by Elizabeth | Jul 23, 2012 | Learning Story
“Wherein you greatly rejoice, even though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations.”1 Peter 1:6
Charles Spurgeon’s remarks:
“THIS VERSE TO A WORLDLY MAN looks amazingly like a contradiction; and even to a Christian man, when he understands it best, it will still be a paradox. “Ye greatly rejoice,” and yet “ye are in heaviness.” Is that possible? Can there be in the same heart great rejoicing, and yet a temporary heaviness? Most assuredly. This paradox has been known and felt by many of the Lord’s children, and it is far from being the greatest paradox of the Christian life. Men who live within themselves, and mark their own feelings as Christians, will often stand and wonder at themselves. Of all riddles, the greatest riddle is a Christian man. As to his pedigree, what a riddle he is! He is a child of the first Adam, “an heir of wrath, even as others.” He is a child of the second Adam: he was born free; there is therefore now no condemnation unto him. He is a riddle in his own existence. “As dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and not killed.” He is a riddle as to the component parts of his own spiritual frame. He finds that which makes him akin to the devil—depravity, corruption, binding him still to the earth, and causing him to cry out, “O wretched man that I am;” and yet he finds that he has within himself that which exalts him, not merely to the rank of an angel, but higher still—a something which raises him up together, and makes him “sit together with Christ Jesus in heavenly places.” He finds that he has that within him which must ripen into heaven, and yet that about him which would inevitably ripen into hell, if grace did not forbid. What wonder, then, beloved, if the Christian man be a paradox himself, that his condition should be a paradox too? Why marvel ye, when ye see a creature corrupt and yet purified, mortal and yet immortal, fallen but yet exalted far above principalities and powers—why marvel ye, that ye should find that creature also possessed of mingled experience, greatly rejoicing, and yet at the same time, “in heaviness through manifold temptations.” Charles Spurgeon, sermon on 1 Peter 1:6
Read the whole sermon here
by Elizabeth | Jul 19, 2012 | Learning Story
One of the squeaming (yes, I made that word up) challenges of writing a Bible study on faith and hopeis having to rush past profound passages of Scripture with hardly a passing glance. I am revisiting one of these orphaned portions today, and I thought I’d share them with you.
The challenge is to read it so slowly it may seem tedious, three times. (You could break these up into a morning, noon, and evening reading – that’s my plan. Just set a reminder.) I’m going to paste in three different versions.
I Peter 1:3-9, NIV
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
I Peter 1:3-9, ESV
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
I Peter 1:3-9, The Message
3-5What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.
6-7I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
8-9You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
by Elizabeth | Jul 16, 2012 | Learning Story
Yesterday, I enjoyed the odd (for me) privilege of sharing communion with two different bodies. The first was with my mom in a large Episcopal cathedral with all of the eloquence and majesty you might expect. (It also happened to be the church where almost 30 years ago My husband and I were married.) Later, I joined our two sons at the church we were members of even before our eldest was born. We’ve since moved to a different state, but he has just returned to live and work. Anyway (I discovered there is more here than I actually knew, which is one of the great perks of writing – hint, hint…). It made me think of a long ago discussion I had with Pastor Scotty Smith about re-membering. I’ll post the summary, and let me know if any of this makes you remember anything or re-member anyone!
When we remember, we also re-member. When we remember that redemption accomplished reconciliation for us, we rest in that reconciliation and we live toward reconciliation with friends and enemies. We remember that one day we will re-member with every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group for an eternal story of kingdom worship, and we work (yes, this is at least part of the ‘working out of salvation’ Philippians refers to) toward building that community now.
In remembrance we rest, and in remembrance we do. Because we remember what Christ has done for us, we drink his body and eat his blood. We do so to remember that we can rest from our labors to be acceptable in God’s sight. And in resting from our labors to be acceptable in his sight, we are freed to labor and love for the sake of spreading the good news of this kingdom to others. Wherever you are re-membering, do this in remembrance of the Lord our Savior, Jesus Christ.
by Elizabeth | Jul 13, 2012 | Learning Story
I cannot hide my excitement – in Atlanta today and we (1 son, 1 daughter, 1 mother) get to visit our eldest son at his first foray into the working world! Which just happens to be at Chick-fil-a corporate, and it just happens to be cow appreciation day! The good news for you is – you too can dress like a cow and visit your local CFA for free chicken! Need a nose or some ears? Go here for free cow help.
Just the title will make you want to read this next one: The Welcome of Grace by Jared Wilson.
And finally, did you know there is a website for Madeleine L’Engle, and that it is the 50th anniversary of the amazing work, A Wrinkle in Time?(Funny thing, I never could read her book as a child – tried several times and put it down. And in the New York Times obituary, the author points out that she always said children’s literature is too difficult for adults:-). Read it here.
by Elizabeth | Jul 11, 2012 | Learning Story
(a poor sketch of the cataclysmic events)
Blueberry yogurt, banana-adorned, hovering near mouth…
Deep, rich, creamy coffee ready to sip..
Son calls me to come…
Water bursts behind faucet into bathtub, rushing from opposite wall, pooling around toilet.
Son and I labor, huffing and puffing, shoving force against fixture to draw flow toward bathtub.
Daughter throws about ten towels on floor.
Daughter calls doctor-dad. He, repairing a knee, gives instruction through nurse to shut off main water by calling company. Daughter calls water controllers.
Bathtub near flooding, son and I begin bailing. Daughter calls water company again and urges unsympathetic operator to send help.
Son passes me with larger container, splashing water in rush; I head to yard to find water shut-off.
Daughter kennels dogs, leaves for work, a little late.
I call plumber; big truck arrives.
Plumber asks questions, son bails, workers dig up yard.
Water shuts off. Sweet silence arrives.
Contractor friend arrives.
Plumber arrives.
Son leaves for meeting.
Fault found; easy fix suggested.
This will make a really good story one day.
Today, in fact.
May the shalom of Christ dwell richly in your stories today!
by Elizabeth | Jul 9, 2012 | Learning Story
How can you be sure of what you can't see?
In case you haven’t heard, has arrived. I’m loving revisiting the material I worked on almost a year ago, and I really think you will too. Today, we think about faith and hope and Hebrews 11:1, with a little bit of help from John Calvin.
As I write about faith and hope, I’ve been ‘studying on’ (which, where I’m from, means something like, walking around it, thinking about it all the time, trying it out, asking for enlightenment) Hebrews 11:1: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen.” Today I read this really cool quote that sounded quite relevant to our contemporary struggle with faith. The language is a bit challenging, but stick with it and tell me if you see what he’s saying…
“The Spirit of God shows us hidden things, the knowledge of which cannot reach our senses…
We are told of the resurrection of the blessed, but meantime we are involved in corruption;
we are declared to be just, and sin dwells within us;
we hear that we are blessed, but meantime we are overwhelmed by untold miseries;
we are promised an abundance of good things, but we are often hungry and thirsty;
God proclaims that He will come to us immediately, but seems to be deaf to our cries.
What would happen to us if we did not rely on our hope, and if our minds did not emerge above the world out of the midst of darkness through the shining Word of God and by His Spirit?
Faith is rightly called the substance of things which are still the objects of hope and the evidence of things not seen.” John Calvin (Commentary on Hebrews)
