Acceptable Offering

Posted by: Bob Clark | January 19, 2012

Open Arms

God created the world with human beings with the intention for the humans to live in a unity that reflected the unity of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). When humans sinned their unity with God and one another was shattered. No longer were they living as equals, but they tried to dominate one another.

As God called a people to begin the process of righting the world, we see God calling people to bless each other. God called people to treat each other with respect. God called people to stop taking advantage of other humans. God gave Israel a law that called them, to paraphrase Jesus, to love God and love all.

People continued to rebel against God’s plan by seeking dominion over one another rather than enjoying unity. Prophets expressed God’s displeasure with the way God’s people were trampling the poor and refusing to respect outsiders.

God came to live among the people to show them how they were originally intended to live. Jesus (also called Immanuel or God with us) modeled for all to see how people are to relate to each other in God’s Kingdom, where God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus demonstrated respect for all people. Jesus treated people with dignity. Jesus cared for all people, even those who had nothing to offer him. Jesus even modeled for people how to treat enemies and those who mistreat or sin against them.

People following Jesus today will do the same. We will respect all people. We will treat people with dignity. We will care for all people, even those who have nothing to offer us. We need to treat our enemies and those who mistreat or sin against us with forgiveness and love rather then vengeance.

Communities of Jesus followers (churches) will do the same. Churches will respect all people. Churches will treat people with dignity. Churches will care for all people, even those who have nothing to offer them. Churches need to treat their enemies and those who mistreat or sin against them with forgiveness and love rather than vengeance.

Jesus had open arms, even for outsiders.
Jesus had open arms, even for the powerless.
Jesus had open arms, even for women.
Jesus had open arms, even for children.
Jesus had open arms in his physical body.
Jesus had open arms in his spiritual body.
Jesus has open arms in his spiritual body.

On earth as it is in heaven!
In St. Louis as it is in heaven!

–Bob Clark

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by: Bob Clark | September 26, 2011

Into the Quiet

The phone is off.
The television is off.
The computer is off.
The music player is off.
The car is off.

Sure, in a way it is quiet,
but still, this is not the quiet
I am searching for.

My mind is racing –
thoughts are clanging around
cares are distracting
to-do list leftovers are screaming.

How do I find the quiet?
Is there a switch?
Can I turn off all the distractions?
Is there a door?
Can I just walk away from the noise
and into the quiet?

God, take me into the quiet.
Take me into Your peace.
Please, God, let’s go together,
walk with me into the quiet.

2 Comments

Posted in Peace, Prayer, Solitude

Posted by: Bob Clark | September 18, 2011

Anger

Here’s the piece I read in this morning’s sermon.

“Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is probably the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back — in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.”
–Frederick Buechner from Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABC

Re-reading Books

Recently I re-read a book that I have read several times. As I thought about books I have re-read it dawned on me that when I talk of re-reading a book, I most often am talking about a book by Henri Nouwen. Have you ever read Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son? If so, maybe you will want to join me in re-reading it. If not, What are you waiting for? You can order the book here.

Love in the Details

Lourene and I settled into a booth at a Denver restaurant eager to relax, converse, and check out yet another find from Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. By the way, if you are looking for a good restaurant to try, take a look at the places Fieri’s show has been. But enough of that, let’s get back to the booth.

I have learned that I am easily distracted when at a restaurant. I love people-watching, so if I want to be fully present with my wife it is helpful if I sit where I will have the fewest people in my line of sight. I also enjoy sports-highlight watching, so I try to sit where the television is least likely to distract me.

From past experience it seemed I had chosen a perfect seat to allow me to be focused on my sweet wife. I carefully chose a seat where my back was to the television. In front of me was a perfect view of a wall, the whole wall, and nothing but the wall. Hey, I even left my smart phone in the car to eliminate distractions.

So I slid into the booth that night pretty confident that I was going to get the attentive husband award. But even before the server had brought us our water, I became distracted by the conversation coming from the booth behind me. Yes, I heard them talking. Yes, I was listening.

Now let me try to make myself look a little better by saying that I did not intend to listen. It just happened. The two men in the booth behind me were having a very animated discussion about baseball. In fact, I would dare say this was the most detailed conversation about a baseball game I have ever heard. One of the guys was getting more excited and louder with every pitch he described. When I say, “every pitch,” I mean he was going pitch by pitch through inning after inning in his recollections of this ballgame.

For a minute I got pretty excited about who this mystery baseball commentator might be. Was it some baseball play-by-play announcer or color-commentator? Was it an active or retired major league player recalling a memorable playoff game or maybe even a game from the World Series? The conversation went on and on. Strike two. Ball four. Line-drive. Pop-up. Stolen base. Double play. Wicked curveball. Pitch in the dirt. Tagged out at the plate. Pick-off attempt. Ground-rule double. Balk. Terrible call by the umpire. Questionable strategy by the manager. Pinch hitter. Relief pitcher. Extra innings. Walk-off single. Mobbed at the plate.

Just when I was trying to figure out how I was going to get the autograph of the baseball star sitting behind me his words revealed that the entire conversation was about a little league game that his son had played. Then I realized the entire conversation had been from the perspective of a father sitting in bleachers behind the backstop to watch his son’s game.

The conversation had come alive with details because that father had been fully present at his son’s game. He wasn’t people watching or checking messages on his phone. He was glued to the game — every single pitch of the game — because it meant so much to his son.

And that’s when I looked across the table into the forgiving eyes of my wife.

2 Comments

Posted in Communication, Family, Marriage, Presence

Posted by: Bob Clark | August 2, 2011

Years Ago in a Church Far Away

“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path” (Galatians 6:1 NLT).

Following Jesus means getting involved with people. Sometimes this means seeing people at their best, in their happiest moments. So, like Jesus, we find ourselves celebrating at a wedding. Other times this means seeing people at their worst, in their broken moments. So, like Jesus, we find ourselves with a person caught red-handed in sin.

Years ago in a church far away I found myself with a church leader whose extramarital affair had just been revealed. This brother had worked hard to present himself as a sincere follower of Christ. He was a master of disguise who could create the illusion of an honest and morally upright family man. When his mask was pulled off, he was revealed to be something very different.

Sometimes having your sins revealed, especially in a public way, can provide a much needed opportunity to come clean and have a fresh start. As ministers, elders, and other church friends responded to this unmasked adulterer, we had hopes the situation could somehow result in repentance and bring glory to God. We met with “Billy” – praying for him, listening to him, and providing counsel for him. We reached out to his wife and children. We cried out to God for healing. We discreetly did all we could, without broadcasting details of this restoration process.

What happened next surprised me. Billy stopped taking our phone calls, refused lunch invitations, declined prayer opportunities, and began missing church gatherings. But while he stopped talking to church leaders and friends who were reaching out to him, he began talking to others in the church. In fact, he would talk to anyone who would listen, even reluctantly, to his complaints.

“Nobody has reached out to me to help me.”
“The elders are hypocrites; they haven’t even tried to call me.”
“None of my so-called friends care enough to reach out.”
“I guess the minister doesn’t have time for a sinner like me.”

And so he left the church, but not before trying to do as much damage as he could on the way out. After we began hearing these accusations of neglect, church leaders and friends continued to reach out to him. After all, we knew he was hurting and his life was reeling in the wake of his scandalous behavior.

What happened next surprised me even more. People from the church began calling me, the elders, and friends of Billy. They had been getting the phone calls from Billy in which he lashed out against the ones who lovingly and graciously helped him get a fresh start. One family was so disgusted by the lack of response to Billy that they left the church and wrote an angry letter on their way out. The letter didn’t ask questions to verify the stuff Billy was saying. The letter assumed Billy’s stuff was true and blasted the church leadership for not reaching out to him.

What’s an elder, minister, or friend to do? Do we broadcast to the church (especially to the family who left) all that had been done to help Billy? Do we try to defend ourselves against the charges? Do we grow bitter and decide to never get involved in another situation like this? I think the answer to each of these questions is, no. We do what God has called us to do – gently restore the person caught in sin. We cannot control how people react, but we can control how we act.

1 Comment

Posted in fellowship, Galatians, Repentance

Posted by: Bob Clark | July 21, 2011

For the Love of God

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

As Lafayette Christian Preschool wrapped up another year, I had opportunity to participate in the closing ceremonies by praying a blessing over the children and the parents. Before praying for the children, I had opportunity to watch them sing a song they had been practicing for several days.

The teachers were sweet and encouraging as they positioned the children for the big performance. As I watched I knew the teachers were wondering if all of their hard work in teaching the song and preparing for the performance was going to be evident or if it would come off as if they had never rehearsed at all. When you work with children, especially young children, you never know quite what to expect.

Would they remember the words?
Would they stand still?
Would someone start sobbing?
Would a little girl lift up her dress?
Would a little boy pull down his pants?

One of the best things about these programs is the audience. These children were not onstage to perform for me. They were not performing for their teachers. They were certainly not performing for Simon Cowell. The children were on that stage singing for an audience packed with their number one fans, their parents, grandparents, and other family members.

As I sat in the front waiting for my cue to step onstage and bless the children, I think I had the best seat in the house. I could see everybody — the children, the teachers, and the audience of family members. I am not sure what was sweeter – seeing and hearing the children singing the songs or watching their parents and grandparents support their precious children.

Some of the children seemed confident. Some seemed a bit uneasy. One or two decided to just stand there without singing or even moving, seemingly overwhelmed by their moment in the spotlight. And then there were the Moms who were waving to their sons. Dads who were videotaping their daughters. Parents and grandparents mouthing, “I love you!” to their children. And, of course, once or twice I saw parents and grandparents reacting to what they were seeing with a “D’oh!”

As I watched the preschool production with all the family dynamics taking place, I thought of how family presents a picture of God’s love. I imagined Jesus watching us perform for Him. I envisioned God being focused on us, waving to get our attention. I pictured the Holy Spirit doing everything possible to assure us of God’s love. As I watched the parents and grandparents I was reminded — that’s the way God is.

Where would we be but for the love of God?

2 Comments

Posted in Family, God, love

Posted by: Bob Clark | July 19, 2011

Restrictive passages, part 2 — 1 Corinthians 14:34

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.” (1 Corinthians 14:33-35).

This is the second of two NT passages in which Paul restricts the roles of women. Whereas in 1 Timothy 2:12 Paul writes that women should be “quiet” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NLT, MSG), in this passage Paul calls for “silence” (ASV, KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). Let’s consider two possibilities for reading this passage.

The first reading: Paul is restricting women in all congregations to silence. If the women have questions, they are to ask their husbands at home.

The second reading: Paul is restricting to silence the talkative women who are disrupting the gathering. This would apply not only to the church in Corinth, but to all congregations because God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. Rather than interrupting the gathering (perhaps due to not understanding the language – remember, this is a tongue-speaking context), they are to ask their husbands (who apparently do understand) when they get home.

Take a moment to imagine how church gatherings would change if reading number one were accepted. No altos or sopranos singing because women are silent. No comments. No questions. No greetings. No talking. No shushing the babies. No whispering to explain the bread and cup to children. Just silence.

But our reading (understanding and practice of the passage) needs to be determined by something greater than how it affects our current practice. Crucial in the decision as to how to read this passage is seeing how the two reading options fit with the immediate and broader contexts. For example: how do you square the first reading with what is happening in 1 Corinthians 11 where women are praying and preaching (prophesying) in what seems to be a mixed gender gathering (after all, they are told to wear their head coverings which would seem to rule out a female-only gathering)? For that matter, how do you square Paul calling for “silence” in 1 Corinthians 14 when he calls only for “quiet” in the other restrictive passage – 1 Timothy 2:12?

As for the broader context, it seems we have a decision to make. Put one way: are the two restrictive passages an indication of how God always intended for men and women to relate or are they exceptional restrictions based on specific problems in the congregation or church gathering?

Or put another way: are the examples through scripture of women leading, teaching, singing, preaching, and praying the exceptions and women being quiet or silent the rule? Or are the examples through scripture of women leading, teaching, singing, preaching, and praying the rule while the two restrictive passages are the exceptions?

1 Comment

Posted in 1 Corinthians, Gender issues, Women

Posted by: Bob Clark | July 12, 2011

Restrictive Passages: 1 Timothy 2

“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet” (1 Timothy 2:11-12).

This is one of two NT passages in which Paul restricts the roles of women. Some say 1 Timothy was not written by Paul and should not be included in our Bibles. Others suggest this is an example of a flawed Paul’s misogyny and should be ignored. After giving both positions consideration, I am not convinced. I suggest we treat 1 Timothy as being of Paul and belonging in our Bibles. I reject the notion that Paul is a misogynist. Without a doubt, Paul is restricting women in 1 Timothy 2. The question for us to determine is what exactly is being restricted by Paul? Let me suggest two possible readings for this passage that should be considered in light of how they read in the context of 1 Timothy as a letter and the Bible as a whole.

The first reading: Paul is restricting all women in all places for all time from teaching or assuming authority over men. Paul explains his position by referring to the order of creation and deception. Adam was formed first, before Eve; therefore men have authority over women. Eve was deceived first, before Adam; therefore all women need to be led by men. God never intended for women to teach or assume authority over men. God always intended men to exercise authority over women.

The second reading: Paul is restricting unlearned women at Ephesus (or anywhere else) from teaching or assuming authority over men. Paul begins the passage by urging women to learn (a radical, non-traditional position in Paul’s day). Paul explains his instruction by referring to the order of creation and deception. Adam was formed first, so Adam had more time to learn from God than Eve. As a result, Eve was deceived first. Women in Eve’s position (unlearned women) should quietly learn rather than teach or assume authority over men.

Do churches choosing reading number one practice a more restrictive view than Paul taught even assuming reading one? In what way does a woman greeting the church or making an announcement violate the restriction regarding teaching a man or assuming authority over a man? The same question should be asked with regard to passing trays, praying, reading scripture, sharing personal reflections at communion, or leading songs. Do any of these involve authoritative teaching? Do they necessarily involve assuming authority over a man? What if men ask women to serve in these ways? How is passing a tray from front to back more authoritative than passing a tray from side to side? If we conclude leadership should be male rather than shared, and we think passing trays is an act of leadership, perhaps we need to rethink our view of what constitutes leadership. What did Jesus do or teach that would lead us to conclude something like passing trays was an example of Jesus-style leadership?

While sorting through this passage to determine which reading best fits and to examine our own practices, we need to remember the importance of humility, grace, and love. All of us, me included, need to be submissive learners.

6 Comments

Posted in 1 Timothy, Gender issues, Women

Posted by: Bob Clark | June 28, 2011

God and Gender

Have you ever heard God referred to as “the big guy upstairs” or “the old man in the sky?” These statements may reveal something about people’s perception of God. Throughout my ministry I have been surprised (shocked may not be too strong a word) at the times when people have told me they think God is actually “male.”

I mistakenly had thought everyone understood God is not a human and so not male or female. God is a spirit. God is, well, God. Jesus was a male, but the great mystery of the incarnation is not just that God has taken on a male body, but that God has taken on any human body at all (Philippians 2:1-11). God…in a human body? Wow!

Without question, scripture uses male metaphors to present God to us in language we can understand. The best known example of a male metaphor being used to reveal God would probably be God as our “father”. While there are few references to God as father in the Old Testament, this imagery is frequently used by Jesus and elsewhere in the New Testament. While we are familiar with male metaphors and imagery used to reveal God to humans, for some reason we are not as familiar with female metaphors and imagery used in scripture to reveal God. For that reason, I ask you to consider these few examples:

Numbers 11:12 Moses asks, “Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms as a nurse carries an infant…?” The obvious answer is, “no.” Moses did not, but he is making the point that God did. God conceived them. God gave them birth. God carried them.
Deuteronomy 32:18 In this passage God is pictured as both father and mother; and, I suppose it is worth noting, God also is pictured as a “rock.”
Job 38:8, 29 The Lord uses feminine birth imagery to describe God’s creating the universe.
Psalm 131:2 David describes putting his hope in the Lord as being like a weaned child cuddling with its mother. A weaned child does not seek its mother to demand food. A weaned child wants its mother for comfort and assurance.
Luke 15:8-10 In Luke 15 Jesus tells three stories to teach about the nature of God. While two of the stories use male imagery, the second of the stories uses female imagery to reveal God.
Matthew 23:37 Jesus describes God’s desire to protect Israel being like that of a hen wanting to protect her chicks.
John 1:13; John 3:5; 1 John 4:7; 1 John 5:1, 4, 18 John uses feminine “born of God” images several times.
Isaiah 42:14, Isaiah 46:3-4, Isaiah 49:14-15, Isaiah 66:13 These are but a few of many more examples which could be listed.

Don’t miss the point here, I am not trying to pitch that God is female. Far from it. I am saying while God is God and not human (male or female), scripture uses numerous images and metaphors — both male and female — to reveal the nature of God.

3 Comments

Posted in Gender issues, God, Theology, Women

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