Communion Confession

Like I have nearly a dozen times before, I sit here struggling with the dilemma of whether to write this post or not. It relates to a thought that even I find offensive, and I'm the one thinking it. Which means that others will certainly view it that way as well. I'm going to write it anyway.
From the time I was nine years old I have been participating in the Lord's Supper with other followers of Christ. For better, or worse, I have always attended a Baptist church. I tell you this not because I think that Baptists are more "right" or better than other Protestant religions, but because it colors my understanding of Communion in a certain way.
While some churches celebrate the Lord's Supper on the first Sunday of each month (or some other variation), the congregation that I am part of now makes it part of the worship service each week; a practice which, incidentally, I enjoy.
Except that this continual practice keeps this uncomfortable thought in my mind almost constantly. However, it was only recently that I came to realize that, unpleasant as it may be, it is true.

Each time we take the bread, or the cup and read the words "This is my body" or "This is my blood" and are commanded to eat or drink, I cannot help but think that it smacks of cannibalism.
Did I say that out loud? I warned you that it was offensive. But please don't stop reading now. If you do, you'll leave with the same terrible thought on your mind that I had for years.

When any human being consumes another human being, there is nothing else to call it but cannibalism. But there is more than one reason for such a practice. The one that jumps to the forefront is the cultural participation of a spiritistic or animistic society. Cannibalism as part of a pagan religion is horrifying. Mental or social deviancy would be another, equally repulsive reason.
The third reason for such an act is absolute desperation. Impending death can make even the mildest person do unbelievable things. The rugby team on flight 571 back in the early 70's comes to mind. Faced with such a dire circumstance, we look on them not in disgust but with pity.

And is that not the exact situation we find ourselves in? We are all dying in trespasses and sin (Eph. 2:1) with no hope of saving ourselves. Actually, according to the verse, we are already dead; not just dying. A dead man can do nothing for himself. The blood of Christ, shed in our place, is our only hope of rescue. Faced with impending eternal death, we come in absolute desperation and accept what he freely offers. There is no way around it.
The Communion table itself is not what saves. It is merely the reminder of what has already taken place. We come each week and remember how utterly without hope we were and fling ourselves anew on the grace of the Cross. We relish the memory of Christ's sacrifice because it means life for us.
Being humbled in such a way is offensive to our human pride. It is insulting to think that we could not have come up with a better way to secure our salvation. Romans 9:33 describes Christ as " a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense" but goes on to say "and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." Partaking of the new covenant in his blood will not be what condemns us. It is what saves us. Even if that is a tough bit to swallow.

Head Slap

There is a new movie set to be released on Friday. Maybe you've heard of it. 2012.
I have just one thing to say about this film. It's Fiction, Folks. Some of you are getting way to worked up about this.

Seriously, we're supposed to believe that the Mayans foretold of some global disaster in our time, but couldn't predict the obliteration of their own culture?

And for those of you who are trying to cram this Mayan prophecy into the book of Revelations, shame on you. When has the Sovereign Creator ever been bound by something that ancient pagans scratched into a rock?

So by all means, go and enjoy the movie. Get chills at the special effects. Eat your popcorn and come home and sleep soundly. But don't make me come slap you.

Thirteen Years

Over the last thirteen years of marriage, we have experienced a little of everything represented in our wedding vows: better, worse, richer, poorer, sickness (lots of sickness) and health. Of course everyone enjoys the pleasurable seasons of life, but I can honestly say that it is because of the hard times that I feel secure in my relationship with my husband. If he can love me when the money isn't there, or we are separated for months by an agonizing hospital vigil, or when both of us are snarky because of never ending pain, then I'm pretty sure that he will love me when life is comfortable.
That is only possible because of the Grace of our loving Savior. I married a sinner. And let me tell you, Chad married a willful, stubborn, prideful (ad infinitum) creature. We have been redeemed by grace. We live together by grace. And we look forward to the hope of perfect fellowship through our LORD...by grace.

Listen to Our Song.

Through the Bible

Many people strive to read through the Bible every year and there are many different tools available to help with doing just that. I'd like to share a few of my own favorite resources here.

An eon ago (okay, 1991), when I spent the summer on a short term mission trip in Venezuela I came across this chart for reading the Bible through. I fell in love with it and have used it ever since. It was designed by Dr. Bill Smallman of Baptist Mid-Missions and he has graciously given me permission to distribute it. I have a PDF version available, which I would be happy to email to you if you want it. I love this chart because you can read the chapters in any order that you wish and can complete your reading in your own timing. I particularly like to finish in about 34 weeks (5 chapters per day), leaving the rest of the year for a more concentrated study.

I also love the ESV on CDs. The Bible, especially the Old Testament, was intended to be heard. Listening to scripture adds a whole new dimension to our understanding of God's Word. For my girls, looking at the entire Bible and trying to imagine reading the whole thing is a daunting task. But it is easy to put a disk in while we are in the car and listen to several chapters together. They don't have to struggle with pronunciations and their comprehension is much better.

More recently, I have found some books that are opening up my understanding of the "big picture" of scripture.

God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible, Vaughn Roberts

According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible, Graeme Goldsworthy

The Goldsworthy Trilogy: Gospel and Kingdom, Gospel and Wisdom, and The Gospel in Revelation, Graeme Goldsworthy

About every three years in my Sunday School class we like to take a week off from the curriculum and do a "walk through the Bible" lesson. It is great fun to tell the kids that "Next week I'm going to teach you the whole Bible!" I don't remember the details, but I got this lesson in one of my college classes from a favorite professor. Disclaimer: I cannot draw my way out of a paper bag. Please don't make fun of my stick figures.

Starting at the bottom of the page (I like to use an overhead during class), work your way up through the illustrations and explanations, elaborating as time allows.

Creation
Day 1-light/dark; Day 2-firmament; Day 3-land, seas, grass, trees; Day 4-sun, moon, stars; Day 5-fish, birds; Day 6-Animals, Man; Day 7-Rest~this section also includes Noah and the Tower of Babel.

Clan
Abraham ((Lot/Sodom), Isaac, Jacob (Israel), Joseph

Confinement
Slavery in Egypt for generations; Moses and the Plagues (river to blood, frogs, lice, flies, cattle die, boils, hail, locust, darkness, death of firstborn); Escape

Commandments
The Law is given to Israel. 1. No other Gods; 2. No idols; 3. No swearing; 4. Remember Sabbath; 5. Honor parents; 6. No murder; 7. No adultery; 8. No stealing; 9. No false witness; 10. No coveting.

Conquest
The judges leading Israel in battle against enemies and deciding matters of the Law. Jericho/Joshua, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Samson, Samuel.

Confusion
Israel wants a King over them (Saul). Then divided into two kingdoms of Judah and Israel. David, Solomon.

Captivity
God allows enemies to rule them because of their sin. Fall of Jerusalem, Daniel, ends with fall of Babylon (Belshazar, writing on wall, Medes & Persians).

Construction
Rebuilding the nation~between testaments, remnant of 50,000 return to rebuild Temple, Esther.

Cross
Jesus Christ comes as the long awaited Messiah and is crucified to pay the price of our sins. The problem of Israel's failure to fulfill the Law is solved by Christ fulfilling it for them (Gentiles too). Our Redemption is "vouchsafed".

Church
The time of the first Christians (followers of Christ), missionaries, martyrs, and the beginning of the Church.

Completion
A new heaven and new earth after the rapture and tribulation period, millenium and then eternity in the presence of God.

Obviously, this is just the bare bones of the lesson. The use of Scripture verses to flesh out the points is expected. After all, this is a walk through the Bible, not the teacher's memory. I have not included any verses here, however, to allow you to study on your own and to adapt the lesson for your needs and those of your target audience.

And so it begins

Our youngest turned Seven last Saturday. She is really growing up fast it seems.
On Tuesday of this week I picked her up from VBS at the church down the street and as we crossed the parking lot, she pointed out a good looking young man with spiky blonde hair. With gushing admiration, she told me, "Mom! He's in the Band!"
Then it hit me...
She's a groupie.

The Art of Illustration

Human communication is a fascinating thing. People employ methods using flags, lights, dots and dashes, music, alphabets, and a multitude of different types of sound. Some people are much better at it than others. Language is such a flexible, intangible medium. A person's skill at transferring an idea to another becomes readily apparent in many different ways, but two specifically come to mind; those of Instruction and Illustration. If you'd like to try a fun exercise testing your ability to Instruct, do the following:

1. Get together a small group of middle school children.
2. Give each of them a large blank sheet of paper and a pencil.
3. With your back to them so that you cannot see what they are drawing, give them step by step instructions for drawing a tulip. You may have one drawn up first to use as reference, but do not allow them to see your picture.
   
4. You may not use any identifying words like: flower, tulip, leaves, stems, petals, etc. You may use line and basic shape terms like: diagonal, curved, oval, short, etc.
5. When you are finished, compare their drawings with your own. How close did you get?

The pictures the children drew are a fun gauge of your communication skills and the results are quite obvious. It is much more difficult to determine the effectiveness of Verbal Illustration. Any time you draw comparisons you are making a verbal illustration. Public speakers, teachers, pastors, and parents use illustration often to clarify a point or give added insight. We're going to focus on pastors and Bible teachers, but not because I'm picking on them. Anyone who is trying to communicate the concepts of Scripture uses illustration to bring understanding to absolute Truth, which makes their skills all the more important.

When a Bible teacher uses an example from sports, home life or the working world to bring clarity to a text, you are going to understand that illustration because it comes from your life or something that is real to you. That is the nature of the illustration. Whether you will be able to accurately transfer the meaning of the illustration to the truths of God's Word is an entirely different matter.
For example, Holy Scripture itself speaks of God as a Father and Christ as a Son. All humans beings should understand the concept of Father and Son, so that illustration is natural and makes sense. However, each of our own personal experiences is going to color that understanding. Is your father angry, or absent, or abusive? How will that effect your view of God? You will know that a pastor or teacher effectively communicates the idea when you come away with the knowledge that we should not compare God with earthly fathers, but rather hold the Heavenly Father up as the standard to which all earthly fathers should be compared.

Because it relies on human understanding and human terms, all illustration is going to break down at some point. In the above example, the breakdown is obvious: not everyone's father is a blue ribbon Dad. In other illustrations the flaw may not be so apparent. Imagine the tragedy if the truths about Redemption, or Faith, or Grace were unknowingly communicated incorrectly.

Those of us in teaching positions need to be vigilant in our use of illustration. Are we illuminating truth, or obscuring it? Scripture often clarifies itself without the need for outside examples. It is far safer to rely on other passages to bring light to the subject than to risk introducing elements that will only confuse. On the occasions when it is necessary to expand the available information, we should be careful in our choices and make sure that our examples are understood as we intend them. That means not assuming that your audience knows what your are thinking.

Trying to communicate truth and realizing my own shortcomings (an immediate effect, I might add) gives me a great appreciation for those who do so effectively on a regular basis. Illustration is an Art. And just like drawing or painting with watercolors, it is much harder than it looks.

The Art of Silence

Somewhere out there someone knows how many personal electronic devices there are in existence. I don't really care about the particulars. For a long time, I resisted being assimilated, but now, like many others, I own an iPod. And I love it. It has given me the capacity to listen to music, Scripture, and sermons countless hours on end on the mower and treadmill, and for that grace, I am thankful.

I don't want this to become a rant against technology, but I do have one caution regarding such tools.
Without quiet, Thought becomes difficult. In the chaos of sound, the voice of the Holy Spirit can be drowned out. Creativity is distracted and meditation is impossible when it is noisy. And noisy doesn't just mean loud. Personal, human relationships are stunted when technology moves from being a tool that is skillfully wielded to a drug or a crutch that cannot be lived without. Silence is a necessity. In order to hear the "still, small voice" the whirlwind must cease.
I have not done any studies to back this up (although I'm sure someone has), but I'm guessing that our brains and bodies need quiet in order to be healthy and function in an optimum way.
Our society promotes the idea of a "green hour", or a time when you and your household stops the consumption of energy in order to help the environment. (resisting the urge to jump on that soapbox...) Imagine what might happen if you instituted a "quiet hour". How would that effect the environment in your home?
Make it a point to weave some silence into your life and the lives of your children. Unplug. Walk in the woods. Swing on the porch. Use the opportunity to preach grace and repentance to your soul. Tune in to the subtle noises in your surroundings. Have you ever been amazed by something a child hears long before it comes to your attention? You would be astounded at the cacophony of sound present in silence.
By all means, use the available tools when they can be an asset. Just be cautious that they are not interfering with relationships or hindering your thought life. Set up some guidelines and stick to them. And make sure to turn it off every now and then. I dare you.