some years ago. Erikson basically says that there will be a time when you will begin to reflect on your life and you will conclude that it's been a life full of good decisions and directions, and work done well - if that's the case you'll come away with a sense of integrity; your life has had meaning and purpose. If on the other hand you look back and see that it's been filled with missed chances and squandered opportunities you'll have a sense of despair. I want my reflection to lead me to integrity!

Second, I had a class on 2 Timothy this summer at Regent College with Earl Palmer. He and I had lunch one day and it was just a great encouragement. He said to me, "Never think of yourself as old... I'm nearing 80 and I don't think of myself as old! You have lots of life ahead of you... your most productive years! Realize that you are young and God has alot of stuff for you to do!"

Looking forward!
John

Book Reviews

Are Women Human (Dorothy Sayers): This little book (about 80 pages at most) is a lot of fun, but also profound. It's actually a compilation of two essays - I think both lectures - which Sayers gave around 1938 to a women's group in London. They wanted her to talk about the importance of feminism – which she didn’t want to talk about specifically. She's very fun to read... very British... very to the point... very intelligent and articulate. I read it as preparation for the sermon series in 2 Timothy because I'm trying to think of Paul's treatment of women and this book was suggested to me by Earl Palmer (University Presbyterian - Seattle) at a class I recently took from him. Here, in my estimation, is the essence of Sayer's view, "Women should be doing everything they're gifted to do... but not in order to prove that they can do what men can do. There are fundamental differences between men and women; they're made for different things. If you have to choose between a woman or a man to do a certain task you should choose the one who is best at that task. It gives our lives meaning to do what we're good at... it honors God to do what we're made for. A woman shouldn't become a mechanic to prove that women can be mechanics... nor should she be kept from mechanics because she is a woman. Great treatment of the subject I thought. My view of Paul and women, incidentally, is that he thought very highly of them. He speaks specifically in a coupe places about them being silent, but then talks all over the place about their roles as prophets, teachers, deacons, and "outstanding among the apostles." I take his specific instructions about women and silence to be a specific address to a specific problem. Barth says, "There are no NT letters apart from the troubles of the NT church." He's right about that.
Searching for God Knows What (Donald Miller): Miller is great... his writing style is interesting and very conversational. A little too conversational at times for me. But I love to be challenged by what he's saying, both in this book, and "Blue like Jazz" which is also enjoyable, and challenges some ideas that we have about life, faith, and church. Miller makes me laugh at one moment, and then get very serious the next. Honestly, I howled with laughter during the first chapter, "Fine Wine: The Failure of Formulas." He gave me cause to think anew about Shakespeare’s Play, "Romeo and Juliet." I have to go back and reread it... it's been way too long. Here's a bit of a summary statement for the book, from chapter one: "I realized the gospel of Jesus, I mean the essence of God's message to mankind, wasn't a bunch of hoops we needed to jump through to get saved, and it wasn't a series of ideas we had to agree with either; rather, it was an invitation, an invitation to know God."
Before I Go: Letters to Our Children About What Really Matters (Peter Kreeft):Before I Go: Letters to Our Children about What Really Matters (Peter Kreeft): This is simply a delightful little book. I don't mean "little" in a way to demean it... rather it reads like a little book. There are 161 short letters, from a couple sentences to a couple pages of advice that Kreeft is leaving mostly for his children. Here is a quote from #23, Sacred Time: "Visit a church at least once a week and just spend five minutes in the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, just adoring Him. He came a long way for this meeting: all the way from heaven. And He brought you a long way for this meeting: all the way from nothingness, out of which he created you. He thinks this meeting is that important. And you don't? Which one of the two of you do you think has it right?" I love the sacredness of Kreeft's Catholicism. I like his writing. This book is full of good stuff. It's been especially meaningful to me since I'm preaching through 2 Timothy which is Paul's "Last Words" -- literally.
Playing for Pizza (John Grisham): Nothing profound here, but it's an enjoyable read. Maybe I'd classify this as a "feel good" novel. It's not going to change the world, but it's a story with some redemption, victory, set mostly in Parma, Italy. There is some interesting information here about various parts of Italy. Story is an NFL Quarterback, Rick Dockery, who can't seem to make it in the NFL, and ends up playing in the Italian NFL, for the Parma Panthers. They're putting all their hopes on him to win the Italian Superbowl! In the end... Easy read about 260 pages.
Fish!: This is a great little book,sort of expensive for the size of the book, less than a hundred pages. This book is really helpful for getting refocused on how to be a positive influence in a "toxic energy dump."
Real Sex (Lauren Winner): I really like Winner's writing. Heard her speak at the National Pastor's Conference in '07... she's fun. I read another of her books, Mudhouse Sabbath, which I loved. I think you should read this very articulate and frank discussion of Sex within the faith framework. Read it.
Velvet Elvis (Rob Bell): Thought provoking look at the church, faith, and the journey. I'm not crazy about Bell's writing style, but readable, and challenging ideas. I'd recommend it. If the church doesn't stay relevant it will end up the like the "Velvet Elvis" painting Bell found in the basement of his house... obsolete.
His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman): I read the trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) as well as Lyra's Oxford. As advertised the books are hard on "the Church" but that's to be expected from Pullman's atheism. The books were a fun read, we're reading them to our boys now. Good opportunity for dialogue about important ideas. Lyra's Oxford was disappointing, and very short. Few observations: (1) "The Church" is probably a little too exercised about this series. (2) I think "killing God" is a little too strong a description of what happens. (3) I think it's very interesting, given Pullman's atheism, that there is so much metaphysical stuff in this series. (4) If you haven't read the books or seen the movie... see the movie first... they foul up everything in the movie which makes it difficult to enjoy if you've read the books. Trilogy books are around 250 pages. Fun, but definitely not The Lord of the Rings, or The Chronicles of Narnia... not close.
Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck): This is a classic that I'd never read until recently. It's a very interesting portrayal of friendship, caring, and loyalty. It's accessible, and about 90 pages. Glad I read it.

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